150. Mamis Abroad: Making Radical Decisions for Your Kids' Future with Alyssa Bolaños

In this episode of the "Mamis Abroad" series, I sit down with Alyssa Bolaños, the Latina mom behind @casabolanos, who made the radical decision to leave the U.S. with her family and embrace world schooling abroad. We dive deep into what it really takes to uproot your life, sell everything you own, and create a new future for your kids outside of the United States. Alyssa's story is raw, honest, and incredibly inspiring, especially for those who've been feeling that whisper of "what if we just... left?"

For detailed show notes, visit vivalamami.com/episode150

What You'll Hear:

• How the current administration pushed Alyssa and her husband to make the move they'd been dreaming about
• Why Alyssa chose to honor her family's sacrifices by making her own radical choice for her kids
• The overwhelming (but doable!) process of relocating internationally
• How Alyssa is giving her kids a childhood filled with real-world learning, language immersion, and experiences that go beyond traditional schooling
• Finding home as a third culture kid and embracing life as a "citizen of the world" while living abroad

Resources Mentioned:

• Boundless Life: World schooling program for families (use code: ALYBOL94 for $450 USD / €400 EUR off)

Follow Alyssa's journey: 

• Instagram: @casabolanos
• TikTok: @casabolanos
• YouTube: @Casa_Bolanos
• Website: www.casabolanos.com

Transcript

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 0:00

I realized that my family's gonna do what's best for them. Every, every person is gonna do what's best for them. Just like my family thought leaving Cuba was the best choice. And I agree. I think it was just like my mom made the choice to go to Tunisia where I was born and then come back to the states. They made those choices, so it's time to make mine for my kids, and maybe one day my kids will wanna leave and move somewhere else. That's their choice. But I couldn't live in my head for my family, where they might not necessarily take me into consideration for a lot of their decisions.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 1:37

Ola. Ola Miga. Welcome to the Viva La Mommy Podcast. I'm your host Jessica Cuevas, and in today's episode, I am so excited to have a wonderful person. I've been following her for a couple years now and just how her content and life has changed within the past couple of years. And I am very excited to have Ali Anos. She is a Latina mom, advocate and creative traveling the world and taking her family along for the ride. And currently she's in UA with her family and she shares her family's journey and through her platform, Casa Enos, she is kind of redefining what. Moving abroad with your family looks like. And honestly, Alyssa, you are one of the first, people on the show that we're going to chat more about what it's like, moving abroad with your family. Because I think that there is a lack of representation within moms specifically and Latina families that are moving abroad, even though there is kind of a wave of like people moving outside of the US I feel that it is time for us to just share our experiences and what really led us into fleeing the US. And obviously in considering today's world and political climate, there are truly reasons why. But I wanted to have you and give you the space and the opportunity to chat more about this, um, so that hopefully we can inspire other folks to do that. So thank you so much for being on the show,

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 3:16

Oh, thank you for having me. I mean, we've been trying to do this for, yeah, we've been following each other for years now, and I'm just, I'm very excited that we get to do this and our lives have kind of taken parallel paths, so it's gonna be fun to talk about.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 3:29

I know it's wild, right? Isn't it wild? Yes. So Alyssa, you made, What many would call a kind of radical decision. And I think oftentimes when you have a family, you don't even think about moving outside your neighborhood, let alone outside the us, you know, to travel the world with your familia. And so can you take us back to the moment when you knew that? This just wasn't a dream that it was actually going to do that you're gonna actually do something to move out of the US so what was the breaking point in making that decision?

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 4:07

Um, that's a good question. So, I mean, I've wanted to leave the US for as long as I can remember ever since I started learning about, um, the history of Latino America and traveling. But I met my husband and we settled down and it just didn't seem like a possibility. Or it was like, you know, in like. And honestly the breaking point was this administration. Um, it is a very scary time to be Latino in the US right now, or, or just anything other than a white American. Um, and seeing the way that the country was going, fearing for our kids' future, even their safety in school. Finally, my husband was like, okay, you win. This is not the place to be. We need to do. It's not about us anymore, it's about our kids and their future. Um, so finally I won.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 5:01

Ting, ding, ding. No. Yes, yes. Yeah. And I'm glad that your husband. Was willing to listen to you, right? That it wasn't just like, you know, it's just like one of her dreams that are not realistic, but in reality, like he was there for you and you both work together. And I think that alone is a big, um. That can make a big impact. I think when partners both agree and listen to each other's dreams, ride and kinda work things together to make this possible. And I am glad that your husband was on board too, and it's interesting, right, that when, especially as like children of immigrants, and I don't know if you wanna provide your background, I mean, I

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 5:44

Yeah, no, I mean,

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 5:46

for

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 5:46

happy to. Um, I, so I was born a US citizens, but I was born to a Cuban mom in a very small North African country called Tunisia. Um, like the scene in mean girls where it's like, if you're from Africa, why are you white? Like, that was my whole life growing up and I was like, I feel so seen. But I, I grew up in a very multicultural house. Um, a big multicultural family. We had, um, Colombian influence, Italian influence, Egyptian influence. So I was always raised with this. I always had this feeling of media. Yeah. You know, born somewhere else, raised in a different culture, in a different country, different from my culture. So it was very confusing to grow up.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 6:28

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so like being that you are a daughter of immigrants, you know, a lot of times our families just want us to like settle in because they did the work to leave their home countries, you know, establish themselves into a different country and culture. And I don. Think even for my family, I don't think that was ever my parents' dream for me to move outside of the US even though now coincidentally enough, they're also returning to Meco and living the retired life. Yeah, like have you received any kind of like pushback on that and know, what would you say to someone that is wanting to leave the US but perhaps feels kind of conflicted or influenced by what their family says?

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 7:15

I got a lot of pushback. I mean, my family literally fled a dictatorship. You know, to come to the US and there was the land of opportunities, you know, where we could do anything we wanted. And, and I give my grandmother all the credit because I was really raised thinking that I could do whatever I want, including leaving. Um, and my family just couldn't understand like, he left for a better life here. Why would you wanna live here? They don't get that. There might be a better life somewhere else. Right. Um, and. It honestly helped me there for a long time too, because we are such a close family. I care a lot what they think. Um, but I realized that my family's gonna do what's best for them. Every, every person is gonna do what's best for them. Just like my family thought leaving Cuba was the best choice. And I agree. I think it was just like my mom made the choice to go to Tunisia where I was born and then come back to the states. They made those choices, so it's time to make mine for my kids, and maybe one day my kids will wanna leave and move somewhere else. That's their choice. But I couldn't live in my head for my family, where they might not necessarily take me into consideration for a lot of their decisions.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 8:28

I love that. I think it's, it definitely helps you feel empowered in making your own decisions because of your children, and that's what we did as well. You know, and, and I wouldn't say necessarily for us that we moved because of this administration. But it's tied in with the administration that there have historically been so many barriers for my family, for my kind of generation as a daughter of immigrants Uh, surpass because of the structures and policies that have been put into play in terms of childcare costs, right? In terms of, you know, first generation professionals trying to level up. But unfortunately, there's still this kind of stigma, especially as a woman of color that cannot level up. Um. As well as like generational wealth. Like we, we don't come from money at all, and so in terms of affording a family in the US is just

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 9:34

to impossible, honestly.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 9:36

Yeah.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 9:37

that that's also, you gotta remember there's healthcare costs, right? Like you said, childcare costs, food costs, it just all the costs, right? It's a, it's a country run on profit. And I mean, I get it, it's a business, but it just, there's other ways to live and that's not how we wanted to live. We didn't want that hustle.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 9:54

Mm-hmm.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 9:56

life balance. We wanted to give our kids a childhood that I guess we had in the nineties,'cause it was still a different time back then.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 10:04

Yeah.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 10:04

But yeah, it's just, it's really almost impossible to raise kids in the States these days.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 10:10

Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. And yeah, and ultimately, yeah, it's all tied in with what we want, what's best for our kids so that we can be present parents and, and it's yeah, like having a different quality of life that. You know, it worked for others and maybe it does work for others now, but I don't think the way that things are going right, like it's not going to be sustainable, uh, for families. Like it's, it's a win-lose type of situation and I want a win-win situation, right? Like, um, and, and yeah, it's very hard to, when with family who have fled their home countries to have these conversations. Perhaps they did achieve the American dream or part of it, but at least for our generation, it's very hard to grasp on that narrative when you know that your family is struggling or when you know that it is impossible to have that work. You know, that work-life balance, um, and not. To worry about, like whether if your kids are gonna make it safe or you know, at school. Like there's so many nuances that unfortunately it's making us believe that yeah, this American dream isn't for us. Like it's

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 11:25

Yes. Well, I keep saying that the new American dream is in Latino America because the states is not it. You know, our, our parents, I mean, depending on when our parents got there too, different things were more attainable, right? Um, owning a home was cheaper food. All of these things were completely different than it is today. You know, it's very hard for millennial parents, for example, to buy a house and again, do childcare and do all of these things on top of it. It's just, it's not a way to live.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 11:53

And look at us now, uh, that we left the countries and I love it that it was around the

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 11:58

It really.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 11:59

as well. That Yeah. Yeah. love it. And you know, you definitely mentioned about having this feeling of that. Yeah. And I can, I can relate in some aspect of it, right? In terms of not being too like. Or, you know, and not being too Mexicana whenever I would come visit my family. And so that feeling of like not fully belonging anywhere is definitely a sentiment that all of us can relate. Yours is very unique, obviously. Um, and so did you think that leaving the US would solve that

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 12:35

Um, I've actually, I've come to terms with being a lifelong immigrant, right? Like, I just, I think it's part of my identity now. You know, I was born in another country, raised in a different country. Now I live in a completely different country. Um, I've kind of embraced this feeling of other, um, I also, in my travels, learned of the term third culture kid, which I was like, oh, this makes sense, which is. You know, your parents might be of one culture. You might live in a different culture, different from your own. It's just this mix of things and I was like, okay, that's, that's me. And it's okay to not be from one place. I'm from a lot of places and I kind of like that. I'm a

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 13:15

Yeah.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 13:16

of the world, if you will.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 13:18

Yes. I love that. I love that. Yeah, and, and I think it's because of the. American culture, right? That you should feel kind of grateful that you were brought up in a country that is superior than others. Right? And, it's again, that narrative that we should kind of be thankful for the, the sacrifices that our family has made. And now we are living that dream, quote unquote. But in reality, like. It wasn't until I moved to Mexico that even Mexico alone, it's a multicultural, uh, country. You know, there's so many families here that immigrated from Japan and the kids are like Mexicanos. They were born and raised here. And even though in the US like it's considered, I hate that term, like the melting pot. I think that it's obviously an outdated term, but. You know, with the US I think that people wanna assimilate to be in this different country and kind of forget where they came from. And now that I'm seeing it from a different perspective and a different lens, and living in a different country, it's. You know, as if you are embracing your sense of belonging and wherever you wanna be, if that makes sense. And so, yeah, like moving abroad really has at least helped my perspective terms of like, we can belong anywhere. Like we deserve that. And especially now living in a, in Mexico, like the Motherland where my family from, I have that leverage in at least. I could be in two places and at at once, if that makes sense. And with you growing up a, as someone who, you know, was born in a different country, grew up in the us your family was from a different country where you were born from, like it does allow you also to feel that you do have a sense of belonging because think that is the spirit of growing up in a multicultural like world. And the US shouldn't just displace that notion, I think. But it just wants to, wants people to just like feel a Super American as if it were a country that's like the best in the world. Right? And I think that that is a constant narrative that I often get and, and I'm glad that we're helping reframe that. I

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 15:45

absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, the United States as a country, literally founded by immigrants, right? Or really wanna say stolen, but. You know, it was others that came to make it what it is today. I was raised in New York City, so it really was like a melting pot because I had the whole world on a subway line. You know, like I got to experience all these other cultures in one of the most diverse boroughs in the world and, and it definitely was a unique way to grow up and I think helped gimme that worldview. But it's really hard to say that the US is the greatest country when you can't even offer its citizens healthcare or.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 16:21

Yep.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 16:21

know, food stamps or just paid time off or paid parental leave. I mean, there's a lot of things that, you know, I,

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 16:29

Mm-hmm.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 16:30

going back to what you said about being grateful, I think we can be grateful and leaving the US doesn't mean we weren't grateful for being raised there. I was extremely grateful for being raised in the US versus being raised in Tunisia, which is a very Muslim country that, you know, I obviously had more. Rights, so to speak, growing up in the us. But you know, at the same time, I could see that there are so many places that are better, and because I'm so grateful my family moved there and gave me those opportunities, now I can make that decision for myself and my family.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 17:02

And yeah, we have that freedom to choose what we want and what's best for our families. And I think one of the biggest questions I get from, you know, mommies who have. Seeing our journey moving to Mexico is how is it even possible to move our family abroad? Like I, receive a bunch of dms about like, man, like I, I really want this to happen. I really want my children to have a different life than the life that we're living right now. But how is it even possible? And you've shared, you know, your whole journey, like literally selling all of your things, having an estate sale and all of that. You know, walk us through like the actual practical side. Like how did you start out with like the planning stage? Like what did you do during that stage and were you surprised in making that happen and making it a reality?

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 17:59

Yes and no because Well, yes, because I've been wanting it for so long, and before I even go into that, I just wanna mention, you know, our parents came here and no one asked our parents how, how did they do it? They just did it, right? They just did it. So I almost wanna tell people like, we just did it. Like if you figure it out as you go, right, you just do it. Um, but yeah, we, I would say January, 2025, we decided, okay, we are done. Um, in August we left. So we just started planning like, okay, let's just start selling everything. That was number one, as fast as you can, um, as early as you could start, sell everything that you don't need to take. Right? Facebook, marketplace estate sales. We have like four or five estate sales, and I don't necessarily recommend that because. But we got everything out right? Um, and like those things help fund your trip too and help fund your move, right? Give you that extra cash on hand. Like, we're not rich by any means. We have no generational wealth. We just needed to make it happen. Um, so we just, yeah, started selling everything that we could. Um, luckily we work a job that we can work from anywhere, which I would also say is probably one of the first steps for people. Make sure you. Can have a living right. Somewhere else because you don't wanna do all that and just have to come back or struggle right. Somewhere else. But, um, man, it was a process. I wish I had more time to do it. I feel like we also did at the same time, so I don't know how you felt. I was so overwhelmed. I was, I was so stressed out. I got Bell's Palsy. I don't know if you remember that. Like my whole face

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 19:34

yes.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 19:35

paralyzed from the stress of everything. Um,

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 19:38

Oh

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 19:38

but, but we did it. Like we did it sometimes. I don't even know how I had you do it. I dunno. It was a blur. Like I just,

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 19:46

I know. Especially for you because you had a couple suitcases, like we at least were able to drive and we just like sh. everything in there as much as we could, and then the rest we ended up just like leaving it in the dumpster. Um, or not dumpster, but people, for them to

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 20:02

right. Right.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 20:03

uh, in the alley. Yeah. And

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 20:06

mean, we, we shipped stuff. We did, we shipped two boxes. Um, so our home base is Colombia. My husband's from there. He's my escape plan. Like, I like to joke, like, you know, like we have papers there, so that obviously makes the move a little bit easier. And that's a privilege, just like you had that as well for Mexico, that was a 100% privilege that we do not, um, that we acknowledge. But yeah, we were able to find a company that shipped by volume, not by weight. So just they charge you for the size of the box. So we stopped everything that we could in two big boxes. We're gonna open those boxes because we still haven't been to our house in Columbia yet. Since we're in Wai, I know we're gonna open it. We're gonna be like, why did we pack this?

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 20:49

Yep. Was it a necessity? I know that's, that's what I wonder all the time too. Like I was like, it wasn't a necessity. Like, and the thing is that you can find everything, you know, outside of the US we have that mentality, you know, we're never gonna find this. Like I'm thinking, um, I don't know this like specific brand of like band-aids that I use for the kids. And I'm like, I'm never gonna find these. And I'm like, well, there's like. alternatives, you know? And, and yeah. And I think it's that mentality that again, we, we still believe, and even there are times when I catch myself, I'm like, oh, like this brand was better in the US versus like this brand here in Mexico and or the quality

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 21:31

Right.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 21:32

right? But in reality, like people survive in other countries.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 21:36

It's,

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 21:37

are still living,

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 21:38

different. That doesn't mean that it's wrong or worse, right. I don't know if you get this, but I get this a lot. The misconception that people have of Latino America as if we don't have modern conveniences. You know, like I know not every house has this, but like we have a central heat and air in our house, right? Like there are roads and stoplights. Like people sometimes think that we are stuck in this. I don't know what world, but Latino America is like in Royo. Like there's innovative cities and countries and it's like you said, you could find everything that you need. At this point.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 22:13

Yes, absolutely. Well, thank you for sharing, your experience in terms of like. The move and, and selling everything. And I think that along with like not having that sentimental attachment to things. Uh, and I get it as like children of immigrants, or I don't know if this is your situation, but like my dad, like he, till this day, now that they moved to Mexico, he left a big, like, um, shed, like, he built a shed. Their house.'cause they're still keeping their house. My sister's renting their house now the US and he had to keep all the machinery and I, when I last visited, I saw boxes of like VHS, like Disney movies that we grew up in the nineties. And I'm like, but I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna use that. Like, it's okay, you can let that go. He's like, no, this is so much money accumulated and I can let that go. And I'm like. Okay. And so, and I know that it is really hard to let go of things, but like how you, you know, going back to what you said in terms of like, well, our families were able to just like immigrate and leave everything behind. Like that is also like the mindset that, you know, if you really wanna take your family abroad and move somewhere outside of the US and knowing that you may be limited to like the things that you have to bring with. It's okay to

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 23:38

Yeah. Yeah,

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 23:39

and,

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 23:40

it's definitely hard and I, I would say it's probably one of the hardest things, right? That

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 23:44

Mm-hmm.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 23:44

letting go of a lot of that stuff. And I mean, there's a, a lot of pictures I kept and there's definitely some sentimental things that I, you have to, right. But at the same time. That letting go because our families, I mean, I don't know about your family, but my family left with the clothes on their back. Like the Cuban government took their house and they're like chow, like, sorry. And my mom did the same thing in Tunisia. So I was like, all right, Eno. Like at the end of the day, it's just stuff, right? You can't take it with you. You have the memories. And honestly, I think that was hard for my kids too, right?'cause they're four and five at the time of our move. They want all their toys, right? And all their artwork and all their things and, and try and explain to them, Papi, well we don't need that and we can make more and we can get other toys. And that was definitely, um, interesting to navigate.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 24:35

Yeah. Yeah. And I was actually gonna ask like, how did your kids take it, you know, with the move and how did you initiate those conversations about that you're gonna sell the house and leave everything behind?

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 24:49

Um, my, we definitely did it with my oldest'cause he just understands more. Um, he was, he would understand at times and other times, even now sometimes he's like, I miss our Florida house. And I'm like, yeah, baby. But you know, we, we talked to him. How do I put this, you know, age appropriate, but we still didn't wanna lie to him. So how we explained to him was, you know, right now in Florida, there's people that are mean to people who speak Spanish like us, and it's not necessarily safe for us. Um, so we come to, you know, Colombia, we're, we're, you know, we're trying to be based out of, because we're with our family and it's safer there and more memories and we just try to get them excited about it. Um, we've traveled with them since they were young. So they're used to that aspect of kind of leaving stuff and traveling. So it wasn't too bad. Um, and because we were big in sustainability, you know, we explained to them, you know, how we're using, they know about reusing, getting secondhand, and we, we say, well, you know, all these toys and other little boy or girls gonna be able to play with them and love them as much as you did. And that was probably the easiest thing to say to them. They're like, okay, just throw stuff in the box.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 26:04

I just love it that kids are so like. Resilient. Like they are open to change when in fact we believe that they are not, like, we believe that they're gonna have such a hard transition. That and yes, certain nuances like, yes, like, you know, it was really hard for my kids to sleep in their own new bed, like bedroom. Um, that was a little hard, but obviously we were like, okay, you can. Come on our bed

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 26:32

There's an adjustment period. Yeah.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 26:34

yes, yes. But in terms of making a big move like this, like I think that a lot of families hesitate in actually even thinking about it. They're gonna think, oh, well my kids are not gonna grow up in like their childhood home the way that I grew up in. Or, you know, um, oh, they're gonna lose their friends, or they're gonna. don't know, just like all of these thoughts that oftentimes guilt,

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 26:58

Oh yeah.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 26:59

guilt, know, and, and I think that with you sharing your experience and even with me, like I think that we are allowing people to see it from a different perspective. And ultimately it's essentially like, what are we giving in like. I would much rather prefer for my kids to be in a school where they are safe here in Mexico than in the us. To be honest, like last year when my then 3-year-old, he, he was in like pre-K three, um, and he was only there for like two and a half hours, which didn't allow me to do anything. But he was in school. He, they had to do like a lockdown

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 27:43

Hmm.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 27:44

At three years old, and now that I'm sharing this to like the families Atki in Mexico, they're like, what? What is, what is a what, what is a

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 27:52

Yeah.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 27:53

they don't even, they don't even do that. They only do tornado, no, not even tornado drills. They do like fire drills, E like, um, earthquake

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 28:01

Yeah. Which normal,

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 28:03

even Right.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 28:04

but gun. Gun drills, shooting drills aren't normal. Right? Because we could have just had gun reform, right? We could have just avoided all of this after 1999. Right? But instead,

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 28:16

Yeah.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 28:16

this has become so normalized in our schools. And we didn't want that. We didn't want our kids to grow up with that. My brother's a teacher in Florida too, and he would tell us about his drills and he would be so scared. He's like, you know, I, obviously, I'm gonna protect my kids, but I have to maybe lose my life to protect a child that's not mine. Like, that was a hard thing for him to grasp. I was like, wow. Like

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 28:37

Yeah.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 28:37

I don't even want my kids to deal with that. You know? And, and I, I haven't talked about this much, but we also had an incident in our school where my boys were about safety. Um, and I can't talk about it too much'cause we're currently suing them because of it, because they put our child's lives actually at risk. Um,

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 28:55

Oh my gosh.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 28:56

and that again was our, yeah, okay, we're outta here. That's, that helped me start homeschooling to kind of prepare us for this. But I was just like, this is normal in the Florida school system, which is normal. Like how, how are we treating our children this way? Um, and again, so many schools around the world just don't do that. Or foster creativity with kids and you know, instead of sitting at a desk all day, we just, we knew that there was a better way for our kids, a better life.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 29:24

Yes. Yes, absolutely. And now you are world schooling your kids. So can you kind tell our listeners, um, or those watching on YouTube, like what world schooling is and what types of opportunities are there families who wanna make that initial step in moving abroad?

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 29:43

So world schooling is basically homeschooling, but you're using the world around you and essentially. Traveling to these places to take deeper dives. So, um, right now we're in Uruguay. We're learning a lot about nature and, um, sustainability and the un like sustainable development goals because that's something that is valued here in Uruguay. Um, we've taken the boys a lot of different places, um, and had like biology class at the world's largest aquarium or the north or the North America's largest aquaquarium, you know, just different things like that. Basically giving them. Real life lessons out in the world. Um, and there's other ways to home World school too. Right now we're world schooling with a program that the kids go to school with other international kids, um, and they're, you know, taught by a teacher, which is nice that I have a little bit of a break because it's a lot to homeschool two kids. Um, so it's, it's nice. Um. Kind of, I'm kind of getting used to this kind of world schooling and, and we've been looking into it more where you travel and you spend three months, six months, a year in a different country and the kids are going to school, uh, regular, you know, or a similar school system that you'd be used to. Um, just in another country. They get that language immersion as well. Um, which is something that we really, we really wanted with our kids.'cause they are bilingual, so we wanted to strengthen their, um, Spanish. We are here in Uruguay with a company called Boundless Life, which they have 9, 10, 11 locations. They just opened Japan and France. Um, and you could do three months, which is what we're doing, six months or nine months. And again, the kids go to school. The parents, they give you a coworking hub, which is nice that we have wifi and coffee there. Um, we do cultural and immersive events together. Oh, we also have the freedom to explore on our own. So it's a nice. We thought it would be a good way to kind of, um, take the first steps into Latino America, kind of ease the boys into it. Um, but we still have plans to travel to different places and learn.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 31:52

Yes. Oh my gosh. That's so exciting. And if you have a link,

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 31:56

Yeah,

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 31:57

I don't know if you have a

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 31:58

I can send you the quote. I have a quote. I think it's, um, Ali Bowl do one, but it gets people like 400, uh, euros. So$450 off. It's a great resource. It's a great first step, especially for people who are maybe considering leaving the country permanently but unsure. Um, you have support, which is something that you don't always have when you're going to a new country. Even if you have family there, you know, you, you have a village essentially. You have people to help you with your kid. Everyone's kind of in the same boat as you. With the same kind of ideals, which is nice, um, to have, you know, you're not just jumping in blind. And a lot of families use this as a way to see if they wanna live. Like there's, um, one family bought a house here in Wai after being in this program. They're like, yeah, we're staying. We love it.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 32:45

That's awesome. Wow. That's awesome. Yeah, and I think, yeah, as moms, right, shouldn't limit ourselves in having our own dreams, right? And that's something that I think it's tied in like yes, like we made the decision for our family, but I've also wanted to move somewhere outside of Chicago. Like I was born and raised in Chicago, like Illinois is all what I know, right? And. And I wanted something different every time. Whenever we would go to, like, this was pre babies Premo life. Like

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 33:19

Oh, what is that?

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 33:20

We, I've been to Uruguay too. Yes. Right. What was that? What, who, who was that person? But, um, I've always told my husband, I'm like, man, I wanna live here. He's like, oh, here we go again. As soon as we go to a different country, you wanna move there Like, but. know, I think that as soon as I became a mom, like for some reason I became this like whole different person obviously, it, it allowed me at least to like dream even bigger and bring my family

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 33:50

Yeah.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 33:51

the, the high stakes that are going on right now in the us. Like it motivated me even more and it created this like crazy imagination that I never thought would be possible. And so with you like. like you mentioned that everything that is going on with the US it motivated you. Like what was like your biggest motivation, um, for your family in choosing UA and choosing this program and or, you know, world schooling your kids? Like what was, what has been one thing I guess that really motivated you to do this radical thing?

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 34:29

I mean, first gen travel has always been for me, kind of similar to you traveling a lot to kind of really honor, like the fact that I had a lot of family that couldn't, right? My husband had a lot of family that couldn't, they couldn't. Once you're in the US you kind of gotta stay there for a while. Um. While you're in process or just because you know you can't leave. Um, and I know a lot of people understand what that means. Um, so being able to give my kids that I couldn't travel when I was young. I couldn't go to my homeland on summer vacation like everyone else. Um, so

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 35:09

Hmm.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 35:09

being able to give my kids literally the world has been the best part about this and showing them that. They don't have to settle that the world is so big that there's so many different just cultures and different things out there. And my kids, and I hope they stay like this, but they're so empathetic and they're so open-minded, and they remind me a lot of times too, sometimes we're around and they, I don't know, they'll just say something and I'm like, how did you know that? Or like, where did you learn that? Or like, oh, okay, this travel thing is really working. You know, it's been, that's probably been the, the best motivation is giving them the literal world.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 35:50

I love it. And essentially becoming global citizens I think that it allows them to not just, you know, just see things differently, but like you said, it creates empathy. It creates like a better understanding of the sense of the world around them, not just like. The US and you know, in thinking that the US is the best country in the world when in reality, I mean, what, what I've seen through travels in the past, right? And even now living in Mexico. There's a better life out there, you know, and, and especially for us being children of immigrants, we can have that leverage and literally going back to our homeland or figuring out, okay, well if I become a, a Mexican citizen, I can actually live in Colombia without a specific visa. You know, like all of these different nuances that, um, can essentially bring, like, it allows us to have more open doors. That is through that immigrant experience, right? From our families and how we can leverage our way into different opportunities,

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 36:59

I agree.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 37:00

I think that's

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 37:00

I think it's very healing. Um, a lot of people don't really talk about the generational trauma that comes with being first gen. Right? Or children of immigrants, or even second gen. Right. Um, and being able to reclaim our homeland like that and be able to live there and survive there, obviously, you know, our parents left for a reason and it's usually not a reason that they wanted to leave. Right. Um, but being able to go back, being able to give our kids their culture, it's just, I don't know, I don't think there's really words to express that gratitude of being able to do that.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 37:35

through your content, you're literally showing families what life is possible. And I love that you have been very transparent, uh, open about your experience there, and. What is something that you hope a Latina mom specifically can take away from your story, and especially those who are, you know, kind of tinkering with the thought, like, oh, should I move out? Like, should I move to another country? what, what would you say to that?

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 38:05

I would say life's too short. I would say take the risk. You could always go back, right? You can always go back, but you don't know what you might be missing or what you might be able to give your kids somewhere else. Um, it's hard, but not as hard as people think. Right. I think we get stuck in our heads a lot of like, oh my God, this is very overwhelming. And it is, but then you do it and you're like. Oh my God. Like this is, this happened, right? It's, it's, it's happening. And, and we forget that people live in cities all over the world, right? The US is not the only place to live. Um, so I think that really being able to honor our Latina and our culture abroad, or even if we weren't living in Latino medica, raising our kids bilingual, even if we lived in Paris, you know, it's an act of resistance and it's a powerful one. I would just tell other LA Latina moms and Latinx parents, like, just do it. Take the risk. Take the risk. Because you don't wanna grow old and wonder, Hey, what if I did this, you know?

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 39:07

Yeah. Yeah, I've definitely received a lot of, uh, just like comments, whether in person or through dms about this was something I really wanted to do when I was like a younger mom, and now that my kids are teenagers, it's even impossible for me to abroad. And so yeah, like just putting that into consideration, you know, that Yeah. Life is short life. Does, you know, pass on, like, I can't believe we're already one more than three months in, almost four

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 39:34

I don't.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 39:35

in, in Mexico. Yeah. And I'm like, wow. Like when you really think about the summer, like summer was such a

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 39:41

Oh my God, yes.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 39:42

was such a

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 39:42

Same.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 39:43

just trying to get rid of our things. But when you put into perspective that now we feel ourselves a little established, you know, we, we have gotten to the routine, you know, this is La Vida in Mexico, like. It just I'm just surprised that we actually got here, like we're actually living this new life and, and I know that when we had those initial conversations, my husband and I about moving to Mexico, like imagine if we would've just like closed that down. Imagine if we would've said like, no, this, it's, it's not for us. Or like, how is this even possible? But it is like, if you and I were able to do this. Obviously two completely different countries, different sort of situations and reasons, but like it's kind of tied in with having that opportunity, especially as Latina moms, that we were able to do this for our families and that we have that leverage and being bilingual and, and um, and, and we can choose any Latin American country if we wanted to. Like, I think. That in itself is a testament that any other Latina mom can do it if this is ever a dream that they wanted. And I think, yeah, we're giving them permission to

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 40:58

Absolutely.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 40:59

and I love

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 40:59

Yes. If, if you needed permission, here's your permission. Go see the world. Do what makes you happy.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 41:08

Oh my gosh, I love it. what is one thing, because you're currently an ua, what is one thing that. You love about Uruguay and one thing that you're still kind of adjusting about your

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 41:20

That's a good question. Um, I love how open, um, and progressive this culture is. Um, Uruguay has always been one of the most progressive Latin American countries. Um. And and you see it, and you feel it, and everyone is nice and happy. I love that. And one thing I wouldn't say necessarily that I don't like, it's an adjustment. Um, there isn't as much diversity here. Um, and maybe in Monte it's a little different in the capital we live about two hours away near Punte. Um, like I miss my Cuban cafecito. I didn't. Think it would be so hard to find here, right? Like, I'm used to Columbia, and Columbia has just proximity to other places, and I guess the trade there would arise pretty remote. So like, we don't, you know, we want like bunuelo in the morning, or like I said, like, whatever. It's hard to find. It's basically like Rito, like you're, you're getting what you're getting.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 42:26

Bunch of

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 42:26

It is fine. I like, I love it, but like, I also miss like rice and beans and malu, so like I have to go the extra mile to go search for that and like, I don't wanna cook it all the time, but like I have to if I want that.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 42:39

Yes. Oh my gosh. I could see that. I definitely see that. Yeah. Like I, I definitely miss seeing, um, diversity in terms of like,

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 42:48

That too. Yeah.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 42:50

Yeah. Like especially coming from

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 42:52

Right.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 42:53

I mean Florida, I'm pretty sure like you, you saw

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 42:56

no, yeah, Orlando is pretty diverse. Um, but again, I was raised in New York City, so nothing, I feel like nothing can compare to that. Like I was spoiled for sure, being raised there, but still, we had the diversity in people and the diversity in food, and I just, just, you could find almost anything you wanted and, and here you get what you get.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 43:15

yes. Exactly. Yeah, I could definitely see that. No, that's hilarious. Yeah. Well, I'm gonna ask you one more question that I ask all of my guests on the show, and that is, how are you redefining Madre Hood?

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 43:30

Oh my gosh. I wish you prepared me for that. I should have known actually. Um, how am I redefining Madre hood? I. I wanna be the mom I didn't have, and I wanna be the mom that has an open mind with my kids, right? That's part of the reason why we're doing this journey. Um, and I think being open and accepting is how I'm redefining motherhood.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 43:58

I love it. I love it. Oh, that's, that sounds so liberating for some reason. Like it, it sounds like, yeah, like you're giving permission. For yourself, but also for your kids to just be who they are and you create that openness. And I love that. And I think it's all tied in with just giving yourself that permission to do anything and, and that life, you know, in the US if you are okay with just like the day to day mundane things, like great, but know that there's a better life out there, like outside of the US and, I think, you know, I definitely speak out of privilege because we've been able to do this. But when, as someone who has tried to check all the boxes and try to do the right things, for some reason it didn't go well. Then I knew that there's another path, there's another avenue to, um, a different life. And honestly, this has been like the best decision I've ever made, um, for myself. But you know, definitely for my family, for my kids. And I love that you share that. And I don't know if you have anything else to say about

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 45:10

yeah, it just makes me think of like, you know, I, I, I call this the immigrant mentality, right? Like my aela used to always tell me, go to school, you have to finish school to get a good job, and you get your. Degree and all these doors will be open and this, this and that. And it took me like eight years to graduate college.'cause I would just go on and off. I'm like, I don't want this, but this is what they're telling me I have to do.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 45:30

Mm.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 45:31

reality. Um, and that's what I'm trying to be for my kids, is just whatever makes you happy. Right? As long as you're a good person, as long as you could eat right. Like, it doesn't matter what path you take, there is no right path. It's just what works for you.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 45:48

Well, Alyssa, where can people, uh, connect with you if they haven't yet followed you? Um, how can they learn more about what you share and probably, you know, inspire those that you know to just like pull the

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 46:02

Oh, do it. I hope they do. Um, you can find me on Instagram and TikTok. Um. Instagram doesn't have an so Casa Anos, um, my website, casa anos.com and on YouTube, um, at Casa Bolanos.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 46:19

Yes. All right folks. Well please follow her journey. It is amazing, and she is just redefining really what it's like for a Latina family to just like. Live abroad, and I love your story. I love what you're doing and that you're doing this for your kids. Clearly your mission is clear that you know you're

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 46:41

Cry.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 46:41

this life for your kids.

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 46:43

gonna make me cry. Um, honestly, no. Thank you. I'm so, I'm grateful for, for you too. You give a voice to so many people and your platform is amazing. Um, especially being a bilingual Latina mom. Right. Um, I'm just, I'm grateful we connected and I'm grateful we got to do this. You're gonna make me cry. Cut.

jessica_1_11-03-2025_122519 47:03

Oh, thank you, Alyssa. Thank you so much for being

alyssa-bola-os_1_11-03-2025_152515 47:06

Thank you for having me.