Mexico Now and Always!!!!

Mexico Now and Always!!!! Now that I have spend quite a few days exploring Mexico and visiting the many angles of it. I have come to understand it and will try not to make sense of it. In Mexico, there are patterns to things and nothing makes sense...you just have to accept your ¨reality¨ and things as they are. There are alot of similarities between Mexico and the US, non the less. What do I mean by that? Well, as far as education goes, they are both pretty similar. How? In the U.S. and in Mexico, there is a certain type of individual who makes it to College and makes something out of him\her self. Things are not much different here in Mexico I found. The biggest difference between the two countries is that Mexico openly states that the private schools are not for everyone. In fact, they openly tell you that if you can´t afford them they are not for you. In the U.S. it is pretty much the same. You got money you can get into a good school. Universities here in Mexico are always in the search of talent much like in the U.S. They also have scholarships dedicated to students who really excell in school. An administrator at the UDEM told me that it did not matter if you were a fresa( snob) or came to schoool in Huaraches(meanding you were indigenous) so long as you were producing it did not matter where you came from. I thought that was pretty funy. Because although it may be true that it did not matter to them that the student was not Fresa (or at least of the upper class), why should it? Right? But as weird as it may seem, some of the rich, feel that they are doing a good deed by alowing some mixing between the lower and upper class. I found that to be weird. Heres is one other consept that I found pretty interesting. I found out that once a lower class student(mostly indigenous children) is taken into a private university. The student has already been selected froma group of about 20 other students who were evaluated psycologically. They go through a number of steps to assure that the student will be able to adapt to the new system and will not flunk. I found this process to be both helpful and intrusive. It is true that students who are alient to an environement need to be introduced to the new system and be protected a little bit. On the other hand, I feel it is highly introsive and unethical to put the students through such process. So...why have I title this entry ¨Mexico now and always¨ Because from the begining poverty and power have been recycled. That is the way things work here. When you ask anyone what kind of careers do students from private universities aspire you will always hear¨high end¨possitions. If you ask the students from private universities, you will hear a mix, but mostly is labor and line work. People who never go to school seen to be mostly poor or have made a living out of a business. This people who are selfemployed will never, ever, ever make it to the ¨high class¨ Sad but true....Mexico Now and Always.

Learning about Mexico...Morelia, Tzintzuntzan, Puebla!

Bare in mind that I have not formaily lived in Mexico. So here is some rumbbling about what I have learned about the cities that I have visited in Mexico. So far, I have noticed a lot of positive things one can appreciate and learn from Mexico. One of the greatest things that I have experienced is the need of individuals to make something out of themeselves. Live here is so harsh that people do whatever it takes to make life. On the other hand, people have developed a sensce of high sel- esteem and don´t take offense of things too personal. There are three things that most cities in Mexico have and that I have learned from. 1. People here are very business oriented. They sell, buy, trade anything! For example, a few days ago I met a lady who owned a computer cafe, who gave English leassons, who rented appartments, who gave vaccine shots, who rented a telephone service, and who knows what other things she did. So my learning leasson here is that most individuals can be business minded given the situation....you just have to fine tune some things, find your market and begin making the bucks. The most imoprtant thing is to get off my butt!! 2. People here don´t waste anything and save like crazy. I know of a friend who does not waste anything. I have found myself to be quite wasteful in colthes, food, and the most expenseve of all, beer. I have learned that if you want to make it anywhere in this country you really have to save, save, save and you can get what you need and possibly what you want. 3. The third thing that I learned in Mexico is to be confident and motivate yourself. Here there are different classes of individuals and everyone is aware of that. So in order to co-exist, one must learn how to deal with the discrimination, the class clash, and the overt signs of your class. So what have I learned...I have learned to relly on myself and always walk with my head high and aknowledge my self-worth. This are the three things that I have learned from this country and some of the things that I plant to put in practice starting now. I hope you find this story interesting...I willl give you a more descriptive one later because that will take a lot of time to descrive. The colors, the smells, the sights, the ideas, and the social role are something to experince.... Pictures and Videos to come!!

Lucky Me

Today I have arrived to Mexico with my backback and a large bag that my mother felt appropriate to send with me. I was lucky however to find myself well in Guadalajara. The flight into Guadalajara was supposed to be really bumpy but it wasn´t or i was too tired to tell. Once in Guadalajara it took about 3 taxi rides and 2 bus rides to finally get to my home town in Mexico. I wasn´t expecting it to be this rainy and wet. However, being from Seattle, I find it rather great specially since the atmosphere really remids me of my early days as a child here in this small town. The intense rain has helped to mountains to be carpeted with great deal of wild flowers. The ones that remember smelling and seeing when I lived here still bloom like I remember. Ohh, Here is why I really lucked out. I am lucky because it did not rain since I touched land in Guadalajara-- there was not a single drop of rain, but an hour later it was all different....It just rained cats and dogs--So I guess I can´t get away from the rain. Anyway, I will post pics and whatever else later.