Episode 41
Adventures in Expatting
In this episode, Erika Audrey sits down with Shari Margolin, author of The Young Expat’s Guide to Mexico, to talk about Shari’s whirlwind year of traveling the globe and her decision to settle down in Mexico. They dive into her personal stories, what it’s really like to live abroad, and practical tips for anyone considering a move. From cultural insights to unexpected adventures, it’s an honest, inspiring look at embracing life outside the usual borders.
Buy The Young Expat’s Guide to Mexico here
Shop Hawkins & Clover here
Book a trip with Shari by emailing her at shari@ciaobambino.com
Transcript
welcome to Clover Club, a podcast about curious conversations and stories
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:intended to make you laugh and learn.
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:I'm your host, Erica, and today I'm
so thrilled to be joined by Sherry
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:Margolin, co-author of the Young
Expats Guide to Mexico, Sherry.
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:Hello.
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:Shari: You for having
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:Erika: Oh my gosh.
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:Thank you so much for the time.
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:, so you are joining us from
Mexico now and two hours behind.
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:Shari: Yes, currently, but
we don't do daylight savings
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:time anymore, so it switches.
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:Erika: Oh, cool.
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:Do you like it?
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:, Shari: I, you know,
that's a good question.
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:It's confusing because half the year
we're one hour behind the east coast and
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:half the year we're two hours behind, so
it gets very complicated for scheduling
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:things around the, the switching
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:Erika: Yeah, this is like, I'm somebody
who has strong opinions about everything
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:and the, the like decision to maybe
remove daylight savings time is one
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:where I'm like, I dunno, like half of
me thinks it'd be great and the other
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:half thinks it might be annoying.
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:So this is interesting.
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:Shari: Yeah.
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:Erika: Okay.
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:Shari: Yes,
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:Erika: Scheduling nightmare.
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:, so a little backstory
for people listening.
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:I've known Sherry for like a
really long time, like 15, 20
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:years, like a really long time.
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:So I met Sherry as a client
forever ago when her and her
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:husband Josh, lived in Atlanta.
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:And then you guys.
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:Came up with a plan to do something
really cool and then in the execution of
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:that plan, your lives totally changed.
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:And that is the story and the
information that I wanna share with
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:everybody listening to this episode.
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:'cause I think it's very relevant to
the times and just so, so, so cool.
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:So I just wanna kind of start from the
very beginning if you'll share with
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:everybody what this initial big plan was.
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:Shari: Absolutely.
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:We, yeah, we were just kind of
living, , a normal life in Atlanta.
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:We lived in the east side.
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:We were working, we both happened to
work for ourselves and worked from home.
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:, and we were working a
lot, like a lot, a lot.
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:And we were sort of having
kind of, I don't know, keeping
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:up with the Joneses, right?
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:Like we were doing okay, but we
felt like we were always chasing,
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:you know, more money, , advancing
in our careers, things like that.
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:And we both got super burnt out on it.
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:And.
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:Sort of had a really good, or probably
several good conversations, , and decided
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:we needed to take a break and we thought,
let's just take a sabbatical, , and
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:move out of the country for a year.
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:Let's go somewhere else.
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:And that was the plan.
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:And so sort of started really
investigating that, researching, trying
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:to decide where we were gonna move to.
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:And we bought a giant map
and put it up on the wall.
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:And we basically just started putting
pins in places that we were interested
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:in moving to doing a little bit of
research on each of those places, and
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:realized very quickly that there was so
many places that we were interested in
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:going that we could not pick just one.
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:fast forward a few more
good conversations, and we
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:decided to travel for a year.
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:So we've spent a year doing
a, a round the world trip.
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:Erika: That is so cool and I already
have learned something new because
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:in my mind, I don't know why, but I
remembered it as you guys thinking,
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:let's take a year off and travel and,
but I didn't realize that the intention
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:from the beginning was thinking that
you did want to be expats, so that's
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:Shari: Well, not really expats.
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:We, I mean, temporary expats, I guess.
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:We
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:Erika: okay.
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:Shari: just live somewhere else for a
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:Erika: Oh, I see.
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:Shari: come back
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:Erika: Okay.
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:Okay.
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:Okay.
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:Shari: and,
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:Erika: I see.
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:Shari: it changed.
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:Erika: Okay.
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:So, uh, did you have a place in mind
where you were like, I'm sure it's
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:gonna be Portugal or like, whatever,
or were you, you and Josh equally
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:like, kind of all over the place?
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:Shari: I think we each had about
five or six different places that we
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:thought, oh, this could be a great
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:Erika: Yeah.
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:Shari: and none of them overlapped.
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:, but not that either one of
us opposed any of those.
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:It was just, there was so many options
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:Erika: Yeah,
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:Shari: the world's a big place
and we wanted to see a lot of
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:Erika: yeah.
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:So, okay.
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:Walk me through the timeline between these
initial conversations and, uh, how long
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:it took to kind of get your ducks in a
row and get everything ready to really
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:implement this, and then , from then to
the day you boarded your first flight.
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:Shari: Okay, so I think this, we initially
started having these conversations
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:in, I'm gonna say maybe 2015.
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:Erika: Okay.
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:, Shari: and we had, , I know that you
will relate to this story very well, but
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:we had a dog that we loved and she was
older and, , we just knew that we weren't
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:gonna do anything until she had passed
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:Erika: Yeah.
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:Shari: That was, that was
sort of our rough timeline.
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:We also knew that we had to save up a
lot of money, , and , we did a lot of
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:research and we also looked at how much
money we had spent on, , trips that
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:we had taken already in our lives, and
decided that we felt pretty confident in
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:spending about a thousand dollars a week
that we could, we could make that work.
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:So we knew we had to save up
$52,000 to do this trip as
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:Erika: Okay.
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:Shari: So that was sort of the baseline.
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:So we were kind of waiting on, on Cali to,
you know, pass on and we were also trying
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:to save up money and at the same time we
had some debt that we needed to pay off.
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:So we were very aggressive in the
financial aspect of this, getting
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:rid of the debt and saving the
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:Erika: Okay.
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:, Shari: then when, when we did save the
money and when Callie was gone, , that's
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:when we really like kicked into high gear.
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:Like, let's figure out when we're gonna
start this trip and And at that point
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:we kind of had a rough route, I guess.
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:Like we knew generally
where we wanted to go.
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:We.
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:Had made a plan that, again, we used that
big map and just kind of plastered it with
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:pins of what places we wanted to visit.
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:And we kind of realized pretty
quickly that is a long time, but
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:it's not long enough to see the whole
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:Erika: Yeah.
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:Shari: So we had to eliminate some places
and we just made sort of, , broad swift
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:decisions that we were not going to go
to Africa, we were not gonna go to India.
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:We were just kind of cutting those off.
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:And we basically, , concentrated on
dividing the year into, into thirds.
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:And we did a third in Europe, a third
in Asia, and a third in Latin America.
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:Erika: Okay.
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:, Shari: so that, yeah,
so that was the general.
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:Ahead of time.
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:The, the general prep to get to the
leaving phase, and then just sort
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:of, , I guess basic logistical things
when you, when you leave for a year.
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:We, we owned a home and we found renters.
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:, we sold a bunch of stuff.
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:We put a bunch of stuff in storage.
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:, we sold a, a car, things like that.
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:So just getting ready to
really be gone for a while.
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:, we told all of our clients that we were
taking a sabbatical, kinds of things.
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:Erika: When you shared this plan with
people, what was the general response, and
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:did you get any surprising, uh, reactions?
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:, Shari: we got a lot of, of
excitement and support, which was
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:Erika: Good.
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:Shari: Our parents initially
were like, what are you doing?
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:You guys are kind of out of your
minds, like, you need to keep working.
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:You need to keep building your careers.
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:, but , they came around
very quickly because they.
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:They appreciated that we had a
passion for travel and that this was a
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:really good opportunity that we could
take advantage of, and that we had
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:planned it out pretty well and , felt
confident in our ability to do it.
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:, and then were all incredibly supportive,
which I think we were the most
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:scared of, was that they were gonna.
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:know, just be like, no, I, you know, I've
been working with you for however long.
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:I'm not on board with you, just ditching
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:Erika: Yeah.
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:Shari: Um, they, everyone
was basically really excited.
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:And then we also got a lot of responses
along the lines of, , that's amazing.
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:I wish I could do
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:Erika: Yes.
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:I.
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:Shari: that was a very interesting, , to
encounter because our typical response
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:was, well, you probably can, you know,
it might take some sacrifices or some
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:reevaluating of what you want your life
to look like and when you wanna hit some,
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:some goals that you may have, whether
they're conscious or subconscious.
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:But it is totally possible whether you
have a full-time job, whether you have
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:kids, there's ways to do things always.
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:Erika: I love that.
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:'cause this is the type of thing that,
I know it's not for everybody, but I
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:think there's a lot of people who are
like, God, I wish I could do that.
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:But there's a million reasons
that anybody could come up with
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:to put, to create barriers in
between executing a plan like this.
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:So I just think it's so impressive and
cool that y'all a, that you're in a
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:relationship where you and your partner
in are in sync with wanting to do kind
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:of a drastic lifestyle change together.
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:, but it's just, yeah, I am.
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:Endlessly inspired by y'all.
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:, so you broke your year up into thirds.
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:You sold what you could and, uh, took off.
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:How much planning within that year,
like how far in advance did you know
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:where you were gonna sleep or what
city you were gonna be in and kind
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:of like once you were on the ground?
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:How did that go?
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:Shari: That's a great question.
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:, we were a little anal about it,
more so than I, than I think in
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:retrospect, than we wish we had been.
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:, or could have been we, there was a
lot of people who were excited for us.
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:, we are lucky in that a lot of people
wanted to meet up with us throughout.
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:Erika: Awesome.
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:Shari: the year, and because of that, we
kind of had to nail down where, when we
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:were gonna be in certain places at what
time so that other people could make
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:their plans to meet us there and book
their accommodations and things like
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:Erika: Yeah.
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:, Shari: so we actually really
did plan it out pretty well.
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:, and we did as much research
as we could ahead of time.
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:, we did a really intensive job of
that for the first portion of the
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:trip, the first third in Europe.
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:, that was like completely
planned almost by the day.
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:And we had, , tons of research ahead
of time on where we were going in
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:all of those places and our, our maps
that we had made with different, sites
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:and restaurants and things like that.
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:And then, then we started
getting a little tired
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:Erika: Yeah.
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:Shari: as we were traveling because
there's only so much time you can
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:or want to spend, you know, on.
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:Your computer, your phone while you are
out in the world seeing these places
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:that you've never been to before.
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:, so then we got a little looser and sort
of just started winging it at some point.
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:But , we did have the first third
for sure was like nailed down
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:before we left the second portion.
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:Asia, we, we had a general idea.
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:We knew like what countries
we wanted to go to mainly.
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:And for instance, with China,
we needed to send passports away
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:to get the visas put in them.
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:So that all had to happen ahead of
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:Erika: Sure.
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:, Shari: so things like that.
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:And then, , well, I don't know if you
wanna jump to this yet, but then something
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:happened while we were in Asia and that
sort of changed the end of the trip.
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:, Erika: okay, I think I remember
what this is and we can jump to it.
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:'cause my next question was gonna be , did
anything crazy happen or did anything go
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:wrong that derailed any of your plans?
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:So
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:Shari: So, so much crazy
things happen and so much went
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:wrong, but it's all part of the
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:Erika: this is true.
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:Shari: one, of the things that I can
think of just right off the top of my
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:head was probably biggest mistake, and
this is completely on me because, , I
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:should say also gonna back up a little
bit into the, the planning aspect.
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:, we, we are fans of Points of Miles and
we kind of play that game a little bit.
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:So that was another reason that
we had to sort of, , , schedule
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:things a little more ahead of time
to utilize those points of miles.
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:, so that it did help keep, uh, keep
our costs down throughout the trip.
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:And one of the things that we had booked
was, , to jump from Europe to Asia.
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:We were going from , Croatia
to Beijing and we.
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:We were gonna use miles for this.
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:And, , I found a pretty good option that
had a layover in Russia and it was, it
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:was a good option because it was like a
business class flight for not a lot of
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:Erika: Great.
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:Shari: super excited about
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:Erika: Yes.
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:Duh.
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:Shari: know, why not?
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:, but it was it was two legs with, you
know, the, the layover in Russia, the
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:first leg was actually just coach, and
the second leg was gonna be business
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:Erika: Okay.
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:Shari: And then when I went
to book it, it wouldn't let me
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:book the business class portion.
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:was a weird thing with the points
or miles and, , and because the,
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:the both legs weren't in the
same, , fair class, it was just gonna
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:bump both of them down to coach.
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:Mm-hmm.
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:So I know I was really
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:Erika: nobody wants that.
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:Shari: nobody wants that.
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:So I just.
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:Did a little digging, and I realized that
for the same amount of miles I could book
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:the legs separately so I could book the
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:Erika: Mm.
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:Shari: portion from Croatia to Russia.
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:And then the business, , class
portion from Russia to, , Beijing.
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:that's what I did.
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:Great.
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:All set.
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:And we're, you know, we're
traveling and we're ready to
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:get under, get on our flight.
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:We head to the airport in Croatia,
and we, , luckily had checked in ahead
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:of time online and we just go , to
show, to show our passports and do
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:all of the stuff you need to do when
you're traveling internationally.
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:the man at the counter was like,
you can't get on this flight.
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:I'm not gonna let you get on this flight.
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:And we were like, what do you mean, why?
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:And he said, well, you
don't have visas for Russia.
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:And we were like, oh, no, no, no.
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:We're just, it's just a layover.
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:We're just gonna be there
for like an hour and a half.
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:We're not leaving the airport.
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:It's totally fine.
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:He is like, yeah, but you
didn't book this as one ticket.
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:It's not a through ticket.
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:Erika: Oh no.
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:Shari: Yes.
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:So, , we spent, oh, I don't know,
maybe 45 minutes, refusing to
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:leave, , this conversation with this
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:Erika: Yeah,
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:, Shari: and basically , , we convinced
him that, that he would, he was
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:gonna let us get on this flight.
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:, we had to swear up and down to not
look at anyone, talk to anyone, leave
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:the gate, leave, obviously leave the
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:Erika: yeah.
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:Shari: I mean, he said his job was on
the line, but we knew that if we, if
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:we said, oh, you know, that's too bad.
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:We'll figure something out
and walked away, we were
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:Erika: Yeah.
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:Shari: So, , this is one of the less,
the big lessons, the big takeaways from
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:traveling is, . take no for an answer.
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:Like, you know, you always just kind
of push in every other alternative
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:you can offer up any solution you
can think of to have, , whoever's
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:helping you actually help you
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:Erika: Yes,
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:Shari: it work.
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:Erika: that is
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:Shari: And
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:Erika: good advice.
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:Shari: yeah, we,
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:Erika: Did you,
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:Shari: we did throughout
the trip and continue to
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:Erika: did you cry?
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:Shari: I think I cried a little bit.
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:Erika: Yeah.
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:Shari: Yes.
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:Erika: I, like maybe two years ago
had a a, a situation in Charles Dugal
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:where I missed a connection and it was.
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:Not entirely, not my fault.
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:Um, but I just, everybody was so
unhelpful and I finally got to the
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:right person and it was like I wasn't
taking no for an answer, same situation.
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:And I cried, not out of weaponized tears,
but out of like genuine, just like, I
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:don't know, I don't have anything else.
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:I'm so, , just upset and need to get
to my, I think I was going to Milan.
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:, and the tears though, immediately the
guy was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
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:Okay, fine.
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:And then magically I was able
to get on the next flight.
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:, so I agree with that.
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:Don't take no for an answer.
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:'cause sometimes they're just like,
sometimes they can help and they
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:don't really wanna go through the,
the steps of the required help.
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:So, okay.
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:So you've been to
Russia, Russia's airport.
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:Shari: We didn't, we didn't
breathe the air in Russia.
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:We did not leave the terminal,
but we went to Russia.
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:Erika: gosh.
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:Okay.
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:And then everything else went
okay with getting to China.
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:Shari: Yes, yes.
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:We made it to China just fine after
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:Erika: Okay.
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:Good.
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:Shari: Had our lovely business
class seats on the second flight.
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:Erika: The best.
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:, okay, so now we're in.
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:Your second third of your adventures,
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:Shari: Correct?
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:Erika: walk us through this.
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:Shari: So I mean, there's,
there's so many stories I could
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:tell, but, , , it was amazing.
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:There's ups, there's downs.
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:, you meet incredible people.
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:It's the, the magic of travel,
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:Erika: Mm-hmm.
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:Absolutely.
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:, , okay.
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:Something else went wrong
in Asia though, right?
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:Shari: Well, oh my gosh,
what else went wrong in Asia?
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:, when we, uh, when we arrived
in Vietnam, we, it was the
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:middle of a massive monsoon.
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:Erika: Oops.
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:Shari: and we, yeah, we were
completely soaked, uh, like water
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:up to our knees, , just in the
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:Erika: Oh my God.
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:Shari: Yeah.
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:Erika: Oh my God.
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:Shari: so that was,
was a whole experience.
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:, You know, it's makes for great stories.
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:Erika: Absolutely.
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:Shari: was, it was cool.
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:But overall, no, everything went really
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:Erika: Okay.
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:Did you maybe, I'm like, am
I thinking of somebody else?
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:Did you get bit by a dog?
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:Shari: Oh my gosh.
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:I did get bit by a dog that
was in, where was that?
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:That was in Indonesia.
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:Erika: Okay.
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:Okay.
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:I was like, am I thinking
of somebody else?
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:, okay.
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:But that didn't, that sucked,
but it didn't send you home.
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:Shari: That sucked that.
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:And again, that was completely my fault.
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:, that was, we were on a tiny
island, , in Thailand and we were just
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:hanging out on the beach one night.
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:There was this cool bar, and I
had had, I had had, know, some
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:Erika: Yeah.
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:Shari: and there was this
very sweet looking rottweiler
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:just hanging out at bar also.
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:so I was petting him and I decided
that he needed his belly rubbed.
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:, and so I was, you know, kind of just
like inching my hand towards his belly.
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:And he was not doing the, the thing
that most dogs do when you go towards
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:the belly, where it's just like roll
over and completely expose their
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:Erika: Yeah.
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:Shari: So I just kind of push him on
the hip a little bit so that he would.
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:So that he would do the role,
and he did not like that.
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:And he just, he just bit, and I think it
was honestly more of like a, a warning,
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:Erika: Sure,
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:Shari: but he broke skin and, , it
was, we panicked a little bit just
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:because, , he, he was a stray,
like he didn't belong to anyone and
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:Erika: sure.
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:Shari: we went in the middle of nowhere.
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:, and rabies is, you know,
a fear anywhere you
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:Erika: Yeah,
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:, Shari: yeah, spoiler, I survived.
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:There was no rabies.
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:It was okay, but it was, it was
not a great night after that.
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:Erika: that's fair.
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:And that makes me think, did you, I
know I've been on trips where I either
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:need a visa or specific vaccinations.
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:Shari: Mm-hmm.
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:Erika: you left for this year, did
you go to a travel doctor and get.
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:You know, all sorts of inoculations
that you didn't have before.
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:Shari: We
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:Erika: Okay.
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:Shari: Yes.
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:Erika: you were like fresh on your rabies.
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:Shari: Uh, no, we didn't do the rabies
because rabies is one that, , at
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:the time that we were traveling,
they didn't really recommend it.
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:It's excessively expensive, , and
it's just not something that, , that
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:most people really need to get,
unless I guess they're gonna be
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:around a bunch of facts or something.
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:Erika: okay.
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:Shari: it was just, yeah, they, they were
like, I mean, we can give it to you, but
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:it's gonna cost you a ton of money and
it's probably not something you, you need.
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:And if you do encounter rabies,
if you get bit by something, you,
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:I think, gosh, don't quote me on
this, but I think you have like 24
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:hours to get the vaccine afterwards.
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:Um, I will say something that we also
learned through the, the process of
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:getting our vaccines ahead of time and
traveling for so long is that, , the
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:vaccines in the US are often way
more expensive than they are in other
434
:Erika: Weird.
435
:Shari: So.
436
:Yeah, like a lot of things actually.
437
:Erika: Yeah.
438
:, Shari: so one of the vaccines that we
got, and I can't remember off the top of
439
:my head which one it was, but it needed,
, three different at three different, , time
440
:Erika: Okay.
441
:Shari: they had to be a certain
amount of time spaced apart.
442
:So we were able to get the first two while
we were still in the US before we left.
443
:And then the third one we
actually had to get in Amsterdam.
444
:And so we, you know, figured out where
we needed to go and when, and it was
445
:I think probably a fifth of the price
of the shots we were getting in the US
446
:Erika: And say,
447
:Shari: you know, obviously we were
like, , how much do all the rest of these
448
:costs that we just paid a ton of money
449
:Erika: yeah,
450
:Shari: in Atlanta and it was all
significantly less expensive.
451
:Erika: uh, I totally believe that.
452
:, Shari: Mm-hmm.
453
:Erika: but also that is
a good thing to know.
454
:, okay, so how long into
your trip did it take?
455
:You to realize like, my
home is being rented.
456
:I am like so out of my real life,
like, oh my God, we did this.
457
:Like was it a slow buildup or
was it the second you stepped on
458
:that plane, you mentally, you're
like, we're on sabbatical mode.
459
:What was the like emotional
shift through all of this?
460
:Shari: It actually happened in
Amsterdam, which was our second stop.
461
:We went to Iceland first, and
then we went to Amsterdam after
462
:Erika: Cool.
463
:Shari: And at that point we had pro,
when we were leaving Amsterdam, we had
464
:probably been traveling for I think two
and a half weeks, maybe three weeks at
465
:Erika: Mm-hmm.
466
:Shari: And I remember going to the airport
to leave Amsterdam to go onto our next
467
:stop, our next destination, and looking
around at all of the other people who
468
:were at the airport with us and thinking.
469
:Wow.
470
:Uh, like the majority of these people
were just, just had an awesome vacation
471
:in Amsterdam and now they're going
home and they're going back to their
472
:Erika: Yeah.
473
:Shari: we're not.
474
:Erika: Yeah.
475
:That's amazing.
476
:Ugh.
477
:Okay.
478
:What are, I assume throughout all
of this, you've learned a lot about
479
:yourself, , because anytime you put
yourself in new and unique situations, you
480
:uncover, , different aspects of yourself.
481
:Is there anything that either you or Josh
have uncovered about yourselves or your
482
:relationship dynamic that you wouldn't
have discovered without taking this step?
483
:Shari: I dunno if we would've
discovered this, , through
484
:other means, but we definitely
discovered a ton through this trip.
485
:, one of the main things for me is that I'm
a lot stronger than I thought I was and
486
:I can deal with a lot of things that I
thought I wouldn't be able to deal with.
487
:, whether that's.
488
:, setbacks that, that I, you know, kind
of maybe just would've given up on
489
:before this trip, and now I know to just
keep pushing, , or just sort of being
490
:in uncomfortable situations, , whether
that's, , an actual like encounter
491
:that you're in or if it's, , sleeping,
sleeping situation, accommodations.
492
:, I, I never considered myself like
a very fancy person, but I like
493
:Erika: Yes.
494
:, Shari: and, and I liked certain things.
495
:You know, I was, I built a life that I
was happy with and very comfortable in.
496
:And when you're traveling, you know,
you pare it down to the essentials,
497
:so you know, what's, what's
most important to have with you?
498
:, what's, who's most important to have with
499
:Erika: Yeah.
500
:, Shari: you need to keep in, in
contact with while you're traveling
501
:and while you're away for so long?
502
:And also just like, kind of what, what is
the bare minimum that you can survive on?
503
:Erika: Yeah.
504
:And were you surprised by like
how little you could survive on
505
:Shari: Yeah.
506
:, I, I was impressed with myself with how
little I packed, which was really good.
507
:, , we both took a carry-on suitcase,
508
:Erika: wow.
509
:Shari: a large carry-on suitcase.
510
:Like at some, for some,
, airlines, we did have to
511
:Erika: Mm-hmm.
512
:Shari: for the majority of the
bigger carriers, it was a carry-on.
513
:and for a whole year.
514
:Yeah, that's, that was pretty amazing.
515
:And I will say was challenging, like there
was, I did kind of get rid of some of my
516
:clothes throughout the process and get new
517
:Erika: Yeah,
518
:Shari: it was just a little hard
to wear the same thing all the
519
:Erika: that makes sense.
520
:Shari: it's
521
:Erika: Yeah.
522
:Shari: totally doable.
523
:Erika: That's amazing.
524
:, all right, so your second third
was in Asia, then you moved on.
525
:Did you do South and Latin
America, or just Latin America?
526
:Shari: Well, so we had fully
planned to do South America.
527
:And then the, the main thing that
happened while we were in Asia that
528
:that changed the trip that changed
our lives really, is that, , one of
529
:our good friends, , Phil, who also
530
:Erika: Mm-hmm.
531
:, Shari: he, he wanted to meet us in Hong
532
:Erika: Um.
533
:Shari: So, we met up with him in
Hong Kong and , you know, we hadn't
534
:seen him in, I don't know, months or
so, and we're just, you know, really
535
:catching up and all of this stuff.
536
:And, and he asked us at one point, we
were, , on our way to see the big Buddha
537
:and we're in the, , what are they called?
538
:Like the ski lift things?
539
:The
540
:Erika: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
541
:Shari: Yep.
542
:, so we're just riding that up and he
just looked at us and he was like.
543
:Are you guys really just gonna go back
to Atlanta when this year is over?
544
:And Josh and I both like froze and then
looked at each other and we were like,
545
:um, we have not even thought about that
because we were just so in the moment
546
:and so focused on what we were doing
that day, what we were doing the next
547
:day, what our next destination was,
that we just had not even thought about
548
:would happen when the trip was over.
549
:Erika: Yeah.
550
:Shari: And so, , it was really
great that Phil kind of shoved that
551
:in our faces because it made us
reevaluate, , because both of us.
552
:Had sort of the same gut reaction,
which was, no, we don't wanna go
553
:back to the life we had before.
554
:Erika: Yeah.
555
:, Shari: so that, that made us just really
reevaluate, like, look at was important
556
:to us at, at this point in our lives.
557
:, having, you know, changed, like you
said, through travel, , and, and
558
:prioritize those things and figure
out what was the next step for us.
559
:And that didn't necessarily mean
not going back to the us but when
560
:we looked at those priorities,
which, , involved working less, , not
561
:having, which also in turn meant not
having as large a cost of living.
562
:, we had spent a lot of the trip being
close to the ocean and sort of,
563
:kind of chasing summer a little bit.
564
:, and living, living close to
nature and especially the
565
:ocean had become a priority.
566
:, I have an intestinal
disease that is manageable.
567
:I had been doing fine with it
in, , when we lived in Atlanta.
568
:I would off and on, have
some issues, nothing too
569
:Erika: Yeah.
570
:Shari: but while we
traveled, I had no problems.
571
:And I really attribute that to, I mean,
who knows, but I really attribute that
572
:to the, , quality of food that, that
I was able to eat in other countries.
573
:And not necessarily that it's like
fancy organic food, but that it was
574
:being farmed with less chemicals and
it was in general less processed to
575
:then what I was eating in the us.
576
:Erika: yeah.
577
:Shari: so that was also a
578
:Erika: Mm-hmm.
579
:, Shari: and what we kind of evaluated all
those things together, , it, it became
580
:kind of evident that the US maybe wasn't
the best option for us if we wanted to.
581
:uh, achieve all those goals, I
582
:Erika: Yeah.
583
:Shari: and we decided that Mexico was
probably a great option for us, and
584
:therefore we shifted the last third of
the trip to focus less on South America
585
:and kind of get to Mexico a little
faster and take some time in theory
586
:to check out different parts of Mexico
and see if one of them clicked with
587
:us and if that would be our next home.
588
:Erika: Okay.
589
:, it's funny you say that.
590
:I, I think everybody who's
traveled outside the US.
591
:Quickly realizes the
difference in the food.
592
:, and just last week I saw an article, I
think it was a tennis player, but don't
593
:quote me on the sport, but there's an
athlete from, I don't remember where, who
594
:was coming to play a tournament or event
or something in the US and he was like,
595
:I have to travel with like a chef because
the food here like fucks up my stomach.
596
:Like I like can't eat this food.
597
:It's poison to me.
598
:, and it's just, there's so many things
that travel is great for, but there's a
599
:lot of stuff that like, you just can't
learn about your life and your options
600
:and unless you step back from it.
601
:, so that's such an interesting, like aha.
602
:And I know a lot of people who are
glutenin sensitive in the US and
603
:then they go to Italy and they're
like, oh, it's actually fine.
604
:Hmm.
605
:, so you, had you been to Mexico before?
606
:Shari: We have been to Mexico
before, , but only to the, let's
607
:see, we had been to the East coast.
608
:We had been to Tulum and
Isla, Mo Harris, and we
609
:Erika: I.
610
:Shari: to the Baja
Peninsula, so that was it.
611
:So we didn't have a lot of exposure to
612
:Erika: And did you speak Spanish?
613
:Shari: No.
614
:Uh, I took Spanish in high school,
which was pretty much worthless, and
615
:Josh had taken French in high school.
616
:So, no, we, we were really
starting from zero pretty much.
617
:Erika: Okay.
618
:So you, in this last third of your, of
your travels, you've explored Mexico
619
:and you found on the West coast a town
that just like made you very, like, did
620
:you immediately feel like this is it?
621
:Shari: I
622
:Erika: Oh, that's so cool.
623
:Shari: Yeah.
624
:And we, and, and we had
still, , traveled elsewhere in
625
:Latin America before we got to
626
:Erika: Okay.
627
:Shari: knew that we wanted to end
the trip in Mexico and kind of expand
628
:that a little longer so that we'd
have time to really investigate.
629
:so as we made our way to Mexico, we
were kind of, , working on Spanish.
630
:We took, , a Spanish intensive
course in Guatemala, which was
631
:amazing and so incredibly helpful.
632
:, and then, yeah, we got to Mexico and
we decided to start, , our search, we
633
:kind of narrowed down to three different
areas of Mexico and we started in the
634
:one that we thought was gonna be the most
likely that we would, , connect with.
635
:And.
636
:And the reason that we did that was
because, um, or the reason that we
637
:knew about that was because some
friends of ours, , used to come
638
:to this area on vacation every
639
:Erika: Oh, cool.
640
:Shari: So they had been telling us for
years, you guys need to go check out this
641
:area, you would love it, blah, blah, blah.
642
:And we were like, yeah,
yeah, we'll get there.
643
:It's just, you know, we live on the
east coast of the US so it's hard
644
:to get to the west coast of Mexico.
645
:Erika: I.
646
:, Shari: so when we decided to check
out Mexico, that was at the top of
647
:our list and we kind of checked out
a few different towns in that area.
648
:And, , immediately when we got to the
town that we live in now, , I think
649
:the second day there we were like,
well, let's go talk to a realtor.
650
:Like, let's make an appointment.
651
:Erika: That's so cool.
652
:And the town you're in now, is that the
town that your friend had suggested?
653
:Shari: It
654
:Erika: Wow.
655
:You know, they're like adding
themselves on their backs.
656
:That's amazing.
657
:Okay, so throughout this year of travel,
you come to the realization that you
658
:don't want to return to your regular
lives in the us you make it to this
659
:Mexican town, you decide this is it,
you talk to a realtor, and then what?
660
:Shari: And then we, , the realtor
basically took us around and
661
:showed us what was available.
662
:Uh, we didn't, we had this idea that we
wanted to find land, but we weren't sold
663
:Erika: Mm-hmm.
664
:, Shari: so they, they
showed us some houses.
665
:They showed us some lots
that were available.
666
:, we were not really, we were
kind of bummed actually 'cause
667
:we weren't loving anything.
668
:, and then at sort of the end of that
day, , he said, you know, there's
669
:one other lot that I think you might.
670
:Be interested.
671
:And he is like, but it's not
officially on the market, let's go
672
:look at it and we'll see if it's,
if it's something that appeals to
673
:you, and then we can dig into it.
674
:So we did and we were
like, yes, this is it.
675
:This is what we
676
:Erika: That's awesome.
677
:Shari: yeah, it was great.
678
:, and so then, , he went back to his
office and kind of conferred with the,
679
:company and the woman who owned the land.
680
:we basically came to an agreement,
you know, we made an offer and
681
:she accepted it and there was, you
know, all the realtor things that
682
:need to happen and the legalities.
683
:but it, during the, that time we went
back to the US and, , put our house
684
:up for sale and kind of packed up all
of our things, sold a bunch of things,
685
:and got ready to move to Mexico.
686
:So by the time, it basically took, from
the time that we, made the offer on
687
:the land to the time that we actually.
688
:Got back to Mexico was about six months.
689
:Let's talk about one of my favorite
daily habits, the Five Minute Journal.
690
:It's exactly what it sounds like.
691
:Just five minutes in the morning and at
night to get clear on your intentions.
692
:Focus on what you're grateful
for and reflect on your day.
693
:It's quick, it's easy, and
it actually helps shift your
694
:mindset in a real lasting way.
695
:No overthinking, no pressure.
696
:Just a few minutes that
make a big difference.
697
:If you're looking to feel a little
more grounded and a lot more focused,
698
:check it out@hawkinsandclover.com.
699
:Erika: Were there any details of buying
that property that differ from doing so
700
:in the US that you weren't prepared for?
701
:Shari: Yes.
702
:Um, I
703
:Erika: I.
704
:Shari: I think there's
a lot of differences.
705
:, but I will say working with a realtor is
something that I'd recommend for anyone
706
:buying in Mexico because they really
the process so much and make it, um,
707
:Erika: Mm-hmm.
708
:Shari: Uh, it's, it's, it's complicated
anywhere I think to buy property.
709
:, and Mexico is certainly no exception.
710
:, one of the things that I.
711
:That we get asked about a lot that,
, there is a misconception about is that
712
:foreigners cannot buy land in Mexico,
and that is absolutely not the case.
713
:, there are different procedures that
have to happen, , one being if you
714
:buy within a certain distance of
the coast or the borders, so the
715
:border with the US and the north,
716
:Erika: Mm-hmm.
717
:, Shari: you, you have to buy it
through, , what's called a fi miso,
718
:which is basically a bank trust.
719
:So the bank is technically the owner
of the property and you just, you
720
:are the beneficiary of the trust.
721
:, and you just have to pay a, an annual
maintenance fee to the bank for this.
722
:It's very nominal.
723
:It's like a hundred bucks a year.
724
:Erika: Okay.
725
:Shari: deal.
726
:And that's, so, and that's
something that's, , that's super
727
:standard and that is really secure.
728
:And it's something that even if, , say
an American or a Canadian bought land
729
:on the coast of Mexico through used a
fi miso and then they passed away, , the
730
:ownership would still just continue on
to whoever their, their beneficiary is.
731
:So it's not like there's any
concerns about the security of it.
732
:Erika: That's so interesting.
733
:Okay.
734
:And did you have to use this?
735
:'cause you're that close to the beach?
736
:I.
737
:Shari: are.
738
:Yes.
739
:Yeah, we're just a few blocks
740
:Erika: Oh my gosh, that's so amazing.
741
:, okay, so, uh, if I'm not
mistaken, you also did some
742
:construction on this property.
743
:Shari: We did.
744
:Yes.
745
:Yes.
746
:So we bought the land and we,
our plan was, , again, based on
747
:our travels, , we stayed while
we were traveling, we stayed in.
748
:sorts of accommodations.
749
:So we stayed in hotels, we stayed
in hostels, we stayed in Airbnbs.
750
:and some of them were amazing
and some of them were terrible.
751
:I remember thinking like, huh, know,
these people own these terrible
752
:Airbnbs are making enough money
to live by doing basically a shit
753
:Erika: yeah.
754
:Shari: at their job.
755
:And like, we could do this so much
756
:Erika: Yeah.
757
:Shari: And I, I will say also, we, before
we left, one of the ways that we paid off
758
:our debt and saved money was we, , went,
rented one of the rooms in our house in
759
:Atlanta on Airbnb that, that extra income.
760
:Erika: Nice.
761
:Shari: And it was such a great experience.
762
:Like we were really nervous
about it when we first did it.
763
:And Airbnb is so standard now,
but at the time it just wasn't.
764
:Erika: You were a pioneer.
765
:Brave.
766
:Shari: so we were really nervous to
just have strangers staying in our
767
:Erika: Yeah.
768
:, Shari: but it was, it was amazing.
769
:Like every, it was really cool to
meet people from all over the world.
770
:It was also really cool chat with them
and help them have a good experience
771
:in Atlanta, because I can't even tell
you how many people came and said, oh
772
:yeah, we're gonna go to Underground.
773
:That sounds super fun.
774
:And we were like, no, that's
not a good idea at all.
775
:Erika: Yeah.
776
:Shari: Why don't we
think about this instead?
777
:, and then people were really grateful
and had, you know, like we would suggest
778
:like KRA Street or Pond City Market,
and they'd be like, that was so cool.
779
:And I didn't see that anywhere
in my research for Atlanta.
780
:And again, this was years ago, but
it was, it was very, , fulfilling
781
:to help people have a good trip.
782
:So we weren't, we weren't newbies to
the, to the Airbnb hosting experience.
783
:So as we were traveling, we, I literally
had, , in my notes app on my phone,
784
:I was making notes about things that
Airbnbs should have and shouldn't have
785
:to let the guests have a good experience.
786
:And so when, when we decided that
we were gonna move to Mexico, , and
787
:the idea was to work less, , idea
of building, uh, rental units was,
788
:was what we really focused on.
789
:So we, we bought the, the land
and then we built, , a property
790
:with three buildings on it.
791
:So basically one of them was our
home, and then the others were rental
792
:Erika: Okay.
793
:Shari: And so that's what
we did for a little while.
794
:But our timing was, , really
unfortunate because we finished the
795
:construction and opened for business.
796
:Like we accepted our first guests
at the very end of January,:
797
:And then we had about six, six
weeks of, , of great experiences
798
:with cool guests and lots of, , a
great response to the listings.
799
:And, you know, pretty much like the
year was almost completely booked.
800
:Then we got shut down.
801
:Obviously the, the whole world got
802
:Erika: Yeah.
803
:Oh, that's insane timing.
804
:Shari: Mm-hmm.
805
:, Erika: okay.
806
:When did you get back up, up and
running, or did you have to pivot?
807
:Like how did you navigate that?
808
:Shari: We did, , it, it actually was
kind of, , not the end of the world,
809
:, because there was certain things that
we had wanted to do on, , for the rental
810
:units that we just ran out of time for.
811
:We just needed to open
them and start bringing in
812
:Erika: Mm-hmm.
813
:Shari: So we kind of reset
and, , and realized that
814
:people needed different things.
815
:Once people were able to travel again,
for instance, with, , remote work becoming
816
:so doable, we realized that like each
room needed a space to work, a desk,
817
:Erika: Yeah.
818
:, Shari: so we, yeah, we sort of like
pivoted slightly, but not a ton.
819
:And then we reopened, I believe it was.
820
:Oh gosh, maybe three months later, four
821
:Erika: Yeah.
822
:Shari: I can't quite remember.
823
:and it was weird because we, we basically
exclusively had, , people from Guadalajara
824
:who could, 'cause it's not that far.
825
:It's like a, well, at the time it was
about a four and a half hour drive.
826
:Now it's a little quicker
'cause there's a toll road, but.
827
:, they were coming essentially for
the weekend because they were so
828
:trapped in their apartment, in their
city, , with no exposure to anyone
829
:else that they just needed to get out
and be in nature and have a vacation.
830
:, so we were basically getting like
these, these weekend visitors and
831
:no one would really talk to anyone.
832
:It was very siloed.
833
:, but it was nice to feel like, okay, like
this, you know, people are feeling good
834
:being here, and that's, that's nice and
835
:Erika: Yeah.
836
:, Shari: and then obviously it
opened up more and more and
837
:then, and then it got weird.
838
:It got really weird.
839
:Erika: Ooh.
840
:Shari: then we started getting like
tra normal travelers again from all
841
:over the world, , that were staying
for a week or however long, 10 days.
842
:almost every single one of them was awful.
843
:it was so strange.
844
:I mean, I don't, I don't
think they're terrible people.
845
:I think it was just, , a
product at the pandemic, but
846
:people just felt that they had.
847
:They had been cooped up for so
long and they were spending this
848
:money and this time to do this trip
and it needed to be perfect and
849
:they needed to be taken care of.
850
:And I felt like a babysitter
rather than a host.
851
:It was what people were asking us for
and the lack of respect for, for our
852
:privacy and our lives that we got.
853
:I had one at one point, I think
at like one 30 in the morning.
854
:I had, , this woman texting
me, asking me to bring her a
855
:tampon, like things like that.
856
:Yeah.
857
:Erika: I was hoping you would offer
up examples 'cause it's like I what?
858
:Shari: Mm-hmm.
859
:Yeah.
860
:Yeah.
861
:So it was not, it got to be not what we
had up for, , and not what we wanted.
862
:And it would've changed, obviously.
863
:It definitely would've changed,
but we were not happy in the
864
:Erika: Mm-hmm.
865
:, Shari: At the same time, one of our
friends who's a realtor said, Hey, I
866
:have a client that's looking for what
you guys have, they want, , a multi-unit
867
:property that, that there's , , a
place for the owner to live, an owner
868
:Erika: Mm-hmm.
869
:, Shari: would you be interested
in, in showing your property?
870
:And we were like, whoa, that wasn't
our plan at all, but us think about it.
871
:And then we thought about it
and we were like, I mean, yeah,
872
:like, we'll be open to it.
873
:Let's see.
874
:And, , and in the meantime, the,
the client wasn't gonna be available
875
:to come see it for a few weeks.
876
:So in the meantime, we're just,
our are churning and we're like,
877
:well, what would we do if we sold
878
:Erika: Yeah.
879
:Shari: And then we started thinking about
other projects we could do and other
880
:opportunities, and got super excited about
the idea of like renovating an older home.
881
:, and so I.
882
:Basically we got an offer on the
place and we, we took advantage of
883
:that and said, yes, let's, let's move
884
:Erika: Oh my God, I
didn't know you did that.
885
:That's so exciting.
886
:Shari: up selling.
887
:Oh yes.
888
:Erika: Okay.
889
:Shari: we sold, um, which
was very unexpected.
890
:, and then we, yeah, we wound up
buying an older home that we
891
:completely gutted and, and renovated.
892
:And that was a super exciting process too.
893
:And that's where we are
894
:Erika: Oh my God, you guys are so cool.
895
:Um, wow.
896
:Okay.
897
:I'm, I'm just like processing this.
898
:What, what I really like about the story
is how I feel like you kind of just like
899
:threw it up to the universe and you
guys have been provided for in ways you
900
:couldn't have even imagined with every
kind of act of faith in just trusting
901
:that this is gonna unfold because it
feels like the right path for you.
902
:Shari: I would agree with
903
:Erika: That's so special.
904
:Shari: feel very lucky.
905
:Erika: Yeah.
906
:Okay.
907
:So you just did a, a complete
renovation of, , a beautiful old
908
:Mexican home that's so fucking badass.
909
:Is there anything crazy about doing
construction in another country
910
:compared to your experiences in the us?
911
:Shari: Absolutely.
912
:Well, to be fair, we never
did construction in the
913
:Erika: Okay.
914
:Shari: we just, , bought a home,
an older home and lived in it.
915
:Josh is super handy.
916
:, he actually grew up um,
construction more or less.
917
:His dad was a, , a, a
hardscape landscape architect.
918
:he sort of had exposure to that early
on, and his parents built, literally
919
:built their home with their bare
920
:Erika: Wow.
921
:, Shari: so he, he knows a lot
and he is skilled in that.
922
:No, I am, I sit behind a computer.
923
:I don't, I don't know any of that
924
:Erika: But you do have a good eye for
design, so surely that came in handy.
925
:Shari: Yes.
926
:Yes.
927
:I definitely like to do the, the design
aspect of things and the aesthetics.
928
:Erika: I.
929
:Shari: and Josh is
great at that stuff too.
930
:I mean, he is a creative as
well, but it's, I, yeah, I sort
931
:of back to that trusting thing.
932
:I sort of just really had faith
in Josh and his, his abilities.
933
:, and he is really come through, but as
far as construction in another country,
934
:, the, the biggest thing is the language
935
:Erika: Yeah.
936
:, Shari: and we've, I mean, we've been
in Mexico now for over six years.
937
:, we we're absolutely not fluent.
938
:Erika: Okay.
939
:Shari: but we get by and we're
always working to, , increase
940
:our Spanish and, you know.
941
:be as good as we can with it.
942
:But when we started, we
had basically just arrived.
943
:, and Josh very quickly learned
sort of construction Spanish so
944
:that he could communicate with the
workers and everything like that.
945
:And that was great.
946
:But it is, I don't wanna, I don't
wanna be broad about this and say all
947
:construction in Mexico, but where we
live, it's, it's a very small town.
948
:, there's, we're north of Perta,
so there is, , city nearby, but
949
:I wouldn't say we have, , like
a plethora of super qualified,
950
:experienced contractors or workers
951
:Erika: Okay.
952
:Shari: So it definitely is, , a situation
where you need to, like, one of our top
953
:pieces of advice for anyone who's doing
construction here is to be on site as
954
:much as possible because things will.
955
:Absolutely go wrong over and over.
956
:And the more, the more onsite
you can be, the more you'll catch
957
:and the smoother things will go.
958
:So that's kind of the biggest thing.
959
:So that was basically Josh's job for
the, it took us with the first property.
960
:It took us, , 11 months to do
construction and he was there every
961
:day, , doing physical labor with the
guys and really just being on top of it.
962
:then the renovation, I think
took, shoot, I think that was
963
:about four and a half or five
964
:Erika: Okay.
965
:, Shari: and he also was, , pretty
much on site as much as he could be.
966
:Erika: Okay.
967
:That's so cool.
968
:, so you don't have your
Airbnb income anymore?
969
:, how are you surviving?
970
:Shari: Good question.
971
:, we're still figuring that out.
972
:No, not really.
973
:We, do a variety of things.
974
:, I ha I have been a graphic designer
for most of my career, , and I still
975
:do that a little bit on the side,
which is mainly, , licensing my designs
976
:to different stationary companies.
977
:So minted is one that most people would've
978
:Erika: Yeah.
979
:, Shari: Then I also, , and this is
another kind of trust the universe thing.
980
:, we, we took a trip last year
to, , to Africa and we were sitting
981
:in an airport in, . Where were we?
982
:Zambia.
983
:our flight was crazy
delayed, like seven hours.
984
:Erika: Oh.
985
:Shari: just sitting in this airport
and there's this other couple that
986
:was sitting there nearby and we
started chatting with them and you
987
:know, like, what are you doing?
988
:Why are you on this trip, blah blah.
989
:And she , she was a travel advisor.
990
:And I was like, oh, that's so interesting.
991
:Like, I'm so passionate about travel,
like I've always been interested in that.
992
:Tell me about your job.
993
:And she talked to me
for like hours about it.
994
:And the more she talked,
the more intrigued I was.
995
:And she said, you know, when you're back
from your trip, I'm happy to chat more.
996
:Give me a call.
997
:So I did.
998
:And then she said, if you're
interested, I can put you in
999
:touch with the head of my agency.
:
00:47:13,318 --> 00:47:15,718
And so I said, sure, okay, let's do that.
:
00:47:15,778 --> 00:47:17,578
And then just one thing led to another.
:
00:47:17,578 --> 00:47:21,748
And now I am doing trip trip
planning for a company called
:
00:47:21,748 --> 00:47:23,998
Child Bambino, which I'm loving.
:
00:47:24,478 --> 00:47:27,928
So I'm basically just
kind of working on my.
:
00:47:28,763 --> 00:47:32,213
of my three passions in the world
I would say are travel and design.
:
00:47:32,213 --> 00:47:36,413
So I'm, I'm kind of professionally working
in both of those, which is incredible.
:
00:47:36,747 --> 00:47:38,217
Erika: so cool.
:
00:47:38,963 --> 00:47:39,293
Shari: Yeah.
:
00:47:39,653 --> 00:47:39,953
Yeah.
:
00:47:40,017 --> 00:47:41,577
Erika: I love how so seamless.
:
00:47:43,013 --> 00:47:46,013
Shari: Josh is, , he was a
photographer when we lived in Atlanta.
:
00:47:46,013 --> 00:47:47,933
, he, he shot a lot for Atlanta magazine.
:
00:47:48,143 --> 00:47:51,213
He did commercial photography,
, which is not so easy for him to
:
00:47:51,213 --> 00:47:54,543
do here, but he also did a lot
of architectural photography.
:
00:47:54,873 --> 00:47:58,953
So he does shoot a bit here
for, , for homes that are for sale.
:
00:47:58,983 --> 00:48:03,333
And then he, his main thing is that he
does retouching for other photographers.
:
00:48:03,753 --> 00:48:07,923
So he is worked on quite a few
pretty cool projects for that.
:
00:48:08,082 --> 00:48:09,127
Erika: that's amazing.
:
00:48:10,143 --> 00:48:10,683
Shari: Yeah.
:
00:48:11,317 --> 00:48:15,547
Erika: Um, and so you guys also just
combined your creative backgrounds to
:
00:48:15,547 --> 00:48:19,177
collaborate on a really fun project,
which is writing your first book.
:
00:48:20,043 --> 00:48:20,523
Shari: Yes.
:
00:48:20,523 --> 00:48:25,473
So we did, yeah, nothing that, that
we ever expected to do, but we did.
:
00:48:25,657 --> 00:48:27,262
Erika: Ugh, it's so amazing.
:
00:48:27,442 --> 00:48:32,032
So I assume, so again, this book is
titled The Young Expats Guide to Mexico.
:
00:48:32,312 --> 00:48:35,042
, I assume you've been hammered
with like questions from people
:
00:48:35,042 --> 00:48:36,362
of like, how do you do it?
:
00:48:36,392 --> 00:48:37,532
Like where do you even begin?
:
00:48:37,532 --> 00:48:40,232
Kind of all the stuff that we're
chatting about for this episode.
:
00:48:40,422 --> 00:48:43,992
, and so is that kind of the essence
of this book is , here's what we
:
00:48:43,992 --> 00:48:45,162
wish we'd known, here's how to do it.
:
00:48:46,658 --> 00:48:49,868
Shari: It is a hundred percent is
exactly what we wish we had known.
:
00:48:49,918 --> 00:48:54,478
, when we decided to make the move, we
did a little bit of research into,
:
00:48:54,508 --> 00:48:57,088
we did a ton of research, but we
did a little bit of research into
:
00:48:57,088 --> 00:48:58,618
are there any guides to how to do
:
00:48:58,637 --> 00:48:59,057
Erika: Mm-hmm.
:
00:48:59,338 --> 00:49:01,318
Shari: And we kind of
came up e empty handed.
:
00:49:01,348 --> 00:49:06,178
There's tons of information out, out
there about how to retire to Mexico.
:
00:49:06,508 --> 00:49:10,708
, but there was not anything that
was targeting anyone who is younger
:
00:49:10,708 --> 00:49:15,148
and still working and might have a
young family or anything like that.
:
00:49:15,478 --> 00:49:19,958
So , over the years that we've been here,
we get questions all the time about how
:
00:49:19,958 --> 00:49:24,608
to do certain things, and nine times
outta 10, the person will say, oh my
:
00:49:24,608 --> 00:49:26,438
gosh, you know so much you should write a
:
00:49:26,712 --> 00:49:27,102
Erika: Yeah.
:
00:49:27,158 --> 00:49:29,678
Shari: And we were always
like, no, that's ridiculous.
:
00:49:29,678 --> 00:49:30,998
We're not gonna write a book.
:
00:49:31,058 --> 00:49:32,188
And then, , when was it?
:
00:49:32,188 --> 00:49:35,698
So we wrote this last year,
the beginning of last year.
:
00:49:35,698 --> 00:49:39,538
So, , early last year, I kind of
just woke up one morning and I had
:
00:49:39,568 --> 00:49:42,838
like the of the book in my head.
:
00:49:43,228 --> 00:49:47,608
. And so I knew that I wasn't gonna be able
to do anything until I got it outta my
:
00:49:47,762 --> 00:49:48,242
Erika: Yeah,
:
00:49:48,328 --> 00:49:51,298
Shari: So I just opened a
Google Doc and started typing.
:
00:49:52,108 --> 00:49:55,198
it was just kind of gonna be a little
like creative exercise, but the more
:
00:49:55,198 --> 00:49:56,758
I typed, the more into it I got.
:
00:49:57,238 --> 00:49:58,498
And then , the more into it I got.
:
00:49:58,498 --> 00:50:00,628
And then, I called Josh
over and I was like, Hey.
:
00:50:01,318 --> 00:50:02,518
What do you think about this?
:
00:50:02,518 --> 00:50:05,518
And you know, just kind of read him
what I had wrote and he was like,
:
00:50:06,288 --> 00:50:08,088
, yes, let's talk more about this.
:
00:50:08,418 --> 00:50:13,638
And we just started strategizing and
thinking about what could be included
:
00:50:13,638 --> 00:50:15,078
and what's useful to everyone.
:
00:50:15,078 --> 00:50:17,208
And that's how the book came about.
:
00:50:17,428 --> 00:50:22,048
So we collaborated on it and wrote like
a very, , thorough and straightforward
:
00:50:22,048 --> 00:50:26,818
and entertaining, if I do say so
myself, guide to Moving to Mexico.
:
00:50:26,848 --> 00:50:29,278
We have tons of stories to share.
:
00:50:29,638 --> 00:50:34,108
We have tons of friends who have had
crazy experiences as well, and we really
:
00:50:34,108 --> 00:50:35,758
like, don't hold back on anything.
:
00:50:35,792 --> 00:50:36,662
Erika: That's amazing.
:
00:50:37,082 --> 00:50:41,852
Do you find that as you're looking around,
you're seeing more and more young expats?
:
00:50:41,852 --> 00:50:42,557
Shari: A hundred percent.
:
00:50:42,557 --> 00:50:43,067
Yes.
:
00:50:43,427 --> 00:50:47,777
, when we first moved here, there
was a very small community of
:
00:50:47,777 --> 00:50:50,087
expats that were similar in age to
:
00:50:50,215 --> 00:50:50,505
Erika: Okay.
:
00:50:50,767 --> 00:50:53,167
, Shari: but ever since the
pandemic, it's just exploded.
:
00:50:53,350 --> 00:50:53,830
Erika: Okay.
:
00:50:54,007 --> 00:50:58,717
Shari: the ability for people to work
remotely has brought so many more people.
:
00:50:58,717 --> 00:51:00,547
I mean, all over the world for sure.
:
00:51:00,757 --> 00:51:04,717
But we're absolutely seeing it here
and it's such a cool opportunity for
:
00:51:04,717 --> 00:51:06,457
people to live in another country.
:
00:51:06,507 --> 00:51:09,597
, we have so many friends who
have moved here with young kids.
:
00:51:09,957 --> 00:51:15,177
We don't have kids ourselves, but an
amazing experience for kids to grow
:
00:51:15,177 --> 00:51:18,447
up in another culture, and especially
one where they're getting the
:
00:51:18,447 --> 00:51:23,607
opportunity to learn a language that
is not their, their native language.
:
00:51:23,667 --> 00:51:25,497
, and they pick it up so quickly.
:
00:51:25,497 --> 00:51:27,117
I'm incredibly jealous of them.
:
00:51:27,120 --> 00:51:27,360
Erika: So,
:
00:51:27,507 --> 00:51:28,437
Shari: But what a life skill.
:
00:51:28,830 --> 00:51:30,030
Erika: yeah, absolutely.
:
00:51:30,570 --> 00:51:36,210
So I think that, well, let me ask you,
let me rephrase this for people who feel
:
00:51:36,210 --> 00:51:41,520
that little voice that's saying, maybe
this might be for me, but I just feel
:
00:51:41,610 --> 00:51:44,400
scared and overwhelmed and intimidated.
:
00:51:44,600 --> 00:51:48,440
, other than reading your book, of
course, like is there like just one
:
00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:51,350
little piece of advice that you wish
you could just like whisper into
:
00:51:51,350 --> 00:51:52,730
anyone's ear who's going through that?
:
00:51:54,052 --> 00:51:55,757
Shari: Ooh, that's such a good question.
:
00:51:56,187 --> 00:51:59,427
, I think it kind of goes back to what
you said, which is kind of just like,
:
00:52:00,027 --> 00:52:02,787
just leap, you know, trust the universe.
:
00:52:03,057 --> 00:52:08,757
I think we humans, we are survivalists,
you know, we figure it out, we adapt.
:
00:52:09,027 --> 00:52:14,847
So situation you put yourself
in, gonna make it work or
:
00:52:15,147 --> 00:52:16,377
you're gonna rectify it, like.
:
00:52:16,707 --> 00:52:17,487
That's the other thing.
:
00:52:17,487 --> 00:52:21,357
We've known people, we've known lots
of people who have moved to Mexico,
:
00:52:21,627 --> 00:52:26,067
stayed for three months, six months,
a year, two years, decided it wasn't
:
00:52:26,067 --> 00:52:27,717
for them or it wasn't for them anymore.
:
00:52:28,107 --> 00:52:29,937
Moved back to their home country.
:
00:52:30,237 --> 00:52:34,167
So even if you, you do it and
decide it's not right for you,
:
00:52:34,167 --> 00:52:36,087
it's, you know, it's fixable.
:
00:52:36,087 --> 00:52:38,367
Like nothing is, nothing is the end of the
:
00:52:38,685 --> 00:52:39,585
Erika: Yeah, that's true.
:
00:52:39,585 --> 00:52:43,215
And it really makes me think of the
expression, like, it's better to regret
:
00:52:43,215 --> 00:52:45,165
doing something than not doing something.
:
00:52:45,975 --> 00:52:46,545
Um,
:
00:52:46,707 --> 00:52:47,217
Shari: agree.
:
00:52:47,295 --> 00:52:50,205
Erika: do you see yourselves living
here for the rest of your life?
:
00:52:51,687 --> 00:52:52,047
Shari: I have
:
00:52:52,210 --> 00:52:52,330
Erika: I,
:
00:52:52,647 --> 00:52:56,127
Shari: if there's one thing that I've
learned through the last, I don't know, 10
:
00:52:56,127 --> 00:53:00,567
years of our lives, I would say we are not
good at predicting what we're going to do.
:
00:53:01,305 --> 00:53:01,455
Erika: yeah.
:
00:53:01,857 --> 00:53:05,142
, Shari: but we are so happy in
Mexico we're, we really love it.
:
00:53:06,102 --> 00:53:09,522
, One of us for seas moving
back to the US anytime soon.
:
00:53:10,182 --> 00:53:13,122
Maybe when, maybe we'll
retire back in the us.
:
00:53:13,122 --> 00:53:13,632
I don't know.
:
00:53:13,710 --> 00:53:14,490
Erika: That would be hilarious.
:
00:53:14,562 --> 00:53:15,642
Shari: But we're super happy in
:
00:53:15,990 --> 00:53:16,500
Erika: Okay.
:
00:53:16,500 --> 00:53:17,310
That's amazing.
:
00:53:17,730 --> 00:53:21,810
. Okay, so let's talk about dogs,
because you are a dog person.
:
00:53:21,810 --> 00:53:22,920
You and Josh are dog people.
:
00:53:22,920 --> 00:53:23,910
I'm a dog person.
:
00:53:24,180 --> 00:53:27,540
I'm also the person that for
sure would get rabies, getting
:
00:53:27,540 --> 00:53:28,680
bit on a trip like I was.
:
00:53:28,965 --> 00:53:33,285
Justin Morocco, , in January, and
they're like, don't pet the dogs.
:
00:53:33,285 --> 00:53:34,845
And I'm like, I'm gonna pet the dogs.
:
00:53:34,995 --> 00:53:38,565
, and for like 24 hours I was like, okay,
I'm gonna let this dog come say hello
:
00:53:38,565 --> 00:53:40,305
to me, but I'm not gonna pet this dog.
:
00:53:40,365 --> 00:53:42,105
And then immediately I
was like, I don't care.
:
00:53:42,135 --> 00:53:46,355
Like if this is how I dive and it's just
my time, , because I just love dogs.
:
00:53:46,415 --> 00:53:49,075
So, , tell me about your
experience with dogs in Mexico.
:
00:53:50,932 --> 00:53:52,882
Shari: We, well, we had two dogs.
:
00:53:52,882 --> 00:53:54,952
We lost one, , at the end of the last
:
00:53:55,015 --> 00:53:55,405
Erika: Oh, I'm.
:
00:53:55,612 --> 00:53:57,532
Shari: but both of them are from here.
:
00:53:57,532 --> 00:53:58,102
Thank you.
:
00:53:58,482 --> 00:53:59,832
, so both of them are from here.
:
00:53:59,832 --> 00:54:06,622
We, , I feel like is a very dog friendly
place, like a dog friendly culture.
:
00:54:06,922 --> 00:54:12,322
, a lot of, a lot of people consider
dogs part of their families as, as
:
00:54:12,322 --> 00:54:14,002
I certainly do, and I know you do.
:
00:54:14,572 --> 00:54:18,682
And, , actually there's a funny
saying in Spanish, which is, , the
:
00:54:18,682 --> 00:54:23,332
word for dog is, and I can't roll
my Rs so forgive my terrible accent,
:
00:54:23,332 --> 00:54:25,112
but, , the word for dog is peril.
:
00:54:25,472 --> 00:54:27,392
And the word for child is eho.
:
00:54:27,782 --> 00:54:29,402
And they've combined those words.
:
00:54:29,402 --> 00:54:32,972
So for someone who has dogs
and not children, they call
:
00:54:32,972 --> 00:54:33,992
the dogs their per hos,
:
00:54:34,570 --> 00:54:35,465
Erika: Oh my gosh.
:
00:54:35,972 --> 00:54:36,362
Shari: very
:
00:54:36,545 --> 00:54:38,135
Erika: That's way better than kids.
:
00:54:38,135 --> 00:54:38,945
That's awesome.
:
00:54:40,295 --> 00:54:40,715
I love that.
:
00:54:41,927 --> 00:54:45,197
Shari: But yeah, I, the, the
dogs are very welcome here and
:
00:54:45,197 --> 00:54:46,847
where, where we happen to live.
:
00:54:46,847 --> 00:54:52,467
Our experience, , has been that there's
this, this sweet slash aggravating culture
:
00:54:52,707 --> 00:54:55,597
where, , dogs are kind of called free
:
00:54:55,720 --> 00:54:56,140
Erika: Mm-hmm.
:
00:54:56,587 --> 00:55:01,587
Shari: And a lot of people consider
the dogs to, , have their own lives
:
00:55:01,587 --> 00:55:09,477
and motivations and, and wishes, and
therefore they shouldn't be regulated to
:
00:55:09,507 --> 00:55:11,547
whatever your schedule is for the day.
:
00:55:11,727 --> 00:55:16,437
So they sort of have free reign of,
of their, their life during the day,
:
00:55:16,437 --> 00:55:21,267
and they can just sort of roam the
streets, go, you know, find some food
:
00:55:21,267 --> 00:55:25,197
at a restaurant by, you know, begging
off the tourists or go hang out on
:
00:55:25,197 --> 00:55:26,547
the beach, go meet their friends.
:
00:55:26,997 --> 00:55:31,377
And it's, I, the aggravating part is just
because then no one's picking up the poop.
:
00:55:31,407 --> 00:55:32,727
So that, that kind of sucks.
:
00:55:32,865 --> 00:55:33,435
Erika: That makes sense.
:
00:55:33,447 --> 00:55:34,257
Shari: always have to be.
:
00:55:35,082 --> 00:55:36,042
the lookout when you're walking
:
00:55:36,255 --> 00:55:36,545
Erika: Yeah.
:
00:55:37,032 --> 00:55:40,422
Shari: but the rest of it is super
sweet and it, it's funny because you
:
00:55:40,782 --> 00:55:46,602
legit do see dogs kind of running
down the sidewalk before sunset and
:
00:55:46,602 --> 00:55:49,362
you're like, oh, like they know that
they have to get to the beach to meet
:
00:55:49,362 --> 00:55:50,982
their buddies in time for sunset.
:
00:55:51,222 --> 00:55:52,212
'cause that's when everyone's
:
00:55:52,500 --> 00:55:52,950
Erika: That's so cute.
:
00:55:53,052 --> 00:55:53,892
Shari: and it's a very cute
:
00:55:54,555 --> 00:55:58,095
Erika: Oh, that is one of my favorite
things about Latin and South American
:
00:55:58,095 --> 00:56:02,595
culture is, uh, at first you see dogs
on the street and as an American you're
:
00:56:02,595 --> 00:56:04,425
like, oh my God, these dogs must be saved.
:
00:56:04,425 --> 00:56:06,975
And then you quickly realize,
oh, these dogs are doing great.
:
00:56:06,975 --> 00:56:08,295
They literally have their own lives.
:
00:56:08,505 --> 00:56:09,705
They have their little friends.
:
00:56:09,885 --> 00:56:12,975
They know exactly which restaurants
are giving them scraps when, and
:
00:56:12,975 --> 00:56:15,135
they're pretty well taken care of.
:
00:56:15,405 --> 00:56:20,985
Um, so for somebody who is an American
who has pets and is thinking of moving
:
00:56:20,985 --> 00:56:25,905
to Mexico, is there a quarantine period
or is it a pretty easy transition
:
00:56:25,905 --> 00:56:27,255
to just bring your pets with you?
:
00:56:28,557 --> 00:56:31,767
Shari: There is not a quarantine
and it is a pretty easy transition.
:
00:56:32,067 --> 00:56:36,117
, basically there's , there's a
couple rules that you have to
:
00:56:36,117 --> 00:56:37,677
follow when you import a pet.
:
00:56:37,727 --> 00:56:40,067
, but it's nothing hard.
:
00:56:40,457 --> 00:56:43,757
And the main thing is basically just
to make sure they've got all their
:
00:56:43,757 --> 00:56:48,647
immunizations and that you have, , a
note from a veterinarian stating that,
:
00:56:48,650 --> 00:56:49,100
Erika: Okay.
:
00:56:49,550 --> 00:56:50,030
Easy.
:
00:56:50,660 --> 00:56:51,110
That's awesome.
:
00:56:51,137 --> 00:56:51,677
Shari: yes.
:
00:56:51,950 --> 00:56:52,580
Erika: Okay.
:
00:56:52,670 --> 00:56:53,360
Okay.
:
00:56:53,660 --> 00:56:57,350
, Shari: I'm, my main thing is like
if you are Mexico curious, like
:
00:56:57,350 --> 00:57:02,150
it's a really amazing country and
I encourage anyone who's thinking
:
00:57:02,150 --> 00:57:04,280
about it to just kind of dig into it.
:
00:57:04,280 --> 00:57:07,580
Whether that's reading our book
or just reading blog posts,
:
00:57:07,580 --> 00:57:08,750
digging around on the internet.
:
00:57:08,750 --> 00:57:12,740
There's so much information out
there and it's just such an amazing
:
00:57:12,740 --> 00:57:14,090
experience for us to live in
:
00:57:14,379 --> 00:57:19,359
Erika: Yeah, I'm so glad to know you and
to be able to share your story because
:
00:57:19,359 --> 00:57:23,229
I think that it's just so inspiring
and like we've mentioned a couple times
:
00:57:23,229 --> 00:57:26,459
already, I think this is something a
lot of people are curious about, but
:
00:57:26,459 --> 00:57:28,739
it's really easy to stay comfortable.
:
00:57:28,939 --> 00:57:33,019
, so it's just so cool and inspiring
to see people who are scared and do
:
00:57:33,019 --> 00:57:36,589
it anyways and then are absolutely
rewarded for making a bold choice.
:
00:57:36,889 --> 00:57:39,739
, I think everybody needs to find their
version of that, whatever it is.
:
00:57:39,959 --> 00:57:44,189
, I will, I will link your book in
the show notes , and then, , yeah.
:
00:57:44,549 --> 00:57:46,379
Thank you so much for your time, Sherry.
:
00:57:46,609 --> 00:57:48,559
Thank you so much for listening today.
:
00:57:48,589 --> 00:57:53,089
Like I mentioned, I will link the Young
expats guide to Mexico in my show notes.
:
00:57:53,389 --> 00:57:58,129
And as always, Clover Club listeners
get 10% off@hawkinsonclover.com
:
00:57:58,309 --> 00:58:00,859
with promo code, Clover Club, all caps.
:
00:58:01,129 --> 00:58:05,299
And Sherry, thank you Xtend, my
gratitude to Josh as well for
:
00:58:05,419 --> 00:58:07,999
just creating the story with
you and allowing us to share it.
:
00:58:08,209 --> 00:58:09,879
And, , yeah, everyone get out there.
:
00:58:09,879 --> 00:58:11,289
Be brave and do something cool.
:
00:58:12,185 --> 00:58:12,765
Shari: Yes, be
:
00:58:12,969 --> 00:58:13,389
Erika: Yes.
:
00:58:13,565 --> 00:58:13,845
Shari: Erica.
:
00:58:13,899 --> 00:58:15,129
Erika: Thank you Sherry.