México

Category

Tips for Moving to México

Are you one of the 10,000 baby boomers reaching retirement age every day? Yes, every day for the next 18 years 10,000 people in the US turn 65. Even if only 1% of those people consider México, that is 36,500 people per year. Are you one of them? Paul and I decided on México for retirement for a lot of reasons. We wanted an adventure. We wanted to learn a new language, learn about a different culture, and experience life...

My Mexican Textiles

I love Mexican textiles.  I love that they are hand made. As a knitter, I know how much attention and caring gets incorporated into each item I make, and I’m sure it is the same for the creators of these lovely blouses. Whenever I travel, I always enjoy looking at (and probably buying) blouses, wraps (called rebozos) or knitted items. A huipile (or huipil) is an embroidered blouse or dress.  I am not an expert, for that I will refer...

Knitting Oaxacan Wool in Sinaloa

Hi all!  It has been a busy time lately, but lots of fun.  We’ve been involved in a project that is almost ready to be blogged about, but not quite.  So hang on a bit longer, and take a look at the table mat I finally finished using the wool I bought in Oaxaca last June. I had intended to felt it but I think I might like it just the way it is.  Plus, when it is felted it...

My First Christmas in México

My first Mexican Christmas was in 1994.  My son was attending college in Colima and had just moved into an unfurnished house.  We spent the first week or so of my visit traveling and buying things that he needed for his house.  If you remember, in December of 1994 there was an economic crisis in México, and the peso rapidly devalued.  While this was a terrible time for those with their funds tied up in pesos, it made my funds...

Home Delivery In México

In México, you can have just about anything brought to your home. (In Spanish, that’s servicio a domicilio) Here’s a rundown of some of the items that we see delivered often here in Mazatlán.  Most items are delivered using small motorcycles with a box on the back. Pharmacies – All pharmacies have home delivery RestaurantsAll sizes of restaurants deliver, from taco stands to carnitas places, roasted chicken stands, juice bars, sushi, pizza etc. Paint– They actually act surprised at the...

A Weekend in Mérida, Mexico

We recently flew to Mérida for a long weekend – our excuse was to attend the Latin American blogger conference, but we were both just in the mood to get away. It had been more than two years since our last visit, which is just too long!  Jonna and Mimi invited us to stay with them, so once we arranged for all our critters to be cared for we were ready to go! Of course their dogs patiently waited for...

Vogue Knitting in Mexico!

Several months ago I received an email from Rebecca Klassen, a writer for Vogue Knitting.  She was writing an article on México for the World section of their Holiday issue and asked if I’d be willing to talk.  Por supuesto! Of course I would! Rebecca had found me through the Ravelry group I started – <ahref=”http://www.ravelry.com/groups/english-speaking-knitters-in-mexico” target=”_blank”>English Speaking Knitters in Mexico – and wanted to hear about the knitting scene here in Mazatlán and about the gorgeous yarn I had...

Getting Ready to Celebrate Independence Day Around Mexico

At 11 pm on September 15 El Grito de la Independencia (The Cry of Independence) will be heard around the country. The grito, or shout, is called out as a reenactment of Father Hidalgo’s historic cry in the town of Dolores.  Government officials call out the names of the heroes of the war, which are repeated by the throngs of citizens in this most celebrated holiday in México. The grito culminates with shouts of “Viva México!” and usually a fireworks...

In México, workers make good use of old buckets

Nothing goes to waste in México. Plastic pop bottles turn into small paint containers, musical instruments or a soapy water squirt bottle for a windshield washing business. Discarded cardboard is used for a door mat when it’s rainy.  I believe that the 5 gallon paint bucket is the most coveted item of all. At the top of this post you’ll see how the car wash man on our street locks up his buckets when he goes home for mid-day comida. They...

México from A to Z

    La Llorona – is the story of the crying woman who killed her children to be with the man she loves – and was subsequently rejected by him. She is doomed to search for her children for all eternity, and is constantly weeping.  (the verb llorar is to cry)  In the video below, the late Lhasa de Sela performs the song.                                  ...

Learning Spanish through immersion…

One reason we chose Mazatlán as our home in México was because we weren’t fluent in Spanish.  We knew it would take time to learn and that until we achieved more fluency we’d be more comfortable in a place with some English speakers.  We knew we’d want English speaking friends and a bit of a safety net. While we don’t for a second regret our choice of Mazatlán, the quantity of English speakers here means that we aren’t living immersed...

How to be a successful expat….

-or- How to Move Away From Your Home Country and Not Want to Move Back in Six Months. People go on vacation every day and comment “Oh, I would so love to live here! Maybe someday!” That’s fine, but would you really? How would you do if you actually made the move to México? Here are my thoughts on what makes a successful expat. Know Yourself You know what you love and hate, what will irritate you and what you...

What the Mexico Today project is all about…

I’m back from Oaxaca, and am very happy to be a part of the México Today team.  I thought I’d give you a rundown of the project. The group consists of 24 writers – 8 Community Managers and 16 Contributors.  I’ve made a page with links to all the participants’ websites if you’d like to see who we all are and visit our sites.  It is a very diverse group – from professional food or travel writers, bloggers with focuses...

The Mexico Today project gets underway

I headed out early in the morning on Friday to catch the plane to Mexico City. It was great to run into CancunCanuck in the airport in DF – chatting made the wait for our flight to Oaxaca pass quickly.  Imagine my surprise when we deplaned in Oaxaca and saw the sign above.  And a little further, inside the terminal, a marimba band! After collecting luggage we were collected by Mexico Today folks and outside there was another marimba band!...