Join us for an insightful discussion with Julia Naris, an entrepreneur and mother of three from Ontario, Canada, who made a life-changing move to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in 2021 with her family. Her husband also works remotely, allowing them to embrace a new adventure in a different country. In this interview, Julia shares her experiences with the Mexican culture, expat expenses, cost of living, healthcare, education, and the vibrant community she’s become a part of. Discover the beauty of living in an exotic location, embracing a colorful culture, and raising a family in this enchanting environment.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction and Meeting Julia
00:55 Julia’s Story and Decision to Move to Mexico
03:50 Adjusting to Life in Mexico
11:46 Experiences with the Mexican Healthcare System
15:23 Cost of Living and Lifestyle in Mexico
19:00 Children’s Education and Social Life in Mexico
23:49 Julia’s Community Involvement and Future Plans
28:54 Conclusion: Making the Move to Your Dream Destination
Emily: it’s me, Emily Bron owner of International Lifestyle Consulting. I’m speaking with you today from Playa del Carmen city in Riviera Maya, Mexico. And I have pleasure meeting today and speaking with Julia Naris, my counterpart from Canada from great Toronto area. How are you, Julia?
I’m really
Julia: happy to meet you. Hi, Emily. First of all, the pleasure is mine. Thank you. And Hola a todos. Bienvenido a México.
Emily: Okay, okay. I see you really kind of already adjusted and, and, okay. Tell me your story.
Julia: My story. Where do I start? It’s a very interesting long story. How much time do you have?
Okay.
Emily: The pleasure will be just to understand why you decided to visit family and we speaking now about professional family who made decision to come to Mexico specifically to apply the Carmen actually to change your life direction and you live here around one year, like why and what is your first impression?
Julia: Oh, sure. First of all, I’m a mother. I have three absolutely wonderful girls and everything that we’re doing is for them, around them and for the benefit of the, our future really, right? The kids are our future and we’re looking forward to setting up the best environment for them. Canada, we’ve been there for quite a long time.
We love the country. We love the people and I would love to. Be able to share the experience with Canadians because living in the same place, you get very comfortable. And it took us actually some time to make the decision to leave Canada. Lately, as you all know, our, our lives, all of our lives been impacted and we just trying to.
Make a laminate, so to speak. Right. We are blessed with having more opportunities. And I mean, technologically wise, right? We are not anymore very much. So, you know, change to 1 place or 1 office, so to speak. Right. And having that opportunity, we decided to make the best of it and bring the kids to wonderful climate.
Very interesting people. I love Mexican culture. I love the language. If you really think about it, Spanish is about second language spoken in the world.
Emily: Very colorful culture with many
Julia: oh, absolutely, absolutely. I’m trying to get a hang of, you know, feeling… Comfortable with completely meeting just local, local people here, but they’ve been wonderful. They’ve been very heartwarming and very simple people. And I appreciate their culture and I appreciate their big hearts and openness and love.
Yes, that’s been very, very interesting.
Emily: You know, there is a saying in Mexico, Mi Casa
Julia: Estu Casa. Yes. They live by that. Absolutely.
Emily: Yes. So meaning like my home. Your home. Correct.
You coming from different Toronto home area to the new home , how do you feel, how your family’s feeling? Because first year that I know from my experience of.
Having several immigration as an adult with children is usually the most, you know, it’s hard here to adjust and How it was in your case?
Julia: It’s an adventure and you Have to first of all is what I would like I guess to say when I’m referring to all the guys who perhaps thinking of forgetting the ideas of relocating It is not to set very concrete expectations, right?
It’s absolutely brand new place. It’s brand new culture and it’s just different vibes altogether. Right? Whenever you relocate and whenever you go somewhere for a long time, you, Express what you carry within you as well as you’re taking in what is out there in your surroundings, and then it does take time for everything to kind of balance out.
Right? So it’s not difficult or easy. I would say more of the terms, how willing you are to just let things go and just Observe what’s everything around. You just take in what’s all the new that you meet, the people, the culture, the language, right? You just take it all in. You know, you shine your bright self onto others and everything just seems to balance out.
It’s just the way it is. It’s really on in your mind.
Emily: So you’re still bouncing it as far as I can tell.
Julia: So after a year, I’m learning quite a lot every day, of course.
Emily: So what you can tell, what, what can you advise for people who just considering, obviously have some, you know, fears and doubts about how it’s going to be.
And I see you’ve got a bright personality, but thank you, but people are, you know, different characters, different circumstances professional directions are different. What you would advise to people who are considering to make this step? Family, people with family, because it’s additional responsibility.
It’s not only you. Of course, of course. It’s your children, so what would be your advice? What to start from? Like for example, I was speaking with some people and I got very good advice that I’m usually giving for people start to learn language. Learn more about history of this country, of this place.
Because it will help you, you know, to understand better. Right.
Julia: I will answer first of all by a quote that I’ve heard from the cartoon that one of my daughters was watching the other day. Actually, I thought it was so amazing and has so much wisdom to it. Don’t let your plans stand in the way of your journey.
If you have an intention, That means that you are ready to adjust. You are, you are, your mind will obviously follow your heart. Okay, so it all starts here. You open up to possibilities and then things tend to happen, right? You. Maybe you start watching videos, just like this one, that’s already a step forward.
You start researching. There are quite a lot of bloggers and just real people who share their experiences. Every single one of us will look at it in their, through their own two eyes. And it will happen to them in a very unique and special way. But there are so many people here like minded. Right. That also in the same situation where they had a home and then they decided to make a better life, brighter future, more possibilities, and they come here.
So here
Emily: I would ask you. So what, what actually you found? What amazed you in Riviera Maya? What do you like about this area?
Julia: What I like about this area? Well, the climate, first of all, I do. Comparing with Canada. Comparing with Canadian, yes. Natural settings are amazing. They’re everywhere.
There’s so much greenery I’ve never seen in my life. And people mind their own business. Okay. It’s important. Okay. I think it’s important, right? Where if you have your own tradition or your own culture or your own way of doing things, mexicans just seem to accept it. Accept it. They’re very
accepting. That’s what I found. Right?
Emily: They’re curious. They’re not very accepting. They’re curious. Yes. In the best sense. Yes. Like, oh, how are you doing? Right. Right. And kind of maybe I can learn from you. Right. Which is very good. Right. It’s very opening the conversation.
So, how good I can say you adjusted socially now. I don’t know, like you live in one of the gated communities, correct? Yes, yes.
So what what kind of community are you living with?
Julia: It’s called Silva Mar. It’s located on the north side of Playa del Carmen. It’s a gated community with different, I guess I would say yards.
Within that community. Common areas. Sure, right. Common areas, there are houses around those common areas. We chose gated community because we have small children. There are 10, 7, and 5. And I wanted to give them that freedom of being able to go outside and hang out with their friends. And I just so wanted the childhood that I had where we just hang out outside. That’s all we did. We didn’t need all the gadgets and, you know, sitting indoors because of the weather or, you know, because of TV, right? So now they actually have that opportunity to be able to hang out outside and play games and make friends.
Emily: Do you have any security concerns?
Because, you know, it’s what one of the first questions
Julia: I get. Okay. Yeah. Let’s talk about that. All the community now it’s very much protected. So. Absolutely no concerns there. Whether I have concerns going out when we’re in town. Well, okay, you can be doing foolish things like leaving your phone around or your purse out hanging when you’re going to the washroom.
Things like that, I guess, petty crime. It’s something right, I guess, would be in every place considering here, it’s very touristy and yes, there are some people could be taking advantage of certain situations, but in terms of whether I’m ever worried in life or, or my kids, I’ve never ever had a situation from the time living here where I thought, oh, this is dangerous.
I’ve never seen dangerous people. And if I may also say this, I. Never even seen too many drunk people, considering tequila is a national drink and everything is nice and very civil and so far so good.
Emily: Great. Nice experience. Yes. So I understand you spent a lot of time outside, actually living with the nature, even in your community.
Tell a little bit about you know, what concerning us as mothers education health system. It’s actually important for, for everyone. So you’ve had some experience with your children. Yes. And how you would evaluate this experience.
Julia: Okay. So a couple of stories when it comes to medicinal I guess services and health.
Couple of times I had to go to emergency. My oldest daughter, Victoria, she had Scruciating ear pain and it was late at night, around 10PM. I didn’t know what to do. So we ended up going to the hospital. I paid $5 I believe was the fee.
Emily: So you don’t have to go in?
Julia: No, we don’t have insurance.
Correct. Yes, that’s right. That’s right. When I need to.
Emily: $5?
Julia: It was $5 for their services. I didn’t get to wait at all. We were just kind of walking in and we saw a doctor and he had two nurses with him. They spoke English and they were very pleasant, very nice. They, they checked her out. They gave us the diagnosis.
They gave us the prescription. And I went to the pharmacy right there and then, and I got what I needed for her. There was some antibiotics and there were some pills and pills for the ears, pills for the sorry drops for the nose.
Emily: That’s kind of normal for children’s situation, I say. Because children, you know,
we all get through this in different types of conditions.
And with kids, the adult might have
Julia: okay. Another situation where I had, we had to go to a dentist. So in Canada, there is a insurance that covered it about 80%, I believe.
And I paid, yes, if you have insurance, exactly. I’m talking from my experience. We did. And so we paid on average about $60 per cavity that we had to fix here. It was exactly the same price. And it was through a private clinic.
Emily: Okay. So $60?
Julia: $60 and a chance to do had to do one for myself and one for one of the children.
Yes. And level services. How you would Oh, great. They’re amazing. And if they did everything they could to make us feel comfortable, to make us feel safe, they’re very, very pleasant. And again, we didn’t have to wait, which is a big deal. Yes, exactly. There was a situation where I needed to see a specialist.
And we went to Cancun. I made an appointment with the professional in Cancun. Private clinic. Private clinic, correct. And it was $5 that I paid for that visit. And it was about an hour or just a little over an hour long and he did everything that you need to check.
Emily: Oh, really? I don’t remember any doctor specialist that spent more than half an hour with me.
Julia: You don’t need to wait here. You can see a specialist at any time. And if you do need help in emergency, you can go straight to the emergency room. You also don’t have to wait and it doesn’t cost too much money. Now, again, it’s medical, right?
Emily: Different conditions, different people, but it’s your experience.
Julia: This is my experience. That’s right.
Emily: And another question, because many people in Canada, not only Canada, actually, you know, I’m speaking with people from different European countries and the United States, very concerned lately about cost of living. Okay. And prices going up. Right. And I know the same is somehow affected Mexico is affected as any other countries.
with the differences, but what is your opinion? Like how you as a family understand of five people with one working professional, you’re taking care, even working as an entrepreneur, but you now devoted your life to your children. So how you would evaluate this cost of living and in the area which I would like just to outline the most expensive region in Mexico.
Julia: Yes, it is. Guantanamo is. Yes, the state of Guantanamo is most expensive and we get to go out a few times a week to restaurants. It costs about, again, three kids, two adults on average, our bill would be $60 for a meal on average, and we get to go to hotels on the weekends, not every weekend, but yes, we do get out and you could either purchase a a day pass.
That means you can stay in the hotel and use all of their amenities, including buffet.
Emily: You speak about children’s clubs?
Julia: Well, any hotel, any resort. If you take any resort. So yes, there are beach clubs. Beach clubs, it’s a little different. But if you wanted to go to a any resort, you could purchase a day pass on average about 65.
American dollar. For adult. There are some resorts that don’t charge kids. There are some that charge depending on the age. It’s it all depending on the on the premises. And so you can just spend a day there. You can stay, you can stand, you can stay a weekend there. Right?
So that’s something that we also do once in a while. And beach clubs, beach club, it’s a place on the beach where you get to hang out and, you know, enjoy
Emily: some services and food.
Julia: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. You get to enjoy the sea and you get to enjoy all the surroundings that come with it. So. Usually they charge consumption.
Consumption means so for adults, there’s this one place we really, really like love actually. And if you guys get to be in this area, I do recommend Punta Renato. Amazing place. Very secluded, very nice beach. Yes. It’s about 15 minutes away from Playa. Okay. Yes. You drive. Yes. Yes. And consumption there 700 passes.
So 700 would be about $35 US. You stay there the whole day or however long you wish. And those $35 go towards the consumption. Meaning you order your drinks, you order your food, very normal prices. Nothing’s overpriced. I’m very, very happy with some of the beach clubs. So. You know, some of them have swimming pools, some of them don’t, and you get to pick and choose because there is a big variety here, and yeah .
Emily: Oh, that’s great, great. I can learn about places that I didn’t visit yet.
And speaking about children, we’re always concerned about educational system, and I know as part of your kind of, Own entrepreneurial direction and ideas of what you would say comparing this Canadian system? Because again, some parents concerned that, okay, the children will be left without education. We will not speak about level and how education change in Canada. But what you would say about your children experience.
Julia: So my children, especially the five year old, she already is correcting me as to pronounce word just as. Not guacamole. Guacamole, she says. Okay. So of course, kids, they talk the language better.
Everything is very, you know, fun and games with them as long as they connect with other kids. That’s what comes down to it. So, here they connected with children from all over the world, actually. It’s not just the locals. In your community? Yes, in the school that they go to. There are private schools on average cost would be about, let’s say, $300.
Average per child per month.
It’s private school. And there are different schools really, but overall I am very happy with the attention that they give to children. I am happy with their, I guess, acceptance. Right. They do consider that there are quite a lot of students that are traveling and, you know, they’re coming, some of them are coming to stay.
Some of them are coming for, say, six months. Right. And so they accommodate in that sense and they adjust the program, you know depending on your situation as well as they are very respectful in terms of traditional family. It’s very religious people. They are very respectful to their elder generations.
And it is all across their education system and social environment and everything else. They love kids. And that is also very obvious. I’ll tell you a very funny story. I was standing in the grocery store and they have helpers that are standing and packing foods and they give you your bag. And there was an elderly gentleman, and my middle daughter, she was just, you know, turning around him and just, you know, playing around. And so he saw her and, and he touched him. He fell on her head and on her back. He was just, he was just happy. He just, you know, shared some.
I guess, you know, love with her. And my initial reaction was, Oh, He’s touching my child. Exactly. Right. But I mean, it’s just
Emily: natural.
Julia: It’s just natural. Exactly. It’s, and, and I remember me growing up in Soviet Union. Yes. Older people would come up and say, Oh, nice girl. And, you know, they did this and that was all right.
But Living in a different culture and then coming, seeing this, it’s comes as a shock right at the person. And I’m like, no, it’s all right.
Emily: But you know, in some sense it’s like coming home
Julia: somewhat. Absolutely. Absolutely. I do remember a lot of things from my childhood. I was like, oh, wow, you know, that makes me smile.
And yeah, a feeling.
Emily: I feel that I’m kind of more relaxed here. Even I, I’m not speaking Spanish and trying to find what. People are very welcoming and obviously we should be vigilant in certain situations, but I found quickly I can find and start the conversation with new people, rather than different cultures.
I feel myself.
Julia: Right, right. I agree. I absolutely concur with everything you say. That’s very true. I feel myself. I feel comfortable with myself being myself. And it was one of the things, one of my friends and quite a few of them. Hi guys. They you know, calling me and asking what’s going on. And it was one of the things I said the first that, you know, again, there was that.
Just shock, I would call it. Say, how are people okay with just
being themselves? There’s no
frames Expectations, right? You are who you are. Okay. This is who you are. Cool, right? Just like let’s you know, be friends and if you have something in common you connect with people so much easier, so much easier,
Emily: so true.
Really happy for you. Thank you. And any plans for the future?
Julia: Plans. We have plans for the winter.
Emily: Okay. It’s hard to say.
Julia: We love Mexico. We’re going to stay here. Plans are to travel. To travel to see this absolutely amazing and vibrant and huge country, really. Absolutely. Plans. It’s very large and I want to see other places here.
Emily: Okay. You can consult with me and actually speaking about relocation services or decision where to land. If you already know that Mexico is your destination. I did an actually completing my tour over the two months specifically for you guys to see. Spend time in different states and different cities where expats actually
prefer to leave just to understand the difference between places and climate and cultural differences. There are, you can imagine that there are 32 states in Mexico and they are different. Yes. Regardless they speak in the same language, even different people, different type of people living in it.
But going back to you, I feel that you very good actually accommodated here. I didn’t know you before and I believe that you are a very optimistic person. I am. But you know, in a year time to achieve the state of mind that I see now I really congratulate you. Thank you so much. I’m really happy for you.
And guys, look, Julia did it. You can do it. I understand the situation is different. I feel that Julia is a person who would be happy to share with like minded people, you know, places where to go and, you know, concerning children, schools and… Tell me please, by the way, you mentioned something about your activity in local community.
So what is what you about?
Julia: Okay. Well, to make a long story short, it’s just starting to you know, to shape, to develop. I’m organizing events and I’m blessed to make friends with a group of amazing people from one of the developing communities. And so I teamed up with them and I’ll be organizing through May 22nd. We’ll have a very fun family. Fast. So what is agenda it? So I’m sorry, what is
Emily: agenda? Agenda.
Julia: Agenda, okay. Class. So it, it, it’ll be an interruptive family fest will have children different. Of course, yes. It’s oriented for family will have.
Different workshops and activities where our local artists and absolutely amazing people that I’ve met here are generous with their time and attention and their knowledge that they want to share with people. So we’ll do some breath work. We’ll do some play work and art work and we’ll get to even learn some self defense moves there and some dancing and, you know, food and drinks and it’s a whole day event.
It’s about five hour event. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. So we’ll start from there and, you know, hopefully this project will develop. Exactly. We’ll do different programs, different events every so often, because it’s nice to bring people together because here we’re all in the same situation more or less, right? And it’s good to stay together.
It’s good to make friends. It’s good for kids to, you know, socialize and don’t feel so detached from, you know, their life.
Emily: And speaking about this company or social, so-called, it’s expats
Julia: mostly different. Yes, yes. There’re English speaking people from different countries. Yeah. There are so many groups.
There are so many social groups. They’re on Facebook, they’re on telegram. in the neighborhood. Amazing.
Emily: Amazing. Like I feel that the year or two and I will come again to visit you. It will be some growing I don’t know, movement club. Sure. And, and it’s great because I feel. For people like you.
Actually, for many people here, there is many opportunities, right. To do what you like, right. If you are really active, if you can connect with correct people. Yes. Or you as a magnet for people to connect with you. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. You know, thank, thank you very much. Pleasure. Just speaking with you, and actually I learned a lot myself and I believe many of you will learn.
As well. And if you have questions, you can connect probably even
Julia: directly with me. No, absolutely. I’m absolutely open to new connections. Guys. Yeah. Share my information and, thank you. Thank you.
Emily: Hola. And any questions regarding immigration services, relocation services, here you can connect with me and you will find my contact information you know, below the video.
Thank you, Julia.
Julia: It was my pleasure. Thank you very much. Okay, see you soon, guys. Bye.
There are many reasons people choose to make the move to the destination of their dreams. Remote workers can work from anywhere with an internet connection. Today, virtually every part of the world is online.
Once just the lifestyle of digital nomads, the pandemic has led millions of people to work remotely. Many are choosing to move to a foreign location. Retirees to discover how their nest egg can go farther when living in a location that offers a better quality of life while reducing expenses. At International Lifestyle Consultants, we have scoured the world to uncover the best foreign destinations to call home.
Perhaps you dream of a pastoral life in the quaint European countrysides of Italy or Portugal. On the shores of the Black Sea, you can find luxury accommodations at a fraction of what you would pay in the United States and Canada. Enjoy a leisurely lifestyle of Caribbean or Pacific trade winds found in the beachside communities of Mexico, Central and South America.
Choose from the many charming colonial towns located in the same region.
Discover areas with quality access to dental and healthcare that have attracted many foreign travelers on a budget. We make choosing to live in your dream destination a reality. We have curated migratory, cultural, and investment opportunities that you will not find elsewhere. We know firsthand how to help you create your step by step relocation plan.
You’ll begin your journey by filling out our Know Yourself questionnaire. We can also arrange discovery tours so you can experience the culture up close and personal prior to making your move. You don’t have to dream of living in an exotic location. Contact us today and make that dream a reality.
Julia Naris, an entrepreneur and mother of three from Ontario, Canada, who made a life-changing move to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in 2021 with her family. Her husband also works remotely, allowing them to embrace a new adventure in a different country. In this interview, Julia shares her experiences with the Mexican culture, cost of living, healthcare, education, and the vibrant community she’s become a part of. Discover the beauty of living in an exotic location, embracing a colorful culture, and raising a family in this enchanting environment.
Forget snow days, say hello to sunshine! Meet Julia, a go-getter mom who swapped bustling Ontario for the turquoise waters of Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Intrigued? So were we!
That’s what Julia Naris, a Canadian entrepreneur and mother of three, did in 2021, when she moved from Ontario, Canada, to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It was one of the best decisions of her life, and she wants to share with you some of the amazing things she’s learned and seen along the way.
Julia has always been fascinated by Mexican culture. It is colorful, lively, and diverse. She appreciates how Spanish, the second most spoken language in the world, connects her with people from different backgrounds and walks of life. She enjoys how Mexican traditions celebrate life, family, and community. The delicious, spicy, and varied Mexican food also captivates her. Mexico has a way of making her feel alive and happy.
Moving to a new country is not easy. It takes courage, patience, and flexibility. It can be scary, challenging, and stressful at times. But it can also be exciting, rewarding, and fun. Julia learned to embrace the change, not to resist it. She learned to appreciate the differences, not to judge them; to adapt to the new environment, not to cling to the old one; to grow as a person, and not to stay in her comfort zone.
One of the things that attracted Julia to Playa del Carmen was the stunning natural beauty of the Riviera Maya. It’s like a paradise on earth. The turquoise sea, the white sand, the palm trees, the coral reefs, the cenotes, the wildlife. It’s breathtaking. She feels so lucky to live in a place where she can enjoy nature every day. It gives her peace, joy, and inspiration.
Another aspect that Julia loves about living in Mexico is the people. The people in Mexico are known for being friendly, welcoming, and helpful. They are curious and open-minded when it comes to other cultures. Additionally, they are generous and hospitable, making others feel at ease. They embody a fun and easy-going nature, and their passion and expressiveness are remarkable. The kindness and respect they show towards others truly make them the heart and soul of Mexico, and they have made Julia feel at home.
When Julia decided to move to Mexico, she wanted to give her kids a better quality of life. She wanted them to have more outdoor activities, more freedom, and more opportunities. She chose to live in a gated community called Silva Mar, where she felt safe and comfortable. It’s a family-oriented place, with a pool, a playground, a gym, and a clubhouse. It’s also close to the beach, the town, and the school. Her kids love it here, and so does she.
One of the concerns that many expats have is the healthcare and education system in a foreign country. Julia can tell you that Mexico has a very good and affordable healthcare service. She’s had several medical emergencies and treatments here, and she’s always received prompt, professional, and comprehensive care. She’s never had any problems with the doctors, the hospitals, or the insurance.
Education is also very important for expat families, especially for the kids. Julia’s been very happy with the private school system in Playa del Carmen. The schools are modern, well-equipped, and bilingual. The teachers are qualified, attentive, and adaptable. The curriculum is flexible, diverse, and engaging. Her kids have learned a lot, made friends, and had fun.
Mexico is a big and beautiful country, with so much to offer. Julia’s had the chance to travel and explore different regions and cities, and she’s been amazed by the variety and contrast. From the mountains to the beaches, from the deserts to the jungles, from the colonial towns to the modern metropolises. Each place has its own charm, history, and culture. She’s learned so much about Mexico, and she still has so much to see.
Julia’s story is not unique. Many people have moved to Mexico and changed their lives for the better. It’s not a fairy tale, it’s a reality. It’s not a dream, it’s a choice. It’s not a coincidence, it’s a consequence. Moving to Mexico has been the best thing that ever happened to her. It has opened her eyes, her mind, and her heart. It has made her a happier, healthier, and wiser person. It has made her part of something bigger than herself. It has made her part of Mexico.
Affiliation with: Algarve Senior Living (Portugal, Spain); Harmony Suites (Bulgaria); Remote.com, Remote-How.com, Relocate.world Marketplaces
Partners: DOMA Real Estate and Investments (Mexico), Outbound Mexico, FFC International Lifestyle Platform (Colombia), Digital Nomads and Remote Work Communities Globally
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada, Email: info@emilybron.com
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