Monthly Archives: December 2014

Hello from Merida Yucatan (well, by the time this is published I will be in Campeche but you get the point right?),

I am still doing some travelling, so am having a challenging time doing posts with my own photos. But I have some great ideas of blog posts upon my return to Querétaro 🙂

For now, enjoy this article from another internet website, that hopefully paints a more diverse picture of Mexico than what we normally see in mainstream media. I guess by sharing my experiences on this blog, I am in a small way trying to express Mexico in a broader spectrum too.

I have been seeing some really beautiful things here in southern Mexico these last weeks, and I was just talking with another traveller today how Mexico would have SO many more visitors if it weren’t for the bad international media coverage. The country is so gorgeous and diverse with so many things that many people would love to see. Ruins, culture, history, nature; she has it all. Well, I guess in a selfish way that’s better for me as it isn’t as crowded as it could be. MWAHAHAHAHA

The article talks about the Mexico/USA border problems, but I think replacing that with the current media coverage of the Ayotzinapa disappearances would be more time relevant to now. My only disappointment is that they didn’t talk about the nature and landscape, as well as the food.  I have also added my own comments in bold orange.

Enjoy! And of course, Merry Christmas!

[Instead of forcing you to click on a new link, I have decided to copy and paste the entire article here. If you would like to see the website, it is here]

Think to the last news story you heard about Mexico, and it probably involved the heated debate over immigration reform in the United States or the Mexico’s struggle against drug cartels.

And now, more than ever, the media is painting a grim picture of the multi-faceted crisis brewing at the U.S.-Mexico border, where a recent surge in undocumented, unaccompanied children are moving between the two countries at a rate of more than 1,000 per week. President Barack Obama has called it a “humanitarian crisis,” and all eyes are on the White House as the government decides its next move.

The images pieced together in the news — of corruption, poverty, violence and crime — are grim, but they don’t capture the full, textured reality of life in Mexico. As there are approximately 33.7 million Mexican-Americans living in the United States today, it is worth thinking more about what the country looks like beyond the headlines.

Here are some photos that show a side to Mexico that we don’t usually see in the media:

Its weird, being in a relationship that has a predetermined amount of time before termination. Knowing from the beginning that we were only going to be together for 10 months or so. It makes my time with you kind of bittersweet, and forces me to take full advantage knowing it wont last forever. If I am being honest, the temporaryness can be a comfort too. Not always, but when things are hard for me here. When I feel like I going to burst about my frustrations here: the stares, the cat calls, this stark and visible difference between wealthy and poor, the pain and time it takes of getting things fixed (if they get fixed), and the sometimes-quiet-sometimes-up-in-your-face-but-always-in-the-back-of-your-mind unease/fear. Not fear and anxiety just for my safety, but my inability to properly communicate, and constantly being in unfamiliar places.

But then, then! I also feel like I might burst from the nostalgia I already feel for my mind-numbingly amazing experiences I’ve had with you and the rest of the country:  meeting all these fascinating people, walking around your downtown at night with all the lights and street performers, your beautiful streets and colours and smells, getting glimpses of different lives,  laughing with strangers, laughing with friends, experiencing all this kindness, your 3am tacos, your 5pm tacos, your 12pm tacos. And of course, the sometimes-quiet-sometimes-up-in-your-face-but-always-in-the-back-of-your-mind unease/fear.

So,  I guess we are getting to that halfway point in our relationship. How am I feeling about you? Lots of things. Firstly, grateful. You have allowed me to be so much while I have been here.   You have welcomed me, sometimes in strange ways. You are full of people who aren’t from here but now call you home.  Your rolling hills of lights from my bathroom window—of so many neighborhoods you harbor  that I have never seen, and might never see.  Your industrialization looming over so much while art and creativity attempt to push through.

How will I ever say goodbye? I am not sure…but for the time being, let us be us and let our relationship grow. Lets see where things take us, and go on more adventures together.

Thanks for everything Querétaro, lets make next semester as awesome as the last.

I grew up in Canada and feel like I am used to most of the customs that we have there, but I did grow up in a Japanese family where we eat Japanese food, celebrate Japanese holidays, and visit ALL our family back in Japan atleast once a year.  So although I am pretty Canadian, I still have a lot of things about me that I think are considered Japanese.

This sometimes rubs up with Mexican/Latin culture in some interesting ways.  Example in the case of this blog post: greetings and personal space.

So in Canada, depending on who you are, you hug goods friends if you haven’t seen them in a while or if that is just what you’re into when you see each other. That’s cool, thats fine. I think it’s partly because of my Japanese background and mostly because I am an awkward human but I find this a bit….uncomfortable. I have just always had this problem. If the other person initiates the hug I am all for it, but I am not going to start that shit.   Like, dude my sister used to hug me as a way to bother me. I just don’t physically embrace like North American (or Latin) culture does.

In Japan and other Asian cultures, there is a lot more personal space (in some ways, ignore those images of packed trains), less physical contact and less open affection. Youtube evidence: there is a video of asian kids randomly telling their parents they love them and recording how the parents react to this. So yeah, it’s a thing.

It’s not that we love each other less, or I appreciate my friends less than other cultures.  Us Asian families, we show our love in other ways.

So, this physical contact thing. I thought it was hard in Canada. Well here in Mexicoyou are in the land of latin culture baby. Here touching is as normal as…as normal as…tacos!  You touch cheeks every time you say hi, bye, walking by, meeting others SO MUCH TOUCHING AND CLOSENESS. And I am not even in a couple things, that is like a whole nutha level.

Part 2

Body language, and body things are funny things. So in Mexico, when you greet eachother you kiss a cheek. What else is common in Mexico? Well I made you some GIFS to show you! I’ve also added some body language from Northern Canada and what a lot of Inuit people do,  as a comparison too 🙂

1) Saying YES in Inuit culture and Mexican culture.

When I was in Pangnirtung in the summer of 2013, I got used to saying Yes and No using the facial expressions that are common up there. I remember when I first arrived I would ask a question to a kid in the community, and they would reply with their face, but I didn’t get they were saying yes so I would repeat the question….

Raise the eyebrows people!

In Mexico however, there is a different way of saying yes. Although people do understand the nodding of the head that is common back home, there is also the finger moving, often used in more non-formal occasions.

Just more fluid and faster than this gif

2) Saying No with Inuit facial expression

3) Saying thank you in Mexican culture. I have often encountered this when I offer something (like food) and the person doesn’t want it but wants to say like, “no thank you”. But I am told it just means thank you . Use it when crossing the street. At first it  feels rude, like you’re flipping someone off. Just get used to it !

Try to maybe look happier than I do but not 100% necessary

And there you have it! Some quick body language greetings used in Mexico and parts of Northern Canada.

Hi  everyone!

Thanks for keeping up with me until now with my journey in Mexico. Winter break is coming up for me (last exam on Thursday!) and a lot of people are heading home permanently or if they are staying for a year, going home to visit loved ones.  I have decided not to head back to Vancouver for the Winter Break because I have no loved ones only myself. Okay just kidding. Kind of…heh heh. Well,  I want to take FULL advantage of being in this part of the world so I am staying in the country! As well, my family will be all over the world during Christmas anyways: My sis in India/Nepal, mom in Japan, Dad and Bro back in Vancouver. And my brother will probably just be snowboarding the whole time anyways 😛

School doesn’t start again until January 12th, so I plan on being gone for most of that time. I am heading South for a lot of it, and a good friend of mine and I will be meeting up to do some travelling in Cancun from the 15th-23rd. Yaaaay!

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, I am NOT going to break my blog oath if that is what you are wondering. I have written a few posts and have them scheduled to publish every two weeks (starting on Friday). When you read them, know that they were written a bit before the actual publication date. I will have a photo gallery of my travels upon return, and hopefully will even be able to blog some too!

I  hope everyone has a great Winter time and New Years, and thanks for taking the time to read my blog 🙂

I am kind of nervous because I will be spending Christmas and New Years alone, which is a first for me. But, this is a great time to make some one-person memories and do some more reflecting. I might even blog about that…how the holidays this year will be different. Anyways, wish me luck. I will stay safe in these tumultuous times of the country. Another blog post maybe?! Okay I stop now haha