Like politics and religion, cilantro elicits strong opinions. People love it or hate it. For some, it's an acquired taste, thus attracting its share of proselytizing converts, such as myself. Even the name of the plant can be controversial. In the U.S., the leaves are called cilantro, while the seeds are called coriander. In Europe, the leaves are called coriander, while the seeds are also called coriander. To confuse matters further, cilantro leaves are also known as Chinese parsley.
We LOVE cilantro, and it's very popular in Mexico. For recipes and a full article about this delicious herb, check out: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127092887
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Immigration
I'm an illegal immigrant.
Yep. I'm a white-skinned, red-blooded, Protestant Christian, college educated, born-in-the-USA, tax paying, hard working American citizen. But I'm also an illegal immigrant in Mexico.
"WAIT!" I hear you shouting. you can't be illegal - you're working!
Of course I'm working. I'm working for a Christian school who refuses to get me legal paperwork and instead pays me under the table. So every time I cross security at the airport, I can't be a Christian witness and tell them "I'm teaching at a Missionary school in Mexico City". I have to lie. I am visiting my husband; I'm staying with a friend; I'm learning Spanish; I'm avoiding the cold northern winters. Basically, I have to pretend that I'm spending every day tanning and drinking margaritas when I'm working a full-time schedule and putting up with kids who don't do their homework and parents who don't speak English and board members who don't know how to run a school.
None of this makes me legal. A little piece of paper makes me legal, and I don't have it.
To Clarify: I am NOT sneaking across the border. I'm crossing into Mexico legally. I'm returning legally. I have a valid passport and a 'tourist visa' which gives me permission to stay in Mexico for up to 180 days at a time as long as I do not commit a crime or ask for government resources.
So, I feel that the following facts about U.S. immigration should be shared:
1. 40% of illegal immigrants in the U.S. arrive with legal documentation, only they overstay their visas. (I can see how easy this is! Once I'm in, no one calls to remind me to leave, or anything.) Once someone has overstayed his or her visa, that person officially has an 'illegal' status and his or her application for legal residency or citizenship will likely be denied.
Myths about illegal immigration: http://www.urban.org/publications/900898.html
how to become a legal resident: http://www.ehow.com/how_2083009_become-legal-us-resident.html
how to become a citizen: http://www.visaus.com/citizen.html
2. Most U.S. citizens are ok with letting current illegal immigrants (about 12 million of them) become legal residents or citizens as long as they learn English, keep a job, and stay out of prison. In otherwords, as long as they act like us. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/opinion/02fri3.html
3. Children who immigrate illegally while minors are still held responsible for their crime. In other words, if a person came to the U.S. illegally as a minor, s/he can be deported with his or her parents if under 18, and once that immigrant graduates from U.S. high school (passing government class, in English) - a feat that up to 25% of U.S. citizen children are not able to accomplish on time - s/he still cannot apply for legal residency or citizenship. Ever. That is why this recent story on CNN really got me angry: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/14/georgia.student.immigration/index.html
and also why I support this guy from my hometown: http://www.annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-man-faces-deportation-following-arrest-in-arizona/
4. While a legal path to citizenship has not yet been proposed (as I mentioned above, most U.S. citizens are ok with this), the DREAM act has been. http://dreamact.info/students This would help law-abiding young people who were brought here illegally by their parents to apply for citizenship, basically forgiving them for living with their parents when they crossed the border.
5. Most illegal immigrants pay taxes: sales taxes & gasoline taxes, of course, but also 2/3 of illegal immigrants pay payroll taxes: income taxes, social security, and medicaid taxes even though they will never receive federal or state benefits. http://reason.org/news/show/122411.html
The only services illegal immigrants can receive are K-12 education (less than 5% of school children are either illegal or children of illegals) and emergency room care.
In short, the US needs a more humane and logical immigration system. Christians need to support immigrants, no matter where they came from or how they got here, because those are our brothers and sisters in Christ. http://faithandimmigration.org/content/about-ccir
Yep. I'm a white-skinned, red-blooded, Protestant Christian, college educated, born-in-the-USA, tax paying, hard working American citizen. But I'm also an illegal immigrant in Mexico.
"WAIT!" I hear you shouting. you can't be illegal - you're working!
Of course I'm working. I'm working for a Christian school who refuses to get me legal paperwork and instead pays me under the table. So every time I cross security at the airport, I can't be a Christian witness and tell them "I'm teaching at a Missionary school in Mexico City". I have to lie. I am visiting my husband; I'm staying with a friend; I'm learning Spanish; I'm avoiding the cold northern winters. Basically, I have to pretend that I'm spending every day tanning and drinking margaritas when I'm working a full-time schedule and putting up with kids who don't do their homework and parents who don't speak English and board members who don't know how to run a school.
None of this makes me legal. A little piece of paper makes me legal, and I don't have it.
To Clarify: I am NOT sneaking across the border. I'm crossing into Mexico legally. I'm returning legally. I have a valid passport and a 'tourist visa' which gives me permission to stay in Mexico for up to 180 days at a time as long as I do not commit a crime or ask for government resources.
So, I feel that the following facts about U.S. immigration should be shared:
1. 40% of illegal immigrants in the U.S. arrive with legal documentation, only they overstay their visas. (I can see how easy this is! Once I'm in, no one calls to remind me to leave, or anything.) Once someone has overstayed his or her visa, that person officially has an 'illegal' status and his or her application for legal residency or citizenship will likely be denied.
Myths about illegal immigration: http://www.urban.org/publications/900898.html
how to become a legal resident: http://www.ehow.com/how_2083009_become-legal-us-resident.html
how to become a citizen: http://www.visaus.com/citizen.html
2. Most U.S. citizens are ok with letting current illegal immigrants (about 12 million of them) become legal residents or citizens as long as they learn English, keep a job, and stay out of prison. In otherwords, as long as they act like us. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/opinion/02fri3.html
3. Children who immigrate illegally while minors are still held responsible for their crime. In other words, if a person came to the U.S. illegally as a minor, s/he can be deported with his or her parents if under 18, and once that immigrant graduates from U.S. high school (passing government class, in English) - a feat that up to 25% of U.S. citizen children are not able to accomplish on time - s/he still cannot apply for legal residency or citizenship. Ever. That is why this recent story on CNN really got me angry: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/14/georgia.student.immigration/index.html
and also why I support this guy from my hometown: http://www.annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-man-faces-deportation-following-arrest-in-arizona/
4. While a legal path to citizenship has not yet been proposed (as I mentioned above, most U.S. citizens are ok with this), the DREAM act has been. http://dreamact.info/students This would help law-abiding young people who were brought here illegally by their parents to apply for citizenship, basically forgiving them for living with their parents when they crossed the border.
5. Most illegal immigrants pay taxes: sales taxes & gasoline taxes, of course, but also 2/3 of illegal immigrants pay payroll taxes: income taxes, social security, and medicaid taxes even though they will never receive federal or state benefits. http://reason.org/news/show/122411.html
The only services illegal immigrants can receive are K-12 education (less than 5% of school children are either illegal or children of illegals) and emergency room care.
In short, the US needs a more humane and logical immigration system. Christians need to support immigrants, no matter where they came from or how they got here, because those are our brothers and sisters in Christ. http://faithandimmigration.org/content/about-ccir
Monday, May 24, 2010
Baby Drama
As my avid readers know, I'm currently staying with friends in a small apartment building about 1/2 block from the school in Mexico City where I teach. This is giving me a closer look into the lives of my neighbors than I had when I lived in the condo complex in Metepec. (although, in metepec, I did notice that the men dressed up in suits and smoked by their cars at 10am, watching the portero wash their cars, and then their wives would get all dressed up in athletic gear and walk back and forth on the small road in front of our condos at 11am. This, apparently, was how upper-middle-class Mexicans assert their economic status - they dress well, and mainly separate themselves from the working class Mexicans who wash their cars and their kitchens.)
The apartment building where I am right now is mainly other teachers from my school, but there are 2 apartments with Mexicans - one apartment with 2 single women and one apartment with a Mexican family.
The apartment with 2 single women is only occupied occasionally. The women likely live in a small town near DF, but work or go to school in the city. So they share a cheap apartment to sleep in when they're in town. This is common in Mexico City. It has the most jobs of anywhere in Mexico, but it's crowded and dirty, so people try to work here but live somewhere else.
The apartment with the family is kind of crowded. A 20-something man with his dad, his pregnant wife, and his preschool-aged son are living in an apartment that we consider to be for 1 person (maybe a married couple). They do not have a car. This family seemed nice, and pleasant, and relatively happy, if crowded.
This weekend a huge family drama played out. I speak enough Spanish to get the gist. The wife had her second baby, her family came to visit, and then she left with them. She did not take her children. There was lots of confusion. What exactly happened is basically speculation on our part (we do have some biased details) but through this, I did learn a lot of facts about Mexican society:
1. The local police can be called on in domestic disputes. While they may or may not show up, when they do, they will do basically what U.S. cops do - take down some names, make sure no one is dead, and dispel the situation. Then leave. They will not talk with the children or ask about their welfare.
2. Mothers in Mexico have complete custody of their children. (We had to consult our Mexican co-workers to get this info.) Whether or not they married the mother of their children, fathers are generally not consulted in custody disputes.
3. A mother has to have physically left her child for at least 2 months before she can be considered absent. Children are only considered abused or malnourished if they are routinely hospitalized. Children are only considered neglected if they lack basic food (1 tortilla with beans every 3 days is considered basic nutrition), shelter (anything with a roof counts, even if there is no electricity or running water), and clothing (1 complete outfit with any kind of footwear - even flip-flop sandals - counts).
Some things I already knew about the child welfare system:
4. Once DIF takes the child into custody, any family member without a criminal record can claim custody of the child. As less than 1% of all crimes in Mexico are ever punished, very few "criminals" have a record. Once that person has claimed custody of that child, DIF rarely follows up to be sure that s/he is still caring for the child. (keep in mind that "caring" is a minimal requirement)
5. Less than 100 children from Mexico are adopted outside of the country every year, mainly by Mexicans living abroad and/or married to U.S. citizens who claim responsibility for their distant relatives. Mexico does not want to admit that they have trouble caring for their own children.
So basically, an infant and a toddler have been abandoned (perhaps only temporarily) by their mother in the apartment next to me. The mother has the right, at any time in the next two months, to retrieve the children and take them away from their father forever. In the meantime, it's unclear who will care for them. Even if the father does a great job in caring for these children, and loves them immensely, he doesn't have any right to the kids. If neither the father nor the mother want the children, it will be years - if ever - before permanent caring custodians can be found.
All of this while thousands upon thousands of caring individuals could and would take these children into their homes and care for them.
Today, I am praying for that family and thousands of others for whom the "system" has failed.
The apartment building where I am right now is mainly other teachers from my school, but there are 2 apartments with Mexicans - one apartment with 2 single women and one apartment with a Mexican family.
The apartment with 2 single women is only occupied occasionally. The women likely live in a small town near DF, but work or go to school in the city. So they share a cheap apartment to sleep in when they're in town. This is common in Mexico City. It has the most jobs of anywhere in Mexico, but it's crowded and dirty, so people try to work here but live somewhere else.
The apartment with the family is kind of crowded. A 20-something man with his dad, his pregnant wife, and his preschool-aged son are living in an apartment that we consider to be for 1 person (maybe a married couple). They do not have a car. This family seemed nice, and pleasant, and relatively happy, if crowded.
This weekend a huge family drama played out. I speak enough Spanish to get the gist. The wife had her second baby, her family came to visit, and then she left with them. She did not take her children. There was lots of confusion. What exactly happened is basically speculation on our part (we do have some biased details) but through this, I did learn a lot of facts about Mexican society:
1. The local police can be called on in domestic disputes. While they may or may not show up, when they do, they will do basically what U.S. cops do - take down some names, make sure no one is dead, and dispel the situation. Then leave. They will not talk with the children or ask about their welfare.
2. Mothers in Mexico have complete custody of their children. (We had to consult our Mexican co-workers to get this info.) Whether or not they married the mother of their children, fathers are generally not consulted in custody disputes.
3. A mother has to have physically left her child for at least 2 months before she can be considered absent. Children are only considered abused or malnourished if they are routinely hospitalized. Children are only considered neglected if they lack basic food (1 tortilla with beans every 3 days is considered basic nutrition), shelter (anything with a roof counts, even if there is no electricity or running water), and clothing (1 complete outfit with any kind of footwear - even flip-flop sandals - counts).
Some things I already knew about the child welfare system:
4. Once DIF takes the child into custody, any family member without a criminal record can claim custody of the child. As less than 1% of all crimes in Mexico are ever punished, very few "criminals" have a record. Once that person has claimed custody of that child, DIF rarely follows up to be sure that s/he is still caring for the child. (keep in mind that "caring" is a minimal requirement)
5. Less than 100 children from Mexico are adopted outside of the country every year, mainly by Mexicans living abroad and/or married to U.S. citizens who claim responsibility for their distant relatives. Mexico does not want to admit that they have trouble caring for their own children.
So basically, an infant and a toddler have been abandoned (perhaps only temporarily) by their mother in the apartment next to me. The mother has the right, at any time in the next two months, to retrieve the children and take them away from their father forever. In the meantime, it's unclear who will care for them. Even if the father does a great job in caring for these children, and loves them immensely, he doesn't have any right to the kids. If neither the father nor the mother want the children, it will be years - if ever - before permanent caring custodians can be found.
All of this while thousands upon thousands of caring individuals could and would take these children into their homes and care for them.
Today, I am praying for that family and thousands of others for whom the "system" has failed.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
International city
I always knew that DF is a truly international city, but one dinner this weekend really drove the idea home. First, this is where our restaurant was located:
And this is what it looked like at the entrance:
So, yes, we went to a Japanese restaurant on a street named for an American state in Mexico's capital city.
Welcome multicultural evening!
And this is what it looked like at the entrance:
So, yes, we went to a Japanese restaurant on a street named for an American state in Mexico's capital city.
Welcome multicultural evening!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
When Public Transit Works
After living in Mexico City for nearly 2 years, I was pretty convinced that cities this large just can't work with modern technology. Then, I went to Tokyo - an even larger city - where not only did tens of millions of persons move around every day, but they did it effectively and effectively. If I wasn't already, Tokyo convinced me that public transportation is the way of the future.
Dave & I shared a car for 2 years in mexico, but right now we are both working and "living" here without a car. (and without a house or apartment of our own - officially we're just 'visiting' this time) Trying to get around this huge metropolis like a Mexican, without a car of our own, has been challenging but exciting.
This weekend, we took a suburban light-rail train car (pictured above) which was clean, on time, and very fast. Then, we took a metrobus, which was crowded, but also amazing. The past few weeks, my co-teachers and current hostesses have taught me to use taxis, buses, and "combis, a kind of mini-bus the size of a VW bug.
I'm starting to think Mexico really can handle their traffic problems. By doubling their light rail and metrobus routes, they can decrease traffic and increase on-time transit for residents.
In related news, I have also recently used the bus routes in my hometown in the U.S. I live in a city that sold all of it's street cars to Mexico City in the 1950s, and is the only major US city without a comprehensive rapid transit system. These buses are less effective than a light rail system would be, but still friendly and helpful and well-used.
this is talking about Americans: Mass transit is highly desired by the young, highly educated "creative class" who want to get around a metro area after relaxing downtown — without having to designate a driver.
Maybe mass transit is a way that Mexico can help the US develop?
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Common Sense, part 1
http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/new-drug-policy-praised-10513
Most Mexicans are fed up with the "Drug War" started by Pres. Calderon when he took office 3 years ago (Mex. presidents serve 1 6-year term). Trying to fight all 3 major drug cartels at one time is incredibly ineffective. Mainly, the drug cartels are better armed and more prepared than the Mexican army, and although they hate each other, they will band together to fight this war. Attacking only one cartel at a time could work, bc the other cartels will basically help the army. Of course, not everyone likes that strategy... aligning itself with any cartel is generally a poor choice for governments. (Although, I have heard that each administration basically cuts a deal with a different cartel - this cartel basically gets federal immunity as long as they don't kill innocent civilians and also keep the other cartels in line. Sounds ridiculous, but it basically worked for 20 years.)
Anyway, the average Mexican - and I - think that the "drug war" is a problem that the U.S. can and should solve, but that the Mex. gov't is currently unable to solve.
problem #1: North Americans buy most of the drugs. If we stopped the demand, either by lowering our usage and/or making marijuana legal, then the prices would drop and fewer cartels would be profitable.
problem #2: All of the guns used by the drug cartels are legally purchased in Texas and then smuggled across the border by U.S. citizens, who are often allowed to cross back and forth without being searched. U.S. border patrol can't regulate firearms, bc that is a states' rights issue.
problem #3: Mexico does not have enough schools for children over 12. Less than half of all Mexicans attend jr. high, less than a quarter attend high school. These numbers are the worst in rural areas, where high unemployment makes the sacrifice of getting a high school education pretty worthless. This means that millions of Mexican young people have 2 options --> illegally cross into the U.S. to work or sign up with a drug cartel. The 'good guys' are the ones who cross into texas to wash dishes, bc at least their mama can go to bed without crying.
problem #4: The U.S. is training Mexican police - who are all corrupt - rather than investing in education or job training in Mexico or drug rehab programs in the U.S.
A new drug policy was announced today by Pres. Obama (see the link above). The new administration is going to make drug policy a public health issue, rather than a public safety issue. This should decrease drug use and drug demand in the U.S., which will help the drug war. This is common sense #1.
Until we get comprehensive immigration reform (common sense #2) and investment in Mexico's education system (common sense #3) the drug war will continue to rage.
BTW - just like on Law&Order, CSI, NCIS, and a dozen other U.S. shows, most everyone who is killed by drug violence is involved in illegal activity. A few innocent citizens can be caught in the crossfire, but this is less likely than dying in a car crash. I am perfectly safe in Mexico, and I encourage others to visit, especially central Mexico, where the drug cartels are a relatively small presence.
Most Mexicans are fed up with the "Drug War" started by Pres. Calderon when he took office 3 years ago (Mex. presidents serve 1 6-year term). Trying to fight all 3 major drug cartels at one time is incredibly ineffective. Mainly, the drug cartels are better armed and more prepared than the Mexican army, and although they hate each other, they will band together to fight this war. Attacking only one cartel at a time could work, bc the other cartels will basically help the army. Of course, not everyone likes that strategy... aligning itself with any cartel is generally a poor choice for governments. (Although, I have heard that each administration basically cuts a deal with a different cartel - this cartel basically gets federal immunity as long as they don't kill innocent civilians and also keep the other cartels in line. Sounds ridiculous, but it basically worked for 20 years.)
Anyway, the average Mexican - and I - think that the "drug war" is a problem that the U.S. can and should solve, but that the Mex. gov't is currently unable to solve.
problem #1: North Americans buy most of the drugs. If we stopped the demand, either by lowering our usage and/or making marijuana legal, then the prices would drop and fewer cartels would be profitable.
problem #2: All of the guns used by the drug cartels are legally purchased in Texas and then smuggled across the border by U.S. citizens, who are often allowed to cross back and forth without being searched. U.S. border patrol can't regulate firearms, bc that is a states' rights issue.
problem #3: Mexico does not have enough schools for children over 12. Less than half of all Mexicans attend jr. high, less than a quarter attend high school. These numbers are the worst in rural areas, where high unemployment makes the sacrifice of getting a high school education pretty worthless. This means that millions of Mexican young people have 2 options --> illegally cross into the U.S. to work or sign up with a drug cartel. The 'good guys' are the ones who cross into texas to wash dishes, bc at least their mama can go to bed without crying.
problem #4: The U.S. is training Mexican police - who are all corrupt - rather than investing in education or job training in Mexico or drug rehab programs in the U.S.
A new drug policy was announced today by Pres. Obama (see the link above). The new administration is going to make drug policy a public health issue, rather than a public safety issue. This should decrease drug use and drug demand in the U.S., which will help the drug war. This is common sense #1.
Until we get comprehensive immigration reform (common sense #2) and investment in Mexico's education system (common sense #3) the drug war will continue to rage.
BTW - just like on Law&Order, CSI, NCIS, and a dozen other U.S. shows, most everyone who is killed by drug violence is involved in illegal activity. A few innocent citizens can be caught in the crossfire, but this is less likely than dying in a car crash. I am perfectly safe in Mexico, and I encourage others to visit, especially central Mexico, where the drug cartels are a relatively small presence.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tough to breathe
http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/air-quality-is-bad-for-half-of-the-year-10510
We all know that DF is dirty. Literally. First off, bc it doesn't rain for about half of the year, and 23 million people live there, soil quickly becomes a fine filmy dust that floats everywhere and sticks to anything - your hair, your car, your storefront - which gives the impression that Mexicans don't care about being clean. This is not true. Mexican women will water the dirt in their front yard to keep it from floating into their house.
Mainly, though, Mexico City is polluted. Millions of cars, buses, trains, and people every day in a mountain valley pump a LOT of pollution into the air.
If you live in the midwest US, you may know about ozone action days - those few hot days in the summer when we're encouraged to fill our gas tanks and mow our lawns after dark to avoid hurting the atmosphere? Well, Mexico has those days half of the year. Literally, half of the days of the year, children are encouraged not to run outside, bc it's bad for their lungs. Every other day of the week, people with asthma need to wear a mask if they leave their house.
We're used to it now, if that's possible, although my nose is runny most of the time.
We all know that DF is dirty. Literally. First off, bc it doesn't rain for about half of the year, and 23 million people live there, soil quickly becomes a fine filmy dust that floats everywhere and sticks to anything - your hair, your car, your storefront - which gives the impression that Mexicans don't care about being clean. This is not true. Mexican women will water the dirt in their front yard to keep it from floating into their house.
Mainly, though, Mexico City is polluted. Millions of cars, buses, trains, and people every day in a mountain valley pump a LOT of pollution into the air.
If you live in the midwest US, you may know about ozone action days - those few hot days in the summer when we're encouraged to fill our gas tanks and mow our lawns after dark to avoid hurting the atmosphere? Well, Mexico has those days half of the year. Literally, half of the days of the year, children are encouraged not to run outside, bc it's bad for their lungs. Every other day of the week, people with asthma need to wear a mask if they leave their house.
We're used to it now, if that's possible, although my nose is runny most of the time.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The more things change...
"When are you moving back? Are you already moved in?"
So many well-meaning people are asking me that question, and I"m trying to remember that they haven't already asked it a million times so I should be nice in my answer.
"We are in the process of moving back. It will take a few trips."
When exactly are we moved back? When the truck leaves? When the truck arrives? When we step off the plane? When I don't have any more airline tickets planned? When the GPS is switched to calculate in miles rather than kilometers? Or is the moving day just a date on the calendar?
Two years ago, I was wrapping up my time at LHWL. I was sad about leaving my students, nervous about finding a new job, harried from preparing a complete curriculum for the next teacher, exhausted from running a my last show without David, and completely scared about what the future would hold. I didn't know what the future would hold, and I was scared of the unknown.
I'm feeling almost the same now as I did before. Even though I know where I will live and where I will work and what I will be doing (basically) this summer, I'm still feeling nostalgic. I had the opportunity to work in a high school this week: substitute in a Spanish classroom and help with a drama production. It brought back so many memories. I got a few days to relive my old life and reconsider my next stage.
Taking a year (or more) out of the classroom will feel very strange.
So many well-meaning people are asking me that question, and I"m trying to remember that they haven't already asked it a million times so I should be nice in my answer.
"We are in the process of moving back. It will take a few trips."
When exactly are we moved back? When the truck leaves? When the truck arrives? When we step off the plane? When I don't have any more airline tickets planned? When the GPS is switched to calculate in miles rather than kilometers? Or is the moving day just a date on the calendar?
Two years ago, I was wrapping up my time at LHWL. I was sad about leaving my students, nervous about finding a new job, harried from preparing a complete curriculum for the next teacher, exhausted from running a my last show without David, and completely scared about what the future would hold. I didn't know what the future would hold, and I was scared of the unknown.
I'm feeling almost the same now as I did before. Even though I know where I will live and where I will work and what I will be doing (basically) this summer, I'm still feeling nostalgic. I had the opportunity to work in a high school this week: substitute in a Spanish classroom and help with a drama production. It brought back so many memories. I got a few days to relive my old life and reconsider my next stage.
Taking a year (or more) out of the classroom will feel very strange.
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