About Julie
Hello! I am Julie Bloem, 52 years old, and I’ve called a lot of places “home.” My family moved a lot growing up. I spent large chunks of time in Texas (Houston, Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth). I’ve also lived in the metro areas of Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Guadalajara. Recently, I settled with my boyfriend Lurko in the beautiful state of Nayarit, Mexico. We’re an hour north of Puerto Vallarta, and only five minutes from my Mom and Dad.
My parents have lived in Mexico for the last 30 years, and I have learned a lot from them. From my dad, I have learned to be kind and always try to help others. You never know when you yourself might need help. From my mom, I learned to love and appreciate the many facets of Mexican culture. (Art, music, food, architecture, history, design, to name a few). To this day she remains one of my favorite traveling companions.
I have always loved writing, and for a while I thought it would be my career. But after I graduated with a bachelor’s in journalism, I talked myself out of it. 28-Year-Old-Me believed I could never make enough money doing what I loved. I tried a career in public relations instead, but I didn’t fit into either political or corporate environments. Education ended up being a better fit for me. I spent over 20 years in special education — first as a teacher, then I got a master’s and became a diagnostician. My job was to evaluate students to see if they had specific disabilities, such as dyslexia or autism. Then I would provide recommendations on how to best teach them. Today I work remotely from Mexico. While I no longer test students, I do help schools stay in compliance and I still write individualized education plans (IEPs).
I returned to writing, partly out of a need to diversify my income, but mostly because I still love it. I want to use the medium to share with our friends and family what Lurko and I are doing in Mexico. I also want to share our experiences with others who might be thinking about living in Mexico, living off-grid, or both. I also want to use this blog to give back to my community. To that end, you may see me promoting some local businesses or causes. Please support them if you can. Whatever your reasons for joining us, I hope you enjoy the journey.
