Moving to Mexico, 1st time there, need advice!

[golddust]

Hello!

My husband recently got a job offer in Querétaro, Mexico, and since neither of us have ever been to Mexico, even on vacation, we have a lot of questions...
We've done a little bit of research and it appears that Querétaro is a pretty safe and modern place to live since it has become an important business town? I'm from Nevada, USA and my husband is from Spain, where we currently live.
The reasons I'm excited about the possible move are: Being from Nevada I like hot, dry climates. I have a functional level of Castillian Spanish and I'd love to improve my Mexican Spanish. I like Mexican food (well, American-Mexican food since I've never had the real thing!). And I think it would be an enriching experience living in the country & learning more about their culture. We'd also like to do some traveling around the country while living there if that's pretty safe and easy to do.
The reasons we're feeling unsure: The stat that Mexico is one of the countries with the most kidnappings in the world scares me. Also I do not look latina at all and I'm worried about not fitting in very well (tall white redhead). Is that anything to be worried about? Are the locals very friendly to foreigners? Our #1 concern is safety of course but I'm sure we'd be just fine as tons of Americans travel to Mexico each year on vacation?
We'd really welcome any comments about living in Mexico and especially about life in Querétaro.

Thank you!!!
-Holly

[sparks]

The reasons we're feeling unsure: The stat that Mexico is one of the countries with the most kidnappings in the world scares me. Also I do not look latina at all and I'm worried about not fitting in very well (tall white redhead). Is that anything to be worried about? Are the locals very friendly to foreigners?

If it's widely know that your family has a lot of money and you appear to have lots of money ... you probably have a 1 in 1 million chance of being targeted for kidnapping.

Relations is Mexico depend mostly on you. Of course there will be a break in period

Sparks Mexico

[Steve Hazzard]

Originally Posted by golddust

Hello!

My husband recently got a job offer in Querétaro, Mexico, and since neither of us have ever been to Mexico, even on vacation, we have a lot of questions...
We've done a little bit of research and it appears that Querétaro is a pretty safe and modern place to live since it has become an important business town? I'm from Nevada, USA and my husband is from Spain, where we currently live.
The reasons I'm excited about the possible move are: Being from Nevada I like hot, dry climates. I have a functional level of Castillian Spanish and I'd love to improve my Mexican Spanish. I like Mexican food (well, American-Mexican food since I've never had the real thing!). And I think it would be an enriching experience living in the country & learning more about their culture. We'd also like to do some traveling around the country while living there if that's pretty safe and easy to do.
The reasons we're feeling unsure: The stat that Mexico is one of the countries with the most kidnappings in the world scares me. Also I do not look latina at all and I'm worried about not fitting in very well (tall white redhead). Is that anything to be worried about? Are the locals very friendly to foreigners? Our #1 concern is safety of course but I'm sure we'd be just fine as tons of Americans travel to Mexico each year on vacation?
We'd really welcome any comments about living in Mexico and especially about life in Querétaro.

Thank you!!!
-Holly

Hi Holly! Welcome to the forum! The primary concern re a move to a new country, is to get all the info in advance and to lay as much of the groundwork as possible. You didn't indicate a time frame for you move, but I would allow a minimum of 3-6 months to get all your ducks in a row for your move. If possible, I suggest that you visit the Mexican embassy/consulate in Spain for all the official considerations, including visas and resident requirements. You noted that your husband has a job offer in Querétaro, Mexico; the time frame of that employment offer may affect the time for your move to Mexico. A visit to Querétaro would certainly be near the top of your "to do" list. Is your husband new employer assisting with you move? Are you both going to move to Mexico together, or will one precede the other? I suggest that you browse through this forum for many answers to you questions. I presume that you hold US citizenship and your husband is Spanish citizenship. Re being a "tall white redhead", don't wear heels in public! Seriously, I would not be concerned about you appearance vis-a-via Latinas. In my area, I have seen many tall redhead Latinas! Re Castillian Spanish, si hay una diferencia entre Espanol Castillian y Espanol Latino! Como hay una diferencia entre Ingles US e Ingles del UK! I learned Castillian Spanish (European/Hispanic) which made for some amusing and embarrassing language faux pas when speaking with Latinos! Most Latinos/Hispanics appreciate that a native English-speaker is speaking their language; they make allowances for us! I wouldn't be concerned; there are many fine Spanish language schools in Mexico. Re safety issues, it's no different that the US or Europe; respect the prevailing dress and culture; don't wear excess amounts of "bling"; and don't hold yourself out as a materialistic target! I have no detailed knowledge of Querétaro, but there are loads of info on the Net about any area of Mexico that you are interested in a relocation. I hope that this info will be of help to you and your husband! La buena suerte y bienvenidos a Mexico!

[golddust]

Thank you so much for the help!
We haven't even begun the paperwork or anything as my husband is still negociating taking the position or not with his boss. We'd only go of course given that they're able to sponsor a visa for me as well. So I still have no idea about dates or anything, but, you're right -a visit to Querétaro is on our to do list!
About the kidnappings -I guess the USA should seem pretty dangerous as well with all of the gun shootings and stuff that appear in the news. I just remember having a conversation with a woman raised in Mexico City -she said that if you wear bling in the wrong parts of the city people will actually cut off your hands to take it! Hearing that left an impression on me... I hope she was exaggerating! You can hear horror stories about parts of the US too, so... Just wanted to make sure things weren't really as dangerous as they sound.
What part of Mexico do you live in? How is it? What's your daily life like there? How would you compare it to where you're from?

[Steve Hazzard]

Originally Posted by golddust

Thank you so much for the help!
We haven't even begun the paperwork or anything as my husband is still negociating taking the position or not with his boss. We'd only go of course given that they're able to sponsor a visa for me as well. So I still have no idea about dates or anything, but, you're right -a visit to Querétaro is on our to do list!
About the kidnappings -I guess the USA should seem pretty dangerous as well with all of the gun shootings and stuff that appear in the news. I just remember having a conversation with a woman raised in Mexico City -she said that if you wear bling in the wrong parts of the city people will actually cut off your hands to take it! Hearing that left an impression on me... I hope she was exaggerating! You can hear horror stories about parts of the US too, so... Just wanted to make sure things weren't really as dangerous as they sound.
What part of Mexico do you live in? How is it? What's your daily life like there? How would you compare it to where you're from?

I'm currently living in Pennsylvania, but I will be moving to Cuidad de Cuernavaca which is about 75km south of Mexico City. I'm an ex-truck driver and I often spent time in Mexican border towns. I saw the good, the bad and the ugly! My experience in Mexico led to my decision to relocate to Mexico when I retired in 2002. " she said that if you wear bling in the wrong parts of the city people will actually cut off your hands to take it!"; that quote is an urban story; no doubt that wearing excessive bling may get you mugged or worse! No different that the US or Europe! Discretion is the better part of display! Sounds like your husband needs to get his employment confirmed before you start packing boxes! Your husband would be eligible for a Professional Visa; should you plan to be likewise employed, you would be eligible for the same visa; your employer(s) would make the visa application. Here is a page link for info on Mexican visas Consulate General of Mexico - Visas this site will provide all the info for different types of visa and their requirements. Re daily life in Mexico, that is dependent upon your location city, suburban or rural. With the exception of Tijuana, Cuidad Juarez and Mexicali, most of my experience in Mexico has been with small towns and villages. As a visiting "gringo", I don't recall any bad cultural experiences; even though, at that time, I was not proficient in Latino Spanish. The furthest that I traveled into Mexico was maybe 50km, and it was along the California, Arizona and Texas borders. A security consideration today is the rebels of the Oaxaca state and the drug smuggling gangs, including the coyotes, along the border states with the US. As Querétaro is located northwest of Mexico City, I do not believe that you should encounter the banditos that work the US-Mexican border. Today, I would not visit many of the Mexican border towns, especially Nuevo Larado, as they can be very dangerous for foreigners.

[oesgwynedd]

I JUST returned from San Miguel de Allende and Queretaro last night! My husband and i are considering moving to SMA. It is beautiful.... a lot like Santa Fe New Mexico. The people are graceous and so helpful. One thing I did notice and my friends that do live there, is that they do not have heating or air conditioning.... i was either freezing or hot! lol.....

as stated by others, i have lived near Juarez before and Tijuana most of my life. (I am now in Colorado and husband in Iraq), the interior of Mexico is wonderful and the people are wonderful too...... i wold not worry about the interior but the border towns......... you have to watch out.

[golddust]

Ok, good to know. San Miguel de Allende sounds interesting. What did you think of Querétaro? What's the climate like? And the town?

muchas gracias
holly

[larrydoliner]

Just so you know, we live in Mexico City and have for over 4 years. The kidnap thing is completely overblown. I feel as safe in Mexico as anywhere else. There are also so many blondes in Mexico now. There is no more sterotyped look. Come to Mexico and have a ball! It's a fantastic place to live! if you have any question that I might have the answers to, please feel free to let me know. Larry

[MarkN]

My friend is a tall redhead & she's 100% Mexican but no ones seems to think she's not Mexican. Queretaro (the city) is a really nice place. I have a friend (not the redhead) who has a rancho near there & we stay there every now & then. I was there in February & it was very cold in the mornings. I was told it can get very hot in the summer but I've never been there at that time as I don't like hot weather. I also found the people much nicer in Queretaro & the cars actually stop for pedestrians wishing to cross the street - that was a shock but then I do live in Mexico City. Personally, I feel Q is very safe when I'm there