Expat Learns to Embrace Mexico's Relaxed Pace of Life

When your massage therapist cancels 20 minutes before your appointment, you can either spiral into anger or choose understanding.

Sarah DeVries, an American living in Veracruz, Mexico, faced exactly this choice when her in-home massage therapist canceled last minute. Her initial frustration melted away when she learned the reason: the woman was helping her family decide where to bury her recently deceased father.

For 650 pesos (about $35), DeVries enjoys luxury in-home massages that would cost triple in the United States. But the trade-off for affordable, personalized service means accepting a different pace of life.

Mexico's informal business culture can feel frustrating to foreigners accustomed to corporate punctuality. DeVries recently visited four different car inspection centers before finding one that was open, stocked with stickers, and had working card readers.

But this same informality creates unexpected perks. Mexicans can text their doctors directly on WhatsApp, drop their dogs at the kennel without advance notice, and show up fashionably late without causing offense.

DeVries admits she's "given up" on one friend who routinely skips plans without warning. Many Mexicans, she's learned, prefer to simply not show up rather than disappoint someone directly to their face.

The Bright Side

DeVries has discovered that adapting to Mexico's relaxed culture strengthens friendships and reduces stress. One-person businesses can't operate like billion-dollar corporations, and expecting them to leads only to disappointment.

The real choice, she's realized, isn't between punctuality and chaos. It's between rigid expectations and genuine human connection.

Most of her Mexican friends do respect their plans together. And when they don't, she's learning to extend the same grace they'd offer her.

"I can either roll with it, knowing some things won't happen as planned, or I can just die mad about it," DeVries writes. She's choosing not to die mad.