| Living in Mexico | |
| April-May, 1999 |
My sister Jeanette sent me this anecdote which I
think makes an important point about the Mexican lifestyle.   |
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The Irony of it All |
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| The American businessman was at the pier of a small
coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman
docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The
American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked
how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while. The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The American then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time? The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor." The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise." The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?" To which the American replied, "15-20 years." "But what then, senor?" The American laughed and said that's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions. "Millions, senor? Then what?" The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos." |
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Semana Santa |
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| Holy Week, 1999 |
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| The last three days of Holy Week, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, were unusually cool this year. However, Mexicans traditionally go to the beach at this time, and they didn't let cool weather affect their spirits. |  |
This family was one of many flying kites. |
| Aren't we lucky to live in a country where people are free to ride in the back of a pickup, if they want to do so? |  |
Music everywhere. Four bands on the beaches, spaced along the beach so you couldn't hear one anymore when the next one was barely audible. | |
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Musicians strolled the streets, stopping at cafes and restaurants. (Photo by Les) |
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| Tents of every shape and style lined the beach. Behind the tents, the Tetakawi peaks and houses. A seagull flies overhead. | These people are sunbathing in warm clothing. (Photo by Les) |
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It costs more to make a beer bottle than we pay for
a deposit. Because of the number of bottles broken during Semana Santa,
the distributors won't sell beer in bottles anytime that entire week. |
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Anytime there are thousands of people gathered in one place, anywhere, there is the possibility of trouble. The Mexican navy is out in full force to keep peace. From any one point on the beach a person could pick out half a dozen navy uniforms. |
| There are a variety of activities on the beach. Only a few are illustrated here. |  |
This kid is being buried in the sand. (Photo by Les) | |
| Building sand castles is one activity enjoyed by children of all ages. |  |
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| There was music and dancing on the beaches ... There were volleyball games ... | The Tecate girls and the Dos Equis girls danced to the music on the beach and tossed gifts into the crowd. | It was a grand fiesta! |
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Of course, people did swim. Mostly it was the children who got into that cold water. The ocean was about as cold as a Minnesota lake in June. (I can relate to that since I took swimming lessons in Minnesota lakes in June. But I was younger then.) | ||
| Yes, the traffic is more congested in San Carlos during Holy Week, but there is so much activity. I thoroughly enjoyed it. |
| NOTE: | Is Semana Santa really a "Holy Week"? |
| According to the Rescate newsletter, Eduardo,
Rescate's commandante reports that Easter week was anything but holy. April 1, there was 1 ambulance call and 19 people were treated in the infirmary. April 2, 13 ambulance calls and 29 paid a visit to the infirmary. April 3, 8 ambulance calls and 35 treated at the infirmary. April 4, Easter, 2 ambulance calls and 4 infirmary visits. |
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