New members of the Mexico forum, introduce yourselves here – June to December 2017

Hi Neocpl. I have plans to stay in Cancun throughout the month of February 2018 and possibly March.  Would be pleased to meet you.  If you would like find me on facebook and we can connect.  Just remind me of who you are.  Peace Alice Hesselrode Windsor Ontario, Canada

Roger here... I still live in the States and am not likely to move to Mexico full-time - I would love to live there for a couple or few months during winters.  My wife is indigenous, and in her religion she needs to live near where she grew up. (north central Pa.)  We live in Ithaca, NY - moved here 17 months ago from NYC and love it here.

Three years ago I got to spend a week in San Miguel and just loved it!  While I was there two different people suggested to me that I should also check out Guanajuato (Gto, I guess).  They said it was smaller and less touristy than San Miguel.  So I've had it on my radar ever since.

Interestingly, another friend suggested that I read a guy named Morris Berman.  I didn't, but I HAVE listened to about six of his tapes.  My beliefs are very similar to his, and I found out that he left the States and has lived in Gto since 2006.  No big deal with that - just kinda interesting - maybe an omen.

I might make it to Mexico this winter.  My son, who lives in the Philippines and also likes Mexico, might join me - though last I spoke to him he sounded iffy.

Well, I'm in Tijuana, came over here from Juarez after having my passport stolen out of my purse in the room I was sleeping in, while I was IN THERE and half-asleep. Some guy, also a guest in that house, just walked into my room while he thought I was asleep and started going through my purse!! What bloody NERVE!! So I came over to Tijuana to be closer to the Consulate (French and British, lest people assume from this that I'm "American." Which they do, which is making me want this whole continent blown off the face of the earth after the year I've had in both the US and trying to get back into Canada). Then my purse got snatched off my shoulder as I was walking down a semi-busy street in the middle of the bloody day on a Saturday, early afternoon. The police caught the guys and got my purse back but then THEY confiscated it for over a week now to, as they said, "photograph it as evidence." So this is now THREE TIMES THIS CALENDAR YEAR that same purse has gotten snatched off my shoulder in now all three North American countries. I'm here waiting for a replacement passport but I've HAD IT with this continent. I just hope I get out of here alive and don't starve to death the way people are robbing me blind around here!!

Now don't get me wrong. MOST of the people here aren't robbing me blind. But it only takes ONE to steal your purse!! Just like people who wind up getting killed - it only took ONE to kill them. The rest probably treated them just fine. I'm just at my wit's end with this year and this continent after both US and Canada Border Patrols snatched that same purse off my shoulder earlier this year, both of those two in the same day, and after I eventually got it back from them, things were missing. I'm not giving Mexico much more of a chance, I admit it. I'll not waste any more of my life on North America after this. I'm getting too old for this. This is a recent thing, only the last 15 years or so have gotten steadily worse. Since college, grad school, another Masters, a TEFL certificate, teaching licences in Math, after that it went steadily downhill. In the US and Canada I was picked on because of skin colour; here it's been because I speak English better than my "I've not spoken Spanish since 1986" Spanish. If it's not one thing, it's another.

I do know that there would be more teaching English opportunities down in Mexico City but with my passport stolen I don't want to chance going out of the "Border Zone" even on a bus because I'm told there are "checkpoints" every few, like, kilometres where they "card' everyone and haul away anyone without "suitable ID." Even if you've gotten it STOLEN they'll put YOU in jail, so it would seem. Another reason to curse this entire continent. They shouldn't recruit people to come here and teach English if they're only doing it so they can pick on anyone who speaks English when we get here! The minute English comes out of my mouth (or French, oddly enough) they immediately dub me "American" because most of the world apparently is too stupid to know that there are OTHER COUNTRIES where people speak English, not the least of which is one on the OTHER side of this same country!!! (Belize). If they're too stupid to know that Ireland speaks English too than I don't think I can teach them anything anyway. Mexico isn't the only place that does that to me but so far it has been the only one in which my purse got stolen because of it!!

It is best that you leave, that is for sure.

I would  encourage you to sit down and try to remember what was happening when these events occurred. I say that because the majority of us do not have experiences like that. I suspect there have been common situations with these events, recognizing them might help you avoid more of the same.

Clearly you are very angry and unhappy, I would be also if someone took my purse. I can't get a clear picture of what happened, or who you think is responsible, but I know I have traveled in all three countries and no one did that to me.

I speak english and spanish, no one has attacked me for speaking either language. So the question would be why you, and not me ?.

I wish you luck, and am sorry your life is not going well.

I am in my mid 60s and I have traveled as a single woman alone for the past 10 years, to mexico, panama, ecuador, colombia,  Part of what I love about traveling is that I am more present when I am in an unfamiliar environment. It is as if my seeing becomes 180 degrees and I listen to all the sounds around me. I am aware of who is around and who may be friend or foe. I have had people try to make conversation with me saying they are trying to practice their English and I have moved away from them. I have had people help to carry my bags and I knew that they were safe. I hide my money and my credit cards in various places under my clothes, in bra, in socks , etc. I keep a small purse of spending cash around my neck  so if someone wants to steal from me they could grab that and run. No great loss. But I have never had that taken. I have been ripped off when I was tired, so my rule is don't change money or buy anything when I am tired. I of course don't go out at night in the big city like Quito, Ecuador or Lima in Peru., or Caracas,  Venezuela.  Also I never get out of a taxi cab until the driver gets out if my bags are in the trunk or back seat. I heard about a guy getting out and the driver going off with his bags. For the most part I have had people be incredibly kind to me. Stayed in a families home in Colombia and let my bags there while I went off for 5 days. Had a man watch my bags while I ran to the bathroom in the bus station in Quito. Once in Colombia and also in Ecuador got a free ride in a taxi because the driver could not change the bill I gave him. I did have to make sure my luggage got on the bus in Colombia. I wear no jewelry and I carry no purse and rarely a fanny pack  My Spanish is mediocre.

Hi saw your post on line and lol as it sounded just like me. The problems I am having is "where to start". So many choices, it is hard to decide what part of Mexico you want to live in. I am moving for financial reasons, I am sick and tired of struggling. I do know I have to be in a beach area,
Lots of choices, as u know. I also thought of Panama and  Costa Rica. One thing to check is air fare to come home twice a year. Good luck Anita B ****

Thanks Anita,  We started considering Argentina and moved up the continent to Mexico for exactly the reason you mention, close trip to the states for us and our families.  We're Coloradans so the mountain cities are where we are drawn.  Good luck you you too.
James

Hi. I'm Rick, 71, and now live in Oregon USA – cold, blustery and quite clear today. Mexico seems like a dream. Next Sunday my partner and I are flying to San Miguel for our first visit with others planned later in 2018. If all works well, we hope to move there by late summer. We're drawn by the mild climate, the lower cost of living and the concentration of culture in SMA. Though we don't speak Spanish yet, SMA is touted to be a language learning center and we feel it will be the easiest place to begin our exploration of Mexico. Hope to meet you.

Hi I am Denise, living with my husband in Nevada USA, planning a visit to San Miguel soon.  We need information abut where the best place to stay would be.  Hoping to get there sometime in February to see the sights.  Can't wait to get there.

Hi, I'm Kim, 34 still living in the US, my husband is already in Mexico City.  I'm getting everything ready to leave as soon as possible.  So far we have everything set up except I don't know how to find work in my field.  I'm a paralegal in the States and would love to continue working in my field by freelancing... problem is I don't know the first thing about it.

My husband and I are planning on moving to Baja sur in June, 2019.  We are planning the details of moving, finances, licenses, visas, auto licensing, legalities now. 

We are excited about our upcoming retirement.

Linda Snider

kimmtzo wrote:

Hi, I'm Kim, 34 still living in the US, my husband is already in Mexico City.  I'm getting everything ready to leave as soon as possible.  So far we have everything set up except I don't know how to find work in my field.  I'm a paralegal in the States and would love to continue working in my field by freelancing... problem is I don't know the first thing about it.

Hi Kim,

If you want to find something that more closely matches you work area of interest, I would strongly suggest you begin by  Making contacts there in the U.S. It would be easier for you. In mexico the type of job you are thinking of would not be the same system and laws you are familiar with there. It would also require that you be very fluent in Spanish
buena suerte

Hi guys nice to meet you all I'm new to this site I'm thinking of moving to Baja no father than ensenada. I'm Mexican American married with 4 children. We live in San Diego and the cost of living here is ridiculous. I'm curious can I save money by moving to Baja. I make approx $4000.00 a month i have a decent job I work from home. I figured if I move to Baja all I need is a good internet connection. How's the internet in Baja? What do you guys think will I save money by moving down there ?thanks

Thank you for the welcome and insight.  The language isn't a problem as I was born in Mexico and educated there for some years.  I tried living and working in Mexico a few years back, but I wasn't able to adapt to the company where I worked.  So this time around I am looking to work in my field and on my own terms.

Hello Jzuniga,

Me and my wife are opening a Trailer Park in Baja 2.5 hours south of Ensenada. The area is El Socorro, lots of Americans, mostly retired or people like you live here.
Ensenada is much much more expensive and just a space in a Trailer Park is 500 dollars. The advantage of where we are is not just the price, we are close to El Rosario, and it is much warmer in the winter and it is more the typical Baja place. I understand you want to be close to San Diego, but 4 1/2 hour driving is not too bad to go back to San Diego, Think if you decide to move in our area how closer you are when you want to take a trip farther south in Baja... There are paradises waiting for you in Baja South of Ensenada...

Hello,
sorry I didn't introduce myself I lived many years in San Diego doing lots of handyman work and now me and my family are living in El Socorro, just 25 miles from El Rosario, in Baja North...
It is a beautiful place where we are building a Trailer Park, there is already a community of American people that for what I was told started back in the 50s. We are happy in the area and would like to be more familiar with the forum to share experiences with you guys...

Hi Unci,

    Thanks for your reply my friend. Yes I think thats a little too far us for right now. However I do plan on exploring down there eventually. My wife and I have family in San Diego so we plan on crossing over once a week.

Thanks again,

Jose Z

Thanks for welcoming me to the expat forum!  My husband, Barry, and I, Kate, are in the process of buying a house in Los Frailes, San Miguel de Allende.  We will most likely be moving  from PA to SMA in March or April.
Are there members of the forum currently living in Los Frailles?
Thanks,
Kate

My name is NOLAN TEW. I came to CIUDAD JUAREZ from CALIFORNIA  to visit my son who has lived here for 2 years only to find that my passport had expired as of last august. so now I rented an apartment and buy groceries and meds from a local S-MART down the street. I suppose I will be here for a while so id like to get to know the other expats who are already here and find out how life for a nuevo will be. I do not drive nor do I have a car. I can be found on facebook under FARRELL TEW as well. Thank you for your time. FORGOT: I love to garden so I ordered some seeds from one of my state seed producers and need to buy some pots as well. My landlord is from Denver and is married to a Hispanic woman so life aint too bad. He speaks English so now I have someone to talk to.. My pet peeve is the price of insulin which is 10 times higher than the ones I was buying in cal. And I found out that I am allergic to beans and tortillas every day. So I have had to re Americanize myself a lot. people are friendly tho.

grapenut wrote:

My name is NOLAN TEW. I came to CIUDAD JUAREZ from CALIFORNIA  to visit my son who has lived here for 2 years only to find that my passport had expired as of last august. so now I rented an apartment and buy groceries and meds from a local S-MART down the street. I suppose I will be here for a while so id like to get to know the other expats who are already here and find out how life for a nuevo will be. I do not drive nor do I have a car. I can be found on facebook under FARRELL TEW as well. Thank you for your time. FORGOT: I love to garden so I ordered some seeds from one of my state seed producers and need to buy some pots as well. My landlord is from Denver and is married to a Hispanic woman so life aint too bad. He speaks English so now I have someone to talk to.. My pet peeve is the price of insulin which is 10 times higher than the ones I was buying in cal. And I found out that I am allergic to beans and tortillas every day. So I have had to re Americanize myself a lot. people are friendly tho.

So how are you dealing with the being a visitor, but unable to exit the country to renew a visa ? US embassies can help with the expired passport. Look for Paseo de la Victoria 3650, Col. Fraccionamiento Partido Senecú, 32543 Cd Juárez, Chih.

You would not qualify for a extended visa from what you are saying. Are you legal in Mexico ?  What do you show as an ID ? How do you know you are allergic to beans and tortillas ? are you getting medical care there ? What source of income do you depend on?  If I were you I would fix my situation very quickly.  You do not want to be on the wrong side in Mexico. Especially with the attention that area gets from the Federales, and the people the federales deal with. Sounds scary Noland.

Not to sure about this post. 

I don't think it's a big deal to bus and walk back across the border with an expired passport.  Just explain the issue to CBP they really do understand.  If the RX is that much more expensive then just make the short trip to El Paso and get it refilled.

Hi I am stuck in Cancun because missed my flight home to England. Passport runs out in February and need to make money fast. Other than my main profession I am qualified painter and decorator and city and guild bricklayer. Would like to return to Mexico after I have been back to England though as I love it here

Leelangford wrote:

Hi I am stuck in Cancun because missed my flight home to England. Passport runs out in February and need to make money fast. Other than my main profession I am qualified painter and decorator and city and guild bricklayer. Would like to return to Mexico after I have been back to England though as I love it here

That's tricky, do you have anyone in England that can wire money ? a credit card with some room,?

You can look around locally , but Mexico is not about any significant money. Plus they have lots of employment rules. Is there any help/ ideas from the airline, British embassy, or hotel ?

General British Consulate Cancun
Torre Europea, Office 202
Blvd. Kukulcan KM 12.5
Hotel Zone Cancun
Cancun, Quintana Roo

Perhaps others might have ideas, but that is all I can think of. There are expats in the area, do you have friends in Cancun ?

as soon as I crossed the border from el paso to Juarez my nokia died. so my daughter in law gave me one of her Mexican phones. works just fine in mexico  but no where else.

Hello everyone! Thank you for this wonderful forum!
My name is Bob McWilliams and my wife is Terri.
We live in San Antonio Tx and are planning on visiting Lake Chapala / Ajijic next year for a week on vacation with the intent of doing research for moving there later (housing/environment/meet the locals).
We are both on American Social Security, we also have a small Annuity that produces some income and if we move there we will rent our home (that's paid for). So total we will about $4500 a month income. We are hoping we can live there comfortably with enough to do some traveling and of course fly home 2-4 times a year to see family. 
We will have a thousand questions for all of you so I apologize in advance!
Anyone that has advice for us would be appreciated!

I came few times for holiday and I totally fell in love with the country and people.
I am planning to move out to Mexico City from London  next month and any suggestions are welcomed.
I work in Finance field.
Best of luck to everyone!

Hello all,

Our family just moved to Cancun from Canada last week. We've got eight kids ranging in ages from 6 to 18, and they'd all like to meet some friends We run a non-profit that works with kids at risk, and have lived outside of our home country for the larger part of the last 20 years -- 13 years in Thailand and 2 in the USA. We would love to meet other families in Cancun, and especially any who may be homeschooling!

I will be in Cancun all of February. would be fun to meet another Canadian and learn about the interesting life you have. Alice

Hi Angela, and congratulations on your new venture. Not sure what your budget or needs are but I would recommend you start by google searching the various real estate companies and their rental listings. Many of them also post brief descriptions of the various neighborhoods in and around town. Ideally, you and the whole family could visit and stay a few days in a hotel or other such accommodation. It would enable you could all get a feel for the town before you sign up for a long term rental but maybe that's not feasible for you.

Good luck!

Greetings from cold, wet, dreary Seattle where our high temperature will peak at 46F... LOL

My name is Joyanne and I have a confession. For the last several months, I have been "self-soothing" so-to-speak by researching San Miguel de Allende as I endure my 20th winter in the Pacific Northwest where seasonal affective disorder invariably strikes me and countless others.

And, I'm planning my first trip to San Miguel so that my family can finally get a break from me talking about it everyday. I think they think I've "lost it " however that may perhaps be an integral part of the process of releasing one's current limiting self-definition and creating life anew.

I'm an artist by nature but I own a business that I can operate from any location with Internet access. I can see myself living in San Miguel and creating there in my mind's eye despite the fact that I haven't ever officially been there yet!

Is it wrong to engage in much sun-dreaming as I peruse the colorful images of beautiful homes in SMA? Good or bad, it's what I've been doing and will continue to do as I learn about the area.

I grew up in sunny Southern California where I couldn't quite hack the heat, crowds and conspicuous consumption. However, I was raised in a part of California originally settled by hispanics, grew up around Mexican culture, Spanish architecture and have an unending appreciation for wrought iron scrolls.   

Now living a few minutes from Microsoft's headquarters, I find myself more and more unable to relate to the notion that technology is all-powerful and that humanity should rely more upon it than the good-old-fashioned connection that used to be our only method of communication and community.

Well, enough about me. I'd love to connect with other not-yet-retired expats who are living or moving to SMA (especially if you're making that transition with school-aged children).

Thank you and Happy New Year!
Joyanne
p.s. Is it true that there are opportunities to do house sitting for other expats in San Miguel? I'm alternately considering a house-swap this coming summer or putting our place back up on AirBNB as we did when we went to Puerto Vallarta last summer. We have a lovely cottage in a mature garden setting next to walking and biking trails and over 120 acres of open park land (right next to the town) if anyone is interested in discussing that option.

JoyanneS wrote:

Is it wrong to engage in much sun-dreaming as I peruse the colorful images of beautiful homes in SMA? Good or bad, it's what I've been doing and will continue to do as I learn about the area.

Not even slightly wrong.

Explore your idea but consider expanding it to other countries as there might very well be an ideal place you haven't considered yet.

Have to agree with Fred, SMA tends to be the least Mexican of the cities in Mexico. If a more American city in Mexico is what you want, then that would be a good choice. If you are looking for authentic Mexico you might want to look around before making a decision.

Thanks for that Fred. I think keeping an open-mind is how we discover the richness of life and I'm certainly only in the earliest phase of this process. I still have one child in elementary school and my understanding is that San Miguel in particular is more likely to be those who are retired. I'm going to relish every moment of exploration and travel. I'm quickly picking up Spanish using DuoLingo and can't wait to see where my curiosity takes me.
All the best,
J

I don't mind the American-ness of a place because being so central,  San Miguel offers all sorts of possibilities to explore that part of the world. I do like Mexico's proximity to the U.S. as I will want to be able to pop back up to Seattle regularly. Thanks for your input

Hi, I've lived in the city of Guanajuato for 20 years and still love it here.  It has many similarities with San Miguel, but it's home to a major university, so has a bit younger "vibe" to it.  Have friends with kids, too. A lot of them  enrolled their children in the Waldorf school here to start off.  If you'd like to take a look, here's a link as an intro to GTO:   

https://internationalliving.com/countri … Guanajuato

Be happy to answer any questions about living here.

Thank so much for your reply. Unfortunately, I tried the link you provided twice but it wouldn't open for me. My brother has had all 3 of his kids in Waldorf schools and while I am somewhat liberal, I'm not in full agreement with the restrictive/protective aspects of what Rudolph Steiner professes so don't know that it would be a good fit for us per se.

That being said, I've heard many people rave about the city of Guanajuato and I'd hoped to check it out at the same time I visit San Miguel. One guy I spoke with who just returned from Guanajuato described it as the "real Mexico" and likened SMA to "Disneyland" which I found humorous. Having grown up a few minutes from Disneyland, I am still a fan of FantasyLand (haha) i.e. I don't mind when places are made up to be aesthetically beautiful, pleasing for tourists. Many times that means that environments are kept to a high standard fueled by the local market.

Both cities sound excellent truly and it's heartening to hear that after two decades, you're still happy with your decision. I think one of things that intrigues me about SMA is the strong arts vibe being that I have a degree in Fine Arts and am moving more and more in that direction with my time and focus as opposed to just doing my usual marketing work.

What is the arts scene like in Guanajuato CasaColibri?
Thanks
Joyanne

To Joyanne,
Hmph.  Let me try that link again! 
https://internationalliving.com/countri … to-mexico/

Looks the same, doesn't it?  Try pasting it in your browser?  It's worked before, so...?  Or do what I did to find that by Googling if it still doesn't show up.

SMA is an established fine arts community, no doubt about that.  Guanajuato is strong in that realm, also.  Year-round activities and exhibits, even more during the yearly Cervantino Festival in October.  My neighbor, two doors down is the head of the fine arts dept. of the university.

Sorry I don't know much about the other schools here - no children, so I haven't focused much on the topic.  In any case, if you're going to be visiting San Miguel, it's only a hop and skip on the bus over to Guanajuato. Both lovely cities, but with a different "flavor".

P.S. I just tried the above link and it opened right away.

Hi and thanks for a great resource, reading the posts has been very educational as my wife and I prepare for our move. Our plan is to find a small 2 bed 2 bath place somewhere close to a beach. My wife is a lifelong fitness and physical therapy professional and will need somewhere to teach, so I dont get driven any more insane than I already am I am 35 year Technology veteran with the last 15 years spent in Cyber Security. I have worked everyday of my life since I was 12 years old so I am looking forward to spending time on the beach with a fishing pole and a hammock nearby
Looking forward to learning more about moving and the best places to be. We dont need to be close to a large ex-pat community as we are pretty self sufficient and not afraid to ask.
Our time line is about 24 months out so learning Spanish is our main aim over the next 12 months along with multiple visits to Mexico