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The experiences of the wealthy who go there for luxury is not very relevant to the general discussion of the motivation for expats.
Well, I believe it's as relevant as discussions about low-cost healthcare, medicine and property taxes. The relevancy is determined by the people raising questions or expressing their opinions. One size doesn't fit all.
Well, I believe it's as relevant as discussions about low-cost healthcare, medicine and property taxes. The relevancy is determined by the people raising questions or expressing their opinions. One size doesn't fit all.
Thanks.
Granted. My post was not so much to contradict you, but to emphasize that the experiences of the luxury class of expatriates do not reflect very relevantly on the people who ex-expatriate themselves for the more usual reasons.
This thread, in particular, is based on the reports of one single anecdotal individual, who raised issues that are not germane to the lifestyles of most ex-pats. It is important that the rank and file not be influenced by the complaints of a wealthy person seeking different values.
Granted. My post was not so much to contradict you, but to emphasize that the experiences of the luxury class of expatriates do not reflect very relevantly on the people who ex-expatriate themselves for the more usual reasons.
This thread, in particular, is based on the reports of one single anecdotal individual, who raised issues that are not germane to the lifestyles of most ex-pats. It is important that the rank and file not be influenced by the complaints of a wealthy person seeking different values.
Without going back through the linked article, my recollection is that the person being talked about listed the reasons he'd grown uncomfortable with life in Mexico. What he listed are things I read other expats, less fortunate, elaborate. Many expats are running away from something, not to something. That's been my observation. In the grand scheme of things, relatively few people are willing to pull up stakes, divorce themsemves physically from family, friends, culture and personal history, to live in a land where they don't understand the culture and language. It's not thought of a "normal" act. Then again, I understand not everyone marches to the beat of the same drummer.
Go to live in a foreign country.......fine. But, hahaha, get to know the place before you contract to have a custom mansion built.......LOL.
I watch shows like "Mike Holmes".............rip-offs are common when you have any type of home built.....I have seen so much junk new construction IN THE USA.
No way does it suprise me that the man contracting a new home was not happy with the finished project.
I would never buy a brand new home..............no matter what country it is in. If you have a crap foundation..........the problems resulting from that fact may not show up for a couple of years.
Go to live in a foreign country.......fine. But, hahaha, get to know the place before you contract to have a custom mansion built.......LOL.
I watch shows like "Mike Holmes".............rip-offs are common when you have any type of home built.....I have seen so much junk new construction IN THE USA.
No way does it suprise me that the man contracting a new home was not happy with the finished project.
I would never buy a brand new home..............no matter what country it is in. If you have a crap foundation..........the problems resulting from that fact may not show up for a couple of years.
Without going back through the linked article, my recollection is that the person being talked about listed the reasons he'd grown uncomfortable with life in Mexico. What he listed are things I read other expats, less fortunate, elaborate. Many expats are running away from something, not to something. That's been my observation. In the grand scheme of things, relatively few people are willing to pull up stakes, divorce themsemves physically from family, friends, culture and personal history, to live in a land where they don't understand the culture and language. It's not thought of a "normal" act. Then again, I understand not everyone marches to the beat of the same drummer.
Thanks.
While other issues may have been raised which were not germane, the part about making a large financial investment has proceeded front and center in the discussion. And, I'll wager that the original article writer wouldn't have been nearly so disillusioned, if he hadn't expected that he could buy happiness there by throwing money at it. It's not Mexico's fault for not being "nothing but beaches, mountains, and margaritas" like so many expats expect it to be.
The central issue of health care is very significant. The reason the American health care system is such a disaster is our unrealistic expectations that we can live 100 years of quality life if we spend enough money on health care. That is childishly naive, but we keep throwing trillion after trillion at that unfulfillable dream. Mexicans spend a tiny fraction of that, and their life expectancy is only a couple of years short of ours. They live almost as many years as we do, in a beautiful climate, with little stress, in a harmonious neighborhood, and our friend who wrote the article just couldn't stand to do that. He needed that year of two of additional life, which will cost his family a couple of hundred thousand in a plastic nursing home being cared for by indifferent strangers.
I've lived in 8 other countries, and I've known a lot of ex-pats, and they come in all stripes. In general, they went abroad with full knowledge that there would be a learning curve in order to adjust to the style of living there, and they were psychologically prepared to do so, and to thrive under the challenge. This arises mainly from a predisposition to respect other people who have different values and customs, and to tolerate them when there is a clash of priorities. I've even known some that totally "went native", in places like Africa.
I'm betting that the writer of the article was completely unprepared to make the requisite compromises, and as soon as he realized that his substantial investment went sour, he started rationalizing the failure as somebody else's fault.
While other issues may have been raised which were not germane, the part about making a large financial investment has proceeded front and center in the discussion. And, I'll wager that the original article writer wouldn't have been nearly so disillusioned, if he hadn't expected that he could buy happiness there by throwing money at it. It's not Mexico's fault for not being "nothing but beaches, mountains, and margaritas" like so many expats expect it to be.
The central issue of health care is very significant. The reason the American health care system is such a disaster is our unrealistic expectations that we can live 100 years of quality life if we spend enough money on health care. That is childishly naive, but we keep throwing trillion after trillion at that unfulfillable dream. Mexicans spend a tiny fraction of that, and their life expectancy is only a couple of years short of ours. They live almost as many years as we do, in a beautiful climate, with little stress, in a harmonious neighborhood, and our friend who wrote the article just couldn't stand to do that. He needed that year of two of additional life, which will cost his family a couple of hundred thousand in a plastic nursing home being cared for by indifferent strangers.
I've lived in 8 other countries, and I've known a lot of ex-pats, and they come in all stripes. In general, they went abroad with full knowledge that there would be a learning curve in order to adjust to the style of living there, and they were psychologically prepared to do so, and to thrive under the challenge. This arises mainly from a predisposition to respect other people who have different values and customs, and to tolerate them when there is a clash of priorities. I've even known some that totally "went native", in places like Africa.
I'm betting that the writer of the article was completely unprepared to make the requisite compromises, and as soon as he realized that his substantial investment went sour, he started rationalizing the failure as somebody else's fault.
Wonderful, insightful and knowledgeable post! Couldn't rep you again so this will have to do.. Yes! So true, "in a beautiful climate, with little stress, in a harmonious neighborhood...." - And, with understanding and respect for obvious cultural differences good outcomes *are* possible. That's the story of our life in Mexico!
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