Would You Do This on an Airplane?

Upon arriving to the Toronto International Airport for the first time together on a direct flight from Cancun, my wife noticed something unusual at landing time; all had gone well, and the landing was smooth. Upon completion of the successful touch down and the plane came to a complete halt, the passengers applauded.


"What happened?" she asked me, talking in hushed tones in Spanish.


"What happened? What do you mean, 'what happened?' " not exactly sure what she was asking about.


"Why did they clap?"-


"Hmm." I thought for second. "I guess it's because the flight and landing went well. Isn't that normal?" I was actually asking myself as much as I was her. I believe I've been on an equal number of Canadian flights as other flights; I could remember that on some they applauded at completion of the flight, and on others they didn't, but it had never occurred to me to think of why.


"Mexicans don't clap after a flight," observed my wife. "I guess we just figure it's their job, they SHOULD do it right." After a brief discussion we came to the uncertain conclusion that this was a Canadian thing. We didn't remember it happening on flights from Mexico to Atlanta or Philedelphia. We couldn't remember if it happened on our flights from the U.S. to Toronto. But the direct flight from Toronto to Cancun (made financially possible thanks to Westjet!) was the first to be virtually entirely Canadians.


So, now the question comes back to you; do you, or would you applaud at the end of a flight? Have you ever been on a flight where they did? Were the passengers Canadians? Is this something only Canadians do or are we just imagining stuff?

The Morning Edition - Citizenship

This is my second "Morning Edition" which is a short post reviewing a theme I've already talked about.  Today's theme is "Citizenship."  I'm a dual citizen (Canada and Mexico) and I get some distinct benefits from both.  Some people consider getting citizenship in another country to be disloyalty to your nationality, but I don't feel there is any real compromise in it.  If you ever get the chance, I think it's a good idea.

Last night I wrote about being a Mexican citizen, and how this contrasted to really being Mexican culturally, etc:

What really makes you Mexican?

My two other posts on Citizenship include:
Illegal Immigration - An Alternative Approach - About Mexicans heading into the U.S. illegally, and how little politicians seem to know about these people.
2nd Generation Canadians born abroad are no longer officially Canadians - About a recent change to Canadian law, intending to make Canadian citizenship more privileged, but also causing some real complications for a small number of Canadians who've lived in Canada virtually their entire life.

There's more to come on this topic as well, about the benefits involved, the process of gaining citizenship in Mexico, etc.

Enjoy!

What really makes you Mexican?

Mexican Passport

Officially, according to Mexican Law, a Mexican is anyone born in this country, naturalized in this country, or born outside of Mexico to a parent who was born in Mexico.  Because of this last one, I am a Mexican citizen.  I have a passport, and the official voters ID, national identification number, etc.  But neither mother (who was born in Mexico, thus giving both of us right to ), nor I are culturally Mexican.

While Mexican law doesn't have any real requirements regarding language, culture or ethnicity, to most of the world, including Mexicans and non-Mexicans, these three points define being Mexican, entirely.  So, how Mexican am I, really?  Let's consider the three points.

Language.  I speak Spanish half decently.  I have an unmistakable foreign accent, but I've got passed the point where everyone automatically assumes I'm a gringo.  I've had people ask if I'm French, German, and, even once - bless this person! - Spanish (they could tell I sounded funny, but couldn't put their finger on exactly what it was.)  Of course, needless to say, most people still assume Gringo, and I've got a ways to go before this one counts in my favour.

Culture. Mexican culture includes music, food, clothes, hairstyles, ways of interacting, concepts of personal space, and many other distinct features.  Let's see - I listen to some Mexican music, but I'd like to become more familiar with it.  I have Mexican food down; my wife is Mexican, and she complains that I make her eat to much mole.  I also eat spicier food than she does, and I know how to make a number of Mexican dishes, more or less authentically.

I loose a lot of ground in clothes, hairstyle, ways of interacting and personal space.  Although people aren't consciously aware of it, I believe these factors are actually as important as language and accent.  My wife sees people in the street, and says, "That girl is from Mexico City," without hearing them speak.  Their clothes, movements, and, I believe, even facial expressions are strong indicators.  While Americans and northern Europeans look the same, as far as "racial" features are concerned, they don't look the same in terms of clothes, movements or even expressions.  I think many people from countries with a well defined culture can sometimes identify their compatriots before hearing them speak.  The only fool-proof method I've found for Canada is the MEC bags (Mountain Equipment Co-op), but this only works for younger, back-packer-type travellers.  I've also found that more Canadians travel alone or in couples; but this is a huge generalization.  I don't think I can recognize facial expressions.

Ethnicity.  Specifically, the "Common ancestry" part of ethnicity, which more generally also includes the points above.  Mexico has no official ethnicity policy, as far as I am aware of (as opposed to what I've heard about some European countries, that apparently make citizenship easier for people who can prove ancestry from that nationality.)  But the most common ethnicity is Mestizo, or mixed between the Spanish colonists and various native peoples, and this is the ethnicity most people identify as "Mexican."  A very small portion of the populations (less than personal claims) is purely one or the other.  Strangely enough, I've known people who are very obviously of mostly native ancestry, but claim, very adamantly, that they are "Spanish."  Some of them are about as Spanish as I am Chinese, ethnically speaking.  By these terms, I'm just entirely left out of the picture.

Unknown to most people, Mexicans included, is that Mexico is actually is more of ethnic blend than this simple combination.  There have been waves of immigrants from places like Bohemia and Lebanon, leaving some distinct footprints in Mexican culture.  Some people have told me that out in the villages of Sinaloa there are tall, blond people who descended from the central European immigrants.  ("Tall" and "blond" are relative, however.)  One of the favourite kinds of tacos, "Al Pastor" (click here to see see a post with a picture) was influenced by Lebonese kebabs.

What should work in my favor, though, is the fact that my ethnic background actually has a strong presence in Mexico these days; the Old Colony Mennonites, or "Mexican Mennonites" which they're often called just because of this fact.  People in Mexico know who they are, and the cheese they make has gained considerable fame.  They've been around here since the 20's now, so many of them would only have "Mexican" to claim as their nationality; ethnically, however, they and Mexicans don't make any connection to one another.  Their situation is somewhat similar to that of many Jewish communities, with the exception that they have remained linguistically and economically distinct; while they speak a dialect of German (my "first" language, actually) and live in the country in fairly economically independent communities, all Jewish people I know here speak Spanish as their family language, have Spanish names, and live in the cities (in somewhat closed-off enclaves, mind you.)

Well, the bottom line is, if you have to sit around trying to prove to people that you really are somewhat Mexican, it's a pretty good sign that you aren't; true Mexicans don't have to prove it.  It reminds me of something Jewish again; I once asked a Canadian Jew if he was "practicing." His reply was that he didn't need practice.   Real Mexicans don't need practice and don't need evidence.

So, for now, I'll have to be happy with a passport, birth certificate and a voter's ID card.

Illegal Immigration - An Alternative Approach

This Caguama (1liter beer) may present a solution (See bottom)

Of course, everyone has they're own opinion about the issue of illegal Mexican immigrants to the U.S., and it's a really a very complex topic, with all sides making economic, cultural, political and social arguments that make complete sense - to the people who fall into each given ideological area in the first place.  Since I'm not American, nor is it likely that I'll ever be denied legal entry into the U.S., I don't really have much say in the issue, I guess.

So, instead of throwing my own 2 cents' worth into a bucket that already has a few billion cents in it, I'll just talk about my experience with Mexicans who've done it.  The following are a few points I've noticed.

Determination.  After being caught and sent back three times, I would give up.  Especially since if I had to pay what amounted to a few months' pay for the service of being taken across and picked up on the other side.  I've heard $1000 USD, and that it's usually borrowed money.  I've known a few people who were going back for round 3 or 4.  That money could feed their family in Mexico for half a year. I don't know how they manage to make the whole thing profitable.  In one case, judging by the under-nourished look of the man's children, I don't think he did.  He was pumped and ready to go again, though.  Of course, there are thousands who succeed, bring their family and even buy a home.  Those stories are enough to motivate the others who don't get any use out of it.  It's kind like slot machines for addicted gamblers.


The lure of the American Dream, or an prospect of making it "rich" is stronger than just about any obstacle or risk.  One writer stated that the only thing the construction of a 20-foot wall along the border would accomplish is an increase in production of 25-foot ladders in Mexico. (R. Longworth, Caught in the Middle.)  Politics aside, I believe this is an accurate reflection of the determination involved.


Worse Prospects Back Home.  If I remember correctly, I believe the new laws in Arizona were proposing 40 days in jail for people discovered in the U.S. without a valid visa (I'm not sure if I have the details right or what the final outcome was.)  While I agree that it's harsh, I don't think it compares to the possibilities of imprisonment in Mexico.  A friend of my wife was in jail, innocently, for almost 10 years; most significantly WITHOUT TRIAL.  We only recently discovered his release when he contacted her on facebook.  If I understand correctly, Mexico doesn't have the "innocent until proven guilty" legal concept, and, it seemed in his case that the opposite was assumed.  (I believe President Calderon has taken steps to change this, as well as implementing a public, witness-questioning type process for trials.  If so, I hope it makes a difference.) In Mexican jails you also have to pay for your food and tip guards.  Family members have to visit to leave money.  Many inmates, are for this reason, compelled to make handy-crafts to sell and pay for their keep; the guards sell the crafts outside and keep a share of the cash. (One of the most famous hammock producers on the Yucatan Peninsula is actually a prison; foreign tourists innocently seem to think it's a nice way to fill idle time; I know I did at the beginning.)  So, how does the prospect of 40 days in an American jail stack up to this?

On top of that, many of these people come from a life of utter poverty.  They don't see much to loose.  Back on the farm, they always had corn, beans, squash and meat, not to mention as much fruit as they could eat. But they didn't have Kentucky Fried Chicken, Blackberry cell phones or satellite T.V.  I guess even a modest income in the U.S can get them these luxuries of the rich.  For others, the prospect of one day being able to take the kids to Disney Land would give their family special status.  They once knew a rich family from he city that had gone ...

Bragging Rights. Now, I can't say for sure, but I don't think 40 days in an American jail would daunt most of the people who head across the border.  I actually suspect it might serve as another source of bragging rights; I can here it now: "The gringos caught me and gave a free bed and food for 40 days!"  I've heard this kind of bragging.  The guy who I mentioned above, who had been caught and sent back 3 times was telling his story (of course, no jail involved) to a group of men and boys, sitting around with beer.  As he spoke with the pride and authority of true drunk, a 14-year-old boy looked on in awe, with sparkle of hope in his eyes.  That was 4 years ago.  I'm sure that 14-year-old is in the U.S. by now.

Not all the braggers are drunks. I've met some very fine, upstanding, lower-middle class family men speaking with true pride of their cross border risks, all for the sake of their dear family (these are more the Disney Land types).

National Identity Confusion.  For some reason, Mexicans who successfully establish themselves in the U.S. (legally or illegally) often do not want to be considered Mexican, or even Mexican-American, or Mexican-background.  I remember on a trip to Detroit once, to the Mexican neighborhood, one hispanic American was offended when my dad mentioned the word Mexican (he was definitely Mexican, as opposed to Colombian, for example.)  I've heard of many similar cases.  These people teach their kids that they are American, not Mexican.

Here in Playa del Carmen I met a Mexican family whose daughters had been born in the U.S.

"Some day," explained one of the little girls, "I want to go back to my Homeland, and get to know my people." She hadn't been there since infancy.  She placed a special emphasis on "mi patria" referring the United States.  All of this was in Spanish, and she couldn't speak any English.  Also, everything about the family, from their clothes and way of addressing people, to gestures and expressions was purely Mexican (which, for me, is a good thing.)  But these girls had been taught to believe that they were not Mexican.

I would think that for Americans this desire to assimilate should be seen as a good thing.  But, again, I'm not American. Personally, I think it's ridiculous; if I could say I had Mexican heritage, I would do so with pride.  (I do show off my Mexican citizenship card to disbelieving Mexicans; but it's not quite the same is really being Mexican culturally.)  Once people are born and raised in the U.S., and that is really their culture, then of course it makes sense to identify themselves with that nationality.  But, ironically, some Mexican-background Americans I know who have fully assimilated American culture are among the few who look back with pride to their Hispanic roots. Others are scathingly aggressive to their former people.

Now that I'm pretty much done, I'll throw in my one-cent's worth.  (It's not even really worth two.)

In the case of American policy makers, on either side of the political spectrum, I feel like one of two things is true; either they've had no contact with these people, and they know virtually nothing about them, or, they know, but pretend that they don't because it's more important to please their respective voters base.  I suppose both are possible.  If they knew something about how these people thought, I would guess that they could come up with some sort of policy that would work at least little better.

My one-cent opinion: they should gather a few of the illegal immigrants, sit down with them with a few caguamas (pronounced "ca-WAma" - see the picture at the top) and really get to know them.  It might not solve the problem, but I'm sure it would take them farther than they are now.

The Morning Edition - Raising Kids

Here's something new I'm going to add; the "Morning Edition."  This will be just a brief overview/commentary on of my themes, and links to the posts I've already written.

Today will be the first theme I actually wrote about in my blog - my experience raising my son (now sons, plural) in Mexico.  So far, I've written about:

Raising Kids to be Bilingual (click on the title to read)
HA banana-shaped lunch container,  which I thought was useless, but some readers really disagreed.
My son learning to pedal a trike!
My son's opinion on the language our dog speaks - and our new baby
Mexican Birthday Parties and Introverts
Kids preferences on how many friends to have (a typical Mexican opinion vs. my own.)
Some of my son's little habits

Not all of them are directly related to living in Mexico as a Canadian, but a few of them comment on differences.  I still have a lot more to write both about my kids specifically, and about some ideas that seem pretty common in Mexico, but I don't think would occur to anyone in Canada or many other places.  Some of these will come soon.

I hope you enjoy reading a post that you haven't yet

The Neighborhood I Call Home

Our Newest Park

I live in a new suburban subdivision in Playa del Carmen, which is currently one of Latin America's fastest growing communities. Before I owned this house, I had never lived in this kind of neighbourhood before; I had lived in small towns and villages, old residential neighborhoods in big and medium sized cities, and even a student residential village, but never an new suburban-style development.

Playa del Carmen isn't big enough to really have suburbs, but currently it has a growing number of new, lower-middle class developments in the outlying areas of the city.  I suppose most of them are like mine. This one was still under construction when I moved in, and is now nearing completion.  It has some things I love, and things I hate.  Here they are, randomly switching between "love" and "hate."

I love: the good neighbors I've got to know here.  We've had surprisingly good luck with almost everyone who lives near to us, and some of our closest friends live a couple of blocks a way.

I love: the gossip ring.  While sometimes "gossip" and "nosy" (which are the same word in Spanish) is a bad term or criticism, in my case it's by far the best way to know what's going on, and to get information like where visitors can park their car without bothering anyone, who's sick, who's having a baby, who's going on vacation, etc.  Some of my friends who live a few blocks away have an old lady as a neighbor who can provide any of this information and much more about any given person on the street, and my wife is an admitted addict. No harm has come of it yet, and it allows people to show support when needed.

I hate: very, very, very loud music.  This is a Mexican thing, and not something I'll ever be able to change in any way.  But I really felt that Guns 'n' Roses at 4 am Sunday morning was a little over the top. My neighbor (a teenaged girl who was getting up to do the laundry), was very understanding when I knocked on their door, and kindly turned it low enough so at least the bed stopped vibrating.  I guess it could have been worse ...

I love: our many parks.  Everyone who lives here has 4 small parks within a 5 minute walk.  My son has already distributed these parks to family and friends.  The newest and nicest is his, and the first one, which has been heavily vandalized, is mine.  I guess he figures I can deal with it.

The street I live on

I hate: the vandalism which destroyed  the playground in our first park, which is a 2 minute walk away.  They not only spray-painted, but they removed and broke the stairs, the slide and the swings. There are no gangs or anything around. These are just bored teens. I admit, this neighbourhood would be boring for teens, but really, it would cost 50 cents to go downtown, at lot less than their can of spray paint.  Besides that, I wonder what on earth the parents are doing.  Everyone on that street (which is not mine) seems to know who did it, so the parents must know as well.  I guess they just don't care.


I love:  the fact that no other park in the community has been vandalized.  I think there are 10 in total.  All the others have been left in tact, thank goodness!

I love: the jungle surrounding the community.

I hate: the fact that in a year or two, all that jungle will be gone.  This one's my fault as much as anyone's; I bought a new house that was built in clear-cut virgin jungle (to be fair, though there is no other choice around Playa del Carmen.)  In the capitalist world, the successful sales means that other companies now have stronger motivation to follow suit in the same construction style.

My son at our first park, partially-repaired

I love: the fact that many lower-middle income Mexicans (i.e. earning $10,000 or less) can afford to buy and own their own home, built decently, in a nice community.  These factors were our motivation to buy here.  It's a paradox I can't really work out.  I believe in decent housing for the masses, but I don't believe in destruction of nature.  I haven't seen a reasonable way to balance two, though.  But if they didn't do this, then the people here would just come and cut down the jungle on their own, and live in huts made of thin tree trunks and corrugated fiberglass panels.  So, I guess this is somewhat better.  I hope they can come up with better solutions soon.

I hate: the fact that there is no recycling service.  This is also a rarity in Mexico.  At least near downtown there is a park with a recycling drop-off area.

I love: that there is very little garbage in the streets.  Lower-income Mexican communities, even though almost picturesque in other ways sometimes, are horrendous for lots of litter and even whole bags of garbage strewn all over the place.  So far, people have kept this neighborhood nice and clean.

The jungle across the street - now the "new park" - see picture at the top

I hate: having to take transportation everywhere.  There are 24 hour convenience stores within walking distance, but that's it.  A lot of people have taco shops run out of their living room, so at least there's tasty food available.  Bikes and motorcycles come by selling bread and tamales as well. The next community back (the only one going farther back into the jungle) has a drug store, a butcher and a food store that sells only dry and canned items (for very good prices, mind you.)  There are also a few video stores.  So we aren't entirely lost, but for any major stores, or specific items you may need, there's no choice. Since it's a worker's suburban neighbourhood, there's no need for more, unfortunately.  Everyone drives out in the morning, and picks up what they need on the way home in the afternoon.

I love riding my bike.  The streets are very calm here, and it's relatively safe.  My wife prohibited me from owning a bike in Mexico City.   In Playa del Carmen, I can ride my bike to any part of the city within 30 minutes (I've had practice, though.)  The hot summer days aren't particularly good for this, though.

Well, I could go on for a while. But overall I'm very happy with my neighborhood. #1 for me is the people I know here.  The problems - well no place is perfect.

My New Year's Resolution

For the past few years I've made the same resolution every year, and I've kept it 100% (or completely failed it, depending on how you look at it.)

The resolution is "This year, I will not make any New Year's resolution."

It's easy enough to keep, unlike those ones about loosing weight or learning a new language, where you do it for the first week of January, while the emotion of a new resolution still keeps you motivated, and then dies suddenly and completely.

Why don't I make any New Year's resolution?  Well, as everyone knows, no one really keeps them anyway.  So what's the point of making such a big commitment that in reality you're not going to carry out?

Besides that, 2010 was an amazing year for me, and I'm sure 2011 will be a continuation of many of the great things which happened last year. I got a job which is ideal for my family life.  My second son was born.  Exactly 16 years after deciding to adhere to my religion in a conscientious choice, I've finally started getting a glimpse of what it really means.  I have a wonderful marriage, and a very supportive and lovely wife (this didn't start in 2010, but it kept going well in 2010,) and I bought a house.  I'm sure there are a few important things I'm missing, but these are some of the most outstanding good things that happened for me.  Of course, as you will know, I'm enjoying life in Mexico.

If I am granted the fortune, these will continue into next year; why make a resolution for some big change in my life when so many beautiful things are happening?  These are far more important than any resolution I choose could be.

While resolving not to make a resolution was at first just a kind of joke for me to tell people, this year I'm really resolved that resolutions are pointless; and this year, the great things happening for me give my resolve some reason.

So, Happy New Years!  Have a wonderful 2011!  (And if you made a resolution, I hope you achieve it and, more importantly, that it does all the good for you that you imagined.)