Yucatán chair

I just got asked to write a bit about our time in Mexico for a blog on “Learning to Live in Mexico“. Here’s what I wrote:

What prompted you to move to Mexico?

My wife’s a sociology grad student and is writing her PhD dissertation on “How Tequila became Mexico’s national drink”. Her research naturally led us to Jalisco, Mexico, home of Tequila and also the place we met 10 years ago when I was studying as part of my undergraduate degree in Spanish. We thought we’d only be there for a year but managed to extend the stay after she won various grants and scholarships.

What was the biggest thing you had to adjust to in Mexico?

To be honest, I feel just as comfortable in Mexico as where I grew up in the UK or have lived in the US, if not more so. It’s actually quite hard to think of anything that really needed adjusting to.

Witnessing levels of poverty absent or hidden in other countries, like kids of 7 selling chewing gum on the streets or flowers in bars late at night is something you never fully get used to and there are constant reminders of the huge divides and contrasts of a modern Mexican city like Guadalajara. That would be the major thing, and everyone has their own way of assuaging their first-world guilt.

On a more prosaic level though, some people take a while to get used to the food, I never had any problems and ate food from street vendors almost every day (the trick is to look for places with queues of locals). Drinking bottled water was new to me and having the water guy deliver gallon bottles every few days was odd at first but it’s not exactly life-changing. Driving can be tricky at major intersections, but despite Guadalajara’s ever rising levels of traffic, it’s still nowhere near as dangerous/ frustrating as it is getting from A to B in the SF Bay Area. Paying tolls to use decent motorways does take some adjusting though. If you’re planning a long journey you’ll need a lot of cash handy to pay the tolls for the extremely modern, well-equipped roads. However you can plan ahead with a handy new web tool from the Transport Department’s website that tells you how much the charges will be.

If you had to leave Mexico and go back to your old lifestyle what would you miss most?

The people. A more welcoming, genuine, friendly and fun bunch of people you’d be hard pressed to find. I was welcomed into many homes, shown so many local events, foods, drinks, sights. Everyone has ideas of what to see, where to go and also show an interest in where you’re from and your own culture. I already had a few good Tapatian (from Guadalajara) friends when I arrived, but met many new people who still keep in touch 5 months after we left, offering us places to stay on our next visit (hopefully soon).

I also miss pay-as-you-go cell phones… you buy your fichas (credits), use them, recharge them. The way things should be… None of this dollar a day use it or not malarkey…

What advice would you give to someone considering moving to Mexico?

Make an effort to meet people & learn Spanish. There are all kinds of classes, events, forums and suchlike where you can make your stay infinitely more fun. I met a ton of people via the photo sharing site flickr.com and went on phototours with them to places off the beaten track with local guides and had a great time in cantinas and bars afterwards talking about Mexico and photography. There are also ex-pat sites such as chapala.com where you can meet folks, learn about local events and ask questions. Blogging and commenting on other people’s blogs is also a great way to make your friends at home jealous and a good way to meet folks in the area. I also signed up for seminars and classes on computing (PHP) and photography which were great for meeting people and learning useful things.

Also, buy a cell/mobile phone on day one. It’ll set you back about 40 bucks then you just recharge it with credits. It’ll be handy for not getting lost, enquiring about housing/accommodation, keeping in the loop with friends about what’s happening, meeting people, being ready for any transport breakdowns and all the usual… You name it…

Above all though, move on from considering moving to Mexico and just DO IT!

Need more persuading? Here’s a post on my Top 7 things to do in Guadalajara.