People often ask why I live in Mexico. I always feel put on the spot when they do because I don’t really have a satisfactory answer. I can’t say, “I live in Mexico because I do.” That doesn’t really explain it well.

After giving it some thought, I would say I like living in Mexico because of unique, random, and serendipitous occurrences. More simply stated, sh*t happens. Oftentimes, when “it” happens it turns out to be something very cool. Then again, sometimes it’s not.

I have listed some of my experiences while I have lived in Mexico. I could probably list another 500 interesting things. These just happened to be the ones that first came to mind. Most of the experiences I consider to be positive and they are not listed in any particular order.

If your reaction is “cool” after you have finished reading the list you just might be cut out to live in Mexico. If your reaction is “huh” or “why” then you might not be.

Since I have Lived in Mexico I have:

• Been charged by a bull while shopping on a main street
• Experienced an earthquake while staying at an old hotel
• Been forced to touch a man’s wooden leg (It was rumored that he kept a pistol in it)
• Driven through a lava field
• Witnessed cowboy gun-battles in front of bars
• Drunk tequila in the town of Tequila
• Discovered scorpions in my bed and clothes
• Learned fluent Spanish
• Lived through a major economic crisis (far worse than the current U.S. economic crisis) and a few minor ones
• Sung a ballad to a horse
• Attended wedding parties that have gone all night and well into the next day
• Made tamales from scratch
• Wasted untold numbers of hours standing in line at the bank
• Seen Michael Jackson in concert
• Crawled on my hands and knees through a pitch-black tunnel that connects two pyramids
• Crashed a wedding party
• Eaten fried grasshoppers and sauteed ant eggs
• Seen one of the best bullfights in the past 50 years
• Sung with the Mariachis in Plaza Garibaldi

What experiences have you had while in Mexico?

If you are interested in Living in Mexico, you might be interested in this guide, The Trick is Living Here, a practical detailed guide to living or working in Mexico. You might be surprised how different things can be.