The International Schools Review Forum

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Hello,

I have recently accepted a position at the American School Foundation in Mexico City. Has anyone out there lived in Mexico City. My question is regarding life. How did you find your life to be? Did you find the people to be friendly? The food? Nightlife? Did you feel safe ( generally)? How did you find Mexico City and the surrounding areas regarding tourism. Any insight regarding your time in Mexico City would be deeply appreciated. All responses will be helpful. Thank You fellow world travelers.

Mexico City is amazing and much safer than many people let on. You have to be careful and avoid certain areas, which is the case in most of Latin America.

Culturally, the three best cities in Latin America to live in are: Bs As, Bogotá and the D.F. (Mexico City)!

You will love it. Brazil is, obviously, amazing...but many find the cities there difficult on a day to day basis. And Santiago, Chile (believe it or not) is quite dull.

¡Disfruta!

Congratulations on your job! Mexico is fascinating. When thinking about the safety aspect, keep in mind that many, many people live and travel there with no problems at all. When I was there in January, there was an increased police presence in Mexico City compared to my last visit a couple of years ago. Yes, there are horrific deaths recorded in the newspapers (and you'll get to see all the goriness on the front pages of the papers as you pass newstands) but staying out of the drug trade will keep you out of the worst of the threat.

In Mexico, you'll have access to some of the best museums in the world, a good public transport (the buses to other cities are much nicer than greyhounds in the US, and the metro system seems to work well). The food is great, people can be very friendly and helpful or not (it's a big city.....get out in the country and explore some). Please do try to learn Spanish if you don't know it already....it will enhance your experience. My husband's family lives in Cuernavaca, which is a good place to escape the pollution and bigcityness of DF, and about an hour from the Sur Bus station. You can also fly to other Mexican locations fairly reasonably for long weekends. Oaxaca is my personal favorite place. Have a huitlacoche/hongo quesadilla for me, green salsa please. Visit the Torre Latino at sunset to get a view of your new digs.... Enjoy!

I live in Mexico City. Part of Mexico have safety issues due to the drug wars, but only parts. Mexico City is not one of those parts.

I live safely here - I obviously use my common sense, but it hasn't been an issue.

The city is great!

I work at another school, but the American School is the place where people hope to get hired eventually.

Mexico City is an awesome city with a lot of history and culture, as others have mentioned. I lived in Mexico for three years, but not in Mexico City. I would go there often for weekend trips and to use the bus station to go to other cities. The city to city bus system is excellent and the service is excellent. It puts Greyhound to shame.

Like any major city, you need to be wary of certain parts of the city and certain metro stops. I am a seasoned traveller and the only time I have ever been pick-pocketed was on the metro in DF - they are pros! The people are warm and friendly. Learning Spanish would be helpful and you will find people supportive of your efforts.

I don't really have anything bad to say about DF, other than the pollution. However, you re an easy bus trip to some awesome parts of the country. DF must be up there as one of the top three Latin American cities. ASF is a solid school in the region and probably the best in the country. Enjoy!

Though I was wanting to get out of Latin America for my next overseas gig, DF was on my wish list. It's a surprisingly cosmopolitan city with amazing food and world class museums and sites.

No, they don't exist anymore. They are all maroon now instead. I think taxi crime has gone down quite a lot, but it's always smarter to get one at a taxi stand than just flagging some random one.

Another nice thing about ASF is that for Mexico City it's well located. The school where I teach is way out in the burbs, so my commute is really long. The same can be said for most of the other good schools, too - long commute.

ASF is in a relatively central location (Observatorio) so from desirable neighborhoods like Condesa, Escandon, or Roma, I'm guessing it would take you maybe 20 minutes to get to work. (This is a MIRACLE in D.F.)

What is the overall energy in Mexico City? I mean with 20 million folks there has to be a frantic nature everywhere or are there areas where solitude is possible in D.F.

And I recognize the pollution is an issue, but can you go into this deeper regarding how it directly impacts the person walking down the street, breathing, sleeping and smell.

Thanks for your help.

Air pollution can have a tremendous impact on you, and not just on your respiratory system. Air pollution has impacts on your circulatory system, your brain and skin. What makes air pollution difficult to recognize as an issue is that the impacts are not necessarily recognizable or immediate.

You can check out Mexico City's air pollution website at

http://www.calidadaire.df.gob.mx/calida ... ?opcion=23

but for it to be useful you would have to follow it for awhile and over several seasons.

Living in China, where 16 of the top 20 most polluted cities in the world are located, has made me very aware of air pollution, one of the reasons we will be leaving soon.

Have you noticed changes in your emotional/psychological/physical well being due to pollution?

Thank you

[quote="bostonfan19831"]Have you noticed changes in your emotional/psychological/physical well being due to pollution?

Thank you[/quote]
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Here in Beijing, I haven't really noticed ANY difference to my well being. I have occassinal migraines and sinus problems, but they haven't been any worse (and maybe a bit better) since we have been here (two years).

My wife believes her sinuses have been affected and the bad air days can affect her emotional well being.

The air pollution can look pretty nasty around here, but I don't think it's affected me except for the fact that I think it looks gross. Like right now I'm looking out a window and I can barely make out the outline of the mountains around the city.

The vibe in Mexico City is really cool - you get the frantic chaos downtown, but if you want something more chilled out, neighborhoods like Condesa, Roma, Coyoacan, etc can all offer tranquility once you get off the main drag. Not to mention there are parks too.

[quote]Have you noticed changes in your emotional/psychological/physical well being due to pollution?[/quote]

We're in China, not Mexico, but I can say that, yes, the pollution definitely affects all of the above. Now we happen to be in a city that only gets a handful of blue sky days a year; with the pollution on top of that, I find this city very hard to live in sometimes.

Emotionally, breathing in the stink of pollution really does get to me. Some people, not so much, but it makes me feel ill sometimes. Because of the pollution, when we get sick, it tends to linger. I had bronchitis in January and I'm still coughing stuff up now. I know that it will clear up soon as I go home for the summer.

I really love the school I'm at, but I know that next year will need to be the last because I can't take the dust and pollution and filth. But YMMV. There are teachers that have been here for 5+ years with no plans to leave, and it doesn't seem to affect them as much.

I don't think Mexico City has air pollution to the same extent as many Chinese cities. I think in the nineties it had the worst air in the world, but the city has (literally) cleaned up its act since then.

I haven't had any health issues due to the pollution, and I've had asthma my whole life. I haven't heard any complaints from other expats either. The only common complaint is that a lot of people's skin breaks out. But hey, won't that help you relate to your pimply students?

The only thing about Mexico City is that as a generally rule students at the upscale schools here (including the American School, which is I hear about 70 percent local) can be very entitled and often bratty. So you have to have good classroom management to deal here.