Today while grocery shopping we stumbled across a new (to us) newspaper written in English, by and for gringos. While the quality of writing is no better than the Gringo Gazette, about which we’ve written recently, the upbeat embracing of Mexico, its’ people and culture was a refreshing and welcome counter. This newspaper, “The Baja Citizen”, comes out of La Paz, a vastly different city than Cabo San Lucas. One article made us chuckle, so we’ll share a bit of it:
“Going Native in La Paz”
Have you gone native yet? Use this checklist to help you determine this. You just might be going native if you:
1. Wear sandals or walk barefoot more often than not and regular shoes feel strange
2. Use salsa instead of A-1 sauce on your steak
3. Never stop at a stop sign unless you really, really must
4. Look strangers in the eye, smile and say “good day” without feeling like you might be mugged or asked out on a date
5. Stay calm and enjoy it when children play soccer in the supermarket aisle
6. Find it completely normal to see men carrying their children and showing affection toward them in public
7. Think 55 degrees Fahrenheit is downright cold
8. Write dates with the day first and the month second
9. Take siestas without guilt and whenever you want
10. Know that when people say they’re “going to Mexico” they mean Mexico City
11. Find rain thrilling
12. Hug everyone to greet them even if the flu is going around
13. Give a small change tip to the bag boys and girls at the supermarket
14. Have gotten used to the fact that unmarried women wear bikinis at the beach and married women wear t-shirts
15. Use a clothesline and the sun to dry your clothes instead of an indoor electric dryer
16. Almost take the glorious sunsets for granted
17. Trust that when your 82-year-old mother shops alone, she’ll get back the correct change
We recognize these characteristics of life in Mexico, and it’s part of why we’re here!!! The list was actually longer, but some of the items on it would not make sense to people who haven’t spent time here, and beside it might get tedious!
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