Find the Rhythm

Filed in archive Latin Travel on February 25, 2008

The very first thing to do before moving to Mexico is to accept the pace of the country. Those that move expecting the Mexico of their imagination and resisting the cultural nuances that are part of day-to-day life turn bitter and miss the beauty of the experience.

Here are some adjustments to consider.

Service is slower... at the restaurants, when standing in line, during home projects involving contract labor, while waiting for a chance to bargaining at the open air markets. It's just a slower paced life.

Saying "no" is avoided much much more. It's felt to be rude to say no. So, all your invitations will be met with a "yes," but not all your invitees will show. When you ask if you're traveling in the right direction to get to the hospital, you'll get another yes. What you may not get is those medical services. With time you learn to read people and break the habit of posing yes or no questions, in favor of information questions (ex: How do I get to the hospital?).

Everything is personal. By that I don't mean you should take offense at every little thing, but rather that personal relationships trump all. The "business is business, it's nothing personal" mentality does not fly in Mexico. If you want to be successful professionally, build strong relationships. If you want friends, adopt a more collaborative attitude rather than a fiercely individualistic one. And accept that personal obligations (family) are almost always seen as an appropriate excuse for lateness, especially in social situations.

More to come.