Hi, there!  My name is Kristin.  I am from Washington, DC and currently live in Mexico City. 

1. Why did you move abroad?
We moved to Mexico for my husband’s job in 2010.  We’ve been living here for just over a year now and are having a ball.    

2. How do you make a living?
I work remotely for my company [a US consulting firm] and travel to the US often to meet with clients or spend time in our DC office.  I had worked at my company for more than six years when we moved to Mexico and was lucky that they were willing to be flexible about my location.  While I recognize it is a pretty great deal, it’s not always easy.  Working from home can get lonely [even with two pups], and the travel does get old.  I often feel like I am missing out by not working in a Mexican office environment, and that my Spanish would be much improved if I were, but for me this is the best arrangement professionally.       

3. How often do you communicate with home and how?
I am in constant communication with home.  Because of my job, I speak to people in the US daily online and on the phone.  I also keep in touch with family and friends via email, but more often twitter.  I have never been a big phone person [I know this drives some people crazy] but I never feel disconnected from home, despite living in another country.   

4. What's your favorite thing about being an expat in Mexico?
The food!  I think I could live here forever and not get sick of tacos.  It makes me happy that Mexico City is starting to get its due as a foodie destination.  Also the weather.  We are at over 7,000 feet above sea level and so it doesn’t get terribly hot and when it starts to the rainy season clears the air and cools things off.  And the beaches don’t hurt – we are a hop skip and a jump away from some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

5. What’s the worst thing about being an expat in Mexico?
There is nothing truly terrible about being an expat in Mexico.  But something that has taken a while for me to understand is how to embrace my gringa identity.  As a Mexican-American in the US people see me as Mexican, or at least vaguely ethnic.  However, no matter how good my Spanish is or how much I look like everyone else – in Mexico City I will always be a gringa [a pocha, at best].  The thing is - that’s ok, you just have to be ok with it.  

6. What do you miss most?
Bagels, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise without lime in it, cheap Thai food…a breath of fresh air?  Truth is that aside from some very niche cravings you can get almost anything in the city.  As a runner, I do miss running in non-polluted air, but I’ve gotten used to it.  So I guess friends and family are what I miss most, but they should just visit us in Mexico!    

7. What did you do to meet people and integrate in your new home?
I am not an expert at this – if there was one thing I wish I was better at it would be making friends.  That said; Mexicans are incredibly gracious and friendly.  Just know that, as Americans, it may take a while for us to consider you a friend, but once we cross that bridge you are in.  To a Mexican, you may be amigos right off the bat, but it takes a while to really become a friend.  Sound complicated?  It is.     

8. What custom/ habits do you find most strange about your adopted culture?
I find most Mexican customs to be fascinating and wonderful.  But habits?  That is a different story.  I could go on forever.  Why do people sleep in cars on the side of the road everywhere you go?  Do you really need to be wearing a puffer coat when it is only 60 degrees Fahrenheit?  Why must driving and pushing your cart in the grocery store both be done as if the other cars/carts don’t exist?  Why is it better to give me a wrong answer rather than admit you don’t know the answer to a random question?  Why are you listening to your iPhone without headphones?  I should stop here…

9. What is a myth about your adopted country?
There are many myths about Mexico, probably because people assume that because it is next door to the US that we know everything about it.  However, it’s not all beaches and border towns.  The interior of the country has a diverse and rich culture that most people never learn about.  There are many myths [as well as many sad truths] about the security situation in Mexico as well.  While the violence is real in certain regions and affects many Mexicans on a day-to-day basis, the problem is much more complex than simply writing off all of Mexico as unsafe.  I get frustrated with people back home always asking me, “but do you feel SAFE there?”  I want to respond – do you feel “safe” visiting Detroit or New Orleans or DC any one of a number of American cities that are less safe than Mexico City?  But I don’t.  Maybe I should start…
 
10. What advice would you give other expats?
Be brave.  I find that my biggest limitation is often myself.  If you are willing to put yourself out there, I’ve found, more often than not you will not regret it.  Get out, do things and have a little faith in people.  You will be surprised.

11. When and why did you start your blog?
I started my blog shortly before we moved to get in the habit of posting as a way of sharing our experiences in Mexico City with family and friends.  Since then it has sort of evolved as a hybrid creative outlet and travel journal.  I have lots of fun trips planned so check in and see where we are going in Mexico in 2012!  

12.  How has the blog been beneficial?
The blog has certainly helped us share our experiences with people who we probably wouldn’t be able to otherwise.  Sometimes I get an email and am surprised to find who is reading.  It also forces me to bring my camera places and record my experiences.  Whenever we leave Mexico, I will have a record of our time here thanks to the blog.

Kristin's blog, This Gringo Honeymoon

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