Reflections on life in small-town Mexico

We've now lived in Lo de Marcos for a little over two weeks, and will be staying another month. On our journey from the airport, I asked our friend if there was much poverty here. It led to a discussion of the various viewpoints of what is poverty, and we discussed life in general here. It certainly wasn't a question she could answer with a simple "yes" or "no". I understand that more now, after living here for just two weeks. When I told this story to another friend, who had lived in Mexico in the past, she said "There is a richness in the Latino culture that our culture has lost." The "our" here refers to Canadians, and I couldn't have said it better myself. A wise observation.

Update: This sheep is carried everywhere with her -
and is no longer quite as clean - but is well-loved!

Here are some of my observations and reflections, in just two short weeks:

• It gets a little tiring saying "buenos días" to everyone we pass, even though the population's not that big, but I've become used to it. I can't imagine doing it anywhere else I've lived, even in small areas. It just shows the warmth of the people. They seem genuinely welcoming to us foreigners.
• Watching a lady park a stroller outside a store and leave her baby outside with no fear of having someone take the child. Oh, if only it was a safe thing to do in so many other countries.
• On a similar theme, children walk home from school unescorted, and play in the streets together when it's dark. Parents don't have the fear of abduction or molesting that is so prevalent in so-called more advanced countries. I'm used to seeing vehicles blocking traffic when school gets out, as everyone picks up their children because of safety concerns.
• Seeing every bicycle just propped up somewhere; no locks in sight. I've never left my bike unlocked if it's unattended. It probably wouldn't be there when I came back!
• Inevitably taking much longer to get anywhere than I'd expected, because we now know people around town and so stop to chat ... and the day just slips away. No responsibilities, so no problem, but it rarely happens in the city where I've lived now for over forty years.
• As we walked the street today, we saw two of "our students" who waved, had big smiles for us, and happily stopped to chat with us ... in English, of course. I'm not sure how many teachers are treated with such respect, and it certainly made us feel good. 
• I've just finished updating our calendar for next week. Between organized walks, tours, and teaching, we certainly shouldn't be bored. The bonus is all these events are free; no admission fees or tour charges, and not a timeshare salesperson in sight!
• Wednesdays, early evening, there's a live band playing in the central plaza/park, families and friends having food and socializing, couples dancing, and children playing. Mexicans happily mingle with the temporary residents. It's simple pleasures, and lovely to watch and enjoy.
• As I sit on our deck, listening to Mexican music and hearing workers loudly singing as they work, it just fits in with Mexico. In my Canadian neighbourhood, someone would be calling the police to report a noise disturbance. Here I literally applaud the singer, even though he couldn't win any singing competitions!

So many bikes in town, all left unattended

So I am somewhat frustrated by the high profile media reports of the dangers of travel in Mexico. Searching Lo de Marcos on Tripadvisor you will see a travel alert highlighted in red, which links to the US State Department's safety and security advisory. I may be naive, but I don't get any sense of feeling unsafe here. It is a simple, slow lifestyle, and those to the north have lots they could learn from this culture.

Visiting a neighbouring town, we enjoyed this splash of colour.

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Location: Lo de Marcos, Nayarit, Mexico
Weather: High of 78ºF (26ºC), low of 68ºF (20ºC)

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Note: The people posing for photos in this blog are aware their photo will be on the Internet and have happily agreed to it.