# Oh Mexico



## manny1904 (May 6, 2014)

This may sound crazy and maybe a bit unusual. I was born and raised in the US although both my parents are from Mexico. I've been there a few times when I was in my late teens. It seemed so different and maybe from that age's perspective a bit adventurous. I do speak Spanish, I can say mostly fluently. Yet, I really haven't been around/involved in latin culture for maybe 15 years, with the exception of watching some tv shows to expand my vocabulary and keep up to date on grammar. We have been thinking of retirement and what to do in the long run. I don't see us being able to live in the US without working for the rest of my life. I do have a good career. Funny how I am of Mexican descent yet am not used to it. We were thinking of retiring there so I could enjoy more of life. I may be able to get one of my parents (whom I don't really speak to) to help me get Mexican citizenship to hopefully make it easier. I know that life isn't so hectic there as compared to here. Is it worth planning to move to Mexico? I know that it's a tough question to answer but I don't know anyone who lives there. I do have a lot of relatives there but don't really know them. Thoughts, input?


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Whatever you decide, your first objective should be to get proof of your parents Mexican citizenship and your birth certificate to the nearest Mexican consulate. They can facilitate getting your Mexican citizenship established, including a Mexican Passport. You will then have dual citizenship and be free to travel and live in either country without visa expenses, etc.
Once that is done, give retirement in Mexico a shot. You have an advantage over many of us expats, who have been retired here for decades and still have a language handicap.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

:welcome: to the Mexco Fourm!

Mexico could be a good choice for you, but you don't really know much about it or the culture ... due to your absence/distance from the country. The only way to find out if you'll like it is to visit as often and for as long as you can before making plans to move. Do lots of advance research. The language skills will come back/improve rapidly, I'm assuming - but even though you may have Mexican citizenship I suspect you'll be thought of as a foreigner, for some short or long period of time (your accents will differ from "locals"). About life being hectic in Mexico, or not: that depends on you, your family and where you choose to live. Some parts of the country are in turmoil and I think you'd be uncomfortable if you were living in one of those areas/colonias. A good pension can get you a good life, but that's not guaranteed. Best of luck with your planning/thought process.


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## hadnuf (Jun 27, 2009)

Interesting story, Manny. I am here in Mexico right now checking out an area for possible retirement. With me are my wife and her sister; their situation is similar to yours except they are one more generation removed -- their grandparents came to the US from Mexico. They speak Spanish fairly well, but for them Mexico is as much a foreign country as it is for me. I'm happy to say it is turning out to be a terrific experience for them. The people here treat them wonderfully and they're discovering a "connection" they hadn't expected. I think there's a good chance we'll all end up retiring somewhere in Mexico. Really the only negative issue for us is the reality of being so far from kids and grand kids. When it comes right down to it, not sure the moms can handle that.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

There are solutions working for many people. Some use the great technology now available for regular communicating.
Some subsidize (if necessary) plane tickets to the relatives to visit them in Mexico. This works for me.
Some just spend the bucks to go north on a regular basis to visit. It's not the olden days when the trip was three months on a sailing ship.

It really all depends on individual situations: If grandma has been living two blocks from her daughter and the grandkids, I'll wager there's no way she's going to move to Mexico. lol.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Longford said:


> :welcome: to the Mexco Fourm!
> 
> ..., I'm assuming - but even though you may have Mexican citizenship I suspect you'll be thought of as a foreigner, for some short or long period of time (your accents will differ from "locals")...


In fact, based upon our experience among Mexican friends having been born and raised in the United States or elsewhere ,our having lived in both Jalisco and Chiapas states for over 13 years (and I mean having lived, not having seasonally visited), you may find the road to acceptance here to be more difficult than that that would be experienced by a foreigner with no ties to mexico at all as such as me and my wife - U.S. and French citizens respectively , who have resided in several countries in our adult lives - none of them Latin American until Mexico except for a few years in Boyes Hot Springs, California . 

You _WILL_ be thought of as a foreigner but with the added burden of having been born on or having resided in the United States - this according to all my Chicano friends who have moved here over the years. As you know, Mexico has a serious strain of patriotism and you will have to overcome the prejudice exhibited by your new-found Mexican compatriates of either having left here of your own volition or having been the progeny of some who did so.

You can ovrcome this bias with perseverence but you will experience obstacles this Alabama boy never faced when it comes to moving and residing here permanently.

The best of luck to you.


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## Jreboll (Nov 23, 2013)

There is a lot of truth to what Hound Dog says. I left Mexico when I was 5yrs old and started going to my wife's hometown in Michoacan when I was 28yrs old. I go there often, have a home there and have spent lengthy periods there. And even after all this time (I am 67 yrs old) I don't find myself at ease socially there. A lot has to do because I am an introvert but it is also because my interests and topics of discussion are different than theirs. My wife is very sociable and she makes things go much smoother while we are there. What I would say is that it depends on you and what your expectations are. I am sure that a large city is much different than the provinces


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Hound Dog said:


> In fact, based upon our experience among Mexican friends having been born and raised in the United States or elsewhere ,our having lived in both Jalisco and Chiapas states for over 13 years (and I mean having lived, not having seasonally visited), you may find the road to acceptance here to be more difficult than that that would be experienced by a foreigner with no ties to mexico at all as such as me and my wife - U.S. and French citizens respectively , who have resided in several countries in our adult lives - none of them Latin American until Mexico except for a few years in Boyes Hot Springs, California .
> 
> You _WILL_ be thought of as a foreigner but with the added burden of having been born on or having resided in the United States - this according to all my Chicano friends who have moved here over the years. As you know, Mexico has a serious strain of patriotism and you will have to overcome the prejudice exhibited by your new-found Mexican compatriates of either having left here of your own volition or having been the progeny of some who did so.
> 
> ...


You're painting a really negative picture of the situation, Hound Dog, perhaps unnecessarily so. The OP mentions that he does have family in Mexico. Don't you think that family ties would override any negative feelings they might have about Mexican-Americans who are returning "home"?


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## manny1904 (May 6, 2014)

*Great getting feedback from you all*

I'll add more. I'm 40 years old and I can't imagine a life of living to work. I thought, well, if people who aren't Mexican/Hispanic can move to Mexico and have a decent life, why can't I? There are things that I do admire when I see in the Latin culture that I have never had. There is a great sense of family/unity/community. Will admit as some of the posts point out that I may be considered a foreigner. I have been researching for a few years on whether it's a "real" option. Maybe it was my memory twisting things and from what you may read about or hear somewhere. A slower pace of life is what we want with a little more culture. I know there are pros and cons. I know real life in Mexico isn't like those telenovelas. I am a little nervous thinking of how I may not fit in, but I figure that's to be expected. Even Latinos here don't know I'm Mexican or that I speak Spanish. But there is something in me that is curious and feels as if I may be missing out and makes me wonder.


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## Jreboll (Nov 23, 2013)

It helps if you have family or close friends there. There are things we always talk about NOB that it is not polite to talk about there. e.g. finances. Humor is different. Thread litely on politics and risqué subjects. Boasting is frowned on. But once you have developed your group of close friends you can be very comfortable there. In Mexico they say it is better to have friends than money and there is a lot of truth to that.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Isla Verde said:


> You're painting a really negative picture of the situation, Hound Dog, perhaps unnecessarily so. The OP mentions that he does have family in Mexico. Don't you think that family ties would override any negative feelings they might have about Mexican-Americans who are returning "home"?


Manny;

It wasn´t my intention to be negative, just warn you of some of the obstacles some Mexican/Americans we have known down here discussed with us over the years when they decided to return to their homeland. I have no doubt you´ll find a way to fit in over time. with perseverence and humility. As I stated earlier, we are from France and Alabama and have maintained homes in both Jalisco and Chiapas for over 13 years when we could have easily retired to France or in the United States where we each have family and, I promise you, could have lived on the same budget we live on here with proper prudence. We even considered other Latin America countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, The Dominican Republic and others but could not resist the allure of Lake Chapala at 5,000 feet, a splendid all-year climate and endless lakeside beaches to run our mutts plus only minutes from beautiful Guadalajara. I´m not pushing Lake Chapala - we ourselves eventually moved part of each year to the Chiapas Highlands a very different social and physical environment to put it mildly but always highlands, not tierra caliente, for us - to each his own. Moving back in the 70s from South Alabama to Northern Caifornia was a good move for us in many ways but retiring in Mexico was the best decisión we ever made - period. If we had to leave here now for retired life in France or the U.S., we would be distraught even though we could afford either place financially. Don´t fret about this move since, wherever you settle on the planet, there will be those who scorn you and those who accept you. No way around it. Human nature.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

Manny, the ONLY way you will know if Mexico is really where you want to be is to come here and live for a year. At the end of that time, ask yourselves if this is the life that you want. If so, you have found what you want. If you are not happy with your life, you need to look elsewhere. You will know in a year. Good luck.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

coondawg said:


> Manny, the ONLY way you will know if Mexico is really where you want to be is to come here and live for a year. At the end of that time, ask yourselves if this is the life that you want. If so, you have found what you want. If you are not happy with your life, you need to look elsewhere. You will know in a year. Good luck.


And excellent advice!


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