AdrianR

Well, after seven years living up here in the dull northern provinces of the United Mexican States (in Tampico), after taking Mexican nationality and learning to swear in good, street Spanish...what can I say?

I love Mexico, because:
*I can walk in to any pharmacy and buy any medication without prescription and at reasonable cost.
*A visit to a good dentist for examination, clean & polish cost about ten pounds.
*I can visit a medical specialist for about sixty pounds a visit, no appointment needed.
*Labor for car or house repairs is low and we can afford two domestics.
*Excellent, bilingual private schools are very affordable and of high standard.

I hate Mexico, because:
*Officially tolerated corruption means public services always have a hidden cost.
*Corrupt cops have to be dealt with or face the consequences.
*Zero respect for rights of commons.
*Por la raza, toda - afuera de la raza, nada. Stupid, racist view.
*Trabajamos no porque queremos tener mas, porque no si no tenemos nada. Stupid Pancho Villa excuse for laziness.
*No community spirit or respect for neighbors.

meauxna

Hey AdrianR, just wanted to thank you for this post. I know we don't have many participants here living in Mexico but want you to know you've got readers.

I hope to join your ranks (southward) one day but thought you might find it amusing that my Truro NS relatives made the pilgrimage to Mexico, back in the day... (they went back eventually). Variety is the spice of life, I guess!

AdrianR

You're welcome and it's always nice to know my rantettes are followed (ahem!). Funny thing is, just as I am getting comfortable here (or it might be 'valemadrismo', I can't really tell) we are looking to leave!

Mexico is a great place if you can insulate yourself from the poverty and civil degradation and if you don't have kids...

meauxna

Si, man.
No hay Paradiso... niguna parte. But I think I could get along pretty well if I wasn't trying to take it all too seriously.
When we let the place in Greece go, I only did so with the understanding that we'd go check out the Gulf coast. hmm, time to call that card in soon I think!

Rant on!

alfaetrin

I love Mexico because:

my wonderful wife since 1988 is Mexican
the weather is a whole lot nicer than the weather here in Glasgow: Acapulco has pretty much a PERFECT climate
the best beer in the world- Corona- is from Mexico (I discovreed it in 1986, ten tears before the rest of Britian)
the beaches are the best in the world: start with Cancun, then try Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco etc etc. (Can't wait to try Huatulco one day...)
family and friends are the most important important thing in the world to the average Mexican, not career at all costs, or money
the food is the best in the world. If you haven't tried chicken mole you haven't lived. Also tamales, jamon del diablo, etc etc.
the fruit and veg are the tastiest you could ever imagine; no rock-hard but perfectly-formed tomatoes, pears etc: TASTE is more important than appearance
the beauty of the scenery and the variety of landscapes and cityscapes is utterly compelling.

I hate Mexico because:
...er... I'm thinking...

meauxna

Darn you, alfaetrin!

Off to scheme a vacation....

AdrianR

Yes, so is mine...and she damns me for bringing her back here

Well, hot and humid are the orders of the day up here in tierra caliente - but I'd rather be here than Stepps or Lenzie!

Meh! Keep your west coast national beers and give me Sol or Negro Victoria any day.

But on a serious note...as I had said, if you have enough $$ to NOT to have to live in da' hood with the poor folk, or NOT to have to live in a hardscrabble provincial industrial town (as we do both) then yes, Mexico is a great place. I would love to retire here one day but trying to raise kids and support an extended family - no way Jose!

Couture

another Glasgow lad here with Mexican Mrs. Coming up for two years in Mexico City now and looking at moving home to the UK, namely London to continue our careers and settle down a bit.

Things I love about Mexico -

- The weather, of course its brilliant having swings of 10C to 24C in winter here in DF, and the 30 odds is nice in the summer.
- Amazing places to go, as soon as you get out of DF. All the beautiful places to see, some really mind blowing scenery and some right gorgeous wee towns like from a cowboys and indians film.
- The food - mole rojo is just the bees knees, and coupled with a barrilito or a negro modelo - aw!
- The people. Such a variation in people. It reminds me of Scotland sometimes in that the schemies can be vicious, and the lower eschelon of working folks can be unfriendly, but when youre in with them, theyd lay in front of a bus for you if it made your life better.
- More freedom here as long as you know the system and have the patience to play it.


Things I hate about Mexico -

- Utter Chaos. People cant seem to think beyond the next 5 seconds

- Selfishness rules - in general, everyone is out for themselves to the point of negatively affecting YOU.

- No social order - like a hive of fecked up worker ants where the hive queen is corrupt.

- Poor manners. People staring at me used to be unnerving, now its just really, really annoying and tends to make me very aggressive day to day - rather than saying "excuse me" or con permiso.... people more often just shove past you or walk straight into you, then look at you like you have two heads for not diving out of their path.

- Road Safety - no driving lessons? no driving tests? Red lights mean STOP. Pedestrian crossings should NEVER intersect with a left turn, and crossings should mean vehicles stop!

- Police are crap - the police dont do anything to enforce the law. They will do you for drink driving or let you off for a few hundred pesos, but will they stop a fight? Do they stop cars for speeding through red lights or for blocking intersections? Do they stop people damaging/stealing your car for not paying them a parking charge simply because they put a plastic bottle filled with water in a public parking space and claimed ownership to it? Not in DF they dont.

- Respect for women - when you walk down the street and a police office blows a kiss at your wife...you know youre in the wrong country. When your Mrs cant stop at a red light without the guy in the next car making rude gestures....you know youre in the wrong country.

- Working Life - I work from 8.30-7pm as standard, and the boss sees leaving before 8pm as leaving early. Regardless of your output and quality of your work, if you leave before everyone else, and everyone else works weekends or overnighters....you are seen to be worth less to the office, even though the other staff might suck. Only 10 days holiday a year. Overtime demanded of you at a minutes notice. Sometimes you dont get paid on time. Office life is take take take...no give. The weekend is only yours if the office doesnt claim it from you on a friday afternoon.

- After Hours Noise - Dogs on roofs at 4am, parties on a Monday morning, people in the street noising up all the dogs on roofs at 4am or banging on doors etc. Small Kids in the street well after midnight, people revving bikes or old cars at all hours. People playing music that can be heard all up and down the apartment building to drown out the noise of same peoples baby crying! Seranades at 3am on a week morning.

- Who you know, not what - in Mexico you cant do ANYTHING big without knowing someone and giving over a backhander. Find a job? Very difficult unless you know a guy. Want to buy an apartment? Cant do it unless you know a guy who can get you a decent bank rate.

- Everything costs money - or youll get bugged until you hand it over. Want to reverse out of your space? No problem, just try to avoid running over the guy 'helping' you by standing behind you, whistling and rolling his fingers. Pay him for this service or youll get a mouthful. Stopped at traffic lights? Enjoyed the clown show with the 3 malnourished children and scruffy father? Pay up. What do you mean your windows were already clean? The guy just washed your clean windows and made them nice and dirty for you! ...Pay up.


Now, this may seem like Ive a huge stick up my bum, but I dont... I live in a decent neighbourhood in DF and I work hard normally. I like my sleep and I like some order to life. The chaos and the lack of common sense here is really getting to me.

cityhog

That's why Mexico is a third world country.

Couture

well, I would say these things are symptoms of the cause mate rather than the reasons why. Mexico has the potential to be a wonderful place to be - the government just has to ...well, not be so corrupt and actually do more for the people in terms of regulation and education!

The rich stay rich all over the world, but here its amplified because the rich monopolise everything including the government, so the 'people' will never have a say or a chance to improve this gorgeous, gorgeous country.

by the way, NOTE TO ADMIN - Mexico is NORTH AMERICA, not Central.

AlexInBC

Well said! That's been bugging me for ages and I don't even live in Mexico

Couture

meauxna

I know, there's just no correct place to put it. Pobre Mexico... etc etc

I liked your post a lot, yesterday. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

cityhog

Bribing is a way of life there. Corruption is widespread not only in Mexico but also in all Latin America. I guess it has something to do with Spanish culture.

meauxna

I guess you'd better start posting some links to support your potentially offensive statements.