Mexico Mom

What happens when a Kentucky family packs up everything they own and moves to Mexico? A whole lot of excitement, that’s what! This is a guest post by my new Mexico Mom friend, Tina Ernspiker  I love featuring Bloggers From Around the World…Please make her feel welcome by leaving a comment below. Tina took all the pictures in this post especially for NanaHood….it gives us a glimpse of southern Mexico. Like James Taylor says, “Ahhhh, Mexico, I’ve never been there but I’d sure like to go.”

The Decision

We have been living in Southern Mexico for nine months. We moved here from Louisville, Kentucky, USA, with only the possessions we could carry on our Yukon Denali. When we made the decision to move to Latin America, many people thought we were crazy, including people we loved and respected. In all truth we probably are a little crazy, but to quote from Alice In Wonderland, “You’re mad. Bonkers. Off your head… But I’ll tell you a secret… All of the best people are.” I love that line!

So, us crazy people, moved to Mexico with four young children. Two girls and two boys. Now they are ages 10, 9, 3, and 1. Of course having children takes the decision to move abroad to a whole new level. We had to think about the welfare and happiness of our four little people. In our case, our love of family was a main reason for moving 2000 miles away from home. Our story starts a few years back…

In 2001, my husband, Brad, sustained a brain injury in a motorcycle accident. As the years passed, the damage to his brain became more apparent and seemed to worsen with the stress of everyday life. In 2010, he was awarded Social Security Disability Insurance. Unfortunately, our living expenses in the States, exceeded his monthly disability check. Keep in mind, we were not living the high life. We had a small house in a average neighborhood. Brad’s truck was paid for. I shopped at Goodwill. We didn’t have a home phone or cable. Still Brad had to work part-time to pay the bills. This was not good for his health and Daddy’s health affects the health of the family.

Something had to change. We were not happy. We were tired of all the “stuff” we had collected over our 16 years together. It wasn’t important and it was weighing us down. Brad couldn’t work anymore. The bills had to go. We had to simplify our life. We needed to lower our cost-of-living. Our family speaks basic Spanish and we were familiar with Spanish culture. We did our research and found several Latin American countries where Brad’s disability income would support us comfortably. We knew a friend in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico, who highly recommended the city. With lots of prayer, we made the decision to move to Mexico.

 

 

We sold most of our belongings over a period of three months, found homes for our pets, packed up the truck, said good-bye to the people we love, and left for a new life in Mexico. Getting in the truck and pulling out of our drive-way for the last time, felt wonderful. A weight was lifted off our shoulders. We were making a good decision and we still don’t regret it.

After our family and friends adjusted to our decision, they were very supportive. It was especially difficult for our parents, whom we are close to. They were worried about the kid’s safety, Brad’s health, my anxiety, and the idea of their only grandchildren living so far away. We listened to them and we explained our reasoning, which eventually, they came to accept. We miss them very much but with Skype, magicJack, Tango, and the heap of social networks available, we are able to keep in touch on a regular basis. Skype and Tango are extra helpful. Our parents can visit with their grandchildren through video calls. They were even able to see baby Tristan taking some of his first wobbly steps 🙂

Life in Mexico, for us, is a happy, simple life. We live in a nice house in a gated-community but the cost is half of our mortgage in the States. We don’t have a lot of “stuff”. Hopefully we have learned our lesson and won’t ever collect so much again! We spend every day with our children, homeschooling them and taking them with us in our Bible ministry. We have time and a little extra money to travel. We were able to spend a month in Belize in April and it was a grand adventure! The kids are learning Spanish. Brad doesn’t have to work and his health is better than it has been in years. Sure, there are people we miss greatly and no place you live is ever perfect. But things are good. We will be traveling back for a month long visit in September. I can’t wait to do some shopping and be with our family and friends! But I know after our visit, I will be ready to come home to Mexico. This is a small part of our story.

 

Signing off, Tina Marie Ernspiker   Visit Tina at the following places http://gringoslocos6.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/gringoslocos6 https://twitter.com/tinamernspiker http://www.linkedin.com/in/tinaernspiker https://plus.google.com/+TinaErnspiker http://www.pinterest.com/spikerfamily/ http://instagram.com/thespikers http://thespikersworld.tumblr.com/