It makes life easier and more expansive, and it could also keep your brain fit. I had never been one of those people who took language lessons вЂњjust for fun.вЂќ Up front, let me tell you: You should be one of those people. Besides the perfect climate and the beauty of the place, I learned that these days, San Miguel had a sizable gringo community, so maybe I wouldnвЂ™t have to rattle off the espaГ±ol with total fluency immediately. My then-husband hadnвЂ™t had a day of Spanish classes, but he seemed to manage beautifully with the locals (I forgot that his facility with languages had nothing to do with whether I had any-anyway, I hadnвЂ™t been married to him for the last 20 years). I chose to settle in a small mountain city called San Miguel de Allende, where IвЂ™d gone on my first honeymoon, 40 years before. And, crucial to me, IвЂ™d be in the enviable position of living on the dollar in a peso economy. IвЂ™d confirmed on visits over the years that it was a big, beautiful country filled with friendly people. It was south of the border, so no more cold winters. I could easily return for health care-important, since Medicare canвЂ™t be used in foreign countries. It suddenly seemed as if the worst thing would be for my tombstone to say, вЂњShe only lived in one country.вЂќДЄs a country for someone in my position, Mexico seemed to have everything: It was close enough for my family to visit and for me to come back when I wanted to. As I started to recover from the loss, I realized I couldnвЂ™t afford New York City anymore-not the way I wanted to live-and I didnвЂ™t relish moving to a small town, where IвЂ™d just be able to scrape by on Social Security and whatever other small income I had. My cousin, a university Spanish teacher, had more daunting words: вЂњWe tell our students they need to spend four hours studying for every hour of class time.вЂќ People warned me, вЂњAt your age, it wonвЂ™t be easy.вЂќ Others assured me that Spanish was a cinch (it turned out those people had never tried to speak it). There I was-69В years oldВ and going off on the adventure of a lifetime (my lifetime, anyway): starting over in a new country-Mexico-where they spoke a language in which IвЂ™d never had one day of instruction.

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