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chicagogirl
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 30
Location: Chicago, IL
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 Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 9:42 pm Post subject: Where to Go??? |
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Hello,
Looking for some advice/information on different locations in Mexico. I am currently living and working in Puebla and It's not quite the "Mexican" experience I was looking forward. Don't get me wrong its a nice place..I just feel like I am back in LA...except different  ..its a little too "city" and because of the size I have found it difficult to meet people (other than English speakers) and to feel part of a community...( I have come from big cities in the states and am looking for something different)
Like a lot of you...I came to Mexico to slow down, relax more and have some adventures ...and to live somewhere warm and close to a nice beach....It's too chilly, and too big here and the beaches aren't that close...anyway.... I guess I am wanting to get some advice on other parts of the country ..so i can relocate next semester...any thoughts on the Oaxaca coast, Jalisco or Meridia and those parts..Doesn't necessarily have to be beach town..just closer to one and warmer?????????????
I have visions of me being somewhere smaller, a lot warmer, more colonial and beachy..yet with some culture and tons of weekend activites close by.. I want to improve my surfing...and to be able to have fun when i am not working.
Thanks for any advice you might have! Cold in Puebla.... Christina
[email protected] |
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moonraven
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094
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| Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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I am surprised you didn't do some research before you landed there.
Beachy and colonial are pretty much mutually exclusive concepts.
Surfers find Puerto Escondido and Zipolite to their liking. The Universidad del Mar has branches in both spots. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2004 1:34 am Post subject: Tough one |
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That's a hard one for colonial and beachy. You might want to check out states like Colima, Michoacan, or Veracruz for a good mix. The southern states are difficult as they lack quite a bit by way of resources. If you find Puebla too big, then count out Acapulco, Oaxaca, and anything east of where you are now.
Veracruz, the port or maybe Cordoba is not bad, though the beach is not pretty due to being in oil rig waters. Going north, maybe Los Cabos has something you'd like, but I'm not hopeful on that place.
If you can give up the beach and go colonial, you have a number of small(er) towns stretching from Jalisco to Hidalgo smack in the middle of the country. |
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chicagogirl
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 30
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2004 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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Hello Guy and Moonraven
Thanks for the reply.
Of course I did a lot of research before I came and I have visited a lot of places...my problem is i fall in love with everywhere i visit..Guanajuato, San Miguel, Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido..I even loved Puebla when I first got here...but as you know visiting and living somewhere are two different things. Now that I am here..I am not so "In-love" with it and not completely satisfied. I think you should be "in-love" with where you live. I've been to Costa Rica a few times and was "In-love" with it. I came to Mexico to try something different ...and its a lot closer to home...
But...it could just be my job and house that are hindering my views on the city....I just thought I would see what people thought about other areas...I am loving my experience here and want to stay.. I have a feeling I will be staying in Mexico for a long time and want to settle in the best place for me. I would love more info on some colonial cities (yes, I am aware that colonial towns and beach towns are pretty different) in Jalisco and the Zipolite and PE area......
I have a question for all of you that have made this your home...Did you know right away where you wanted to live? What were your first years like? Did you pick the place or the job first? ...ok a few questions!
Thanks for the replies and info! Christina |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2004 9:08 pm Post subject: years here and there |
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For me, I'm still in love with everywhere I go. I've been fortunate to have a job that is fairly Internet-based, so I've been able to travel around. I think honestly, you have to be in love with yourself before being in love with a place. Everywhere has it's good and bad points. The most beautiful spots seem to have the least by way of work and the places where you can best make a living have the least beauty. Sounds a lot like my own Canada.
Compromise. I think, is what wins in the end. |
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moonraven
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094
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| Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:08 pm Post subject: |
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| I didn't come to Mexico because of a job--in fact I had been here for a year before I started working. Because I was writing theater pieces about Emiliano Zapata I was living in his birth village. I have worked in other places, but it is still my home base. |
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Ben Round de Bloc
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946
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| Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:34 pm Post subject: Re: Where to Go??? |
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| chicagogirl wrote: |
| I guess I am wanting to get some advice on other parts of the country ..so i can relocate next semester...any thoughts on the Oaxaca coast, Jalisco or Meridia and those parts..Doesn't necessarily have to be beach town..just closer to one and warmer???????????? |
If you meant Merida instead of Meridia, which I believe is in the state of Mississippi . . .  . . .
It's definitely not cold here. Unless a person can tolerate hot humid weather, this isn't a good place to live. It's about three hours from the Caribbean beaches of Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, etc. in the state of Quintana Roo, if those are the types of beaches that appeal, and about a half hour to the nearest local beaches.
It's a relatively small city by Mexican standards, somewhere over a million for population but growing at an alarming rate. One can find both old colonial atmosphere and modern ambience within the city depending on where a person is. There are lots of things to do and places to go within the city. Some of them are free or inexpensive, but many of them would really stretch an EFL teacher's budget.
There are good health services in the city: private medical doctors/specialists, dentists, optometrists, hospitals and clinics . . . incredibly inexpensive by U.S. standards, but most are quite expensive by TEFL-salary standards. Many local language schools hedge on providing seguro social, especially for short-term employees. Personally, however, I don't have much confidence in health care provided by local seguro social.
It's possible to find relatively decent inexpensive housing, but it usually takes time and patience. Public transportation isn't too bad, although it does take awhile to figure out the logic (or lack thereof) to the city bus system. It's often necessary to use two buses (at $4.00 or $4.50 pesos per bus) between home and school, and since most teachers teach on split shifts, transportation costs can add up fast. Taxi service is expensive compared to most other Mexican cities. It's still a relatively safe city in which to live. The established Yucatecan society is rather closed to outsiders, while newcomers from other parts of the country tend to be more open to meeting new people and making new friends. In general, people are usually polite and helpful. Many people from the surrounding villages and some people living in Merida speak Maya as their first language, but most of them also speak Spanish quite fluently.
It's darned hard to find decent EFL jobs here, even for those who have good qualifications and quite a bit of experience. Jobs that pay enough to live even halfway decently on, what with the cost of living being what it is, are not abundant. Even with the low pay, it seems that most local schools do not have a difficult time finding enough teachers. |
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