expats in Mexico | Surviving Mexico

Today, I’d like to introduce Laura LaBrie, an inspirational writer living in Mexico whom I “met” through Facebook. You can find her latest article in the October/November issue of the Edge Magazine.

I am from Vermont in the US. I live in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, MX. I came here on vacation 15 years ago and fell in love. My husband and I planned to retire here, but he passed away. So, I came by myself. This little fishing village and her lovely people helped me heal. I love the beach, the quietness, and the nearby jungles.

When I lived in the US, I was a music teacher while raising my children. When they all graduated, I decided to reinvent myself and got more into writing, which I had always loved. I published my first two books before I came to Mexico. When I got here, everything really changed. I was single, my children were grown, and I had the opportunity to move into things I had dreamed of.

I began researching the ways of the Maya people and became very interested in the modern Maya, their handed-down wisdom and magic. I built relationships with local people, especially a lovely shaman/healer named Don Francisco and his family. I began uncovering stories about very real modern magic, the incredible intuition of the Maya, connection to spirit and other dimensions, jungle spirits and guardians, and just a mind-blowing array of “other world” things here in the small pueblos on the Yucatan Peninsula.

I started documenting these things and started a blog to share them with others (Maya Harmony: Ancient Path to Wellness).That was when people started asking if they could come with me and see the deeply spiritual and life-changing ways of the Maya. So, I started bringing small groups of people on excursions to connect them with powerful experiences. I also began working to give back to the communities we go to, and I now have a non-profit called Poverty Project International. I now bring small groups on 4-day trips to experience the magic and wisdom of the Maya. This benefits everyone because my guests have intense cultural and healing experiences, and it helps support further research and also helps support the non-profit so I can do more to help people in need in these small communities.

I was a devout Christian for many years. I have always been very curious about the way the Universe works, and my questions were not well received by the church. Coming to Mexico and connecting to the Maya people really put my beliefs on the fast track to change. I began to see powerful things unfolding right in front of me. Many of these things are really out there, and many people in first-world countries have forgotten them.

A BIG part of what I do now is to document the “supernatural” things I encounter and the stories I hear from local indigenous people. This includes things like remote viewing and intuitive knowing, seeing energies through a shaman stone called a sestun, clay dolls called aluxes (duendes in other parts of Mexico and Central America) made by a shaman and brought to life in order to guard a person’s home or farm, the rain god Chaac, the Maya do a ceremony during drought, and they continue the ceremony until it rains!, shape-changing, and so many other similar things. It is mind-bending and super exciting! My mind is so open now to learning more about the subtle world and how it works. I love this journey I am on!

I am much more relaxed and happier. My worldview has changed dramatically. I could write a whole book on that! In fact, my book “How to Happify Our Life” talks a lot about the happiness I have found while living a very simple life. I am doing what I love, and it brings me to places where I feel my heart is so full. I meet people from all over the world and get to share my passion with them. I don’t feel stuck anymore, and every day, I feel grateful that I get to live here in beautiful Puerto Morelos and do what I am doing.

The biggest challenge I faced was overcoming grief from losing my husband of 27 years. After that, I had to learn to trust myself. I also overcame feelings of low self-esteem. Living in the US, it can be hard to feel good about yourself. Mexico is so different. I feel wonderful. I know who I am, and I love myself. This is something I wish I could help more people feel. Feeling good about yourself is so empowering, and it brings you to a place where you can really give your gifts to the world to make it a better place.

On the other hand, living in Mexico has its challenges. Life is slow…and so is the bank, the car repair shop, and the guy who is coming to fix the air conditioner! It is hard to get things done here. People here are not focused on goals. They are focused on relationships. That is a wonderful thing when you are hanging out, meeting people, and having fun. But it can really cause problems when you need to get things done. I have been out of the USA for almost 13 years now, and I am pretty used to it. You have to learn to plan for a lot of time and expect things to have hiccups. Having lower expectations means you feel good when it only takes three days to be able to pay your water bill!

I have great friends here and an amazing partner who help me persevere. I also have the full support of my family. Having close relationships feels good and helps me stay balanced. I also love my work of connecting with local people, learning from them, and bringing expats into amazing places. In addition, I spend a lot of time in nature and exploring. This fuels my excitement and keeps my love bucket full!

I am proudest of raising three wonderful children. I have also published 12 books, run a fabulous non-profit, learned to live in a foreign country, and learned a new language (Spanish). I am even learning Mayan! But raising three amazing children is the best thing I have ever done!

I miss good cheddar cheese. LOL. Vermont has some of the best cheddar in the world, and I used to use it in most of my cooking! I love Mexican and Maya food and have had a blast learning new recipes, but I miss that tart cheese! Really, there isn’t much else I miss. I am still very close to my family even though they are all over the world, and I have adjusted very well to life here. We have Amazon now, too, which is amazing. I used to miss good quality sheets, but now I can order them online.

Stuff is no longer important to me. I used to live in a huge 4-bedroom house filled with lots of beautiful things. When I left the US, I gave away almost everything. I no longer have even a storage space in the US, and I am very happy living a much simpler life here. Life is about experiences, relationships, breathing fresh air, and swimming in the sea. I love that I can close up my little condo and go on an adventure anytime I want. There is less work to do, and really, I feel much freer.

The death of my husband was the defining moment in my life. It changed everything. We had been high school sweethearts and then were married for 27 years. I didn’t know anything else. We did everything together, and, in many ways, I made my life revolve around him. That felt good at the time, but now I know it was super restricting. When he passed away, it was devastating. But I quickly moved to Mexico, where I found solace and comfort. Soon, I began to re-evaluate my life, and I started following my bliss. I am doing things now I never would have done if we were still together. I am grateful for the time we had together and the children I have from that union. But I am on such an amazing path now. It took time to make the transition, but I am so much happier now and fulfilled now. I feel like I am doing what I came here to this incarnation to do.

I spend a lot of my free time at the beach and hanging out with friends. It’s my happy place. I also love boats. I sail and just love being on or in the water. I love yoga and qigong, breathwork, and meditation. I collect crystals and silver handmade jewelry, and I love working with my tarot cards and the Maya Majiks Oracle Cards I created. I play with several pendulums and burn way more incense than anyone should. In addition, I spend a lot of time exploring. I meet new local people and listen to their amazing stories of magic in the jungles. I check out sacred places and experiment with energies there. There are remote Maya ruins around here and beautiful cave pools called cenotes. I love finding ones that no one goes to. Some say that Adventure is my middle name. Going on a crazy spiritual adventure is my favorite thing to do!

I offer 4-day spiritual retreats in addition to private smaller excursions. Of course, I also have books and e-courses available online. I also do Maya birth chart readings to help you see what energy you are currently in and what advice you can follow to create your best life. And I created a set of oracle cards called Maya Majiks that are based on Maya life and magic. I use those to do readings, too. The main thing, though, is the retreats. When you come on a retreat with me, you not only help yourself, you help fund research so I can learn more about the magic and wisdom of the Maya, and you help fund the non-profit work I am doing, too.

I have an upcoming retreat November 16-20, 2023, and then there will be retreats in January, February, March, and April 2024 too. The retreats include: A private healing session with our shaman, Maya ceremony and ritual, Cacao ceremony, Cenote (cave pool) cleansing and letting go experience, Maya ruin connection, breathwork and meditation, foods to heal and reactivate your third eye, your Maya birth sign and energies, connection with local people and of course so much more!

If you are in the area and want a private experience, I can do that too. These are often overnight experiences where I take you to see our shaman and then include other things like exploring Maya ruins, doing a traditional Maya pottery class with a master potter whose family still works in the old ways, having a breathtaking healing soak in a cenote, enjoying local Maya food, meeting Maya families, and hearing lots of stories about very real and powerful Maya magic.

The books I currently have for sale are:

I am currently working on an E-Course to teach you how to do an amazing Cacao Ceremony and lead it so others can benefit. The ceremony is deeply connected to Maya culture, history, and magic, and its purpose is to take you through a death and re-birth experience. It is beautiful. The E-Course will have written teaching, photos, and videos to help bring everything to life.

When I get into a project, I usually work very quickly because I get super focused on it. I allow things to gel in my mind until I know exactly what I want to write, and then I plunge in. This project is about halfway finished as of this writing, and I hope to finish it within a month or so.

Connect with Laura LaBrie:

Samantha, from Travel Documented, is our featured blogger today. Read on to see what she has to say about her amazing life as an expat in Mexico.

Many things brought me to Mexico, including the culture, the people, warm weather, excellent food, cost of living, amazing cities, I could go on and on….close to the USA.

The blog I host is called Travel Documented. I live to travel and have been for some time. I think the name encompasses our passion for traveling to multiple places while documenting our journey. We write where we go. So far, these areas are Ajijic and Lake Chapala, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende, and Mexico City.

I love to write and share stories and adventures as I embrace new cultures and new languages. I make many mistakes, but I hope to learn from them and share what I have learned in the process. My blog is for a variety of audiences: Expats and Immigrants to Mexico from the USA and Canada, Solo Travelers and Solo Female Travelers, Those Looking to Exit Corporate America, The FIRE Community (Financial Independence, Retire Early), Remote Workers, and those wanting to leave the USA and are gathering information and experiences. As we continue to travel, our audience may expand to include minimalists and backpackers.

My favorite blog post is Mazatlan, Mexico: It’s Not Just Beautiful, It’s a Hidden Gem. I haven’t found anything to be extremely difficult to write about. I enjoy writing. However, just finding time to collect my thoughts and sit down to write can be challenging at times.

My recent visit to Mexico City (CDMX) has been the experience I’ve had in Mexico so far. I absolutely loved it, and I can’t wait to visit again. It was absolutely amazing. So many things to do. It blew me away. Unfortunately, it was also the worst experience. I was spat on in Mexico City. It was me and a store clerk at a restaurant at the same time as a man who demanded the restaurant give him food. I think I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The store clerk didn’t react, nor did I. I just walked away and was fine.

For those planning to move or travel to Mexico, I recommend spending some time in a variety of places in different climates at different times of the year. Study Spanish and practice speaking it as much as possible. Learn about the Mexican culture, take an interest in the society, culture, the food, and have a humble spirit to integrate.

I plan to remain in Mexico as long as possible. I have no immediate plans to leave. I have residency here.

I would love to continue to collaborate with others, share information and build a community online and in person. As far as the future, who knows? I like to remain open to possibilities.

Connect with Samantha at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travel.documented1234

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travel.documented/

Website: https://traveldocumented.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Travel.Documented

November 9, 2018 · 7:00 am

A Woman’s Survival Guide to Holidays

Remember how I said that I was writing a survival guide for women moving to Mexico? Well, the project has become enormous. So I’ve decided to publish the sections as separate books so that the sheer volume of information doesn’t become overwhelming.

Today I’d like to announce that the first section of the survival guide is now available at Amazon. A Woman’s Survival Guide to Holidays in Mexico answers how, when, and why these festivities are observed not from abstract research, but personal experience. Because moving to a new country can be daunting, learning about the patriotic, religious and civil festival days will help you understand some of what makes up the Mexican culture and allow you to become more fully immersed in the amazingly diverse world of Mexico. Viva!

This informative book is available for your reading pleasure on Kindle, as a full colored paperback (which is a bit pricey) and as a black and white paperback.

And in celebration of its release, the Kindle version is FREE for the next few days!

As for my other books……