| Readers love to write to contradict my too-often | | | | Mexico for more than thirty years, told the |
| made point of American prices versus Mexican | | | | contractor she hired to fix up the rural house she |
| prices in Mexico. They will disagree with me by | | | | bought: "I want Mexican prices on everything." |
| saying, "Well, I've never seen any indication of a | | | | Why do you suppose she asked that? |
| dual price gouging therefore it can't exist." Lovely | | | | When a mutual Mexicana friend of mine and "EH"'s |
| bit of logic, don't you agree? | | | | heard who she hired to be her contractor, she |
| What might be going on is further proof of the | | | | immediately went to "EH" and told her to hire |
| Bubble Theory of Expatriation that I've been | | | | someone else who would give her the Mexican |
| reading from my favorite ethnographer. Actually, | | | | prices. |
| it is the Mexicans who live in communities that | | | | Why do you suppose she did that? |
| support the gringo colonies who suggest the | | | | When the wife and I told the son, a good friend, |
| Bubble Theory. This theory is really very easy. It | | | | of a real estate baroness in Guanajuato that we |
| goes something like this: | | | | were moving to another city, he told us, "Be sure |
| "To learn about a culture is best accomplished by | | | | you let the owners of the potential home you |
| living in the culture as do the locals (in this case | | | | rent that you are artists (we're writers) and not |
| Mexicans) in that culture." | | | | wealthy retiree Americans coming to live in that |
| If you notice, in any area where there is a gringo | | | | city." |
| enclave, you will not see Mexicans living within the | | | | Why do you suppose he told us that? |
| gringo enclaves. So, if you want to learn the | | | | Those Gringos who live inside The Bubble, the |
| culture, perhaps you should get the point that you | | | | artificial colonies, will never be able to know to the |
| will have to live in the culture as do the Mexicans | | | | degree they are being charged the American |
| you claim to know and whom you claim: "they | | | | prices for everything under the sun. |
| love us here." | | | | Right now, where we are living, we are being |
| See? It's easy. Live in the culture! | | | | charged about fifty bucks more than what a |
| One thing that those Gringos who are | | | | Mexican would be charged. Why's that? |
| Bubble-Dwellers will miss out on is the salient fact | | | | We are Americans. It is assumed we are all filthy |
| that there are two prices. One is the gringo price | | | | rich. Think about that when planning your |
| and one is the Mexican price. If you live in The | | | | retirement to Mexico and if you can (or want) to |
| Bubble you will never, ever, in your expat career | | | | afford the pricing discrimination that is a daily |
| know this. You will miss it. | | | | affair here. |
| My long-time expat friend, "EH", who has lived in | | | | |