Bed and Breakfast Inns

Hello From Cuernavaca – Part 7 – A conversation with Andie Grater, Local B

I am currently staying in "La Nuestra", a comfortable bed and breakfast with 4 bedrooms, a swimming pool and a breakfast area outside with microwave and refrigerator, which has a rather interesting history. He is co-owned by two women, Andie Grater and Nancy Gray, who are both originally from the United States.

Originally from Brooklyn, Andie had lived in Atlanta for 20 years and become an expert in advertising production and management while Nancy, on the other hand, had been involved in the business of screen printing. Nancy represented several companies U.S. market in Latin America and spent some time in Latin America, including De Cuernavaca, and this was the beginning of his Mexican adventure.

Andie's comments shed light on the decision to move to a foreign country and the inevitable problems of culture shock and psychological adjustment that go along with the passage to a foreign land. Their story also illustrates the coping mechanisms and the fact that the human spirit in fact be adjusted over time.

As Nancy has been spending more and more time in Mexico, Andie and Nancy were starting to think may actually be pleasant to live elsewhere. Cuernavaca could be a good target because it was near enough to easily come and go. Andie had attended a course in Spanish Language and Cetlalic alternative school had the opportunity to meet many people in the gay community and local Cuernavaca Cuernavaca increasingly looked like an interesting destination.

Both women thought they could be a good idea to go to Cuernavaca, a goal that decided to carry out in the New Millennium. So Andie decided to quit his job in advertising was made easier by the aftereffects of 911 that had seriously affected the advertising industry.

Andie worked for a month with the previous owner of Villa San Marcos to gain practical experience running a bed and breakfast. So the women put their furniture in the store in Atlanta, and after that first arrival in Cuernavaca lived in a furnished apartment. He later moved to an unfurnished apartment, a rather naked, Andie, which he describes as "life of graduate students. Andie admitted that with the age of these types of transitions to get a little more difficult.

Before its acquisition, the B & B had been empty for five years. Once purchased the property, which spent an additional year of renewal in our own. Building a clientele from scratch is always a problem for new entrepreneurs and Andie said his clients are mostly over the Internet and through word of mouth. In addition, Andie posted Press releases from many independent booksellers and bookstores feminists to claim that information about the B & B is set in its bulletin boards.

Since the new B & B owners, Andie and Nancy also decided to advertise in three sites, two sites in Mexico and one dedicated to gay travelers. Andie However, he stressed that its objective is the market not only the gay community, but people from all walks of life. Travelers come to the United States (California, Minnesota, and several places in the north), but also from Canada. In addition, many customers also hosts weekend in Mexico City. Many of his customers did not even move when they come here, they simply relax in the garden of the pool and say this place feels like home.

I asked Andie to deepen this process of transition cultural crossing after they first moved to Mexico. At first he was excited, the place was new, they were learning the language, and had a general feeling of newness that everything that made it so interesting.

But as the novelty wore off, the feelings of culture shock began to settle in Andie frustrations experienced as she had to adapt to Mexican concepts of time and reliability. Adapting to a more relaxed concept of time was difficult, Andie and all had been living his life in Atlanta with a strict program. The unreliability of the workers and repair people was also a frequent source of frustrations. Andie told me some stories of your renovation project and mentioned that workers can show up a day later or sometimes not at all.

On the other hand, was impressed by the easy attitude of local people from Mexico and said they are very useful when you make an effort to speak Spanish. Traffic can also be very bad in this city. On the issue of cultural diversity adjustment Andie said that one of his friends commented on how great that must be live in this new place, while Andie admitted that many times this phase of adaptation was very difficult for her, especially at first. He was missing his friends, culture, family environment.

Now things are much better. Andie runs an organization called "Club of the newcomers, which is an association the past, most residents speak English, of Cuernavaca. The club had been in existence for 15 years, but had not been very active. Andie became president four years ago and the club now has about 170 members, aged between all the way forty years later. The oldest member is 91 years old.

The Newcomers Club of Cuernavaca has a number of functions:
– Welcomes new residents English speech and helps them find their way
– It publishes a directory of services every 2 years
– Provides a buddy system
– The club hosts a variety social events throughout the year
– Speakers are invited to club meetings and speak on various topics of interest such as ecology, globalization, alternative health, investments and many more.
– This is the club in a variety of charity projects.

The Newcomers Club has two great events social than a year: a cocktail party in September and at Christmas time. Evening events include guitar concerts, lectures on topics of interest and the "tracking study, where the group visits to artists' studios around the city different. An increasing number of social events will take place over the months of summer as well, it used to be a quieter time.

One of the most important implications of the Club of newcomers is in philanthropy. For the Christmas members are encouraged to adopt a family in collaboration with the Episcopal Church. The club itself is not confessional, but the church provides a list of 15 families greatest need. Then with the help of donations, the club purchases of basic boxes that are delivered to these families in need.

The Club of the newly arrivals is also involved with a Mexican organization called "Walk Together", which was founded by Susan Smith, a Canadian woman. Walk Together Health and Development is dedicated to helping specific to a Mexican village in the state of Guerrero. This town has many problems: the supply of water contains toxic levels arsenic, there is much poverty and alcohol abuse. Every month different supplies ordered Walk Together, for example, in September, the school of charity requests supplies, December, calls blankets, Christmas and the non-application of charity battery operated toys.

Andie shows that the average age of the newcomers to Cuernavaca in his 50. He added that dollars go much further in Cuernavaca, than they would in Florida or the Caribbean.

In addition to volunteering with the Club newcomers, Andie also donates his time to a local library called the House of brotherhood. She volunteers four mornings Friday a month, two at the library, two with the Club newcomers. Along with his work as a B & B owner in ours it keeps her busy.

Today it is still going to go home to the States U.S. 4 to 5 times a year. Nancy and Andie still have a small apartment in Atlanta, where they stay when they go home. Andie and I had a conversation about their experiences travel in Israel and Spain, and Latin machismo, which is also reflected in the way (a woman cutting a man off the road definitely incur their anger, while the opposite is considered normal).

I am one of those people who thinks that one day in my life that may try to spend 2 or 3 months of the year in a warm place, and experience in Cuernavaca Andie has given me some valuable insights into the decision process, the cultural adaptation phase, and rewards of involvement an organization of local volunteers.

To read the entire article, including photos, visit
http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/cuernavaca_7.htm

About the Author

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of Travel and Transitions (
http://www.travelandtransitions.com
), a popular web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new section featuring FREE ebooks about travel.

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