A few days ago Nancy wrote a post about reasons to move to Mexico, and I agree with them based on what we have observed on our trips down, and what we have read in our research. I would add climate to her list, and in fact this is one of my top reasons.
However, I have some concerns about things that may not be so great about living there for me:
1. Mexico is a very catholic country, I have read that over 90% of Mexicans identify themselves as catholics. I am not a fan of organized religion in general, and the catholic church in particular. I won’t say more as I risk sliding into a rant on this topic.
2. Mexico is a conservative country, and I have generally liberal social and political views.
3. I am fairly heavily tattooed. These are works that were carefully planned and executed over many hours by serious artists, and I am proud of them. While they can be covered when I wear long pants and shirts, I won’t dress like that very much in Mexico, so they will be visible. I wonder how that will go over down there. I have not seen many tattoo shops in Mexico, nor many people who are inked except tourists.
4. I like quiet, and that is in short supply in cities and towns in Mexico. Will this be a minor annoyance or a major headache?
I am not trying to be negative, just realistic. No situation is perfect, and I am 100% committed to doing this despite my concerns. I am interested in what our readers have to say about these things.
Hasta Luego,
Paul
Brenda
January 15, 2007Just some thoughts to address your points.
We are not Catholic and aside from our landlords asking us about religion once in a conversation, and the odd missionary on the street we have never been asked or critised about our catholisism (SP?) or lack thereof.
People here seem to be open to other views and are usually too polite to disagree with you, they may in private; but not in public. I don’t imagine you intend to go around the community loudly espousing your values and putting down theirs, so I don’t see a problem. It is kind of a live and let live society down here in my mind.
I have seen one tatoo place here in Guaymas. Men don’t usually go around without a shirt here and most of the mexican men don’t wear shorts; although I am seeing more shorts this year than last year. About the only time you would be “exposed” in public would be on the beach. You would probably get some looks; and some questions;especially from the pre-teen boys but only out of curiousity not animosity.
Quiet. Well, that could be a problem. Here, at night, the street dogs bark at strange dogs, people and cars. During the day they are fairly quiet. During the day there are trucks with sound systems going by regularily selling stuff, you get used to them and they become just part of your life(we even know the sound of the vehicles in our neighborhood now that don’t have sound systems just by their vehicle sounds). Sometimes,loud music is played most of the night–put in a pair of ear plugs.
A lot of the noise becomes so commonplace that you don’t even notice it.
I think the biggest thing is that YOU need to come with an open mind and a friendly, outgoing manner and people with accept you. I think that they expect us(gringos) to be different and they have a different set of values assigned to us automatically. We can get away with breaches of etiquette because they know that we don’t know.
I came from living very quietly in the country, to a mexican neighborhood in a city and have to say that 99.99% of the differences just make me smile; but as I said it’s all in your attitude.
Brenda
Nancy
January 16, 2007Brenda,
You’re right on.
When Paul wrote that post I was kind of surprised, because these are things he and I have discussed a fair bit, and I thought we had worked through them all.
Obviously he still had some concerns, but I agree, attitude is everything.
Nancy
Anonymous
January 17, 2007Hi Paul – I am going to answer this on the Forum as others will chime in.
http://www.vivaveracruz.com/forum/
Juan Calypso