Re: Moving to Celaya México
Congratulations! You are moving to one of the most beautiful states in Mexico, Guanajuato.
I think you will find that Mexico is similar to Brazil. People are warm, friendly and hard-working. The food is absolutely amazing. The weather is very nice. Culture is rich.
As far as challenges, language is one. But Spanish is very similar to Portuguese, so you should be able to overcome that in a short time. Another challenge is the current drug-related violence. In my opinion, this is a bit exaggerated in the press, but you should keep common-sense precautions. Check with your coworkers about areas to avoid and never be flashy with wealth (similar to Rio, isn't it?).
As far as benefits, they are too numerous to list, but here are a few:
- Guanajuato state is the birthplace of Mexico. 201 years ago Miguel Hidalgo declared independence from Spain in Dolores, a short drive from Celaya.
- When you drive to Dolores, stop by San Miguel de Allende. This is a colonial town with a large concentration of foreign residents, great shopping and awesome restaurants.
- Guanajuato City is another charming colonial city with cobbled streets designated a UNESCO world heritage site. Most of the auto traffic is routed through a system of tunnels. This, plus the colonial architecture, the gardens and plazas and the narrow alleys makes you think you are in a different century. Guanajuato holds the yearly artsy "Festival Cervantino" honoring the author of Don Quijote.
- Celaya is world famous for its "cajeta", or "leche quemada". This is a type of sweet caramel fudge with varying consistency, always delicious. In Monterrey we like to eat cajeta in corn-tortilla tacos, but the locals may frown.
A couple of other tips:
- We have a group here at the cove where we post items of interest regarding Mexico. You'd be very welcome to join. Maybe someone from Guanajuato is already a member and you can connect.
- Check out http://www.mexconnect.com . It is an English-language on-line magazine about living in Mexico.
- From mexconnect, here are a couple of interesting links for your new home state:
- Interactive map
- Articles on Guanajuato
¡Buena suerte en México!
Pancho