Greetings! I am Patrick (or Pat, or Patricio) and this is my blog about living the expat life in Ajijic, Mexico. In 2016 I retired from a 39 year career with the US federal government, and together with my wife Judy, we sold the house, sold the car, gave away most of the accumulated clutter of life and moved to a small pueblo outside Guadalajara, Jalisco. We live among a sizable group of American, Canadian, and other expats, some of whom are here permanently and others who “snow-bird.” Ajijic lies along Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest body of freshwater, in the Sierra Madre Occidental range at an altitude of 5200 ft. Its unique geography and topography create a microclimate often described as perennial Spring.
I’ll use this blog to detail what the expat life is like in general, and the specifics of living as an expat in Mexico. At times I’ll make cultural observations or talk politics based on my extensive experience as a career civil servant in the US federal government. Enjoy!