SO, YOU WANT TO MOVE TO MEXICO?
By Roger Dekeyzer
I get it. Between YouTube videos, marketing, Fb groups like this one, and all the people who just love, love, love EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING about MX., ….. It’s an amazing place to live. IT’S PARADISE!
Or is it?
Many of us like the idea of “the grass is greener on the other side”. It’s a hopeful and positive notion. We all want something better. A life goal. But what exactly is that “something”? With different resources to achieve that, different values, different needs, and different lifestyles, what ultimately makes you happy living in MX might not be the same for me. I think it’s safe to say that there are different shades of green. And some we like, some we don’t.
Mexico, in totality, is a good place to be. That’s why I (and many expats/immigrants) are still here. But at the same time, it’s been a balancing act, with the scales of what I/we like, and what I/we don’t, constantly shifting. As a metaphor, “It sometimes rains in Mexico, and sometimes has terrible storms.” Not every day is the bright, sunny, tropical weather of Paradise.
This is where many people make a mistake. The question, “What is daily life like in MX?” doesn’t get asked enough. It doesn’t get researched enough. The videos and FB responses are good, and you don’t want that wonderfully well-sold version of MX, tarnished in any way. You’ve just agreed to move in with an online person that you have been emailing and having video chats with. He/she looks good, sounds good, and even has references. I wish you good luck. But I’m also thinking, you didn’t make the best decision for such a big commitment, did you?
In reading many of the inquiries about moving to Mexico, it’s obvious that a lot of people have very little experience here. Many questions are asked, but if you have spent enough time here to see and understand, you wouldn’t be asking them. Is it safe? Do I need to learn Spanish? Are Mexicans friendly? If you have been here, to “try it on”, you would already know the answers to those questions and many more. But you haven’t, have you? Well, really you should.
I believe it is absolutely necessary, unconditionally, to visit here for at least a couple, three months. Research a neighborhood you might be interested in living in, and find a local hotel in it. Go shopping, find out about local transportation, medical and healthcare, check out some long term rentals, talk with a real estate agent if you are buying, find out if the neighboorhood is quiet or loud, what are the services around you that you will have a future need of, what is the vibe of the local Mexican population around you?, get to know some expats who live there, ask questions, many of them. In short, find out as much as you can to see if life in Mexico is really for you.
Will this be an investment on your part? Definitely. But do you want to buy that dress, that suit, without ever having tried it on? Do you want to move in with him or her and find out that for any number of reasons, you just don’t like each other? Of course not! And a move to MX. It will be a huge undertaking, likely an expensive one. But can you afford not to do it, and take the chance that MX is just not for you?
Why am I writing this article?
I’ve just discovered that for the seventh time, a couple we have befriended will be returning to the States. They are done. They have had enough of MX. 8 months. Some have been here 4 years. Whether it’s missing a way of life back in the U.S. (you don’t know what you’ve got, till it’s gone), or just not finding your place, your tribe, or simply, “We don’t like MX.”, people do leave. Some researched more than others, several not. The YouTube videos can be very alluring. I really hate all that lop-sided marketing.
I wish we had done more research. I would have brought a car down. I would have worked a couple more years to grow the savings account. We now lived in Zihuatanejo, 2 years, and 2 previously in Huatulco. Both cities are miserably hot and humid from May through September. We didn’t consider the effect 80% humidity would have on us as we got older. I’ve been to the hospital twice for dehydration-related issues. So many friends.
We live in a neighborhood that is lovely from April through October. I’m 1 minute from the beach and 10 minutes from the town center. I’m also 1 minute away from all the restaurants on our street, that peaceful and quaint April through October, but are jam-packed with tourists November through March. And bands. Every single restaurant has to have a band playing. Loud, Late. 3 nights a week, across the street is a club that plays Mexican techno, rap, and karaoke until 4, yes 4 a.m. in the morning, ( sorry for the expletive). All apartment doors and windows get closed, it gets stuffy inside, and sleep is elusive. We can’t be on our balconies those nights.
There is a unique difference in Mexican culture vs. U.S./Canadian culture. Many things are done with methods and reasons that we don’t understand. Some, I enjoy and find easy to embrace. Others I dislike very much. So, in the end, my scale of life balances, shifts a little every few weeks, and the idea of returning to the States takes hold. I have not yet made up my mind.
It’s 4 years of full-time living here. I/we have learned a lot. We, my wife and I, are here now, probably to stay. Most of our eggs went into one basket, as they say. But with hindsight, and had we done more research, I do think we would have passed on moving to Mexico.
THE GRASS IS NOT ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE
