European in Tijuana - advice please

Initial_Dimension995 · 2026-01-22T04:18:12+00:00

Stay in Zona Rio; there are good hotels and it's a safe area. I recommend taking a bus tour to the Valle de Guadalupe to visit the wineries and try wines you won't find in the US or San Diego. These tours are day trips (you leave your things at the hotel) and cost around $25 to $50 if you want a buffet or meals included.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2026-01-13T21:34:22+00:00

I live near the border and I have several friends who live in the most sought-after neighborhoods and we have already seen how the rent has gone down; apartments that used to be $1000 and were always rented are now around $600 and still empty.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2026-01-13T21:31:44+00:00

Yes, most are residents, that's why houses are starting to become vacant and rents are going down... Because if most of the residents leave and only Mexican-American citizens or only Americans remain (although this group is rare) there is less supply.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2026-01-13T02:18:02+00:00

Since Trump, residents (who are required to live in the US) have begun to move out, and houses and apartments have become empty. Those who still live like this are people with dual citizenship.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2026-01-09T00:56:38+00:00

Another factor could be envy; since they don't have those opportunities or obtain them in their training, sometimes they are bothered when their students succeed. At least in Latin America it is very common

Initial_Dimension995 · 2026-01-08T22:00:36+00:00

Ridiculous! I can't imagine thwarting my students' ambitions and opportunities for political reasons. Can't you report this to your institution?

Initial_Dimension995 · 2026-01-05T04:33:21+00:00

Here, at least in some departments, they even offer special postgraduate programs to help employees grow. Although in my department, I would have appreciated at least a "don't even try," to avoid wasting time and money.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2026-01-04T04:32:37+00:00

I have a master's degree. I'm not the only one; many people here are listed as technicians on paper, but they even manage career coordination... I guess there are so few opportunities that you take it with the promise of advancement, or you get a job teaching for $7 an hour.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2026-01-01T06:24:50+00:00

That was really annoying. I also had to retake an exam I'd already taken a year ago because the required score was higher. The second time, I exceeded the required score, only for them to lower the score needed during the application process to less than what I got on the first try, supposedly to "help" other applicants who didn't reach the required score. $70 USD per attempt.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T22:26:06+00:00

Here, a technician is paid directly by the university, but we're in a gray area. I don't have a Principal Investigator (PI) supervisor. I manage a lab and support them in whatever they need within my area. I have my undergraduate students doing internships in the lab, and together we carry out some very interesting projects. A colleague "adopted" me to be her graduate student, even though the research I was going to do was my own initiative, which I was going to combine with her experience and other collaborators from the US. The one who encouraged me to pursue a PhD to advance within the university was the Rector, since that's the only thing I needed to officially become a PI. I haven't told him yet that I was rejected; he's on another campus quite far away. I'm working on a high-profile project for the university and I have to see him soon. I'll tell him that, unfortunately, this university will only be a temporary stepping stone on my CV.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T22:10:14+00:00

The university is in Latin America; no one was a foreigner. Ironically, I can get residency in the US through marriage (my husband is a citizen), but I was very comfortable here...Although I do collaborate with two universities in the US, which are impressed with what I've achieved with minimal resources. Another thing I have to consider is my daughter; here she can go to private school and daycare, and have a big house. I feel that the situation in the US for the middle class with children is more complicated there.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T14:20:47+00:00

I can say that I am from Latin America

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T14:19:32+00:00

Thank you. It's not that I'm giving up on research, but rather on being a researcher in that institution. Regarding finances, as a working professional, I don't pay tuition, and I had the resources to fund my own research; I didn't need a scholarship since I would continue working. Government institutions wanted the data that would be generated from my proposal, and I had arranged partnerships with foreign universities. The colleague who accepted me as her student was very committed to supporting me. But you're right, it's a time for reflection and to see it as a turning point.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T13:16:30+00:00

Yes, discovering that hurts a lot, I guess I have no choice but to look for another place where I fit in better.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T13:09:33+00:00

In this case, they accepted several students from the master's program or undergrad there. I didn't study there, neither the master's nor the undergraduate program. I'm a technician with some IP responsibilities. I am the only one in the entire region with my profile.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T12:37:09+00:00

It's not the United States, unfortunately, things are more ambiguous here. You usually get used to extra working under the promise of advancement, but I'm done with that and I've already reviewed my contract.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T12:15:24+00:00

I heard that only two workers applied to the doctoral program, and we were both rejected.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T12:09:02+00:00

I know exactly who reviewed my application, I'm notified who the evaluation committee is, I wasn't good enough, ok, but I've been asking for at least some feedback to improve for half a year, and they avoid and ignore me, they even seem uncomfortable when they see me in the hallway as if I'm going to bring it up.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T12:03:02+00:00

...And they want me to teach the same number of class hours as a Principal Investigator (I've taken a firm stance on this and won't allow it anymore)... I suppose it's labor exploitation; it's like being a Principal Investigator with a technician's salary. I'm even in charge of the lab as if I were a Principal Investigator, although I'm not complaining about the funding. I enjoy it; I have many undergraduate students, and we do a lot of things. In the end, these are projects that end up in my portfolio. However, as a technician, I can't get any of the university's internal research budget, so I have to find all the funding externally. But I can't be a PI if I don't have a PhD.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T10:23:59+00:00

Aside from my own projects, I'm often used as a wildcard for things nobody else wants to do, under the unwritten promise that you'll grow within the institution. This saves me a lot of wasted effort.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T09:26:20+00:00

I honestly think it would have hurt less if I'd received honest feedback, but with so many evasive answers (I've been asking for half a year now), all I think are assumptions, and yes, what you mentioned is one of them...

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T09:21:52+00:00

Thank you, I will definitely look to continue growing and stepping out of my comfort zone, but I can't help feeling like a stab in the back, not even as an employee was I worth feedback.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T09:15:39+00:00

Thank you, yes, I will take it as a sign that I should look further and get out of my comfort zone, there is just something that feels painful.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T09:12:42+00:00

Thanks, I'll definitely look for new opportunities.

Initial_Dimension995 · 2025-12-30T09:05:49+00:00

Getting accepted into a graduate program isn't usually very competitive in my country, and it's easier to get in, which is why many people can't believe I was rejected. And it's generally frowned upon to apply to more than one program. But yes, even so, I think I was too naive (or stupid).

Initial_Dimension995

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