Job Discussion Forums

delacosta · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 325 Location: zipolte beach

Pitayas? never heard of them.
I see the Oaxaca crew is set for classes starting Monday and counting down till 7...

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

Poor Breanne! Still waiting for an answer to her original question, but knowing everything she needs to know about Papaya (and then some!) I think Mexican papaya smells like dirty socks, unlike the papaya in Hawaii. Mango is my thing...We have a tree currently loaded with baby mangos. I can't wait!

Okay, I will take a stab at Breannes question. I would think that unless there is a particular reason to live in a border town, like wanting to cross back and forth regularly, the teaching opportunities will probably be much better further south. Many people living in the border areas (or the tourist or expat areas) already speak English due to their constant contact with foreigners. My sister-in-law who lives in Mexicali doesn't speak English but she dates foreigners who speak English to her....(hmmm why her English isn't improving is quite the mystery!)

MELEE · Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:54 am Post subject:

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Is it more expensive to live in the border areas? I don't know why I think that, I just always imagined it to be so...

The HCl is exactly the reason why papayas hate me. I have far too much of that particular compound as it is. Fruit of the moment here in Boggy is the mangostein, which I first tasted in Indonesia. It has fluorescent yellow sap, a thick skin almost as hard as rock to get through and is kind of slimy like eyeballs. MMMMMMM!!!

And as for pineapples - ever tried an Australian one?

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

That is a good point. According to my sister-in-law, it is more expensive to live at the border. I must ask if she enjoys papayas and mangos!

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Mango season! In Acapulco, I had three mango trees in the backyard. It postively rained mangos! Yes it did. I also had a papaya tree, but the dang thing never once dropped a fruit. And papaya smells weird.

A mango isn't a mango unless the juice drips from both elbows when you eat it.

MELEE · Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 3:03 pm Post subject:

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

True. Mangoes aren't all that common in Canada.

In Acapulco, beach vendors would sell them peeled and on a stick. Plain or covered in chili powder. I never could come to enjoy the chili-sweet combo, but they look good.

snorklequeen · Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 1:03 am Post subject: Border / Mangos

i know nothing about teaching at the border

have y'all ever eaten cooked mangos? YUM! even better flavor than fresh, imho, tho' not as juicy

try pineapple-mango-chicken stirfy in olive oil; or sautee in olive oil and put on top of pancakes

cooked mangos rock!

Queenie

gordogringo · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 159 Location: Tijuana

Hola amigos!!
Let me justify my remark that has sparked a wave of response.After requests for TJ teaching info before the only responses I got were to leave these nasty border towns.There is a demand though.Only about 15% of the population is from here.The majority are from around Mexico.Also CR and El Salvador.Most need their skills refined to get good jobs catering to lazy americans who think if they can say tacos and tequila that they are fluent Spanish speakers.Good lord,my people embarass me.Any more Canadian citizenship apps. lying around?The schools lack everything because here because of low budgets.And the majority of the teachers are non native speakers that I barely understood when they spoke to me.And I have taught in Indonesia,Taiwan,HK,and Spain so I can do accents.Sorry if I assumed to much,guys.And yes Guy do not believe what you hear on CNN.The border is still less dangerous than NYC or Chicago.

M@tt · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 473 Location: here and there

they say new york is pretty darn safe these days.
but anyway...
i've been to reynosa and it's so far from the border towns you're interested in that i won't comment. i don't know the rest of them.

i have heard from numerous mexicans that life is a bit more expensive on the border.

i'm curious how difficult it is to cross back and forth, as a US citizen. i'm talking, if I wanted to live somewhere in baja and cross to san diego every single week by car, would it be a problem? this is a serious, non-fruit related question.

by the way, i love almost all fruit but i hate grapefruit and i'm working on a grudge against cantaloupes. i've also been less than impressed with watermelon's performance on many occasions.

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

It's easy to cross back and forth. There are no special car permits needed in that area (and in fact Sonora state has recently become a free zone too with foreign vehicle importation permits not being required until you reach the very south of the state and are about to enter Sinaloa) Just make sure you have the appropriate vehicle insurance and medical insurance for the USA, and current license plates.

P.S. forgot to mention - you will probably get your fruit confiscated when you cross. Crying or Very sad

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Would frequent trips mean that certain US government bodies would become very interested in a person? Or as a US citizen are you exempt(ish) from that kind of scrutiny?

M@tt, its really really really horrible attracting the attention of US Customs/Immigration/Anti-terrorist people.

I can not stand any type of melon, unless its watermelon in a daiquiri. Melon is the work of Satan.

Try mangoes and banana with seafood like shrimp/prawns or lobster. It is pure unadulterated joy!

gordogringo · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 159 Location: Tijuana

I go over to SD periodically.Some of my neighbors do it daily.I like to go over to see how the other half lives and pick up some new esl books.You will not draw the attention of CBP.Unless you look hispanic.My friend is of Mexican heritage born in LA.Eight generations ago his family crossed to the US.On his first visit to Tijuana upon returning he was detained by the brilliant folks at CBP for being an illegal immigrant.They would only speak to him in Spanish, a language he does not know.Took him two hours to get out of detention.Yet the drug runners ran thousands of kilos of marijuana through tunnels for years and they never noticed.So long story short,if you are gringo nothing to worry about.You can take some fruit with you if you want.

M@tt · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 473 Location: here and there

ok, i have actually attracted the attention of these people in the past, for different reasons. they are constantly asking me about north carolina. finally i asked one of THEM about north carolina: "you're going to ask me about north carolina, right?" that didn't go over too well.

but anyway, i'm changing my plans. say i want to live in san diego and make frequent short trips into tijuana to mail things to people in mexico. things like computers, camaras, etc. now what do you think? i will just take one of each item and say they are mine (even though they're new). i'm pretty sure that's within my rights in terms of customs (on the mexican side). any idea what the limits / customs process is at the border? i only know how it works at the airport (the button and the stoplight).

as for the american side, i don't think they could/would do anything to me.

thanks for the advice about car insurance, but it would be a day trip, or maybe 2 days at most.
i don't see what medical insurance in the US has to do with any of this. i haven't had medical insurance in the US for 3 of the last 6 years. it's not something they're even aware of in immigration/customs.

thanks for any experience or advice regarding customs and crossing the border.