 Chapters of Expat to Mexico Books
Free Chapters to Books on expatriation issues are hard to come by especially with the American economy in the toilet. I want to offer you Free Chapter Reads on the books I have waiting in the wings for a publisher to come along (I am not holding my breath) or the books I've written and have no intention of publishing through traditional channels. I will try to publish a chapter per week with links to how you can find the book in print and ebook format. This way you get to try it before buying it. The only rules is that this is copyrighted material so please be mindful of all that means: NO COPYING AND/OR RESELLING! With that in mind: ENJOY!
Notes From South of the BorderMy Thoughts, My Opinions, My Editorializing on My Life in Central MexicoAll Rights Reserved @ 2008 by Douglas W. Bower This book is publicly offered contingent on the reader’s prior understanding that the reader should always independently confirm with other qualified sources the information presented in this text. The author(s) and publisher(s) accept no responsibility of any kind for conclusions or perceptions reached by readers of this ebook. The perceptions you have and the conclusions you draw from the unique opinions of these authors, are your own and you accept total responsibility for them. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. ISBN: 978-1-4357-0936-2 LuLu Press OTHER TITLES A Walk Through México’s Crown Jewel: A Guanajuato Travelogue The Plain Truth About Living in MexicoThe Expatriate's Guide to Moving, Retiring, or just hanging out! GUANAJUATO, MEXICO Your Expat, Study Abroad, and Vacation Survival Manual in The Land of Frogs ADDITIONAL TITLES AVAILABLE AT: http://astore.amazon.com/amazoncomaffi-20 People seem happy in MexicoThe pursuit of material things, according to the scientists at World Values Survey is a "happiness suppressant." If that is true, then you've just got to wonder how this affects Americans who have devolved into a material seeking society. ·At any given time, one forth of Americans are mildly depressed ·Americans' personal income has increased more than two and a half times over the last fifty years, but their happiness level has remained the same. ·Americans earning more that $10 million annually are only slightly happier than average Americans. What is so very interesting is that in a country that is touted as the richest in the world so few Americans are happy and, in fact, depressed. In a country that has so little by comparison, even though right next door to America—México—is happy to be content with what they have. You see this immediately when even just visiting this country. People here are happy. In a University of Michigan survey called, World Values Surveys, worked to gather information on the happiest countries in the world spanning some twenty years. What they found was startling. "World Values Surveys measures the happiness of individuals by two different means. The first is to simply ask them how "happy" they are. The second is to ask them how "happy" they are, and also how "satisfied" they are. The results are then combined to arrive at a measure of their "subjective well-being," a term generally considered synonymous with happiness." The results looked something like this: 1. Nigeria 2. México 3. Venezuela 4. El Salvador 5. Puerto Rico Do not miss the profundity here. In countries that have so little materially and whose future does not seem very bright in being able to obtain material leaps and bounds, are the happiest in the world. México rates #2 and I am not surprised at all. If smiles on faces, full body greetings complete with kisses, and jovial laughter being heard everywhere instead of the uttering of vile obscenities is any indication of happiness then we didn't need scientific surveys to tell us that México is a happy country. In a society where the people have so little in terms of material wealth, Mexicans are billionaires in happiness. They are apparently a people who know what counts. They understand that "things" is not what makes you happy. Being with Mexicans is like being with the insufferably happy aunt that though you find tiring, you leave her presence in a much happier frame of mind. Her smiling and laughter become contagious and before you know it your anal-retentive sour puss is transformed if but for a little while. And, when she's absent or passes away, you feel a true loss for the effect she had on you. That, my dear American, is how I feel being in México. There is an energy here that I do not believe I can live any longer with out. For, to go back to the States, ever, would be too awful to contemplate. I could not do it. It would destroy my soul. I need the worldview here that just hangs on every street corner, from every balcony, from every store clerk—I could not live again without the effect Mexican happiness has on me. The appeals are numerous and sometimes deceptive. But, Americans keep flooding into this land wondering and mostly wanting badly for México to be a Promise Land flowing not with milk and honey for the body but for the soul. This can be a real possibility for the gringo expat. México is here as she's always been. However, ... ### 
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