Book Review: "Mexico: The Trick is Living Here"

Julia Taylor's invaluable guide book, "Mexico: The Trick is Living Here", is packed with practical advice and cultural insight and is a must have for expats in Mexico and anyone preparing to make the move to Mexico.

In her twenties, Julia was living with her Mexican husband, Luis, in southwest Washington state. When Luis could not receive permanent residency, they decided to pack their bags and move to his home country. They chose to move to Cuernavaca. Julia found a job teaching English there -- and thus began their adventure in Mexico.

"Mexico: The Trick is Living Here" is a tremendous resource for expats and newcomers that empowers readers to more easily navigate the often frustrating process of moving to and settling into life in Mexico. The book provides detailed and indepth advice on a vast array of topics. It covers topics such as the paperwork involved in bringing a car into the country and obtaining a driver's license, choosing between private versus public health care and obtaining citizenship and related documentation for children born to US and Canadian parents in Mexico.

In addition to covering practical subjects, Julia takes things one critical step further. She delves into the cultural aspects of life in Mexico and provides readers with an essential primer on etiquette, interpersonal relationships and the importance of learning some Spanish. "Face to face interaction on a daily basis is a crucial element in getting anything to work out; therefore, in order to live here, you must know at least a little Spanish. The more you know, the more quickly and deeply you will learn about your new home. This is good news. It means that you can develop a sense of community that is possibly stronger than the one you have back home."