CULTURAL ORIENTATION

Whether you’re a person who is accustomed to living in other countries or not, you should definitely consider the fact that staying for the winter or more in Mexico is best done if you acquaint yourself with the culture.  After all, human lives are based so heavily on expectations.  If you have no idea of what to expect in a new country, you’ll arrive less than prepared, and the culture shock could be significant.   Because of all my years of living in places outside of the U.S., I knew the value of cultural orientation and began educating myself with classes and meeting Mexican people in San Antonio a year before I ever came to this country.  The benefits were enormous!  I learned that if you’re contemplating living in Mexico, one of the best ways to transition into life here is to attend a language school before moving on to the community where you plan on spending the majority of your time.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve already had training in Spanish before coming to Mexico or not.  For example, when I came to live here permanently, I’d already had three years of studying and speaking the language, but going to the school while staying with a Mexican family helped me a lot.  I and three other male students stayed in the home of two instructors, Mari Carmen and her daughter, in a nice section of Cuernavaca.  We went to school with them, ate with them, met their friends, and learned how to socialize with the citizens.  Not only did the school help us with the language and the customs, but also how to comport ourselves while showing respect for the positive values of the people.  We learned that Mexicans were just like many other citizens of the world—they want a decent home, gainful employment, a happy family life, and to live in peace.  Who wouldn’t find that inviting?

When you understand these aspects of Mexican life and have finished school with at least a basic level of fluency in Spanish (of course, I recommend more), then moving on to another Mexican community is a lot smoother.  You’ve got a pretty good idea of what to expect, have grown accustomed to speaking to the citizens of this country, and appreciated hearing their jokes and stories.  You should also be capable of carrying on a conversation and have learned that people here are curious about foreign visitors, especially those who begin to live here for more than a couple of weeks! 

As for me, I moved on to San Miguel de Allende because I wanted to live in an international community.  Although I’d lived about four months several years before in Saltillo, a city with only a few foreign inhabitants, the school in Cuernavaca still helped me to more openly meet and make friends here in Central Mexico.  That’s key to developing a circle of people who give you a level of security and make living here easier and more enjoyable.  Since this was something that I’d done wherever I’d lived, it was comfortable for me to do again. 

By involving myself with local groups, I met my wife Rebe, who is Mexican, and lived in San Miguel a little more than four years before deciding to move on to completely integrate myself into Mexican society.  Between leaving that small city and coming to Tlaxcala, we lived in the mountains of Michoacan and the city of Puebla, where we had a successful English school.  Throughout this experience, I learned to work, teach, and associate with various levels of Mexican society.

In conclusion, what I’ve described here is a way to more easily acculturate oneself into Mexican living.  It doesn’t matter whether you arrive here able to speak a little Spanish or much more.  A language school is still a good option, where nobody is above a little help.  After all, I saw my teachers correct fellow Mexicans accompanying group tours of the institution where I was studying!  Also, it’s really important to understand that it’s the Mexican acquaintances and friends you make that will help you most, so people who are reasonably outgoing and friendly do very well.  For example, the local citizens who became my friends in Saltillo were of immeasurable assistance.  So, if you’re a meditator or anyone else who wants to participate in life here:  be happy, reach out!  You’ll be welcomed.