trading gaijin for gringo.

[Visitor K]

well, im going to be leaving japan after just three years of life here.. i have no interest in being a lifer, so i am moving to oaxaca, mexico next month.
ill let you all know how the transition goes.
japan will not miss the likes of me, but it was a fun time.

[Behan]

Good luck! Please let us know how life is over there.

By the way, can you fit a fat FG into your suitcase?:)

[Visitor K]

well, after going back to the states to visit my friends and family for one month, i made the move down here to the coast of southern mexico.. after three years in japan, it was strange to go home and experience american culture again (big cars going too fast, engaging in casual conversation with strangers, too much sugar in the food, and all the other social/cultural differences) but just before i could get back into the swing of american life, i moved down here.
im sure i dont have to tell anybody that the differences between mexico and japan are vast, but probably the most difficult thing to get used to here in mexico is the sense of humor. the japanese sense of humor seemed very straight and obvious to me, while here in mexico, people will just blatantly lie to you as a joke, even something that is pointless to lie about is especially funny if its believed by a foreigner.
although in both countries it is usually painfully obvious that i receive different treatment due to being a foreigner, it was usually done in a somewhat subtle way in japan; many people were timid about calling me "gaijin" or would talk in hushed tones on the trains. here in mexico though, it is not at all concealed that they are treating me like a foreigner; if you are a person sensitive to being called an "outside person" in japan, dont even think about coming to mexico.. here in southern mexico, there are more europeans than americans, so instead of the popular "gringo" i am constantly referred to as "guero" or "whitey".. i think the racism/xenophobia or whatever you want to call it in japan was more ingrained in the culture, but in mexico they are not ashamed to show it.
there are many more differences, but thats it for now.
anybody on here ever been down to zipolite? the beaches and food are great and its not so expensive (especially when compared to tokyo!)

[Behan]

I visited Cancun last year in the summer. The beaches were beautiful but about half the hotels were either totally destroyed or partially damaged from the hurricane that had hit there.
And my wife nearly had her purse stolen on a bus.
I would like to see more of Mexico some day.

[amdg]

Behan - did you head down to Tulum, or across to Chichen-ITZA! ? Pretty fascinating place right?

I think Visitor K is all the way on the other coast, right?

[Behan]

I didn't visit those places. What are Tulum and Chichen-ITZA like?

I can imagine they are fantastic because Mexico is one seriously beautiful country, at least what I have seen of it. And Mexican women can be stunningly beautiful, too.

We were in Cancun for only about two days on an out-of-the-way-stop-over on our way back to Japan.

We stayed at a Mariott on the narrow strip of land that forms the Laguna.
But he typically-touristy mangrove/snorkeling tour we went on was fun.

I know it's probably not an easily answered question, but how safe is it for a gringo living in Mexico?

I used to teach a Japanese man who spent large parts of the year in Mexico. In fact, he had a house there and that's where his family stayed. It was interesting how he spoke English with a Mexican accent. He told me that Mexican people tended to view the US as a dangerous place to live.

[succubusqueen]

They are not calling you Guero because of xenophobia...they call anyone who's white or light haired "guero"...even for white mexicans they use the same word..
Personally I love Mexico...It's a cool place and for most of the mexicans I know they are really cool people.

Also when it comes to the humor...Its a lot based on "albur" or sexual connotations...once you get used to it you will laugh like crazy...latinos have a great sense of humor.

Have fun and enjoy Mexico...Its a really cool country!!:p

[Greji]

They are not calling you Guero because of xenophobia...they call anyone who's white or light haired "guero"...even for white mexicans they use the same word..
Personally I love Mexico...It's a cool place and for most of the mexicans I know they are really cool people.

Also when it comes to the humor...Its a lot based on "albur" or sexual connotations...once you get used to it you will laugh like crazy...latinos have a great sense of humor.

Have fun and enjoy Mexico...Its a really cool country!!:p

I always meant to visit all the neat places, but since they have all the gin and tequila joints at the border towns, I usually fell in love in the first 30 minutes and never got any father than TJ, Mexicali and Ñeuro Laredo.

It's a shame, all the real goat herds are further in-land! Missed so much of the culture.

[Visitor K]

They are not calling you Guero because of xenophobia...they call anyone who's white or light haired "guero"...even for white mexicans they use the same word..

yah, i know they use it for lighter skinned mexicans as well, but that argument sounds a bit like when this seriously FG american guy tried to tell me that it was okay to call all the nigerians in roppongi gorillas because nihonjin call largely built guys that.. if he wasnt my boss, i would have had to slap him.
i really dont care either way, im just a guest here so they can call me whatever they want.. i didnt mind when i was called kichiku bei hei in japan either.

safety here is a bit of a conundrum, its not like the states where there might be some random violence that you find yourself in the middle of, but life is cheap here and if you offend the wrong person, you may end up lying on the beach with a machete lodged in your skull (i guess this happened a few years back to a fucked gringo down here).. im in a small town, which would usually be quite safe in mexico, but its also a tourist area, so there are all the problems that go along with that (along with some good things like girls on vacation and cheap grass!)

sometimes i find myself missing some kushi-katsu or ramen (well, quite a few things to be honest), but im enjoying my time down here, and its definitely a nice change of pace from city life in japan!
thanks for all the kind words.. ill try not to get too drunk and end up with a severe machete wound!

[Behan]

Looking forward to your stories. Keep posting please.

[succubusqueen]

Have fun and beware of machetes!!:p

[Visitor K]

hey thanks guys.. i feel like i am posting here more now than i did when i lived in japan.. i guess once fucked, your fucked for life!

while taking my three hour lunch break and waiting for the propane delivery truck today, i realized that in very rural areas with little to no means of modern communication that there is sometimes a need for big loud speakers mounted on delivery trucks.. i fucking hated all the noise pollution in japan, but i guess sometimes it makes sense.
although i do sometimes miss the yaaaaakkkiiiiiiiiiiiimmmooooooooooo---- vender that would tool around my old tokyo neighborhood.

[Samurai_Jerk]

yah, i know they use it for lighter skinned mexicans as well, but that argument sounds a bit like when this seriously FG american guy tried to tell me that it was okay to call all the nigerians in roppongi gorillas

Those Nigerian guys in Roppongi are fucking gorillas.