My heart goes out to your family. It is so horrible what immigration asks of families that have an “undocumented alien” included in their ranks: leave the country or live without their loved one.

I’m not expert in finding someone in Mexico, but I can make a suggestion. There is really no way to “find” someone in Mexico from a distance. If you want to find him, you’ll have to go to Jojutla — which isn’t very large, by the way — and ask around for him. Since he was a taxi driver, you’d actually have a chance at finding him (as long as you speak Spanish and can strike up conversations with people). Start at the home base for the taxis.

Morelos is a really wonderful place to visit. Even if you don’t find him, your family could have very memorable vacation — and do it on a budget.

Check out my articles about places to visit in Morelos on this web site http://home-sweet-mexico.com/expatriate-author-articles.html/ to get started dreaming of what fun you can have.

I wish you all the very best.

Kindest Regards,

Julia C Taylor

I think the book will help you, maybe not to jump for joy at the idea of going to Mexico, but to have a better sense of how you can handle it and what you can do to make it a likeable experience. There is so much good to have from living in Mexico and it’s good for children, too. My son has really good social skills – better than he would have if he were from North America. You can read my article “Kooks in the Kitchen” for a tiny glimpse of all of the good that comes to children who live in the children-friendly culture of Mexico.

I commend your bravery at not making a decision solely based on your fears. Maybe Mexico City isn’t the right choice for you. There may be another city that would be a better fit for your family. Mexico City is wonderful and has a lot to like about it, but it’s huge and intense. Consider Queretaro, Cuernavaca, Puebla, and Guadalajara for sure.

I wish you all the best and I’m so sorry that your family is faced with such a cruel choice. The United States is not very family friendly! That is one thing you will enjoy if you do go to Mexico. It’s very family-friendly in lots of ways. Children are included in everything.

Kindest Regards,

Julia C Taylor

Mariah

It can be bad. I certainly wouldn’t want to take those guys on. They know each other and back each other up. I’m surprised you filed a complaint. Obviously their actions are sanctioned from higher up (the higher ups probably get a portion of their “bites”) and it’s the higher ups that are really scary. Take it easy so you don’t get in over your head.

Julia

Congratulations on your upcoming move to Ajijic. Will you be in Mexico by the time the days get shorter and the temperatures drop?

It’s true. Shipping goods is not something that I address in my web site. My book Mexico: The Trick is Living Here has a section on getting the permission from Mexican immigration to bring your goods. Still, that isn’t quite what you ask about here and you have an excellent point.

I personally don’t know any tricks, but I have talked to someone who works for an international shipping company and the general idea that they gave me is that customs is a bit unpredictable. I think your best bet is to find a company that does a lot of shipping from Canada to Mexico. They have to know of any “tricks” if there are some. I know this isn’t quite the answer you had hoped for because it’s hard to trust people who get paid if your stuff is sitting there waiting!

Why not see if you can get a recommendation for a trustworthy, experienced shipping company from other expatriates? You could try posting the same question on one of the expatriate forums on line. Some of them are really terrible, but there are some that are worth your while. You can find them by searching for “Mexico expatriate forum” on Google or other web search engine. (Don’t forget to look at the first few pages of search results, rather than stopping after the first and try more than one.)

Another thought that I have is that the clothing you mention may be a problem. The re-sale of used clothing from the U.S. is prohibited and Mexican customs routinely stops clothing from entering Mexico from the north (who knows if they see any difference if it comes from Canada). For example, I could not mail myself my own used clothes. Period. I am assuming that you already have your “menaje de casa” and your FM3. It might be a good idea to ask immigration about customs and if they have any recommendations — especially where it concerns your clothes.

Here is the web site for Aduana: http://www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx . I’ve been looking around in the site for anything that looks like it would address your question and haven’t found anything. You could try contacting them, though I’d be shocked if they actually replied to an email and the telephone number listed is for people calling from inside Mexico.

Phew! Are you ready to move to Mexico? It’s often this hard to answer questions.

On a lighter note, Mexican customs may be busy, but they don’t slow your items down just to be a pain. They want people to come to Mexico. If you have your paperwork done they way THEY want it done, you should be fine.

In response to your request for tips on living in Mexico, I first make a “Mexican noise” that sounds a bit like a dying bird. “eeeeeeeee” they say. I make that noise because my tips would fill a book and a web site!

I’m curious what part of being young makes you feel that you need tips. I guess you are saying you are headed to a totally new experience. This is so exciting!

I do have tips for the complete newcomer to Mexico and teaching (though, I’m sure I’ve written something similar to this somewhere…).

1. Be patient with yourself. You may get ‘overloaded’ sometimes. Go to a quiet, private place and read a book, listen to music, write in your journal, or some other centering activity.

2. Don’t try to do too much. Just “do” one thing a day.

3. Listen a lot. What are people really saying? What do they mean? Since you will be in a new culture sometimes your first response to a situation would not be the best one. Don’t put your foot in your mouth, watch what others say and do in each setting.

4. Find a “cultural guide” you can ask questions. Find a Mexican who understands “foreigners” or a “foreigner” who understands “Mexicans.” This person can help you know good ways to express yourself in situations you find confusing or what people really mean when they say or do “X” thing. As is normal in a cross-cultural experience people will do or say things that when you “translate” them into your own culture/language are rude (and you do the same to them) and you feel “bad.” If you have a cultural guide they can help you see what is really going on.

As far as advice on teaching, I recommend reading my serious of articles about teaching English in Mexico. They are in the section of my web site called “Articles” and might help you get some ideas to get started. I’m sure the people you will be working with will be more than happy to teach you what you need to know.

Have fun! I hope this will be one of those big experiences in your life that you always remember and you learn a lot from. I’m so grateful for all that I’ve learned in Mexico. Write back and tell about your adventures or ask more questions.

Sincerely, Julia

I am a Scottish language student that is moving to La Piedad in September to be a language assistant for a year. I have looked in several guides on Mexico in books and the internet but am yet to find much information on La Piedad. I was wondering if you had ever been there as you mention in your book that you have travelled in Michoacan? Also do you have any general tips for me being a young guy who has never before travelled in Mexico and also has no teaching experience.

Keep up the good work!

Allan