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Catalans Abroad
6 December 2015 2.00 h

Sergi Marzabal

Mexico DF

No expiry date

sergi marzabal is from Barcelona but has lived in Mexico DF since 2013. He created the website, www.catalansalmon.cat.
Why did you leave Cat­alo­nia?
My wife was of­fered the op­por­tu­nity to move to Mex­ico. We had al­ready lived three years in Dublin, so liv­ing abroad was noth­ing new to us and we like to know about new cul­tures. We have to say though that it was not that easy, the truth is that much of what we hear about Mex­ico in Cat­alo­nia is a lit­tle off-putting, but thanks to the net­work we cre­ated, cata­lansalmon.com, we made con­tact with Cata­lans liv­ing there and they re­as­sured us.
Why did you choose Mex­ico City?
Well, the com­pany of­fered my wife a po­si­tion there. We find it stim­u­lat­ing.
How long have you lived there?
Al­most two years now.
Are you happy with the job op­por­tu­ni­ties you found in your adop­tive coun­try?
The em­ploy­ment sit­u­a­tion in Cat­alo­nia is so ter­ri­ble that any other pos­si­bil­ity is bet­ter. But still, here you work many more hours than in Cat­alo­nia.
What do you think is the best thing about liv­ing in Mex­ico?
It might sound typ­i­cal, but being able to know an­other cul­ture is a price­less ex­pe­ri­ence. For ex­am­ple, the cul­ture about death in Mex­ico is very dif­fer­ent from ours. For sev­eral rea­sons, but for them, the “Day of the Dead” is very dif­fer­ent from ours. In fact there are two days in a row, a “Day of the Dead” and an­other day of “Dead Chil­dren”. For Mex­i­cans they are im­por­tant fes­tive cel­e­bra­tions and they re­mem­ber the dead by plac­ing small al­tars in homes adorned with things their dead liked: food, flow­ers, colours, gifts, drinks ... and lots and lots of skulls. It is very dif­fer­ent from our way of un­der­stand­ing death as some­thing sad, painful and in­ti­mate. It is shock­ing to us. See­ing these things makes you think that cul­ture is much more than just books.
What high­lights do you rec­om­mend for a first time visit?
Mex­ico City is a city of 25 mil­lion peo­ple. There are so many things to do that I would not know where to start. But a visit to the spec­tac­u­lar Tehoti­hua­can pyra­mids, 50km from the city is a must. In­cred­i­ble!
And if vis­i­tors have more time or make a re­turn visit?
There are thou­sands of places to visit in Mex­ico. But if you have time you should not miss the beaches of the Caribbean, Riv­iera Maya, Hol­box, Tulum or Chichen Itza, every­thing in Yu­catan. Spec­tac­u­lar!
What do you miss from home?
Punc­tu­al­ity, for­mal­ity and ef­fi­ciency. In Mex­ico some­one will say they are com­ing to fix some­thing on Mon­day and not turn up until Tues­day, the fol­low­ing week! After a while, when some­one ar­rives after only a few hours, you ad­mire their punc­tu­al­ity!
Do you plan to go back to Cat­alo­nia?
We came for three years and have been here for two but ex­pats do not have an ex­piry date. We have no def­i­nite date of re­turn and in fact it would not be a big deal to even go some­where else. In Cat­alo­nia, very im­por­tant things are hap­pen­ing and liv­ing through that is im­por­tant, but liv­ing over­seas Cata­lans also have a very im­por­tant task of spread­ing the word.

Some suggestions

Can you recommend a place to have lunch with friends?
It depends on what you want to spend. In DF food is extremely varied. It can be very cheap (100 pesos) or a little more expensive (from 500 to 1000). But in Condesa there are many good restaurants. My favourite is Rojo Bistrot.
Where would you have a special dinner for two?
There is a hacienda that is incredible in San Angel, called “San Angel Inn”. It's perfect for a business meal, but you need to book.
When is the best time of year for a visit?
The climate in Mexico City is fantastic, neither cold nor hot. The problem is the rainy season, when it rains every day, last year for eight months. Perhaps March is the best time of the year, before the rains start.
What is the best-kept secret about the area?
The museums and theatres and cultural activities. There are all kinds, everywhere and for all tastes. But if you have time, do not miss Tulum on the Ribera Maya. A kind of Formentera in the Caribbean. Incredible.
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