Product Description

Thinking about retiring to Mexico? San Miguel de Allende, for 50 years an art colony drawing many U.S., Canadian and British citizens seeking an exciting and affordable change of pace for their retirement, is located 165 miles northwest of Mexico City on the central plateau.

This book is the story of two women who made the leap to a whole new way of life, retiring on Social Security even to a town considered one of the most expensive, and desirable, in Mexico.

They share their joys, their mistakes, their problems, their new outlook on life in this very personal love story to San Miguel. They describe in vivid detail the almost-daily fiestas, their humorous errors in learning Spanish, and their new outlook on world history from learning Mexicans' point of view. They even tell what they pay for almost everything, from hospital visits to ice cream cones.

And they're living a far better life than anywhere in the U.S. on Social Security, even in a town where people keep saying it can't be done. They're doing it, and they tell you how.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #201222 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 300 pages

Review
"....Falling in Love with San Miguel is a winner in the field of ex-pat books about Mexico...." -- David L. Van Sickle, Chicago, IL

"....the honest truth....A thousand New Yorker short story writers try to get at what these two tell us directly...." -- The Herald Mexico/El Universal October 30, 2006

"...a lovely book, well designed and attractive. The writing is beautiful and evocative. It is clearly a work of love...." -- The Prince (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

"...absolute must-read for armchair travelers, fly-away-for-a-visit folk, or those searching for retirement [heaven]..." -- Chris Cobb, Washington, DC

"Who would have thought a "how to retire abroad" book would be a real page-turner...two gringas in paradise...." -- Judith McKnight, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico

>....We aren't always given the privilege of finding our own piece of heaven, but these two women have done it...> -- Alma Alexander, Bellingham, WA (author of The Secrets of Jin-Shei)

From the Publisher
Carol Schmidt and Norma Hair have lived in San Miguel de Allende for four and a half years, and they've incorporated all that they have learned about retiring to Mexico in this travel memoir. Not strictly a memoir, journal or how-to book, Falling...in Love with San Miguel: Retiring to Mexico on Social Security is written in the form of the authors' first calendar year, experiencing a new perspective on life.

They arrive in the middle of International Brotherhood Week, stumble onto Day of the Locos, learn a whole new history during Independencia and the Feast of St. Michael, see the Running of the Bulls from only a few feet away from the bulls, learn to view Oct. 12 as Day of the Race isntead of Columbus Day, revere departed relatives in a more personal and immediate way in Day of the Dead altars, experience the Christmas story in terms of posadas (reenactments of the flight of Joseph and Mary as they try to find an inn for Jesus's birth), bring gifts to poor village school children for Three Kings Day, gape at the entire Parque Juarez turning into a giant flower nursery for Calendaria, view in awe the Holy Week celebrations and processions that mark the high point of the Mexican calendar, and laugh at the life-sized paper mache Judas statues exploded in front of the police station on the Jardin Easter morning.

Along the way Carol accidentally tells a cab driver she loves him, and warns the housekeeper that the roosters are in the towel (instead of the cats are in their cage). They tour neighboring towns plus Mexico City, Guadalajara, Ajijic and Lake Chapala.

This book is how it feels to actually make the move to Mexico for those who are considering retiring to another country, and for those who dream of escape.

From the Back Cover
Looking for a place to retire on Social Security? Consider Mexico. Come to learn a new way of life from a culture that goes back centuries before Columbus and Cortez. Find a way to enjoy life more fully and explore all the possibilities of your future.

Follow the story of two women who overcame their fears and discovered a new way of life far better than any they could have experienced anywhere in the United States on Social Security.

Carol Schmidt and Norma Hair investigated many cities before discovering San Miguel de Allende, a breathtakingly beautiful art and cultural center 165 miles northwest of Mexico City. It's been called one of the top ten cities in the world to retire by Conde Nast Travel and Money Magazine.

They came to escape the Phoenix summer and fell in love with San Miguel within three days. Carol also fell literally on the cobblestone streets and sidewalks--San Miguel is nicknamed "The City of Fallen Women."

In vivid detail, they describe their first year experiencing all the fiestas that fill the Mexican calendar. They share the problems they ran into, the adjustments they learned to make, what they pay for almost everything, and their new outlook on life.

And they're doing it on average Social Security in one of Mexico's most expensive cities.

This book is their love story to San Miguel. It's your window into a new way of looking forward to retirement.

Front cover photo by Richard Corwin.
Back cover photo, cover design and interior design by Jon Sievert.