29 Apr 14

3 Years Living in Mexico: Pictures I Love & the Stories They Tell

And the prize for world´s most hospitable country goes to… México !!!

Mexico and its lovely people have treated us like excellent hosts the last three years. They are the masters of making foreigners feel at home every second of their stay and being part of their lives is therefore a great joy. We are grateful for all our amigos y vecinos, friends and neighbors, and we would recommend anyone to live in or travel through Mexico.

Many of our dreams are coming true in this spectacular nation and more plans for the future were born here. Needless to say, we´re having an amazing time 😀

In honor of los Estados Unidos de México I selected some pictures I love and added short stories to give you an idea about life as a foreigner in Mexico. It´s only a grip of the hundreds if not thousands of pictures we have though, more pictures and Mexico travel tips coming up on the blog soon!

 

• Live • Love • Dream • Discover •

 

3 Years Living in Mexico

 

Continue Reading »

0 Comments
Filed in Life in Mexico
  Posted by
Tagged , , , , , ,
26 Mar 14

Steve´s Educational Jungle Hikes near Sayulita

Tired of lying at the beach all week? Or just curious what´s behind the stunning scenery off the Puerto Vallarta highway? Instead of rushing through, slow down your pace to explore the semi-tropical landscape of Mexico´s West-Coast.

Together with my brother and his girlfriend, we enjoyed a 5-hour hike from San Ignacio to San Pancho (starting point: Sayulita). A moderate hike guided by Mexitreks-founder Stephen Pomeroy.

 

Steve´s Educational Jungle Hikes near Sayulita

 

Steve has a passion for nature and loves teaching others about the natural world. He studied Eco-Tourism in Costa Rica and has been teaching natives and tourists about the West-Mexican flora and fauna for the last 6 years. By setting a good example Steve tries to raise awareness and increase people’s knowledge about the environment.

 

 

Continue Reading »

0 Comments
Filed in Travel in Mexico
  Posted by
Tagged , , , , ,
13 Mar 14

Design Your Own Cross-Cultural Training – #5 Exercises

Be curious, not judgemental
– Walt Whitman –

We´re all connected

 

Companies have their Assigned Expatriates (AE´s) usually (not always) participate in cross-cultural training before relocating abroad. Although many factors affect overall expatriate adjustment, cross-cultural training can contribute significantly to the success of international assignments.

International moves of individuals, or Self-Initiated Expatriates (SIE´s), normally don´t seek out for guidance of intercultural experts. Due to high prices, cross-cultural training is often not even considered before departure.

I wish I researched or was guided more before moving overseas. I´m sure it would have made the change a lot more comfortable. And it wouldn´t have been neccessary to spend hunderds of euros on a professional coach. With a little bit of creativity you can prepare yourself for the change of cultures. Let me show you:

 

Design your own cross-cultural training

Continue Reading »

0 Comments
Filed in Across Cultures
  Posted by
Tagged , , , , , ,
20 Feb 14

Getting Through the Visa Fuss, Hang in There!

It took me ten mornings at the immigration office, but I finally got my new visa!

Expiration date: October 21, 2015.

Because outside this office I do like Mexico, a lot! 😀

 

Mexico Visa

 

Visa requirements and payments vary strongly per country so I won´t bore you with all the details of mine. I guess lots of paperwork and hours/days/months/years of waiting sum up any kind of permit. My visa application took much longer than necessary. Insufficient use of digital platforms but also misunderstandings and chaos due to recent legal changes in the country were to blame, grrrr…

 

Guadalajara Sunrise View

 

Bound to have a residence or work permit there´s no way around some “immigration frustration” every year or so. In Mexico I can spend a lot of time waiting. I mean in general, I can spend all day waiting for occasional services, such as an electrician or cable guy who never shows. The visa renewal is also one of those waiting activities. Gotta have loooooots of patience.

Continue Reading »

0 Comments
Filed in Preparations
  Posted by
Tagged , , , ,
30 Jan 14

The Inevitable Transition from Books to eBooks

I finally did it, I switched completely from paper books to eBooks. The last time I bought a physical book was over 6 months ago, and I´ve grown accustomed to digital versions.

Before moving to Mexico I wasn´t planning on giving up my book hobby, so I brought as many books as the airline allowed me to. Soon I was running out of stock, and I found an English bookstore in Guadalajara. I couldn´t be happier.

 

 

But then I realized that it was of course ridiculous to keep on adding weight to our few belongings. What to do with all those books when we move again? Switching to eBooks was the smart thing to do. It will save me a lot of trouble in the future.

As a daughter of a librarian it almost hurts to advocate eBooks, but my life has changed and I have changed so old habits have to make room for new habits. If you like reading as much as I do, purchase an e-reader or tablet for your readings.

 

Reading is good for your health

 

Continue Reading »

0 Comments
Filed in Preparations
  Posted by
Tagged , ,
8 Jan 14

Sayulita: This Great Little Beach Town in Mexico

A couple of times a year we drive to beach city Puerto Vallarta and we developed the habit to visit Sayulita on the way back to Guadalajara, either for the day or to stay the night. It´s this tiny, cheerful town packed with hippies, yogi´s and surfers. A pretty and unique spot on the map and a must-see while exploring Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

 

 

The climate is perfectly warm, even in winter. Sayulita is a surfing mecca for beginners and despite its small size of aprox. 4000, Sayulita offers a variety of other outdoors activities, cute stores and art galleries, and you´ll find plenty of places to eat delicious ceviche and fish-tacos. It´s a pleasure to check out the colorful people in the street and you could even walk bare feet all day if you like.

But more talking about Sayulita won´t do it justice, pictures will do most of the talking. Let me introduce you to our favorite beach escape in Mexico, Sayulita! 😀

 

 

Continue Reading »

0 Comments
Filed in Travel in Mexico
  Posted by
Tagged , , , ,
17 Dec 13

Reflecting on the Old Year, Preparing for the New One

2013 is almost coming to an end! How was your year?

Like many others, I dedicate the month December to self-reflection. Clarifying my priorities and affirming clear directions for the year to come are high on my list these days.

I´ve been abroad now for a while (almost four years) and unlike the years before, 2013 was a calm year. No big moves, no culture shock to beat or sudden onsets of emotions. I have all the greatest friends I could wish for and I can´t even remember I was homesick. Well, that´s an achievement! 😀 Daily struggles are under control and most of concerns really feel like ages ago and I´m very glad for that.

 

Only a small sample of our friends :)

 

Continue Reading »

0 Comments
Filed in Living Abroad
  Posted by
Tagged , , , ,

« Older Posts

Newer Posts »

Evolution Abroad is powered by WordPress using theme Tribune