I was recently told: “Mexico is really a free country. You can do whatever you want here and no one will say anything.”
But I’ve also heard: “Freedom comes at a price.” The only bridge created by Hurricane Alex is the one between these two — very true — ideas.
In Mexico, if you want to ride around on the top of your friend’s car, you can. If you want to drive without a catalytic converter or brake lights, no worries. If you want to blast your music all night – go for it. If, when you finish your Coke, you want to throw the bottle out the window…no biggie. But there can be a heavy price for these freedoms. Seeing the effects of Hurricane Alex, those prices don’t seem to vale la pena.
In the United States, there are housing codes, bridge regulations, car inspections and water runoff laws. These all seem to be tedious rules, more red tape for the government to wrap itself in. But after some hard rains in Mexico, I wish our house was built by a code. I wish I didn’t have to use our dust pan to sweep up unwanted water (for lack of a functional mop).
After two of the three roads out of this town were impassable due to flooded bridges, I find myself longing for the boring paperwork of a man in a hard hat. The third road out — and now the only way for people from four surrounding towns to get to Monterrey or anywhere else — is under police force discretion. Only one bus or big truck is allowed on the shifted bridge at a time, although there can be a few little cars crossing simultaneously. Our friends and neighbors think it’s only a matter of time before Alex’s aftermath adds one more knocked-out bridge to its tally.
Before hurricane season, my husband went to the movie theatre with a friend in Monterrey. After a hard rain, he was standing ankle-deep in water in a large, metropolitan parking lot.
Right now, domestic puddles are as normal as corn on a stick. I’m certainly not advocating for dictatorships or unnecessary rules, but it seems a few more regulations would make the freedoms we do have less moldy.
Gena Thomas is a women’s coop laborer and faith-based coffee shop co-manager with her husband. For more on her experiences, check out her blog.
Latest posts by genalou
- Cheesecake Philosophy - July 11th, 2011
- Counter-Culture Appreciation - January 31st, 2011
- Maneuvering Mexico's Methods - December 31st, 2010
- Pregnant in Latin America - Now What? - December 17th, 2010
- Unregistered Nursing - November 19th, 2010
- On Coffee and Marriage - November 5th, 2010
- Combat Mosquitoes with Karate Moves - October 22nd, 2010
- Day in the Life: Bungee Fun - October 13th, 2010
- Skyping for School - September 24th, 2010
- Worlds Apart - September 10th, 2010
