Mexico: No pig knows this place – but I lived there – Mexico Part 1

Mexico City. March 2022.

I get off the plane and immediately feel this mixture of fatigue and the knowledge: now there is no turning back. You really did. You emigrated from Germany. Where to go? into the wide world. First of all to Mexico.

Still in Germany I organized a sleeping place over Couchsurfing for the first days. That was all I had planned.

With this commitment and my naive belief that everything will work somehow, I sat there at the airport and tried to reach said contact...

I just think about going to her. But it's only five in the morning. I do not know them. And frankly, I don't even know myself in this situation.

So I first looked for a cheap hotel nearby and tried to sort myself out and sleep something.

The next day everything was cleared up. She had slept, all half as wild.
So I moved in. Two days later I moved out again.

My first and also my last couchsurfing experience

It wasn't bad, just... kind of strange. My host was nice, really nice. She gave me tips, wanted to help me, was open. But I just didn’t get warm with her. From the beginning, I felt like she was constantly watching me. She often patterned me so weirdly without it being meant badly – but it unsettled me.

What was particularly unpleasant to me: Whenever I changed rooms, she followed me. Not intrusive, but like she always wants to know where I am. I couldn't switch off properly. It was like I had to be polite and present all the time, even though I just wanted my quiet for a short time.

I tried it again later in the USA – in the hope that maybe it was just the first experience. But it was similar there too. You are usually only two or three days with someone, and of course you want to be friendly. The hosts often want to show you something, exchange, which is nice – but for me it was exhausting. I constantly felt I had to live up to expectations.

In the end I realized: Couchsurfing is just not my thing. It’s not bad, and there are certainly many for whom this is exactly the right thing – but I need more distance, more space for me. And I don't have that.

Fortunately, a message came from my sister-in-law. A friend would have acquaintances in Mexico who want to learn German. They would have room and would be happy if I stayed with them.
So I set out - after Tlaxcala.

My host said, "Tlaxcala is so small that many Mexicans think the city doesn’t exist."
(Spoiler: It exists.) And how.

So I took an Uber to the bus station in Mexico City to Tlaxcala. It only took about three hours and cost me 200 Pesos. So about eight euros.

I have the bus line using the app Rome2Rio found and the prices were also correctly indicated. At the bus station itself I asked myself through until I had found the right bus platform. A translator was not necessary, by the way, because people were always looking for someone for me who could speak English.

Fun Fact: I didn’t have a picture of the family, so I didn’t know what they looked like.
No problem, I thought. In such a small town I stand out as a blonde European like a flamingo in a chicken coop – so I will be found!

I was found quite quickly :)

I was received like a lost cousin. Elvia, her husband Miguel and their three children – Samuel, Valentina and little Johan – accepted me as if it were the most normal thing in the world to let a foreign German into their lives.

Elvia was the only one who spoke a bit of German and of course I mostly talked to her. I taught her a little bit of German and I learned Mexican expressions that I would rather not tell my grandma directly.

In the evenings I would sometimes read to the children – from Mexican picture books with colorful, wild stories – and Valentina would regularly correct me if I pronounced a word wrong.
(If you ever want to test your self-confidence – read with an accent in front of a five-year-old.)

I spent three months in Tlaxcala.

The day always started early here. Much earlier than I knew.
They prayed before breakfast, then everyone went about their tasks. One worked outside in the field, the others prepared lunch and taught the children.

Sometimes we also drove to the city, often visiting the family and eating a late breakfast there again. (Did I mention that Mexicans like to eat?) Other days were just everyday life – with cooking, washing, homework and conversations in the garden.

They ate again late in the evening. Then there were conchas, soft, sweet buns.

Since my host family always went to the church on Sunday, I was of course also invited. Of course, I asked myself directly in the first days how I should understand the sermon at all. Coincidentally – or is there such a thing as coincidence really? – the pastor and his son could speak German.

The pastor works at Volkswagen. When his children were still small, he was transferred to Germany for a while, and so he came into contact with the language for the first time. Later his son also went to Germany and learned a lot of German there. He then translated the sermon to me (without him I would have been completely lost).

Here in Mexico something else is different: Pastor or pastor is not a real profession. Nobody gets any money for it. You do it next to your main job, just out of conviction.

Since Daniel is about my age and also speaks German, we spent quite a lot of time together. We have often talked about the differences and similarities of our home countries or philosophized about how to combat and prevent poverty. He also showed me nearby cities – Cholulla, Atlixco and Puebla – that are really important to Mexican history.

The people in the community were super nice. Some even invited me to their home so I could live with them and their families for a while. It was a really great experience for me. I'll also tell you why.

My second host family in Mexico (mother, father, child)

The second family I was with had a daughter – a shy teenage girl who did her best and talked to me in English.

The father sells insurance and can often work from home if he wants. The mother is a housewife. You stay in a small, cute apartment in the middle of the city center of Tlaxcala. Both bring their daughter to school in the morning and pick her up together. While the father works, we cooked a traditional lunch together, went shopping or went for a walk.

The daughter got a lot of attention and all her wishes were fulfilled. Her room looks like it was made for a princess 🙂 I really enjoyed the time there. And these days I even got everything I wanted :)

For example, a cocoa that is touched cold and drunk. The cocoa is extracted directly from the cocoa bean, according to a special process – no idea how exactly, but it was very delicious. Half a litre costs 40 Pesos, so about 1.90 euros.

I was also allowed to try Atole – a typical corn drink made of corn and milk or water. This is available in different flavors: biscuits, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, strawberry, .....

But I have to be honest. It was also a bit boring. I missed Elvia’s children – they were always rumbling and made everyone laugh.

Only the daughter could speak a little English, the parents only spoke Spanish. Nevertheless, the communication worked really well. They tried to speak simple short sentences to me, and I understood a lot. It’s so exciting to live with people who speak a different language.

My third host family in Mexico (young couple)

My next host family had no children. They had just built a house, which they showed me with pride. However, it was not yet finished, because houses in Mexico are only built until the money is all. Then they wait until there is money again and then they continue to build.

We've seen a lot of cool things. On the first evening we went on a Feria to Puebla – a kind of funfair. I didn't want to go on a ride. They looked kind of rusty, and I had no desire to rely on whether they were safe or not.

There was also a food market where you could try typical snacks from all Mexican states. I picked something really great, but I don’t know where it comes from: a waffle dough, fried like crepes. Covered with Nutella and cheese, then rolled up. Boah! That was mega delicious. Who would have thought that Nutella and cheese go so well together?

The next day we went to Val’Quirico. This is such a mini-city that should have Italian flair. In the middle of Mexico. Unbelievable! You can even stay there in a hotel. Many Mexicans go there on their honeymoon – Italy is just too far and too expensive.

There were also stables with horses, but we were not allowed to look at them.

This host family knew English, which was great for me. So I could expand my vocabulary and practice my listening. Sometimes Mexicans, even if they speak another language, speak so quickly that I hardly understand anything.

It was there that I ate black ice cream for the first time – the blackest ice cream I have ever seen. Unfortunately, it did not taste particularly convincing.

My Fourth Host Family in Mexico (mother, father, 2 children)

Most recently I was with the family of the pastor from the parish in Tlaxcala. As I said, pastor and son spoke German – for me, of course, mega practical!

The family lives in Puebla in a large, modern house. I had my own room with bathroom and even a balcony.

The daughter has been impaired since birth, but was able to learn to walk and speak – against all the expectations of the doctors. Her room is like that of a princess, with countless shoes and handbags!!! that she proudly showed me.

Life with adult children is quiet. Very quiet. But we could spontaneously go somewhere and stay outside longer in the evening.

Once we went to Africam Safari Park. There live animals that were rescued from a zoo/circus or by private. It felt a bit like Jurassic Park, because you drove your own car through the park and were only allowed to get off in one or two places.

After these special experiences with the other families, I stayed with Elvia for a few days before taking a night bus towards Jalisco, my next destination.

I had already registered with Workaway in Germany. So I came into contact with a woman from Germany who runs a shelter for street cats in Jalisco and is always looking for volunteers to help her work with the cats. After all, it is also 60 pieces.

So I booked a bus to Jocotopec, Jalisco. The journey took nine hours and cost 1300 Pesos, about 55 euros. I wanted to drive at night so that it wouldn’t get too hot on the bus and I could sleep. So time went much faster.

I have to say: The coaches in Mexico are awesome. My seat was wide, I had plenty of legroom and it was super comfortable! The backrest could be set back so far that I almost lay. Best of all, the toilets were clean and did not smell!

So Jocotepec in Jalisco was my next destination. What I experience there is totally crazy – I did not expect that... Read the second part of my reportage about my three-year life in Mexico. The second part

My personal conclusion

What really moved me is how language builds bridges – even if it’s bumpy or just simple words. Nevertheless, it creates closeness, opens doors and hearts. This understanding, even without perfect words, feels like a small miracle.

I’ve seen how different families can be – some lively and busy, others calm and structured. Each in their own way. What I noticed about everyone: There are many ways to design a home. No right, no wrong – simply different life models.

What got stuck for me in particular: the way people approach each other. Friendly, interested, open. These little gestures that show: You are welcome. I appreciated that very much and I take it with me.

Read the second part of my reportage about my three-year life in Mexico. The second part