Monday, June 15, 2009

My Visit to Mexico – Family, Friends, Politics and More

By Allan Wall

I recently moved back to the United States after residing for a decade and a half in Mexico.

My wife is Mexican, and we plan to visit Mexico twice a year if possible. So after the school year was over, the boys and the wife and I loaded up the minivan and headed south, down Mexico way.  It was a great visit.

A great visit, but a short visit.  I had to return stateside to take a course, but my wife and the boys are staying for a few more weeks in Mexico. 

Still, I enjoyed the time I was there.

Visiting my suegros was our principal activity (suegros is the collective Spanish term for "mother-in-law and father-in-law,” which is a whole lot shorter to say in Spanish than in English).  My mother-in-law is a great cook, and I wound up consuming many of those delicious chuletas ahumadas (smoked pork chops) she prepares.  I have a very good relationship with my suegros (unlike many of the jokes one hears about in-laws, especially mothers-in-law), and we enjoyed our time together.  It’s also important for me that my kids spend time with their Mexican grandparents. 

My family and I were also able to visit the church we attended while residing there, and they were glad to see us. I visited some of the schools I used to work at, and saw some former students.  

Also, as a Mexico-watcher, visiting gave me the opportunity to see how regular people relate to things in the news. Of course, one must be very careful about making generalizations.  Mexico is a big and diverse country, so not everybody is experiencing everything in the same way.   

As far as the swine flu, it’s still spreading worldwide. But in the metropolitan area of Mexico which I visited (and where I formerly resided) people didn’t seem to be too concerned about it.  I also discovered they have a ridiculous new “politically correct” term for it in Mexico. They call it the “influenza humana” – the “human flu.”  So what will they call the next flu outbreak – the “inhuman flu”?

As far as the security situation, people are concerned.  In that metropolitan area, it’s not uncommon to hear about killings in the news. Also, I saw more pickups rushing armed men, soldiers or federal police, through the streets.  Sadly, it’s part of the scenery.

The Mexican election campaigns were in full swing.  Congressional, as well as some state and local elections are scheduled for July 5th.  I got to see a lot of campaign ads on television and billboards.  Most of the ads were for parties and not individuals.

President Felipe Calderon’s PAN (National Action Party) has gotten into trouble because the party’s ads make a point of saying that they support the president, hoping to ride Calderon’s coattails to victory. That wouldn’t be a big deal in the U.S., but in Mexico, which recently emerged from a one-party state, it’s controversial.

Our old friend AMLO (Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador), who barely lost the 2006 election and refused to concede, is in a curious position. AMLO is still a member of the PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution) but he appears in ads put out by two smaller parties – the PT (Labor Party) and Convergencia.

The Green Party is proposing institution of the death penalty.  Most Mexicans don’t oppose that in principle, they just don’t have a lot of confidence in its being impartially administered. The Greens are also promoting the idea of vouchers being used to provide education and medicine, an interesting idea that might have some merit.

The Social Democrat Party is promoting drug legalization, also an idea worth considering.  The ad I saw for this proposal wisely presents legalization as a way of fighting crime. 

Another proposal making the rounds in Mexico is the “blank vote.”  Some are saying that the whole political class is so undeserving Mexicans should protest by going to the polls – but turning in a blank or spoiled ballot.

I can certainly relate.  Last year I had to choose between McCain and Obama, neither of whom was my ideal choice to lead the U.S.A.  But in this life, we must make imperfect choices.  I encourage Mexicans to go to the polls and make their imperfect choices as well!  The real key though, is following up on politicians after they are elected, and putting the pressure on them then!

Soccer, as always, is a big topic in Mexico.  The national team is currently trying to qualify for the World Cup of 2010. When I was there, I watched the Mexican national team’s defeat at the hand of the El Salvador team, televised from the stadium in that Central American country.  Afterwards we watched a boxing match in which a Mexican defeated a Brazilian boxer.

Anyway, my latest visit to Mexico is over, and I look forward to the next.

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Allan Wall, an educator, resided in Mexico for many years.  His website is located at www.allanwall.net.