When I tell people I’ve been living in Mexico for four months, I can see their minds immediately jump to vacation mode. Beaches. Resorts. Endless margaritas.
Let me be clear: that’s not my life.
I’m waking up at the same time every day. Making breakfast. Doing school drop-offs. Managing my freelance business. Scheduling pickups. Cooking dinner. Living the routine, just in a completely different setting.
My husband Alex still works his American nine-to-five from home. I’m still juggling my business, a contract job, and two active kids. We’re not tourists. We’re residents of León, Guanajuato, a city in central Mexico surrounded by mountains, where the climate stays moderate year-round and life moves at a pace that somehow feels both familiar and radically different.
The Adjustment Period Is Real
These first four months have been all about adjustment. My body is still figuring out this new altitude, this new air quality, this sun that feels closer and more intense than anything I experienced in Chicago. Some days, when the sun is directly in my face and the kids are all over me, I just want to retreat to a dark, cool room.
But here’s what’s wild: despite the physical adjustment, I feel good. Spiritually. Emotionally. Internally.
I don’t feel the constant pressure I felt in the US, where it’s like you’re a hamster on a wheel that never stops spinning. Here, even though I’m still in a routine, even though I’m still busy, time feels different. I can breathe.
What School Culture Teaches Me About Priorities
One of the biggest surprises has been the school culture here. Mexican parents are invested, and not just in dropping their kids off and picking them up.
Recently, the school hosted a voluntary workshop for parents about spending quality time with kids, limiting screen time, and being present. It was scheduled for an hour. It ended up being almost three hours long.
And you know what? Parents stayed. So many dads. So many couples. People in their work uniforms who clearly had jobs to get to, but they stayed anyway.
That would never happen back in Chicago. Not because parents don’t care, but because the culture doesn’t allow for it. Corporate America doesn’t prioritize families the way Mexico does. Here, there’s an understanding that families come first – and society is structured to support that.
Alex feels guilt sometimes because he can’t attend these events. His US job doesn’t offer that flexibility. But seeing how differently things could be has opened our eyes to what we’ve been missing.
The Five Hours That Changed Everything
Now that both kids are in school, I have five hours in the morning to myself. Five whole hours where I’m not trying to entertain anyone, stimulate anyone, or break up sibling arguments.
I can work. Do laundry. Go to the gym. Have coffee with Alex while he’s on a break from work. Actually talk to him without interruptions.
Back in Chicago, we couldn’t afford childcare for Mateo, who isn’t preschool-aged yet. Even when Diego was in school for three hours, I still had Mateo at home, and I never felt like I had enough time to focus on anything – not my work, not myself, not even him fully.
Here, we can afford to have both kids in school. And that alone has been transformative for my mental health and our family dynamic.
The Guilt of Leaving While Others Suffer
But I won’t sugarcoat this: I’m struggling with guilt.
I left the US right as things started getting really hard for my community. Deportations. Detentions. Economic struggles. I see it all over social media. I hear it from people reaching out to me.
And I’m here. Safe. Away from it all.
It feels like perfect timing in some ways, we left right before the storm. But it also feels heavy. Like I escaped something others couldn’t.
I don’t want anyone to think I’m bragging or that I believe I’m better than anyone else. I don’t want to seem insensitive to what people are going through. My home is still the US. Chicago is still my hometown.
But I also can’t deny that leaving has given my family the space to just be. To focus on each other. To be present in a way that felt impossible before.
If you’ve been feeling that little voice telling you to leave, to try something different, to move somewhere new, maybe this is your sign. I’m not saying abandon everything. But sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side. And sometimes, you have to give yourself permission to find out.
Preparing for Our First Mexican Christmas
The holidays are approaching, and people here are absolutely obsessed with Navidad. Like, Whoville levels of obsessed.
As soon as Día de Muertos ended, everyone started decorating. The malls. The storefronts. The neighbors. Everyone.
Meanwhile, I have one string of lights and I’m like, “That’s enough for me.”
We’re hosting Thanksgiving this year – keeping that tradition from home and merging it with our new life here. My prima’s daughter, who hasn’t celebrated Thanksgiving since she was five, is thrilled to do it again at age eleven.
And for Christmas, we’ll be spending it in el rancho with my grandma and family, doing all the traditional things. I’m excited to experience Navidad the way it’s meant to be celebrated in Mexico, with family, fully immersed in the culture.
What’s Next
I’m taking a break from the podcast until the new year. The kids have three weeks off for the holidays, and honestly, I need a break too. I’ve been putting out weekly episodes for months, and as a solopreneur, mami, and woman overall, I deserve rest.
But I’ll still be active on social media, and I hope you’ll follow along as we navigate this next chapter.
To everyone back home dealing with hard things right now: I see you. I’m with you. I’m hopeful things will get better.
And to anyone thinking about making a big change: listen to that voice. It might be telling you something important.
¡Nos vemos en el nuevo año!
Show Notes
In this week’s solo episode, I’m sharing what life really looks like four months into our move to León, Guanajuato. I’m hustling, navigating new routines, and learning what it means to be truly present with my family in a culture that prioritizes connection over constant productivity.
I also get vulnerable about the guilt I feel seeing my community struggle back in the US, the unexpected ways my body is adjusting to a new altitude and climate, and why I’m obsessed with how involved Mexican parents are in their kids’ education. I’m also sharing what it’s like to experience my first Navidad season in Mexico and how having five hours to myself in the mornings has completely transformed my mental health.
What You’ll Hear:
- The real difference between being a tourist and actually living in Mexico
- What it’s like adjusting to new weather, altitude, and a completely different pace of life
- The guilt and complexity I’m navigating while watching my community face struggles back home
- Why moving outside the US might be the reset your family needs right now
Resources Mentioned:
- How to Get Dual Citizenship in Mexico E-Guide & Digital Course– My comprehensive step-by-step guide that walks you through the entire process, including all required documents, timelines, and insider tips from our personal experience.
- Listen to our previous ‘Living in Mexico’ series episodes
About Jessica Cuevas
Jessica is the founder and creator of Viva la Mami, LLC a community centered around Latina motherhood. Jessica created this platform after not finding empowering stories about experiences of Latina moms. She realized that there was a lack of representation in this space and felt there was a need for mamis to share their stories and to learn more about the nuances about motherhood through a cultural lens.
Viva la Mami’s mission is to empower the modern Latina mom to redefine the meaning of madrehood through education, story-telling, and cultural relevance all while bringing comunidad together.
