Ajijic, what will the new day bring?

You really need to come down for longer (4-6 wks.). You need to learn how to count in spanish or get an app. You need to learn to greet everyone with "buenos dias, buenos tardes, or buenos noches." This, in this culture, is called civility. Civility is a social skill. Mexicans want your greenbacks but they will generally be very polite about relieving you of them, as opposed to people in Houston. You need to come, relax, and realize that a lot of shit doesn't really matter. THEN, maybe go house hunting.

Well I see I have evoked a lot more than I intended. Just wanted to give my thoughts, didn't really know it would be taken so critically. Makes me even more reflective I haven't ever lived abroad but have lived in 23 states and some I liked immediately and others never. I never thought I would live in OK but have been here twenty plus years and even though it isn't heaven I have enjoyed it What bothers me is that everyone seems to think if I didn't fall head over heals with Lakeside to stay away. I was just reflecting on a visit to check out possibilities and I think everyone read too much into my comments. Thanks for the feedback

I did not see anyone suggesting you stay away--much less "everybody." Please reread the posts. Several people suggested you come down for a longer period of time. Others (me included) offered you an opinion that living here is not for everyone. It isn´t. I think the comments were more concerned with you looking carefully before you leap. I even said some people who have a difficult time adjusting end up loving it here. They just are not in the majority. Please consider that you may have read too much into our comments.

Lady Otter Latté wrote:I agree with Ms. Thang. I came to Chapala for a one-week vacation and walked around with a smile on my face the whole time. I still say (6 years later) that I felt as though I had come home from day one. This area does not speak to everyone. The ones to whom it does usually know it right away.
I remember talking to a couple who had been living here a few weeks. She said the first time they drove onto Chapala, she looked around and thought, "What a shithole" but she was getting used to it. I knew they would not last--and they didn´t.  Now some people have a difficult adjustment and then fall in love with life here. But, usually you know right away.

Exactly how it was for me. My wife took a little longer. I spent a lot of time walking around the village and it grabbed me and hasn't let go yet.

Great post.

Gringal,

Interesting that you should take me to task for a reference to a third-world country, but in one of your other post regarding Dildo's you asked what our little third-world country village is coming to........Seems we speaka outa both sides of our moutha. You guys really do jump all over a newbie, but it's ok cause you "Live There"..Your comment about Texas was probably just as uninformed as was mine about Lakeside, but at least I told everyone it was my first impressions.....Not sure this board is anything but a bunch of people who just want to disagree with everyone and everything. Not my idea of real information, which btw I have had several "private messages" that completely differ with the 4-10 repeat comments on here.

You may want to try Chapala.com then. Could be more to your liking.

BTW......Gringal's little "third world" comment was likely "tongue in cheek" pointed in your direction......jaja.

texunsam wrote:Gringal,

Interesting that you should take me to task for a reference to a third-world country, but in one of your other post regarding Dildo's you asked what our little third-world country village is coming to........Seems we speaka outa both sides of our moutha. You guys really do jump all over a newbie, but it's ok cause you "Live There"..Your comment about Texas was probably just as uninformed as was mine about Lakeside, but at least I told everyone it was my first impressions.....Not sure this board is anything but a bunch of people who just want to disagree with everyone and everything. Not my idea of real information, which btw I have had several "private messages" that completely differ with the 4-10 repeat comments on here.

Lighten up, amigo.  I was just kidding in making a comment about "third world", since you'd called it that.  You gave your impression of our area, and I gave you my impression of Texas. Impressions are not the same as studies in depth, nor were they meant to be.......so let's not take it seriously.   This board is a bunch of people who are throwing spitballs, not rocks.  A lot of them even "swarm" and have lunch together.
Haven't heard of any swordplay at those events as yet.
 

knowing gringal- i would suggest to you that she was being facetious with her 3rd world comment. so lissen to bob and head over there. so far you haven't said much of anything but i am gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that only short visits as a tourist to mexico would bode you well but not a move.

Well I think he just needs to spend a longer period of time here in the Lake Chapala area to really make an informed decision.