[sylo]

Living down in Mexico has always been in the back of my mind. For whatever reason, I am drawn to the Mexican culture and its people, the food, the language, and perhaps even the women. I am as white as can be. I often think about working down there; ultimately with an American paying job. As if they are not scarce enough in the States.

This desire has materialized rapidly within the past four days. I decided to get the ball rolling and put my money where my mouth is. A couple years back I ran into some very sweet Mexican natives in Las Vegas, both their party and my party vacationing for a week or so. I have still kept in touch with a few of them; and upon exchanging a few friendly emails, my friend from Monterrey is using her contacts and street smarts to help me find a job in Guanajuato.

For now it looks like a job teaching English at either the public university, or one of the many private English schools around the area. I have been told that little to no Spanish knowledge before hand is necessary, which works for me, as I am more than rusty from 3 years of Spanish ‘way back when’ in high school and only half a dozen trips across the border. I will enroll in an intensive Spanish course; becoming fluent is one of the many things I need to accomplish while living down there.

Am I seeking something extraordinary? Sure. Could I be running away from something? Probably. Am I seeking adventure? Undoubtedly so. There is, however, one aspect of my curiosity that remains constant: the desire to try. How can any of my questions be answered without trying, firsthand, what it is like to live and work as an American expat in Mexico? Talk is cheap; but I have a silver tongue.

Only a few short hours ago, I resigned from a great paying job I thoroughly enjoyed, pissing away the potential six figures a year; all for aspirations of dirt streets, mummies . . . and senioritas?

You better believe I did. I am only getting older. And better looking. Benjamin Franklin was quoted saying “Nothing ventured; nothing gained.” I will always wonder, until I do.

I will be able to save up a few more hundred dollars, but I plan on getting my butt down there as soon as I can, hopefully within a month or two.

As a side benefit, it will put me much closer to South America, where I have always planned on traveling. I was supposed to leave tomorrow for Rio De Janiero to experience Carnaval . . . but I am postponing the trip.

This is all new territory for me and I am anxious. I welcome any advice from people with experience living in Guanajuato and/or Mexico.

[Gunner]

Never been in Guanajuato but is one of the oldest cities, full of alleys and history.
Small and conservative though, close you have towns like San Miguel that is a gringo party expat destination. I think that you would get bored of Guanajuato kind of quickly.

I would suggest try to look for a job in Guadalajara. 5million city, some of the most pretty girls in the country, guys are mostly gay, lot of nightlife and Puerto Vallarta is only 3hours away bus/car ride.

[Gunner]

And the South America close shit is no benefit at all, planes are fuckin expensive in Mexico, there are some good deals but only leaving from Mexico DF. I live in the north of Mexico right now, for me it's cheaper to go to Madrid than to Buenos Aires/Sao Paulo.

[Ajiaco]

Congrats man. The most important thing is not to get discouraged easily...remember, if you wanted it all to be easy, you never would have made a decision to leave security behind for a unknown but possible awesome good time down south. There will be bad days, and you will have to put them in perspective. Give it time.

Also read this guy: Fred Reed is an American expat living in Guadalajara.
http://www.fredoneverything.net/mexico-columns.shtml

The link only has a sampling of his Mexico-related columns, check the archives for others. He seems pretty happy down there, no doubt you will too.

You took the hardest step already. It all gets easier from here...

[emh]

Congrats on the decision!!!

I spent 5 weeks in Guanajuato back in 2008 studying spanish. I did get bored of it but I may have been there at the wrong time. Seemed like right as I was leaving, some festivals and other stuff were just starting up. I'm also not really into bars so if that's your scene, you might find more to do.

Anyway, the good things about Guanajauto include: 1) It's a college town so there are lots of cute college girls 2) it's a small, compact town and easy to get around 3) very safe 4) beautiful city with lots of old colonial buildings 5) Great place to learn spanish (the school I studied at went out of business so I can't recommend any particular school) 6) Town has a lot of energy. Even though it's only 100-150,000 people, it feels like there's a lot more.

Other places in Mexico that I really like are Oaxaca and Queretaro. Both are old colonial cities and 2-3 times larger than Guanajuato in terms of population. Oaxaca has great food and culture. Queretaro is practically gringo free so you'll have the place to yourself.

BTW, I have to comment on some of the cities that other posters mentioned. San Miguel de Allende is gringo hell. Something like 25% of the population are foreigners (and most are 50 years old and up).

I'm also not a fan of Guadalajara. One of the ugliest cities I've ever been to. And the downtown is practically a ghosttown outside of the main street.

[sylo]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Any word on the chicks? I was in Cancun recently and most of the locals were indigenous (Oaxaca looking) which is not too appealing to me. Also, how receptive to game are they?

[Ajiaco]

I was in Guad, and that city is full of pretty girls, and if you have your Spanish down, very approachable too. I wouldn’t say Guad is ugly…then again I kinda like that graffiti everywhere, run down vibe. The nicer parts of Guad are almost indistinguishable from the U.S. I even found an indie rock scene there, definitely good times to be had. However, I know nothing of Guanajuato, pictures look nice though.

[emh]

(03-01-2011 01:07 AM)sylo Wrote:  

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Any word on the chicks? I was in Cancun recently and most of the locals were indigenous (Oaxaca looking) which is not too appealing to me. Also, how receptive to game are they?

Anywhere in Mexico you'll likely find girls who are open to dating someone from the US. Obviously, it helps if you speak some of the language. I certainly saw plenty of cute girls in my time in Mexico but it all depends on what your type is. BTW, Guanajuato gets cold in the evening so bring a jacket!

[emh]

(03-01-2011 09:11 AM)Ajiaco Wrote:  

I was in Guad, and that city is full of pretty girls, and if you have your Spanish down, very approachable too. I wouldn’t say Guad is ugly…then again I kinda like that graffiti everywhere, run down vibe. The nicer parts of Guad are almost indistinguishable from the U.S. I even found an indie rock scene there, definitely good times to be had. However, I know nothing of Guanajuato, pictures look nice though.

Yeah, I've been through this on other boards. I have a minority opinion when it comes to Guadalajara. That seems to be my role in life...I'm always in the minority (but I'm also always right! jk).

[Gunner]

Guadalajara is big so you have the part that is kind of US looking, "fresa". And you have the poor, ugly part.
Downtown is part historical and part ugly and well, you understand.

[whosyourdaddy]

(03-01-2011 01:07 AM)sylo Wrote:  

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Any word on the chicks? I was in Cancun recently and most of the locals were indigenous (Oaxaca looking) which is not too appealing to me. Also, how receptive to game are they?

Congrats!!! I traveled a large part of the country in 2002. Many women in Mexico are mestiza, not as indigenous as the Yucatan, not to mention if you want more European chicks, DF (Mexico City) is not too far away.

My thoughts about Mexico: GREAT FOOD!! But i guess everyone already knows that. Pretty safe for the most part if you stay away from "la frontera) (the border areas) and some parts of the South. I like Mexico because it is safe and modernized and very Americanized in many ways, you'll see WalMart, Office Depot and Burger King in many places, but still cheap, different and lots to do.

Kind of weak nightlife, except for Mexico City. Finally, the great thing is that if you learn Spanish, you can always hit/move to one of more than 20 other spanish speaking countries!!

Some highlights of mexico travelwise: Oaxaca, Mexico DF, San Cristobal de las Casas, Palenque, Zipolite, Zacatecas.

To live however, you'd probably be better off in one of the more modernized cities, such as Guadaljara, Monterey (very Americanized though) or Mexico DF.

Finally, i drove to Texas, parked my car in a secure parking lot at the border for 30/month and took the bus in. Texas is really close to the heart of Mexico, Monterrey is just an overnight bus ride from Mexico City (Central Mexico), one of the best areas. It is a great area to base yourself in, as you could easily get to Texas quickly.

[obsidian_jaguar]

(02-28-2011 07:09 PM)sylo Wrote:  

Living down in Mexico has always been in the back of my mind. For whatever reason, I am drawn to the Mexican culture and its people, the food, the language, and perhaps even the women. I am as white as can be. I often think about working down there; ultimately with an American paying job. As if they are not scarce enough in the States.

This desire has materialized rapidly within the past four days. I decided to get the ball rolling and put my money where my mouth is. A couple years back I ran into some very sweet Mexican natives in Las Vegas, both their party and my party vacationing for a week or so. I have still kept in touch with a few of them; and upon exchanging a few friendly emails, my friend from Monterrey is using her contacts and street smarts to help me find a job in Guanajuato.

For now it looks like a job teaching English at either the public university, or one of the many private English schools around the area. I have been told that little to no Spanish knowledge before hand is necessary, which works for me, as I am more than rusty from 3 years of Spanish ‘way back when’ in high school and only half a dozen trips across the border. I will enroll in an intensive Spanish course; becoming fluent is one of the many things I need to accomplish while living down there.

Am I seeking something extraordinary? Sure. Could I be running away from something? Probably. Am I seeking adventure? Undoubtedly so. There is, however, one aspect of my curiosity that remains constant: the desire to try. How can any of my questions be answered without trying, firsthand, what it is like to live and work as an American expat in Mexico? Talk is cheap; but I have a silver tongue.

Only a few short hours ago, I resigned from a great paying job I thoroughly enjoyed, pissing away the potential six figures a year; all for aspirations of dirt streets, mummies . . . and senioritas?

You better believe I did. I am only getting older. And better looking. Benjamin Franklin was quoted saying “Nothing ventured; nothing gained.” I will always wonder, until I do.

I will be able to save up a few more hundred dollars, but I plan on getting my butt down there as soon as I can, hopefully within a month or two.

As a side benefit, it will put me much closer to South America, where I have always planned on traveling. I was supposed to leave tomorrow for Rio De Janiero to experience Carnaval . . . but I am postponing the trip.

This is all new territory for me and I am anxious. I welcome any advice from people with experience living in Guanajuato and/or Mexico.

Congrats, man. A man is nothing if he does not follow his dreams. We Mexicans hope you have a good stay here. As for advice... learn Spanish as fast as possible, as many people don't speak English. Furthermore get involved in activities in your area: volunteer for cultural events, attend some Mexican gastronomy lessons, etc. It will greatly enhance your understanding and appreciation for the culture. Best of luck!

[Laner]

I have been to Guanajuato a couple times for the Cerventino festival. Both times were about one month stays.

It would be hard for me to say what it is like outside of the festival.

I was there about a week before Cervintino so I saw a bit how it might be like. There were a lot of foreigners there studying Spanish. Fairly easy to swoop once they realized their Latin Gods were few and far between.

GTO has nearly perfect weather.

Four - five hours to DF terminal norte.

I like Queretaro as well. A bigger city and closer to DF.

[KingofScotland]

So is the original poster still in Mexico and how have things worked out? I'm planning to leave the UK in the new year to live and work somewhere else for a while and would love to hear how it went for you.