Why do people leave?

una · June 15, 2015

I've been wondering about this question for some time but am prompted to ask it here by the experience detailed below about the robbery at Salvador's--so disheartening for someone about to start a new life here.

I know that there are many reasons why people decide to leave after living here for some time: health issues that require medicare or other insurance; debilities of aging that call for care from family members elsewhere; homesickness for adult children and grandchildren; and many others, I know. But I'm wondering if some of you would share particular stories, reasons for moving away from here--either your own stories or those of others--no names, of course.

I wonder, too, if one of the reasons is becoming weary of the constant need for surveillance--personal and property. I've read and heard many of you say that you feel safer here than NOB. I respect your various opinions and observations, but I must say I find that incredible. Most of us did not come here from crime-ridden areas; rather, we came from places where personal and property security were taken for granted, where we often forgot to lock all our doors because the issue was so far down on our list of concerns.

On this trip back to Ajijic, wherever we go among gringos, the topic of crime--of break-ins, of the need for extreme precautions, of stories that have happened to everyone--seems to be the main topic of conversation. And we wonder, are we willing to to give up a certain sense of security for the many benefits of living here?

I would appreciate any of your honest and respectful responses and observations about the reasons why many people leave the area behind.

Muchas gracias a todos.

RVGRINGO · June 15, 2015

You specified Ajijic and may have hit the nail on the head. It is a concentration of expats and the restaurants and other businesses which serve them, exploit them or somehow make a living because of that concentration of perceived wealth. Add to that the fact that most norteamericanos are linguistically deficient and culturally ignorant, and you have a recipe for unpleasant events. Just spend a few hours hanging around the check-out lines at SuperLake and you will see far too many examples of expats behaving badly with a very rude sense of entitlement and/or superiority, none of which engenders warm feelings. Sadly, employees are ordered to tolerate it for the sake of the business. I have heard the victims of such impolite behavior express the wish that those expats would go home. The concentration in Ajajic also leads to fraccionamientos and condos with high concentrations of expat and tapatio residences. Any good burglar will be enticed to to where the money is, and they do. Friends in the most prestegious and highly secured condominios were easily robbed, as were others in less pretentious fraccionamientos, but they did not heed the advice to avoid wearing jewlery or carrying expensive items which might attract attention. They were cleaned out three times.

Our own experience with houses on normal streets in Ajijic and, later, in Chapla, were more fortunate. Our neighbors were Mexican for 13 years, knew us and each other, and we never had a problem; even having keys returned when we inadvertently left them in the door, or forgot to close the garage door. Our one and only incident was at the side gate of LCS in 2003 when a thief stole a wheel and tire from our car during a rainy morning with few pedestrians about. We lived without fear for all that time, until age and health issues became a financial burden and we moved NoB for Medicare and the VA support in case of hospitalization, which was becoming too frequent in Guadalajara; although; I think the medical care in Guadalajara far superior to what is typical in the USA. I did have another incentive for the move, as I suffer from COPD and a lower elevation relieves me of the need to use oxygen.

So there you have it. We wish we could have stayed in Chapala until the very end, and maybe it would have been best. We will never know until it is much too late, but we do know that we liked living there better than NoB.

HarryB · June 15, 2015

Living here there is the constant issue of robbery. Living in the US there is the constant issue of random mass murder.

Mainecoons · June 15, 2015

That's all good RV but it doesn't really address the topic. Ajijic is hardly the only place here where there is crime against expats or anyone else for that matter. Expats don't get targeted for this crime because some of them are obnoxious jerks we'd all like to see go home.

They get targeted because many of them are easy hits.

We don't have a lot of crime against the person, particularly considering we are basically a suburb of a very big city and criminals are very mobile. But there is a lot of property theft here.

As RV points out, the thieves follow the money and they also know that many expats are pretty easy marks because they don't realize they are not in Kansas now.

I think we get a lot of GDL criminals working this area, and not just Ajijic. Professional burglars work all up and down the lakeside.

For example, one Fracc outside of Chapala has a serious problem with hit and run home burglary where the criminals do the job quickly and then flee back up Chapala highway, making it almost impossible for the cops to apprehend them.

There's no question in my mind that SuperLake and the El Torito corner are magnets for pickpockets, purse snatchers and thieves.

They steal stuff. Whenever possible and usually from the unwary. The trick to living here in that regard is making it very difficult to steal from us personally or break into our homes and cars. Where and when you park can really affect that last one.

I believe the two biggest reasons people leave are health care and missing their families, particularly kids and grandkids.

Some come and just find they don't like the untidy and pretty much uncontrolled environment. Basically, there's little police protection here, you need to quickly become adept at protecting your self and stuff from theft.

Some people just are out of their element here. For example, some have lived in sheltered NOB environments and just don't have the travel experience and street smarts to avoid being singled out. The first thing one learns is to have a very secure place to live and park their car. The second thing is to not carry on one's person anything not needed for an outing. Wearing expensive jewelry is a bad idea. Driving a conspicuous and expensive vehicle is a bad idea.

Crooks can spot the unprepared and not vigilant very quickly. And they do. Really, this is no different than any place tourists go. PV has a ton of this type of crime. So does New York, San Francisco, Paris, London, you name it.

Sumofabit · June 15, 2015

Robbery

The taking of money or goods in the possession of another, from his or her person or immediate presence, by force or intimidation.

Why use an inflammatory word to describe petty theft?

June 15, 2015

harry, your statement about mass murder is ludacris. lived all my life in USA, never witnessed "mass murder". dont know one expat who moved here because of that issue. you may be thinking of the middle east, parts of baltimore, ferguson mo.

El Saltos · June 15, 2015

Did you miss Columbine or the other mass murders at schools?

valbogyo · June 15, 2015

Can we please stop referring to a purse /theft as a robbery? There was no masked men holding a gun to anyone's head. It was a non violent personal property theft.

Personal property crimes are very different than crimes where the victim is threatened or harmed. People have wallets, purses, bags stolen all over the world.

My friend had her purse stolen from the back of a chair at a Nordstom café in Bellevue Washington, while we were having lunch. If she sent email out saying "I was robbed at Nordstrom!", what picture pops into your mind? No one suggested calling the Bellevue police either. Why do we panic so much more here?

It is a horrible thing to have happen to you, where ever you live, but it is hardly exclusive or even that common here.

It is harder to deal with when you are in a foreign country. I feel sympathy to those who are victims of crime here, but I do not think that the Ajijic area is swarming with purse snatching thieves throughout the year. This week? Maybe.

dichosalocura · June 15, 2015

You may of never personally witnessed mass murder but you can read about it almost weekly on the news happening in random small towns or large cities across the USA. Anyways, how many murders in any given local constitute mass murder? 3 or 4? 10 perhaps?

June 15, 2015

elsaltos, i have no idea where that place is. thats not my world. how many people in ajijic are from there, & left because of a that school? NONE. no one here lived in worst part of detroit. its all conjecture. back on topic: people leave for many reasons, all different. when rvgringo says "the USA", he forgets its a huge nation. leaving a purse on a chair: my friend had this happen in west hollywwod @ a very expensive place. you forget there are employees who also look for an op.

June 15, 2015

the death toll in the worst parts of chicago or NJ can be 18 over a holiday weekend. no one we know lives there. random small US towns proberly have the same rate as small mex towns. so & so what? it's all about location. people leave here. only one person reponded to the orginal question.