Moving to Mexico? Could Be Dangerous!

I've written about this subject so much that you might say I've done more than beat a dead horse. I have had to resurrect that horse and go into overkill again and again. If you want to retire to Mexico or move here for whatever reason, not becoming highly proficient in Spanish could mean your death. Literally.

The traditional areas, or Prime Living Locations, to which Gringos have flocked have been those areas in which there exists a highly developed Gringo Infrastructure just waiting for you. The impression a lot of the real estate pitches give you is that there will be a Fantasy Island Welcoming Party waiting for when you arrive. Life will be like living in Shangri-La, nothing will ever go wrong, and you will soon forget what life problems mean because they will never happen to you ever again. I am not stretching the truth here. A magazine I've stopped writing for puts out that pitch to get people to buy real estate. Damn the truth...Full House Sales Ahead!

Let's say there are two gringos, a man and a woman, walking down the street. They both have lived in a central Mexican town for many years. Their Spanish is somewhat abysmal, though they should be applauded for making the effort to learn it. Suddenly, the woman keels over in pain. The man drags her into a medical clinic/hospital that, fortunately, was just feet away. Neither could communicate what was wrong. There was the woman, in dire, dire shape but could not tell the doctors what was happening to her. The results of their attempts at communication were confused looks on the faces of the medical staff. None of the staff could speak English.

The woman had to high tail it to America for diagnosis and treatment because of the language barrier.

In contrast, another Gringa, who lives in Puerto Vallarta, fell ill with a sudden illness. Neither she nor her husband could speak enough Spanish between them to seek proper help from Spanish-speaking doctors. However, Puerto Vallarta, one of the Prime Living Locations for Gringos, has a well-established Gringo Infrastructure where they didn't have to try to communicate what was wrong in Spanish. The doctor was bilingual and everything turned out fine.

That is one of the points I have stressed, harped on, spoken about in my writing until some of the Gringos in the Guanajuato area have actually threatened me for daring to imply that Guanajuato is anything less than Nirvana.

If you are attracted to Mexico based on an artificial concept instead of reality, you could find yourself in trouble-fast! In Guanajuato, where the locals' source of living has NOT depended upon the Gringo tourists or expat, just how do you think you are going to be treated? The locals are not as equipped here as they are in San Miguel de Allende, for example, to handle Gringo emergencies. In San Miguel de Allende, the city has that established Gringo Infrastructure where emergencies Gringos might encounter can be handled more smoothly. In a town like Guanajuato or Zacatecas, were you to keel over in a heap what exactly are you going to do when lost seconds might make the difference between life and death, but you stubbornly remain monolingual?

Speaking of Guanajuato and Zacatecas, the magazine I mentioned that I used to write for is now targeting Guanajuato and Zacatecas as the "next San Miguel de Allende." True to form, the Gringos are moving to Guanajuato in droves. The magazine's hyped pitch is bringing them in. When the retirees come, have a health event, and need someone to speak Spanish to communicate their medical histories, just what are they going to do?

The horror is self evident, I would think!

If you plan moving here, I suggest you might devise some sort of Medical Card or letter that you hire someone to translate into Spanish. Have it with you all the time. You should update it on a regular basis. Otherwise, again I protest, just what will you do when seconds count in relating what's wrong with you during a medical emergency when you must communicate your possibly very complex medical history?

Best think twice about moving to a non-Prime Living Location in Mexico where you are on your own! If you want to live outside the Prime Living Locations, you need to learn Spanish. It just may save your life!