June 19, 2025 • 39 mins
In this first episode of the "Living in Mexico" series, I'm diving deep into our family's big move to Mexico! After posting about our decision on social media, you all flooded my DMs with the most thoughtful questions, and I'm answering them all. From the practical logistics of dual citizenship to finding schools for the kids, I'm sharing everything about this crazy adventure we're embarking on as a family of four.
For detailed show notes, visit vivalamami.com/episode130
What You'll Hear:
- How we're navigating dual citizenship for our family
- The real scoop on Mexican school systems - from guarderías to Montessori schools
- Cost of living comparisons that will blow your mind
- How I'm planning to build a community in Mexico
- The emotional journey of reclaiming our roots and going back to the motherland
Resources Mentioned:
- How to Get Dual Citizenship: Free virtual session with Samantha Alvarez from Hood Girls Travel Too - Tuesday, June 24th at 7 PM CT
- Cost of Living Comparison Tool: Database comparing costs between two cities around the world
- Viva la Mami Collective: Join our community for more resources and support
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I know that there's also a waveof US parents that are bringing
their families to Mexico anddeciding to take this leap of
officially moving to Mexico.
And I am Y'all like the power ofsocial media definitely has its
cons, but one of the biggestbenefits is that you can connect
(00:22):
to anyone around the world.
And there was a specific mamawho reached out to me and she
was like, oh my gosh.
Just so you know, I've beenfollowing you for such a long
time.
And when you announced that youwere moving to Mexico, I was
very excited for you, but thenwhen you announced that you're
moving to Leon, I am evenexcited because I am from Leon
too.
My husband and I just moved toLeon as well.
(00:43):
Like y'all, there's a lot ofbeauty within that.
there's so many people that areinspired with our decision to
moving to Mexico, and I'm soglad that we are not keeping it
just to ourselves or to ourclose ones.
I know that there is a largercommunity of like people who
either are doing the shift withus or who are thinking about it,
(01:04):
but perhaps they're afraid andthis can kind of like lift them
to make this change and or it'sjust people who are inspired and
they wanna know your story.
And so for us, I am so excitedto share with you all like what
we're going to embark on Welcomeback to another episode of the
(02:32):
Viva la Mami podcast.
I'm your host, Jessica Cuevas,and today we're diving into
something completely different,but so exciting.
As you may know, my family and Iare making the big move to
Mexico, and oh my goodness, youall have been flooding my dms
with the most thoughtfulquestions as well as positive
(02:55):
thoughts and vibes, uh, thatyou've all been sending us our
way.
And so I posted a couple weeksago asking what you wanted to
know about our move.
And within hours I had dozens ofmessages.
Some of you are thinking aboutmaking a similar move, others
are just curious about the crazyadventure we're going to embark
(03:19):
on.
And honestly, your questionshave helped me think through
things I hadn't even considered.
So today I'm answering your realquestions, the practical ones,
the emotional ones, and even theones that made me laugh out
loud.
On this podcast and on YouTube,in case you are someone who
(03:42):
prefers video, we're having ournew"Living in Mexico" series
where I'll be sharing our entirejourney, the good, the
challenging, and everything inbetween.
And so if you haven't yetlistened to our first episode,
which was also a, an Instagramlive about a couple weeks ago.
(04:03):
With my husband, Alex, we toldyou all that we are going to
share our adventure with you,and it's also going to be
somewhat of a lifestyle,educational, sort of series as
part of Viva la Mami because Iam sharing this through the lens
of.
What it's like to be a momraising two little toddlers in
(04:27):
Mexico and coming from thatperspective as a Latina as well,
and sort of reclaiming our rootsand going back to the
motherland.
And so there's a lot that I'mvery excited to share with you
all, and I really hope that youstick with us, whether if it's
on the podcast, but also onYouTube, because on YouTube we
will be sharing more contentspecific to our life in Mexico.
(04:50):
And of course on Instagram,you'll just get a little glimpse
of everything in between.
And so let's start with thelogistics because I know that
I've received so many questionsabout this, but the first
question that I've been asked alot is, are the documents you
need to file or have to livethere versus visiting?
(05:13):
And so.
We are coming to Mexico ascitizens of Mexico, and so
myself as well as my two kidsare already dual citizens.
So we worked on this process, Iwould say over two months ago.
(05:33):
So back in March we went toMexico and we did all of the
necessary paperwork.
We went through the and inGuanajuato, where my family is
from, and we kind of worked onthat process and.
It was a lot easier than makingan appointment through EL here
in the United States, uh, at theconsulate.
(05:56):
And the reason why is becausethe consulate has very limited.
Appointments or CITAs availablefor those who wanna register,
uh, through, uh, the Mexicangovernment.
And so if you wanna expedite it,and if you want a more seamless
process, there's another way ofgetting your dual citizenship
and that's in Mexico.
(06:17):
At the time of this recording,Alex is working on his dual
citizenship.
So we hope that he gets to enterMexico as a citizen, but if not.
He would be going in as atourist.
For anyone who wants to go toMexico for 180 days or less,
they don't necessarily need avisa.
(06:37):
And so Alex would be going inwith his US passport.
And he would essentially have tocome back to the United States
within 180 days, which is finebecause we are planning to come
back to Chicago in October for awedding.
And so.
The timing of this would workout well if in case he would
(06:58):
have to come back by a certaintime.
And so we are not worried aboutthat.
But you know, I think for justlike having that legitimacy, I
guess, of us going to Mexico asMexican citizens.
Our hope is that he alsoacquires this and the reason why
he's been having a hard time isbecause unfortunately, his birth
(07:21):
certificate was incorrect.
Myra's name wasn't typed.
Uh, correctly.
And so he had to make a bunch ofchanges in his birth certificate
and we're still waiting on that,which is wild.
So we're still waiting from theCook County Clerk's office to.
Make the changes, and then afterthat he's gonna have to make a,
(07:45):
as of right now, they do havelimited spots.
So at least for the consulate inChicago, we know that they open
their spots every Monday at 9:00AM So literally, we're on our
phones every Monday at likearound 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM
where, you know, we're just likeconstantly checking what's
(08:06):
available, but.
So hopefully, like I said, hegets to have all of his
documentation in place, butotherwise, you know, we have
that privilege of being dualcitizens.
And so either way he, we'll becoming into Mexico with some
kind of documentation.
As far as this process, I don'tthink it was necessarily
overwhelming, but I would saythat we have to, we had to have
(08:30):
all of our ducks in order, ifyou will.
So we had to have all of ourdocumentation in, so don't let
this overwhelm you.
Don't let this intimidate you.
If you really wanna get yourdual citizenship, then uh, it is
possible.
You just have to make sure thatyou're getting all your ducks in
a row.
If you have any curiosity or ifyou wanna learn more about how
(08:52):
to obtain dual citizenship, Iwill be having a.
Virtual session as part of theViva AMI Collective, and I am
collaborating with SamanthaAlvarez from Hood Girls Travel
Too, and she will be hosting afree virtual workshop on how to
obtain your dual citizenship,specifically in Mexico.
(09:13):
And so if you are of Mexicanheritage, if either of your
parents are from Mexico, then.
Please sign up.
I will add the link in the shownotes.
The virtual workshop will be onTuesday, June 24th at 7:00 PM
central time.
So please register because Ithink Samantha has a lot to
offer.
(09:34):
She is an expert in the travelbusiness she's also helped
people get their dualcitizenship.
So if you are curious aboutthat, please sign up and the
link is in the description.
And another question was.
Are you getting a storage place?
And so as part of the logistics,uh, we are, and so we actually
(09:58):
already have a storage space,and so if you haven't heard our
full story, uh, we knew thatright now, uh, at the current
place where we are living at,which we're about to move soon
at the time of this recording,obviously, but, uh, we bought a
three.
Flat multifamily, investmentproperty.
(10:18):
And so essentially.
We decided to move in into oneof the units so that way we
didn't get to like, pay for, uh,the cost of living.
And so we decided to house hack.
And I think that in its own wayhas allowed us to think
creatively and in doing this bigmove to Mexico.
(10:39):
And so at the time when we weredownsizing from a four bedroom
house in the suburbs.
Down to like a one bedroomapartment in Chicago, we decided
to live in the tiniest space.
That way.
Again, we don't have to pay foranything, on the cost of living.
So what we did was we rented astorage unit and we knew that
(11:01):
where we are currently at wasgoing to be temporary.
We didn't know where we wouldgo, essentially.
And so now that we have a betteridea as far as with where we're
living, we are still keeping thestorage unit just so that we can
keep the things that.
Our practical, like the thingsthat we know that we're
(11:23):
essentially going to use like infive or 10 years and keep some
of our most precious likeheirlooms and belongings.
Not that we come from money, butyou know, there is a piano that
I have, there is an accordionthat I have.
I mean, I don't think I'm gonnabe able to move, take that to
Mexico, but once we decide tocome back.
(11:46):
And that's if we decide to comeback, then we have those
belongings.
If we then decide to not comeback, then obviously the plan is
gonna change.
But at least for right now, wedo have a storage place.
So that way we don't get to takeeverything with us to Mexico,
but.
What will belong in the storageplace are going to be things
(12:07):
that, were more sentimentallyattached to with it.
And then we'll figure out fromthere.
So as far as with like whatwe're taking with us to Mexico,
I mean, it's essentially ourclothes and that's not a lot of
clothes because I definitely gotrid of my winter coat.
(12:29):
Because coming from Chicago,winter is brutal.
And I donated my winter coat.
I donated my winter bootsbecause I'm like, I'm done.
And either way, they were kindof old.
So I'm like, if whenever we comeback, if we decide to come back
to Chicago, then at least, youknow, we can always buy new
things.
But, yeah, we're just takingwith us our equipment.
(12:50):
A a couple of toys for the boys,and I think that's it.
Like we're not taking much, anda lot of people have this
perception that in Mexicothere's nothing like I, I am
honestly in shock when I visitedLeon, which is where we are
moving, Leon is essentially likea mini Chicago.
(13:11):
Like there is a lot to do, a lotto eat, there's a lot to shop
for and in all different typesof.
Budgets.
And so if you wanna shop alittle less, then you can go to
you know, like the mecado s ifyou wanna shop a little bit more
bougie.
There's, El Palacio Dero, whichis the newest store in Leone,
(13:34):
which is a very bougie store.
Let me tell y'all like, it'smore than.
I don't know, Bloomingdale's andall of those stores, like it's
pretty bougie, So we are verylucky to be that we are moving
to a, populous city, a city thatis very well resourced, and they
have two Costcos there.
So I'm like, as long as there'sa Costco, I'm good to go.
(13:56):
And I kid you.
Now the Costco is just the samein the United States.
Like they have the, our favoriteKirkland Peanut butter there.
They have all of the things thatwe essentially use, like they
have the little mozzarella ballsthat the kids like for snacks.
And so there's nothing that Ifeel like we need to take with
us, uh, from the United Statesbesides like.
(14:19):
What we currently have, andwe're not gonna buy any more
things because Yeah.
And if we, I guess once wesituate ourselves there and once
we have a better idea as far aswith what we need and what is
not there, then we can alwayscome back to the United States
and, you know, bring it with us.
So, yeah, those are yourlogistical questions.
(14:40):
Okay.
So now let's talk about the kidsbecause that affects the whole
family as we know.
And one of the questions, uh,that you asked was, did you
enroll your kids in school?
And so, yes, we did.
I was contemplating whether tohomeschool or not, but I am
honestly not that the type ofparent that.
(15:04):
Would wanna homeschool theirkids like I definitely have been
craving for.
Alone time.
I have been craving for havingboundaries and just having my
own time, and not necessarilyfor luxuries, you know, specific
things, but for me to reallyfocus on my business, for me to
(15:24):
actually do like side work aswell.
And unfortunately, you know.
In the United States, if you area stay at home mom, like you
don't have a lot of freedombecause you know, you can
obviously get help if you do getthe help.
But with my situation, uh, wenever had that opportunity.
And so when we decided to moveto Mexico, that was definitely
(15:47):
like the number one reason thatreally intrigued us because in
Mexico, like y'all, the cost ofchildcare.
Is significantly less like, andwe all know that, that the US
just sucks with in, in terms ofthe costs of, childcare and so
(16:08):
we knew that we definitelywanted to take the kids to a
place where they can stickaround for a couple hours in a
given day.
In Mexico, there's a lot ofoptions.
There's gu, which is basicallylike daycare centers and
there's, or schools, and withinthe schools, uh, depending on
(16:28):
each school, right?
There's private public, there'sinternational schools, there's a
ton of British schools, which Iwas very.
Impressed, but also, uh,surprised as well.
And, and there's bilingualschools as well.
In Leon, we decided to go with aprivate school that offers
schooling for toddlers all theway into like, I don't know, it
(16:53):
goes up to like Bato, which iskind of like a, like high
school, I believe.
I'm still trying to learn theeducation system in Mexico, so
please correct me if I'm.
Wrong with this, but essentiallythe goal was to have both of the
kids in the same school and notall schools, offer maternal.
So maternal or, Pre preschoolyour toddler can enroll there
(17:16):
and they have the same kind oftraditional setting as kind of
like a daycare, but it'stechnically in a school setting.
It's in a school.
And they have the same hours asall of the kids.
So I think it's very communingfor families who have older
children to also enroll theirlittle ones if they are of age,
you know, to be enrolled in thatschool.
(17:38):
it was really good that we knewthat difference between a Guria
and, uh, a specifically forMateo because a guria is just
like a way for kids to just likebe watched that like it's just,
you know, a way for kids to betaken care of while the parents
are working.
In al it, there is a specificcurriculum.
(18:00):
It, it helps'em with socialemotional learning, it's a very,
Structured type of environment,whereas a guerilla is more like,
we're just watching your kidsand we'll let them play, do
whatever they want.
So I'm glad that there werethose options because we knew
that we wanted to create, youknow, a little bit more
structure for Mateo, especiallyas you know, he is developing
(18:22):
and growing.
We want him to be ready foractual preschool whenever, you
know, I think when he turnsthree.
So that'll be next year, whichis wild.
So I have a cousin who is livesin Mexico and I also have a
friend who we've been friendsfor, I don't know, 12, 13 years.
And we've kept in touch.
And when we knew that we were.
(18:45):
Moving to Leon, I was like,okay, I need to reach out to
these two jere and figure outwhat are the best options for
for the kids.
And so they shared me a list ofall these different schools.
And when we went to Mexico forDiego Spring break, we were
there for about 10 days.
We.
Visited a bunch of schools andthey all range from bilingual
(19:06):
schools, which I would say arethe most, uh, expensive ones.
We didn't go to an internationalschool just because we didn't
wanna adhere to like a Britishcurriculum.
I think, I think there's onlyone American international
school, but I already knew thatif we're gonna expose them to
the cultural experience to, tobe in Mexico, like I'm not going
(19:29):
to bring.
American, the American schoolsystem with us.
So we knew that we essentiallywanted them to be a part of this
immersive like experience forthem to feel like, oh my gosh,
this is, this is the schoolingthat is done in Mexico.
And so we decided to go with theprivate, uh, route public.
(19:52):
The reason why we didn't isbecause spots always fill up
fast and.
Uh, you know, I also wanna givepriority to the citizens that
are actually from there, right?
And so.
We knew that, uh, private wasthe way to go, and we toured a
couple schools that were similarto the one that we are
(20:13):
officially enrolling our, ourkids at.
And we really love the schoolwhere they are going.
It is a Montessori based school,which is wild to me to say that
because if you look at theprices of Montessori schools in
the United States, like we allknow that.
A lot of people, that have asimilar identity as me.
We know that we can't afford itor we don't feel our kids would
(20:36):
belong in there.
And so I.
The fact that our kids are goingto a Montessori school, it is a
Catholic school.
So that's something that I needto kind of adjust with just
because for me personally, uh,we, we are not practicing
Catholics necessarily, eventhough culturally we are, which
is kind of an episode of itsown.
But you know, that's somethingthat we're gonna have to adjust
(20:57):
in terms of like.
Taking the kids to mass and allof that.
But who knows, maybe we'll enjoythe environment.
And that's something that I'vedefinitely did research on.
I joined a Facebook group, uh,page for the local moms and the
local parents in the area, aswell as like a Facebook group
page specifically for parentslooking for schools in Leon.
(21:19):
And, uh, through those filters,you know, through that.
Search bar.
I was like looking for thespecific school's names and just
trying to gauge on like what theexperiences have been with the
kids, and how parents, whetherthey recommended it or not.
And overall, we, I noticed thatthere were really good reviews
about the school, so that mademe feel comfortable in, you
(21:42):
know, enrolling them there.
So If you have been following meI posted on Instagram that we
went for a short trip.
It was just me.
I traveled solo with the kidsand it was quite of an
experience, let me tell y'all.
But luckily my parents.
Are there, they've been stayingin, in Guanajuato in a small,
(22:03):
about an hour away from Leon.
We met up with'em and so it wasreally nice to have help.
Right.
And so the reason why we wentthere for a short amount of time
is so that the kids could meetthe, the teachers could meet
the, the director of admissionsand also the psychologist, and
that way they can do anevaluation or it's called a ion.
(22:27):
And so this balo is essentiallyan an assessment that every
student has to take.
Prior to actually enrolling intothe school.
It's not an admissions test.
So they will not deny you if youdon't quote unquote pass.
But it's a way for the school toreally see where they're at
academically, social,emotionally even motorly.
(22:50):
So I was very impressed that,you know, they required this as
part of the.
Enrollment process because inthe United States, at least for
me, growing up in Chicago, andyou know, currently living in
Chicago within the public schoolsystem specifically, like you
just enroll them and that's it.
(23:11):
And, and it's up to you whetherif you wanna talk to the teacher
and talk about your child'shistory, and especially if
there's.
First entering school for thevery first time.
You don't know if they wouldrequire an IEP or what have you,
unless they already receiveearly intervention or services.
But with the school where thekids are starting off with him
in the fall, the teachersalready know where they're at.
(23:33):
The teachers already know that,okay, we're gonna create an
individualized plan so that way,you know, we can better cater to
their needs or what have you.
So I thought that was cool.
Alright, so another questionabout our kiddos.
It was knowing how centralbilingualism is in your life and
family.
(23:53):
I'm curious if you chose abilingual school for kiddos.
So.
The answer is technically no.
And the reason why is becausethe bilingual schools in Mexico,
or at least in Leone, wherewe're moving at, it's almost
like the reverse way if youthink about dual language.
And so with dual language herein the United States, you're
starting off with 80% of thetargeted language and maybe 20%
(24:17):
of the dominant language.
So in this case, 80% Spanish and20% English.
And essentially through theyears, as the years move on,
you'll meet, you'll be likefully bi literate, bilingual
and, and the instruction will be50 50.
In Mexico, it's almost theopposite.
So they start out with likebasically 90% English and 10%
(24:41):
Spanish.
And even though at this point.
Uh, the kids are Spanishdominant, specifically Diego,
who is almost four and a half.
You know, he is basically aSpanish only child.
But we knew that if we everwanna return back to the United
States, I mean, he's gonna beimmersed in English.
(25:01):
And Alex and I talked to eachother in English anyway, so
they're already kind of exposedto English.
And the reason why we wanted tonot put him in bilingual school
in Mexico is because, well.
That's part of the experience.
Again, we wanna fully immersethem into a very general kind of
(25:22):
school environment that any kidin Mexico would go to unless
their parents choose to put themin a bilingual or international
school.
One of the cool things about theschool where the kids are going
is that they will be getting onehour of English instruction
every day.
So at least they will be exposedto English.
But when they come home, I mean,they will hear me and Alex talk
(25:45):
to each other in English.
So.
I'm not hesitant as far as withlike, oh my gosh, will they lose
their English?
No, because I know that they'regonna get it.
They're gonna be immersedeventually when we decide to
come back to the United States.
Now, right now, the the, wedon't really have a plan as far
as with if we're gonna come backto the United States or not.
(26:09):
But once we do come to aconsensus and decide, okay, we
are moving back to the UnitedStates.
I mean, Spanish is still goingto be the prominent language
spoken at home, but if we dodecide to stay in Mexico for a
longer period, I would say formore than three years, then
we're definitely going toimplement English at home
because Spanish will be thedominant language around their
(26:32):
surroundings.
And so another question that Igot was, what's your school
plan?
Are you going to come back forDiego to start kindergarten in
the United States?
So again, we're not sure.
I mean, to be honest and.
Our goal right now definitely isfor us to stay there for a year
and we signed our lease.
(26:54):
Uh, we already found a house inin Leone, which is awesome.
It's a fully furnished home, sothat's also part of the reason
why we're not taking a lot ofstuff with us.
And so we know that we'lldefinitely be alone for a year.
And if we decide to come back,well, Diego will be starting.
Uh, kindergarten in the UnitedStates, but if we decide not to
(27:17):
come back, our goal is either tocome back after a year or when
Mateo would start kindergarten.
So that would put Diego maybewhat in kindergarten?
First, second grade, I believe.
But again, we'll see.
Uh, there's still a lot of.
Uncertainties and I'm okay withit.
(27:38):
I would say as we get closer tothe end of the year, like this
time next year, then I'll giveyou a better idea.
Alright, and so the nextquestions are about lifestyle
and community.
And so one of the questions thatwas asked us, share with me your
price tags.
We are seriously thinking aboutdoing this, but it's so
(28:00):
unnerving.
And so in terms of like the costof living in Mexico, as we know,
it is significantly cheaper ifyou're coming in with US
dollars.
And so Alex is still keeping hisjob.
He has that privilege of keepinghis job because he works
remotely And so the cost ofliving will be significantly
(28:24):
less just because we also havethe ability to get an additional
stream of income from theapartment that we will be
renting.
So our building that we own, we.
Have three different tenants andwe are generating income out of
that.
(28:44):
And with that income we are ableto pay our rent I think that's
the beauty of, you know, havingthat ability to own property in
the United States and you know,especially as a real estate
investment property, you're ableto do that.
And we don't necessarily have tolive here.
(29:05):
We can rent this place out andthen.
Whatever we make from therevenue, we're able to, you
know, pay it towards our ownexpenses.
And so in this case, although wehave to worry about are, is like
food, right?
Personal expenses, uh.
That's it, you know, and so wedefinitely worked on a budget.
(29:29):
We kind of compare the costs oflike what it's like if we were
to still live here versus likemoving to Leon and there's a
really neat cost comparison toolthat I'll share it in the show
notes that we utilized.
And so it's essentially comparesthe current cost of living at
your city right now in theUnited States to a specific city
(29:51):
in.
Mexico There is a databasespecifically for Leon, and so we
were able to compare anythingthat you would pay in Chicago
versus in Leon in this case forme.
But yeah, you can modify itbased on where you're located
and where you wanna move toeventually.
And yeah.
Being that I know that we havefamily in Mexico, my parents are
(30:12):
also going through a transitionof officially moving to Mexico.
Initially they were like, yeah,we're gonna move to Mexico
during the winter time when it'scold in Chicago.
We're gonna live there for acouple months, but now they're
definitely gonna be livingfull-time as well.
And they are currently buildingtheir casa in where they're both
(30:33):
from.
And so knowing how much theyspend, and my grandparents too,
they also retire.
They're living the retired lifein Mexico.
They helped us have a betteridea as far as with like how
much things really costs.
And now they live in a pueblo,which is significantly different
than living in a big city likeLeon.
(30:54):
And so Leon is, is a lot moreexpensive, like compared to a
small Rancho, for example.
But if you really compare thecost of living in Chicago
though, like, yo, so to give youa comparison.
If you were to rent a three bed,two and a half bath house in
(31:14):
Chicago, you would spend roughlyabout 2,500, maybe$3,000 tops.
If you were to live in the cityof Chicago, the suburbs would be
anywhere between 2000 to 2,500.
Now in Leon, we are renting athree bedroom, two and a half
(31:34):
bathroom house.
The same amount of roomsbasically for a thousand
dollars.
Okay.
Roughly.
Uh, so it's about, it'sdefinitely gonna be 20,000
pesos.
Like, so when you compare it,it's about maybe, let's just say
1200 max.
So y'all like, it's literallysaving us over a thousand
dollars just.
(31:55):
To live like in a home, so it'sdefinitely significantly
cheaper.
But obviously if you wantadd-ons or like luxuries and
things like that, likeobviously, you know, depending
on your lifestyle really, youknow, it can be expensive or it
may not be expensive.
And for us, we're pretty low keypeople.
We definitely, like, we'refoodies and we like to go out to
(32:18):
eat, but the benefit of goingout to in Mexico is that it's
significantly cheaper than ifyou were to go out to eat here.
So.
I'm hoping that we would end upsaving money in the long run,
and I know that we are.
But I could always get back tothat.
All right.
The other question was, how areyou going to build community in
(32:39):
Mexico?
And that is a great question.
I think for us, we're definitelygonna base it off on our kids'
school because our kids aregonna be there every day and
they're gonna be there for fivehours a day, which is wild.
I'm gonna have five hours of mytime to myself.
Y'all like.
I just cannot wait for thatmoment, to be honest.
(33:02):
Watch me cry like every daythough.
We'll see.
But I'll definitely celebratethat, that the fact that I'm
gonna have five hours to myselfevery day.
But as far as with, uh, buildingcommunity, I definitely will be
defaulting to my kids' schooljust because I know that.
Our kids are so social and Iknow that they're gonna make
friends and hopefully I can makemommy friends there.
(33:25):
Like I said, I have a cousin andand Amiga that's there, and
we're around the same age.
Their kids are a little olderthan our kids, but at least, you
know, we can relate and havethose lived experiences as
mommies.
And, you know, they're, my kidsare so social that they can talk
to and hang out with anyonereally.
(33:45):
And.
I know that there's also a waveof US parents that are bringing
their families to Mexico anddeciding to take this leap of
officially moving to Mexico.
And I am Y'all like the power ofsocial media definitely has its
cons, but one of the biggestbenefits is that you can connect
(34:09):
to anyone around the world.
And there was a specific mamawho reached out to me and she
was like, oh my gosh.
Just so you know, I've beenfollowing you for such a long
time.
And when you announced that youwere moving to Mexico, I was
very excited for you, but thenwhen you announced that you're
moving to Leon, I am evenexcited because I am from Leon
too.
My husband and I just moved toLeon as well.
(34:30):
And y'all like, we connectedover Zoom and we were on this
chat for like.
Uh, almost two hours.
Like it was, it was such a funconversation that I had with her
and just like her sharing herstory with me and also giving me
tips and the fact that I'malready able to create community
(34:50):
now before we actually move toMexico.
Like y'all, there's a lot ofbeauty within that.
And so a lot of people decide tonot.
Disclose such a big shift likethis, such a big transition like
this.
But if you're someone that needsthat support, who needs that
encouragement and like whoreally wants to build community,
(35:13):
then share it away.
Like just say it out to theworld and say like what you're
planning to do or what you'reactually going to do.
Because you will have a lot ofpeople behind your back.
And honestly for us.
We have gotten so many positivecomments.
So many, uh, great, like wordsof wisdom and even like,
(35:36):
encouragement.
And, uh, you know, there's somany people that are inspired
with our decision to moving toMexico, and I'm so glad that we
are not keeping it just toourselves or to our close ones.
And honestly, I was like dyingto tell you all because.
I know that there is a largercommunity of like people who
either are doing the shift withus or who are thinking about it,
(36:00):
but perhaps they're afraid andthis can kind of like lift them
to make this change and or it'sjust people who are inspired and
they wanna know your story.
And so for us, I am so excitedto share with you all like what
we're going to embark on at thetime of this recording it.
We are in early June.
And so my goal is to keep you upto date with everything that is
(36:24):
going on.
It has been kind of crazy justbecause we are packing, we're
trying to get rid of our things.
We're actually going to lease upthis apartment in July, and so
there's a lot of changeshappening our way and it's
sometimes in that midst of it.
It's just very hard for me togive you all of these updates.
But I promise with you all thatmy goal is to have at least one
(36:46):
of these episodes every month.
That way you get to be on theknow, but obviously follow my
Instagram page.
That's where you'll be seeing alot of behind the scenes or just
like updates about our upcomingtravel.
And then of course, on YouTubeas well, I will bring along my
husband, uh, Alex, who.
Will also be providing andsharing his perspective because,
(37:08):
you know, even though this isspecifically a platform for
Latina moms, being that I ammarried to you know, the, the
father of my children, like weare doing this together.
It's not just me.
And so I could honestly talkabout this for hours and hours
but i'm so glad that you reachedout to me and asked all of these
(37:28):
questions and all of these likedifferent curiosities that you
have about our move and, and I'msure that you are seeking this
inspiration so that you can dosomething different hopefully in
the future.
And that's exactly why this isgoing to be a series.
I think that it is so importantto just share and, keep you all
up to date because hopefullythis can be a momentum of.
(37:51):
Us specifically Latina moms, toconsider going back to the
motherland.
I mean, I think that's just alla part of the American dream, so
if you're thinking about makinga similar move or you're just
living, uh, through usvicariously, I want this series
to be helpful and honest.
And so keep sending me yourquestions honestly, like they're
(38:13):
helping me process this wholeexperience too.
And so my goal is to continue onwith this series, so that way I
can share more about what we'redoing, where we're going, how
are we in this stage, and all ofthat.
All right?
So don't forget to subscribe.
Leave a review of this episodeif it helped you and tag me on
(38:36):
Instagram, which is@vivalamamiwith your thoughts.
I love connecting with you all.
And I hope that you take this asa sign that if you wanna do
something different, it ispossible.
It does take a lot of logistics.
It does take a lot of planningand preparation and a lot of
mindset work, but it can getdone, I promise you.
(38:58):
All right, AMI.
Well, thank you so much forlistening or watching on the
next episode.
I know that there's also a waveof US parents that are bringing
their families to Mexico anddeciding to take this leap of
officially moving to Mexico.
And I am Y'all like the power ofsocial media definitely has its
cons, but one of the biggestbenefits is that you can connect
(00:22):
to anyone around the world.
And there was a specific mamawho reached out to me and she
was like, oh my gosh.
Just so you know, I've beenfollowing you for such a long
time.
And when you announced that youwere moving to Mexico, I was
very excited for you, but thenwhen you announced that you're
moving to Leon, I am evenexcited because I am from Leon
too.
My husband and I just moved toLeon as well.
(00:43):
Like y'all, there's a lot ofbeauty within that.
there's so many people that areinspired with our decision to
moving to Mexico, and I'm soglad that we are not keeping it
just to ourselves or to ourclose ones.
I know that there is a largercommunity of like people who
either are doing the shift withus or who are thinking about it,
(01:04):
but perhaps they're afraid andthis can kind of like lift them
to make this change and or it'sjust people who are inspired and
they wanna know your story.
And so for us, I am so excitedto share with you all like what
we're going to embark on Welcomeback to another episode of the
(02:32):
Viva la Mami podcast.
I'm your host, Jessica Cuevas,and today we're diving into
something completely different,but so exciting.
As you may know, my family and Iare making the big move to
Mexico, and oh my goodness, youall have been flooding my dms
with the most thoughtfulquestions as well as positive
(02:55):
thoughts and vibes, uh, thatyou've all been sending us our
way.
And so I posted a couple weeksago asking what you wanted to
know about our move.
And within hours I had dozens ofmessages.
Some of you are thinking aboutmaking a similar move, others
are just curious about the crazyadventure we're going to embark
(03:19):
on.
And honestly, your questionshave helped me think through
things I hadn't even considered.
So today I'm answering your realquestions, the practical ones,
the emotional ones, and even theones that made me laugh out
loud.
On this podcast and on YouTube,in case you are someone who
(03:42):
prefers video, we're having ournew"Living in Mexico" series
where I'll be sharing our entirejourney, the good, the
challenging, and everything inbetween.
And so if you haven't yetlistened to our first episode,
which was also a, an Instagramlive about a couple weeks ago.
(04:03):
With my husband, Alex, we toldyou all that we are going to
share our adventure with you,and it's also going to be
somewhat of a lifestyle,educational, sort of series as
part of Viva la Mami because Iam sharing this through the lens
of.
What it's like to be a momraising two little toddlers in
(04:27):
Mexico and coming from thatperspective as a Latina as well,
and sort of reclaiming our rootsand going back to the
motherland.
And so there's a lot that I'mvery excited to share with you
all, and I really hope that youstick with us, whether if it's
on the podcast, but also onYouTube, because on YouTube we
will be sharing more contentspecific to our life in Mexico.
(04:50):
And of course on Instagram,you'll just get a little glimpse
of everything in between.
And so let's start with thelogistics because I know that
I've received so many questionsabout this, but the first
question that I've been asked alot is, are the documents you
need to file or have to livethere versus visiting?
(05:13):
And so.
We are coming to Mexico ascitizens of Mexico, and so
myself as well as my two kidsare already dual citizens.
So we worked on this process, Iwould say over two months ago.
(05:33):
So back in March we went toMexico and we did all of the
necessary paperwork.
We went through the and inGuanajuato, where my family is
from, and we kind of worked onthat process and.
It was a lot easier than makingan appointment through EL here
in the United States, uh, at theconsulate.
(05:56):
And the reason why is becausethe consulate has very limited.
Appointments or CITAs availablefor those who wanna register,
uh, through, uh, the Mexicangovernment.
And so if you wanna expedite it,and if you want a more seamless
process, there's another way ofgetting your dual citizenship
and that's in Mexico.
(06:17):
At the time of this recording,Alex is working on his dual
citizenship.
So we hope that he gets to enterMexico as a citizen, but if not.
He would be going in as atourist.
For anyone who wants to go toMexico for 180 days or less,
they don't necessarily need avisa.
(06:37):
And so Alex would be going inwith his US passport.
And he would essentially have tocome back to the United States
within 180 days, which is finebecause we are planning to come
back to Chicago in October for awedding.
And so.
The timing of this would workout well if in case he would
(06:58):
have to come back by a certaintime.
And so we are not worried aboutthat.
But you know, I think for justlike having that legitimacy, I
guess, of us going to Mexico asMexican citizens.
Our hope is that he alsoacquires this and the reason why
he's been having a hard time isbecause unfortunately, his birth
(07:21):
certificate was incorrect.
Myra's name wasn't typed.
Uh, correctly.
And so he had to make a bunch ofchanges in his birth certificate
and we're still waiting on that,which is wild.
So we're still waiting from theCook County Clerk's office to.
Make the changes, and then afterthat he's gonna have to make a,
(07:45):
as of right now, they do havelimited spots.
So at least for the consulate inChicago, we know that they open
their spots every Monday at 9:00AM So literally, we're on our
phones every Monday at likearound 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM
where, you know, we're just likeconstantly checking what's
(08:06):
available, but.
So hopefully, like I said, hegets to have all of his
documentation in place, butotherwise, you know, we have
that privilege of being dualcitizens.
And so either way he, we'll becoming into Mexico with some
kind of documentation.
As far as this process, I don'tthink it was necessarily
overwhelming, but I would saythat we have to, we had to have
(08:30):
all of our ducks in order, ifyou will.
So we had to have all of ourdocumentation in, so don't let
this overwhelm you.
Don't let this intimidate you.
If you really wanna get yourdual citizenship, then uh, it is
possible.
You just have to make sure thatyou're getting all your ducks in
a row.
If you have any curiosity or ifyou wanna learn more about how
(08:52):
to obtain dual citizenship, Iwill be having a.
Virtual session as part of theViva AMI Collective, and I am
collaborating with SamanthaAlvarez from Hood Girls Travel
Too, and she will be hosting afree virtual workshop on how to
obtain your dual citizenship,specifically in Mexico.
(09:13):
And so if you are of Mexicanheritage, if either of your
parents are from Mexico, then.
Please sign up.
I will add the link in the shownotes.
The virtual workshop will be onTuesday, June 24th at 7:00 PM
central time.
So please register because Ithink Samantha has a lot to
offer.
(09:34):
She is an expert in the travelbusiness she's also helped
people get their dualcitizenship.
So if you are curious aboutthat, please sign up and the
link is in the description.
And another question was.
Are you getting a storage place?
And so as part of the logistics,uh, we are, and so we actually
(09:58):
already have a storage space,and so if you haven't heard our
full story, uh, we knew thatright now, uh, at the current
place where we are living at,which we're about to move soon
at the time of this recording,obviously, but, uh, we bought a
three.
Flat multifamily, investmentproperty.
(10:18):
And so essentially.
We decided to move in into oneof the units so that way we
didn't get to like, pay for, uh,the cost of living.
And so we decided to house hack.
And I think that in its own wayhas allowed us to think
creatively and in doing this bigmove to Mexico.
(10:39):
And so at the time when we weredownsizing from a four bedroom
house in the suburbs.
Down to like a one bedroomapartment in Chicago, we decided
to live in the tiniest space.
That way.
Again, we don't have to pay foranything, on the cost of living.
So what we did was we rented astorage unit and we knew that
(11:01):
where we are currently at wasgoing to be temporary.
We didn't know where we wouldgo, essentially.
And so now that we have a betteridea as far as with where we're
living, we are still keeping thestorage unit just so that we can
keep the things that.
Our practical, like the thingsthat we know that we're
(11:23):
essentially going to use like infive or 10 years and keep some
of our most precious likeheirlooms and belongings.
Not that we come from money, butyou know, there is a piano that
I have, there is an accordionthat I have.
I mean, I don't think I'm gonnabe able to move, take that to
Mexico, but once we decide tocome back.
(11:46):
And that's if we decide to comeback, then we have those
belongings.
If we then decide to not comeback, then obviously the plan is
gonna change.
But at least for right now, wedo have a storage place.
So that way we don't get to takeeverything with us to Mexico,
but.
What will belong in the storageplace are going to be things
(12:07):
that, were more sentimentallyattached to with it.
And then we'll figure out fromthere.
So as far as with like whatwe're taking with us to Mexico,
I mean, it's essentially ourclothes and that's not a lot of
clothes because I definitely gotrid of my winter coat.
(12:29):
Because coming from Chicago,winter is brutal.
And I donated my winter coat.
I donated my winter bootsbecause I'm like, I'm done.
And either way, they were kindof old.
So I'm like, if whenever we comeback, if we decide to come back
to Chicago, then at least, youknow, we can always buy new
things.
But, yeah, we're just takingwith us our equipment.
(12:50):
A a couple of toys for the boys,and I think that's it.
Like we're not taking much, anda lot of people have this
perception that in Mexicothere's nothing like I, I am
honestly in shock when I visitedLeon, which is where we are
moving, Leon is essentially likea mini Chicago.
(13:11):
Like there is a lot to do, a lotto eat, there's a lot to shop
for and in all different typesof.
Budgets.
And so if you wanna shop alittle less, then you can go to
you know, like the mecado s ifyou wanna shop a little bit more
bougie.
There's, El Palacio Dero, whichis the newest store in Leone,
(13:34):
which is a very bougie store.
Let me tell y'all like, it'smore than.
I don't know, Bloomingdale's andall of those stores, like it's
pretty bougie, So we are verylucky to be that we are moving
to a, populous city, a city thatis very well resourced, and they
have two Costcos there.
So I'm like, as long as there'sa Costco, I'm good to go.
(13:56):
And I kid you.
Now the Costco is just the samein the United States.
Like they have the, our favoriteKirkland Peanut butter there.
They have all of the things thatwe essentially use, like they
have the little mozzarella ballsthat the kids like for snacks.
And so there's nothing that Ifeel like we need to take with
us, uh, from the United Statesbesides like.
(14:19):
What we currently have, andwe're not gonna buy any more
things because Yeah.
And if we, I guess once wesituate ourselves there and once
we have a better idea as far aswith what we need and what is
not there, then we can alwayscome back to the United States
and, you know, bring it with us.
So, yeah, those are yourlogistical questions.
(14:40):
Okay.
So now let's talk about the kidsbecause that affects the whole
family as we know.
And one of the questions, uh,that you asked was, did you
enroll your kids in school?
And so, yes, we did.
I was contemplating whether tohomeschool or not, but I am
honestly not that the type ofparent that.
(15:04):
Would wanna homeschool theirkids like I definitely have been
craving for.
Alone time.
I have been craving for havingboundaries and just having my
own time, and not necessarilyfor luxuries, you know, specific
things, but for me to reallyfocus on my business, for me to
(15:24):
actually do like side work aswell.
And unfortunately, you know.
In the United States, if you area stay at home mom, like you
don't have a lot of freedombecause you know, you can
obviously get help if you do getthe help.
But with my situation, uh, wenever had that opportunity.
And so when we decided to moveto Mexico, that was definitely
(15:47):
like the number one reason thatreally intrigued us because in
Mexico, like y'all, the cost ofchildcare.
Is significantly less like, andwe all know that, that the US
just sucks with in, in terms ofthe costs of, childcare and so
(16:08):
we knew that we definitelywanted to take the kids to a
place where they can stickaround for a couple hours in a
given day.
In Mexico, there's a lot ofoptions.
There's gu, which is basicallylike daycare centers and
there's, or schools, and withinthe schools, uh, depending on
(16:28):
each school, right?
There's private public, there'sinternational schools, there's a
ton of British schools, which Iwas very.
Impressed, but also, uh,surprised as well.
And, and there's bilingualschools as well.
In Leon, we decided to go with aprivate school that offers
schooling for toddlers all theway into like, I don't know, it
(16:53):
goes up to like Bato, which iskind of like a, like high
school, I believe.
I'm still trying to learn theeducation system in Mexico, so
please correct me if I'm.
Wrong with this, but essentiallythe goal was to have both of the
kids in the same school and notall schools, offer maternal.
So maternal or, Pre preschoolyour toddler can enroll there
(17:16):
and they have the same kind oftraditional setting as kind of
like a daycare, but it'stechnically in a school setting.
It's in a school.
And they have the same hours asall of the kids.
So I think it's very communingfor families who have older
children to also enroll theirlittle ones if they are of age,
you know, to be enrolled in thatschool.
(17:38):
it was really good that we knewthat difference between a Guria
and, uh, a specifically forMateo because a guria is just
like a way for kids to just likebe watched that like it's just,
you know, a way for kids to betaken care of while the parents
are working.
In al it, there is a specificcurriculum.
(18:00):
It, it helps'em with socialemotional learning, it's a very,
Structured type of environment,whereas a guerilla is more like,
we're just watching your kidsand we'll let them play, do
whatever they want.
So I'm glad that there werethose options because we knew
that we wanted to create, youknow, a little bit more
structure for Mateo, especiallyas you know, he is developing
(18:22):
and growing.
We want him to be ready foractual preschool whenever, you
know, I think when he turnsthree.
So that'll be next year, whichis wild.
So I have a cousin who is livesin Mexico and I also have a
friend who we've been friendsfor, I don't know, 12, 13 years.
And we've kept in touch.
And when we knew that we were.
(18:45):
Moving to Leon, I was like,okay, I need to reach out to
these two jere and figure outwhat are the best options for
for the kids.
And so they shared me a list ofall these different schools.
And when we went to Mexico forDiego Spring break, we were
there for about 10 days.
We.
Visited a bunch of schools andthey all range from bilingual
(19:06):
schools, which I would say arethe most, uh, expensive ones.
We didn't go to an internationalschool just because we didn't
wanna adhere to like a Britishcurriculum.
I think, I think there's onlyone American international
school, but I already knew thatif we're gonna expose them to
the cultural experience to, tobe in Mexico, like I'm not going
(19:29):
to bring.
American, the American schoolsystem with us.
So we knew that we essentiallywanted them to be a part of this
immersive like experience forthem to feel like, oh my gosh,
this is, this is the schoolingthat is done in Mexico.
And so we decided to go with theprivate, uh, route public.
(19:52):
The reason why we didn't isbecause spots always fill up
fast and.
Uh, you know, I also wanna givepriority to the citizens that
are actually from there, right?
And so.
We knew that, uh, private wasthe way to go, and we toured a
couple schools that were similarto the one that we are
(20:13):
officially enrolling our, ourkids at.
And we really love the schoolwhere they are going.
It is a Montessori based school,which is wild to me to say that
because if you look at theprices of Montessori schools in
the United States, like we allknow that.
A lot of people, that have asimilar identity as me.
We know that we can't afford itor we don't feel our kids would
(20:36):
belong in there.
And so I.
The fact that our kids are goingto a Montessori school, it is a
Catholic school.
So that's something that I needto kind of adjust with just
because for me personally, uh,we, we are not practicing
Catholics necessarily, eventhough culturally we are, which
is kind of an episode of itsown.
But you know, that's somethingthat we're gonna have to adjust
(20:57):
in terms of like.
Taking the kids to mass and allof that.
But who knows, maybe we'll enjoythe environment.
And that's something that I'vedefinitely did research on.
I joined a Facebook group, uh,page for the local moms and the
local parents in the area, aswell as like a Facebook group
page specifically for parentslooking for schools in Leon.
(21:19):
And, uh, through those filters,you know, through that.
Search bar.
I was like looking for thespecific school's names and just
trying to gauge on like what theexperiences have been with the
kids, and how parents, whetherthey recommended it or not.
And overall, we, I noticed thatthere were really good reviews
about the school, so that mademe feel comfortable in, you
(21:42):
know, enrolling them there.
So If you have been following meI posted on Instagram that we
went for a short trip.
It was just me.
I traveled solo with the kidsand it was quite of an
experience, let me tell y'all.
But luckily my parents.
Are there, they've been stayingin, in Guanajuato in a small,
(22:03):
about an hour away from Leon.
We met up with'em and so it wasreally nice to have help.
Right.
And so the reason why we wentthere for a short amount of time
is so that the kids could meetthe, the teachers could meet
the, the director of admissionsand also the psychologist, and
that way they can do anevaluation or it's called a ion.
(22:27):
And so this balo is essentiallyan an assessment that every
student has to take.
Prior to actually enrolling intothe school.
It's not an admissions test.
So they will not deny you if youdon't quote unquote pass.
But it's a way for the school toreally see where they're at
academically, social,emotionally even motorly.
(22:50):
So I was very impressed that,you know, they required this as
part of the.
Enrollment process because inthe United States, at least for
me, growing up in Chicago, andyou know, currently living in
Chicago within the public schoolsystem specifically, like you
just enroll them and that's it.
(23:11):
And, and it's up to you whetherif you wanna talk to the teacher
and talk about your child'shistory, and especially if
there's.
First entering school for thevery first time.
You don't know if they wouldrequire an IEP or what have you,
unless they already receiveearly intervention or services.
But with the school where thekids are starting off with him
in the fall, the teachersalready know where they're at.
(23:33):
The teachers already know that,okay, we're gonna create an
individualized plan so that way,you know, we can better cater to
their needs or what have you.
So I thought that was cool.
Alright, so another questionabout our kiddos.
It was knowing how centralbilingualism is in your life and
family.
(23:53):
I'm curious if you chose abilingual school for kiddos.
So.
The answer is technically no.
And the reason why is becausethe bilingual schools in Mexico,
or at least in Leone, wherewe're moving at, it's almost
like the reverse way if youthink about dual language.
And so with dual language herein the United States, you're
starting off with 80% of thetargeted language and maybe 20%
(24:17):
of the dominant language.
So in this case, 80% Spanish and20% English.
And essentially through theyears, as the years move on,
you'll meet, you'll be likefully bi literate, bilingual
and, and the instruction will be50 50.
In Mexico, it's almost theopposite.
So they start out with likebasically 90% English and 10%
(24:41):
Spanish.
And even though at this point.
Uh, the kids are Spanishdominant, specifically Diego,
who is almost four and a half.
You know, he is basically aSpanish only child.
But we knew that if we everwanna return back to the United
States, I mean, he's gonna beimmersed in English.
(25:01):
And Alex and I talked to eachother in English anyway, so
they're already kind of exposedto English.
And the reason why we wanted tonot put him in bilingual school
in Mexico is because, well.
That's part of the experience.
Again, we wanna fully immersethem into a very general kind of
(25:22):
school environment that any kidin Mexico would go to unless
their parents choose to put themin a bilingual or international
school.
One of the cool things about theschool where the kids are going
is that they will be getting onehour of English instruction
every day.
So at least they will be exposedto English.
But when they come home, I mean,they will hear me and Alex talk
(25:45):
to each other in English.
So.
I'm not hesitant as far as withlike, oh my gosh, will they lose
their English?
No, because I know that they'regonna get it.
They're gonna be immersedeventually when we decide to
come back to the United States.
Now, right now, the the, wedon't really have a plan as far
as with if we're gonna come backto the United States or not.
(26:09):
But once we do come to aconsensus and decide, okay, we
are moving back to the UnitedStates.
I mean, Spanish is still goingto be the prominent language
spoken at home, but if we dodecide to stay in Mexico for a
longer period, I would say formore than three years, then
we're definitely going toimplement English at home
because Spanish will be thedominant language around their
(26:32):
surroundings.
And so another question that Igot was, what's your school
plan?
Are you going to come back forDiego to start kindergarten in
the United States?
So again, we're not sure.
I mean, to be honest and.
Our goal right now definitely isfor us to stay there for a year
and we signed our lease.
(26:54):
Uh, we already found a house inin Leone, which is awesome.
It's a fully furnished home, sothat's also part of the reason
why we're not taking a lot ofstuff with us.
And so we know that we'lldefinitely be alone for a year.
And if we decide to come back,well, Diego will be starting.
Uh, kindergarten in the UnitedStates, but if we decide not to
(27:17):
come back, our goal is either tocome back after a year or when
Mateo would start kindergarten.
So that would put Diego maybewhat in kindergarten?
First, second grade, I believe.
But again, we'll see.
Uh, there's still a lot of.
Uncertainties and I'm okay withit.
(27:38):
I would say as we get closer tothe end of the year, like this
time next year, then I'll giveyou a better idea.
Alright, and so the nextquestions are about lifestyle
and community.
And so one of the questions thatwas asked us, share with me your
price tags.
We are seriously thinking aboutdoing this, but it's so
(28:00):
unnerving.
And so in terms of like the costof living in Mexico, as we know,
it is significantly cheaper ifyou're coming in with US
dollars.
And so Alex is still keeping hisjob.
He has that privilege of keepinghis job because he works
remotely And so the cost ofliving will be significantly
(28:24):
less just because we also havethe ability to get an additional
stream of income from theapartment that we will be
renting.
So our building that we own, we.
Have three different tenants andwe are generating income out of
that.
(28:44):
And with that income we are ableto pay our rent I think that's
the beauty of, you know, havingthat ability to own property in
the United States and you know,especially as a real estate
investment property, you're ableto do that.
And we don't necessarily have tolive here.
(29:05):
We can rent this place out andthen.
Whatever we make from therevenue, we're able to, you
know, pay it towards our ownexpenses.
And so in this case, although wehave to worry about are, is like
food, right?
Personal expenses, uh.
That's it, you know, and so wedefinitely worked on a budget.
(29:29):
We kind of compare the costs oflike what it's like if we were
to still live here versus likemoving to Leon and there's a
really neat cost comparison toolthat I'll share it in the show
notes that we utilized.
And so it's essentially comparesthe current cost of living at
your city right now in theUnited States to a specific city
(29:51):
in.
Mexico There is a databasespecifically for Leon, and so we
were able to compare anythingthat you would pay in Chicago
versus in Leon in this case forme.
But yeah, you can modify itbased on where you're located
and where you wanna move toeventually.
And yeah.
Being that I know that we havefamily in Mexico, my parents are
(30:12):
also going through a transitionof officially moving to Mexico.
Initially they were like, yeah,we're gonna move to Mexico
during the winter time when it'scold in Chicago.
We're gonna live there for acouple months, but now they're
definitely gonna be livingfull-time as well.
And they are currently buildingtheir casa in where they're both
(30:33):
from.
And so knowing how much theyspend, and my grandparents too,
they also retire.
They're living the retired lifein Mexico.
They helped us have a betteridea as far as with like how
much things really costs.
And now they live in a pueblo,which is significantly different
than living in a big city likeLeon.
(30:54):
And so Leon is, is a lot moreexpensive, like compared to a
small Rancho, for example.
But if you really compare thecost of living in Chicago
though, like, yo, so to give youa comparison.
If you were to rent a three bed,two and a half bath house in
(31:14):
Chicago, you would spend roughlyabout 2,500, maybe$3,000 tops.
If you were to live in the cityof Chicago, the suburbs would be
anywhere between 2000 to 2,500.
Now in Leon, we are renting athree bedroom, two and a half
(31:34):
bathroom house.
The same amount of roomsbasically for a thousand
dollars.
Okay.
Roughly.
Uh, so it's about, it'sdefinitely gonna be 20,000
pesos.
Like, so when you compare it,it's about maybe, let's just say
1200 max.
So y'all like, it's literallysaving us over a thousand
dollars just.
(31:55):
To live like in a home, so it'sdefinitely significantly
cheaper.
But obviously if you wantadd-ons or like luxuries and
things like that, likeobviously, you know, depending
on your lifestyle really, youknow, it can be expensive or it
may not be expensive.
And for us, we're pretty low keypeople.
We definitely, like, we'refoodies and we like to go out to
(32:18):
eat, but the benefit of goingout to in Mexico is that it's
significantly cheaper than ifyou were to go out to eat here.
So.
I'm hoping that we would end upsaving money in the long run,
and I know that we are.
But I could always get back tothat.
All right.
The other question was, how areyou going to build community in
(32:39):
Mexico?
And that is a great question.
I think for us, we're definitelygonna base it off on our kids'
school because our kids aregonna be there every day and
they're gonna be there for fivehours a day, which is wild.
I'm gonna have five hours of mytime to myself.
Y'all like.
I just cannot wait for thatmoment, to be honest.
(33:02):
Watch me cry like every daythough.
We'll see.
But I'll definitely celebratethat, that the fact that I'm
gonna have five hours to myselfevery day.
But as far as with, uh, buildingcommunity, I definitely will be
defaulting to my kids' schooljust because I know that.
Our kids are so social and Iknow that they're gonna make
friends and hopefully I can makemommy friends there.
(33:25):
Like I said, I have a cousin andand Amiga that's there, and
we're around the same age.
Their kids are a little olderthan our kids, but at least, you
know, we can relate and havethose lived experiences as
mommies.
And, you know, they're, my kidsare so social that they can talk
to and hang out with anyonereally.
(33:45):
And.
I know that there's also a waveof US parents that are bringing
their families to Mexico anddeciding to take this leap of
officially moving to Mexico.
And I am Y'all like the power ofsocial media definitely has its
cons, but one of the biggestbenefits is that you can connect
(34:09):
to anyone around the world.
And there was a specific mamawho reached out to me and she
was like, oh my gosh.
Just so you know, I've beenfollowing you for such a long
time.
And when you announced that youwere moving to Mexico, I was
very excited for you, but thenwhen you announced that you're
moving to Leon, I am evenexcited because I am from Leon
too.
My husband and I just moved toLeon as well.
(34:30):
And y'all like, we connectedover Zoom and we were on this
chat for like.
Uh, almost two hours.
Like it was, it was such a funconversation that I had with her
and just like her sharing herstory with me and also giving me
tips and the fact that I'malready able to create community
(34:50):
now before we actually move toMexico.
Like y'all, there's a lot ofbeauty within that.
And so a lot of people decide tonot.
Disclose such a big shift likethis, such a big transition like
this.
But if you're someone that needsthat support, who needs that
encouragement and like whoreally wants to build community,
(35:13):
then share it away.
Like just say it out to theworld and say like what you're
planning to do or what you'reactually going to do.
Because you will have a lot ofpeople behind your back.
And honestly for us.
We have gotten so many positivecomments.
So many, uh, great, like wordsof wisdom and even like,
(35:36):
encouragement.
And, uh, you know, there's somany people that are inspired
with our decision to moving toMexico, and I'm so glad that we
are not keeping it just toourselves or to our close ones.
And honestly, I was like dyingto tell you all because.
I know that there is a largercommunity of like people who
either are doing the shift withus or who are thinking about it,
(36:00):
but perhaps they're afraid andthis can kind of like lift them
to make this change and or it'sjust people who are inspired and
they wanna know your story.
And so for us, I am so excitedto share with you all like what
we're going to embark on at thetime of this recording it.
We are in early June.
And so my goal is to keep you upto date with everything that is
(36:24):
going on.
It has been kind of crazy justbecause we are packing, we're
trying to get rid of our things.
We're actually going to lease upthis apartment in July, and so
there's a lot of changeshappening our way and it's
sometimes in that midst of it.
It's just very hard for me togive you all of these updates.
But I promise with you all thatmy goal is to have at least one
(36:46):
of these episodes every month.
That way you get to be on theknow, but obviously follow my
Instagram page.
That's where you'll be seeing alot of behind the scenes or just
like updates about our upcomingtravel.
And then of course, on YouTubeas well, I will bring along my
husband, uh, Alex, who.
Will also be providing andsharing his perspective because,
(37:08):
you know, even though this isspecifically a platform for
Latina moms, being that I ammarried to you know, the, the
father of my children, like weare doing this together.
It's not just me.
And so I could honestly talkabout this for hours and hours
but i'm so glad that you reachedout to me and asked all of these
(37:28):
questions and all of these likedifferent curiosities that you
have about our move and, and I'msure that you are seeking this
inspiration so that you can dosomething different hopefully in
the future.
And that's exactly why this isgoing to be a series.
I think that it is so importantto just share and, keep you all
up to date because hopefullythis can be a momentum of.
(37:51):
Us specifically Latina moms, toconsider going back to the
motherland.
I mean, I think that's just alla part of the American dream, so
if you're thinking about makinga similar move or you're just
living, uh, through usvicariously, I want this series
to be helpful and honest.
And so keep sending me yourquestions honestly, like they're
(38:13):
helping me process this wholeexperience too.
And so my goal is to continue onwith this series, so that way I
can share more about what we'redoing, where we're going, how
are we in this stage, and all ofthat.
All right?
So don't forget to subscribe.
Leave a review of this episodeif it helped you and tag me on
(38:36):
Instagram, which is@vivalamamiwith your thoughts.
I love connecting with you all.
And I hope that you take this asa sign that if you wanna do
something different, it ispossible.
It does take a lot of logistics.
It does take a lot of planningand preparation and a lot of
mindset work, but it can getdone, I promise you.
(38:58):
All right, AMI.
Well, thank you so much forlistening or watching on the
next episode.
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