CC's blog

Mexico a failed state... not

There's been a lot of discussion in the traditional media and the blogosphere about Mexico becoming a failed state after a report by the US military on such eventuality.  Frankly, as gross as the news on the Mexican drug cartels are, I think it is an exaggeration for two simple reasons:

• Most of the violence in the country is restricted to the 6 border states (Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León & Tamaulipas) plus Sinaloa out of 31 states and a Federal District.  Even when the situation in cities such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez has become difficult, they don't represent the whole country.
• The growth in the number of violent episodes is mostly due to the fact that the government, instead of ignoring the situation as before, is actually doing something about it and meeting the cartels head on.

I'm not innocent enough to say that everything is going beautifully, but I have a thermometer that most people in the international media don't: family and friends living in the country.  I'm sure many of them would among be the first to start leaving if the situation becomes as untenable as these reports claim.  Otherwise I'll keep on hoping for the best and agreeing with opinions like this.

In the meantime, tourism seems to be more affected by the international credit crunch than by that kind of news items.  Fair, since most tourism attractions are very far away from where these sad events are taking place.  As a tourist, I'd be more afraid in Los Angeles or Chicago than Cancún or San Miguel de Allende.

I didn't understand what's wrong with exclusive nationalism until I became an immigrant

Mexican education has a very strong nationalist component, and we are taught to view with a certain suspicion foreign influences, which is quite ironic when you consider that everybody came from somewhere else. Phrases like "México lindo y querido" (beautiful & beloved Mexico) or "Como México no hay dos" (there is no other country like Mexico) are commonly heard, and Mexican naturalisation and investment laws are extremely restrictive, which everybody seems to find normal.

When I moved to Finland, after going throught the whole language and acculturisation process, I realised that many of those views held while and where I was born were rather chauvinistic, when I found similar situations in the country where my home is.  Phrases such as "On lottovoitto syntyä Suomeen" (being born in Finland is like winning the lottery) and the sad state of the immigration debate in Finland currently have shown me how wrong the attitudes I encountered when growing up are, since they assume that one group or the other hold a monopoly on truth and are categorically better than the rest.

I'd rather learn the best from everybody I encounter.

Farewell George W. Bush

George Bush Top 10 Moments - David Letterman Show

Update: List of Bushisms here.

Strawberry fields forever

You may be aware that Mexico is not one of the most egalitarian societies on this planet, and socioeconomic differences are very much a part of the social fabric.  I was fortunate enough to grow up in a middle class family in the capital, with access to good schooling and domestic and international travel.

While growing up I think I tried to make the best possible use of these opportunities, but when I reached my teenage years I realised I truly disliked the pseudo-elitist environment I was brought up in, and got rather fed up with those social standards on what to wear, how to act, what kind of music to listen, what car to drive, when to gossip, etcetera.

Fast-forward 10 years.  I had been living in Finland for a few years and moved to Brussels to study my masters degree.  The school was not very big, so for extra-curricular activities and a couple of courses they tended to band together the undergraduate exchange students and the foreign graduate students for what one could call "economies of scale". 

Two of the exchange students were from Mexico, and one of them embodied pretty much everything I disliked of that environment I had left: the feigned (or real) ignorance and lack of curiosity, the social and religious conservatism, the gossiping and the materialism were all there, and I couldn't avoid this person for half a year.

Needless to say, the beginning was quite hard, but it definitely taught me to face my own prejudices and not only deal with it, but actually get along pretty nicely and (most importantly) sincerely.  While we didn't become best friends, I believe we were able to have a good working relationship, which is one of the most valuable lessons learned from my time there.

Seven random facts about the frozen goat

I don't do memes that often, but got this one from Karrioo so decided to pitch in, especially since this is a (mostly) personal blog.  Funnily enough, the last time I answered to one of this it was in Spanish, so here goes:

1. I've never liked fighting but practised martial arts for many years.  Thankfully I've only had to use that knowledge once.
   
2. I'll almost always wear a hat.
3. When I was a kid, I'd read or play with Lego.
   
4. I love eating so much that that's how I learned to cook when I moved on my own, and I'm not half bad.  During my time in Finland I've come up with some Fenno-Mexican fusion recipes ;-)
   
5. I don't watch that much TV anymore, but will still follow certain sci-fi series, the news or important football matches.
   
6. When I had to choose what I wanted to study, I was between political sciences and information systems.  Is my choice that obvious?
   
7. I'm almost always listening to music, especially if I'm driving or on my own.

Now, I'm not going to send this forward as most of the people I follow have answered it, but if you feel like it, take it up! ;-)

Finnish & Mexican 70's kitsch

Finnish guy teaches how to disco

magazo

The lower one is part of an album called Easy Melodías,which is pretty much impossible to find these days.

The Beatles meet Mexican indigenous peoples

VISITA_BEATLES_A_TEPETLIXPA

And you get music like this (link in Spanish), by the Banda Plástica de Tepetlixpa from the southeast of Mexico State, Mexico.  I especially liked their rendition of Yellow Submarine, but be warned, this kind of music might not be for all tastes.

Russian tourists in Finland

We were skiing in Tahkovuori very recently and I was wondering about the amount of Russian tourists to be found unlike the previous times I've been there.  Searching a little bit I found this and this article, where they explain that there is a boom in visits of Russian citizens from last year.

If you are looking for a job in Eastern Finland (currently suffering from difficult times in the wood industry), try hospitality and learn some Russian.

Happy 2009

Recap of 2008

Internationally this year has been an interesting one, which has started to turn a little difficult towards the end, as you can see in the international, the Finnish and the Mexican 08 recaps.

Personally it was not any easier, but the end balance of has been very good I'd think. I expanded profesionally and became an expert in areas I didn't know that well at the beginning of the year in a challenging environment, and most of my energy and time went there throughtout the year (which shows in this blog, as I've been more active in Jaiku & Twitter where you need to think less to write a post).

Personally we found a place of our own that we improved for many months, but the results are there. My parents got their first grandchild, as my sister and her husband had a baby girl, whom we've now met and fallen in love with.  Some friends have gotten married, some have lost their loved ones, and we've tried to be there in both cases.

With this in mind, we can hope for the best in the new year, and work hard for it.

How has been your 2008?