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by Marsha Means, M.A.
What comes to your mind when you hear the word Mexico? Drug wars? Swine Flue? A tropical paradise with beautiful beaches?
In the three weeks since I drove into my new city of Mazatlan, Mexico I’ve only begun to absorb the kaleidoscope of color and the symphony of sound that excites my senses and enriches life here. But already I know I love this place. And I know that in the months and years ahead I will want to share with you often about this vibrant new country I call home, as well as tell you about the locals who’ve made room in their world for me.
But today I want to answer the question I’ve been asked most often since heading south: Why did you move to Mexico, and why did you choose Mazatlan?
I chose Mazatlan for several reasons. It’s a city of more than half a million and it contains the infrastructure needed for a full and modern life. It has a great medical system and well-trained doctors. It’s on the Sea of Cortez and boasts miles and miles of beautiful beaches and an average temperature of 82 degrees. And though it’s only two-and-a-half hours by air from Phoenix, Arizona, in many ways it remains a world apart because it is rich in its own culture and history.
I particularly love Old Mazatlan’s 147 square block historical center where I’ve chosen to make my home. A ten minute walk will take me to the Cathedral and the old Central Market where vendors sell produce and a wide range of food products from their time-warn stalls. A ten minute walk in another direction puts me on the beach for a lavish and spectacular sunset. And I love the Plazuela Machado where historic restaurants and the Angela Perrault Theatre surround a huge, brick courtyard lined with benches, palms and flowering bushes, and old men playing chess.
In addition to beauty and a rich culture, Mazatlan has a stable economy. It boasts a major league baseball team that took the 2005 world championship, and it’s known for great sport fishing. In the way of shopping there’s a Wal Mart, Sam’s Club, Home Depot, and much more. In addition, for those like me who are far from home it has a gringo expat community of more than 30,000 friendly souls who love to talk, to get together, and to answer each other’s questions in Mazatlan’s online forums. It also has a well-developed and inexpensive public transportation system of buses and taxis, making it easy to leave my car where it’s been parked since my arrival.
I could continue to several more pages, but I’ll get to the point and answer that question I’m asked most often: Why did you move to Mexico, and why Mazatlan?
I moved to Mexico because life as an older single woman with health challenges has been…well, challenging since the loss of my marriage in 2004. With my monthly health insurance premium costing a minimum of $1,500 in the States, I mostly went without health care. In Mexico a visit to a well-trained doctor costs $25US, and seeing a specialist runs only slightly more. Recently a neighbor’s father had emergency stomach surgery in the middle of the night, and even with two days in the hospital the total bill came to $17,000 Mexican. In US dollars, that’s less than $1,500.
Oh, there’ve been challenges here as well. I get lost again and again as I struggle to grasp the lay of the land. My car remains parked because I still find it totally unnerving to join in the Mexican rules of the road. And first thing in the morning I’ve gritted my teeth as I’ve picked up and disposed of a three inch, belly-up cockroach (using lots of paper towel!) The worst of the challenges came just last week when the ancient plumbing in my rental home decided to back up and flood the place.
Yes, there are challenges, but they are far outweighed by a myriad delights: the brilliant blue sky that greets me day after day; the fuchsia-colored bougainvillea that splashes its way up my court yard walls; the delight of the glistening sea and the miles-long malecon that fronts it; interesting, delicious new foods unlike any in the Mexican restaurants back home; the rhythm and romance of Mariachi singers; the smiling, helpful people who work hard to answer my bumbled attempts at Spanish as I ask for directions. And you’ve not worshiped until you’ve worshiped at Espiritu Verdad, a plant from my home church back in San Diego, California. For two + hours the rented sanctuary pulses with Spanish praises and loving adoration for the One who reigns Lord of Lords and King of Kings in every language.
In the months ahead I will introduce you to more specific details about my new home away from home, including the several hundred men, women, and children who live in the city garbage dump and exist on what they find there. This and many other opportunities to be “Jesus with skin-on” co-exist alongside a thriving influx of tourists who mostly stay in the north end high rise hotel zone.
In the meantime, thank you so much for your prayers as I’ve made this major life transition. Moving here has shown me that God remains faithful to help us rebuild our broken worlds, even if our marriages don’t survive this addiction. I remain, and will continue to be, available by telephone, email, and through my web site, to you and other partners of sexual addicts in the US and around the world. Until next time…
Your sister on this journey,
Marsha Means
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