# moving to monterrey from oregon



## aaronerojas1992 (Sep 16, 2013)

Hello, my name is aaron, my partner and I will be moving to monterrey from Oregon in about 2 weeks. I have citizenship in Mexico but my partner does not. He will be going on a tourist visa. I've read that it's not a good idea to overstay, so once his tourist permit has expired, he will have to return to the US to obtain legal residency in Mexico. I have family down there and a job so I will not have culture shock as much as he will. I actually haven't been to México since I was four, I'm 21 now. The main reason I'm posting this is because while México will be new to both of us, my family will help reduce the culture shock but he will only have me and my family down there, what are 

ways to reduce culture shock for him? Is there a large American community in monterrey?


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

You will have a cultural shock as well! You have been out since four!!!


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## aaronerojas1992 (Sep 16, 2013)

Yes, very true, but not think with me having my family there, it'll make it a lot easier. Are you in monterrey?


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## aaronerojas1992 (Sep 16, 2013)

Leave it to autocorrect on my phone to butcher my sentences


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## conorkilleen (Apr 28, 2010)

I lived in Monterrey for 2 years and traveled there before that for 5-6 before I made the move for work. Monterrey has calmed down quite a bit, but you still should be careful. 

What area will you be living? That makes all the difference in what level of culture shock you will get.

Also moving from Oregon to Monterrey? Yikes. Prepare for more of a climate shock than culture shock. 10 months of intense heat and 2 months of rain and cold


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## aaronerojas1992 (Sep 16, 2013)

Haha yes, the weather is something that will take me quite some time. I personally do like my rain. I heard they're having pretty bad rain down there right now, which brings me to another topic.... Driving. I'm not sure how familiar you're with Oregon, but I'm in Salem... Very small town compared to monterrey. Based on your experience, would you say a car is a necessity or a luxury? I've read mixed reviews regarding public transportation in MTY. Some say it's great and better than driving, yet others claim it's dangerous and that it needs improvement. Any opinions or tips? Our plane lands October 5th and we're very excited!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

aaronerojas1992 said:


> Haha yes, the weather is something that will take me quite some time. I personally do like my rain. I heard they're having pretty bad rain down there right now, which brings me to another topic.... Driving. I'm not sure how familiar you're with Oregon, but I'm in Salem... Very small town compared to monterrey. Based on your experience, would you say a car is a necessity or a luxury? I've read mixed reviews regarding public transportation in MTY. Some say it's great and better than driving, yet others claim it's dangerous and that it needs improvement. Any opinions or tips? Our plane lands October 5th and we're very excited!


I don't know anything about the public transit in Monterrey. However, before you listen to anyone talking about it, find out if they use it or if they drive all the time and just have an opinion about it. 

Public transit in Mexican cities often uses old buses and drivers that like to race around. But the important questions are: how often do the buses run, and where do they run. Both of those questions might be answered on the web. Whether or not the shocks and mufflers on the buses work very well is not important as far as making a system useful, in my opinion.


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## aaronerojas1992 (Sep 16, 2013)

Couldn't have said it better myself. I hear traffic is bad in Monterrey!


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

Best way for him to reduce culture shock – speak Spanish. He should studying it now if he doesn’t speak it already, or if he only has remnants of school Spanish. When he gets there, he should take more classes and/or learn with a tutor. The more he integrates into life in Monterrey on his own behalf, and interacts directly in Spanish with your family without you as an interpreter/mediator, the richer his experience and better his adjustment will be. In my opinion.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

TundraGreen said:


> I don't know anything about the public transit in Monterrey. However, before you listen to anyone talking about it, find out if they use it or if they drive all the time and just have an opinion about it.
> 
> Public transit in Mexican cities often uses old buses and drivers that like to race around. But the important questions are: how often do the buses run, and where do they run. Both of those questions might be answered on the web. Whether or not the shocks and mufflers on the buses work very well is not important as far as making a system useful, in my opinion.


To amplify on my earlier post a little bit…
I have had lots of people tell me how terrible the buses are in Guadalajara. Then it turns out that they never ride the buses. They just look at them and see that they are not pretty, or they hear the broken mufflers and hear that they are loud. Nice shiny new buses might be nice to look at and listen to, but what matters when you want to get somewhere is: Is there a bus route near you that goes near your destination? and How often do the buses run?

In the US the buses are sometimes new, but there are few routes in most cities and the buses run once a half hour or once an hour. In Guadalajara, the buses are ancient but there are routes all over the place and the buses run every few minutes. In Mexico City there is a subway system that goes every where and there are buses that connect to it. Smaller cities in Mexico may not be as good but they are way better than most places in the US (except maybe Boston, New York, Wash, DC and Portland OR).

But to get back to Monterrey, I would be surprised if there are not a lot of bus routes with frequent service. But if you plan to use the service, it would pay to look into the routes before you decide where to live. Living close to a route that goes to your work without a transfer can make a world of difference.


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## aaronerojas1992 (Sep 16, 2013)

His Spanish is getting there, he knows the basics but definitely will need a tutor. Once emerged in the culture, I don't think it'll be hard for him to learn the language. We're going to give monterrey a fair chance, but probably will move to somewhere smaller and calmer down the road. Who knows, Monterrey might grow on us. How's the expat community in monterrey?


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

You don’t really want to know that (unless the answer is “not very active”). The more involved with the expat community you (both) are, the less you’ll integrate, adapt and adjust to being in Mexico.


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## aaronerojas1992 (Sep 16, 2013)

That's very true. We will see how it goes and keep you all updated.  any tips as far as working goes, I'll be working for teleperformance while I get settled in, but does anyone know how to go about getting his work permit or any helpful sites?


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

Sent you a private message.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

He cannot work with a tourist permit. If a position is offered, the employer must support the INM process and be registered with them. The application for a visa, with working permission, must be made in his home country; not in Mexico.


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## aaronerojas1992 (Sep 16, 2013)

Oh wow, I wasn't aware of that. How long does the process generally take? And does he need to get a job offer first?


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

Probably he does need a job offer first. Under the previous system, people could get work permission as an independent (no employer) if they had the right qualifications and credentials, but it’s not clear how or if that is going to work under the new immigration rules.


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## Mr. P Mosh (Mar 14, 2012)

Regiomontano here.

Monterrey traffic is definitely a pain, and depending the area you'll live and the area you'll work having a car could be a necessity or a luxury.

Public transportation also varies depending the zone of the city, because each "route" has a different owner (the routes are "outsourced -a better word for concesión anybody?" by the goverment. So the standard varies... there's some metro/subway, but doesn't cover that much of the city.

Subway/Metro site: STC Metrorrey
Here a site with all the routes of bus and metro/subway in the city: Rutas de Camiones y Líneas del Metro de Monterrey y su Área Metropolitana - rutadirecta.com

And some examples of the buses here (most are Mercedes Benz not older than 8 years, there are some International ones, but they're the less):

http://mty.rutadirecta.com/imagenes/rutas/full/DSC00183.jpg

http://info7.mx/videos/noticias/420000/421166_im30a3_ft_quejas_ruta_400_imgVideo.jpg


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