After my first month living in Mexico, still full of anticipation and excitement, I wrote a post about why I moved to Mexico. Now that I am closing in on my tenth month (how is that even possible?) of living in this scenic, diverse, and sometimes maddening country, it’s time to share what living in Mexico is really like.

Expectation: I’ll learn Spanish so fast!

One of the primary reasons for moving to Mexico was to improve my language skills. I came with a basic foundation of the language, having taken a couple of college courses, traveled throughout Latin America, and worked with Spanish-speakers. I thought that within a year I would be fully conversational, yet after ten months I have not made nearly the progress that I had hoped. While my Spanish abilities have definitely improved and there are times when I feel like I’m killing it, other times I feel like I’ve never heard Spanish before in my life. I can communicate well enough, but my Spanish is still pretty transactional, and I won’t be having any long, meaningful conversations anytime soon. The truth is, even if you are immersed in a Spanish-speaking country, you still have to make a lot of effort to learn the language. Although there are not a lot of English speakers where I live, it is still so easy to fall back on English in many circumstances. Learning a language takes lots of practice, patience and effort. Poco a poco (little by little) I’ll get there, but I’m definitely not there yet.

Expectation: I’ll experience Mexican culture!

This is one area where reality has (mostly) met expectation. I have absolutely loved experiencing the history and culture of this complex country as a resident, not just a tourist. I’ve tasted regional foods, visited off the tourist trail historical sights, celebrated holidays, and learned to expect (if not appreciate) deafening cohetes at all hours of the day and night. Mexico’s traditions run deep and are often based on hundreds, if not thousands of years of history. While many Mexican holidays and traditions are celebrated in the U.S., it is entirely different to experience them in Mexico alongside millions of people. For example, it was truly extraordinary during Day of the Dead seeing graveyards swimming in a sea of marigolds, children’s faces painted as Catrinas, and orange and purple flowers bursting from markets, trucks and roadside stands. On the other hand, although I have really appreciated and admired many of Mexico’s cultural traditions, adapting to certain day to day cultural norms has been challenging at times. Some of the things that first attracted me to Mexico, are the things that also drive me crazy. The laid-back attitude that is fabulous while on vacation, can be frustrating when you are trying to get something done in a timely matter. Mexico has certainly taught me to be more patient, flexible, and creative, which is a very good thing. It has also made me appreciate certain aspects of American culture a bit more, which is not such a bad thing either.

Expectation: I’ll enjoy a better work life balance!

This is another area where reality has fallen short of expectation. Perhaps a better work life balance is more easily attainable for digital nomads or semi-retired folks in Mexico. However, as a private school teacher, I have not really found this to be my reality. I work a solid 40 hour week, and similar to the U.S., I feel that I usually have more tasks on my to-do list than I have time to do them. Moreover, while on average I work less hours per week than I was working in the U.S., I do not feel like I have any more free time. Much of my free time instead is eaten up by trying to successfully “adult” in Mexico. Things tend to take a lot longer here, so an entire Saturday can easily be spent trying to set up cell service or open a bank account (it took 5 visits to the bank to open up mine!). People in Mexico may not always work with quite the same urgency as Americans, but they still work a lot. And sometimes inefficiencies and lack of planning can add up to more work, not less. There is an expression in Mexico that translates to “wear the shirt,” meaning if you’re part of a team, you wear the team uniform, and you contribute whatever is needed to the team. This philosophy can make it challenging to set healthy work boundaries, particularly in a country where work opportunities are often limited. Although work culture in the U.S. can be intense, it also comes with a lot of privileges not enjoyed here in Mexico. Nevertheless, I have met a lot of wonderful, kind, and supportive colleagues who have taught me the art of going with the flow, something that Americans are not very good at.

Expectation: I’ll see so much of Mexico!

Even though it turns out that teaching in Mexico has many of the same demands of teaching in the states, the perk of being a teacher is decompressing during holiday weekends (puentes) and holiday breaks (although missing in Mexico is the long summer break). I have definitely been able to take advantage of these breaks to travel around Mexico. Living in central Mexico means being in close proximity to so many amazing places. I have soaked in the hot springs of Hidalgo, hiked to the waterfalls of Veracruz, taken weekend trips to the beach, savored the moles of Puebla and Oaxaca, and strolled through world class museums in Mexico City. Mexico is a large and diverse country with so many regions to explore. I have been able to see more of Mexico in ten months than I could probably see in ten years of traveling there from the states. I have crossed lots of spots of my bucket list, but every time I cross one locale off, another gets added. Being able to easily and inexpensively travel throughout Mexico has definitely been one of my favorite things about living here.

Although it has been challenging at times and the learning curve has been steep, all in all I have really enjoyed living in Mexico and don’t plan on leaving any time soon. Wherever you are in the world there are going to be pros and cons, and Mexico is no exception. Living abroad has been a dream of mine for over twenty years, so I’m proud of myself for taking the leap and experiencing life in beautiful, loud, flavorful, chaotic, vibrant Mexico.