I feel the roots starting to grow between my toes.
It seems each time I return to Melaque, I become more a part of this little beach community. My three tasks on my walk into town Tuesday morning were perfect examples.
My first stop was my doctor. She is treating me for an eye infection (I will write about that in a later post). We talked about our work on the Indian school, her upcoming trip to Canada, her husband's visit to Salem, and updated each other on some common acquaintances. The type of conversation I would have in any small town where I was part of the community.
I then stopped at the post office. As you know, I use a mail service in Manzanillo. I started using it over two years ago when I moved down in the belief I would get my magazines delivered to me in a timely fashion.
That was not to be. My magazines take at least two to three weeks to end up in my box. You can imagine my recent horror when I belatedly discovered Archduke Ferdinand had been assassinated.
Having the box in Manzanillo means driving two hours each week simply to get my mail. Plus it costs me – well, a lot.
I decided it was time to get a post office box in Melaque. All I needed was a copy of my visa and a utility bill showing my address plus 200 pesos for the 2011 rental and 25 pesos for my key.
I stopped by Monday morning to drop off the paperwork. Because the postmaster was not in, the clerk asked me to return on Tuesday. When I did, my paperwork was fully prepared for signature. All I needed to do was pay my fees.
Not only did it make me feel like a part of the community (After all, what can be more a part of the community than stopping by the local post office?), but I successfully conducted the transaction in Spanish (with a little bit of help from a customer who got a good laugh out of my mistaken use of a private body part when I meant to say "year").
With my key in hand, I addressed an envelope and mailed my first letter from my new post office. It gave me a sense of place.
I was then off to my favorite grilled chicken spot: pollo kaliman. There may be better grilled chicken in town, but I like talking with the young couple who run the little stand. Neither of them can speak English, so my conversation with them is very limited.
Until Tuesday. The wife was there on her own, but she was pleased to see me. Wanted to know where I had been. Asked questions about my cruise. Exchanged pleasantries about the oppressive weather.
In the past, I would have allowed my fear of not being able to communicate to get in my way of trying. For whatever reason, I found the words I needed, and I could understand most of what she told me.
As I walked home with my chicken and rice trophies, I thought back over each of my encounters. I talked with people on a personal level in a language we could both understand. But it also underscored my need to get back to studying my Spanish lessons.
What felt best of all was the sense of belonging. Of being in a place where I should be at this point of my journey. That the tale I am living is one that may be worth telling.
I have posed this question to others, but no one seems to have an answer. How can a few million Americans go to live in Mexico with no apparent problems, and yet if they come to the U.S. they are considered illegal and live in fear of being deported? Any thoughts?
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely story Steve, I read your blog with interest as we love Melaque and are winter residents only. A sense of belonging is precious.
ReplyDeleteThe question is interesting and difficult to answer. But, first, a bit of clarification. No one knows for certain how many Americans live in Mexico. The number is under a million. But, for all of those forms we fill out, no one in Mexico is quite certain how many of us are here at any given time. Most of us are welcome guests because we bring one thing Mexico desperately needs -- hard currency. Whether as tourists or as expatriates.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mexico does deport Americans for a variety of purposes. Criminal or political activity. Expired visas. Working without appropriate documentation. The difference is that the Mexican government does not trumpet its actions.
And, of course, almost all Americans coming south come legally. The stream in the opposite direction does not come so easily. American immigration policy since the 1920s has been very restrictive on who gets to stay in The States. And there are lots of political groups on the left and the right who have kept those restrictions in place.
And, realistically, until the Mexican and American economies are at least in close parity, there will always be Mexicans who will choose to move norh rather than seek employment in Mexico.
But I am not very good with following my own publication procedures. This was supposed to be tomorrow's post. And after midnight, it will be.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the very nice compliment.
I do know that Americans can be sent home for certain reasons. I guess what I don't like about what the U.S. does, we seem to target them specifically.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started having days like this, I knew that Mexico was home. :)
ReplyDeleteThere is nio doubt that happens -- for a lot of Latin Americans. Just as Mexico targets Central Americans. It is a mess.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope the same.
ReplyDeleteNita: Most Gringos moving to Mexico do it legally. When the Mexican government finds one here illegally, he or she will get deported. I have seen it happen. Sometimes Mexican immigration officials come from the state capital of Morelia and do a sweep in downtown Pátzcuaro, where I live, asking palefaces for their visas. Yipes! Profiling! They have caught Gringo and European illegals here in this manner, and I applaud that.
ReplyDeleteThat "millions" or even a million Gringos live in Mexico is a longstanding myth, by the way. And you see it repeated all over the place.
Mexicans who cross the border to the U.S. who are considered illegal are considered illegal because they are illegal. They have entered the U.S. without permission, which is a crime. I do not see what is confusing about that.
So, there you have it. Mexico profiles and Mexico deports illegals. I salute Mexico on both those counts. Mexican officials and citizens also colossally abuse illegals from Central America who enter Mexico from farther south. That's another story. It's sad and pathetic. We are not a perfect nation.
Steve answered your question very well, but I could not resist my two-cents' worth since it is one of my favorite topics.
Nita: When you say the U.S. seems to target them specifically, I take it that you mean U.S. officials target Latinos specifically. Of course they do. The overwhelming majority of people stealing into the U.S. on the southern border are Latinos. Targeting people who look Asian, for example, would make no sense whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite fun to go to the post office. It's even more fun when there is something in the box.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Leslie.
ReplyDeleteLots of people make the move south of the border with visions of the wonderful life they will lead, but after awhile they move, disillusioned, back north. I have seen it happen. I think usually it's because they don't manage to find a real place in the greater community where they choose to live. They instead remain tourists. After a while that gets old.Steve, it looks as if you've found your place. You're one of the "stayers."
I agree with Leslie.
ReplyDeleteLots of people make the move south of the border with visions of the wonderful life they will lead, but after awhile they move, disillusioned, back north. I have seen it happen. I think usually it's because they don't manage to find a real place in the greater community where they choose to live. They instead remain tourists. After a while that gets old.Steve, it looks as if you've found your place. You're one of the "stayers."
i'm sure your spanish will continue to improve at a much higher rate than my japanese. we leave on our househunting trip just 2 weeks from sat. maybe i already told you that. still have 2 cats to find homes for. please say a little prayer for that. they are such a part of our lives, i hate giving them up, but taking them with us is just not feasible.
ReplyDeletehave a great day.
teresa
It's hard to give up beloved pets. And I admire your sense of adventure to learn Japanese. Keep us posted on your new life in Japan.
ReplyDeleteMy first tutor claimed he learned excellent English mainly by reading. You love to read, don't you? I have read convincing studies that children did better in foreign language classes that stressed reading more than conversation. Start with simple books, even children's literature. Read books that you have read before in English, too. Those are both ways that I have used to improve my Spanish.
ReplyDeleteAnd as soon as I get my address change notices out, there wil be something in my box.
ReplyDeleteYou may have a bigger adventure in store than my move to Mexico. When the earthquake took place, I wondered if it would affect your plans.
ReplyDeleteI started using the Spanish translation of the NIV in conjunction with my Bible reading. That did not start well. But I may go back to it now that I am getting more comfortable with the language.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice post. I remember when I felt that way too. In my opinion, it's all about speaking the language. There's just no way around it, it's the key.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that even some of the tourists who have been coming down for years are successful because of the personal relationships they have established. Even though they are here for only part of the year, this is a second home for them.
ReplyDeleteThe Bible is too hard to understand for new readers of Spanish. Do you have
ReplyDeletea kindle? Download kid's books. Or buy books that you can later donate to a
library. Try pulp fiction that you have read in the past. I read many
Agatha Christie novels in Spanish that I had read in English some time ago.
When I started my plans to move to Mexico, everyone said the same thing: learn the language. It is true. The more I learn, the more I feel a part of what is going on around me.
ReplyDeleteI do have a Kindle -- and it accompanies me wherever I go. The Agatha Christie novels would be a good idea.
ReplyDeleteYou're learning the language if you're picking up on the jokes in the mistakes that you make.....like ano without the tilda over the "n" is NOT "year".
ReplyDeleteConsider this: I have a Mexican friend whose name is Atilano, and a gringo expat I know always calls him "-Ano", because he thinks it's funny. It's not. But you get the prank. Like it when you stroll thru your town, and report back. Thanks for the exercise.
I am glad I was not too subtle in my reporting. You nailed the joke on the head. Similar to my little joke about renaming Eggs Benedict "huevos del Papa."
ReplyDeleteNow the junk mail will come......
ReplyDeleteAh, Junk mail. A validation of my existence.
ReplyDeleteHi Steve, as an avid Mexico visitor (since first early 90's medical mission trip), expat want-a-be (always plotting), and blog reader (mini getaways), l can't believe I missed discovering your blog. Skimming the early ones, I skipped to more recent entries, cheering, commiserating, making mental comments, comparing to my own experiences and laughing along the way. Your stats would have been even better had I found your blog. Insight and photos are great and the dark background with short paragraph format is easy on the eyes. Airline retirement benefits allow me to make my second visit this year to Ajijic, Mexico in late July. Still have not made a decision of best place to dig in and make a home, but it is nice to know that, when I do make the plunge, a great community awaits me. debra
ReplyDeleteWelcome aboard, Debra. It is always nice to see new commenters. There are plenty of good places to live in Mexico. None are perfect. And everyone has different tastes. But I am fully enjoying my plate of adventure.
ReplyDeleteArt: Ask that dimwit Gringo how he would respond to being called Anus on a regular basis? The problem with potty words in another language is that we do not respond from our gut on hearing them because we did not grow up with them. We may know full well the definition, but it really does not affect us viscerally. Thus, the Gringo thinks his simpleton fun is okay.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with this Gringo character you know is that Mexicans, like all people, make generalizations about foreigners. The Mexican whom he calls Anus doesn't think this jerk is a, well, anus himself. He thinks Gringos are.
He is an embarrassment to us all, and you can tell him I said so.
If you live in a town where the officials do a 'sweep' for gringos you live in a place with too many of them. That's barely Mexico.
ReplyDeleteaccept
ReplyDeleteEven my little fishing villasge is subject to a sweep now and then. And illegal "fish" are usually caught.
ReplyDeleteMs. Fluff: Towns with too many Gringos are San Miguel and Ajijic, perhaps some of the coastal areas too. Pátzcuaro does not have "too many" Gringos in my opinion, and I do not want too many. It does have a sizable handful. The frigid winters keep most of them at lower altitudes.
ReplyDeleteMorelia is the state capital and has an immigration office, and if they get a bee in their bonnet to round up questionable Gringos, they naturally would come here because there's no other reasonable place to go. It's just a 40-minute ride up a smooth four-laner to a beautiful Colonial town where they can quickly do their work before sitting on the Plaza Grande for a nice cafecito before heading home. With luck, they'll have somebody in cuffs in the back of the car. If these same agents were to fan out in Morelia, they could waste the entire afternoon in that big city without seeing many, if any, palefaces.
In Pátzcuaro, unlike the real places with too many Gringos, you will not have waiters, cabbies, Pemex attendants, etc., trying to talk to you in Spanglish.
I’m Mexican and I disagree with Felipe in almost everything. Being illegal in the US should not be considered a crime since the US is a land of immigrants, if he doesn’t remember their History, that land belonged to Native Americans which were displaced to their reservations. Besides the real crime is committed by the farm owners and big companies that hired illegal immigrant with no labor rights and less than minimal wages.. that is the American double speech, they condemn illegal immigrants but they also take advantage of them, most recent example, illegal immigrants working at the Congress.
ReplyDeleteIn Mexico we have a lot to improve on Human Rights but unfortunately not only against immigrants, but also with nationals.
BTW I don’t live in the US, I’m living legally in Canada where you can have a lot more tolerance and less discrimination than the US.