Life is amazing here.
It is a rich experience, stimulating, loving, delectable, food, I mean, plus San Miguel is listed as the top city in the WORLD to visit. (Travel Magazine)
Life in SMA allows one to unwind, to just enjoy being a human being. The pace is very different. The rush- rush of living in California, or the US, is not predominant.. Some people may find it a little irritating when things take a little longer, but you get accustomed to it and need to just "settle in". I often reflect on why it was always important to hurry.
The community is very active. Very. It is sophisticated. You can easily be gone from home 7 evenings per week and do something different each night or just relax and stay home. One activity is Sunset Theatre. This beautiful local couple, Bill and Ava, live on a large lot, have terraced their backyard into an amphitheater complete with a stage for performers. At least monthly they host a musical venue ranging from rock to blues, etc. Last Sunday it was a benefit for a local children's charity complete with 150 very pleased people. What an experience.
The food in SMA is over the top, ranging from every cuisine you could think of. We all love good food, of course, but it is the service that takes one to a different experience. NEVER rude, always attentive and with a level of kindness that is lost in a lot of the restaurants in the US. Not all of course, but we have yet to be disappointed in our service here.
We have been absorbed into an expat community that feels like we have known each other a lifetime. James had always told me about expats in foreign countries being exceptionally social. They are people that wanted to come here, to have a new experience and to break away from politics, crime, etc but mostly to be adventurous.
Medical care is modern, warm, and thorough. The technology is here. Cost? I can go to my good friend Marisa, a doctor here, for $2.50, yes that is right. The care is beautifully personal, never rushed. The prescription costs vary, of course generic is cheaper. I can go to the pharmacy and ask for almost any drug, except antibiotics or opioids. I had poison oak last summer and I was able to buy Prednisone for $4. From that perspective, medical costs are super cheap. They have their own insurance system. I am on Medicare, and if there was an emergency, Medicare will reimburse me, but it has to be a real emergency/complex issue. We also have a life flight program through Southwest Airlines.
Our property taxes are 65 pesos per year, almost $4. Gas is similar to California. Auto registration is $30 per year, 540 pesos. Oh, our electric bill is 65 pesos per month, approximately $4. These are actual figures.
Tempted, right?
I feel like there will be a lot of people that leave the states after the elections, one side or the other. Combine that with much cheaper cost of living, the beauty, the people, consider this area.
It is truly a blessing to be here, but I also can't wait to go north and see family and friends.