The format for “Ask an old gringo” is simple enough: Answer questions from Mexconnect readers if I think I know what I am talking about, and save some that might be of general interest to share with all of you. * * * * *Question: Who is/was Octavio Paz and what is the meaning of […]
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Washing Dishes in the Ancient Village / Lavando platos en el antiguo pueblo is a collection of one-hundred short poems about Mexico and Latin America. Because I wrote this book, I do not intend to review it here but rather to recount some of the experiences I had while writing this little book. I have been […]
Continue ReadingMoving to Mexico isn’t a matter of simply relocating to another country with your belongings. No indeedy. Of the many experiences you will have south of the border, the most emphatic will be Cultural Shock. Here are nine suggested steps toward complete recovery from this unavoidable condition: Having lived either full- or part-time in Mexico […]
Continue Reading“Be careful what you wish for,” they say, “you might get it.” That may be true most of the time, but not this time. My son has given me what I wished for — he just married a Mexican girl! Keiko was born and raised in Mexico City to Japanese and Mexican parents. She was […]
Continue ReadingLiving in New York and Los Angeles, while good for one’s metabolism, is not that great for one’s patience. Who has time to stop and smell the roses? Who stops? Who smells? What roses? When I moved to Ajijic in 1995, I assumed qualities like honesty, integrity, kindness, patience and, above all, respect, would be […]
Continue ReadingNot that the commercialization of Christmas has totally taken over Mexico, but it seems that Santa and Rudolph might be slowly gaining over the Holy Family and the Three Kings. Once upon a time, there were precious few images of Santa Claus in Mexico, and Gene Autry’s rendition of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer” was […]
Continue ReadingWhen expatriates leave their homes in Mexico to visit their places of birth, they sometimes playfully refer to their original country as ” Gringolandia.” Where, I wondered, did the word “gringo“ come from anyway? Why, for example, are we not called “Yankees” by the Mexicans, as we are in other countries? One of the main differences appears to […]
Continue ReadingIn the mid-sixties while others were espousing peace, love, and rock and roll, Gaby Shiraga left Japan and came to Mexico. He spoke only Japanese, ordering his first foreign meal by miming a chicken laying eggs. The waiter immediately understood and brought Gaby’s sunny-side-up breakfast. No one knows how he ordered the bacon. Gaby, an […]
Continue ReadingA pair of old friends from New York dropped in to see me for a couple of days. First thing I have to tell you is that we hadn’t seen each other in over twenty years. Second thing is that they thought my having lived in Mexico for four years while still maintaining a home […]
Continue ReadingAt the turn of the 20th century, a scandal erupted in Mexico City. It was called “The Famous 41,” and occurred on November 17, 1901. Police raided a private party on La Paz Street and arrested 41 men, half of whom were dressed as women. Talk about frilly frocks on burly frames, I’ve seen wounds […]
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