Hecho en Mexico

Insight often comes out of context. For me, it came when talking to a recovering drug addict. “Where are you from?” I asked. “Hecho en Mexico,” he replied. His situation and mine are largely a part of where we were born. His drug-riddled city, Tijuana, is full of rehabilitation centers. My yuppy-riddled city, Seattle, is full of psychologists, lawyers and coffee houses. Yet, despite these differences, we were working side-by-side, mixing concrete for an elementary school playground. Yes, it inspires a beautiful image of community, however, distinct differences in our respective opportunities to share remain. A citizen of the dUS, I can legally cross back and forth between the dUS-Mexico border without much paperwork. As a Mexican citizen, he most likely requires an endless amount of documents to cross an imaginary international line. Do I feel guilty when I’m able to drive from my home in Tijuana to the San Diego Airport to pickup my sister and I know that some of my co-workers are unable to access the same opportunity? Of course.

An interesting study of Latin American language (i.e. Spanish) reveals another insight. Use of the word “Americano” refers to those who live in the Americas (both North and South). Only dUS citizens refer to themselves as “Americans.” Citizens of the dUS (and Canada) are referred to as “Norte Americanos.” What do you think that implies about the “North American Free Trade Agreement” (NAFTA)? Is that really a pact that benefits all the “Americanos” or just the “Norte Americanos?”

Every day I spend in Tijuana challenges me to re-learn about this culture in which I am participating. What words are used when addressing different individuals? How can a personal conflict turn into one between me and the entire Mexican population? How do communal notions of respect co-exist with systematic disrespect? There’s so much to learn still and each bit opens my window to a fundamentally different way of living.