Lost and Found in Mexico
Welcome to the Blog of Lost and Found in Mexico Documentary Film.
My documentary film is an exploration of feelings, changes, thoughts, of people who have left the “American Dream” to live in a foreign country. The film seems to be of interest to people who feel unfulfilled by the culture in which they’ve been raised. It also appeals to people thinking about living in Mexico or retiring in Mexico.
I invite your thoughts on the subject!
Caren
Howdy! I saw your wonderful documentary for the first time last night. I am returning to Dallas tomorrow after spending some time in Guadalajara visiting an “expat” who, several years ago, took Spanish from me at a college in Dallas where I’ve been an adjunct intstructor for 25 years. During my visit here, we made a trip to Patzcuaro, Michoacan, and I just loved it as well as the surrouding areas. I just retired from my main job as a first grade bilingual teacher for the Dallas Independent School District for 27 years. At 54, I am embarking on a new career as an English Spanish court interpreter; I’ll take my state and federal exams next month. My partner of 17 years, Jorge, who is from Puebla, also teaches first grade bilingual for DISD and has several more years to go before he retires. He is also a professional ballet folkorico dancer, having danced with Amalia Hernandez Ballet Folklorico de Mexico from 1988-1991. He traveled all over the world with the company. He took English-as-a-second-language from me at the college; months later we began a relationship that is still going strong 17 years later!
We both would like to move to the Patzcuaro area in 5 years and either build a home or refurbish an old one. As a “gringo”, I have been blessed with being fully realized and complete in my work and life in Dallas, where I have lived all my life. I grew up in University Park — my dad was dean of Perkins School of Theology at S.M.U. from 1960-1981 — and now live in Oak Cliff with Jorge and Sonny, our beautiful Golden Retriever. We are avid gardeners at home and at the elementary school and were even filmed by a DISD crew on June 2nd for a video to be shown to the teachers at a kick-off event for the 2008-2009 school year. When I move to Mexico with Jorge, I will not so much be finding myself but rather enriching my life and honoring Jorge’s wish to return to is homeland. I speak Spanish fluently — Jorge boasts I speak it better than some natives, to which I smile and agree with…sometimes! — and am working on reviving my Portuguese to at least near-fluent status. I spent the summer of 1976 in San Miguel and really enjoyed it. I became friends with a family that ran a restaurant called El Meson de las Bugambilias. How I loved Elena Arteaga and her sister Meche. Elena has sinced passed away. The family later opened a restaurant called Bugambilias that is stlll open today, I think. I feel very strongly that those expats who want to find themselves — or enrich their lives — become friends with the Mexicans living in San Miguel. Learning Spanish would be a plus but not obligatory if one’s attitudinal approach is nurturing, and I suspect most expats living in San Miguel are nurturing. But to learn Spanish well is a way to honor the people whose town you live in. And, really, you are honoring yourself, too. I understand most expats sort of want to live in San Miguel on their own terms; that is their right as citizens of the world! However, this ol’ Texan boy “found” himself when he started to study Spanish at age 10 in Dallas. Today, I have a good mix of Hispanic friends non-Hispanic friends, and I speak more Spanish than English on a daily basis because of my home life and professional life. I look forward to moving to Mexico and continuing to live a full and productive life where the majority of my day-to-day friends will be Mexican natives. My main “adjective” to describe Mexicans is authentic. La vida es buena. Un gran abrazo. Jody (and I go by Pepe, too.)
slot free on machine line on line loose slot machine
Dear Caren,
I saw your beautiful film at the Biblioteca in March 2008, my first visit to San Miguel. I found it moving, powerful and inspiring. The people you interviewed were very real and have obviously gone a long way spiritually. I have one worry after seeing this film: if too many Americans, Europeans and Canadians choose to live in San Miguel, won’t it lose its magic and attractive qualities ?? Won’t expatriates bring in all the ”comforts of home” and turn it into a small Americanized town ?? Just a thought.
Dear Caren,
Sending kudos your way doesn’t seem to be enough! Thank you SO much for filming LOST AND FOUND IN MEXICO.
For a number of years now, my husband and I have been considering a retirement outside of the U.S. We have been “hearing” about San Miquel for about the past 5 years and I have been doing serious research on the town. And that is how I happened upon your wonderful documentary. I would highly recommend it to anyone considering a transition to Mexico, or anywhere, for that matter. Because even though your film is specifically about San Miguel it could certainly be about anywhere in the world that sings to a person’s soul.
If you find yourself at this website, there is some reason why you were led here. The universe works in strange and magnificent ways. Buy this DVD and enjoy….let your soul speak instead of your mouth. See what happens to you.
Again, many thanks, Caren.
Best regards,
Sharon De Caria
Colorado Springs, CO
I will have to see your film & see if it can provide any pearls of wisdom. My situation is similar but under much different circumstances. I am 30 years old and was forced to early retire (if you want to call it that) to Mexico, Queretaro (not too far from you), by the fact that my 34 year old Queretaran husband was unable to obtain papers in the US despite our marriage. Moving here wasn’t something we relished as a relief of the rat race, actually, he was very pained to leave his successful job as a construction foreman, and I had to leave an incredible environmental program I had built at a high school in CA and a recently completed Masters project, friends, and family. But the reality of our move was impending- we could not afford a home in CA & my husband and I tired of the daily fear with his traveling the streets unlicensed. Good fortune shone on us, we were able to save up enough to build a beautiful house on a small piece of land gifted to us by his father who is an ejiditario here in Mexico. There are the occasional sweet moments with family members and the cultural events down here. However, aside from that sunny side, life has been quite difficult for us since we moved here. We needed to live with my inlaws for the first 9 mos while we were building, and multiple in-law issues were very challenging & the neighborhood very rough. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some princess- I have been a volunteer in various environmental and social services since I was in high school & am quite aware of the issues- but when you’re faced with the results daily, somehow it’s harder to distance yourself from the painful places. The community our house is in, that we now live in, is on the city edge in the mts. (San Jose el Alto) is still quite mixed between residents who live on the edge daily, to landed individuals who are busy selling off and filling their pockets. Rural in transition to urban. In all cases there is a great deal of sexism, classism, racism, and neglect for the Earth everywhere you look- distinct from San Francisco we moved from. Even though Queretaro is close to SMA it doesn’t have the same vibrant expat communty, or perhaps I just haven’t found it. I have also found little work, and am a homemaker much earlier than I ever would have desired. When I get really low, the topic of me returning to the States comes up. I refuse to entertain the idea seriously, but it’s not because I love Mexico- to the contrary- it’s for love for my husband. Sometimes I regret that our community doesn’t possess many like-minded liberal thinkers, like in the gringolandias, but on the other hand, when i consider that I am deep in the real Mexico- no insulation, rose-colored lenses, comfort zone- i imagine that perhaps this place will end up having the most dramatic impact on my psyche- hopefully for the better, not for the worse, as the years go by.
Hi Caren
Got your DVD and must ask…will watching it too much wear it out?
You did a great job! I really appreciate that it’s available. I’ve been interested in going to Mexico for some time. All the research and reading just can’t compare to seeing and hearing it…thank you!
Cecelia
Dear Caren,
We received the dvd and watched it immediately. It was fantastic. My partner, Richard choked up immediately upon hearing the comments of having found
“home”. He feels exactly the same way about San Miguel.
For me, the points of greatest connection were your own comments
about how much of your life you had dedicated to living up to
expectations and image, and the relief of stepping outside that world. Your words encourage me to follow in your footsteps as soon as possible.
It was also a beautiful film- the images, the colors, the music. I loved
all the footage of your walking, walking, walking…it’s a great metaphor for slowing down the journey.
Thank you so much for this work of art and heart.
Lori Rubin
I will be ordering this documentary because I miss San Miguel de Allende. I am 28 years old now but I spent my 18th Birthday living with a mexican family not too far from the center of town. I lived there from September 1997 till the end of March 1998. I was taking classes at the Instituto Allende for spanish, jewlery, and sculpting. I have had the yearning to visit to see how much has changed since then but I find myself unable to actually find the time and the money in which to have an enjoyable trip. I vow one day that I will get back down there and see the town I fell in love with back when I was a teen. I hope the documentary is all I need to give myself a good boot in the rear to get myself motivated.
Update: My email address was incorrect. lol It’s cammysandy@comcast.net
Thanks!
After “accidentally” seeing the trailer, I ordered a copy of Lost and Found in Mexico. I will be travelling to San Miguel in a few weeks and I expected the film would give me a preview of the quaint little town I’ve heard so much about. I had no way of knowing that I’d get so much more.
I was not expecting to laugh and cry and relate so deeply to the people in the film. In sharing their story, each person in the film told a bit of my own story. The film turned out to be about hope. Hope, that I too can find my 20 year old self and the joy I lost somewhere along the way to meeting my responsibilities and reaching my goals of attaining a happy life.
I don’t know if I’ll find my self in San Miguel or someplace else, all I know is that it’s possible and worth searching for.
I’m telling all my friends about this precious gem of a film.
Thank you.
Caren, I saw your post on the civil list…am looking to make a short documentary and a u tube for Hospice.
I am co-founder and President of Hospice SMA and feel that we need to publicize visually for our community that can not read…also an english version. to send in our fundraising package.
If this would be of interest to you let me know
saludos
Milou
Hi Caren,
Delibertly wanted to see your doc about San Miguel. I saw it at the Sonoma Film Festival and enjoyed it throughly! I call it syncronicity because I had begun some research on San Miguel as a place where I can learn Spanish, art, and cooking. Thus I need some help. Kindly contact me. I gave you my card at the filming.
To me, the film had a spiritual weaving of why American folks came to San Miguel…a place where they found themselves and much more–A true coming home experience. I was also aware of the use of intense colors worm by the subjects and in their surroundings. Colors are associated with aliveness, many people are afraid of color–very interesting visual. Pleased to hear that the locals are comfortable with Americans and that Americans are participating in Mexican Charities.
Linda Raven, Sonoma, Ca.
Hello…I noticed the editor Elise Durant on your film. Elise and I were best friends when we were girls in Sarasota, FL. She moved away and we lost touch. I have been trying to get back in touch with hr for years. I was so excited when I found her on Google. If you know how to contact her, will you please give her my e-mail address? I would love o catch up with her.
Thanks,
Sherra
I’m 25 years old, and I was born and raised in the US. My parents came here (from Durango, Mexico) when they were very young. All my life, I thought of Mexico as a poor, third world country, full of people who were in a desperate need to travel north and make an attempt at living the American dream. I didn’t know any better. But then I got married to a man who originated from Guanajuato, Mexico. When he suggested we visit his home state, I wasn’t overly excited. I really didn’t know what to expect. As we were driving to his home town from the airport, my jaw dropped and probably stayed like this for a few days. I was amazed! I was bombarded with beautiful picturesque towns, perfect weather, amazing flowers, and friendly people. When I went to San Miguel de Allende, I thought to myself, “Why are all of these Americans visiting this small town?”. We went to the plaza in the “centro”, and there was a movie being filmed. There were a bunch of cameras, and horses, and a masked man. Apparently it was Antonio Banderas filming the sequel to El Zorro. Again, I thought, “Here? How do they know about this small, secluded place?”. As I chatted with an old European man in the garden, he told me about his move. He had a thick accent, but I didn’t ask where he originated from. All I know is that I was in complete shock to learn that all those foreigners that were there, were not visiting. They lived there. At that moment I realized that Mexico was not at all the place I once thought it was. It was full of people who had their values straight, and there was an undeniable sense of peace among them. You can tell that from the moment people in Mexico awake, they are alive. They aren’t dreading their day at work, or the rush hour. They’re not locked inside their homes all day watching tv. They go outside, they talk to the neighbors, go to the garden, go to church, play with their kids…They enjoy life! At that moment, I thought to myself, “I can live here too”. It’s been four years since I was last in San Miguel, but my husband and I, and possibly my parents, will move there within a few years. I can’t wait!
Sandra Barrios
Chicago, IL
cammysandy@comcast.com
Hi,
I watched Lost and Found for the third time this past weekend. We shared the DVD with my in-laws who were in Austin for two days before driving to SMA on Monday of this week. I have been to SMA twice before and we are in the process of building a home in the area about five minutes from the Jardin. I literally cannot wait until the day I call it quits and move to Mexico. Your simple documentary is charming and thought-provoking to the nth degree. Thanks for the stories.
Dave
Hi Caren: I saw your video last saturday at a friend’s house who just returned from San Miguel de Allende. I was impressed with your footage and the interviews. They were real and informative.
I at a 62 year old divorced lady retired from Toronto, Canada. I would like to travel to S.M.d.A. this year. I would be coming alone.
Could you recommend a place I could stay (not a hotel) for a couple of weeks and be fairly save and close to action of the town?
I have not travelled much and was yearning to go somewhere special my first retirement trip.
I would appreciate hear from you or at least have you pass on who or where I can contact someone. I am not an artist. Just an adventure seeker.
Tamara
tbihun@cogeco.ca
The dust of Mexico in SMA fell on my heart in 1967, and I returned summers for 7-8 years until I moved here to see if it would”work”.
My experiences and friends go way back: how can you think you are documenting SMA without interviewing me?
All the recent nuevos want to pull in the ladder after they get here.
See me and get the inside story.
Joanne C.
Hi Caryn,
just wanted to thank you again for “turning me on” to San Miguel. We met last week at the Bibliotecha. I was the person who heard you on NPR in Jan. I wish we had time for lunch, but my time was short in SM. I hope our paths will cross again soon. I had an incredible experience during my short stay and I owe it to you.
thanks
Steve
This is great! In my opinion many folks would like to get away from the paranoia in the States. Patriot Act, Real ID Act, Camera surveilance everywhere,etc. You can get to these small Mexican towns and feel the freedom that has been lost in States in last 7 yrs.
Writing from Iqaluit, Nunavut in Arctic Canada
Just viewed your wonderful work today after speaking with Patricia Smith about her time in San Miguel last year (Oct 2006 - Mar. 2007 and previously)
What a great expression of the power of healing gifted to various places around the globe.
We visited Oaxaca several years ago and experienced some of the same power.
The story is one of healing and transformation for those who dare to experience it and follow where it might lead.
I remember reading Herbert Marcuse (California) and his analysis that western capitalist culture systematically must separate people from their souls, and in particular the sensual, aesthetic and erotic dimensions.
To accomplish this, we all must stay in the hot water long enough to be gradually alienated from our centeredness and be infected by” false consciousness” or the desire for all the consumable products of a materialist economy isolated from organic unities of any or all kinds……..
This work elicits healthy self-questioning for all those who enjoy your experience, and those experiences of re-birth of your acquaintances who have generously shared their journeys.
Great work. Thank you.
Profound; loved it
I bought this film just before leaving San Miguel in March 2007,(my fourth visit). I have fallen in love with San Miguel and its people and just had to have this film so I could experience this feeling again and again.
It is so heartwarming to know that someone not only had the courage to leave the “American Dream” and all that she knew to be comfortable and move to a small third world, Spanish speaking country, but who also made a documentary about it. I immersed myself into every moment of the film saying, “yes, yes, I agree with you all”. Caren captures the pace and flavor of San Miguel as well as the peaceful. kind ways of the Mexican people. Whenever I am unhappy about living in the US, I watch the film again and think,— Caren, I hope to follow you soon.
Caren: Thank you for sharing your experience.
I bought this film just before leaving San Miguel in March 2008 (my fourth visit). I have fallen in love with San Miguel and its people and just had to have this film so I could experience this feeling again and again.
It is so heartwarming to know that someone not only had the courage to leave the “American Dream” and all that she knew to be comfortable and move to a small third world, Spanish speaking country, but who also made a documentary about it. I immersed myself into every moment of the film saying, “yes, yes, I agree with you all”. Caren captures the pace and flavor of San Miguel as well as the peaceful. kind ways of the Mexican people. Whenever I am unhappy about living in the US, I watch the film again and think,— Caren, I hope to follow you soon.
Caren: Thank you for sharing your experience.
Dear Caren,
Yesterday I received your DVD entitled “Lost and Found in Mexico”. I was very eager to see it, so I wasted no time in doing so. First of all, I commend you for all the effort you made in producing this documentary. It should serve as a model for other expatriates in Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, etc., to produce similar works, in order to shed the light of truth on living in Latin America.
San Miguel de Allende– It strikes me as a typical, dirty, third world environment, rife with all the poverty, squalor, uncleanliness and corruption that such places have to offer. Yes, the atmosphere is relaxed and laid-back, compared to America’s “pressure cooker”, “life in the fast lane” way of life, but many of the modern conveniences we too often take for granted are missing. For instance, I noticed the garbage lying around on the streets of San Miguel, along with stagnant water (excellent breeding place for mosquitoes and dengue fever). I also noticed the rundown condition of most of the homes, and the lack of basic hygiene and sanitation practices in the meat markets, etc.
I sympathize with you and other expatriates with your collective disillusionment with the so-called “American dream”. It seems that the American dream has turned into a nightmare! I absolutely despise the Bush administration and everything it stands for, but I don’t see much hope from the Democrats, either. I’m fed up with America trying to be the world’s police force! We need to stop throwing money down a rat hole in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have plenty of problems here at home to attend to! I could talk for hours on this subject, but I don’t want to bore you!
I guess if I could pick my favorite place to live, it would be somewhere in Costa Rica. Every Latin American I have ever talked to tells me that Costa Rica is by far the premier country in Latin America. Having been there myself, I would have to agree! My second choice would probably be Panama; more specifically, the Altos del Maria Retirement Community 58 miles west of Panama City, and 10 miles west of El Valle de Anton. Panama still has an attractive tax incentive package for North American retirees, and the infrastructure is much better than in other Latin American countries. The weather in both Costa Rica and Panama is wonderful, provided you stay in the higher altitudes. Medical care in both countries is first rate, especially in the larger urban areas. In Panama, the currency is the US dollar, and their inflation rate for the past 40 years has remained at only 2 percent!
Life is far from perfect in any Latin American country, however. Most of the politicians are extremely corrupt, and many of the basic services, such as clean, safe drinking water, waste disposal (garbage pickup), electricity, phone service, etc., are either sub-par or lacking entirely in many parts of Latin America. Crime is also a problem in many countries, and the drug cartels are very powerful in countries like Colombia. Drug money is laundered in many Latin American banks as well.
Well, I guess I’ve rattled on long enough! Thanks again for opening my eyes to the reality of living in Mexico. I wish you and your husband, and all of the other American expatriates the very best of luck. My heart especially goes out to Nancy Hooper, the young woman whose husband committed suicide in America. I am 66 years old, and when I was 27, I attempted suicide. Thanks to my very caring mother and a competent psychiatrist, I survived the incident, but it took me 2-1/2 years to do so.
Respectfully,
Peter J. Gebel, Jr.
I heard the last part of the interview on NPR the other morning with Mrs. Cross and I guess I would say it hit me at just the right time. While I have not seen the movie yet, it is on the “high priority” list. Recently a couple I have been friends with for a few years announced they had sold their business, houses, lots, etc. and would even leave behind many of their personal belongings as they embark on a transformative life change similar in some ways to this movie. They are doing some world traveling and then plan on living on two sail boats docked in a California coastal town for the next twenty years. I’m not nearly able to retire yet but just the idea and excitement of going for it in terms of change thrilled me! The one small thing I did that night as a result was to clean out my closets and drawers and “shed” the things I didn’t need anymore. Now that is small scale but it was pretty nice. I feel on the verge of a major transformative life change…
We live in Mexico and love it. Yes one finds another part of ones self.
Life is good, safe and beautiful. Seeing the constant changes every day on the Sea of Cortez in beautiful San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico
I can’t wait to see more about mexico in your blog. I hope you will share your feelings here also .
Mexico is my 2nd country …
Watching the documentary was a fun and inspirational experience. I hope Caren makes more films!
Aloha Caren, Thank you so much for creating this Documentary.
I am in very nearly thesame situation as you were. I visited San Miguel many years ago and cannot get it our of my mind. I am spending the month of Jan in San Miguel This next year and ultimately plan to live there at least half the time. Congratrulations for sharing you story.
I discovered Mexico in the early 1960’s when stationed at the Long Beach Naval Station in Long Beach Ca.
On a long weekend, I had the opportunity to drive down to T J and then visit Rosarito Beach and Ensenada.
Since my discharge in 1960 and after College graduation from the U of Arizona in Tucson, My wife and I have had many trips and vacations to Mexico.
We absolutely love Puerta Vallarta (Time Share Condo vacations).
Being an avid ocean fisherman, I have had the privelege and honor to fish in the Sea of Cortez - (San Felipe-Cabo, etc.) and also on the Pacific Ocean as well.
We would love to someday live in Mexico and enjoy the beauty of Mexico as well as the wonderful Mexican people that are so warm and friendly.
Who knows? This may someday be a reality. Thanks for the movie and Hasta La Vista. El Bud
Hey there,
I am lost and found in Istanbul!
A single 45 year old American woman, I traveled the world for nine years searching for a new country, new tribe, new home. I lived for 2 months to five months each, in Paris, Kathmandu, Bali, Bangkok, Brazil, Argentina, and more as part of my search.
Who knew I’d end up in Istanbul! There are great stories here. As well as in many of the world’s expat havens. I am writing a book now about my nine year search for a country and the expats I met along the way.
How do I see a copy of your documentary? If I purchase it, can I have it shipped to Istanbul? Can I get it online?
Let’s talk about expanding on your documentary. Why not Lost and Found - Istanbul. Lost and Found - Thailand, Lost and Found - Brazil.
Check out some of the stories on my website at
http://www.robinsparks.com
I also wrote and edited for EscapeArtist.com…where you can find columns and stories written over the past eight years by me.
I’ve been hoping to watch this film for some time. Today I was fortunate enough to see a screening at the Biblioteca Publica’s Teatro Santa Ana in San Miguel. I found myself smiling and nodding in recognition for the enrite 53 minutes. Of course, I walked out with a copy under my arm.
Beautifully shot and exquisitely edited. Now, when people ask me why I choose to live in central Mexico, I will simply tell them to watch this film.
Thank you, Caren, for articulating so beautifully what I have been trying to explain to people for years.
Donna Meyer
Caren,
I really enjoyed meeting you and David. The documentary is wonderful! As I told you the film captured the feeling I had when I was in San Miguel earlier this year. I think your documentary will touch many and push them to reflect on their own lives. I hope to see you and David when I am in San Miguel the next time. Good luck! Dianna
I know exactly what you mean. I was born in San Miguel de Allende but now live in the United States. I miss it everyday.
Caren’s film was a big hit at the Hope and Dreams Film Festival in Hope, NJ.
The content really struck a chord with the audience members. People are still
talking about the documentary.
The biggest question, “What do you do about health care in Mexico?”
David also held his own and mixed well with filmmakers, groupies, and others.
Hope they will visit again with a new film in tow. HDFF
I have just viewed the web site and am looking forward to Alex coming this evening with the complete film. Caren and David hello from Virginia Beach and Caren, you keep going girl. Marguerite
Hi Caren,
I found you via your home exchange site. My husband and I are inn keepers in the Big Bend area of West Texas.
We have a twenty three year old son who is a chef. His passions are music and visual arts. He would like to begin a new career in the film industry. Could you tell us how you made the transition from your first career to film making?