Acuity
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Registered: 5-26-2005
Location: Comox, BC, and Todos Santos
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New Book on what life in Baja is like
I’ve very recently published, as a PDF e-book for download, my new book on what it’s like to live in Mexico and, specifically, Baja, as a foreigner.
It’s titled “Living La Vida Loca: When the Dream of a Life in Mexico Becomes Reality”. Here’s an excerpt from the introduction:
“When I tell people in the North that I spend winters in Baja, they are, perhaps, a little shocked at first, usually envious, and often curious
as to what the life is like. Most have a preconception that life in Mexico is just one uninterrupted vacation. They usually ask “So what do you find
to do all day, for that length of time?” - a question to which it is hard to give a quick response that reflects the experience of being there.
Analytical folk may ask questions about health care, shopping and the mechanics of day-to-day life. But just about everyone lacks the broad context of
experience for probing what it is really like living in the Mexican culture in a place that can physically resemble paradise.
This book is for anyone who has ever thought, even fleetingly, of making a life as a “snowbird”, or even as a full-time resident, in the warm climes
of Mexico. Just what is it like to make that dramatic step? What is the reality of the dream? What should I know before I take steps to make it
real, or decide it’s just not for me?
There are several books around that cover the physical mechanics and issues of living in Mexico in general, and Baja in particular. While this
information is useful for anyone who plans to move there, logistics in Mexico, while they may frustrate you, won’t ultimately mean the difference
between experiencing life as an exciting adventure or a nightmare. The more interesting and critical issues are those of being able to align yourself
psychologically with the demands and opportunities of life in Mexico. So this book is about the internal experience of life as a foreign resident in
Mexico. It looks at what drives people to come here, what surprises they found, how they cope with and grow from the experience, how reality compares
to their expectations, and what they would do differently knowing what they do now.
Inevitably, this book is colored by my own personal experiences in Mexico. Retaining some semblance of rationality, I know, however, that I don’t
have all the answers, and that some of my views differ from others. To create this book, therefore, and make it more useful to others, I’ve drawn
from structured interviews and questionnaires completed with many people with different perspectives who are living, or have lived in Mexico and were
willing to share their views. In one way, you could say that this book is a distillation of many decades of living as foreigners in Mexico.”
Check it out at http://www.lulu.com/product/e-book/living-la-vida-loca-when-... . You can sample the first 11 pages, including a couple of the dozen or so
photographs of Baja that illustrate the text.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
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Interesting. I see Osprey/Jorge gives it two thumbs up. I'll read it.
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Acuity
Nomad
Posts: 195
Registered: 5-26-2005
Location: Comox, BC, and Todos Santos
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Jorge was very helpful in my research!
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Acuity
Jorge was very helpful in my research! |
Couldn't ask for a better researcher.
How many pages did you end up with? I didn't see it in the file. At this point, it would make a difference to me as I wouldn't want to get into an
extended read on the computer. Need to do that in a recliner.
Thanks.
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Acuity
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Posts: 195
Registered: 5-26-2005
Location: Comox, BC, and Todos Santos
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79 pages. It is relatively easy to read on even a laptop- quite large print. Hope you enjoy ...
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Udo
Elite Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Interesting. I see Osprey/Jorge gives it two thumbs up. I'll read it. |
Sign me up for a copy, with Jorge giving it two rods up!
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Acuity
Nomad
Posts: 195
Registered: 5-26-2005
Location: Comox, BC, and Todos Santos
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Mood: Craving sleep!
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I'd welcome comments on the book - and having any errors pointed out  . I have
tried to make it a balanced viewpoint.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13202
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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How long did it take you to write it ? Have you lived in other places besides Todos Santos in Baja or elsewhere in Mexico ? Are you fluent in
Spanish ? Just asking these questions out of curiousity .. congratulations on writing the book !! 
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