[0:00] What does it really take to start over? Not just in a new country, but in a new chapter of your life. In today's
[0:06] episode, we talk about courage, reinvention, and what happens when you stop waiting for the perfect moment and
[0:12] finally choose for yourself. Living [music] abroad, it's about learning how to pivot, take risks, and trust that
[0:18] there is more waiting for [music] you on the other side of fear. You have to be willing to take risks
[0:23] because if you don't, you're never going to live the life that you want to live. That's really the main takeaway because otherwise you're going to keep living a
[0:29] life you're not happy with. Sometimes things do not turn out the way you planned or the way you thought and you
[0:35] have to just kind of pivot and be like, "Okay, well this didn't work out so let's go to plan B or plan C or plan D.
[0:40] Let's just do something different." But living abroad also changes how you see time priorities and the way life
[0:47] actually evolves. Especially when you move away from rigid schedules and expectations.
[0:52] When you learn Spanish, you learn that mñana means tomorrow. Mñana does not mean tomorrow. Mñana means someday. It
[0:59] means that it might happen sometime in the future. So that was like the biggest adjustment because as an American, we're
[1:04] very into schedules and timing. No, like in Mexico, especially living in the smaller towns, you might run into
[1:10] somebody and and talk with them for half an hour and then get to the appointment you're you're meant to have. Today on Almost Local, the living abroad
[1:18] story of Tina Coleman. Let's start.
[1:27] [music] I am definitely a risk taker. I like to have adventure, excitement in my life
[1:34] and I do things that are a little unpredictable. So, you know, I like to travel and enjoy my life and I love
[1:40] meeting people. So, that's really my thing. I love meeting new people. So, being in different countries is
[1:45] absolutely wonderful for me. So, you lived in multiple countries, but maybe we start from the very beginning.
[1:50] Where are you from originally? Where did you grow up? I am originally from De Moine, Iowa.
[1:56] It's the center of the heartland of the United States. S is also the capital of the state of Iowa. So, and it's known
[2:03] for agricultural, farming, insurance, finance, and I I had never lived on a
[2:10] farm until much later in my life. So, yeah, it's very good for raising children. It's a pretty safe place. A
[2:16] little boring in my opinion. So I always knew I wanted to travel and I am the only person in my family that travels
[2:23] internationally. Okay. So yeah. So it didn't come out of a motivation of family like parents traveling with you
[2:29] or anything but rather an an inside thing. No, I had never been on a plane till I
[2:35] was 30. I didn't start traveling internationally until I was 45. We didn't even do vacations in my family.
[2:41] We went to funerals. Okay. Yeah. We went we went to funerals all over. if we were remotely related to
[2:48] somebody, my mother drove us to all these different funerals. So, that was really the only traveling
[2:54] we did. Okay. Well, and how does it come then that at age 30 or 45 you start deciding
[3:01] this is the moment to to start traveling around and maybe before traveling and then why living abroad? Well, actually,
[3:08] I lost both my parents right before I turned 40. And that really put me into a dark place for a while. And then I
[3:15] realized like if I don't start traveling now, when am I going to do it? You know, we always like to think we have more
[3:20] time, we're going to live a very long life, but we don't really know. And so when you start losing people very
[3:25] suddenly in your life, it makes you re-evaluate your life. And before my 45th birthday, I found a journal saying
[3:32] I want to go to Italy, Greece, and Egypt. And I was like, if I don't do it now, when am I going to do it? So, yeah.
[3:39] And right before my 45th, right before a week before my trip, I was rearended by
[3:44] a lady, an 89 year old lady in a stoplight and I didn't know if I was going to do the trip. Okay.
[3:49] Yeah. But I'm really glad I did because I absolutely love Italy. Barcelona was amazing, too. That like Italy is such a
[3:56] special place. I mean, I lived in in two of the places that you sit, so I can confirm.
[4:01] Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. It's amazing. Work-wise, I I think I read that you
[4:06] were a message therapist. I was a massage therapist for 20 years.
[4:11] And I was also a spiritual teacher. Ironically, my first car accident, I was hit by a semi right after I moved from
[4:18] Iowa to teach in Missouri. And that actually got me into acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage
[4:24] therapy. So, that kind of opened the door. And then the last car accident got me out of it. So, it was kind of ironic.
[4:30] Sorry. It has been two car accidents. Well, yeah. And and there is another one in between there, but the last one got me
[4:36] out of everything. I was like, "Oh my goodness." Okay. Because it had like physical impediments or like it came with Okay.
[4:43] Yeah. I had three bulging discs in my neck. I had a triple whiplash. I had a concussion. So, I did not think I was going to make that first trip.
[4:50] Literally, it was like a couple of days before and I booked everything on refundable [laughter]
[4:55] because it was cheaper. And so, I wasn't sure I was going to make it. And I am so glad that I did cuz going on that trip
[5:01] completely changed my life and my perspective on everything. Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted to ask like did this trip trigger the the
[5:09] idea of then moving abroad and and when is the moment that you decide I'm leaving United States because I assume
[5:15] that that from that trip you went back home at some point. I did. I did. Ironically, that trip was
[5:20] 3 weeks because I spent time in New York, Barcelona, and Italy cuz I was like I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to go to Italy again. You know,
[5:27] it was a dream. So, I'm like, I don't know if I'm ever I'm going to be able to do it again. And I've been to Italy three times um since then. And it was
[5:35] really amazing because that trip really changed the trajectory. And I kind of always knew I wanted to travel. As I got
[5:42] older, I knew I wanted to live internationally, but like, oh, I don't know if I can do that. Like, that's so scary and it's so expensive and I don't
[5:49] know. As Americans, we're kind of programmed not to travel and not to be international
[5:54] and not to learn foreign languages. So it was like kind of like oh I don't know about this. Um but I actually started
[6:00] coming down to Mexico for dental work and Mexico was not some place I had actually planned to move to. I always
[6:07] thought after my trip to Italy I thought it was going to be Italy or maybe Asia and during co I was doing work as a
[6:14] funeral sales rep and I was deeply unhappy with my life and I was going on a birthday trip and I was like I'm going
[6:20] to move to Mexico. There was really no thought in it at all. Okay.
[6:26] And was it easy? Because normally when you move like this, then the challenges come once you arrive to the country.
[6:32] It was pretty easy. I actually spent two and a half months traveling uh Mexico to kind of find my place.
[6:39] And you know, it's funny because it's like once you find your place and you find other places and you kind of move around a little bit, but because Mexico
[6:45] is so close to the States, I think it was a little bit easier. But there definitely were challenges involved. I
[6:50] brought my two dogs down with me. I literally did not think that through all the way. Uh I brought down four bags and
[6:57] two dogs and most of that stuff was for my dogs. Yeah. And and normally the most difficult part is moving the animals.
[7:03] Yeah, I know. [snorts] Yeah. The whole paperwork of moving animals around is a nightmare. Yeah,
[7:09] it went pretty smoothly, but like getting them out of the airport like I did not think about that. I'm like trying to drag four bags and haul two
[7:17] dogs through the airport. Luckily, it was a small airport. They were all kind of looking at me and kind of laughing and I was just like, I did not plan this
[7:23] well at all. So things like that happen, you know, that you just don't think about the logistics of things or things
[7:31] that are very easy in your own country are more complicated in a foreign country because and you understand this,
[7:38] Mexico and Italy both love paperwork and bureaucracy.
[7:43] [laughter] You know, it's it's a little bit different. Doing something very simple like, you know, maybe changing an
[7:49] electric bill into your name or getting mail or recharging your phone can take
[7:54] all day sometimes, you know. Yeah. It's just the way it is. You always traveled solo. That's also
[8:01] like So that's it is in your core to to do it on your own and then at your peace
[8:07] I suppose also and on and your own terms. Exactly. But I realized for the very
[8:12] first trip if I kept waiting for other people to join me, I would just keep waiting and I wouldn't really do it. I
[8:18] had a friend, she was like, "Oh, I want to go with you. I want to go with you." And I'm like, "Okay, well, here's the information." And she just didn't book.
[8:25] So, I went ahead and booked my step and she still hasn't gone anywhere. You know, it's,
[8:30] you know, over 10 years later and she still hasn't gone anywhere. And even though I've invited her multiple times
[8:36] down to Mexico, to Italy, on my trips, she just doesn't go. So if you keep
[8:41] waiting on other people, you're never going to do anything. So that's why I travel solo.
[8:46] Mhm. I mean, if you have it clear, jump on it and that's it. No, you you don't always
[8:52] like a stereotype that you put the the companion into it always. I don't know. somehow like it's not always mandatory
[9:00] to be no it makes it a little more complicated because sometimes you don't want to do the same thing or they want to travel
[9:06] differently than you do or you know if they're not feeling so good you know there's a lot more logistics whereas if
[9:12] you travel by yourself you can change things like sometimes I'll meet people that oh you need to go here or have you
[9:17] seen this town and I just change it like I travel very openly and loosely nice so I didn't ask actually but where
[9:25] exactly are you in Mexico I am in a small town called San Pedro, Cholula, Mexico. It is 2 hours south of
[9:31] Mexico City, about a half an hour away from Pueba. It is a small historical town. It's also very touristic. They
[9:38] have what they call a giant pyramid with a church on top of it. So, that's really the draw here. And you used to be able
[9:43] to go underneath the pyramid and see things. Um, the pyramid is mainly overgrown now, but like there's still
[9:49] the steps to it and some of the outlying structures and things. So, it is very historical. It's also a place where they
[9:56] used to train all the holy men in from Mexico. They would come here and actually get trained. So it has like a
[10:02] very energetic draw to it which I think is amazing. They also like the culture that goes way back like they used to be
[10:09] human sacrifices here and we also have an active volcano. We actually Yeah. We I can actually see the volcano and it
[10:15] like puts off ash but there's two others in the region as well and so yeah so it makes life a little interesting. They're
[10:22] like, "hm, what's going on with the puff today?" Sounds like a hot pot of a lot of things going on. Yeah,
[10:28] I know. So, it's it's really wonderful, but it's just like one of the magical towns. It's very European, very
[10:34] colorful. The people are wonderful. The food's great, you know, and it's super easy to get to Mexico City or blah blah.
[10:41] So, it's a really nice little hub. Nice. Yeah. I I haven't been like I've been to
[10:46] Mexico, but not specifically there. So next time I will I will drop by for sure. I mean that makes sense.
[10:53] Blue sounds like a lovely place. It is. It is. And Mexico has so many great towns. That's what makes it so difficult to live. You're like, you
[11:00] know, it has the beaches, the mountains, the cities, the little historical towns. Like it has everything. And the people
[11:07] are just absolutely wonderful. This and Mexico does have it's so international. It does definitely does have amazing
[11:13] food. Not just Mexican food, but international food. Like it's amazing. How long have you been in Mexico now?
[11:18] More established like uh five years now. Yeah, I moved in I moved officially in 2021. I traveled it
[11:26] for two and a half months in 20120 and I've been to over 30 towns and cities in Mexico. So, and I've lived in multiple
[11:32] places. Of course, when I moved down, I'm like, I want to live at the beach and I want to live in a walking city and I want great architecture. Well, in
[11:38] Mexico, you can get two of the three. You can get a walking city or the beach or you can get get great architecture
[11:43] and walking city, but you can't get all three. So I was originally living in a very small village on the co on the
[11:49] Pacific coast on the very southern part of Mexico in Waka. It's called Zipolite. It is the only
[11:56] fully optional beach in Mexico. Wow. Okay. Yeah. Cool. Yes, that was Yeah, that was a lot of fun.
[12:01] Nice. And uh what about adaptability? Because language uh how how did your
[12:07] life change when you arrived to Mexico? Let's let's put it like this. I realized how bad my Spanish was. I
[12:12] actually realized that when I went to Barcelona on my first trip, like I was so focused on going to Italy on my first
[12:18] trip. I I tried to learn some Italian, didn't do well. Uh I did not even think about learning Spanish. And so the first
[12:24] trip to Barcelona, like I realized I need no Spanish. And even moving to Mexico, I tried and my pronunciation is
[12:32] so bad. It is just so incredibly bad. Thank god I'm friendly. You know, Google
[12:38] Translate is great. And then I also pantomime a lot. I learned parabar, which is to go. So I'd be like to go.
[12:46] [laughter] Gesturing is part of communication. I know, especially in Italy. But yeah,
[12:53] so I'm very friendly. I get, you know, I get by. I connect with people and I find
[12:58] that if you're friendly, it goes a lot further than really knowing the language. So I just want to tell people
[13:03] like even if you don't know the language, don't be scared to travel because if I can do it, anybody can do
[13:08] it. I have been to a lot of different countries where I don't speak the language. You know, I don't speak Italian or Greece or, you know, Turkish
[13:16] or Egypt. I I've been all those countries and it always works out really well. Yeah. I mean, communication is not only
[13:23] language based. So, that's that's the reality. I wanted to ask you also from a professional perspective because I mean
[13:28] yeah you left after a car accident that impeded you to continue with your previous job then you switch it for some
[13:35] time to a more administrative office thing but now you are like coaching you
[13:41] are an author like when is all of this common in the equation it's already in Mexico or it's uh still back in US
[13:48] no everything is online everything is online so when I originally moved I was renting out my house and then I end up
[13:54] selling it and Now I've just reinvented myself with uh coaching and speaking and
[13:59] the book. So yeah, everything's a learning experience because I'm not a technology person.
[14:07] Okay. Basically been interesting to build everything and to have the technology aspect of it yet.
[14:13] Nice. And the book it's already published. Yes, it is.
[14:19] Since when? December 30th. Yes. It's been a very long process. I originally had a
[14:25] publisher and that did not work out. So this year I decided to self-publish and so it is on Amazon and it's called
[14:32] 50 fabulous and the midlife guide to confidence reinvention and travel. So you can get it there. Um I'm
[14:39] also going to be having I have courses available to go along with the book as well and it it's designed to inspire and
[14:46] empower women to travel and live their best life. And it's based off the transformation that I have personally had in my own life. So I know that if I
[14:53] can do it, anybody can do it. Cool. Very nice. So Tina, I would say we jump to the next section. It's a little
[14:58] bit like the fast reply. We enter a little bit more into this five years in Mexico and trying to get a fast quest
[15:07] segment. Let's say like this. So every every question should be around 40 60 seconds to respond. I ask always the
[15:13] same 12 questions to everyone. So it's a nice way of comparing between countries. The first question that I have it's
[15:19] cultural adjustment. one thing that it took you a while to adop in Mexico or
[15:24] obviously there's the language that still hasn't clicked yet. So there's that and it's just more a relaxed vibe.
[15:31] So when you learn Spanish you learn that mñana means tomorrow. Mñana does not
[15:36] mean tomorrow. Mñana means someday. Okay? It means like maybe it's going to happen, maybe it's not. You're not
[15:42] really sure. So if you actually have someone come over to do work or to clean the house, they're like, "Oh, mñana."
[15:47] No, it does not mean tomorrow. [laughter] it means that it might happen sometime in the future. So that was like the
[15:52] biggest adjustment because as an American, we're very into schedules and timing and like you know if you make an
[15:58] appointment it's going to happen at that time. No, like in Mexico, especially living in the smaller towns, you might
[16:04] run into somebody and and talk to them for half an hour and then go to the appointment you're you're meant to have.
[16:09] You know, it's it's very it's a lot more social and a little more laidback. I really think the motto of Mexico is
[16:16] relax, don't worry, tranquilo. They say that all the time, especially to Americans. They're like, "Relax, don't
[16:23] worry. No problem." Yeah. So, as an American, you're like, "But we're supposed to be doing this." You're like,
[16:29] "No, it's okay." Yeah. Yeah. The layback, which is a great adjustment, trust me.
[16:35] Um, second one that I have is social life. How did you meet people or how are
[16:41] you meeting people in Mexico right now? Well, there's always a Facebook group, so they have meetups through that. I
[16:47] tend to meet people just randomly like either in stores or on the beach or on
[16:52] the street because I am very friendly. So, and I like to make friends with business owners. I have a talent for
[16:58] that. So, it's like, oh, you know, what are you doing and how can I help you with your business and things like that.
[17:04] So, yeah. So, it's a little bit different. Um, and there's always like you can go to yoga classes or spinning classes or the gym. When I was living in
[17:10] Wal Chuko, I had a group of friends that were in their 50s and 60s that went to the gym. So, I'm like, "Yes, I need to
[17:16] be going to the gym, which I need to start again." Yeah. But yeah, they were amazing. So, we would go and uh be at
[17:22] the gym every morning, you know, and then do things together. You touched upon the next one a little bit already, language, but I mean, you
[17:30] said they didn't click yet. Let's say like this, but can you get around Mexico like without speaking Spanish? Actually,
[17:37] absolutely. Absolutely. A lot of people do speak English and even if they don't speak it, they tend to understand it.
[17:42] But also, there's Google Translate. So, no matter what you were trying to do, you can usually have somebody help you.
[17:48] They're very friendly. Uh, and I found that like in every country I've been to, people are very friendly. They want to
[17:54] help you. They want to, you know, help you to get to where you're going. They're very interested in foreigners as well. So, I've always been met with, you
[18:01] know, warmth and hospitality. So, it makes it a lot easier. Um, yeah, I know
[18:07] my language pronunciation is just awful. And I do realize if I would have learned Spanish more, going to Italy would have
[18:12] been easier because the languages are similar. Languages tend to connect each other.
[18:18] Let's say like this. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. The fourth one is cost of living on
[18:23] average, but also what it's cheap, what it's surprisingly expensive. How is the
[18:28] cost of living in Mexico right now? Well, everything has gone up. I will say that everything all over the world has
[18:34] gone up since co and Airbnb took over the world. Like everything's gone up. So
[18:39] I would say what surprised me the most like in Mexico City and also in Medigene Colombia because I was there for 6
[18:45] months also. The rents have gotten very expensive in my opinion because I was I've been traveling in Mexico since
[18:51] probably 2018 or so. Um and everything was much much lower then. So the cost of
[18:57] things has definitely gone up. out of the rent. Uh going out, cappuccinos are a little more expensive. You know, in
[19:03] Italy, you can go and get a cappuccino at the bar for like uh 1201 150, you
[19:10] know, right? Yeah. It went up also. Like depends [laughter] on Yes.
[19:16] Unfortunately, you're in. Yeah. So, and then here in Mexico, it's between, you know, three to five dollars depending on
[19:22] where you're at. So, everything's kind of gone up unfortunately, but it's still cheaper than the US. You talk about
[19:27] rents and you move around the country quite a lot. So, how is the process of finding apartments and finding a home?
[19:34] Well, word of mouth is always the best. Like, if you know someone that knows somebody, that's always the best way to
[19:40] get a good rent deal. And that's how I actually found my first apartment. We actually went knocking on doors and
[19:45] asking people if they had apartments for friends. Really? Like, yes. Yes. That's always the best way,
[19:52] especially in Mexico. like you can talk to your barista or the people at the supermarket and be like, "Hey, do you know anybody that's got a place for rent
[19:59] and sometimes people will even approach you because you know they know you're a foreigner." And then of course there's Airbnb and Facebook. Airbnbs are going
[20:05] to be more expensive, but they also have you know like in case the house cancels on you or something's not right, like
[20:11] it's easier to get things fixed. Whereas if you just choose a bad place, like you're kind of stuck with it on your
[20:17] own. But yeah, like word of mouth is always the best I think. Makes sense. Next one. It's living like
[20:23] a local. I know it's difficult to do, but what is the thing that you use for blending in between the Mexicans? Let's
[20:30] say like this, right? Um I actually do tend to live like a local and I'm around a lot of
[20:35] locals more than expats. So, it's like you go to the Marcato, which is the market like and it's a big open market.
[20:42] Uh you go there and you buy your fruits and vegetables, your meat. I walk a lot which I love so it makes it very easy
[20:49] and I like to take the collectivos especially in the smaller towns and that can be like a van or it can sometimes be
[20:55] a pickup truck with like a tarp over it and you just get in the bag and you pay your 10 pesos and you go to where you're
[21:02] going you know so the first time I also took a collection bill I was terrified because I didn't know I was going from
[21:09] Cancun to Porto Morales um because someone's like you got to go and I was leaving that day and I did not speak
[21:15] Spanish first trip to to Mexico and I was like they I thought they were taking me directly to the heart of the town.
[21:21] They dropped me off on the side of the the highway and I was like where am I going? I was so terrified. So you do
[21:28] have things like that that happen but luckily I found some people and they're like just stand on the side of the road
[21:33] and flags and they'll take you to where you're going. I was like I didn't know that. So things like that do happen and
[21:39] you're just like oh my gosh. But everything always works out. It does. Yeah. I mean, collectivas work like
[21:45] that. Definitely. I know. I I love them, though. They're so amazing.
[21:50] What about work life? I know that you are like working online, but maybe from connections or from your friends in
[21:56] Mexico. How is the work culture in Mexico? There's I mean, depending on what you're doing, like there's cafes like I'm at
[22:03] right now, and it's a brand new cafe, very modern with great internet. And there's actually a lot of co-working
[22:08] spaces. So, if you like co-working, they're all over Mexico. You can go there and work. So, it makes it really
[22:14] easy, you know, it's not hard at all. And you just find the connections, you
[22:19] know, that you're looking for. So, yeah. Um, I didn't I didn't work for most of the time I've been in Mexico. So, that's
[22:26] kind of an insight for me. All right, let's let's jump then to the to the next one, which you touched already, the collectivos, getting around
[22:32] like transportation. How is the best way to travel? Is it collectivos or it's like with bus or
[22:37] It depends on what city you're in. So, if you're in Mexico City, they have a great metro as well as buses. The buses
[22:43] are amazing. They have their own bus lane, which I love. So, it makes it actually easier getting around Mexico
[22:48] City, but if you're in the smaller towns, it's going to be either collectivo or uh Uber or a taxi. Taxis
[22:56] are very common. Um, when I was living in Sabite, you had to pay for a round trip if you go from one town to the next
[23:02] because the taxis are not allowed to pick up people's towns. Yeah. It's a it's it's kind of like the ma it's kind
[23:09] of like the mafia in in small towns with taxis. It really is. It is because you
[23:14] cannot because if you're slow in one town, you can't just hop over and pick up people from the next town. So, you can only take that taxi from that town
[23:21] to the next town and you're literally paying for a round trip. So, that that was kind of different. I was like, why
[23:26] is it so expensive? And it was it's about $10. And I'm like, it's 10 pesos if you take a but going on a taxi it's
[23:34] like 200 pesos. I'm like, it's not that far. It's like 10 minutes, but that's why. So, that was that was a little bit
[23:41] surprising. But in a lot of the towns, you can actually walk. A lot of expats do have cars. I like not having a car. I
[23:47] have had scooters, so I like taking I like having a scooter like to go to the beach or drive around locally. I just
[23:54] don't use it like really busy or big cities because that terrifies me. But yeah, I never thought I was going to be
[24:00] in my riding a scooter in Mexico. So, that has been like a big surprise. So
[24:05] nice. I mean, I'm a big motorbike uh user, so I I like that also.
[24:12] It makes it way easier to get around in a park and stuff. Makes it so much easier. Otherwise, you're especially parking. Like, come on.
[24:18] I know. This is how many times do you lose with a car? I know. It's ridiculous.
[24:24] It's crazy. The next one, I don't know if you touch it or not. Hopefully not, but
[24:29] healthcare. How does the healthare system works in Mexico? It's really it's really good actually and people are
[24:35] always surprised by that. Um a lot of places in Mexico they will actually have a doctor attached to a pharmacy.
[24:41] Obviously they're trying to you know push the pharmaceuticals but it's like 50 pesos and I have gone there and used
[24:47] them which it's about two 250 $3. I actually have a actual doctor examine
[24:53] you and it's not like a complete exam but like if you're going in because you have a cough or your stomach's upset
[24:58] which is common in Mexico there are digestive issues. No, it's it's the water. It's the water.
[25:04] The water the water is not good. So, you can actually get parasites quite easily. So, you have to be careful in some
[25:10] places. But, yeah. So, it's like I've had amazing results with the doctors even in the little pharmaceutical stands
[25:16] and then they have really great hospitals and things too. They have the public and the private so you have
[25:22] options. But I found the health care to be amazing. And a friend of mine her her her his her daughter or I had a friend
[25:29] her son that's very sick in the US. He had something going on that they could never quite identify. He came down to
[25:36] fla got in with a specialist. They're like, "Oh, it's because of your ears because of this and that and blah blah blah blah blah." And they fixed it like
[25:42] that. It was amazing. Okay. Yeah. So the the medical is very good. The dentists are very good, too. I love
[25:48] Yeah. The dentists here in Mexico are amazing. I mean, it's a common thing not to do to do dental in Mexico if you come
[25:55] from the US or um a lot of a lot of Americans only come to Mexico for the resorts. They don't go
[26:01] outside of the resorts. I unfortunately do not have great teeth. I have great skin and hair but not great teeth. And
[26:07] so the dental is so expensive in the states. I started coming down to Mexico because one of my friends mentioned that
[26:13] the dental work in Mexico is so much cheaper. And so I did a lot of research on that. And I've also done they call it
[26:18] medical tourism. And so I actually when I was in Turkey in Istanbul, I actually got uh my eyes and uh Invisalign done
[26:27] in Turkey. So medical tourism is a thing and it's it's really great because you can get high quality care in other
[26:33] countries. And then you can also break sightsee and do other things too. So it's nice. Nice. So I have three more. The first
[26:40] one it's the one that everyone hates but uh bureaucracy. How is dealing with paperwork, visas,
[26:47] permits and all of that? Oh boy. Okay. So, that that's funny because I'm actually applying for my permanent
[26:54] residency on Wednesday. My technology skills are not great. So, actually trying to even set up the appointment
[27:00] online was kind of challenging because they were telling me one site it was actually like a different a different
[27:06] link to go to and then trying to make sure you had all the paperwork and everything on your sc, you know,
[27:12] downloaded. So, yeah. So, keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm hoping to get permanent residency on Wednesday,
[27:18] but I don't know. And they also like tripled the rate from last year.
[27:23] Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I was just like, what do you mean it's gone up like that much? You know,
[27:29] because I would expect maybe a little bit after the first the year, but no, it's like tripled. And I was like, okay,
[27:34] boy. Yeah. So there's surprises like that, you know, and just like when I was in Turkey, I had a temporary residency
[27:41] there also. And it was because people from the Ukraine and and Russia and all over
[27:47] were were trying to get residency. So actually Mexico has been a lot easier than that because even there you would
[27:53] make an appointment and then you'd wait for three hours to get seen and you may or may not get seen by the right person.
[27:58] Yeah. And that's just part of living internationally and abroad, dealing with the visas and paperwork and make sure
[28:03] that you do have everything in order and that you put stuff in a safe place, which I'm not great with that either.
[28:09] Yeah, organization's not my thing. So, yeah. All right, two more. The next one, it's
[28:14] the best and worst. What is the best thing about living in Mexico? And what is the worst thing about living in Mexico?
[28:19] Okay. Okay. The best thing is definitely the food and the people. Like Mexicans are so friendly and hospitable and very
[28:26] caring people and the food the food's amazing. You can get any kind of food you want in Mexico. Even living in small
[28:33] towns, you can get amazing international food. When I was in Cabelite, there is a
[28:38] European bakery. There is Italian food, great pizza and pasta, crepes, sushi,
[28:45] everything. And it was a very small touristy town. And the worst thing about Mexico is the water. That is my biggest
[28:51] complaint is the water because the water is not drinkable and unfortunately you can get very sick
[28:58] from the water and it's also very hard on your skin. But I'm like if that's my
[29:03] biggest complaint is the water. Like life's pretty good. Yeah. I mean you can avoid it. No, let's
[29:09] say like this. Exactly. I mean Italy has amazing water and you can tell the the difference in
[29:14] the quality of the food because the food in Italy is so good. like the fresh food like the tomatoes and everything.
[29:21] They're so fresh because the water is so good. Yeah, you you really notice the difference. Okay, nice.
[29:27] Yeah, last one. It's the top tip. If someone is planning to move to Mexico, what
[29:34] would you give us a one line advice? Um, I would definitely recommend exploring different cities and towns to find your
[29:42] place because sometimes if you read do if you just read things online, it's going to be different when you get
[29:47] there. I did a lot of research with a lot of different towns and like retirement places and expat places and I
[29:54] would go there and I was like, I'm not feeling it. I'm just not feeling it. So, the place I ended up was some place I'd
[30:00] never heard of, you know. Um, yeah. And also look at a
[30:06] map and you look at your geography because um I wanted to, you know, be in a beach
[30:11] town. Everyone's like, "Oh, Wajaka, right? You Wajaka is a state and also a city. Where's Wajaka City?" So I end up
[30:19] going to Wajaka City, which is in the mountains. And I'm like, "Where are the beaches?" And they're like, "They're eight hours that way."
[30:26] Whoa. Okay. Looking at a map and knowing your geography is super important
[30:32] because things like that will happen to you because I did not look at a map. I'm not I'm geographically challenged also
[30:38] as well as technology challenge. So, you know, things like that happen and you just kind of have to roll with it. You
[30:44] know, you do. You just have to realize being in a different country things are different. There's going to be
[30:50] surprises. There's going to be some setbacks. Um, but just trying to maintain a good attitude and be friendly
[30:56] with people. That's really the best thing. Nice. Perfect. Thank you so much for the overview on Mexico dinner. That was
[31:02] amazing. I think the audience will love that. I would jump to the cultural mini game. I call it like this, but at the
[31:08] end it's it's just another way of formatting questions. To be honest, I prepared one that I called before and
[31:14] after abroad. So I basically will mention you a topic and then you can
[31:19] answer how it was for you before moving abroad and after living abroad for these
[31:24] 5 years that you've been in Mexico. The first point that I have it's self-confidence. Okay. My confidence has definitely gone
[31:31] up. Being able to navigate different countries, languages, cultures. Yeah. Like you definitely you definitely gain
[31:38] a lot more confidence being able to being able to travel. I am a very nervous traveler. even now I get super
[31:44] anxiety going to get airports and things like that like I'm not okay until I'm on the plane and so it's like knowing that
[31:50] I can go to any basically any country any city and I can be okay whereas before I my first trip I had to plan
[31:58] everything out I wanted to know I had a place to stay like oh my gosh you know do I have a place to sleep and where am
[32:04] I going to be and like super anxious about everything now I'm like I'm going to book a trip I'll go you know I might
[32:10] be actually booking my place where I'm going to be at like while I'm at the airport or while while I'm landing. I've
[32:15] literally done that before. I'm like, I don't have a place to stay yet in Rome. Like, where am I going to be?
[32:20] Yeah. Nice. Uh, second one that I have, it's uh being fully yourself with other
[32:26] people. Like I said, I'm a very friendly person, so it's really easy for me to connect to other people, um, to make those
[32:32] connections. And, you know, it it's they're more curious about you. They're just as curious about you as you are
[32:38] about them. And so I think it's really easy to make those connections. Um, and to just be open with people, you know,
[32:46] it's it's really good. Obviously, there are things like maybe you don't want to be so open about like your financials or
[32:52] what you're doing for work because sometimes in other cultures, the price of something goes up, you know, because
[32:59] I do stand out like I'm sometimes paying higher prices than other people, but if they think that you have a lot more
[33:06] money than them, then the price can triple. Yeah, especially taxi rides that that can go way up.
[33:11] Sounds Yeah. familiar. Yeah. The next one that I have is the relationship with aging. Has it changed?
[33:18] You know, it's really interesting because I find that there are so many amazing services abroad, you know, to
[33:23] help with that because as we do get older, like I don't consider myself old. Like I was terrified of turning 50,
[33:30] which is why I wrote the book. Um, but like I find so many great services and healthcare practitioners and alternative
[33:36] therapies. Like there's great physical therapy, there's great facials, massages, workouts, like there's so many
[33:44] great things that can help you as you're transitioning into a different stage of life, you know, and it's actually a lot
[33:50] cheaper, more affordable, more convenient. Like there's physiootherapy places everywhere in Mexico. So, it
[33:56] makes it really nice in case you do like injure yourself or have a neck issue or
[34:02] shoulder issue because things like that do happen, you know. Um, so it makes it really easy and affordable. Way more
[34:07] than in the States. So going to the States and trying to get acupuncture, it's like $150. Down here it's like 500
[34:14] 700 pesos. So around $30, $35 to get acupuncture. Yeah. For really good acupuncturist.
[34:20] Same with this physiootherapy. Like you can get really good physiootherapy for 20 or $30. Yeah. Nice.
[34:26] Next one that I have, it's taking risks. Has it changed? I am definitely known for that. I will
[34:32] say that everybody thought I was crazy for moving to Mexico. They're like, "Oh my gosh, aren't you afraid of, you know,
[34:39] the cartel?" Like, "Oh my goodness, Mexico, it's so dangerous." And I'm like, "I feel safer in Mexico than I do
[34:47] in the States because in the States we have everybody has guns. So, we have like uh the mob, we have the mob, the
[34:53] gangs, the terrorist attacks, the mass shootings, things like that. So, I feel like it's a riskier to stay in the
[34:59] States than it is to live abroad in Mexico. Yeah, there's the cartel and yeah, there's places you definitely
[35:04] don't want to go to, but like I don't feel as it's as risky as it is other countries.
[35:10] As much as I love Italy, when I went there and went on a tour of the Vatican, hey, tour of the Vatican, which is a
[35:16] hundred euro, they're like, "Oh, make sure you keep everything close to you because guess what? You can get robbed
[35:22] in the Vatican on a tour." Yeah. Big pocketing it kind of I know. Normal. Yes.
[35:27] I know. So, it's like I feel like sometimes being in Mexico is way safer and less riskier than other countries.
[35:33] Um, but you have to be willing to take risks because if you don't, you're never going to live the life that you want to live. That's really the main takeaway
[35:40] because otherwise you're going to keep living a life you're not happy with. So, you have and sometimes things do not turn out the way you planned or the way
[35:46] you thought and you have to just kind of pivot and be like, "Okay, well, this didn't work out. So, let's let's go to
[35:52] plan B or plan C or plan D. Let's just do something different." Cool. Last one for this round. Uh, sense
[35:59] of freedom. Has it increased? Has it changed? Absolutely. Like freedom to me is one of
[36:05] the most important things. Everybody thinks if you're from America, you have a lot of freedom. And unfortunately, you don't. Mexico, you have a lot of
[36:11] freedom. They just do things differently here. And the motto, the motto of Mexico is ask for forgiveness, not permission.
[36:19] [laughter] So, like if there's something you want to get done, there's always a way to get
[36:25] it done. Sometimes you just have to pay a little extra to get things done uh or to facilitate things, but usually if
[36:31] there's something you want to get done, you can make it happen. But yeah, there's just such a sense of freedom and Mexico being a tourist country, it's
[36:38] very transient like they are used to people coming and going. Whereas like you could be like, "Oh, I'm going to go,
[36:44] you know, to this town. I went to San Crystal." I'm like, "Oh, I'm going to be there for like a week, 10 days top." I
[36:49] end up saying like a month and I I'm like I'm not sure if I'm going back to the place I was at. I don't know. And if
[36:54] yeah, there's no problem, you know. Whereas in the States, you cannot do that. Like if you say you're going to be gone for a week, that's all you've got
[37:00] to be gone for. And like, oh my gosh, you're going to go somewhere for a week, you know? So, there is definitely a different sense of freedom. It's more
[37:06] relaxed. People are used to like the eb and flow of things. Um, yeah, it's it's really amazing. It is.
[37:13] So, sounds sounds cool. It is. Yeah. I mean we tal about it a
[37:19] little bit about the book but do you have any project that you're working on right now? I mean you know you are
[37:24] coaching so maybe which kind of coaching do you do? Uh where can people find you
[37:29] and contact you if they need it? Of course then we will put the links in the description so they don't need to really
[37:34] memorize everything but in general what is your work coaching? What is the book
[37:40] about a little bit if you want to expla explain a little bit more about it and where can people find you? Absolutely. I'm very passionate about my
[37:46] book. It's called 50 Fabulous and  And I wrote it because I was terrified of turning 50. I was
[37:52] absolutely terrified. I'm like, "Oh my gosh, what happens when you turn 50? Like, I don't know what's going to happen." You know, do you die? If you
[37:58] have gray hair, you're considered old and over the hill. So, I was terrified. So, that's why I wrote the book because
[38:04] I radically transformed my life very quickly. And so, I want to be able to help other women to change and to
[38:10] travel. I think traveling is so incredibly important. um especially if you haven't done it because it can
[38:15] radically change your life. And so I'm super passionate about that. Um I do
[38:21] coaching, I have courses that help you go through the uh transformation that I personally have gone through. And then
[38:27] my thing that I'm currently working on is speaking. I actually want to be at doing virtual speaking as well as
[38:33] motivational speaking. So that's be that's something that I'm working on right now and I'm on three different
[38:38] speaking platforms because I want to help people radically change their life. I want them to know if I can go from
[38:45] being an alcoholic and super depressed to living internationally, living my best life, traveling the world, like you
[38:51] can do it, too. You can do anything you want to do because there's always hope. You can always make those changes. It
[38:57] may not be easy. There's definitely there's definitely some adjustments and challenges along the way, but it's so
[39:03] incredibly worth it. Um because so many people are so scared to make changes, to leave a safe job, to leave a
[39:10] relationship they're not happy in, starting over. Like we all have those fears and doubts. So I really want to
[39:16] inspire people on a much bigger scale to live the life that we want because when
[39:21] you turn 50, it's like the whole new world. It's a whole new chapter of your life. It's next stage of your life. And
[39:28] so your life isn't ending. It's just beginning. You know, that's really the thing. like 50 is when things start
[39:33] really getting good. So I want to help people and be empowered and inspired by that and realize that they're like it's
[39:39] over. It's just starting, you know, and you can still do whatever you want. So I want to do that on a much bigger scale.
[39:45] So public speaking is something that I am really getting into. Lovely. Yeah.
[39:51] Yes. And my website is Tina B. Coleman. Yes. Yes. It's it's a fairly new
[39:56] website. So it's Tina B. Coleman just like my name.com. Perfect.
[40:01] I mean in any way like the links will be also for the book and for every resource and even social media will be in the
[40:08] description of the of the episode. So any person can find it easily. As always give some love to Tina's work and and
[40:15] check out the book and buy a copy through Amazon and and give a review and say that you're coming from from the
[40:21] podcast. That's also always a a nice way to connect. Yes, Dina has been incredible. Thank you.
[40:27] Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your story, sharing your vision on on life in Mexico and opening also
[40:34] like the being open to talk about how is life there, but also open to to talk
[40:40] about your own experience and and this life change that it it came five years ago and it sounded it sounds really
[40:46] really incredible. Thank you. Thank you so much for for being here. Thank you so much for having me. I
[40:51] absolutely love it. Thank you so much for your time and your patience. I appreciate it. Thank you for all the
[40:57] audience. As always, if you like this episode and you want to stay tuned, don't forget to subscribe to the to the
[41:03] channel and also like give some love as I said already to the social media from both expert experts and Tina and her
[41:09] book. Until next time, keep exploring, stay curious, and see you in the next episode. [music]