# Mistakes I've made in Mexico



## modeeper (Mar 21, 2015)

Realize this is coming from a single man who arrived as a university student ...

Early on it was distressing to hand a police officer money. This is how it has been done since colonization. 

As a single man it's not a good idea to impulsively think it's alright to form a social friendship with someone's wife. Wrong country!

Loaning money. Loaning anything. Sometimes it worked out, but mostly not the thing to do. Mainly because those who have taken from you will avoid you, until they win the lottery.

Mexicans will prolly give you the benefit of the doubt for language flubs. I've done some doozies. Forget it and move on. 

Age deference is a powerful force. Damn if it isn't easier to get along now that I'm old. People are waaay more pleasant. It's easy to overlook the pecking order. Older people have an edge.

As an Yank I've formed the habit of talking about things I have, where I've been. That doesn't usually go over so well. That's what nacos* do.

Mexicans are the World's best slangsters. They love to play with their language. Using slang is a flag that flies over a clique. I often flew my flag a little too soon. 

Learn to be able to talk about food. I still haven't.

I often assumed Mexicans needed to be informed about what's happening in the USA. They already know. They have TVs.

If you're invited to someone's house bring something with you, bring a lot of something.

I hung out with children for my first 2-3 years. They were at my language level. That paid off. Took awhile to figure that out.

I had legal problems my first two or three years, even been jailed. Not knowing how things work round here is a pit to fall into. You're not in Kansas anymore.

Mexicans are sentimental. I learned how to fake it. 

As a teacher it's too easy to see how the boys get preference. I thought I'd change that. Big mistake. Your coworkers and/or student's parents will just think you're weird at best or a pedo at worst. But the same goes for everyday social interactions. The gender role divide is strong, boy child with men, girls with woman. 

*What is a naco? Depends on the region you're in, and the word applies to more than a few interpretations. The "best" of the definition I've read/heard is this: If you have Mexican friends who like to be seen with you, who defer to you, who dress like you, speak English ... they are nacos. Even the furnishings in one's home can define him/her as a naco; ****** wannabes. They were hard to avoid early on, when alone in a foreign land it's easy to gravitate to any soft spot for a landing. They are the brunt of humiliation to the hard core Mexico Mexicans. These days I don't know any ... the company you keep and all that stuff. They are also nerds, gold chain types, cars with big speaker systems, attention getters in general.

You may not have the need nor the interest to emerge. I did, still do.

.


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## pravchaw (Feb 12, 2017)

Hey! Nice list keep it up. I am considering moving from Canada to Mexico and look forward to reading and learning more. How long have you been in mexico?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

pravchaw said:


> Hey! Nice list keep it up. I am considering moving from Canada to Mexico and look forward to reading and learning more. How long have you been in mexico?


If you are addressing your question to the OP, please keep in mind that he has been banned and is no longer a member of the forum. In future, if you want to respond directly to a post, click on Reply With Quote at the bottom of the post in question. And welcome to the Expat Forum!:welcome:


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

Isla Verde said:


> If you are addressing your question to the OP, please keep in mind that he has been banned and is no longer a member of the forum. In future, if you want to respond directly to a post, click on Reply With Quote at the bottom of the post in question. And welcome to the Expat Forum!:welcome:


Would it be out of line to ask if the right wing person whose handle was a swashbuckling hero in a mask has been banned? Can't help but notice the lack of daily posts.


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

lagoloo said:


> Would it be out of line to ask if the right wing person whose handle was a swashbuckling hero in a mask has been banned? Can't help but notice the lack of daily posts.


I'd like to know also. Not that I've shed any tears over the OP getting banned, but because I'd like to know how to *not* have it happen to me. BTW, can you put an addendum to his list of "_Mistakes I've made in Mexico_", perhaps "Getting banned on Expat Forum"?


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

In my over a decade in Mexico and participation in several forums, I've never been banned. Sometimes I compose an incendiary wonder, but don't press "SEND". That lets off the steam without consequences.

The clue, beyond following the forum's rules, is this: don't address another poster with less courtesy than you would if you were face to face (sober). Also, don't assume anyone is stupid: wait until they prove it. (Grin)


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## lat19n (Aug 19, 2017)

lagoloo said:


> In my over a decade in Mexico and participation in several forums, I've never been banned. Sometimes I compose an incendiary wonder, but don't press "SEND". That lets off the steam without consequences.
> 
> The clue, beyond following the forum's rules, is this: don't address another poster with less courtesy than you would if you were face to face (sober). Also, don't assume anyone is stupid: wait until they prove it. (Grin)


I probably only post half my thoughts. If I really disagree with someone else's post and want to back away before sending hurtful comments, I post "..."

I think sometimes people on forums such as this get lonely. Sometimes maybe they don;t get out much and lose some of their social skills.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

lagoloo said:


> Would it be out of line to ask if the right wing person whose handle was a swashbuckling hero in a mask has been banned? Can't help but notice the lack of daily posts.


It's OK to ask. No, he hasn't been banned. I too have been wondering why he hasn't posted here for awhile. Maybe he's found a more congenial place to share his opinions. He certainly added some excitement to the forum!


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

perropedorro said:


> I'd like to know also. Not that I've shed any tears over the OP getting banned, but because I'd like to know how to *not* have it happen to me. BTW, can you put an addendum to his list of "_Mistakes I've made in Mexico_", perhaps "Getting banned on Expat Forum"?


If you follow the forum rules, everything will be ok. Keep in mind that you need to get three infractions to be permanently banned. Here's a link to the Forum rules: http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ge...rms-use-rules-please-read-before-posting.html


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

lat19n said:


> I probably only post half my thoughts. If I really disagree with someone else's post and want to back away before sending hurtful comments, I post "..."
> 
> I think sometimes people on forums such as this get lonely. Sometimes maybe they don;t get out much and lose some of their social skills.


It's a good thing everybody can't see what we're thinking, si? Total, utter chaos.

There are the lonely, the bored, the smarties, the crankies and the lame comedians. And then, there are the stark staring mad. And, thank the universe, there are the relatively sane majority.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

lagoloo said:


> Would it be out of line to ask if the right wing person whose handle was a swashbuckling hero in a mask has been banned? Can't help but notice the lack of daily posts.


If you want to know if someone has been banned, find an old post of theirs. The label beneath their name will tell you their current status.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

Thanks. I guess the person I was thinking of just took a vacation.


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