Now that we have lived in Monterrey for over a year we feel like we know a thing or two about the culture. We don't, really, but even so, we thought it would be fun to make a list of the top 10 tidbits we've learned while living in Monterrey (and since today is October 13th, let's just make it an even 13). Thus, due to our great kindness, you can virtually relive our experience without even crossing the border into Taco Bell. Drum roll please . . .
1. Never drive behind a bus or a taxi. Buses stop every block to pick up 3 more people, and taxi drivers do whatever they want, whenever they want. They will cut you off with centimeters to spare and they will stop at any random moment in any location in any lane to pick someone up, or to just sit and think. It’s best to just avoid both situations.
2. Put your hazard lights on and you suddenly have the freedom to drive like a taxi (i.e. a crazed maniac). Tired of waiting at a red light? ahh no one's coming anyway.
3. We constantly hear friends coveting us because "everything is cheaper in Mexico". This is a complete myth. In fact, the cost of living here is comparable to Washington DC. True, taxis and maids are cheaper than in the USA, but everything else (clothes, electronics, cars, furniture, etc) is ridiculous.
4. There is an unwritten understanding that everything begins 2 hours after the official start time. We still haven’t gotten used to that one.
5. Mexican parties are hilarious. People show up any time between 10 pm and midnight, and they stay all night. I do not know where they get that kind of endurance.
6. Everything is made out of cement. (This is actually a good thing since Mark works at one of the world’s biggest cement companies. The only problem is decorating walls. Neither tape nor nails are very effective.)
7. Police outside of San Pedro do whatever they want whenever they want. They are especially fond of pulling you over, lying, and taking your money for no reason.
8. Generally, other drivers are unlikely to let you merge . . . unless you stick your hand out the window. If you stick your hand out the window, you can do whatever you want. Mexicans really are a friendly people when they can see you. The kiss on the cheek is becoming habitual. So if you really need to merge or change lanes, just stick your hand out the window and you'll be fine.
9. Never ask a Mexican if the salsa is too hot. The answer is always no. They don't know what 'hot' means. There is a whole aisle at the store for hot sauce, salsa and chilies in all varieties!
10. Cockroaches are big and obnoxious down here.
11. Add “mex” to your company name and you will automatically be successful: Cemex, Telmex, Cintermex . . . Wal-Mex)
12. If you want to make chocolate chip cookies, you best bring the brown sugar and chocolate chips with you on the plane.
13. Some cultures are monochronic. That means they tend wait in line, drive in their lane, and generally do things in an orderly fashion. Mexico is polychronic (the opposite of everything just mentioned).
We have a TV, but we do not have cable. Thus, we tend to watch a plethora a movies. However, there have always been three significant problems with movies: (1) We used up our personal selection a long time ago so getting a new movie now requires time and money; (2) The selection at Mexican movie rentals is rather limited (i.e., they don't have anything good); (3) Even when they do have a movie we're interested in, 93% percent of the time it's from wrong region! [What's a region?, you ask. We also wondered that the first time we popped in a rental and saw nothing but a blue screen of death! I guess the world is divided up into 4 or 5 regions to somehow limit piracy (obviously a very effective system). Our DVD player plays region 1 movies while most Mexican movies are region 4. Incidentally, make sure to check the region next time you order a movie on eBay. We recently bought a copy of Disney's Mulan that only plays in Asia!]; (4) We usually only have about an hour if we want to get a decent amount of sleep.