Living in Mexico without Speaking Spanish

For four months now, I have been getting along just fine living in Mexico City, speaking very little Spanish. It has been surprisingly easy and people have been VERY nice about it!

I have just experienced my first slightly negative experience though!

I was checking out at the grocery store the other morning and the cashier kept asking me if I needed my parking ticket stamped. (You have to pay for parking everywhere that you go in Mexico City). As I walk to the grocery store, I don't need my ticket punched/stamped. So, I said no to the cashier. She proceeded to ask two more times. At which point I said, "no hablo Espanol." The woman behind me then translated for me. I told her "gracias", then told the cashier "no" again. The woman behind me then said, in a more snotty tone, "you live in Mexico and you don't speak Spanish?" I smiled at her and said "si". Then, went on my way.

While this is not a horrible experience by any means, I was a bit taken aback by the tone of her voice. Most people ask "cuantos mesas in Cuidad de Mexico?" or something to that effect...asking me how long I have lived in Mexico City. And, all those people have been very friendly.

I cannot imagine translating for someone in the U.S. and taking a negative tone of voice. I am sure there are plenty of U.S. citizens that would, as we are by no means perfect, but I have not come across it. You can be sure that if I ever do, I will remember this experience and shoot daggers from my eyes at the mean translator!

Get Togethers in Mexico City

This past Saturday night, Mike invited his employees, boss and their families over.

We spent all morning and afternoon preparing for the get together. Annabelle had woken up, throwing up on herself, but was bouncing off the wall an hour later. I attributed her throwing up to getting her molars.

Nevertheless, we kept Annabelle home all day, which meant Mike had to run to four different grocery stores, acquiring the necessary food, beverages, and cookware. Meanwhile, I spent the morning cleaning as my maid didn't show up for the second week in a row! (I tell myself that she's fired, although it looks like she quit! No hard feelings, because, if I am honest, I would smile at her and say "hola" should she show up this Saturday!).

So, by the time guests arrived at 6 pm, Mike and I were a bit tired.

We dressed in our regular attire...same thing we would wear to a get together in the U.S. Mike in a t-shirt and jeans, myself in a tank top and jeans.

Weren't we surprised when the first guests showed up in a suit and cocktail dress!! The next guests showed up dressed similarly. In the end, three of the other guys wore jeans and nice shirts. Mike said "should we change?" I said "no, we look like who we are...grungy Americans". And, the guests looked like who they are...sophisticated Mexicans (and Argentinians)!

But, you better believe that if we get invited to someone else's house (non-playgroup people, because they dress similarly to me!), I'll be thinking twice about wearing my normal U.S. attire!

Perhaps I should take note and acquire some of the fancy clothing that hangs in all the storefronts within two-ten blocks of my condo!!

While I am acquiring said clothing, I should also work on rain boots and a rain coat, as rainy season is not letting up! ...I did finally break down and buy an umbrella today ($98 pesos at Superama)... hopefully I will remember to leave the house with it!

Making Friends Abroad

Making friends abroad seems to be very easy. I was lucky enough to have run into a woman (Jennifer) at the park in January. She invited me to a playgroup within a few days, emailed with me while I was still in the U.S., and met up with me again once I was in Mexico full-time! Since then I have gone to the playgroup regularly and made friends with many of the women.

If I hadn't been so lucky to randomly meet this friend, I would have probably gone the traditional route and joined "newcomer's club", where there are online postings for playgroups, get togethers, available maid's/nannies, etc.

Since moving to Mexico, my social calendar has increased tenfold. My parents tell me it's because I am now making an effort to meet people and get to know them! In the U.S., if I saw another mom at the park, we would ignore one another. In Mexico, that is not the case.

Is it that Americans living in Mexico are used to getting out of their comfort zone and look to help others and make new friends? Quite possibly!

A few weeks ago, Mike, Annie, Molly and I were out on a walk. All of a sudden, a couple walking across the street from us flagged us down and asked if were from the U.S. and if we lived in Mexico. Immediately, without question, we opened up to them, told them all about ourselves and talked for 10+ minutes about Mexico City, where they were from, ages of kids, etc.

After we talked and gave them Mike's email address, I left thinking several things:

1. It is odd that after three months I am able to give advice on life in Mexico City

2. It is odd that after three months I am totally confident giving said advice and offering to show the wife around town, etc.

3. I would never have even considered giving out such personal information to someone I just met on the street in the U.S. Maybe my email address and cell for work purposes (real estate is all about networking)...but probably not as I was a lot more shy in the U.S. and skeptical of why someone would approach me.

Nevertheless, this nice family will be in Mexico City in a few weeks and I hope the wife contacts me, so that I can bring her to playgroup and pay Jennifer's kindness forward!

Car Update

On Wednesday, Mike finally got his car back from Honda. They had it from April 25th to June 29th.

Quite a lengthy amount of time for repairs!

Par for the course in Mexico!!

Rainy Season in Mexico

Rainy season has set in in Mexico City.

I knew about it before arriving and yet, for some reason, did not think it applied to me. Did I bring a rain jacket for myself? For Annabelle? For Mike? NO. Not unless you count a super cute North Face jacket that I got for Annabelle that will fit her in about two more years! Did we bring rain boots? NO.

Do we even have one umbrella? NO.

Totally unprepared.

It has rained a good portion of the past week. Thursday, I don't think it let up once all day.

The biggest issue seems to be Molly "princess paws" Doodle. Our dog pretty much refuses to get her paws wet. I have to drag her onto the wet grass, in order to try and get her to get to the bathroom. She'll be whining at the door and I'll try to reason with her that letting her out is a waste of both of our time, because she won't go. I'll open the door, so she can hear the rain. Yet she demands to go outside. And then...she stands with her paws firmly planted while I try and coax her onto the grass. We do this multiple times a day. Very frustrating! She may need doggie rain boots.

Rainy season is supposed to continue until September. Hopefully by then, I will have invested in an umbrella, if nothing else!

Renting a Car in Cancun / Riviera Maya

After enjoying our car rental experience in Cabo, we opted to go thru National Rental Car again and rent a car in Cancun.

We got the cheapest car possible (still spending $230 for four nights) and decided against the GPS. We definitely didn't need the GPS and were glad we saved that $30 USD! It was extremely easy to follow the signs and get from Cancun to Riviera Maya.

But, getting the cheapest car was comical as it was SUPER small and had zero upgrades! I set the alarm off a few times when unlocking the doors (no power locks and no windows). With our stroller, car seat and bags, we completely filled the trunk and backseat. I kept looking for the clock that doesn't exist!

For awhile, we weren't sure if reverse on the car worked. It was in a different spot than my husband was used to and apparently you have to push down on the gearshift - which he also wasn't used to! So, after strategically parking on a hill (where we could roll down) and parking where we wouldn't need reverse, my husband and Dad finally figured out how to get the car in reverse!

In the end, we would DEFINITELY rent a car in Riviera Maya / Cancun again, as it was so nice to be able to leave the resort (to go to Xpu Ha Beach, the beach at the Mayan Ruins, and to go get bottled water, milk and energy drinks). It was also super nice not to have to take a shuttle bus to and from the resort, making stops at the various other resorts along the way.

Some people just like to have the option of freedom, ie. leaving the resort on a whim, and that seems to be us!

Gran Bahia Principe in Riviera Maya

We got back from Riviera Maya last week. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed seeing my brother get married!

The wedding was held at the Gran Bahia Principe Tulum all-inclusive resort. The resort did a great job with the wedding. The ceremony and reception were very nice. There were different options for the bride and groom to choose for wedding pictures (although pricey considering the photographer didn't attend the reception). The reception was held by one of the pools, with a DJ and bartender provided, along with lights, tables and chairs. And, it was certainly nice to change out of wedding attire, throw on a bathing suit, and spend part of the reception swimming!! A great way to cool off, as it was HOT and HUMID in Riviera Maya!

There were a few issues that I had with the hotels - as there are three actual hotels within Gran Bahia (Tulum, Coba, and Akumal). First off, there was slim to none cell coverage. I never had cell service within the resort and those that did dropped calls left and right. Also, there was free wi-fi BUT only in the hotel lobbys. So, it made communicating with wedding attendees VERY challenging. You - well everyone but us - could call room to room...but that only worked if you caught people before they left for meals or the pool.

And, in our room, our room phone did not work. I could have dialed 911 (or the Mexico equivalent) all day long and all I would have heard was the dial tone. At 2 am on Friday night when a falling down, drunk woman banged on our door two separate times, for about five minutes each...it would have been nice to call the lobby and get someone to help this woman find HER room! But...with no working phone, no email, and no cell service, all we could have done was yelled and woken everyone else up!

There were a few other issues as well...

Upon checking in, we were told there was no where we couldn't go. Then, upon talking to family members there, we were told that we were only allowed to go to one sit-down restaurant during our four days at Gran Bahia. And, that one sit down restaurant had to go towards the wedding dinner. With a toddler, buffets were better anyway. But, isn't the one sit down meal something we should have been told at check-in?

We ended up splitting our meals between the buffet at Coba, the buffet at Tulum, and a snack bar at Tulum. The snack bar had decent chicken fingers and fries. And, you could order food from the bartender. My husband ordered chicken tacos one day and got some fried tacquito type food instead. Those that know him won't be surprised to hear that he left the fried food and walked away. Since when are tacos fried?

The breakfast buffet at Tulum was surprising. I couldn't find muffins. My husband couldn't find yogurt. And there was zero bacon.

All around, the buffet at Coba was MUCH better. A much larger selection for breakfast, lunch and dinner! The only issue we then ran into was the only time we could find fresh milk for our toddler was at breakfast. Aside from that, the waiters would pour out warm, condensed milk that smelled awful. We were told that the only place to get milk was at the buffet (but only breakfast) or we could buy it at the store. Not what you expect to hear when you are buying the high price for an all-inclusive resort!

Also, you can ONLY get bottled water in your room, when the mini-fridge gets stocked. No where else on the properties can you get bottled water. Instead, the waiters and bartenders assure you that the tap water is safe to drink. But, seeing as though two members of the 16 people from our group got sick with a touch of montezuma's revenge...the "assurance" fell flat. And, since my husband has had montezuma multiple times since moving to Mexico, he cannot be persuaded to drink water that doesn't come from a sealed bottle. Seems like...maybe bottled water should be more readily available.

But, for anyone that stays at the Gran Bahia...bring your Cipro (US antibiotic) or Treda (Mexican over the counter drug) with you, because buying it at the resort is a rip off! Those that got sick bought Treda (off my recommendation) and paid like $800 pesos - a RIDICULOUS amount, when off the resort property it would have sold for only $150 pesos, if that!

Sidenote: Treda is what a pharmacist recommended to me when Mike was sick in October, after our first trip to Mexico City. The instructions and warnings are all in Spanish and there is very little information that I could find online in English. However...the stuff seems to work!

Back to the resort...thesize of the resort has plus' and minus'. Plus, there is no need to book a separate excursion to see dolphins, as the resort has it's own pool of dolphins on the property. Of course, there is an additional charge to swim with the dolphins! Another plus is that there is a lot of options for swimming pools and quite a long beach stretching between Tulum and Akumal (Coba is not on the beach).

A negative to the size of the resort is that it is so big, the resort recommends that you take a tram to and from the various properties. I waited for the tram one night, got bit by a bunch of mosquitoes while waiting and finally gave up and walked from Coba to Tulum. It wasn't a bad walk once you found the side road and back entrance, near the dolphin excursion, into Tulum. But it wasn't well lit and I probably shouldn't have done it alone in the dark.

Another thing to note, each guest is only allowed ONE blue towel for the pool. You can exchange your towel all you want, but you only get one at a time.

Another negative, which the guys complained about mostly, was that there was only one choice of beer. I think that is probably pretty standard at all inclusive resorts...but maybe not??? And there was one choice of each red and white wine, which I heard was horrible - but slightly better at Coba than Tulum.

One other important detail to note for those that have kids...

When getting prices, my sister told a travel agent that I needed a quote for two adults and one two year old. She passed along the quote...which featured a cost for Annabelle. There was NO WAY I was going to pay $60 USD/day for Annabelle, when the kid barely eats.

When I looked directly at Gran Bahia's website, kids 1 and under where grouped together, then kids 2+. However, once you put in more details and get to the next webpage, kids 4 and under are grouped together (AND FREE), and 5+ is the cost of $60/day.

So, we saved ourselves $240 by booking thru the website. Good thing...as if I had to pay $60/day for Annabelle and couldn't get fresh milk for her more than once a day...I would have been extremely unhappy!!!

In the end, would we stay at the Gran Bahia Principe again? No. But, we aren't all-inclusive people (don't drink enough to get our money's worth) and we prefer smaller resorts, especially those with a kitchen in unit.

Here is a photo of Annabelle and my dad, along with "Coco" the monkey poolside at Coba! (The photo, purchased at the Photo Desk in Coba's lobby, cost $130 pesos - cash only!)