The following are questions I’m asked a lot. Along with some criticisms. Time is money, so I answer them all here for you in one place.
If you’ve got one I haven’t covered, email me — if it comes up enough, it’ll end up here too.
Why do you call yourself an expat? Aren’t you an immigrant?
Technically, probably. The word “expat” gets used by people from wealthy countries who move abroad, often temporarily. “Immigrant” gets applied to people from the Global South moving to developed countries for economic reasons, often also temporarily. Both labels are probably applied wrong most of the time.
I’ve been here long enough that I’m in the process of naturalizing. That makes “expat” kind of a stretch by my own definition. I don’t care much. Expat, immigrant, migrant. They all apply to me at this point. Pick whichever one makes you feel better and we can both move on.
You’re a guest here. How dare you criticize Mexico.
I criticize the United States too. Regularly. I criticize governments I don’t live in. That’s how opinions work.
People who say this almost never address the actual argument. They attack the messenger, or they attack my right to have the opinion at all. That’s a logical fallacy, and it’s lazy. If something I wrote is wrong, tell me why it’s wrong. I’ll update the post.
I pay taxes here. I live here. The healthcare system, the water system, the roads, they affect me directly. I’ve also traveled enough to know what a functioning version of these things looks like. That perspective is useful, not disqualifying. Grow up.
Is Mexico safe? Is Baja safe? What about the cartels?
Baja has one of the highest non-war murder rates on the planet. It’s also as safe as most major American cities for people who aren’t buying or selling drugs. Both of those things are true at the same time.
The cartels aren’t thinking about you. They’re running a business. Extortion, politicians, logistics. You’re not in their supply chain. Don’t pick fights, don’t go looking for trouble, and you’re boring to them. That’s exactly where you want to be.
Don’t be low-hanging fruit. That’s the whole strategy.
Here’s a cleaner version of that flowchart that’s been floating around:
Why do you call yourself American? The whole continent is America.
Yes. “America” refers to one or two continents depending on where you went to school. Yes, the technically correct English demonym for someone from the United States is… there isn’t one. That’s the problem.
Spanish has “Estadounidense.” English doesn’t have an equivalent. So the entire English-speaking world, including Mexicans, Colombians, Argentinians, and Canadians speaking English, calls people from the United States “American.” That’s just what the word means in English.
I’ve never once met a Mexican who introduces themselves in English as American. They say Mexican. An Argentinian says Argentinian. Nobody from any other country in the hemisphere is confused about who “American” refers to. The argument only exists in English, and it falls apart the second you use it in actual conversation.
When that changes, maybe this is worth revisiting. Until then: stop trying to make fetch happen.
Got a question I didn’t cover?
Email me at [email protected]. If it’s a good one — or a particularly spicy one — it’ll probably end up on this page.