Disenchanted with the US, she moved to Mexico 7 years ago and her life changed

(CNN) — Marjorie Scouras’ love for Mexico began at a young age and grew over time.

The interior designer, originally from California, first visited her uncle, who lived in Baja California, when she was a teenager and continued to visit regularly throughout her 20s.

“That’s how it all started for me,” Skouras, who studied pre-Columbian art at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), tells CNN Travel.

“The wonder of it all will probably never be repeated in my lifetime. It was fabulous.”

A lifelong dream

As Skouras developed his career and started a family, his visits became fewer, but his affection for the country remained.

Although her family had lived in California for generations, Skouras grew increasingly disillusioned with life there, and began flirting with the idea of ​​moving to another country when her daughter finished high school and went to college.

“It was increasingly complicated, difficult and expensive to live there (in California),” he says. “And as far as quality of life, it was declining.”

She considered moving to the Greek island of Corfu, where she met her husband, Bruno Bardavid, as well as other places in Europe, but ultimately decided against it.

In July 2014, Skouras returned to Mexico and visited the Yucatecan city of Mérida, a place he had heard much about but had never visited.

“We started coming here to see what it was like, and within 45 minutes we knew we wanted to live here,” he says. “It was very strange. I’ve never had that happen to me in my life.”

Once they returned home, Skouras began looking for property online in Mérida and bought a 19th-century ruin four months later for US$210,000.

“Our house was grand by local standards,” he says of the house, which took about two years to restore.

“But you could buy less elegant houses for so little money that it was amazing. Now that’s completely changed.”

Skouras and Bardavid officially moved to Mérida in 2017.

“It was like a fantasy,” she says. “You read all these books about people who do this. My daughter and I watched ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ religiously every year.”

“There’s always been that pull, that sense of letting go. And there was a sense of, ‘You did it, that’s weird. And now you’re here’.”

The fact that Skouras and her Argentine-born husband both spoke Spanish made the transition much easier.

“There are a lot of people who have been here for more than 10 years and don’t speak any Spanish,” he says. “And that seems very strange to me.”

speak spanish

Speaking Spanish also allowed him to interact with the local population with relative ease, which according to Skouras was “a gateway to a more interesting life”.

“We really enjoy spending time with Mexican people, as opposed to being in a foreign community that doesn’t speak Spanish,” he adds.

Skouras describes his first years in Mérida as “magical”, explaining that the city has since attracted creative people from all over the world.

“It was like a tribe of people that was very interesting to hang out with,” he says. “And the parties were so much fun. People did so many cool things.”

“It was really amazing.”

Although the transition to life in Mexico was fairly easy for Skouras, he admits that the country’s approach to time is something he has always struggled with.

“Time does not exist as you or I understand it,” he says. “You can say (one) hour, but it doesn’t really mean anything.”

“Living in the United States, everything works like clockwork in that sense.”

“And here, that doesn’t happen, no one bothers anymore, or really cares. And if you do care they look pretty amazing.”

She says Bardavid found this approach fairly easy to accept, but she found it more difficult.

“It’s still hard for me,” he admits. “But 99.9% of the time, things get done, and usually they get done right.”

“It’s considered rude to be in a hurry, literally. And I have to remind myself of that.”

When she settled in Mexico, Skouras, who had long been a fan of Mexican fashion, began ordering vintage clothes from the 60s and 70s to wear and often received compliments on the clothes.

Feeling inspired, she decided to open a boutique near her home in 2019 to showcase her dress collection as well as sell her own products.

“It was really fun and weird,” he says. “And then came Covid-19 and everything changed shape again.”

“But at the same time I realized it wasn’t the end. It didn’t come. And we’ve done totally different things since then.”

Music connection

In 2021, Skouras and her husband bought a 3-hectare plot of land in Dezemul, a city of about 3,000 inhabitants, and sold their house in Mérida.

When they set out to build a complex in Zemul, the couple realized that there were very deprived areas in the area, and they wanted to find a way to help the children in the area in some way.

“We come here thinking we have to leave to have a better life, and that’s not the point of view here at all,” he says.

“But every now and then there’s a kid who wants to go out and see the world, so how do we help make that a reality?”

“Music and sports are two obvious things. So music became the concept, because my husband and I are both very die-hard fans.”

In September 2021, the couple launched the non-profit music school Kookies Music School, which offers free music classes for children of all ages, a project that they finance themselves.

“We spent half the money we saved to build a house here,” she says. “Because we felt it was the right thing to do.”

Although Skouras entered Mexico on a temporary visa, he is now a permanent resident and is applying for Mexican citizenship.

“I love the country,” he adds. “I love people. And I’d be super, super proud if they accepted me. We’ll find out soon enough.”

In 2022, Scouras’ collection of Mexican dresses will be exhibited at the Yucatan Popular Art Museum in Mérida, which she describes as an “extraordinary and magical experience”.

Tropical storms

While “fires, earthquakes and landslides” were a constant concern while he was in California, living in Mexico didn’t mean Skouras could leave natural disasters behind.

“Here, it’s a hurricane,” he says. “But let’s touch wood, it’s been 20 years since the last direct impact where we are. We have strong tropical storms that are spectacular.”

As for the cost of living, Skouras explains that even though gas is less expensive in Mexico, grocery prices can vary, and some large supermarkets are “more or less on par” with Mexico prices. Major supermarkets in the United States.

Skouras is approached by others thinking of going to Mexico for a while, and advises people to just “do it”.

“It has changed our lives in so many significant ways that we could never have dreamed or imagined,” he says.

“It’s a place full of magic and charm. And there are people who offer all kinds of services to those who don’t speak the language to facilitate their future entry, and to help them with their lives once they’re here.”

“So it’s not particularly hard (to adapt), I think. There are people from all over who come and feel it’s a great place.”

Americans can apply for a temporary resident visa that allows them to stay in Mexico for up to four years, as long as they can demonstrate “financial solvency.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, the question of safety comes up frequently when Skouras is asked about his new life in Mexico.

Currently, the US State Department has “do not travel” warnings in place for six of the 32 Mexican states, with most of the warnings due to crime and kidnapping.

Although Skouras admits there are problems in some areas of the country, she stresses that she always felt “absolutely safe” when she lived there.

“It’s a ridiculous issue on many levels if we compare it to what happens in the United States,” he says. “At the moment, we are completely safe. Nothing is happening here.”

Seven years after packing his bags in California and leaving for Mexico, Skouras’ appreciation for the country and its people is stronger than ever.

He travels to the United States about twice a year, but has no plans to return, as he hopes to stay in Mexico as long as possible.

“Since we’ve spent time here, our connections with the Mexican communities have deepened and allowed us to have a completely different experience,” he says.

“We both believe that, for the foreseeable future, we will be here.”