Job Discussion Forums

corporatehuman · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Mexico City

I currently live in Chiapas, which is very nice, very beautiful, green misty mountains, lots of wide open space...

I like it here, however, come February 2nd I'll have been here for eight months, and I think its time to move. I am pretty sure I am moving to Mexico City.

I know a lot of people on this board live in Mexico City, have explained their dislikes/likes and I am sort of asking the same thing over again; EXCEPT --

I visited Mexico City for three days. It was daunting, but like most big cities, seemed packed with energy; an explosive amount, many people, activities, I was with a friend and just sort of went from taxi to taxi to taxi through the night not ever knowing where I was going or why (I also didnt speak a word of Spanish then).

What I want to know is what -living- is like in Mexico City. Every Day. Is it exhausting? Is it like in New York where you are always running, commuting, cursing?

I'm not too concerned about the crime, but has anyone here ever dealt with it directly? Mugging, robbery? Everyone in Chiapas of course sees Mexico City as a place of bedlam, literally its like the pit of hell for people here, where people go to go crazy. I have trouble seeing it as this, but I don't feel qualified to see it, or understand it, because I've never lived there.

I'm interested in what daily life is like.

Thanks for your time and I'll probably have more questions later,

Chris

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

samizinha · Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 174 Location: Vacalandia

I love Mexico City because it has something for everyone, and for all of my moods. When I�m exhausted from work or wanting to do some reflecting, there are parks, wonderful coffee shops and museums with the best art in the world. When I want to party, there are amazing antros with every type of music and attitude. I�ve also had many experiences of coincidently running into people I know across the city, so it doesn�t even seem that big or crazy.
Getting from place to place can be trying with the traffic or metro cars rammed with people, but I think the city quickly becomes easy to navigate. As a rule I try to commute as little as possible during the week and save it for the weekend so that it doesn�t get to me.
Almost everybody I know here as been mugged or taken on an express kidnapping, but it hasn�t happened to me yet (knock on wood!) and with the precautions I take I generally feel safe.
This city has well known problems, but it�s grown on me so much, I would have a very difficult time leaving it.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

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

I wonder what the "express" value is for an ESL teacher these days.

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

I've never heard of it happening to a foreign teacher before, but I figure it would be similar to a Mexican...restricted to what an ATM spits out for the day, often across the midnight line.

Polly0607 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 64

Guy is right. What they can get on an "secuestro express" is around 8,000 pesos. They take you to the bank machine just before midnight and you take out the max of 4,000. Then they take you again just after midnight and you take out the max again.

If you are lucky, maybe you have a credit card or another card they can get the second 4,000 from and you get rid of them fast.

One of my students was forced to leave his girlfriend in the card with a gunman while he took 4,000 from his debit and 4,000 from his credit card. Luckily they let them go after that.

What is more common here in the "provincia" is real, old-fashioned kidnappings. One of our students was almost taken a couple of weeks ago, but his driver crashed through the kidnappers car. Another one of our students was kidnapped and murdered this year. And these are just the ones I hear about.

I don't worry that much about it, because all the kidnappers have to do is look at my English teacher bank account and they rule me out. My teenage students that drive expensive sports cars are not so lucky.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

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

It's the bank that sets it, or some part of government that oversees banks. I'd always thought it was 3000 and not 4000 though. Maybe it's gone up with inflation.

Is that limit nationwide, or is it just DF? I was told that it's a holdover measure from the '95 crisis to prevent runs on banks. I notice that it only applies to ATMs and not to credit card or debit card swipe machines.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

I have to plead ignorance here. I don't use a bank card with my Mexican bank account. I also rarely use a credit card (once a year for airline tickets.) As for my ATM card for my U.S. bank account, the bank doesn't set the maximum withdrawal limit. I do.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

The maximum on my card is 5000 per day. It's come in handy once or twice.

MELEE · Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 3:06 pm Post subject:

My max is 3000 (or at least it used to be) I've never been informed of it going up. That's with HSBC. These days I rarely have half that much in the bank! Surprised

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

I don't have a Mexican bank account yet, but my bank in the US set the limit on my ATM card for me at $300 per day. They would probably increase that if I asked them to. There is no limit on a cash withdrawel against my Visa card though. I don't carry either of these cards around with my unless I am specifically going to use them.