56. The Birthday of Freedom.
Early retirement in San Miguel de Allende is not what I thought it would be. It's better.
A year ago, I moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico with two suitcases and a promise I made to return to this town 30 years earlier. I thought I had taken early retirement.
So why am I so busy?
For the first time in my adult life, I don’t work for anyone. No boss, no board, no investors, no clients who set my calendar. I choose how I spend my days, who I spend them with and what I want to create. I wake up to the sounds of birds, never to an alarm.
My rich life here has grown organically. Never from pressure or obligation. Always because I saw a need, met someone extraordinary or had an idea that sounded like fun.
Today is my 56th birthday, and the theme is freedom.
A Very Full Year
TEDx found me again. After years of being connected to TEDx, I now volunteer as a speaker coach for TEDxSanMiguelDeAllende. My dear friend and Love in San Miguel co-founder Araceli Kopiloff and Joseph Bennett are two of the 14 speakers, and about half the lineup are good friends. I am lucky to know some of San Miguel's human jewels.
My boyfriend Jorge and I escaped to the stunning historic town of Guanajuato for a romantic weekend at the 54th annual Festival Internacional Cervantino, where we saw spectacular international dance. This month I also hosted Jorge’s 57th birthday at my house with about 40 of his friends and a live Cuban band. So much good food, music and dancing. It was fabulous.
San Miguel hosts local and global music and dance every night. I danced like a mad woman to Lemon Bucket Orchestra, a Canadian gypsy-steampunk band, enjoyed my friend Jackie Copeland’s soulful African music concert, and repeatedly came upon indigenous dancers and celebrations in the streets.
One of the many reasons I love San Miguel. You go out for a walk and find yourself in the middle of a celebration: a live band, a marching band behind a bride and groom, giant papier-mâché mojigangas that dance through Parque Juárez. Every day I stop and say, this is my life and it’s so beautiful.
And then there’s the Jewish community. The Jewish holidays here were wonderful. I attended gatherings at both Chabad and the JC3 Shalom San Miguel center, and I hosted 75 people for Rosh Hashanah lunch at my house. Last week I welcomed 20 women at my home for a Rosh Chodesh Jewish wisdom new moon celebration and chocolate workshop led by our Chabad rebbetzin.
My life is so rich and full. When I came on a scouting trip last summer, my dear friends Shlomo and Lior visited and said, “No! This town is TOO small for you!” They’re right and they’re wrong. I love how small it is. Every day feels like a hug. It’s perfect.
My Visitors Trying on the San Miguel Life
In my last newsletter, I told you about Richard Byrne, 73, from Colorado, who Googled where a 70-year-old man could find love living abroad. He found my group Love in San Miguel and messaged me. So we found him a place to stay and for fun I posted his story on the “Ladies of San Miguel” Facebook group and he had over 50 comments.
Richard came to San Miguel for two weeks and went on more than ten dates. He’s narrowed his search down to one woman and he’s already booked another trip to see her. I’m so happy for him. The truth is he did what most people would be afraid to do. He said he’d move to a foreign country if he knew he could find love.
Then my friends Benjamin and Allison from Atlanta also came for three weeks. I hung out with them last year when they came and encouraged them to come back not as visitors but as performing artists. So they stayed in my casita and performed two wonderful shows that combined his classical guitar and her extraordinary adult-only puppetry. I helped them book the venues and sell the tickets. Benjamin said he made more male friends in three weeks than he had in Atlanta in 25 years.
This is what I love to help make happen: people who arrive as visitors and leave with people who miss them when they leave.
My Three Sons (& Daughter in Law)
My youngest Hillel is at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he studies forestry and loves it. With my U.S. home base now in Washington State, I look forward to more time in the Pacific Northwest and exploring Vancouver with him.
My son Jonas and daughter-in-law Katie in San Diego have invited me and Jorge to join them in Argentina on an upcoming trip.
And my eldest, Gabriel, has gone back to college to become an airplane mechanic. He’s also a passionate diver and has invited me to meet him in Playa del Carmen in January for his cave dive course.
So retirement of course includes travel to see the kids. Here's an ironic photo from our last family gathering.
Love in San Miguel
I started my first singles social club when I was in my early 20s, so no surprise I’d do it again here. Love in San Miguel, the bilingual social club I co-founded with my friend Araceli Kopiloff, has grown to more than 500 people. Our mission: to help you find the people to do the things you love in San Miguel.
It began as a community for singles and now includes couples, longtime residents and newcomers, and more than half our members are Mexican. Yes, romance happens. Mostly, friendships begin.
Curious? Visit the new Love in San Miguel website.
More and more people from ask me whether San Miguel could be right for them. Some are ready to retire. Some are tired of the political divisiveness and fear back home. Others simply wonder whether there’s another way to live in beauty and peace.
Is San Miguel Your Next Chapter? I love helping people explore this question.
Through Casa Avra, I work with people in the U.S. and Canada before they decide to move. My years as a financial advisor and venture capitalist shape how I approach it. A move abroad is a major life and financial decision, much like the launch of a company. You need to understand the risks, ask the right questions, get clear on what matters most and decide whether you’re ready to take the leap.
And there’s one question most people don’t think to ask until after they arrive:
Will I find my people here?
That question is at the heart of my work. The Live in San Miguel company recently published a feature article about my journey and why I believe your people matter as much as your home.
Read: Audrey Jacobs and the Art of Finding Your People
The People Who Make It Possible
One of the best things about living in San Miguel is the extraordinary Mexican friends I've made. They know this city in ways I never could, and I'm thrilled to introduce visitors to them.
Meet Klaudia Oliver
When I first arrived in San Miguel, I stayed in one of Klaudia's beautiful homes. Before I could even put down my bags, she whisked me off to a party with her closest friends. That's Klaudia.
She's the founder of TEDxSanMiguelDeAllende, a real estate professional, licensed tour guide, event producer and cultural ambassador recognized by the city. She's also become one of my dearest friends.
Klaudia manages Casa Avra's local rental and experience services in Mexico. She and her team can help you find a beautiful home, arrange extraordinary cultural experiences and connect you with trusted local professionals.
Visit for the Holidays
November and December may be my favorite months in San Miguel. The rainy season is over, the days are warm and sunny, the nights are crisp, and the city is full of music, festivals and dinner parties. And before the January snowbirds arrive, there's still a wonderful calm.
Klaudia has beautiful homes available for November and December, with special rates starting at $500 USD a week.
Be spontaneous. Come for a week, two weeks or a month. Tell us your dates, and Klaudia and her team can help you find a fabulous place and design an extraordinary San Miguel experience.
My Birthday Wish for You
Today I’m 56. I have three wonderful sons, an extraordinary circle of friends, a Mexican boyfriend I adore, and a life full of music, art, friendship, community and unexpected adventures.
But the greatest gift is freedom. Freedom to choose where I live. Freedom to choose who I spend time with. Freedom to create a life that feels like mine.
In Jewish tradition, there’s a beautiful custom: on your birthday, you offer blessings to others. So here’s mine for you.
May you have the courage to follow your dreams, wherever in the world they take you. May you find a place that gives you peace, people who give you joy, and the freedom to create a life you love.
And if you’re curious whether San Miguel might be part of your next chapter, or you just need a fabulous place to stay, I’d love to talk.
With love from San Miguel,
Audrey Jacobs