COMPASSION IS CONTAGIOUS

As a world traveler I’ve had the opportunity to learn about many cultures and develop a diversified view of social responsibility. The one common thread that stands out in my mind is compassion. People reaching out to one another in time of need be it dangerous or easy, simple or complex, large or small.

As an educator my passion has been to learn with, share with, teach and empower people who come into my energy field. My life has been a manifesto of joy and it makes my heart feel good to experience or witness the kindnesses people bestow on each other.

I could go on explaining about the many experiences I’ve had in my life and how the contagion of compassion controls me. Suffice it to say that I have been blessed by every challenge in my life, I have enjoyed the loving energy of those who I have welcomed into my space and I have been immensely gratified by giving back when the opportunity arises.

My husband Rey and I made a spontaneous decision to move to Mexico on the day our booked flight actually left for Germany. Not understanding why the universe redirected us, we happily adapted to the new inspiration and rerouted our belongings, brain and emotions to our newly chosen land.

Little did we know we would be soon infected by the contagion of compassion shown by the staff, volunteers and families of the children of Pasitos de Luz, an organization supporting single moms and families with minimal resources who have a child with a disability. These children in the Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta areas of Mexico are provided health and education services and a daycare center managed by a loving staff of professionals and volunteers free of charge.

Since living in Mexico Rey and I are sharing our experience and skill with Pasitos de Luz to create a special education program using music and drama to teach special needs children basic skills. We have spent quite a bit of time in the castle where the children receive free health and dental care, massage and two wonderful meals a day prepared by a well known Mexican Chef who has chosen to grace this optimistic community of children and the PDL staffers with his culinary skills.

Like any non-profit organization, financial support is critical for the continuation and expansion of such a needed and valuable program. We have challenged ourselves to raise $100,000 to facilitate the hiring and training of teachers who will help the children realize a partially or totally independent future.

All services for the children of Pasitos de Luz are completely free. Our project cannot succeed or even exist without your help. We invite you to visit our facility, meet the children and be infected by our compassion. We hope you will take some time to learn about our education project, open your heart and give generously. Your donation is tax-deductible.


To make a donation please go to: https://pasitosdeluz.org/. 

SPIRITUAL HEALING - TRANSFORMING MY INNER WORLD

  

Rey and I have decided to change our lives so we started by completely changing our environment. We’ve chosen to live in Mexico for many reasons – the currency exchange, respect for and protection of the natural environment, the abundance and quality of natural food products, the unpolluted atmosphere, everyday life on the beach, unlimited possibilities of earning income by expressing our creativity, and of course the wonderful Mexican people with whom we commune everyday.


 

Rey gives horseback riding tours to “El Eden”, which is really the “Garden of Eden”, and teaches people to dive and harpoon fish on the beach at Mismaloya. He organizes many great events and ensures that your vacation experiences are unforgettable. I've concentrated my time on finding venues to present my original music and to build a following for our "Jazz In The Jungle" project that is slowly being realized. 

We also work on a voluntary basis with a wonderful non-profit organization “Pasitos de Luz”, which offers free services for special needs children. Our activities are spiritually uplifting and hopefully of value for our newly chosen home country.

 As I go through my daily routine I often day dream. My dreams are mostly positive and focused on the future we are building for ourselves here. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed and find myself stressed because we have taken on major challenges with little knowledge of the country or the language. That's when the irritability and self-doubt kicks in and nothing seems to go right.

I've learned to see every crisis as an opportunity to learn. Through the guidance of my very astute, spiritually awakened husband Rey, I learned to ask myself: "Why do I want this?" At first I found the question pretty ridiculous and it made me angry. "Why do you think I want to experience stress, doubt and anxiety?" I would ask him. "I can't control my thoughts and feelings." "Yes, you can if you want to," Rey always replies. He continuously empowers me and I know that I can do anything. 

 
We immediately begin the task of dispelling the thoughts and fears that have accumulated since childhood. We take the time to address the emotional triggers and issues that might lower my self-esteem. Then Rey reminds me that these negative thoughts don't pay rent for the space they occupy in my brain.

It is time to let go and transform my inner world! We go for a walk to the beach or through the jungle and soak up the positive energies, the spirit and the magic of nature. It is cleansing and healing. Puerto Vallarta has several ley lines. We use the spiritual energy in their vortices.

This morning I get up at 5 am and make a coffee for Rey before he leaves to take his tour guests on horseback to "El Eden". He is an amazing man. As he grows into his spirituality I watch his lifestyle choices change. He is a wonderful role model and lets me know that I am loved. I'm happy. I start my day with a meditation to let go and reconnect with love, awareness and inner peace.

SENIOR EXPATS AND SOCIAL SECURITY

One of the most important things one needs to do BEFORE relocating to a foreign country is to research your health insurance benefits. The main question is – will my insurance/supplements cover me for illness or accidents sustained outside of the U.S.?

When I moved to Germany over 25 years ago, I was immediately informed as I applied for my working visa, that I had to be insured by a German company in order to remain in the country and satisfy the conditions of acquiring permanent residency. 

Claro! I also maintained my American insurance as I made frequent trips home. It was clear to me that neither country accepted the others policy, so betting on my health became a really expensive issue, especially since I rarely used my insurance in America or Germany.

The amount of money billed by my insurance companies over a period of more than 20 years (appx. $168,000 did not come close to the cost of services I actually received). If I’d invested that money wisely I could have paid for a healthy lifestyle and still saved tens of thousands of dollars for emergency medical care.

Before moving to Mexico, I accumulated lots of information from Expat and World Travelers pages. I read several posts that said Medicare is accepted by some doctors in Mexican facilities. I'd even seen billboards at the Tijuana border advertising doctors who accept Medicare.  Addresses of facilities where Medicare is accepted where also advertised. Therefore, I wasn’t concerned when we decided to move to Mexico. 

When my fiancée and I settled in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco I went about my research to find doctors and facilities near me that accepted Medicare, just to be on the safe side in case of an emergency. Why I didn’t purchase insurance before moving to Mexico I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because I am now "retired" and I am a Medicare recipient. Whatever the reason, that was a mistake!

I didn't find a single doctor/facility in Puerto Vallarta who/that would accept Medicare so I called Social Security, Medicare and my supplement provider directly. To my dismay, it was made clear to me that "Medicare would not cover ANY of my medical needs in Mexico", therefore, my Medical coverage is useless.  

Now I’m looking for reasonable insurance coverage, because like many of us, I feel the need to bet against my own health and holistic knowledge and ass-U-me that one day I will actually need coverage.

Armed with this knowledge, I went about the process of trying to cancel my Medicare Part B since Social Security deducts $135.50 per month from my income for undelivered services. Let me tell you, DO THIS BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE U.S.  I have been fighting this battle since May 2019.

First:  To cancel your Part B supplement you are required to fill out a form that is not downloadable from Social Security or Medicare websites like the forms from their other services. Unless you fill out and return a signed copy of this particular application, Social Security will continue to charge you the Part B deduction.

Second:  Social Security will NOT mail you an application in a foreign country.  If you are not returning to the U.S. any time soon, the Social Security represenative will tell you to visit the nearest American embassy and fill out the form there. If you have any issues preventing you from traveling you are plain OUT OF LUCK!

Third: Even if you succeed in submitting the properly filled out/signed application, Social Security will continue to make the deduction for 60 working days (“not including weekends”) after the “date of receipt of your cancellation”. That means if you submitted your request in May (which does not count because they have already deducted the payment), you will pay the deduction for June, July and August before your cancellation is officially processed, a total of 91+ days IF everything goes smoothly. 

All this still doesn’t mean Social Security will stop deducting the payment from your account. In my case, after much ado (I applied for cancellation the first time in May), Social Security processed my application as having been submitted on June 13^th. According to their calculations, the deductions should have stopped in September, so I paid for Part B Supplemental coverage for services officially unavailable to me for 4 months. 

The next misappropriated deduction is scheduled for October 3^rd. When I called today (September 17^th) I was informed that my cancellation process has still not been completed and assured that the deductions will cease within the next 60 days (the time already passed will not be calculated since this is a repeat request) – not including weekends, meaning that I will now pay for October, November and December before my cancellation request becomes official. Possibly then I will be refunded for payments deducted the months of September thru December. The payments from June through August will not be calculated.

Even with the representative reading through my documentation as we telephoned, her answer was only speculative. To put my mind at ease, the Social Security representative agreed to record my official complaint which may or may not expedite the processing of my case. She asked to put me on hold before “taking my information” - which she already had - and then the call was disconnected. I never received a call back and now I have to start the whole calling/explaining process again.

Please take my advice. If you are retired and moving, cancel any benefits and/or supplemental insurance that will not be accepted in your new home country before you move.

Copyright © Sept. 17, 2019

Gentrification and Generational Wealth

In the late 70’s before Harlem went through extreme gentrification, the city decided to sell brownstones for $1. The idea of the program advertised as “Be A Pioneer” was to give locals a chance to buy abandoned properties owned by the city and renovate them, allowing us to become home owners/entrepreneurs in our own community.

There was one major catch. You had to renovate and live in the property within one year of purchase. The city claimed that renovation costs would run about $30,000, which was needless to say an unrealistic figure. We estimated rennovation for the house we wanted to purchase at $100,000, but the actual costs for most houses could be as high as $300,000.

In any case, my ex-husband and I desperately wanted to purchase a Harlem brownstone and live uptown. I was working as a full time teacher for the board of education, and my ex was a full time musician working 3 gigs – supper club, theater and after hours joint.

I went to my mom with this great idea and asked if she would help us by co-signing a loan so we could get the renovation money. To my surprise, my mom thought this was the most ridiculous idea she ever heard. 

She had grown up in Harlem with her parents and 6 siblings. “No way” she said. “I’ve worked all my life to get us out of Harlem and now you want me to help you get back. You must be losing your mind!”

We lived in Queens in a predominantly white neighborhood and graduated from "good schools". There was no way to convince her. That the future of Harlem was destined to change was beyond her imagination. Her disdain for my stupidity was hurtful. The conversation was quickly over.

My in-laws were very willing to help but for them it was not possible. Without credit we were destined to watch our friends purchase their houses and become successful entrepreneurs and landlords. Some even enjoyed the luxury of living in these beautiful brownstones that made them millionaires 25-30 years later. 

My mom lived long enough to admit that she was wrong, but that didn’t matter to her. She made it clear that even if it were now she wouldn’t help us. The idea was still ludicrous in her mind, and soaring property values had already excluded any thoughts of buying property for less than a half million dollars.

About 10 or more years ago my sister was fortunate enough to take advantage of another program offered by the city. She purchased a small duplex apartment in a condo on 145th street for several hundred thousand dollars. Today the value of her property has doubled.

What’s the point of telling this story?

Generational wealth is something that most black folks don’t discuss or even think about. We are so busy doing for ourselves, trying to hold on to what we’ve got or spend it before we die. 

This was ONE of the most discouraging experiences of my life. However, as I’ve grown older and wiser I’ve begun to understand how the history of slavery has so irreparably damaged us.

Willie Lynch (a British slave owner in the West Indies) who taught "fear, distrust and envy" as a method of controlling slaves specified that 

"Whereas nature provides them [slaves] with the natural capacity to take care of their offspring, we break that natural string of independence from them and thereby create a dependency status....

The Black slaves after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for HUNDREDS of years, maybe THOUSANDS...  

...CONCENTRATE ON FUTURE GENERATION[S]. Therefore, if you break the FEMALE mother, she will BREAK the offspring in its early years of development...

...by creating a submissive dependent mind of the n#$%^&r male slave, we have created an orbiting cycle that turns on its own axis forever, unless a phenomenon occurs...!" 

We have been conditioned to a subconscious self-hatred that prevents many of us from extending that help to make the world better for our own children and future generations, not just financially, but emotionally and intellectually.

Fortunately, times are changing. Millenials are learning and understanding our history and getting the education that promises stability and success in a country that will never give us our 40 acres and a mule.

We have learned to embrace our success, build positive financial habits and navigate the pitfalls and roadblocks to our success.

Older, wiser and stronger, and always reinventing myself, I’ve had many defeats but many more successes. I’ve learned to push back, preserver and find a way. I’m grabbing the bull by the horns once again, going with the flow and welcoming the abundance of the universe.

The universe has guided me to Mexico where me and my husband have acquired our first home together and are in the process of buying our second home in the beautiful city of Talpa de Allende. 

We are not only thinking about generational wealth for our families, but for anyone who is bold, audacious and adventurous enough to join our holistic community which promises peace, safety, tranquility, good health and luxurious living.

The community has it's own organic farm (pesticide and fertilizer free), fish farm, wells, water rights and is graced by a vortex that feeds the property with an amazing healing spiritual energy. To make things even better it is the first Net Zero development in Mexico. That means we produce our own electricity and sell the overflow to the utility company.

What's the bottom line? The developer is pre-selling the houses so we can get a two or three bedroom house on an 800+ square feet lot between $175-$250,000. We've already visted a model home, explored the property and chosen our lot close to the vortex.

The developer is building 350 new homes on this 180 acre property and I'm completely excited about this new advenutre where we will be one of the first to bring our creativity and talent to help build the brand of this new holistic community.

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller.

Change does not come by fighting the existing status quo. We're building a new model - an ecologically sustainable community that provides all the basic needs of healthy living. Food, water, shelter, electricity, good health, peace, safety and freedom.

Contact me if you want to learn more about our holistic community in Talpa de Allende, Mexico.

Kindred Spirit

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”– C.S. Lewis

When I joined Expats Puerto Vallarta: Everything You Need and Want to Know, I thought the site would be good for gathering information and learning all the significant history of Puerto Vallarta. Normally, I would find such things boring but because I am in a new country (okay, so Mexico’s been here for centuries) I figured learning a little history would help inspire me to learn the language.

Anyway, my new friend Linda is one of the members on the Expats site. She not only sent me a welcoming text. She offered me assistance if I needed help navigating Vallarta. We decided to meet on the Malecon, swap stories about Puerto Vallarta and spend a little time getting to know each other.

We met at Cerveceria Union, a cool restaurant/bar looking out on the beautiful blue ocean. We had a table in the front corner that let us look left, right and behind while we enjoyed people watching. Cerveceria Union has the most incredible oyster bar and grill. The food was absolutely delicious but I will definitely continue to get my Margaritas on the beach at Mismaloya.

The sun was shining, the colors of life were magnificent and we were happy to be alive in the middle of all of it. We talked for hours, interrupted only from time to time by the waiters, who provided us with super service, kept us laughing with funny stories, and told us a little about tribulations they we’re overcoming and how happy they were to be in Vallarta.

Linda and I had lots of stories to swap. We come from very different backgrounds but our life stories parallel in several ways. It is a blessing to meet someone who is simpatico and full of positive energy and loves her dog. We are typical pet owners sharing stories and pictures.

After a long lunch, I decided to accept Linda’s invitation to hang out at her house until Rey got off from work. Rey is a real estate agent. Between taking care of the office and showing luxury homes and condos, I’ve learned to adjust to his unpredictable schedule. It gave Linda and I a few more hours to get to know each other.

We jumped in a taxi after Linda negotiated the price. Typical of any country you may travel to (including the U.S.), you’ll pay the tourist price if you don’t bargain before getting into the cab. Our taxi driver was super friendly, played groovy music and even played with the dog. He was a typical jack of all trades advising us of other services he or his friends could provide just in case we needed help.

Linda cooked a super shrimp scampi that I ate before Rey came. When Rey got there the conversation took a serious political turn but it was great because we were all on the same page. We talked about politics, art, dreams and achievements while Rey enjoyed his meal, and we grooved to the music of “Marcus Miller” and “Tuck and Patti” playing in the background.

One thing we all could agree on. It’s much better living in the Garden of Eden than in the Concrete Jungle. We have left behind the conflict, struggle and stress of a life that dictates when we come and go, how much we “have to” work/earn, and when we can take well deserved time to relax.

But alas, the evening must come to an end because tomorrow morning we go to the Botanical Garden!

Please SUBSCRIBE to our  page. We escaped the stress and pressures of 9 to 5 living! Your $1 per month donation will help us to continue to share details as we achieve our goals and collaborate with ExPat groups dedicated to building new communities in Mexico. 

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The Dolphin Whisperer

All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child. Marie Curie

There are so many things to do here in Puerto Vallarta and I've made it my goal to experience every nuance of this beautiful and historic city. Perhaps it might interest you to know that Mismaloya where Puerto Vallarta began, was founded in 600 B.C. and was called Xalisco. There is an amazing history of empires. kings, conquistadores, well armed Indians protecting their land and legends surrounding the Holy Virgin.

It all started in this small fishing village that is now a world-renowned tourist destination. But enough history. If you'd really like to know you'll have to research that for yourself. I want to tell you about the exciting and fun things that we do every day in our chosen paradise.

I've lived in the Nevada desert and in the snow capped mountains of Germany. I've traveled through Sweden, Belgium and Brazil. I've swam on the beaches of Hawaii and watched hot steam spew from the mouth of a sleeping volcano. The earth is beautiful. Every place on the planet is sacred and holds a piece of my heart.

I didn't choose to live in Puerto Vallarta. I simply chose to be happy and the universe directed me here. I had a wonderful career in Europe for over 20 years beginning with a tour of that still so popular musical "Hair".  Eventually I landed in Germany where I starred in several musicals including "The Lion King" and had much success as a recording artist/singer-songwriter. Before returning to the U.S. and moving to Nevada, I founded a cultural center including a jazz club that is still running successfully today.

The decision to return to the states was not difficult. My career was flourishing but prosperity and notoriety no longer thrilled me. An ugly divorce added to the notion that life would definitely be better for me somewhere else. Anywhere else. I headed to New York to be near my family, but alas, I missed the flora and fauna of Oldenburg. I was not ready for the concrete jungle, so I moved to the desert.

It was a total eclipse of the senses, moving from the lush, green farm lands of Oldenburg with it's multiple lakes and near by beaches, to the dry metropolitan area of Las Vegas with it's casinos and traffic jams in the middle of the Mojave desert. After a few years in Vegas I was ready to move again. I missed the green, the water and the rain.

But I was in a long term relationship with a wonderful man. What to do? Rey is so cool, when I decided to move back to Germany, he asked no questions. We liquidated both our apartments. We shipped only our most important valuables to Germany and packed the basic essentials to carry with us on the plane. The purge was liberating.

Finally it was destination day. A close friend drove us to the airport.  As we attempted to check in at the Thomas Cook counter, I discovered that I had inadvertently picked up the wrong passport. No question. We could not get on the plane. We had no home to return to. There is no passport office in Las Vegas, and we had to drive to San Diego to apply for a 24 hour replacement so we could fly out the next day.

That's when the universe made the decision for me. San Diego is a lovely city on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. A day in San Diego waiting for the passport had been pleasantly expensive and it was impossible to find a reasonably priced overnight possibility at the last minute. We opted for an economically priced AirBnb in Mexico and drove across the border.

Admittedly, I fell in love with Mexico in Tijuana. Little did I know that Tijuana was considered south San Diego and I had not yet experienced Mexico, but those few days in Rosarita convinced me that Mexico was a better choice than Germany.

Please SUBSCRIBE to our  page. We escaped the stress and pressures of 9 to 5 living! Your $1 per month donation will help us to continue to share details as we achieve our goals and collaborate with ExPat groups dedicated to building new communities in Mexico. 

SUBSCRIBE HERE: www.patreon.com/ElReyandtheEmpress 

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