# Self defense in Mexico



## Guest

I am starting a new thread so the Texas thread can stay on course. One observation related to something said there about the US Embassy and Americans in a foreign land: if you actually think that anyone in the US Embassy gives a rat's axx about any American who is not a government employee there, then I have a bridge for sale that runs from Cabo San Lucas to Puerto Vallarta. Cheap. Any "advice" given by them usually has an underlying agenda - bigger budget, more power, PR, headlines, more rules, whatever. Don't depend on them - protect yourself.
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I will address this only to Americans, because I know very few Canadians or how they act.

When coming to Mexico, most Americans need an attitude shift. They are so used to everyone "back home" knowing everything about them, or having it all available for perusal by anyone on the internet. They take an attitude of "if I haven't done anything wrong, what - me worry?" If someone they just met doesn't regurgitate their life stories to them early on, then they can't be trusted or ever become close. Doesn't bother me a bit.

To put it bluntly - keep your trap shut, or tell white lies to unknown people. 

Is there any reason to tell other people you don't know VERY well or not at all, what your surname is? Or your telephone numbers? Or your home address? Or where specifically you're from originally? Or what your US family members full names are, or where they live specifically, or THEIR telephone numbers? If you are worried about dying, put that contact information in your MX will, in the hands of your lawyer. Tell your neighbor to please call that lawyer if you croak in the middle of the night. The lawyer will wrap things up for your relatives.

It's no one's business, and they are just too nosy in my opinion. It's ingrained in them from childhood. Most Mexicans I know don't do these types of things. I tell people that I don't have a telephone, but here is my e-mail address -(specifically set up for strangers, acquaintances, friends I have known for less than 20 years, government agencies and Spam).

Migracion has my information. My MX bank has my information. My child's school has a limited amount of our information. That's it. Everyone else here knows me by my adopted Mexican adopted first name. Try typing your own name into Google and see what pops up, and then think about that. Damage control may be in order. It's better to not give much info out or to tell a few white lies, than to become a victim, eh? No offense intended to anyone, but please do some thinking and preplanning, or else you will open yourself up to this type of nonsense.

If you own your property, put your telephone and utilities in a trusted and responsible Mexican friend's name. You DO have at least one trusted Mexican friend by now, right? (I know some will chime in right away saying you can't do that, but sure you can. If you need your ID to open the accounts, send a friend in a few months later and just tell them they are renting and need to change over the utilities to their name. Problem solved. If you're renting, just maintain the opened utility accounts in the previous names. Migracion and banks only care about the address on receipts presented as proof of your address, not the names.

Use a mail service for any mail and packages, or a trusted friend's address (with their permission and a head's up). Get your cellphone in a Mexican friend's name. Give the right address and use a cellphone to call, but a different Mexican sounding name to the pizza delivery guys. You really don't want your data sitting in who-knows-where's computer system, manned by 20 peso per hour employees looking for a better payday, right? 

Before you toss out that Amazon box, old mail with your name on it or the pizza box, rip off the address label with your name on it and destroy it. That cardboard is probably going to end up in some guy's cart heading down the street for recycling. Do you really want your information going along for the ride?

Saludos,
Carlos Fernandez



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## johnmex

If I type my name into Google I see that I am a 60something real estate agent in the Chicagoland area....LOL!

It seems that I am under the radar....


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## 146028

It's better to be safe than sorry.


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## JohnSoCal

GringoCArlos said:


> I am starting a new thread so the Texas thread can stay on course. One observation related to something said there about the US Embassy and Americans in a foreign land: if you actually think that anyone in the US Embassy gives a rat's axx about any American who is not a government employee there, then I have a bridge for sale that runs from Cabo San Lucas to Puerto Vallarta. Cheap. Any "advice" given by them usually has an underlying agenda - bigger budget, more power, PR, headlines, more rules, whatever. Don't depend on them - protect yourself.
> ------------------------------------------
> 
> I will address this only to Americans, because I know very few Canadians or how they act.
> 
> When coming to Mexico, most Americans need an attitude shift. They are so used to everyone "back home" knowing everything about them, or having it all available for perusal by anyone on the internet. They take an attitude of "if I haven't done anything wrong, what - me worry?" If someone they just met doesn't regurgitate their life stories to them early on, then they can't be trusted or ever become close. Doesn't bother me a bit.
> 
> To put it bluntly - keep your trap shut, or tell white lies to unknown people.
> 
> Is there any reason to tell other people you don't know VERY well or not at all, what your surname is? Or your telephone numbers? Or your home address? Or where specifically you're from originally? Or what your US family members full names are, or where they live specifically, or THEIR telephone numbers? If you are worried about dying, put that contact information in your MX will, in the hands of your lawyer. Tell your neighbor to please call that lawyer if you croak in the middle of the night. The lawyer will wrap things up for your relatives.
> 
> It's no one's business, and they are just too nosy in my opinion. It's ingrained in them from childhood. Most Mexicans I know don't do these types of things. I tell people that I don't have a telephone, but here is my e-mail address -(specifically set up for strangers, acquaintances, friends I have known for less than 20 years, government agencies and Spam).
> 
> Migracion has my information. My MX bank has my information. My child's school has a limited amount of our information. That's it. Everyone else here knows me by my adopted Mexican adopted first name. Try typing your own name into Google and see what pops up, and then think about that. Damage control may be in order. It's better to not give much info out or to tell a few white lies, than to become a victim, eh? No offense intended to anyone, but please do some thinking and preplanning, or else you will open yourself up to this type of nonsense.
> 
> If you own your property, put your telephone and utilities in a trusted and responsible Mexican friend's name. You DO have at least one trusted Mexican friend by now, right? (I know some will chime in right away saying you can't do that, but sure you can. If you need your ID to open the accounts, send a friend in a few months later and just tell them they are renting and need to change over the utilities to their name. Problem solved. If you're renting, just maintain the opened utility accounts in the previous names. Migracion and banks only care about the address on receipts presented as proof of your address, not the names.
> 
> Use a mail service for any mail and packages, or a trusted friend's address (with their permission and a head's up). Get your cellphone in a Mexican friend's name. Give the right address and use a cellphone to call, but a different Mexican sounding name to the pizza delivery guys. You really don't want your data sitting in who-knows-where's computer system, manned by 20 peso per hour employees looking for a better payday, right?
> 
> Before you toss out that Amazon box, old mail with your name on it or the pizza box, rip off the address label with your name on it and destroy it. That cardboard is probably going to end up in some guy's cart heading down the street for recycling. Do you really want your information going along for the ride?
> 
> Saludos,
> Carlos Fernandez
> 
> 
> 
> -


I can certainly relate to this. My wife is Mexican from Sinaloa. We were married in Sinaloa and lived there for 4 years after we were married.

We moved to San Diego from Mexico and bought a new home. The neighbors had a party for the women one day shortly after we moved into our home. When I got home from work, I asked my wife how did it go. My wife told me that "las gringas son muy metiches" so I asked her what happened. She told me that they started asking questions. I asked like what and she said they asked where your husband works. I then asked what did you do. She told me that she said "that is not important for you to know" and she then went home.

She also cuts out our name and address from all envelopes and mail before throwing them away.


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## jlms

What to say. Some of this advice is good common sense, some of it is just plain scaremongering. I would only add that the original poster has way too much time on his hands.


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## PieGrande

The traditional older people in my village are that way. My wife tells me I tell too much about myself. When she was a girl over 50 years ago, she got beat by her grandma if she so much as told friends, "We ate chicken last night." But, I suspect that may be the reason I have many more friends in this village than my wife does, outside of her family.

The only thing we don't tell is how much money we have. We do once in a while tell people we are very poor in the US, and people in the US with our income who take a lot of medicines sometimes have to eat Purina dog or cat food. And, that we are glad we need not eat Purina here in Mexico.


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## RVGRINGO

That Purina Dog Chow is now well over $500 per large bag!


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## PieGrande

>>Purina Dog Chow Complete Nutrition Dog Food - Walmart.com

$12.24 Wal-mart for a 20 pound bag. For $500 either pesos or dollars must be a rather large bag, yes?


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## AlanMexicali

*Purina*



PieGrande said:


> >>Purina Dog Chow Complete Nutrition Dog Food - Walmart.com
> 
> $12.24 Wal-mart for a 20 pound bag. For $500 either pesos or dollars must be a rather large bag, yes?


The bags of dog food they transfer from to sell smaller quantity by the kilo for about $30 pesos or probably more now can fit 2 small children in them. Probably about 35 or 40 pounds. Mexicali has a fairly large Purina plant out of town.


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## 146028

PieGrande said:


> The only thing we don't tell is how much money we have. We do once in a while tell people we are very poor in the US, and people in the US with our income who take a lot of medicines* sometimes have to eat Purina dog or cat food*. And, that we are glad we need not eat Purina here in Mexico.


People actually do this? That sounds like a really agonizing thing to do.


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## TundraGreen

PieGrande said:


> ...
> The only thing we don't tell is how much money we have. We do once in a while tell people we are very poor in the US, and people in the US with our income who take a lot of medicines sometimes have to eat Purina dog or cat food. And, that we are glad we need not eat Purina here in Mexico.


I suspect that is a myth. I don't believe that pet food is cheaper than various kinds of other food (fast food, fruits and vegetables). I googled it and found various stories about people accidentally eating pet food or trying it, but none about people living on it.


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## PieGrande

polynomial said:


> People actually do this? That sounds like a really agonizing thing to do.


So it has been reported over the years on national news.

But, let me repeat what I originally said. I said, I thought, clearly, perhaps not, this eating Purina was in the US, not Mexico. Which is why I checked Purina prices in the US, not in Mexico

Yes, it is a tragedy older people (not that there are many that much older than me  ) are forced to do such things. For 45 years, the M.D.'s and government health agencies have been giving out very bad dietary information. With correct diet, my son estimates at least half of need for doctors and medicine would be eliminated.

In October, we had to sign up for our medical insurance. The persons doing the sign up were totally amazed that my wife and I had no 'prescriptions' at all.


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## PieGrande

To clarify the only reason we bothered to sign up at all is in case we have a wreck in the US while visiting. Two or three days in the US hospital will break a lot of people. Sans wreck I do not expect to need any medical care.


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## RVGRINGO

Once upon a time, there was no 'pet food'. However, we all had pets and they ate what we ate; leftovers, you know. They also ran free and there was a lot of room for them in this world, when there were only 1/4 to 1/3 the number of people that we have on the planet now. As a special treat, or when there were no 'leftovers', we fed our pets ground horse meat. It came from the same butcher that provided our hamburger. Now, this was before plastic, so both came in rather substantial paper containers; tall white round ones with good push-on tops. When you got them home, you had to label them with a pencil (no felt tips yet) or crayon. "H" would serve for either, wouldn't it? You guessed it! We would come home from school, always hungry, and sizzle up a burger from whatever in the "H" was available. It was either that or three eggs and buttered toast (margarine wasn't invented yet) to get a young man ready for the afternoon chores in the horse stalls.
Actually, the horse meat usually tasted better than the beef, I thought. To this day, I prefer bison to beef, but can seldom find or afford it unless passing through Wyoming by accident.
If a bison is in the road, don't get out and try to pet it. You may need 'self defense'. There, are we back on topic?


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