After we had lived in Guanajuato for about two years, we noticed something so strange, so unnerving, so inexplicable that it took another two years before we arrived at a reasonable explanation for a mystery that, frankly, was a little mind-boggling. This apparently is a no-brainer for some of my readers. They’ve written to me and expressed, how I shall I put this, their “consternation” that I would even “waste their time” in mentioning it. But it is noteworthy in Guanajuato and is something we’ve yet to see in the other cities we’ve visited in this country.



We actually set out on a whirlwind journey to see if the rest of the country of Mexico was like Guanajuato. We did this

Where to Find Info On Vintage Golf Carts Online
...there are discussions about them and it is frequented by knowledgeable golf cart enthusiasts.Using the above mentioned resources, you too, can become an avid vintage golf cart enthusiast. Whether you are looking to restore your own golf cart, or purchase ...
for many reasons. One is that Mexicans we knew, who originally hailed from different cities and states within Mexico, expressed an amazing observation that “The rest of Mexico is not like it is here.” I mean, really. I find that an incredible statement.


In one sense I find it credible in that we do the same in American when we talk about parts of the country that are radically different from the region in which we are from. Kansas City is nothing like New York City. Nor are its citizens like one another. While we are all Americans, we use different dialects, we have different local customs, and we think differently about life in general we have different worldviews. Apparently the

Stock Car Insider - June 26th Issue
...by an aggressive Boris Said with a "nothing to loose" attitude.Despite the expert talent of the hired help, it always seems the top NASCAR regulars always prevail. Yesterday's Dodge/Save mart 350 was no exception. The last portion of the race ...
same is true in Mexico and I wanted to know why.


I find it incredible in that those who expressed to us that the rest of Mexico is not like Guanajuato did so in hushed tones, glancing from side to side as though they were about to reveal a secret of national security import, and then saying it with clenched teeth and acting like they wanted to spit in disgust after being forced to talk about Guanajuatenses.


I wanted to know why, why, and then why again someone from Chihuahua City would speak so disdainfully about the people of Guanajuato. We had just walked into a shop manned by a woman from Chihuahua right after my wife got shoved off the sidewalk

Write to the Top!
...your website or in your promos, offer the information in tiny servings which are easily digestible...that again means shorter words, sentences and paragraphs.Save your 50-cent words for your autobiography or eBook. When it comes to your business opportunity and, therefore, ...
and into the street. Fortunately, she wasn’t hurt. But, what happened to my wife is the sort of thing I have been reporting for the past four years in my column and print venues. It is the sort of thing, I have to mention, that does not surprise the Mexicans with whom we share it. However, when we share it with some of the Gringos, they don’t believe us at all. (Go figure!)



Knowing this lady because we had often shopped in her store, she noticed we were a little upset and asked why. When we told her, she went into a “Pancho Villa Mexican Rage” routine that one rarely sees as part of a Mexican’s behavior. After she uttered

Discount Golf Shirts
...choose a golf shirt that will match your fit and size. Do not get golf shirt that is not comfortable as it may affect your swing; try them on before buying. If buying online, be sure that you are dealing ...
words in Spanish that we didn’t know you could use that way or even existed, she told us her stories of living in Guanajuato, Mexico, with people she called cold, unfriendly, and clannish. Amazing!



If you are a gringo in the city of Guanajuato who lives in the Expatriate trenches, you will see this behavior all the time. A true Expatriate, one who is not a Fakepatriate, is one who lives in Mexican neighborhoods, walks almost everywhere, bothers with the monumental effort to learn Spanish, understands that Linguistic fluency is the first step toward Cultural fluency, and integrates into the local cultural background.



Fakepats live in protected gringo enclaves. Because they are totally dependent on local bilingual Mexicans to hold

New Orleans Hornets: Taking the N off the NOK
...for 3 months, and yet they re in the top 10 in season tickets sold. Financially, staying put is far safer than where they could be. Too many variables could detract from the Hornets next year if they were to ...
their hands in everything in this city, they never, ever, develop linguistic or cultural fluency. Instead of walking, they drive their huge, gas-guzzling SUV’s everywhere.



When an Expat walks the streets of Guanajuato, and especially during the busiest hours of the day, he will see Mexicans who virtually run up and down the sidewalks at a rate that makes one stop and wonder: “Why are they in such a hurry when it is an inviolable and irrevocable fact that a Guanajuatense will never arrive anywhere on time, ever!”



You may think this is a silly thing to talk about in an essay on Mexican Culture. However, it isn’t silly and has everything to do with Mexican Culture. Also, it is

Arizona Golf Carts
...distances is becoming a very popular option for people because, apart from the fact that they do not run on gasoline, using them can be very convenient and comfortable. Fortunately, there are a number of places where people can buy ...
very important to the potential expat to this city who wants to take the course of a true Expat and live in Mexican neighborhoods and walk everywhere. One last thing that drives home the importance of this little cultural bump in the road of Expat life is that these speedy walkers, which is almost all of them, will often times see you as a mere obstacle that needs pushed out of the way. If you land in the street, then tough luck you crybaby gringo. Furthermore, I cannot see a normal red-blooded American (especially a redneck male) taking in stride getting shoved off the sidewalk and very possibly getting “clipped” by a 20-ton city bus.



Americans often shoot each other

Golf Carts - Why Walk When You Can Ride?
...that you don t have to worry about paint chips or scratches. Are you searching for women's golf accessories? Fore Her Golf carries clothing and accessories with a feminine appeal including polo shirts, skirts, shoes, golf grips and outerwear from ...
for lesser offenses.



Let me go one record saying that I do not for one minute believe that the good people of Guanajuato are all plotting the gringos’ demise. I do not believe they are getting up in the mornings and thinking to themselves,



“I wonder which gringo I can kill today by pushing them under a passing bus and make it look like an accident?”



Maybe a few do. I can think of one girl particularly who serves ice cream and acts like she would love to kill me if she had half a chance. But, hey, that’s just one Mexicana and hey, I’m just one gringo.



Yet, the fact remains that the locals, the Guanajuatenses, will walk like

Used Electric Golf Carts
...dings, dents and scratches. You can check the accessories that come with the cart. The roof and battery chargers are usually a part of the package. Though the used golf cart may require some worn or torn parts to be ...
they are terminally late (Oh, what am I saying? They are!!) and yet they will never arrive for an appointment, class, your funeral, or whatever on time. On time for a Guanajuatense means something different than the rest of the planet. However, if something is in the way, say, like a person, then he will go around you, over you, through you, and will not stop when you begin screaming in pain from being run over by that bus he didn’t mean to push you in front of.



I met a gringo, visiting from Irapuato, when I was hit by a bus and was flung into him. We both were slammed through the front door of a house (fortunately, the

My Volkswagen Story
...2000, after trying various other makes I longed for a VW again and bought a 1996 Golf, followed by a 1969 Beetle three years later. Up to that time I was the only member of our VW club who did ...
door was open!) and onto the entry floor. We got to know each other by exchanging phone numbers and Guanajuato walking tips. I still have his business card.



These Wild Sidewalk Walkers that slam into you are almost always women between the ages of 20 and 30 and they are almost always alone. They aren’t in a group and are all but speed walking doing whatever they have to in order to get around you, under you, over you, or through you and knocking you for a loop in the process. Then, inexplicably, almost miraculously, you catch up with them down the road and find them now in a group and walking like they are a bunch of old ladies

Paintball Gun Barrels
...of multiple backs, three piece barrel features only a single back. The other types of barrel commonly found are flatline barrel and apex barrel.Paintball gun barrels made of aluminum are lightweight and not expensive. Stainless steel barrel are long lasting ...
on the way to the bingo hall.



In fact, you will encounter groups of them who are not walking casually but like they are a bunch of cripples. Sometimes, they will stop suddenly, open up a bag of something, and have a small picnic right there on a sidewalk (and I am not making this up) that is less than two feet wide. They will stand there laughing, talking about how much they hate their boyfriends but can’t live without them, and having a bite to eat.



Once again, you are left with having to face the dangers of the street. In this variation of the Sidewalk Nightmare, they aren’t trying to speed past you and knock you into the

Paintball Gun Parts
...compressed air tanks. These are available in 5000k and 1500psi. Maddman spring kits helps to increase velocity, performance and accuracy.In addition to the above, other important paintball gun parts are rams, batteries, triggers and frames, ball detent, shaft-o-ring, valve tools, ...
path of an oncoming tank-of-a-bus but you have to voluntarily step into the street to get around them, only to get smacked by a cab. Otherwise, you have to stand there until they finish and hope they would pass you a sandwich and a few pork rinds (which is a staple in this country, it would seem) to stave off your hunger (since you were on the way to lunch).



During the months of March and April of 2007, we went to several cities in Mexico, some in the central regions and some in the eastern parts of the country, to see if their folks walked down a sidewalk in such a frenetic hurry, shoving people into the streets along

Dennis Rodman Bio Part 1
...truck in the team s parking lot with a loaded shot gun late one night during the 1992-93 season. During the off season, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. In one of his two autobiographies, Rodman refers to ...
the way. We saw none of this at all. In fact, we saw little to none of the same behaviors in other cities in Mexico that we see so often here. We went to small stores to see if their locals queued in a line. There they were, like the rest of the world, standing in line instead of the mob-group mentality of provincial Guanajuato.



I just have to ask, what is the deal? What is going on in this city that makes it so different from the rest of Mexico? What causes Mexicans who hail from other regions to exclaim when referring to Guanajuato:



“The rest of Mexico is not like this?”



I’ve been reading several books by Cultural

How to Make a Custom McFarlane Sports Pick
...grass stains to your figure if you want. The best method is to brush it with "dry paint." This can be done by letting paint dry on your brush and then brushing the dry paint on to the figure. Make ...
Analysts specializing in Mexican Culture. One fellow mentioned a situation in Mexico City in which they drive like bats-out-of-hell like there’s no tomorrow (and for some there isn’t). They are in such a hurry to get somewhere they speed around you. Yet, when they get outside the city, they drive slower than seven-year itches in the midst of a small caravan horde of cars. On the back roads, they drive as though they have fallen asleep and the car is driving itself.



When I read of that little piece of news, the light bulb came on! There were my Guanajuato sidewalk walkers. When alone, a single woman (or man) will not walk with any semblance of casualness but when she

Cushman Engines Repowered - Repower Your Golf Car Fleet Today
...the advantages are many and are not just financial. So before you go shopping for a new one, consider checking into repowering your golf cart engine with either a Briggs Stratton engine, Kohler engine, or even a Honda small engine. ...
sees you THE OBSTACLE she will speed up in order to pass you. She will get around you in any way she can, and will keep tooling along at an Olympic Racer’s clip until she catches up with someone she knows. Then, she will slow down like she suddenly aged 100 years and is in need of double hip and knee replacements.



Why? Why? Why do they do this?



There are two issues here that have everything to do with Mexican Culture.



1. Why are they racing on the sidewalk knocking not only gringos out of their way but also other Mexicans? We’ve had

Getting into the Game - An Introduction to Paintball
...all to see and walk off. This is a sport where players are very open to newbies, but also very competitive: and they don't like cheaters.Avoid tunnel vision. It is so easy to get focused on what's straight ahead that ...
to pick up a few older Mexican men and women who have been knocked around by Mexican youth racing past them too. Then, why if they see a group they know, do they slow down so much that you still have to walk in the street and risk being hit by an automobile?



2. Why don’t they get to appointments on time? When you tell them to meet you at your house to paint the living room at 9:00 a.m., why do they show up at 11:00 a.m., expect you to feed them, and not start work until 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon?



If

GPS Golf Balls Are Almost Here
..., this information available at their website. GPS Industries is making it all happen.http://www.gpsindustries.comThe Our WTT GPS Golf Balls will be more expensive than normal balls but well worth it as the system teaches the player to shoot a better ...
they are running so fast, back and forth, on the sidewalks of Guanajuato why can’t they show up on time to work?



Each time you run into a Cultural Bugaboo in Mexico, and especially in a provincial town like Guanajuato that is stubbornly resistant to changing with the times, there are three criteria with which you should judge these events to help you understand what’s going on.



1. The Mexican’s understanding of space.



2. The Mexican’s understanding of time.



3. The Mexican Group-Oriented Life.



The Mexican worldview is totally different than ours and, therefore, we Americans have to interpret everything we see and experience in

Remote Controlled Electric Golf Trolley
...never leave you stranded out on the course. Read the testimonials on our site. Both models have durable wheels for great traction and maneuverability. Both models come with a score card holder and other accessories are available.Assistive golf aids like ...
this culture through the Mexican worldview and not through our own.



Whereas we Americans think of space as “me, myself, and I”, the Mexican thinks of space as “we, us, all of us.” There is no “I” but “we in the mindset of the Mexican. The American draws a circle around himself and asks, “Am I doing ok?” The Mexican draws a circle around the group and asks, “Are we doing ok?” Americans are so individual-oriented that we draw a line around ourselves as individuals and all but have panic attacks when our personal space is called into question.



This is one of the reasons why Americans are so notorious for acting out the Ugly American Syndrome in every country

5 Places To Visit When You're In Chicago
...awaiting your arrival includes the likes of retail giants such as Gucci, Coach, Chanel, Hugo Boss, Macy s, and Tiffiany & Co.ChinatownTo explore an explosion of satisfying cultural finds, the Chicago Chinatown is the perfect place to enjoy a wide ...
on the earth. They come to Mexico, for example, and for reasons only known to them, expect everything to be Americanized. Even in resort areas of Mexico, where the Mexicans do try with all their Latino might to cater to the spoiled and pampered, Americans all but blow a gasket when they are forced to come in contact with the Mexican worldview. If you ask me, Mexicans are the most astoundingly strong and humble people to put with the likes of Americans (I can just see the emails flooding my inbox for that statement).



Whereas Americans regard time as a straight line along which we have to run to catch up, with the segments of our life notched along that

Fold'em More Than You Hold'em In Texas Hold'em No Limit Poker
...to have discipline.Half of it is recognising the situations outlined above when you are trapped and should be folding.But the more important half really is psychological.Many a times people know they are beat, but do not want to lay it ...
line, requiring us to have to pay heed to it, the Mexican does not. We perceive time as clicks on a clock. The Mexican regards time as a flowing current along which they ride on the raft of life. They float along, going with the flow, and getting to the destination sooner or later. Space and time in Mexico are filtered through the group dynamic always!



The second issue mentioned above is by far the easiest to figure out. To arrive to an appointment on time for the Mexican always happens. In the mind of the Mexican, they always get to where they need to go on time On Mexican Time. Once they get to the appointment is when they

What Makes The Tippmann 98 Custom Paintball Marker so Great?
...most guns cannot offer. It offers a front fore-grip, built-in sight with sight rail and a removable elbow. The removable elbow and clear sighting system available on the Tippmann 98 custom are really the features worth having on your gun. ...
are on time. It does not matter if they make it by some deadline. The time set for the appointment, the deadline, is the suggested time. And because time is a flowing current, many things could have happened while riding that current. Sometimes the ride on that flowing and very liquid current of time goes quickly and sometimes it goes slowly.



Besides, it does not matter why the Mexican did not make it “on time” as long as he showed up. The important thing is that he is there now. It does not matter why he didn’t make it right at ten on the dot. He got there and that’s what counts. For the gringo to go into a fit

Paintball Guns For Sale
...leading companies, as most of them offer some kind of warranty. However, cheap paintball guns have certain disadvantages such as limited accuracy and range. Despite its disadvantages, a cheap paintball gun is regarded as a profitable deal. Sometimes, paintball guns ...
of apocalyptic proportion will do no earthly good at all. It just will not! It won’t change a thing so you might as will get your life’s raft on the Mexican time current and start going with that flow!



The issue of why they race down the sidewalks knocking people out of their way is not so easy and may be a combination of the criteria I mentioned above. This is Mexico so why can’t this explanation be a little convoluted? Convolution seems to be a way of life here.



When I am strolling down the sidewalks between the Embajadoras park and downtown Guanajuato, I stroll at a leisurely pace. What I’ve perceived is when a single Mexican woman (and

Tips On How To Buy A Used Golf Cart
...has a used golf cart for sale. Of course, you'll want to test drive the cart thoroughly under conditions that are similar to those that match the way that you will be using your golf cart. You may even want ...
they all seem to be women) comes walking up behind me, it is very much like driving down the highways in central Mexico when a truck zooms up and tries to attach itself to your rear bumper. It is as though they simply cannot stand that there is something in their way. It isn’t as through they really care that I might make them late for anything since lateness isn’t a consideration in the mind of a Mexican. It is that there I am an obstacle in the current of time they are riding and I need to be dealt with. She wants to go faster than me. When my presence suddenly dawns on her, she sees me as an
Custom Pool Tables
...made quality pool tables are hand crafted with special attention to workmanship. Custom pool tables use only the highest standards of craftsmanship, quality and aesthetics. Most manufacturers of pool tables supply table cloth for custom pool tables with high definition ...
obstacle to get past. Once around me, I am forgotten.



If she sees someone she knows further along the sidewalk, then the Mexican Group Orientation thing comes into play and she slows down because now she is ready to employ the group mentality. If there’s no one to “group with,” then she might continue on at that speed and course she just used to knock me down. Who knows? On Mexican Time anything can happen, as it often does.


The more provincial the town, the more you will see all of this dynamic come into play. I heard a business woman who was originally from Monterrey complain how her Guanajuato employees would constantly show up for work “late.” Her traditional concept

Due Dilegence 101 Or What You Do Not Know Can Kill You! - Part 1
...is that almost every one of these owners keeps their work orders-invoices. These are kept in monthly manila folders and put into a drawer or file cabinet. They never tell you that they keep these records, but they do. They ...
of time and lateness had been so altered from living so close to America that she was no longer provincial in her thinking. I’ve heard this over and over again from Mexicans whose personal Mexican worldview has been changing and coming more into alignment with the rest of the business world’s view of time and punctuality.


A school in Leon, Guanajuato, that offers Spanish to Gringos has to offer a come-on-time-to-class bonus to the Mexican teachers they’ve hired to teach Spanish. At the University of Guanajuato, some of the students have told us that sometimes professors don’t show up to teach a class with no explanation offered. Remember, if you confronted him on his tardiness or absence, the Mexican would say,

Texas Vacation
...instruction. The landscape is ideal for outdoor adventures and there are organizations that offer rafting, canoeing, biking on road and mountain, rock climbing, hiking, sandboarding and horseback riding.They know about big portions in Texas and no one goes hungry on ...
“The why isn’t important. What’s important is that I am here now.”


Just this evening we sat with a lady whose deceased husband was responsible for building many of the modern hotels in this city as well as some of the newer tunnels. He was an architect and the family is very well connected. I asked her about the differences in the Mexican people from region to region. She confirmed what I have been writing about over the past four years.


She said that the further north you go in Mexico, you will find the locals have a much more accommodating attitude towards Gringos. They are “nicer” and “sweeter,” according to do a Carmen, and not as “cold” as in Guanajuato.


Here is

Microsoft's Xbox 360 vs the Sony's Playstation 3
...not be ready by the time Playstation 3 is released. The launch of the Playstation 3 has already been delayed due to disk problems. Both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are incredible gaming consoles. It seems that although the ...
a 72-year-old woman who had lived in Guanajuato all her life. She was born here and she is making this comparison about the different regions of the country and her hometown of Guanajuato.


Don’t Forget Our Books:


Essays, Opinions, EditorialsAll You Need To Know About Living in Mexico


GUANAJUATO, MEXICO - Your Expat, Study Abroad, and Vacation Survival Manual in The Land of Frogs