Weird Things About Life in Mexico

I know this probably isn't the first of these lists you've seen but life in Mexico can be pretty weird and everyone who comes here seems to have unique experiences so I'm going to share my take on some of the crazy stuff that happens here:


1. Mexicans Can't Say No

Now, I'm from Britain so I'm familiar with people being overly polite. However, the Mexican version of over-polite is a bit different and takes some getting used to. A lot of Mexican people feel uncomfortable saying no so will give an affirmative response when they don't actually mean it. You could end up getting the wrong directions if you ask someone for them in the street. You could wait around for hours for someone to show up only to discover they never planned on meeting you in the first place! When I first arrived in Mexico, a friend warned me that when two Mexicans bump into each other on the street they feel awkward unless they make plans to meet each other again, perhaps even going so far as to set a place and time and calling to confirm, only to make up some mad excuse and cancel at the last minute. Let's just say it's always better to have a back up plan...

2. Mexican Time

Similarly, Mexicans have a different concept of time to Europeans. Everything is a lot more approximate and vague. If something is scheduled to start at 8 o'clock, don't be surprised to wait around for at least 10 - 15 minutes or sometimes up to an hour or more! There is even a special word for this: "ahorita" which can mean anything from 'in a minute' to 'sometime between now and never'. A friend who works at the University Nacional of Mexico told me its perfectly normal for lecturers to arrive late to classes. It can certainly be frustrating at first but the best thing to do is relax, take things a bit more slowly and get into the swing of Mexican Time.

3. Transport Is Very Disorganised

If you've taken a bus in Mexico you've probably noticed that it's not always obvious where it's going or where it stops. That's probably because it will stop anywhere people are waiting to get on or wish to get off. The result of this is the that it stops to drop people off and pick them up every few metres so a journey of only a few miles can end up taking an extremely long time!

Mexico City has a huge variety of public transport which was the bane of my life for a long time when I first moved to Mexico City. The biggest problem is the overcrowding at rush hour. You could be mistaken for thinking you'd arrived at a riot when trying to board a metro train at 8am or 6pm. The doors often open and close around five times before the train can depart because someone is hanging half-in half-out of the door. If it rains (which happens every day, heavily for about 4 months of the year) the safety protocol is implemented leading to long delays between stations. But it is cheap!

4. There Are No Pedestrian Crossings

Mexico City wasn't really designed to get around on foot. A lot of intersections have no lights for pedestrians so it's not easy to know when you should cross. However, even where there are pedestrian crossings drivers don't always respect them so always be extra careful when crossing the roads...

5. The City Descends Into Chaos When It Rains

Mexico City was originally built on an ancient lake and during the rainy season it seems like it might be trying to turn back into one. The streets flood with several feet of water, submerging cars in its wake. The metro stops working, traffic grinds to a standstill and power cuts strike various parts of the city. The good thing is that it rains at pretty much the same time every day so if you're planning on being out and about between 6 - 8pm in the rainy season, bring an umbrella, wellies and be prepared to walk home!


Now, all this might sound pretty disconcerting but don't let that stop you from coming to visit! One of the great things about Mexico is its unpredictability. Expect the unexpected and get caught up in the wonderful surrealism that is life in Mexico! You never know what might happen...