Writer from Xalapa describes the challenges of friendship among expats in Mexico
Writer and translator Sarah DeVries, who lives in Xalapa, Veracruz, described her experience of friendship with other foreigners in Mexico in a personal column for Mexico News Daily. In her view, relationships in the expat community can be complicated by differing views, polarization in the United States, and online communication styles.
The author noted that over more than 20 years of living in Mexico, she has tried to develop a more open approach to new acquaintances. At the same time, she recalled several instances when her contacts with other Americans suddenly ended.
Unexpected breaks in contact
In particular, a married couple from the United States, whom DeVries helped with translation and paperwork after their move, blocked her on WhatsApp and Facebook. This happened after a misunderstanding over the cost of her services, although the author gave the clients additional time for oral interpretation as a gesture of goodwill.
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Another friend and mentor, with whom she had communicated for more than 20 years, stopped responding after she apologized for being unable to fulfill a request that she herself considered insignificant. Another acquaintance asked the author to leave her home immediately after DeVries persistently raised the issue of sterilizing her friend's dog.
Meetings of foreigners in Xalapa
DeVries suggests that abruptly ending communication may be characteristic of some North Americans living in Mexico, but she does not draw final conclusions. According to her observations, friendships with Mexicans also have difficult periods, but her relationships with them did not end so suddenly.
At the same time, the author does not give up communicating with other Americans. In Xalapa, she takes part in a small group of foreigners who meet for breakfast once a month. In her view, for people living abroad without family, communication with those who understand their language and culture well is important.
