Where's all the gun fire the press is reporting? What the news media is portraying is ignoring the experience of the majority of American expats, snowbirds and travelers who report such a different picture as to make them question whether there's a political agenda behind the reporting, and they'd like it if the media dogs were called off. How would you like it if the only news broadcast about your favorite places focused on national police blotter coverage? << MORE >>

Marcia Lavender, a talented artist and American expat residing in Mexico, shares her gift of painting with children in Mexico. Like many Americans living in Lake Chapala, Mexico, Lavender donates a lot of time serving her community. In this case she rounded up several local kids involved in grafiti and involved them in painting murals for the Love of Action Orphanage. << MORE >>

Some borders are in your mind, and thank goodness that good people everywhere ignore them when it comes to sharing talents within integrated communities. << MORE >>

Artist Marcia Lavender, American expatriate and former resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has taken several teenagers under her wings as she involves their participation in the painting of murals at a local orphanage in Ajijic Mexico. << MORE >>

Former cardiac care nurse from Asheville, North Carolina, Ernie Howard, moved to Ajijic, Mexico in 2004 where he established himself as an artist; one of the few foreignors invited to the famous Salon de la Plastica Mexicana gallery in Mexico City.<< MORE >>

Americans retired and living in a small town in Mexico share cost of living examples; how the grocery shopping compares to the States.<< MORE >>

Coloradans Miguel Roman and Elaine Cholas escape corporate stress and relocate to Lake Chapala Mexico for the lifestyle and for more time to care for their elder parents. They share the story of their spontaneous trip and leap of faith to start a new life in Mexico.<< MORE >>

For sixteen years I had carried around a sketch of a dream home I wanted to build. I couldn’t afford to build it in the States, but I could and did in Costa Rica at 40% of the cost. I’m sitting in that dream home as I write, Villa Luces que Flotan or House of Lights that Float, high on the slopes of Volcan Poas overlooking the Central Valley.<< MORE >>

Expats are just as likely to be patriots and exercise their vote as those citizens living in the U.S.  Here's the best site I've found for overseas voting information.     ...<< MORE >>

Living abroad is just one of many ways in which our world is flattening. Compare the cost of living between Seattle, WA,and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. << MORE >>

The proximity of good foreign medical practitioners define a livable community for retirees living abroad in much the same way good school districts define desirable livable communities in the States. And from the standpoint of retirees, the attitude of health and wellness providers and access to quality healthcare are the top priority<< MORE >>

You can live a very simple lifestyle in Thailand and still enjoy a lot of amenities. "A lot of people come to visit and then figure out a way to stay and even retire in Thailand," says American expat Cynthia Crowder, "and most of the expats that live here came to visit and never left." << MORE >>

Have you ever wondered what it would be like as an American working in Thailand, raising and entertaining a family? An American describes her family's experiences living in Bangkok, Thailand; popular middle eastern customs like Shisha, five-star movie theaters, and the amount of time they spend traveling for school sporting events and for fun. To hear the live interview CLICK<< MORE >>

An American school teacher shares what it's like to integrate into the Korean and ex-pat population << MORE >>

Click Here to see a map of of three of my favorite destinations on the Northern Coast of Sea of Cortez.