Fridays

Fridays seem to be the happiest days of the week where I work.  A true testament to working for corporate America.  Trust me - it's no fun.  You are only a number that can produce income for the corporation that you work for.  Not one person who is in a decision making position cares one iota about you, the worker bee.  Just produce, even if it means working long hours and having no personal life at all.  It's all about what you can do for 'them'.  Never mind doing the 'right' thing; please just do what will make us more money.  A very sad situation to say the least.  Greed = more greed.  How can we make more money for any one of the corporate officers that need or can spend in a lifetime?  Are you appreciated for all that you do?  No, please work harder so that we can have larger bonuses this year.  Never mind what we make - no, there will be no compensation for your hard work.  Be grateful that you have a job in this economy.  Produce, produce, produce.  Run around like there is no tomorrow or you will be out on your ass - we only need people who will do what we tell them to do!

A photo of the environment of what I call the rat's maze that I work in:

Why...

I was married for 21 years, and like many women, thought that I would be married forever, supporting each other both emotionally and financially.  Unfortunately, my husband had other ideas and left me without a dime.  For most of those 21 years, I didn't work as my husband made enough so that I could be a stay at home wife.  I thought that I was lucky to be in such a situation.  Little did I know that when my marriage ended, that I would have to start all over again with nothing to my name.  The details of the end of my marriage make most people cringe, but I won't go into them here.

So here I am, nearing retirement and I don't have much to show for my life, other than my self respect and the knowledge that I can deal with anything.  I have a very modest 401k and pension, based on the short 11 years that I have spent with the company that I work for.  It will not be enough to support me when I retire, to say the least.  My current husband did nothing to prepare for his retirement at all, having spent all his married life supporting a wife and 6 kids.

Which brings us to the reason why we are leaving the country.  There is just no way that we can afford to stay here in the U.S.

We bought a house almost 3 years ago and qualified for the $8,000 incentive that the government offered.  It still sits in the bank where it was deposited in case something came up within the 3 years and we had to leave the house and give the money back.  We plan to put the house up for sale, fully furnished, including TVs, pots & pans, dishes - EVERYTHING will be left here.  We will only take our clothes and precious items (photos, letters, etc.).  Whatever we need, we will buy when we get there.

I need to go to the bank soon to find out how we can manage our finances after we leave.  I plan on doing that during the next couple of weeks and will post what I am advised once I do.

Yearnings

I remember my 4 years in Mexico with great pleasure and yearning, even with knowing that it will never be the same as it was then.  This, all while my marriage at the time was coming to an end.  I didn't want to leave Mexico then, but had no choice.

Many people want to know why I want to go to Mexico with all that is happening with the drug cartels down there.  I still have friends down there and they tell me that they are not experiencing those problems in that area.  People don't seem to realize that most of the problems are near the border with the U. S. and other remote areas.  I have no fear that there will be any problems.

The problem is how to avoid the border areas going into Mexico.  We are still looking into that issue.  The year that I left Mexico (1993), they had started up a ferry that went from Tampa, FL to Playa del Carmen, MX.  They offered travel with your vehicle and you could also book a cabin, if you chose.  I just recently found out that the company folded after that year.  I just found out that the route has been purchased by a new company and expects that they will be up and running sometime next year.  I can only pray and keep my fingers crossed that this is true.  It would certainly be the solution to the problem.

The other thing is that Mexico may only be a starting point for us.  Who knows where we will end up?  The possibilities are endless.  Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, etc.  I just know that we can't afford to stay here on what we will be getting from SS.

I promise to be as diligent as possible in my postings.  I ask forgiveness if I miss a day here and there.  I also ask forgiveness if I ramble on in my postings.  More to come...

The beginning...

The decision has been made.

Having already lived outside of the U.S. for 4 years, and knowing that it is next to impossible to live on SS within the U.S., we will be heading south of the border to find our piece of paradise.

I lived in Mexico, south of Cancun, in a little fishing village by the name of Puerto Morelos back in the late 80's.  I loved it there and hated leaving it when the time came.  In just under 4 years, I learned enough Spanish to make my way through the grocery store and to also get around.  I have no doubt that I will be able to become fluent enough to carry on a conversation in Spanish.  I look forward to it and embrace the opportunities that are ahead of us.

My blog is to be an attempt to take anyone who is interested, along for the ride and learn from our mistakes and triumphs.  I will attempt to be diligent in my postings, but please have patience since I am still working full time and maintaining a household.