In our series “My American Dream is in Mexico,” we explore the growing trend of Mexican-Americans reclaiming their heritage by choosing to live in Mexico. But the story of Karla Parra stands out in unexpected ways. Raised between idyllic seaside towns like Cozumel, Chetumal, and Manzanillo, Karla’s childhood straddled two worlds — a Mexican father, an American mother, and a home life infused with both cultures. Her father’s career kept them on the move, shaping her love for a nomadic lifestyle.
Years later, in the heart of Corporate America, Karla realized she missed that freedom. Trading her high-powered job for van life with her husband, she embarked on a journey of adventure and self-discovery that eventually led her back to Mexico — not to reclaim something lost, but to build something entirely her own: a values-driven life rooted in freedom, creativity, and the bicultural identity she’s embraced all along.
Growing up American in a Mexican household
Karla’s parents’ love story could have been plucked straight from a movie. Her mother, a Pennsylvania native, first fell in love with Mexico as an exchange student in Mexico City. Captivated by the culture, she decided to stay. Years later, while teaching English at the United Nations, she met one of her students — a charming man who would become Karla’s father. The rest, as they say, is history.
Karla’s childhood was defined by constant motion, with her family moving often due to her father’s work in Mexico’s port industry. Despite the frequent relocations, there was one constant at home: language. “My mom was adamant that we speak both languages equally,” Karla explains. “From the moment we were babies, we were speaking and being educated in both Spanish and English.”
This bilingual upbringing gave Karla a strong sense of pride in her American roots. “I remember feeling proud to be American, it was a cool thing,” she recalls. “My mom’s American, I spoke English at home, and we’d visit my family in the U.S.” Growing up surrounded by other Mexicans, she didn’t think much about her Mexican identity, it simply blended into the fabric of her everyday life. But as she grew older and her journey unfolded, Karla found herself reconnecting with that part of her heritage, ultimately feeling just as proud to be Mexican as she once felt about being American.
Burnt out on the American Dream
Karla’s mother had always believed that one day her daughter might choose to attend college in the U.S., and she was right. Karla pursued her studies in New York, driven by a determination to make her parents proud. As the eldest of her siblings and a high achiever, she felt the weight of their sacrifices — her parents had prioritized her education, putting her in private schools in Mexico despite the cost. Her hard work paid off as she embarked on a corporate career, working for General Electric and later climbing the ladder at Accenture as a consultant.
But success, as Karla discovered, wasn’t what she expected. “I reached that point in corporate where my value started to shift,” she recalls. “I’d achieved the American dream I always looked up to as a girl in Mexico — success was in the U.S., or so I thought. I did it all, and then I found myself thinking, ‘And now what?’ I was so unhappy. I’d wake up with a knot in my stomach, unable to do the things I wanted with my time.”
At the time, Karla and her husband were living in Dallas, and the dissatisfaction weighed heavily on her and she began to dig into her core values. “Freedom is one of my top values,” she explains. “My upbringing was very nomadic, but here I was, stuck in this constrained routine filled with work, work, work. I was missing adventure, freedom, and nature. All the things that mattered most to me were missing.”
The realization prompted a radical decision. “It wasn’t easy to make such a huge change,” Karla admits. “But my husband and I eventually decided to just go for it.” They sold almost everything — downsizing from their 750-square-foot apartment to an 84-square-foot camper — and hit the open road, ready to embrace a completely different kind of life.
Turning 40: Writing as Karla’s Next Chapter
Entering the fourth decade of her life became a pivotal moment for Karla, prompting her to reexamine her professional life. “Turning 40 challenged me to think, what’s next in my career?” she reflects. Earlier that year, she had to decline a promising business opportunity that would have required her to plant roots back in the U.S. But Karla is committed to living by her values and preserving her freedom, which meant staying true to her nomadic lifestyle.
Encouraged by her husband, Karla decided to put her coaching business on hold to pursue a long-held dream she had pushed aside: writing. Though it had never felt like a “legitimate” career to her, she found the courage to focus on her passion with the support of a community of female authors she met during her travels. Since January, she has been working on her memoir and growing her newsletter.
Karla’s goal as a writer is clear: “I want to shed light on what it means to be bicultural. I want to challenge stereotypes about Mexico,” she shares. With her unique perspective as someone who is both fully American and fully Mexican, she wants to share stories that provide a deeper, more nuanced view of Mexico to an American audience. In the future, Karla hopes to write novels about Mexican women and communities, further breaking down cultural misconceptions.
A homecoming: Returning to Mexico
Karla and her husband visited Mexico many times during their years of van life, but earlier this year, Karla felt a strong calling to spend an extended period there. After five years without a lease, they chose San Miguel de Allende for its beauty and its vibrant, bohemian atmosphere, filled with artists, writers, and creators. Karla describes San Miguel as the “confluence of where my cultures have intersected.”
The homecoming has been “amazing, challenging, beautiful, fulfilling, complicated — all of the emotions,” Karla says. Returning to Mexico has been magical, allowing her to rediscover and appreciate the country’s rich traditions and natural beauty. Growing up surrounded by these things, Karla admits she took them for granted, but now she marvels at them with a renewed sense of gratitude. “It has filled my heart and overflowed it with love and appreciation for our country, the people, the food, the traditions,” she shares. “Leaving has also allowed me to see its flaws more objectively.”
Karla’s connection to Mexico has deepened, and her pride in being Mexican is now stronger than ever. “My Mexican pride will never falter.” Currently, she is living in Mexico until March of next year, helping organize the San Miguel de Allende Writers’ Conference. She believes that she moves on from a place when it no longer feels like home but envisions Mexico remaining an integral part of her life. “It might not be full-time living, but I never want to let years go by without returning. This is where I’m from, and I am so proud to be Mexican. It’s part of my heart.”
Are you a U.S.-born or raised child of Mexican immigrants currently living in Mexico? Perhaps your Mexican parents immigrated to another country, and you’ve chosen to return to Mexico? If so, I’d love to hear your story for this series! Please leave your email in the comments, and I’ll reach out.
Rocio is based in Mexico City and is the creator of CDMX iykyk, a newsletter designed to keep expats, digital nomads and the Mexican diaspora in the loop. The biweekly dispatches feature top news, cultural highlights, upcoming CDMX events & local recommendations. For your dose of must-know news about Mexico, subscribe here.
Source: Mexico News Daily
