I am at an internet cafe in Chapala, Mexico, I thought I’d stop by and say a word or two.

I didn’t realize that the internet cafe’s were so cheap here, the last couple of times I was here I didn’t bother to go to one. But yesterday I stopped at one and was on a computer for twenty minutes and they only charged me 3 pesos, which amounts to about 30 cents. I was like WTF.

I am having a lot of fun so far except for the fact that I did not receive my luggage until today, my third day here. I flew on Aviacsa airlines, out of the TJ airport. Apparently, if the airlines reach a certain weight limit, they hold back whatever luggage they choose, to be flown in on another plane. So when I got to the airport here in Guadalajara, Mexico, I had no luggage to claim. They had told me that they would send it to where I am staying either that night, or the next day. When the third day came around and I still had not received it, I decided to go to the airport personally and see what I can do. It turns out they had it since the day before, and I was able to bring it home. Finally able to wear some clean underwear, after two days of the same ones, is a joy hard to put in words. Things were not as bad as they seem though. Because, luckily for me, I brought my Hayek “The Road To Serfdom” book (a great book btw) on the plane with me. So I was able to pass the time enjoyably.

I am staying at a small town, Santa Cruz De La Soledad, about fourty minutes outside of Guadalajara, Mexico, and about five minutes from here, Chapala, Mexico. Most of the people in the small town do agricultural work, working on fields picking different stuff at different times of the year. I asked one of the workers how much he works and how much he gets paid. He said that they usually do 8 hour days, getting paid about 120 pesos, which amounts to a little more than 12 dollars a day (I guess that’s part of the reason the internet cafes are so cheap). It’s hard work, and certainly takes a toll on the body. A couple of the people here work for ’sweatshops’ (American companies operating here). They have a bus come and pick them up at around 6 am that take the workers into the city (Guadalajara), and the bus brings them back around 3pmish, although somtimes they are required to stay later. I asked them how the companies treat them, and although they certainly had complaints (making them work on days they may have wanted off, forcing them to work overtime etc) they did say that overall they are pleased with the companies. They also said that they make a significant amount more than they would if those companies were not here. One female friend I know said that she, at age 23, makes more than her dad, who works in the fields, even though her dad works many times harder than her.

So it seems that my capitalist friends are telling the truth, ’sweatshops’ are not big evil companies forcing people to work in horrible work conditions. In fact, these companies are the exact opposite, they are giving the people in the town extra income and opportunities that they would have not had otherwise. Instead of creating laws that discourage more companies from coming over here, the thing to do is create laws that encourage more companies to come over here. That would cause the pay to rise, and the companies would have no other option than to treat their employees better, by having them get the time off they want, or adding some other benefit that gives the company a competitive edge over others.

Aside from the obvious (monetary) living standard difference between Mexico and the United States, there is also another type of living standard measurement that comes as a big culture shock. This is an index hard to measure, but easy to see. One that economists don’t take into account; that of the family. I must admit that the families here in Mexico, especially those of the poor, are vastly better off than families in the United States. Having spent a greater part of my life in the poorest areas of the United States, and having spent a significant time in the poor areas of Mexico, I could easily see the huge difference in the family, and the care of children between the two countries. When I was growing up in Compton, California, it was very common to find divorced families. All of my friends that had both parents at home were friends that had recently arrived in the United States, or that had parents that grew up in Mexico. But most of my friends that are second generation Mexican, or my black friends, all had divorced parents. Some even had parents that sold drugs, parents that abused them, and even parents that were prostitutes or drug addicts. It was also not uncommon to find friends who didn’t even know who their fathers were. On the other hand, in Mexico, even in the poorest areas, it is very uncommon to find a divorced family. The family is the strongest and the source of love and companionship. Children help the parents out, and it is very uncommon, even when you go to the grocery stores and public areas, to find children ever talk back to their parents. You can see children in their teen years, being as obedient to their parents as children are when they are much younger. It’s a big culture shock for anybody who comes from the United States. The families are deeply Catholic, and have a strong Tradition in that faith. They publically celebrate every Catholic holy day, and often walk around the whole town singing and publically celebrating the specif holy day.

It’s a hard thing to figure out, how such differences arise. Some people claim that it has to do with poverty itself, but that clearly can’t be the reason. Since the families in Mexico are much poorer than the families in the United States, and it is these Mexico families that are the most united. In addition, I could tell you story after story of families that were doing fine in poverty either in the United States or here in Mexico, but as soon as they rose economically, shattered. So it’s a puzzle that I have been thinking about for some time now, but there is one thing I know for sure, it has nothing inherently to do with poverty. It is much more culture related, and has more to do with what goals the culture holds up.

Aside from that, it has been business as usual in this small town. Almost every small town, called a pueblo, in Mexico is a collection of homes and open yards for their horses and cows, all surrounding a ‘plaza’. Which consists of a Catholic Church and an open area for people to congregate. Usually when a family has a big event, be it a birthday party, quinceñera (when one turns fifteen), or a primera comunion (first holy comunion), they throw a big party and sometimes may even take up the whole plaza where the whole town can come and celebrate. During Christmas time, and other times of the year where there are big celebrations, the thing to do is go to different towns that have the plaza’s taken up by a band or some sort of celebration. It’s a time for the towns to get to know each other. Usually the towns take turns in celebrating, so at different times of the month, and different weekends, you can go to different towns and get a good feel for who lives in different towns. Another big entertainment activity is bull riding, and going to the bull shows. Where the bull, after being ridden by a bull rider, is set free amongst people riding horses. After the bull is set free, the horse riders try to catch him with their ropes, hoping not to get their horses ramed by the bull. These shows are usually accompanied by a band that plays and everybody stays around and dances after the bull riding has stopped. It’s a way for everybody to get to know each other, and believe me, everybody does. All the towns are almost like one big giant family where children are not just watched by their parents, but by everybody around.

As for my typical day, since it’s a small town, and many people in the small town don’t even have a phone line, let alone internet access, I usually spend time outdoors. Sometimes I go with the children in the neighborhood, grab a couple b b guns and sling shots, and try to make my mark on nature. Hunting down birds and lizards; although lizards are hard to come by this time of year. If I get bored of that, I try to find a nice quiet spot and read, finally able to escape the fast life of California.

Well, my time is up. Everybody has had more than enough time on the computer, as I have been here for almost three hours now (so far, my charges amount to about 36 pesos, a little more than $3.00). They all want to leave, immediately. Hopefully I will have time throughout my vacation to stop by again, and maybe post more.

Until next time…

Update: It has come to my attention that my description of the family in Mexico could be taken to imply all of Mexico is like that. I was primarily going off my experience in where I am in Mexico, and what I see in this area of Mexico. There certainly are areas in Mexico, especially in the bigger cities like Mexico City, where the picture is no where near as rosy as it is where I am staying at, and in fact, starts to mirror more closely to what you see in the United States. Please take that into account as you read my blog…With that said though, I still agree with the general statement that families in Mexico, especially if you compare poor area to poor area, are stronger than families in the United States, just not as rosy at what I described above.