About Mexciting Life International Community
Welcome to Mexciting Life International Community, a vibrant Mexican Japanese community dedicated to cultural and language immersive learning in Japanese and Spanish. Our community organizes meetups with integration activities, language courses, cultural workshops, networking events, and international parties to facilitate interaction and learning among our members.
It all began during the pandemic, when the world changed dramatically. People stopped seeing each other, and physical closeness was no longer allowed. For many Mexicans, for whom closeness with family and friends, as well as showing affection through hugs and kisses, was the most important thing, this was lost.
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As people slowly returned to reality, it was still very difficult for them to meet up with friends again. Many no longer wanted to go back to their offices or see their coworkers, and many others experienced an increase in social anxiety. People began to distance themselves and disconnect from one another.
Eri first discovered Mexico when she came to study Spanish. Despite the cultural differences and challenges, she fell deeply in love with the culture, the people, and the country itself, and decided to return to Mexico to work after graduation. After tirelessly searching for a job in Mexico, and nearly giving up, she finally found one in her beloved Mexico City. So, she moved to Mexico during the pandemic to start working locally.​However, her life was not easy. Like many foreigners who come to live in Mexico, even though she had her partner, she began to feel lonely because she couldn’t deeply connect with people. She started to miss her friends back in Japan.
Alan, understanding her situation, encouraged Eri to go out, meet more people, and make new friends. But they soon realized it wasn’t that easy, since not everywhere offers the opportunity to meet to new people better. For many foreigners, it may seem easy to integrate with Mexicans, as mexicans quickly include them, but building a deeper friendship is certainly more difficult.
Alan, on the other hand, began going out more to meet new people. At one gathering, he met a Japanese student who had come to Mexico through an exchange program called Nichiboku. While talking to her about her experience in Mexico, he realized that she was going through the same issue as Eri: although she loved living in Mexico, she found it very difficult to meet Mexicans and truly integrate into the culture. She felt that although Mexicans were kind and curious, there was no real space to create those encounters with them, since talking to strangers wasn’t an option, and Mexicans, just like Japanese people, can also be a little shy.
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Alan knew there were many Mexicans who would love to meet Japanese people, and he was surprised they couldn’t come together naturally. That’s when he came up with the idea of bringing his Mexican friends together with the Japanese people who wanted to meet locals, and to create a community through these gatherings, always inviting more people. The idea was very well received, and at the very first party of the community, up to 40 people participated—half Japanese and half Mexican.
From that moment on, the community began to grow, creating more types of events and opportunities for Mexicans and Japanese people to connect and build lasting friendships. From themed parties to workshops and language exchanges, it has given Mexicans the opportunity to get closer to Japanese culture, and Japanese people the chance to integrate more into Mexican society and change their perspective on life.
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The road has not been easy, as social challenges like disconnection and lack of motivation to meet new people have been obstacles for the community. However, Alan’s passion for connecting Japanese people with the world, and Eri’s desire to create authentic and deep connections, have kept the community moving forward with the hope of building a more inclusive, open, connected, and united world. One where everyone feels they are not alone, and that there are many people willing to give friendship, love, and support.
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Our Team
Arturo García
Misael Zapata
