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When asked what kind of life they had before coming to Mexico, Susan Chamberlin of Luna Serena farm answers, “Before there was no life, just work at an office. Now it’s a full life, complemented with work we enjoy.”
It's been 10 years since I came to Mexico City. I never planned on making it my home but after only a few short months, I had fallen for this chaotically romantic and endlessly surprising city. Living in the United States, nothing depressed me more than having to get into my car and drive out to a strip mall to eat Japanese food, or buy toilet paper, or get my haircut.
Every day, I take a break from work around 1 p.m. I grab the leash, shoo the dogs out the door, pop in my headphones, and spend 45 minutes listening to NPR as I walk through the park. Some days I stop for a taco on the way home. I often pause to chat with my neighbors. I live in Mexico City, famed for its chaotic sidewalks, ruthless traffic, and millions of inhabitants. But as a freelancer in a cozy neighborhood just outside of the Centro Historico, I barely notice the hustle and bustle as I take my time.
Tim Leffel and his family live among the cobblestone avenues, pastel-colored colonial buildings, and leafy plazas of Guanajuato, one of Mexico's prettiest towns. "I really love the pace of life, the emphasis on family and fun rather than wearing 'busy-ness' as a badge of honor," he says. "Since Mexican cities are geared to pedestrians and people are always out and about on foot, we don't need a car and all the related expenses. Since healthcare costs are reasonable, there's no fear of a doctor's visit costing more than a car payment either."
Rodney Evans' tale of wanderlust includes midnight buses through Tijuana, Mexico...traveling around Europe and the Americas, making friends and playing music. Along the way he taught English in Spain and elsewhere. If you like Europe and its history...its romance and culture...then where better to base yourself with a live-anywhere income like teaching English than Spain?