Finding our way
Like most ex-pats, Karina and I had been visiting Mexico for many years, lately spending as much time as possible before having to return to the US to attend to various aspects of our lives there. Finally, the need to be near the site where we will build and get the process moving overwhelmed anything we had going on in the US. Hence, we pulled the trigger and moved there full-time on October 25th, 2022. We arrived with eight suitcases containing 450 pounds of our most important possessions and lots of enthusiasm. The time since has been energizing, sometimes frustrating, endearing, and enriching. While we knew we would discover many aspects of the country we had not been exposed to, we have been delighted to learn so many wonderful things about our new home and meet so many fantastic people!
Top of the list of reasons we wanted to live in Mexico in the first place are its people and the culture.
Since we moved we have only been confirmed and reinforced in our affinity for this rich, fascinating culture and the warm, generous, open hearted people. Arriving as we did at the end of October, Dia de Muertos was our first new cultural experience. A friend and I drove to Todos Santos where we knew there was a large (for a small town) celebration and contest. Accustomed to American Halloween celebrations I expected an adult centric event, but to my surprise most attendees were families. The kids got their faces painted and ate cotton candy and other treats while everyone watched the contest of the elaborately costumed Katrinas. There were local food stalls and games for the kids, but not much in the way of adult beverages. This makes sense in the context of what the holiday means to the Mexican people – a link to their ancestors, a way to keep alive the spirit of those who have come before, and a tie to their family history and legacy. It was refreshing to have a holiday that is more than just an excuse to put on a costume so that you can feel anonymous, drink too much and wind up hung over!
The next bit of my education was regarding the Rules of the Road. As long as I have been visiting Mexico I have had the impression that the entire traffic "system" is really just organized chaos. It had always seemed to me that everyone went where they wanted, when they wanted and that there was no real structure to it, other than avoiding collisions. I have come to realize that there is indeed a system and a social contract about how people drive here, it is just not directly related to the posted signs and written rules. My favorite example of this is the large roundabout in San Jose del Cabo. This roundabout has clearly marked lanes and stop signs for one direction of traffic at each entrance/exit to the circle. The local drivers ignore these completely, which initially contributed to my impression of chaos. Untrue, I just had not yet seen the pattern. At each entrance / exit to the roundabout everyone alternates with the traffic they need to merge with – it doesn't matter if you have a stop sign and they do not, when it's your turn they will slow down to let you in. Once you understand the system it is all very orderly and there is close to 100% compliance with the unwritten rule of alternating as you progress through the circle. More recently I have noticed that the majority of the drivers look at the drivers of the other vehicles to make sure that they see each other and can negotiate the situation without incident. Hand signals, nods and other gestures are much more prevalent than in the US. Overall it is a much more social-oriented and fair approach to driving than our strictly rules-based approach in the states!
The last observance is just how much Mexico is a country of entrepreneurs. We have all had the experience, perhaps not entirely pleasant, of being sold necklaces and blankets at the beach, but the entrepreneurial spirit goes much deeper and permeates all levels of society. As we interact more in the local economy we are constantly surprised and pleased by this. The gas station attendants do a better job cleaning the windows of your windows than the car wash, in hopes of a 50-cent tip. There is the guy in the parking lot at the local supermarket who gives your car a full wash and dry for three dollars and does a fantastic job – all with a home depot bucket and some microfiber cloths! But the entrepreneurial spirit does not only reside with folks trying to make ends meet.
We have had the good fortune to meet a local entrepreneur on a much larger scale. He grew up in the restaurant world, opening restaurants throughout Mexico and South America for his family business. He is still in that world and operates the local beach bar in Cerritos, where we met him. He has built a phenomenal restaurant and retail mixed use space in Todos Santos that is one of our favorite places to go out. And as a member of the tourism board for the local municipality he is working with foreign tourism boards to bring additional direct flights from Europe into the area. From the solopreneur making a few dollars to deals that cost tens of millions of dollars and every level between we have met people who are working hard to improve their own lives while offering help and services that help us improve ours.
As you can imagine there have been countless other experiences, people, and interactions through this time that have been very rewarding as well as some challenges. After all it is a dynamic culture and society with lots of room for individual expression. But the overall impression that we came with, that Baja Mexico is a magical place where we want to make our home and future, has only been confirmed and amplified as we continue to find our way in this wonderous place.
Ron