By Kristina Morgan
When a friend of mine and
I heard about Roy Nolan’s red-carpet style movie premiere where we had the
chance to get dressed up, we were really looking forward to going but I didn’t
expect to fall in love again with our
community here at Lake Chapala. Frankly, after 15 years living here I was
already in love with our unique and warm community and didn’t think I could be
any more proud of the place that I call home. Until I say Roy Nolan’s
documentary, Reformatting Retirement on the
Shores of Lake Chapala.Photo - Left to right: Chuck Giles, Donna Mansfield, Sandra Loridans, Roy Nolan and Kristina Morgan
Lake Chapala is set in
the highlands of Jalisco, south of Guadalajara and home to Mexico largest lake
and the largest expat community of northerners in the world. But it’s also home
to some amazing people who have chosen to give back of themselves to the world
and make a difference during their retirement.
Nolan, a Canadian/American living on the south
shore of Lake Chapala worked at the National Film Board of Canada during most
of his twenties. From there he moved on to San Francisco, California in the early
60’s and spent the next thirty five years making films and videos for
educatio
n, industry, television and entertainment. After investigating retirement living in other
Latin American countries, Nolan settled in the Lake Chapala
area. He began to meet people who were getting the most out of their
retirement by developing long-held passions and utilizing a lifetime full of
experience.
Nolan says, “Find a need
and fill it. Live your dream and make this a better world.”
This must be a call that
resonates with a majority of people coming to this area. Lake Chapala isn’t
catering to tourists. This is a truly Mexican area where people come to live
and become a part of the community. In general, because of the foundation laid
here many years before us by people such as Neill James, founder of the Lake
Chapala Society, the Mexican people tend to be more open and welcoming to us as
foreigners because the expats who have come here have had such a positive
impact on their lives.
Neill James started the
tradition in the early 1940s when she came to Ajijic and was a philanthropist
who made a great difference in the area. She invited many of her friends down
to visit and ended up staying and helped and cemented Ajijic as an artist
colony by teaching art to the local children.
Javier Zaragoza, a
painter who studied under Neill James and is responsible for some of the
beautiful murals the area is famous for, wanted to return to Ajijic after many
years in the U.S. but didn’t know how he could do it. Javier says, “It looks
like the universe works in such a way that if we really want something,
sometimes the universe gives us a kick that pushes us to what we want.”
Expats in the community
are working alongside Mexicans to make a difference here.
Donna Mansfield, a
resident at Lake Chapala, says, “The people that you meet down here are already
self-selected to be adventurous and energetic. To be here in the first place
says they’re special. And that’s what makes them such wonderful volunteers,
too.”
Mike Campo, President of
the School for the Deaf says the many things he does are just part of giving
back to the community. “It’s also a very selfish act because it satisfies my
need to be involved using the talent I developed in management and
administration.”
Lee Borden, who works in
the Equine Therapy program, Pasos Milagrosos, sums up the attitude that makes
me so proud of our community. “What do you do when you’re retired? Well,
instead of chasing that dollar down the road try do something good with it once
you have it. Not only your money but spend your time. The people need your time
more than they do your money.”
Ruben Varela volunteers
his time at an orphanage and also teaches English and Spanish, “It feels good
helping and sharing with others. That makes me happy as a human being. That
makes my life. It’s my gasoline to keep going.”
Just to get an idea,
there are people at Lake Chapala working in the following and many more:
- Animal
rescue
- Art Programs
- English libraries
- Music Programs
- Equine Therapy
- The School for the Deaf
- Education Programs
- Live Theatre
- Orphanages
- Ecological/Environmental Programs
….And many more!
Maybe you are going to
spearhead a project here at Lake Chapala someday that will start as a simple
idea and contribute to the community as many of these other projects were
started. Many of the people who came here didn’t intend to get involved in the
ways that they have—things just evolved that way. Life is an adventure and it’s
exciting to know that there are new frontiers to be explored and that you can
make a difference.
Roy Nolan told me that
there’s no other community like ours at Lake Chapala in all of Mexico. I would
bet that there’s no place like our community anywhere else in the world. Viva
Mexico!
Kristina Morgan:
Director of Public Relations for FocusOnMexico.
Focus
On Mexico offers 8-Day Educational Programs to Ajijic and Lake Chapala, Mexico (2nd Best Climate
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