Expat_2003
Doug Bower is a freelance writer and book author. Some of his writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Associated Content, Transitions Abroad, International Living, Escape Artist, and The Front Porch Syndicat
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Moving to Mexico? Could Be Dangerous!Could not learning Spanish as an American Expat in Mexico kill you?
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Homeless Mexican Dogs and Cats in Trouble: Can You Help?Companion animals seem to fare worse than working animals. From my very ignorant and subjective Gringo observations, it seems the cows, bulls, goats, sheep, horses, and burros are never seen roaming the streets of this city homeless.
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Things You Should Consider when Retiring to MexicoIf you plan to retire to Mexico you need a realistic picture of what to expect.
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Retiring to Mexico? Think About High Altitude SicknessHave you ever wondered what some of these slick and mendacious online magazines are leaving out when they tell you all your troubles will be over if you take their "how-to-move-to-Mexico" course (for a small fortune) and maybe even buy some of their listed properties -
Want to Succeed at Writing? You Need a Platform!When I finished my book, "The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico," I sent queries to a number of publishers. On a lark, I queried McGraw-Hill. To my utter shock and awe, they wanted to look at the completed manuscript.
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Things to Consider for Your Study Abroad VacationMore and more retirees are choosing to learn Spanish and doing so by taking a Study in Mexico vacation. This is such a grand idea that I hardly know where to begin -
Bird Museum in Saltillo, Coahuila, MexicoI love birds. I always have. I had them when I was a child; and, from time to time as an adult, I have bred them in numbers I am too embarrassed to admit -
General Tourist Etiquette in MexicoWhen we moved to Mexico, the issue that troubled us most was accidentally making some cultural blunder. We were afraid we would do something to offend everyone we met. You can only read so much material on culture.
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The StrategistAbstract: The future of Washington
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Tourist Etiquette in Mexican HomesIf you experience the rare honor of an invitation to someone's home, dress casually but neatly. Men should wear a nice shirt and slacks; women should wear a dress, a skirt and blouse, or a pantsuit. -
Tourist Etiquette in Mexican ChurchesGringo tourists have to be constantly reminded that just because they've secured a new mortgage on the house back home to afford vacationing in Mexico, this does not entitle them to commit all manner of cultural atrocities. -
Tourist Etiquette in Mexican HotelsIf you don't speak Spanish well enough, the very first problems you will encounter when trying to deal with Mexican hotels will be when you try making a reservation in an area of Mexico outside the Prime Tourist Locations. -
Tourist Etiquette in Mexican RestaurantsOne thing I notice when I am on the west coast of Mexico is that in restaurants, many of the owners will take dollars if the patron hasn't bothered to change his money into pesos. -
Abstract: Breaking Through to VotersHow can voter apathy be fixed?
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Tonala, Mexico: The City of CeramicsFrom the Olmecs, the Teotihuacans, the Aztecs, the Mixtecs, the Casas Grandes culture, and Mimbres culture to modern day Mexicans, pottery has been a predominate influence in the lives of all Mexicans of all times -
Guanajuato, Mexico: The 35th Annual International Cervantino FestivalThe largest cultural event in Guanajuato is the International Cervantino Festival. It is held for 3 weeks each October. This is a festival that celebrates the arts. Each year, the festival features one of Mexico's 31 states as well as 1 or 2 foreign countries. -
How to Find English Tour Guides in GuanajuatoBut, the point is, if a Mexican city wants to woo the American, Canadian, Australian, and anyone else who is not fluent in Spanish, then those within the service and tourist industries should get on the bilingual stick and learn some English. -
Why You Should Avoid Hotels in Guanajuato's Historic DistrictLet me begin by saying that there's nothing wrong with the hotels in Guanajuato's Historic District, specifically. I've been in all of them when I was researching my new book, A Walk Through Mexico's Crown Jewel.
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What Makes Up My Mind?What is consciousness?
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When the CIA Got it RightShould the CIA be cut some slack and seen as a pawn of political machinations?
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Corruption in Governments - How Mexico RanksMy friend's perception of Mexico was it was so utterly corrupt that I could not possibly stand living in it. I might add that the Minuteman Anti-Mexican groups also wrote me scathing emails with point-by-point outlines of how Mexico was the most corrupt nation on earth.
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San Luis Potosi American Style Shopping MallsWe wanted to not only see San Luis Potosi, but also take some time to do some much-needed shopping. When we moved to Guanajuato, we wanted to live in a mostly pedestrian town so we would not have to have a car.
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San Luis Potosi the City of GardensWe pulled into San Luis Potosi about 2:00 p.m. after a very pleasant run on one of Mexico's fine bus lines. I love Mexican buses. Mexico did what I am convinced no other country on the earth has ever quite figured out.
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San Luis Potosi Plaza De ArmasThe next morning, we popped up and prepared for a day to explore a place we'd never been before. I had been hearing nothing but good things about this town and my time spent in it would not find any contradictions to those reports.
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San Luis Potosi's Magnificent ArchitectureThe Plaza de Armas is ringed by shops, both big and small, some eateries, and of course, the magnificently grandiose La Catedral.
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Silao, Guanajuato: The Mexican Town that Travel Guide Books ForgetA too-often neglected little town in the state of Guanajuato, which is easily accessible from the city of Guanajuato, is Silao.
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The Queen of Tonala: Jalisco, MexicoI had never been to Tonalá, Jalisco, Mexico, before this week. I had an appointment with the Queen of Tonalá. -
The Mixing of Architectural Styles in Mexican ChurchesThe one thing in the world that never puts me to sleep is the subject of Mexican churches. It's become a passion of mine since moving to Guanajuato, Mexico, and I never tire of visiting the scores of churches in the cities we visit. -
The Mysterious Church of the Third Order in Dolores HidalgoOn the Dolores Hidalgo map, which you obtain from the tourist's office, depending from which direction you are coming, the Templo de la Tercera Orden.
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Church Etiquette in Dolores HidalgoWhen we retreated to a bench to watch the church from which the funeral had expelled us to see a covey of Gringos walking into the church with cameras, short pants, and halter tops.
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The Father of Mexican Independence in Dolores HidalgoIt wasn't to take place for another 25 days. That was the plan anyway. Something had happened. They weren't to take action until December 8th but a spy came on the 13th of September to inform them that they had been betrayed
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Information About Miguel Hidalgo's HomeThis morning I wanted to hit first the museum that was actually Miguel Hidalgo's home. It was in this place where the insurgents would meet for their "Literary Meetings" and where the plot of the insurrection would be hatched.
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Finding the Shops and Museums in Dolores HidalgoI wanted to find some shopping venues that would not have necessitated walking down to "Ceramic Avenue" or "Pottery Lane".
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Pros and Cons in the Cradle of Mexican IndependenceJust as in the city in which we live, Guanajuato, while sitting in the plaza trying to enjoy the evening you will be hounded almost endlessly for donations to something or another. Usually, young people come up to you with a tin can and a slit...
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El Zorro - Miguel Hidalgo MuseumHidalgo was a rascal. He was known by his peers as el zorro or the Fox. It turned out that he was not only the father of Mexican independence, the father (priest) of the local Parroquia church, but was the father of two daughters in an illegitimate tryst.
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Quest for Dolores HidalgoWe were on a slow bus going apparently nowhere fast. For once we had gotten up at the mutually agreed time. We had gotten ready and arrived at the Guanajuato bus station to head out to Dolores Hidalgo exactly on schedule.
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Going to Church in Dolores HidalgoThis was, I suppose, going to be church day for us. So, we finished our ice creams and headed for church number two, Templo Calvario.
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The Parish Church of Nuestra Senora De Los DoloresPerched on a bench in the large square plaza in the center of town. I am on the side of the plaza facing directly in front of The Parish church of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores.
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Living in Mexico: A Charming Cultural DifferenceBoth Americans and Mexicans have their different cultural ways of calling on someone at home.
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Worldwide Cyberstalking is a Worldwide ProblemSomething we didn't plan on when moving to Mexico, a thing that would have most certainly kept us away from here, was that we are currently being Cyberstalked.
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Guanajuato's Unwanted Spring and Summer Puppies and KittensThis time of the year also brings the onslaught of unwanted puppies and kittens -
Urban Sprawl Coming to a Colonial Mexican Neighborhood Near YouSome readers think I am opposed to "progress." -
Living in Mexico with Lenny and BubbaI have the very worst luck with getting wrong-number phone calls, no matter what country I live in. Believe me, when we moved to Mexico, the problem didn't get any better.
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Don't Declare War; OpineIt is very interesting to note how someone responds to what I've written about Gringolandia and its inhabitants, Gringolandians.
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How Gringos Change Mexican CultureThe literature that exists in book form and especially in online newsletters and magazines presents to the "Move-To-Mexico Wannebee" Mexico as an Image and not Mexico as it Really Is.
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Are Gringolandians an Invasion?The Gringolandia infection is spreading.
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Learning Spanish: Financing Your Spanish EducationA couple of years ago, an American lady came to Guanajuato to learn Spanish. She enrolled in one of the most expensive schools in town.
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Learning Spanish: The Affective FactorThe chief problem for most Americans who want to learn Spanish but who don't succeed is the Affective Factor.
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Easing Your Move to Mexico with Mentor for Hire ServicesSometimes I marvel at how my wife and I arrived in Guanajuato, Mexico, with so little Spanish and with so few cultural skills.
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Living in Mexico: Gringolandia DenialI cannot begin to imagine what life must be like in isolated little enclaves where the inhabitants have only one another for socializing.
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Where Did that Mexican Bus Driver Go?Do Mexican Bus and Cab Drivers pose a danger?
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Living in Mexico: Fight Well, Love BetterThough a conservative, I read liberal points of view. I do so for two reasons. One, their views help me refine my own.
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Visit Central Mexico on Your Next VacationI've noticed lately the tourists that make their way to central Mexico (Guanajuato) tend to be either the loosey-goosey backpackers or the tourist elite who tend to have a lot of experience in coming to strange and new places.
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Learning Spanish: Begin by Listening - Part 6Most folks, when they set out to study a new language, begin by enrolling in Spanish I at their local Junior College.
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Living in Mexico: Everyone Loves the Theater!If you haven't been following my articles plastered all over the Internet, what I've been writing about with much alacrity is how life for the American expat in Mexico basically falls into two classifications.
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Learning Spanish: Begin by Listening - Part 5One of the chief complaints of students, young or old, who seek to learn Spanish is that what they hear is "machine gun Spanish.
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Learning Spanish: Begin by Listening - Part 4Exactly how the brain stores language, spoken and understood speech, has not exactly been known.
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TERRORISM: A Different ApplicationI've been wondering lately about the word "terrorism" and its various definitions.
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Learning Spanish: Begin by Listening - Part 3Passive listening would be the direct opposite of how we are taught to approach the learning of math, history, or science.
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How One Develops Second Language FluencySpoken fluency in a second language is not learned but acquired.
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Learning Spanish: Begin by Listening - Part 2The place most worth considering where instruction in how to learn a second language abounds just might surprise you.
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Living in Mexico: Confessions of an Insane GringoLet me first say that whether or not I am actually insane could be debated
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Learning Spanish: Begin by Listening - Part 1Without the language, your social involvement is severely limited to only those who speak English.
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LEARNING SPANISH: The Input HypothesisMaybe the most important aspect of Stephen Krashen's theories of second language acquisition is The Input Hypothesis.
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LIVING in MEXICO: Gringos Underestimate the Noise FactorMy wife and I met with a woman a few years ago when she was contemplating moving to Guanajuato.
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Learning Spanish Part Twenty-Five: The Monitor HypothesisDr. Krashen explains that this idea, The Monitor Hypothesis, shows how language learning (grammar) affects language acquisition.
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Learning Spanish Part Twenty-Two: SuggestopediaGeorgi Lozanov, a Bulgarian psychologist, introduced what he undoubtedly thought an original and brilliant premise:
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Living in Mexico: Craziness in GringolandiaLet me say right off the bat if you find this article entertaining, you really must come back and look at the "reader's comments" that will undoubtedly follow in the next few days.
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Living in Mexico: What Mexicans Think About GringosWhen I was setting up an interview with a Mexican friend, he asked what I wanted to discuss.
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Learning Spanish: IntercambiosWhat got me started on an Intercambio jag was learning how Mexicans in the tourist industry on Mexico's Gold Coast learn English and achieve an amazing level of proficiency.
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Living in Mexico: Closer to GodThe tragic event in Eloxochitlan, Mexico, in which a mudslide took too many bus traveler's lives on July 5th, 2007, reminded me...
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Learning Spanish Part Twenty: The Silent Way MethodA most bizarre philosophy of education called "Discovery Learning," based partly on the educational ideas of Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Dewey, led to The Silent Way Method of Second Language acquisition.
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LIVING in MEXICO: Sugar and Spice and This Time Nice Part 1Living in a Mexican town that is probably the most provincial in the entire country can have many advantages.
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Mexico as a Concept and Not a RealityIt has been the Prime Living Locations such as the Lake Chapala area, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende, Cuernavaca, Mazatlán, and others to which Gringos have been attracted
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Learning Spanish Part Nineteen: The Audiolingual MethodThis method of second language instruction was a further development or evolution of The Direct Method.
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Mexico as a Concept and Not as a RealityMost, if not all, Americans who decide to move to Mexico to "get away from it all" seem to do so based on the merits of at least two books.
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Living in Mexico: It's the Rainy Season and I'm BoredWe've been holed up in the house pretty much now for two weeks and counting. We venture out between downpours. Such is life in Central Mexico during the rainy season.
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Learning Spanish Part Eighteen: The Direct Method of Language InstructionRealizing that The Grammar Translation Method of second language instruction did not work to impart spoken proficiency in the target language, in the late 1800's, The Direct Method surfaced in language instruction.
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Learning Spanish Part SeventeenThe grammar translation method of second language acquisition is virtually the only method used in most language courses taught in classrooms all over the world. It is also known as The Classical Method.
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Learning Spanish Part Sixteen: This Time Do it Right!I've been thinking about this lady in San Miguel de Allende. I don't know her well. I've never met her, actually, but we have corresponded.
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Don't Mess with Mexican Women Part IITell me how anyone would learn what "No manches" or "¿Quién va a hacerlo, Buey?" means in a classroom where you are learning how to conjugate estar and ser?
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Studying Abroad: How Memory Works in Acquiring a Second LanguageThe Australian aborigines, who believed their world was sung into existence, have associated a song with every geological item in the wilds of Australia.
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Studying Abroad: How Memory Works in Acquiring a Second LanguageWhat I am often tempted to say, but I don't, is, "Well I can see that you've amassed a vast Spanish vocabulary using whatever method you use.
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Studying Abroad: How Memory Works in Acquiring a Second LanguageMnemonic memory training is a memory system that allows you to store information in and recall it from your long-term memory, and, in the case of learning a new language, your speech center.
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Studying Abroad: How Memory Works in Acquiring a Second LanguageYou get home from your year abroad in Mexico and starting going through all those home study courses to reinforce your year of Spanish in Mexico
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Living in Mexico: Don't Mess with Mexican WomenI was standing outside the walk-in-closet-sized store where my wife loves to shop. It is also the neighborhood gossip center.
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Living in Mexico: Emergency ServicesI was in a bus with my wife heading back to Guanajuato from Texas.
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Living in Mexico: True Total Immersion SpanishAlmost without exception, the private language schools and universities in Mexico use the translation method of Spanish instruction.
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Study Abroad in MexicoIf you are planning what seems to be the "in thing" with more and more middle-class Americans, a study Spanish vacation in Mexico, then there are some things you can do to maximize the experience.
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Understanding Regionalism in Mexican Culture Part 4I asked the question: Why would someone from Chihuahua City speak so disdainfully about the people of Guanajuato?
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Living in Mexico: Study in Mexico and Do a Home Stay!When my wife and I first came to Guanajuato, we did a Study Vacation and stayed with a Mexican family. Our experience was wonderful
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Learning Spanish Part Twelve : Total Immersion Courses in Mexico?Going to the host country of the target language has always taken on a sort of mythical quality.
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Learning Spanish Part Eleven : Taking Classes in SpanishIf you have successfully completed at least The Learnables and The Pimsleur Spanish, Learning Spanish Like Crazy courses, you are ready for the formal study of Spanish (i.e., grammar).
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Learning Spanish Part Ten : Even More Horsing AroundThere are two additional courses that I recommend.
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Learning Spanish Part Nine : Still Looking for that HorseWhat do we know so far
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Learning Spanish Part Eight : Some Really Bad Science!So just where did this hideous stereotype about adults learning foreign language originate?
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Learning Spanish Part Seven : How to BeginThe Horse, as I wrote previously, is spoken fluency
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Learning Spanish Part Six : More on Conversation ClassesThink about this very seriously for a moment.
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Learning Spanish Part Five : Conversation ClassesYes, there are conversation classes.
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Learning Spanish Part Four : the Right ApproachThis article is about language learning methods.
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Learning Spanish Part Three : Why Acquire a Second Language?Why should an American learn a foreign language in the 21st century?
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Learning Spanish Part Two : Some SolutionsForeign language learning is not something that happens overnight;
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Learning Spanish Part One: The Problems and SolutionsIt is not an exaggeration to declare that the United States of America could be the only country in the world where one can graduate from high school and even college without taking one course of foreign language study.
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Living in Mexico: Transacting Anything in This CountryRecently, I read a book written by a Cultural Analyst specializing in Mexican culture.
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Living in Mexico: Sugar and Spice but Not Always Nice Part 5There is a great restaurant in town where I love to eat steak.
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Living in Mexico: Sugar and Spice but Not Always Nice Part 4You and your business partner have been working your tails off trying to get a bunch of modern, Mexican-style duplexes off the ground.
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Living in Mexico: Sugar and Spice but Not Always Nice Part 3To be honest with you, I don't see why more Gringos in Guanajuato aren't getting ripped off when trying to rent, or God forbid, buy a house on their own
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Living in Mexico: Sugar and Spice but Not Always Nice Part 2The simple answer is if you are a Gringo, Mexicans perceive you as having riches galore.
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Living in Mexico: Sugar and Spice but Not Always Nice Part 1I wish someone had written a more reality-based expatriation guide we could have read during our research phase before moving to Mexico.
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Living in Mexico: Random ThoughtsIt is always a treat to receive letters from readers who read what I crank out.
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Study Abroad in Guanajuato, MexicoIf I had my way, I would require every American to come to Guanajuato for a month or two to engage in a Study Abroad program. -
Living in Mexico: Cultural Imperialists?In my never-ending quest to discover just what to call American gringos who move to Mexico and create Gringolandias (expats, fakepats, colonists?), I offer yet another confusing yet interesting dilemma.
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Living in Mexico: A Hedge Against Gringo GougingNo amount of denial will make the dual-price system in Mexico go away.
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Living in Mexico: Education or Law Enforcement?Depending on where an American chooses to expatriate in Mexico, there is one irrevocable fact of Mexican life and culture that will be immediately apparent.
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Living in Mexico: Lord of the FliesRemember reading The Lord of the Flies when you were in high school?
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Cultural Issues: Why Do Gringos Move to Mexico?I would love to be able to tell you that the vast majority of Americans moving to Mexico do so because, to phrase as the quote above, " but rather of people who like Mexico
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Adult Foreign Language Learners: Are You Too Old to Learn a Second Language?Someone Wrote: "It has been documented that the older one gets the more difficult it becomes to learn a foreign language."
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Are Gringo Enclaves in Mexico Sub-Cultures?Is it ok to make sweeping generalizations when it comes to discussing cultures?
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How to Deal with Mexico's La Mordida: Pay the BribeYou can find some of the world's worst advice in Internet Chat Rooms.
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Brush with Death: Running for Your LifeMy most recent brush with death, and there have been many, was with the little green Nissan cab my neighbor, Pancho, drives.
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Thinking Crticially About Our Cultures""...A majority of the Britons described Americans as uncaring, divided by class, awash in violent crime, vulgar, preoccupied with money, ignorant of the outside world, racially divided, uncultured...
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Mexicans and Americans: Cracking the Cultural CodeSomething that I have to be careful of when I write about my experience as an American expat in Mexico is not to come across in my prose as an expat expert.
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Understanding Mexican Culture - Part 3After we had lived in Guanajuato for about two years, we noticed something so strange, so unnerving, so inexplicable that it took another two years before we arrived at a reasonable explanation for a mystery that, frankly, was a little mind-boggling.
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Understanding Mexican Culture - Part 2We were understandably excited, even overwhelmed, when we moved to Guanajuato on August 1, 2003. We explored the city until we felt we would drop. -
Understanding Mexican Culture - Part 1In the series of columns I've written, to the tune of around 300, and four books during a period of four years, I've attempted to present my observations of what I've experienced living in central Mexico in the city of Guanajuato.
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Guanajuato: There Goes My PrinciplesWe just got back from the Mall.
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A Suicide Bombing Coming to a Neighborhood Mall Near YouSince 9/11, I have resisted writing very much about the issue of terrorism. One of the main reasons for my reluctance has been the very salient fact that I can hardly muster enough rational objectivism to do so.
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Death: NASA, Real Estate and FlyingRecently I read a story about NASA having to come up some sort of procedure for the possibility of astronauts dying while on their way to Mars.
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What My Man-Boobies Have to Do with Living in Guanajuato, MexicoSince moving to Guanajuato, Mexico, we've lived in four different houses. The first was in a barrio called Puquero.
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Mexico: Tinacos Are Such FunThere are times when I wonder if Americans knew ahead of time what really to expect in their desire to retire to Mexico they would actually go through with it.
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Cow Farts Cause Global WarmingI could not believe my eyes when I read the following quote on Foxnews.
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Mexico: We Are the Borg-Gringos and You Will Be AssimilatedI have a general understanding of the gringo communities in some Mexican cities and what's happened there historically and what is currently happening.
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When it Rained Lizards in Guanajuato: A Traveler's Story About MexicoIt's almost rainy season here in Guanajuato. You know it's coming when the days start heating up.
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Culture Shock and Expatriation in MexicoNo matter how hard I try, and I've been trying, trust me, I cannot stop thinking about expat issues in the Mexican town in which I live.
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Alex Baldwin Wants UnderstandingAlex Baldwin's tirade against his minor child needs to be seen for what it is-child abuse.
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Guanajuato Tourist Season 2007About this time of year, I normally start haranguing about tourist season in the little central Mexican town where I live, Guanajuato.
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What's It Going to Take To Clean Up Mexico's Tourist Cities?There is a certain magnetism to a Mexican city that seems to know how to keep its streets clean, its air clear-blue and free of the dreaded brown haze, and make everything in it call out to the tourist to come for a visit.
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Central Mexico Expat Survey 2007Let's pretend that you are going to move to Mexico.
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Guanajuato: Teenage Pregnancy and the ChurchYou do not have to be an expatriate to notice that the young people of Guanajuato are excessively demonstrative in showing public displays of affection.
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Mexico is Worth Planning a Visit or TwoMéxico is a magical place. It is truly enchanted. For us, and I am assuming for you too, the appeal of this country is so hypnotic, so magnetic, so enveloping that one can hardly come here without falling under its spell.
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San Miguel De Allende, Charities, Questionable Motives?Doesn't anyone realize that unless limitations are established on what Americans can do after they move to Mexico, they will change the cities to which they flock until Mexico is no longer Mexico, but is merely another USA?
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San Miguel De Allende and Guanajuato: What's Going On?Please Explain Something To Me!
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San Miguel De Allende and Savannah NightSavannah Knight and I are having a fight. We are miffed at one another and are going at each other like tongs and hammers.
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Moving to Mexico--Learn Spanish!Occasionally, we go out to the campo (the Mexican countryside) to visit an artist friend.
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What World Do I Live In?What world do I live in? This was a question recently sent to me by a reader. He was not writing to compliment my writing.
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Want to Be a Writer? You'd Best Read This!There have been two times in my life when someone told me I would never be able to accomplish the goals I set out to accomplish.
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Idea Vendors Closed Out of the Market Place of IdeasEvery single person reading these words, whether they know it or not, is a Vendor of Ideas. Each of us possesses a host of ideas on many subjects.
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Choosing the Right Mexican TownThe gringos I've encountered through the years I've lived in central Mexico have moved here for many different reasons. I've found people who have moved to Mexico for the good weather
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How to Dress When Visiting Central MexicoThere are areas of México where the weather is referred to as Eternal Springtime. It is a true statement for a lot of México, especially the Heartland. It could be called Paradise weather.
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Do You Understand Freedom of Speech?Associated Content Provider, Sindy Lucas, wrote an honest, heartfelt op-ed piece concerning an op-ed piece by Kenneth Eng.
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To Write or Not to Write: Is that Really the Question?As a writer, when you notice something exceedingly strange in the town you've chosen to move to as an American expatriate, should you report what you see?
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How to Write a ReviewReading readers' review of your prose can send you into the heights of ecstasy or plunge you into the drowning pool of despair.
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How to Get Around in Spanish-Only MexicoMost central Mexicans, at least those I know, have no illusions of being bilingual.
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How to Move to Mexico Without Getting BurnedThere are now a plethora of "how to expatriate to México guides" available for the potential expat.
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America's Birth Pangs: Are We Really Free?During the birth pangs of America in Colonial times, the idea of freedom of speech was the definitive rallying cry of the soon-to-be Americans.
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Why Do Men Need Women?Women: I simply cannot fathom why we men do not understand how much we need them in our lives.
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Guanajuato, Mexico, Marriage and Free SpeechExperiencing culture shock is very much like getting married. You spend the first year or so in rapturous enjoyment of one another in martial carnal pleasures and intellectual stimulation.
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How to Write for Free and Still Get PaidI am pleased to announce that because of the existence of free writing venues and content providers, and the kind tolerance of its editorial staff, I have been noticed by a travel guide publisher.
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Find a Peaceful Quality of Life in MexicoThe appeal of México is immediate. Whether it is the long, warm sandy beaches of Puerto Vallarta with its marvelous nightlife and eco-jungle tours...
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How to Keep Your Mexican Home Free of ScorpionsUnless you come from a part of the United States, such as Arizona, New Mexico, or anywhere in the southwest where the scorpion reigns, you probably have no idea one of the lovely things with which you will have to deal when moving to Mexico is The Scorpion! -
Is Stereotyping Really Bad?Stereotypes. As soon as this word is uttered or seen in print or the idea is implied, almost 100% of the politically correct crowd's hackles go up and they are ready for a fight.
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How Do I Begin Studying a Foreign Language?This is a recurring and frequent theme in my column writing and books. It amazes me that Americans make such a monumental effort to move to Mexico and then never learn Spanish.
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How to Expatriate to Mexico the Right WayWriting can be such fun. It can take you to places you have never visited. It can provide outlets for emotions, especially confusion, that nothing else can provide. It can also keep driving you to want to learn more and then report what you've found.
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Guanajuato: The New San MiguelSince moving to Mexico, I have been struggling with something I never, in my wildest imaginings, thought would be an issue in living in Mexico.
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Guanajuato: It's Time to LeaveI've been trying, of late, to put into words just what I've learned about living in Mexico for the past four years that is significant enough to share with my readers. There is so much.
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Immigration and MexicansTell me if you've ever heard this:"Did you know that "95 percent of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens?" Or that "75 percent of people on the Most Wanted List in Los Angeles are illegal aliens"?
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Guanajuato: Mexican Free ZonesYears ago when my wife and I pulled up roots in America and moved to Guanajuato, Mexico, I began telling everyone who would listen that San Miguel de Allende was well on its way to Guanajuato.
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Mexico, Chickens, and NAFTAAmericans never understand their responsibility in the Mexican Immigration to the U.S. debacle. They will blame everyone under the sun, and then some, rather than look inward to themselves as major contributors to the problem.
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Guanajuato: A New Italian Food Restaurant in TownFor the past three and a half years, I've been waiting for a restaurant to come along that would prove, once and for all, that Guanajuato, Mexico, does not lack fine cuisine.
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Guanajuato: The Death of HeritageGentrification is "the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces earlier, usually poorer, residents" (Webster's). Gentrification is occurring in Guanajuato.
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The American Expat Life in MexicoFinally, some of our American expat friends are beginning to wake up to the ranting and raving I've been doing about living in Guanajuato.
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The 10,001 Reasons We Live in MexicoWhen my wife and I moved to Guanajuato, Mexico as forty-something American expats, we had a list of reasons for doing so. The list has been growing incrementally since moving here.
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How to Find Housing in Guanaujuato, MexicoIn central Mexico, San Miguel de Allende is virtually the only place where you will find English spoken so massively that you will not have to learn how to say two words in this beautiful language.
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Fibromyalgia and Me: Here I Am, in the Middle of the NightHere I am. It is the middle of the night. I sit here, in the dark corner of the bedroom with just the light of the computer screen to illuminate the keyboard. But, I don't need lights.
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Is Mexico a Dirty Place?One of the most repugnant stereotypes about the Mexican people is that they are those dirty Mexicans. I find this a statement worth vomiting over or at least slapping soundly the person who says it.
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Communication Blackout: Telephones Can Be Such Fun in Mexico!A basic service Americans have traditionally loved to hate and one about which they complain most vociferously is the telephone. Americans have scorned the phone company for years and yet few would think of living without it.
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Visiting Central Mexico: We Found a Haven in GuanajuatoWe intended to arrive in Guanajuato much sooner than we did. After two years of agonizing over the decision, we finally thought we were ready to make an exploratory trip to Guanajuato, the capital of the state of Guanajuato.
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I Do Not like Madonna's MusicMadonna's music: I could care less about it. Madonna's stage and video acts: Nope! I do not like her music, although she is a talented singer and dancer. I loved her in Evita. But her popular stuff, I would never spend a dime on it.
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Americans Living in San Miguel De Allende, MexicoAmericans living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico either do not understand, do not want to understand, or are in simple denial regarding the effect they've had on this Central Mexican Colonial Town.
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You Know America is Doomed When....Have you ever been in that mental state where you want to go back to bed, pull the covers over your head, because you have that overwhelming feeling that, "WE ARE DOOMED?"
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Living and Retiring in Mexico: Take This Expat's Advice, It's a Peaceful LifeThe appeal of México is immediate.
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The Ugly American Syndrome: Why American Expats in Mexico Deserve Some SlackI've written quite a bit about The Ugly American Syndrome. In my columns, print and online magazines, and in every book I've written, I've mentioned this topic. I get a lot of mail from readers, either praising and agreeing with me or chiding and condemning me.
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What is a Real Friend?I've really only had two friends in my life. Now, before you deem this too pathetic for words, let me define terms.
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English Only in America: Tourists Shouldn't Have to Be Bilingual to Visit the USAMy wife belongs to an Internet group where there was a recent blowup over the insane expectation Americans have about foreigners who visit America's shores.
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Retiring in Mexico is Pretty Good....Until Something Goes WrongI am miffed. I am sitting in my casita (little house) in Guanajuato moaning and groaning about something over which I have no possible control. I feel like swooning to the bed and uttering vile curses, but, as my wife often reminds me, "What good would that do?"
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Nudists in Mexico: How a Gringo Can CopeThe largest coping issues are not really with Mexico and her people. It is with other gringos. I certainly was not prepared for what awaited us in Mexico in the form of other American expatriates.
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Study Abroad Scams: Will You Really Learn a Foreign Language?What if, after repeated failures in trying to learn a foreign language, you read the following in a magazine:
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How to Learn Spanish or Any LanguageIf someone asked me what I would recommend as the most important preparation for expatriating to Mexico, it would be Learn Spanish. You would think this is obvious, right?
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Rabbi Sues Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Over Christmas DecorationsOnce again, in a country touted as a “Christian Nation” where a majority of the people identify themselves as Christians and where tradition certainly attests to the veracity of this claim, an individual has forced the majority to bend to his will.
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How to Find Housing in Central MexicoIn the Colonias or Barrios of Guanajuato, gringos can be found in almost any of them. I am constantly asked how many gringos live in Guanajuato and the answer is, ¿Quién Sabe? No one knows.
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Does Public Opinion Rule America?In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions. -Abraham Lincoln
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More About Crime in Mexico: Are You Safe?In a column I wrote in August 2005, entitled, Kidnapping Americans in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, I said this about the American press and their coverage of the events then taking place in the border city:
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The Most Important Thing when Moving to MexicoIf someone asked me what I would recommend as the most important preparation for expatriating to Mexico it would be, Learn Spanish. You would think this is obvious, right?
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The Friends of Animals in MexicoIf one is not a writer, an artist, or an ESL teacher, just what does an expat find to do all day when he moves to Mexico? You would be amazed at just how often I am asked that question.
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Survive the Tourist Season in Mexico with Your Fellow GringosYou would not think that mentioning Other Gringos in an Expat Survival Guide would be necessary but after I am through you will write to thank me. It is necessary and we struggle with this on a daily basis.
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Using Your Credit and ATM Card in Guanajuato, MexicoSomething too few tourists will ask before coming to Guanajuato, Mexico, for a visit is, "Can I use my ATM and credit card for everything or anything?"
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Use Fax or Email over Postal Service/Mail to Send Documents From MexicoIf you want to communicate from Mexico to anywhere else in the world, do not use the Postal Service.
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Finding Work in Mexico as an AmericanThough I have written a lot on the issue of expatriation to Mexico, one of the most common questions from the "younger crowd" is, "Can I find work?".
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Learn How to Speak Spanish Properly When Living in MexicoThe Spanish you learn in a classroom in the United States or Mexico WILL NOT be the Spanish you hear in the streets of Mexico!
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How to Get Drinking Water When Living in MexicoA typical day in the life of an American expat living in Mexico will include trying to find drinking water. You might be surprised by this but...