Why Expats Love San Miguel de Allende: A Retiree’s Journey | Expats with Soto

In this episode of “Expats with Soto,” we dive into the captivating experiences of Dona, an American retiree who chose San Miguel de Allende as her home. Discover the unique allure of this beautiful city through her eyes as she shares her journey, the challenges she faced, and the vibrant community she found here. Whether you’re considering moving or just curious about life in San Miguel, Dona’s testimony offers valuable insights and inspiration. Watch now to see why San Miguel de Allende is a top destination for expats!
#ExpatsWithSoto #SanMiguelDeAllende #RetireInMexico #ExpatsLife #ColdwellBankerSmart

[@janicekoenig9217]

Mexicans are some of the kindest people in the world

[@jzuffoletto]

I live part-time in SMA and part-time in Puerto Vallarta. II made a concerted effort to learn Spanish because I prefer to hang out with the locals in both places. Well worth the effort.

[@1EQUALS-INFINITY]

We appreciate it Sir.

[@SanMigueldeAllendRealEstate]

That’s awesome

[@carolseitz9948]

I enjoyed your interview. You sound and look like a fun and happy lady. Im glad to have heard about this place.. . I have a hard time learning Spanish . My Father up rooted me often I spoke French till I was five then to English school then another school back to French . It was so uncomfortable. I quit school in grade 10. Now in retirement I’d like to get my French back and learn Spanish. I’ve been told that second languages grow your brain and prevent S Dementia.😉 😂😊

[@SanMigueldeAllendRealEstate]

Come visit San Miguel and stay for a month to try it! There’s an language academy that teaches deberán languages including Spanish and French.

[@hermanpina5812]

All american and other nationalities' immigrants should learn and try to learn a bit of Spanish. Yes, we Mexican people welcome everybody but please do not assume for a moment that we have the obligation to speak english.

[@killerzombie555]

mejor no lo pudiste haber dicho jajaja yo me esfuerzo por hablar ingles en su pais ellos deberian hacer lo mismo

[@Peter-m5n7m]

If you’re the host country and you’re insisting your guests speak your local language, then you’re not welcoming. Instead, you’re narcissistic, xenophobic and bigoted!! I spend My with people that I feel comfortable with.

[@1EQUALS-INFINITY]

I am going to open up a busyness and I want all people to come in. I am going to speak English to them.

[@hi_wifi_guy]

This is an excellent video, these are questions I would have asked. Thanks so much for posting.

[@jaliscoguanajuatotravelsan5679]

It is a barrier because you are missing out The more Spanish you learn, more doors will open

[@FernandoMartinez-cg7md]

Sale la casa que fue de mis tíos en Villas del Parque =). Qué bonita la tienen.

[@manliobauitsta1341]

En qué minuto sale?

[@FernandoMartinez-cg7md]

@@manliobauitsta1341 8:55

[@carlosmelick7075]

Just a great video. Thanks

[@GavinD50C]

The key takeaway here regarding the language is that you can learn the basics to get by while respecting the fact that we are in Mexico so it is we that must adapt, over time you get more comfortable and expand your capabilities. I live here and hear many of the other expats I encounter doing just this and it being received very well. When you live here you need to learn more that just ordering food or asking directions, your first trip to a local hardware store or specialty business will show you that fast. If you intend to do business here then get fluent, otherwise, make improving your spoken Spanish part of your journey daily.

[@timmaloney6441]

Buen Consejo

[@azul8203]

You’re not an Expat, you’re an Immigrant!

[@GavinD50C]

@@azul8203 Not sure the relevance of your comment? Technically I'm not an Expat nor am I an immigrant. People from other countries "live" here under a variety of circumstances which dictates their official status which, has nothing to do with the message in this video. If you're going to take the time to make a comment, you might want to think it out a bit more and at least contribute to the intent of the thread.

[@timmaloney6441]

A gorgeous smile , beautiful Lady .

[@bluemoon8268]

… very nice montage of visuals after the interview …

[@cloudnationmedia8326]

Thanks for sharing this 😊

[@ReginaldoSotoPineda]

Excelente entrevista.

[@rambriz36]

For those saying speak Spanish. The older you get the harder it gets to learn a new language. Personally, I know family members who had been in the USA since the early 1980s, and they still can't speak English. And I am talking about people who moved to the USA when they were teenagers. Yes, there are millions of people like that. Why? Because they work and socialize only with Spanish speaking people. Now, in the USA you have an option of English and Spanish when you call customer service. They also have signs in Spanish. I wished I had that in 1989. In retrospective, let's not be rude with Gringos. You might not agree with me, but you might have a grateful relative that lives in the USA who benefits from not having to learn English like I did.

[@anniesshenanigans3815]

My hesitation is the language barrier. I am attempting to learn. I work with many Spanish speaking people and they want to speak only English!! So that doesn't help my situation. But I am slowly learning.

[@timmaloney6441]

it can be frustrating but stick with it , it will get better . Today it's harder to find places where no one speaks English . San Miguel is a Tourist Town .

[@infolover_68]

As a Mexican, I recomend you the channel of Superholly: she's American and has lived half of her life in Mexico and the other in USA. Her fluency is flawless in both English and Spanish! Greetings from Puebla, Mexico!!

[@infolover_68]

@@MobileStore-x4h The US do not share your opinion. They consider themselves "Americans"; Canadians and Mexicans are like, that, not Americans...

[@infolover_68]

@@MobileStore-x4h Oh, perhaps you are having a Bad day and want to blame us Mexicans for not speaking English. Spanish is the official language of Mexico or else, go and colonize Mars!!

[@giljusino]

I visited San Miguel recently. Nice place, but too many foreigners. I want a true cross cultural experience when I’m in Mexico.

[@infolover_68]

Come in September or October to Chignahuapan, Puebla; the town is famous for its Christmas spheres handmade! Just gotta walk a lot since several streets are closed to cars and motorized vehicles.

[@1EQUALS-INFINITY]

Queretaro city.

[@audry88lovelylife]

@@giljusino you only visited the rich tourist sites .

[@pablovi77]

It’s not even México, it’s more like a México Hollywood set.

[@1EQUALS-INFINITY]

@@pablovi77 How is it not Mexico?

[@NilDreams]

She’s in Mexico, she should learn their language.

[@timmaloney6441]

For some people , their brains are "just not wired that way". not a problem . San Miguel is very comfortable with foreigners . a beautiful town .

[@NilDreams]

@@timmaloney6441 But even though it might be difficult for some, they should make a real effort to learn the language of the land. Unfortunately, if the area makes it easy for foreigners (because many might speak English) they might become lazy or not feel the need to learn. It happened to my mother who never learned English in her 84 years living in Miami.

[@julienrodot8288]

@Peter-o5k😂😂😂

[@julienrodot8288]

She’s not fluent that does not mean she does not speak at all

[@rickbowker8624]

​@Peter-o5kthere are more than 60 dialects in England alone, then you have several in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Canada, US, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean. Not sure where 4 is derived from

[@audry88lovelylife]

I hope you are doing something to help all the poor families that are locally living there. Provide help for them to go to school and help with their needs. So many USA , and Canadians are buying land over there making it so expensive for the locals to afford living there. There is more to San Miguel than just the Centro and parroquia

[@onevenus6040]

What about Citibank?

[@lindajohnson6163]

An easy way to learn Spanish is to buy music, as you listen, you'll learn entire sentences...and tense. I learned from Julio Iglesias...Mana, Shakira... many others!

[@onevenus6040]

Great idea!

[@privateuno8897]

Thank you!

[@edwardschneider6396]

I visited San Miguel in January and February 2018. I now live in Puerto Vallarta ,Mexico. My best advice is to keep her money in USA banks. An American and Australian expats had over $500,000 stolen from their Mexican bank accounts.Was a nightmare and took months to recover their funds. This was in 2018.

[@alalesc3796]

Great information!

[@jaliscoguanajuatotravelsan5679]

Same reason they go to other Expat enclaves. They don’t have to learn Spanish.

[@patborecky900]

I really liked St Miguel but I love the ocean and there's no lake or ocean to swim in

[@robertlandry5676]

The Sullivans moved there . Dinah

[@lesliephinney7617]

It’s difficult to learn the language as an older adult. It’s stunning there, I lived there a long time. Its infrastructure is very flawed and no longer supports the city.

[@dvdhnnmn]

It’s a beautiful city no doubt. I’ve been wanting to move to Mexico but have serious reservations about it. It doesn’t seem right that we can freely move there but Mexicans aren’t welcome in the US. Also, it seems just wrong that we gringos are gentrifying the place.

[@RexPonder-y6b]

Boy what happened Mexico is now more expensive than the United States. The gringos have destroyed the place.

[@daveed4475]

I spent a lot of time in CDMX last year, which is more expensive than most parts of Mexico. Your statement about it being more expensive than the US is absolutely false.

[@kingcormack8004]

Most of the gentrification in San Miguel is caused by rich Mexican nationals from Mexico City buying weekend homes that stand empty. The expats are less than 8% of the population.

[@SanMigueldeAllendRealEstate]

This information is completely incorrect and lacks any supporting evidence. Our reality is entirely different, and I encourage you to come and see it for yourself.

[@hi_wifi_guy]

You have no idea what you're talking about.

[@davidcosio3864]

I want to get meet with a woman like you. You’re my speed❤❤❤❤❤❤😂🎉

[@peterschnack3518]

San Miguel is a beautiful city but the amount of Gringos have removed every feeling of originality. It is just another Disneyland

[@nutricionysalud5390]

Soy mexicano y he vivido aquí desde hace 23 años y SMA está muy lejos de ser un Disney como tú dices. Los gringos que mencionas son los mismos que hacen un montón de cosas para ayudar a la gente, más que los mismos mexicanos.

[@peterschnack3518]

@@nutricionysalud5390 Tu esta un excepcion. El mejor parte de populacion es Grincos

[@nutricionysalud5390]

@@peterschnack3518 maybe you need a little bit of statistic information. Actualmente, la localidad tiene una población de 160.000 habitantes, de los cuales 13.000 (8.12 %) son de origen extranjero, principalmente de Canadá y Estados Unidos, además de algunos italianos, suizos, ingleses, franceses, entre otros; y en su mayoría son retirados. ( From INEGI)

[@pablovi77]

@@nutricionysalud5390Por supuesto que no serán mayoría, peor son los más visibles, los que más gastan, los que más se ven y consumen productos y servicios, no parece México, es como una versión hollywoodense de México.

[@peterz53]

Thanks, but music needs to be toned down...

[@georginacastellanosramirez6957]

I like most expat videos. This one, not so much.

[@SanMigueldeAllendRealEstate]

Why not ?

[@hi_wifi_guy]

You just had to throw in your mindless negative comment. Kids today are spoiled idiots.

[@Goldwest]

The background music is too loud to understand what anyone is saying.