Jos Antonio Gutirrez Gutirrez
1 A $25 magazine (with ads, yet!)
If you're looking for a guide to relocating in Mexico for the average person, steer clear of this one. Its format, its price, and its content make it clear this is for those being relocated by their American corporations. The general information in it can be found in many less expensive books, and the specific information is tightly limited to the three major business centers; Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara.
It is not a book; it is a glossy magazine, and is packed with ads-not articles-aimed at the upscale reader. Perhaps a cash-rich corporation would think it hip to lay out [the money] in order to put this on a table in the executive dining room. For the rest of us, it's a rip-off.
2 American Chamber publishes "Relocating to Mexico" Guidebook
Foreigners contemplating a move to Mexico have yet another source of useful information, this one form the business community. Covering everything from clothing size conversions to house-hunting, the magazine-style publication "Relocating to Mexico" is produced by the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico and International Relocation Services.
The guide is intended to be a resource "for companies sending personnel to Mexico, retirees, students, entrepreneurs, cross-cultural trainers, relocation companies and anyone else who may be making a move to Mexico." says the forward.
The 84-page publication begins with a brief getting-acquainted chapter that attempts to warn foreigners that life in Mexico is going to be different. "It is important to arrive in Mexico with a clear and open mind about the land, people and culture. Mexico is not like the image normally depicted in Hollywood productions, " the authors write.
The guide offers an excellent reading list of 15 books for those who really want to comprehend the history and culture of Mexico. The second chapter deals with the technical and logistical aspects of moving to Mexico --visa applications, moving household goods, bringing a car to Mexico and even the family pet.
Other chapters include staying in contact (mail and telephone service, news sources, embassy contacts, Internet service providers); adapting to Mexican culture (the meals schedule, entertaining, business cutstoms,holidays, learning Spanish): the housing hut (rental agreements, prices); setting up your home (getting phone service, domestic help, bill paying; going places (car tax, traffic rules, public transportation, car theft); managing finances (exchange rates, banking, ATM safety tips); keeping healthy (water problems, air contaminants, preventative strategies, earthquakes), and taking care of the kids (schools, birthday parties, having a baby).
Each chapter includes a list of places to contact for services plus useful Websites. "Relocating to Mexico" is a supplement to the American Chamber of Commerce's "Guide to Mexico for Business."
The Colony Reporter, October 30-November 5, 1999
3 What every foreign resident alien needs to know in Mexico.
Don't drink the water. That's usually one of the first things people advise when you announce you're moving to Mexico City. Followed by 'don't take street cabs at night,' and 'don't eat food off the street.' One bad taco and a week-long battle with Moctezuma's revenge is usually enough to teach any foreigner a quick lesson on adaption to the varieties of Mexican cuisine, but what about the things like getting your FM-3 papers in order or figuring how to get your mail forwarded to you and actually receive it in Mexico? Questions ranging from the conversion of clothing sizes to how to get your dog across the border can be answered in the book "Relocating to Mexico," published by the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (Amcham/Mexico). There's something for everyone in this book - from retirees to professionals to students - the book provides information specific to Mexico that cannot be found in a regular tour guide, such as rental prices in different areas of the city, how to open a bank account and much more. "Relocating to Mexico" is a supplement to "The Guide to Mexico for Business" and was developed after it became apparent that there was a market for this book. Vacationing in Mexico and living here are experiences that are worlds apart. "The most important difference between this book and others similar to it, is that "Relocating to Mexico" was actually written by foreigners who are living in Mexico and have actually gone through the relocating experience", said Natasha Hirtzel, Subdirector of International Trade at Amcham/Mexico.
By Fayola Shakes, The News (Daily Newspaper in English), Mexico City
4 I thought I knew everything!
Ive been here for three years and I thought I knew everything
