tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:04:37 +0000Just my thoughts, my controversial opinions, my editorializing, and my strongly worded thoughts on my life in Central Mexico!http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)Blogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-1749318985024632811Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:44:00 +00002008-09-02T04:30:31.971-07:00move to MexicoSan Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexicoA READER'S COMMENT: By your logic, the only proper way to relocate to Canada would be to live in an igloo on Baffin Island. That would be cheap, uncomfortable and inconvenient. The Three "C" explain why American Real Estate developers are targeting Mexico for the invasion. Some of the expats, real expats, in San Miguel de Allende tell me that the developers there are calling the state of http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/381293681/readers-comments-oh-boy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/09/readers-comments-oh-boy.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-4897158700833051530Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:09:00 +00002008-08-30T20:00:53.339-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexicoI regard Mexico as different as an expat target than almost anywhere else in the Hispanic World. What is happening here is unique, to a certain extent, than anywhere else. I haven't been talking about the universal factors that can plague you anywhere you go. It is correct, the assertion that a geographical cure doesn't work if what you are trying to escape are universalism's that will go with http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/379274256/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-20.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-20.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-2724020291171139950Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:46:00 +00002008-08-28T07:54:27.207-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoMexicoI was having coffee with a couple that, for the most part, share my view of life in Guanajuato. Mind you, we all agreed that Guanajuato really appeals to many Gringos (albeit those woefully equipped to ferret out the culture), but we also agreed we wanted to experience life in another part of Mexico. And, that's ok on both counts. If we would rather experience a different interpretation of http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/377191862/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-19.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-19.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-3958290369806471274Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:02:00 +00002008-08-22T15:15:58.884-07:00When the wife and I moved to Guanajuato, Mexico, one of our hardest adjustments was trying to get our intestines in tune with Mexico's eating schedule. We were surprised at how eating at the most bizarre times could be as upsetting to our little girlie-man gringo bellies as the Mexican food itself. We had to battle both the food and the schedule until we adjusted. It would take about 18 months tohttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/372233961/eating-schedules-and-gringo-bellies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/eating-schedules-and-gringo-bellies.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-2475478800341906196Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:31:00 +00002008-08-22T15:30:43.935-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexicoCULTURE_1 One of the many reasons for having the title The Most Hated Gringo in the World bestowed upon yours truly is that I dared to begin writing about Mexican Culture. This so irked the Gringolandians into having a psychotic break that all they could offer as a counter argument was something along the lines of: "I've lived here longer than you have and therefore you are the most http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/370381366/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-18.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-18.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-9040228037401885883Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:13:00 +00002008-08-22T15:31:14.811-07:00ObamaForeign LanguageSpanishlearn a new languageAlthough I considered adding this article to my The Most Hated Gringo in the World segment, this time I won't. You can tell me if you hate me as a result of reading the article in the comment or email section at the bottom of this post. Not Knowing A Foreign Language is Embarrassing In CBS NEWS' From The Road column, Maria Gavrilovic reports the following on Presidential hopeful Barack Obama: "http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/369292983/obama-says-americans-should-be.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/obama-says-americans-should-be.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-5754824624665514647Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:18:00 +00002008-08-22T15:31:47.413-07:00A lot of people write me asking how to become a writer. There is an easy answer to that question. It is so simple that I used to stumble over the simplicity of it. Writers read. Writers write. My advice I routinely give is that over which I used to puzzle. But, do not miss the point here. If you want to learn to write then read everything in the genre which appeals to you. Read, read, and then http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/366584450/how-to-become-travel-writer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-become-travel-writer.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-6842431633647872753Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:23:00 +00002008-08-22T15:32:27.563-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexicoTo My Dear Adoring Fans: To those of you familiar with my writing please read this and then tell me if I wrote it or not: It’s no wonder the Mexicans don’t respect us... I love living here in Mexico and it’s been a great experience. My experience has broadened my perspectives. There’s nothing like living in a foreign country to make you feel more like an American. There are Americans here whohttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/363947430/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-17.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-17.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-5309864818246428005Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:53:00 +00002008-08-22T15:30:15.827-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoMexicoGringos Targeted in Crime Attacks So, you may be tempted to ask, why are articles warning of crime against Gringos listed in The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report? The answer is very simple. The Gringos in Guanajuato don't believe crime happens here. Just like when they move here and are instantly enveloped in this delusional fantasy that living in Guanajuato is like living in Heaven, they http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/362333601/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-16.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-16.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-597355445710004087Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:48:00 +00002008-08-22T15:33:01.816-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoMexicoCrime Attacks in Guanajuato I have written a few articles on the issue of crime in Guanajuato. For my trouble, these stories have helped earn me The Most Hated Gringo in the World title. You would have thought that these articles would have been met with gratitude for the heads up on alerting the Gringos to the possibility of being attacked on the streets. But, oh no. I've been labeled a liar. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/359369064/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-15.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-15.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-8900668943949478449Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:02:00 +00002008-08-07T05:15:22.323-07:00move to MexicoSan Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoMexicoDEFENDING MY TITLE I woke up this morning with one goal in mind: Defend my title as The Most Hated Gringo in the World! So, here we go. Occasionally in online forums, you will find Mexicans following the threads and responding. Not a lot do but when they do it is very, very, very telling. Here's one to get the ball rolling: "I am Mexican. I also speak English, as you can see. And probably 98 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/358365121/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-14.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-14.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-3877203246779638992Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:05:00 +00002008-08-22T15:29:35.672-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexicoPerhaps I was before my time, as they say, when I began writing about American Expat's Cultural Imperialism in Mexico. You would think from the histrionics in the Gringolandians (note I do not say Expat Community) who have emailed me death threats for my views, that I was the only one on the face of the planet who had made the observations I've recorded online and in print about the http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/357626453/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-13.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-13.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-4144772214892360958Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:59:00 +00002008-08-22T15:19:34.296-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexico(I thought of putting this post under The Most Hated Gringo in the World classification but decided to see if I get hate mail from the Gringolandians first. I can always change it.) Expatriate wannabes often ask us how we managed our expatriation to Guanajuato, Mexico. They want to know how we overcame the seemingly overwhelming logistics of deciding where to live, if it's affordable, if there http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/356393754/mexican-living-so-you-want-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/mexican-living-so-you-want-to.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-2645359548609647009Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:11:00 +00002008-08-04T06:19:10.468-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoMexicoBy Cindi Bower What do you get when you take a heaping spoonful of Johnny Cash, stir in a dollop of Elvis Presley, add a dash of Bob Dylan and mix well? You get country music's newest singer/songwriter, Emmanuel "Vinny" Miranda, also known as Vince Mira. Vince's older brothers discovered one of their favorite songs, "Ring of Fire," performed by Social Distortion, was originally sung by Johnny http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/355326856/vince-mira-newest-star-in-country-music.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/vince-mira-newest-star-in-country-music.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-5366993390076712607Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:07:00 +00002008-08-22T15:28:38.044-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexicoI am sick. I don't know what's wrong nor if what I have has an official name. Maybe they call it, "Ah-ha-now-you-can't-breathe-well-and-feel-like-you-are-going-to-die virus. I don't know. I will probably go to the doctor tomorrow if I am not feeling better. Going to the doctor in Mexico is simply a delight. There are several reasons for my enchantment with going to Mexican doctors. One is thathttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/354309720/mexican-living-doctors-doctors-doctors.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/mexican-living-doctors-doctors-doctors.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-2972397463109411878Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:12:00 +00002008-08-22T15:26:15.327-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexicoAbout nine months into our expat adventure, an adventure that has been marred, to say the least, by the presence of Gringolandians, we begin to get the distinct impression that the vast majority of not only tourists but expats of the American flavor act as though they expect Guanajuato to be just like America. That observation soon blossomed into the full-blown fact that most Americans who http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/352865537/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-12.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/08/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-12.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-5562464569419428991Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:10:00 +00002008-08-22T15:25:37.160-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexicoSince this is the 11th issue of The Most Hated Gringo in the World Report I thought we would review in case you are just joining us and are wondering who is this nut claiming to be The Most Hated Gringo in the World. Well, I am not so much claiming anything as I am accepting my title like a brave little soldier. Five years or so ago the wife and I moved to a little city in the Mexican highlands http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/351407320/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-11.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/07/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-11.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-7587903182902241817Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:04:00 +00002008-08-22T15:24:56.780-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoMexicoBy Cindi Bower Guanajuato, Mexico is an important colonial town with much to see and experience. Fortunately for those on a budget, Guanajuato offers many free or cheap things to do to make your vacation fun. Get a map of Guanajuato from the tourist office and take a walking tour of the historic center. The map indicates museums, churches, plazas, and other places of interest. Be sure to take http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/350356159/free-or-cheap-things-to-do-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/07/free-or-cheap-things-to-do-in.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-95943721696770849Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:08:00 +00002008-08-22T15:24:14.563-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexicoWhen I was in college, in the prehistoric days, I was a veteran bus traveler. I am not talking about the city buses but the kind you would take from city "A" to city "B" three states apart. You know the kind of which I speak. I am talking about the long-distance ones that smelled not unlike you were stepping into an ashtray on wheels. There was always the peculiar smell of cigarettes, beer, and http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/349477463/mexican-living-bus-travel-mexican-style.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/07/mexican-living-bus-travel-mexican-style.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-3812984525810637169Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:50:00 +00002008-08-22T15:23:38.198-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoMexicoI love going to the movies. I always have. I can remember the highlight of every Saturday while growing up was when my Dad would give us all 25 cents and off we would go to some movie that was playing at the Dickenson. I still love movie going. I love the whole experience even if the movie isn't good. I love the getting there, the buying of the gut-rotting crap from the concession stand, findinghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/348942620/mexico-lets-go-to-movies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/07/mexico-lets-go-to-movies.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-4235070898323110325Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:05:00 +00002008-07-26T05:54:59.987-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoretire to Mexico.expatriate to MexicoMexicoIt is a profoundly unfair and antiquated practice to allow the hundreds of thousands of "Reader's Reviews" to be posted online, willy-nilly, without a more careful way of monitoring them. I've written you before as an author with several books online and have always gotten the answer that Amazon.com wants a forum for readers to post their views. However, what your system allows is a forum for http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/346274965/dear-amazoncom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/07/dear-amazoncom.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-375627297723582586Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:49:00 +00002008-07-26T17:59:43.143-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoMexico"Correct change, please!" What would you do if you went into a restaurant, ordered a meal for your darling little family of four that came to $30.95, but when you tried to pay with a $50.00 bill, the clerk gives you a look that could wither concrete and replies, "That will be correct change, please." In the small yet feisty Central Mexican town of Guanajuato, you better have the correct changehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/345647571/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-10.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/07/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-10.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-8994041904291084593Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:50:00 +00002008-07-24T07:25:35.925-07:00If you have only been a tourist in Mexico and have never lived here, you may have never noticed this. Mexico is a country of little butts and its entire infrastructure is designed for their small, and perky rear-ends. In know this for a fact because I am a professional writer trained to note and record such things. Americans, of course, have all of the fat-butt genes God handed out at creation. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/344650144/mexico-land-of-little-butts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/07/mexico-land-of-little-butts.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-8031927482397172257Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:49:00 +00002008-07-23T04:53:34.487-07:00gringoSan Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoMexicoThere is a universal, absolute, immutable, infrangible, and inviolable fact of the universe (like gravity and bad breath) that one rarely considers: No matter what you tell your haircut person (notice how nonsexist that was) about how you want your hair cut it will NEVER come out the way you want it, EVER! You will get the haircut the person who is cutting your hair wants to give you. This has http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/343488899/mexican-living-haircuts-doctors-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/07/mexican-living-haircuts-doctors-and.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-724527940785486420.post-7296942384614971795Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:11:00 +00002008-08-22T15:22:44.857-07:00San Miguel de AllendeGuanajuatoSpanishMexicoI never seem to run out of things to say to keep up my reputation as The Most Hated Gringo in the Whole World. All I have to do is go out into the community and eventually I see one of my admiring fans in a store, walking down the street, or just sitting in the park glaring at me. About three years ago, I sent a review copy of my unpublished book, GUANANUATO, MEXICO, to a lady who had bought andhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pQuF/~3/343011029/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-9.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Expat2003)http://guanajuatolivingmexico.blogspot.com/2008/07/most-hated-gringo-in-world-report-9.html