Ever since moving to Mexico I have been an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher. It is a job that I have enjoyed very much. Today I realized that I simply must put into this blog how wonderful my students have always been. My students have been, patient, pleasant, endearing, supportive, helpful, and encouraging. I’m not sure about EFL students in other countries, but I’ve got to say that Mexicans simply have to be among the best!
In Jill’s own words:
There are many things that I found to be more expensive [in Mexico than I had originally expected]:
Jill’s story shows that it’s important to know as much about Mexico as possible prior to moving. Get the nitty-gritty on life in Mexico from a woman who’s lived here for 6 years.
Include Mexico: The Trick is Living Here in your preparatory research.
Text copyright 2007 Julia Taylor
Photos copyright 2007 Jill Flyer
“Looking for adventure?
Come photograph Mexico, the land of color and beauty, of fiestas, parades, markets and muchas margaritas! And… have the time of your life!
Let us show you a Mexico far from the typical tourist cities and resort towns.”–Jill Flyer, owner of Mexploration S.A. de C.V.
Creative expression and retirement in Mexico go together like salsa and tacos - - neither one is very good without the other. Jill Flyer’s early retirement in Mexico will be an inspiration to you as you plan your own transition to Mexico.
Jill was in commercial real estate for about 15 years then worked for a wireless communication company doing real estate related jobs for another eight. She has always been interested in photography and during the late 80’s and 90’s she was also actively developing her skills as a photographer. She worked in a kitchen darkroom at her home and studied advanced printing techniques at the Evanston Art Center, near Chicago. She was selected for many shows in the U.S., most importantly, one judged by the curator of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. As part of her enjoyment of photography she also traveled several times to Mexico and South America.
Then it happened; she was downsized. When she tried to get back into commercial real estate she found that after being out of the business for so long it was too hard to get a toe-hold again. What did she do? Well naturally, she took a trip to Mexico.
She was in Ajijic visiting an acquaintance and under no time constraints when Maria di Paola, the owner of Galería di Paola in Ajijic asked if she could mat and frame eight of her photos for an upcoming show of women artists and photographers. Jill accepted and wound up staying in Ajijic almost a month during which time she started to make some friends. Jill considered her finances and decided that while she didn’t have enough money to live in Chicago, she thought she could live in Mexico until her pension became available.
She drove to Ajijic in July 2003 and quickly found a small rental house near the plaza. Since then she has moved further and further out of town and now lives in a more rural setting although, “there are all sorts of houses going up, so my tranquil life will end soon. But, in the meantime, I was able to negotiate a 5 year lease on a fairly nice house with a low rental rate. I also got a puppy from the animal shelter and she has become truly the joy of my life. I jokingly tell my friends that I have become the kind of person-animal-lover that I used to laugh at.” Jill’s Spanish has been improving over the 5 years since she moved to Mexico, though she would still like to learn more.
Jill says, “My plan was to have an easy, tranquil life, only work a bit as needed, and do tons of photography. But nothing turned out quite that way.”
Click to learn what it was that made
Jill’s cost of living in Mexico
higher than she expected.
In a nutshell, Jill didn’t have enough money - - but she’s making it anyway. In fact, her search for income has lead to the creation of a wonderful business. Jill had some experience giving photography seminars aimed at helping non-photographers think more creatively and shoot more rewarding photos. She came up with the idea of travel photography workshops. To learn about her 7-day workshops see her web site at www.mexploration.net.
In her own words:
“The great thing about these workshops is that it gives people who don’t live here an opportunity to see and experience parts of Mexican life that they would not normally see as a tourist. Most people don’t speak Spanish and certainly would not get into a car and drive to the hinterlands to see not only the small villages but also the magnificent landscapes. Most people have a fear of Mexico and would never, on their own, get out and walk in the towns and villages that we go to - so they have an opportunity to photograph unusual scenes that their friends and neighbors will ooh and aah over and experience a bit of real Mexican life. This is why this workshop is good, not only for photographers, but for the average person who just wants a different vacation and is a bit adventuresome.”I took a family (a couple plus their 12 year old child) to a local town once - the guy was extremely tall - about 6′ 5″ and lean and well muscled. When I suggested that we walk down thru the town to the lake, they seemed reluctant. I finally realized that, to them, this looked like a slum, as opposed to the spruced up, charming, Americanized Ajijic village and thought it would be dangerous - I assured them it was fine and we trotted off to the lake, where the man was able to get some great pictures that he would not have been able to get otherwise.
“Also, when photographers go on ‘regular vacations’, there is always a problem with ‘keeping up’ with the crowd if you are trying to get a particular shot. At a workshop, everyone is shooting and no one is hurrying anyone along, and everyone understands that it’s necessary to wait while someone finishes their shot.
“The workshop also gives everyone a chance every day to see their work and to have a review session so that, hopefully, by the end of the week, everyone is taking better photos. The review sessions are something we all participate in as a group, so even when we are discussing someone else’s photos, it helps everyone to think in terms of what they like and don’t like in a photo.
Jill says that what she likes best about being retired in Mexico are the countryside, the myriad of places with gorgeous scenery, and the beautiful children to photograph. She likes the way she stands out as one of the best artists in the area and the fact that she has had several shows in Ajijic. She also likes the way that when you live in Mexico you can be friends with people of any age.
“My first year here, I knew a young musician - - a guitarist - - who suggested to me that we have some sort of event together - and so we had an Evening of Music and Photography. It would have been unheard of in the U.S. for a twenty something male to suggest to a woman old enough (and more) to be his mother to do something together. Also, last year, I went dancing a lot (salsa!) with friends and had dancing partners in their thirties - again, the important part is to dance and how well you dance, not how old you are. I’ve always been a good dancer (and have danced salsa since college) but never thought I would have the opportunity to dance again on a regular basis.”
When Jill first told me about these experiences she said that Mexico isn’t “ageist” and I asked her to elaborate on that because I have said just the opposite: that Mexico is ageist. I said this because most job descriptions in the newspaper have ages listed on them and typically people from 25 to 35 are requested. I have seen a Mexican woman in her 50s who had an extensive resume not be able to get job - - apparently because of her age. Jill replied:
“I see what you mean about the dichotomy about age - definitely a problem in the work place. But also, there is sexism in the work place too. When I finished college in the U.S., I found that they could advertise for only men for jobs - and when I came here, I found the same thing, many years later. So, that is kind of strange.
“But, I think the best things I can describe are the two things I already did write about… that people of all ages can go out and have fun and party together and dance together, no matter what their ages are - and, that does not happen in the U.S. or rarely. We had a group here that went dancing - my dancing partner was almost half my age - he had friends that came from Guadalajara who were in their twenties (!) - our whole group was a mixed bag of men and women of all different ages - with only one thing in common - we liked to dance salsa (and drink a bit!).”
I also asked Jill what it is that she doesn’t like about being retired in Mexico. She says:
“What I don’t like here is the boredom - I had initially looked forward to the peace and quiet, but now, after 4 years, I am longing for more time in a big city. Unfortunately Guadalajara is a bit too far away, especially to travel at night thru the hills, so I don’t get into Guadalajara as often as I would like. If I had more money, I would travel more - this area is within driving distance of many interesting locales and although I have traveled at bit, there are a lot of towns that I still would like to see or some I would like to re-visit.”
Jill’s experience of life as a retired person in Mexico provides everyone interested in Mexico a good example of how wonderful it is to live in Mexico - - of how living in Mexico changes your life in completely unseen ways. As is true for many expatriates in Mexico Jill has been allowed to - - in fact, driven to develop her skills in some of the areas that are most rewarding to her (photography and salsa dancing). At the same time, she isn’t able to enjoy some of the things that she originally thought she would as often as she would like. Mexico is more expensive than many people think when they are making plans to retire in Mexico. If you are planning to live in Mexico, take baby steps in order to feel out the cost of living for the lifestyle level you would like to experience. I recommend that you travel in Mexico, then live for a few months at a time, then rent before you buy, as well as learn Spanish before you make a final commitment to life in Mexico. Jill’s experience also shows that if you don’t follow my advice, everything will work out fine - - with some pleasant surprises along the way.
Include Mexico: The Trick is Living Here in your preparatory research.
“By the way, I couldn’t agree more with your last paragraph. We have, unfortunately, tons of expats here (the largest expat community in the world- really!) and many more baby boomers to come. And they all come down here for the weather and the “cheap” living and haven’t the faintest idea of Mexican culture and what it means to really live here and never learn a word of Spanish. They plunk themselves in gated communities and never have any connection with the Mexicans and then wonder why the signage in the stores isn’t in English (true!)… and then they find they don’t like it here, because they never knew what to expect in the first place. But, by then, they’ve moved themselves into a $200,000 or $300,000 house (having cashed in on their stateside houses), complete with maids and gardeners (with whom they can’t communicate unless the maids or gardeners speak English!). Ah well, I could go on and on….”
Read Mexico: The Trick is Living Here before you come.
Back to Letting Go of Materialism
It’s exciting to think about how there are so many wonderful little “hidden” places to retire in Mexico.
Today, on our way to purchase new blades for the rototiller (there aren’t any available in Morelos) we think we found a town that may be a great place to retire. Tenancingo (pronounced Ten-an-sing-go, sometimes called Tenancingo de Degollado) in the state of Mexico really welcomed us as we drove through.
We noticed that it is orderly and tidy, with a variety of shops open. It is laid out on a grid making getting around efficient and comfortable, yet the people showed a relaxed, easy going way about them. It is a little south of Toluca and not too far from Mexico City, so would be relatively easy to access, yet avoids being too urban. It has many trees and plants, giving it a shady, green feel even in the dry season.
Surrounded by greenhouses, Tenancingo is located in a mountainous region, though is relatively flat. Surrounding areas provide plenty of lovely mountain vistas and scenic small towns. It’s high elevation would mean that temperatures would remain cool throughout the year. The main industry in Tenancingo is flower cultivation which keeps the local economy strong and you can’t get any nicer than that. It is also a good place to have horses, if you like that sort of thing. While I can’t say for sure because we were just passing through, prices are probably not as high as in other places due to it’s relatively “undiscovered” status.
Finding this lovely place reminded us that when one is planning to retire in Mexico, it would be worthwhile to spend a few months to a year, just traveling through the unbeaten paths and seeing if there are any perfect little places to retire. While in the process of retirement planning it is difficult to get good information about places to retire in Mexico unless they are already really well-known. I think that traveling the back roads of Mexico and discovering one’s own perfect place to retire is the way to go.
Today when I went to buy my tortillas, the machine was off and one of the people who runs it was just arriving with a huge sack-of-potatoes sized ball of dough. The attendant asked me if I would like to purchase the tortillas that were already made from a little earlier or wait for tortillas from the new batch. I chose to wait even though I didn’t know how long it would take. I thought it would be interesting to see how they did it and it turned out that I was right.
First, they started the belts and wheels, including a grinder mounted on the side of the machine. They put some of the dough through this grinder it a few times, adding a tiny bit of water once. Then they lit the gas oven with a sheet of newspaper rolled up to make a long “match.”
Next they began running some of the dough through the wheels that press it into a thin sheet. They had to lay the dough on the wheels and pressing and spreading it so that it would cover the entire wheels and come out as an unbroken sheet. This part took quite a bit of adjusting of the tension between the wheels using a lever. The sheet of dough had to be started over a third wheel that sent it toward the belt leading to the oven. During this process dough was cut off by hand and re-run until the sheet was coming out just right.
Next, The pulled a lever that tightened the round cutter against the dough, cutting out round tortillas. This also took some adjusting and dough was re-run through a few times. Then, suddenly out came some hot tortillas, slowly deflating after they left the heat of the ovens. We bought a kilo of tortillas so hot they burned our hands and soft, steamy, and delicious smelling.
Tortillerías usually have a salt shaker on the counter so you can shake a small amount of salt onto a fresh tortilla, roll it up using fingers and palm, and enjoy it fresh and hot. We enjoyed about three that way!
In my blog way back on September 20th 2007 I wrote a blog titled
“Beware all Who Retire in Mexico of Mexican Tangents” You can click here to read it, if you didn’t happen to catch it — after all it was 3 months ago!
The tangent has dragged on over these three months, but has not made itself blog worthy until today.
Here’s the background:
When we were getting our police records done the search found an open file on my husbands’ history. At the time I had no idea how that could be. In fact, no one in the series of officials I contacted in order to track down and attempt to close this “page” in his history bothered to explain it to me. It was one of my family members who remembered that 3 years ago, while he was in physical therapy recovering from a badly broken arm caused by being hit by a taxi driver while on his bike he chose not to sign some papers closing the case, just in case he would need additional support for his arm. So, no thanks to the people doing the paperwork I began to understand.
I just called the people who I was told to call and told them that I was trying to find and close a file number blah, blah, blah. Often they would ask me what I was trying to do and I had to honestly say, “I don’t know. I’m just trying to complete my duty to Mexico. A police officer told me I have to close this file.” No one bothered to explain to me, but I’ve already stated that.
Anyway, first I went from office to office in person and no one knew how to help me. Finally someone took pity on me, as I was carrying my son on my back and helped me fill out the request form to begin the process. Then I brought it home for my husband to sign. Then I took it back and turned it in. At this point I got the name and office phone number of a nice lady who told me to call in a week to see if she had found the file.
I called in a week and she told me that she had tracked it to the national hospital system and that they would find it. She told me to call back in a week. I called back in a week. She told me that they hadn’t yet found it, but would call me when they did. One day a few days later she called and left a message on my answering machine. By Murphy’s law, that’s the message that accidentally got deleted before I could listen and take notes, but at least I heard her name before my finger slipped. I tried to call. The phone was on the fritz. I didn’t get through until the next day. She complained because she had already put the file away after leaving me a message on the machine and didn’t have it on hand. She asked me to call her back in a few hours. I called back. The phone was on the fritz and that day was a Friday. I called on Monday, she complained because I hadn’t called her on Friday. I explained that I had but the phone had been on the fritz. She made no comment on that point, so I have no idea if she was aware of that reality or thought I was giving her an untruth (see my book to learn all about these and how to deal with them.) She told me that the file had been located and forwarded to the transito office in Jiutepec. I asked for the number and …. this is getting tedious to even write. I think you get the idea.
After talking to people at the new office I quickly understood that they were REALLY going to give me the run around and so turned it over to my husband. I knew that they would surely just tell me he had to do it personally since it was his case. He stalled for a couple of months because … well, obviously it’s a tedious thing to do. Who could blame him? Finally, in December I told him that he had to do it because otherwise they’d close their books for 2007 and give him the run-around even worse. So we went in as a family amid much tension. Finding the right office, finding parking, etc. etc.
Once at the office we waited for a half hour for our turn at the desk of a pencil pusher. First, the lady tried to get rid of him by saying she couldn’t remember his case. Duh! We wouldn’t expect her to. Then she played dumb by shuffling some papers and saying she couldn’t find it. He’d have to go get a photocopy of the receipt information so she could see the exact date that it was received and who had signed for it. We drove clear across town to the office of the nice lady to get that information (though I had suggested calling the nice lady because in part of the stuff I skipped above she had helped me to get around the run around by giving me key words to use on the phone with them). She couldn’t give the photo copy, but she did give my husband the name and date of the person who had signed for it.
Back we went, clear across town. I didn’t get to see the look on the lady’s face when my husband showed up a mere few hours later because I was trying to entertain our toddler. I’m sure she thought she had gotten rid of him for at least a week. She made him go stand in a line at the reception desk to confirm the info he had brought. After confirming it, he went back to her and told her, that in fact, he had confirmed the information, and she did, in fact have the paperwork. She then finally found the paperwork.
She got it out so that he could sign something, but started skimming it. It was deja vu for me. I saw the same papers we had been filling out while in the hospital (I had signed because his hand was out of service). She saw some wording that was confusing to her and told him she’d have to ask someone about it before closing the case. She told my husband to call her back on January 18th (vacation was coming up soon) and she’d tell him how they would proceed.
So, finally that brings us to January 18th. My husband just called and guess what she told him? That his case had been transferred to another person and that he’d have to call this guy after Tuesday of next week to see how he would proceed! Can you believe it??!! We are sure this was premeditated!!!!!!! ARRRRRRG! As they say in Spanish, “Me voy a morir de un coraje!” (I’m going to die of anger.)
Are you sure you want to retire in Mexico?
P.S. … after writing this, I’m starting to wonder if she was fishing for a bribe. It never occurred to me in the moment, but seeing her actions all laid out like this makes me wonder….
I was filling my mop bucket today, when… “bam”: I ran out of water again! I called the city water department (SAPAC) and they said that after 2:00p.m. we would get water in my neighborhood. I had a little over 2 hours to wait. I mopped the house with only one bucket of water instead of changing the water, as I prefer. Then I settled in doing things that don’t require water. My son was out and about with his father, so I managed to keep from getting my hands sticky for a long time. At 2:20 I still didn’t have any water, so I called again. They said that the service was just being turned on in my neighborhood and would arrive soon. More waiting. Finally, I heard that glorious thunder of water falling into our tank!
One of the best things about living in Mexico is getting to see new things. 
Today we went with our neighbors to the country to eat barbecued beef and enjoy the peaceful outdoors. On a walk I saw these flowers, called colorines, on a tree and was able to get some nice photographs of them. They bloom in the dry season while the tree is otherwise naked, and in addition to being quite photogenic are also edible (see Morelos’s Exotic Foods for the Brave at Heart) to read how to prepare them.
My husband and I were just talking about bargaining with vendors who sell handcrafts in Morelos. He came to an important conclusion that I thought I should add to this section on being conscientious guests in Mexico.
Many tourists believe that they have to bargain with vendors, but my husband has noticed that this bothers most vendors. Most vendors in Morelos (and possibly other places throughout Mexico) now give the going price when asked how much for something. They are not inflating the price in order to give room for bargaining, as we outsiders believe. Bargaining is pretty silly anyway. For many purchases it may be a matter of about $1.00 U.S. or less! Why be “stingy”?
Still, I think that a long time ago I may have read somewhere that I might insult the seller by not bargaining with him/her. This may be old intel. on Mexico, or possibly is true in certain regions of Mexico and not in others. It may be possible that people used to bargain a lot more than they do now because my husband remembers that when we first moved here he used to try to bargain too, but has since stopped instead opting for the price survery (see below). Anyway, we can’t quite figure out where the belief comes from but people from the country north of Mexico think that a Mexican vendor is automatically quoting them an inflated price–and since they have no idea what the going price is for things, they can’t tell if their assumption is correct or not.
However the belief got started, bargaining seems to be less appropriate then outsiders expect. At this point in my experience on Mexico, my personal recommendation to all people who travel or retire in Mexico is that you shouldn’t bargain.
Still, vendors can say any price that they want. Our friends told us that prices are consistently higher in Cabo San Lucas whenever a cruise ship can be seen anchored near the marina. So what do you do in order to know if a price is “fair”? You take a price survey.
If you want to purchase a particular type of item you need to know how much it should cost you. That way you can either pay the asking price or not.
“It isn’t everyday that you find a good source of solid, factual information [on getting settled in Mexico] coupled with a wry sense of humor. … [Author Julia Taylor’s] eye for detail covers those aspects of Mexico that make it a charming place for some and an absolutely frustrating one for others, and she does it with a deft hand that is neither condescending nor evasive.”
–Rita Pomade, independent reviewer for mexconnect.com
You find this out by asking around about the price of similar items. Stop at shops, point to items like the one you want and ask, “Disculpe. ?Cuánto cuesta este?” Smile. Listen to the price. Keep a straight face, say “gracias,” and gently walk away. Do this at a variety of places. If you have the time you can compare the more touristy areas with others such as the local market. (for example, in Cuernavaca blankets are less expensive at the stands near the food market than they are in near the zocalo–but not substantially so).
Once you have heard enough prices to tell what the price should be, you can return to a vendor of your choice and actually purchase the item.
I have allergies and so often have to cough to clear my throat. My husband is always on my case not to cough in front of other people. He says I sound terrible and that it is just completely socially unacceptable. When I resumed teaching after a time off to be home with our son, he told me, “Promise me you will not cough in front of your students.” After an experience that I had on the bus today, I think I may not have been taking him seriously enough.
I got in the bus today disguised as a Mexican. It wasn’t that cold, but I had on a hat and sweater because it was about to get dark and there was a breeze. My hair was slicked down onto my head with gel and I had a classic Mexican sideways part crossing my scalp under my hat. The only thing that might have shown me to be from the U.S. were my chaco sandals and socks. There were two young women tourists from one of the southern states (they had “accents”) sitting in a seat nearby and I immediately began eaves dropping.
“I wonder what tourists talk about on the bus,” I thought. Well, they were pretty easy to hear because Americans talk too loud (we do!). They weren’t being so loud they sounded rude, though. They were chatting about some blankets that they wanted to buy, presumably in the market near the zocalo because the bus goes that way. One was telling the other where she intended to use her blankets in her house. The other recommended that she pay no more than a certain price. The other was saying at what price she would start the bargaining. Suddenly, I heard this incredibly loud cough. I was so surprised my eyes flew open. I had no idea what could have caused one of the men on the bus to cough so loudly. The tourists continued talking. Then I heard another one of these barking coughs and I realized that it had to have been one of the tourists! I couldn’t turn to see, but I could tell by from where the noise came.
I suddenly remembered my husband’s comments on my coughing. “Oh my God!” I thought. “Am I that loud?”
What is the moral of the story? Don’t cough in public when you live or retire in Mexico because you sound worse than you think. Trust me. You’ll understand after you’ve been in Mexico for say… 6 years.