We are moving to....... wait for it....... Mexico!!!!!

[BrainSurgeon]

Any Mumsnetters there? Anyone? Please?....





I will need one of these

[wingcommandergallic]

Lol. Whereabouts?

I have a friend in Mexicali.

Do you have small children? Preschool is compulsory from age 3.

[BrainSurgeon]

Oh hi!

We'll be living in Mexico City. Wher is Mexicali, I like the sound of it!

If your friend would be up for it then I'd love to hook up!

We have a 6 yo DS, he will be going to a British school in J1 - that's all sorted (apparently )

[BrainSurgeon]

Just looked it up, it's really far from Mexico City - practically at the opposite end of the country

Never mind, maybe your friend and I can be online pals or something...

[goshhhhhh]

I'm quite jealous actually! Good luck.

[goshhhhhh]

I'm quite jealous! Good luck! (job move?)

[BrainSurgeon]

Thank you gosh

Yes job move, DH got an offer he could not refuse and we decided to go for it.

Should be fun!!!

[ElizabethMedora]

There is someone, I'll PM her.

[BrainSurgeon]

Wow Elizabeth thank you!

[Selks]

This blog is a family (American) who lived in Mexico for a while with their small son, the woman who writes is super friendly and if you were to contact her (they also have a Facebook page of the same name) I'm sure she would talk with you about the realities of living in Mexico. There are some entries on the blog about their time there.

[BrainSurgeon]

Cheers Selks will have a look - unfortunately I'm at work now so will have to read later

[BrainSurgeon]

OMG Selks she lives in Romania at the moment - guess what? I am Romanian!!!! what a coincidence, I wonder if I could contact them?

[BrainSurgeon]

Oh no sorry she doens't live there just just travelled through it. Fascinated! What a great tip thanks again Selks

[porcito]

Me!!! Finally! I'm a couple of hours from Mexico City but very familiar with it, and know lots about the schools etc. Feel free to PM me if you want any specific info.

I absolutely love it here, even after 3 years - fantastic quality of life. And the food...well...

[BrainSurgeon]

Squeeeeeeeeee how exciting - HOLA porcito!!!

Loving your name!

Will pm asap, so excited!

Cheers!

[OhGood]

You are sooooo lucky [bored with England]

[BravePotato]

We lived in DF (you'll soon start calling It DF, or :Day-Effe instead of Mexico City) for 5 years and had a very happy time there.

You must heed all advice about not walking around with handbag, designer clobber, I phones etc. buy a brick-phone, ditch all jewellery etc.

You really need to lay it by the rules.

There is a thriving expat community, but most importantly the locals are lovely. Mexicans on the whole are polite and fun and helpful, the food is gorgeous, especially the better street food (a lot of it is safe to eat and yum), and there are amazing weekend trips to be had to Taxco, Queretaro, and Oaxaca is beautiful.

God, we loved it there.

Crazy driving, but it has its own logic, I did drive quite happily but DH never did, LOL.

Have a great great time :)

[BravePotato]

Where are you planning to live? Lots of expat people live in gated communities with guards, pools etc.

We used to live in Polanco, which is not like that, a bit more "normal" IMO. But we did not want to live in a "golden cage". But then again, most expats prefer the expat lifestyle. Do what suits you and enjoy it!

[BrainSurgeon]

Hurray! more Mexico-dwellers

Brave Potato I love your name, does it come from Patatas Bravas?

I am getting increasingly excited about the move as I hear only posiitve stories about life in Mexico City.

We are aware of the safety warnings and I find it reassuring that the rules laid out by various people are consistent, just saying basically what Brave said.

[BrainSurgeon]

Planing to live in Chapultepec apprently....

[springlamb]

Oh shut yer cake hole. Major attack of the green eyed here.

When we sold our house we had a lot of equity. I gave DH the choice of settling elsewhere in the UK or buying a small business in Quintano Roo (think beach bar on Akumal Bay). Bastard chose Kent.

[BrainSurgeon]

spring

[BravePotato]

There is a poster called Mexicanspringtime, we need her on this thread.

Isn't Chapultepec where lots of embassies are based? The park there is bonkers, all those stalls of garish toys and sweets, I had a bit if a culture shock when I went there for the first time, I felt so foreign!

We are back in the UKnow, but my oldest still likes chilli sauce on all his food.

[mignonette]

I grew up there in the NE and have visited a lot of places in the country. Lucky you. Amazing food, fabulous people and the scenery and climate .

[CatitaInAHatita]

I live in Mexico City. I have lived in various other Mexican towns before this I as I have been in Mexico since 1998. It sounds like you are going to the most swish part of town. I assume your DS is enrolled at the Edron (British School favoured by expats) or some such. These schools pride themselves on following the National Curriculum as much as the Mexican version permits. They also teach in English. So, I wouldn't worry, it will be fine. Mexicans are lovely. DS will be speaking Spanish fluently in about three months, so you will have a handy translator on hand.
You have to be aware that the tap water is a bit iffy and British stomachs also usually find Mexican cooking a bit hard to deal with at first. Identify a doctor who you can get in touch with (you will be on private insurance I imagine) so you can get DS / you treated when he gets his first (of many!) stomach infections.