Bug Bytes: La Pura Vida in Mexico City!

This week’s Bug Bytes comes from Laura Nazimec, founder of GoMexicoGuide and an American expat who is currently living in Mexico City with her fiance. Aside from the daily thrills of living in a vibrant city, Laura details what it’s like learning Spanish from scratch, her daily struggles with avoiding cheese and how Mexico has an undeserved bad rep.

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BB: You’re living in Mexico City. How did that happen? How long have you been there?
LN: I moved to Mexico City with my fiancé (he’s originally from here). We first met back in 2004 while we were both living in Philadelphia. Shortly afterward we decided we wanted to travel and later relocate/ return to Mexico so we began setting aside money. In 2008 we quit our jobs, donated most of our belongings and began backpacking through Latin America. We started in Mexico City and traveled south – mostly by bus – to the southern tip of Argentina. We ended our trip just before the start of 2010, after about 14 months on the road. We flew back to Mexico City and now we’re just coming up on our first year of living here.

 

Backpacking in Belize

BB: What was the reaction like from your family when you told them you were moving to Mexico?
LN: They were supportive but also a little nervous – not just because of the move but also because of our travel plans. They had a hard time understanding why living in Mexico would appeal to me and they were concerned about my safety. At the same time, they had known my fiancé for a couple of years and the idea that we would be traveling and making this move together helped them to feel a bit more comfortable.

BB: Did you have any experience with Spanish before you went? How has the learning curve been? Have any tips to speed it along?
LN: Learning Spanish has been one of my biggest challenges. When I first left the U.S. I didn’t speak any Spanish. I began to pick up some early on in our travels and I took a few Spanish classes along the way. When we arrived back in Mexico City I was very self-conscious about my accent and making mistakes. These days I try to worry less about that and just focus on making myself understood as best I can. The majority of people here in Mexico City really do make an effort to understand me and make me feel comfortable.

The best advice that I would offer someone just starting out is to try not to worry about making mistakes and just start speaking.

Easier said than done of course, but the sooner you can get over your insecurities, the sooner you’ll begin to pick up the language. And just accept that you’ll be speaking at the level of a child and not able to fully express your thoughts for a while. If you’re traveling or moving abroad with someone who already speaks the language make a point to involve yourself in conversations, practice speaking and not rely on them to do all the talking.

The Canals at Xochimilco, Mexico City

BB: What’s your favorite part about living in Mexico City?
LN: There are actually quite a few things I like about living here. Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world and a really exciting place to live. The weather is beautiful year-round and the pace of life is more relaxed and enjoyable. Moving here and taking advantage of the lower cost of living has provided me the opportunity to pursue my own projects and I have no immediate plans to return to the corporate world. That in itself has been incredibly rewarding.

BB: There’s been a lot of negative press about Mexico recently. What are your thoughts on that? Do you believe the country to be generally safe?
LN: Of course it depends on where in the country you go. I feel very safe in Mexico City and I’ve felt safe everywhere that I’ve traveled in Mexico – which has mostly been in the southern part of the country, along the Yucatan Peninsula, Pacific Coast and in the central highlands surrounding Mexico City. I take the normal precautions that I would in any city and I haven’t had any problems.

BB: What do you do for fun?
LN: One of my favorite things to do is visit the markets. I also spend a good amount of time exploring the more than 350 neighborhoods (there’s still a lot I haven’t seen) and visiting festivals and street fairs. There are several nice parks and green spaces in the downtown area and we recently got a puppy so I’ve been enjoying taking him for walks and to play outdoors. I also continue to try to travel as much as possible, even if it’s only for a day or two to visit a nearby town. I honestly can’t ever imaging running out of things to do while living here.

BB: What is the cost of living like? What would you pay for typical rent? For a gallon of milk?
LN: Mexico City has one of the highest costs of living in the country and it varies depending on a number of factors, but generally it’s less than in the US – assuming you maintain a similar standard of living.

Food and basic necessities are very inexpensive and you can find most everything you need in the markets.

Public transportation is also very inexpensive. The Mexico City Metro is one of the cheapest metro systems in the world. A single ride ticket costs just $0.24. On the other hand, if you shop at the department stores, chain stores and supermarkets you’ll pay close to what you might expect to pay in the US and sometimes more, especially if you’re buying brand name clothing, electronics, etc.

When we first moved to Mexico City we lived on the outskirts of the city close to where my fiancé and his family are from. Our rent for a small two bedroom apartment was around $125/month. Where we live now the rent for a similar apartment is around $350/month and if you were to live in one of the nicest central areas you could expect to pay much more than that. A liter of milk costs around $0.90 so the equivalent of a gallon would cost a few dollars, close to what you might expect to pay in the US. As an expat I find that the cost of living is very affordable, but keep in mind that the minimum wage worker in Mexico City makes under $5/day.

Women prepare tortillas at street stand

BB: What do you think is the greatest mis-perception Americans have about Mexico?
LN: I think people tend to forget how large the country is and often associate the violence that’s happening around the border with all of Mexico, when in fact most places are perfectly safe to visit.

BB: I’ve recently come back from South America and I was really surprised at how easy it was to travel by bus. Can the same be said for Mexico?
LN: Definitely, it’s very easy to travel around Mexico by bus, not too expensive and often very comfortable.

For most destinations you’ll have several different classes of buses to choose from ranging from inexpensive 2nd-class routes that make a lot of stops to very comfortable executive class direct buses. Rarely do you need to reserve a seat in advance; you can just show up, buy your ticket and go. You can travel by bus to pretty much anywhere in the country from Mexico City. There are four long distance bus terminals located in the city and your destination will determine which terminal you depart from.

BB: What do you think of the cheese? (I know, random question, but I’ve always been fascinated by Mexican cheese)
LN: Lately I’ve been trying, albeit somewhat unsuccessfully, to cut dairy out of my diet. Cheese is actually not found in Mexican cooking as often as you might expect, but it’s still used from time to time. My fiance makes delicious chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers) using Oaxaca cheese (one of my favorites) and that’s been one of the toughest dishes for me to give up.

BB: What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned from living in Mexico?

LN: That’s a difficult question to answer. Much of what I learned and adjusted to while traveling helped to prepare me for living in Mexico City, but I don’t know that there’s a single greatest lesson I’ve learned. I’ve had so many incredible experiences, learned so much and I feel like I’m still learning something new every day.

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Thanks so much Laura! Sounds like you’re having a great time in Mexico City!

To find out more about Laura and her adventures in Mexico City, visit Go Mexico Guide

Bug Bytes is a weekly feature in which travelers tell us all about the places they’ve lived and what makes those places awesome. Each week a different country is featured and eventually, we’ll cover the globe! Want to help out? Lived someplace cool and want to tell us about it? Email Kelly at travelbugjuice@gmail.com