|
Article published in the
Transitions Abroad Magazine
Return to Articles on Mexico
Life in Mexico…Moving to a New Sense
By Jan Morgan
For over two years now, my husband, Fred, and I, have lived
in Mexico.
It has been such an interesting time…I can’t remember
any other short span in my life which offered such
diversity, wonder, and sense of peace as these last
years have.
We never planned to become residents of Mexico for a
long stay. We figured that one year would give us a good
feel for the country, and then we would move on to other
parts of the world to explore. On our agenda has been
New Zealand, South America and Europe. Well, two years
later we are still here, still enjoying life, learning
the language, still learning a new sense of what life is
about. It is difficult to explain to people who have
never been to, nor even wanted to, visit another country
and experience life through the eyes of a
stranger...your own. Tourism is a beginning. Sometimes
going to a place for a week’s vacation is the start of
the appreciation of life there, creating a curiosity for
more information.
My husband coined a good statement: “Tourists like to be
entertained…travelers like to entertain themselves.” It
pretty much wraps up our experience, because we
definitely like to entertain ourselves in the
neighborhoods and look for paths that lead away from the
popular places.
Our Initiation
I will share with you our experience of arriving in
Mexico and of taking the bus from the Texas/Mexico
border to our first home. We knew it would be easier to
fly into the country, but we had read that Mexico has
the largest bus system in the world, and wanted the
experience of using it. The long-distance buses are made
by Mercedes and Volvo, and we just had to see them first
hand! Everything that happened that day is etched in my
memory, but for most people, it was just another bus
trip.
We arrived in Reynosa, Mexico, at 2:45 p.m., after
dropping off our rental car in McAllen, Texas and hiring
a taxi to take us across the border (for $40). Man, what
a bus terminal! The place was hot, hot, hot, with lots
of adults, children and bags…not necessarily just
suitcases, but nylon bags filled to the brim, tied with
ropes as well.. Many people appeared to just be there
because they had nothing better to do! Maybe the lazy
fans high on the ceiling were offering some comfort from
the heat. No one at the ADO desk (our bus line) spoke
any English, so, after writing and practicing my phrases
over and over, I got up the courage to ask for our
tickets. I gave her a $1000 peso note, given to us as a
going-away present from a friend, plus an American $100
bill for our $170 fare. The $1,000 peso note should have
been worth $100 or so, with the exchange rate being
$10.60 at the time. The attendant looked at the peso
note, looked at me, back at the peso note, and then
disappeared into the back office. I was afraid she was
going to come back and tell me the note was counterfeit!
When she came back out, she handed me the peso note and
said something to the effect of “better give me
something else, because this one is no good.” Luckily,
we hadn’t depended on paying with it, but we thought it
would be a great way to start our trip…paying for our
tickets with pesos! Wrong.
As it turned out, none of the Mexican pesos we took with
us were worth anything anymore. The peso had been
devalued years ago, and new money had been minted and
printed. Go figure!!
TOP
So, here it is, 3 o’clock, and our bus wasn’t leaving
until 8 p.m. We got the last 2 seats together, at the
back of the bus. We had five hours to kill and seven
bags to keep our eyes on. We took turns going to the
bathroom (and had to pay to “go”), which had no toilet
seats on the toilets. Hmmm….maybe it is easier to keep
the toilets clean that way. We people-watched and
dripped sweat for about an hour and a half, and then
went down to the immigration office to apply for our
tourist visas. We went in shifts, with my husband going
first so I could watch the bags. When it was my turn,
the gentleman in the office asked me a few questions in
Spanish, that I luckily understood, then gave me my
tourist visa and said “Okay, Honey!” I guess that was
the extent of his English!
There was one area in the station that had tables and
chairs, instead of benches, and we wanted to sit there
to play dominoes. The proper thing to do was to order
some food, so that is what we did. We gave suckers to
mothers for their crying children, watched people leave
flowers and light candles at the permanent grotto to Our
Lady of Guadalupe, and watched children chase after
pigeons who share the terminal. Between the heat, the
sticky marble floors and not understanding much Spanish,
we actually fared quite well! We were on an adventure,
and no amount of discomfort was going to spoil it!
When it was time to head to the gate to board the bus,
we corralled our bags and stood in front of the guards
at the little turnstiles. One asked me what was in our
bags….I told him “clothes,” and he passed us both
through. We traveled in the luxury bus with fully
reclining seats, movies, blankets and pillows. We
watched the sun go down and the green fields and small
towns pass behind us, as our 14 hour ride began.
When we arrived, we got into a well-worn hatchback
Nissan cab, driven by an older woman, to our first house
in Mexico. She drove like all the locals …fast and
furious, honking at each intersection to announce her
presence, and avoid being hit. We arrived at our casita
to begin our sojourn.
What Have We Learned?
Over these two years we have reveled in the experiences
this country has to offer. Before we shopped at the
local markets, we learned (and wrote down…just in case)
the words for all the vegetables, fruits and foods we
needed, and watched as the vendors smiled in amusement
at our strange accents. The markets are an amazing
combination of sights, sound and smell; people loudly
hawking their wares, while others sit silently against
the wall waiting for people to buy. The people are such
combinations of features, too. You can readily see the
Indian, Spanish and Cuban influences.
Some of the things I have noticed over our time here:
Mexicans can be Italian, Chinese or Irish. I don’t know
why I never thought of that before, but it made me
understand my ignorance! Other cultural things: Shoe
stores seem to be a very big business. Women still wear
high heels, no matter if they are walking the steep
streets of colonial Xalapa, Veracruz, or the flat
streets of the Yucatan. Every taxi and bus has a rosary
or two hanging on the mirror, and the drivers make the
sign of the cross when they pass a church or cemetery.
About the People
People in Mexico are much more patient with foreigners
than Americans are. They try to help at every turn, have
ready smiles and love their children. Families spend
time together, and you see grandmas, grandpas and
children holding hands, talking and walking together.
TOP
People work very hard in Mexico. Concrete block is the
norm for building, and power tools are not a common
sight. When you see men building a structure, you will
see them using hammers and chisels, carrying hand-mixed
cement in 5-gallon buckets. They build walls first, and
then cut out channels for the plumbing lines and
electricity wires. They work twelve hours a day, and
make about $40 a week. Many of the young women work in
service, cleaning, washing clothes, and taking care of
other people’s children. Just about every middle-class
(and above) Mexican home has “help” and you will find
one or two young women working there. Often they are
just teenagers, and they are hired from surrounding
villages where young girls are trained to cook, clean
and care for children. When they are ready to marry and
have their own children, they will find a replacement
for themselves, from friends or family members back in
the village.
Folks seem to eat out a lot, as the costs are so
reasonable. During the day, little restaurants (referred
to as a cocina economica…”economical kitchen”) open up
for a couple of hours to serve lunch for about $2.
Workers flock there during siesta time, when most
offices and business close down. Your choice of fresh
fish, chicken, meat and vegetables are served, along
with rice, tortillas, a cold drink and dessert. In the
evenings, street vendors open up their portable food
wagons after 7 or 8 p.m. so people can have their
late-night snacks. You will find pork sandwiches,
hamburgers, tacos, and ears of corn for sale on just
about every corner, along with lots of Coca Cola. If you
want to eat healthy, stay away from the street vendors!
Culture
Mexico is full of culture. The symphonies and museums in
the large cities have great attendance, and are
affordable for everyone (we pay about $4 for a ticket to
each). Most museums, galleries and cultural venues are
open to the public for free on Sundays as well. The
archeological sites are flooded with tourists and locals
alike. It is a humbling experience to stand at an
ancient ruin and realize that the people of that day
built structures that are still standing 2000 years
later…and that defy explanation of how they were built.
They knew the exacting sciences of building pyramids on
compass points, so that the sun shone in alignment with
certain spots that would tell them it was time for
planting and harvesting. And they decorated them with
intricate pictures and symbols before iron tools were
available.
We have learned so much from our research and
experiences that we have formed a website
(www.mexicoanswers.com) which answers many questions
about moving to and living in Mexico. It took many
months of research before we came, and we discovered
that there was very little practical information offered
on the internet, and so we decided to put it together
for curious travelers seeking first-hand information.
A Much Simpler Way of Life
Over all, it is amazing to see how simply life can be
lived. We have experienced what it is like to live
without a telephone…(not as difficult as I thought), not
having hot water in the kitchen for washing dishes,
living without voice mail, call forwarding or cell
phones. If we can’t find foods we are used to, we get
used to the foods we can find! We don’t have mail
delivery, and there are no mail boxes on the corners. If
we want to receive mail, we go to the post office and
register. Stamps are very expensive, and the local
mailing charge is 60 cents. Stamps for air mail are 90
cents.
We have seen neighborhoods where people live without
electricity, running water, indoor kitchens or even
indoor plumbing. And they are not cranky, don’t feel
poor, and seem to live a sensible life
The Best of All Worlds
The last year and a half we have lived on the ocean, and
have traded a city life for the slow pace of a fishing
village. Our bus ride to Progreso was 14 hours in a van
with three young men who were our movers. Now, we watch
gulls and pelicans search for lunch and dinner in the
Gulf in front of our home, we watch people on horseback
ride on the beach, and sandal-less tourists stroll the
shore, combing the sand for shells. But we are within 30
minutes of Merida, where we can find anything we need.
We can go to the movies, shop at Costco, Wal-Mart or eat
at McDonald’s if we choose. We have been spoiled by
having internet and satellite T.V. in our home. We
haven’t been looking for a “spartan” existence, just a
bit simpler one!
Our travels have taken us to ancient Mayan ruins, the
shores of the Caribbean, small towns so far removed from
modern-day things that you forget it is 2005. Maybe they
have the right idea…we seem to see many old people, so
obviously the slower pace has kept people living longer
and healthier. Whatever their secret, we like it and
intend to stay a while longer…we have moved to a new
sense.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan and her husband, Fred, retired from Chicago, and
then moved to Pueblo, Colorado before setting off for
Mexico. For more information about moving to and living
in Mexico, see their website www.mexicoanswers.com
For questions or comments, you can contact Jan at janbek@mexicoanswers.com
TOP
|