Archive for the ‘Mexico’ Category

August 18th, 2010 - 8:39 am § in Argentina, Around Town, Culture, Mexico, Nonprofit Spotlight

An Avalanche of Human Rights for Same-Sex Couples

In the United States stereotypes abound regarding Latin America’s strong machista culture (with corresponding levels of homophobia). But recent victories for homosexuals (in Uruguay, Argentina, and Mexico City) should call into question such assumptions given that Latin America appears to be getti[...]

August 6th, 2010 - 9:53 am § in Around Town, Culture, Mexico

Pennyless

Pets are not people, not more worthy of life than humans. I distinctly remember experiencing reverse culture shock to an extreme when I came home for a quick vacation during my teaching stint in Honduras. Fresh off the plane, I went to one of my brother’s lacrosse games. I overheard person aft[...]

July 23rd, 2010 - 6:00 pm § in Around Town, Culture, Day in the Life, Mexico

Cultural Portals

Historical mystery taints certain places and events in life. In any ancient country, there are mystical places that transport us back before our ancestors were alive. Of course, time’s fingerprint is evident in the fallen temples and ruins — but time can never rid the effects of such places.[...]

July 20th, 2010 - 10:37 am § in Around Town, In the Field, Mexico, Volunteer

How Much Difference Did I Really Make After 5 Months of Teaching English?

Jon Clarke likes to play with words, understand people, and vice-versa.  He’s English, and this manifests itself through an uncontrollable desire to have a nice cup of tea whenever possible.  Global wanderings have taken him all over the place, nodding and smiling in a variety of different i[...]

July 9th, 2010 - 4:45 pm § in Around Town, Culture, Day in the Life, In the Field, Mexico

Soggy Freedoms

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 wan[...]

June 25th, 2010 - 5:36 pm § in Around Town, Culture, Mexico

Drug Trafficking and Fear

If fear is where all faith begins, Mexico has the potential to understand faith like never before. Fear is what kept me from writing this two weeks ago. Fear is just as common in Mexican life as tiled counter tops and concrete floors. Recently, it’s been creeping up from deep, deep down. Creep[...]

June 11th, 2010 - 1:59 pm § in Around Town, Good Ideas, In the Field, Mexico, Volunteer

Double Pull

At minute 38, Mexico scored the first goal against South Africa. The students watching the game went wild. But then the referee retracted it. Off sides. The emotion went one from one extreme to the other. “Boooo!” cried our middle schoolers whose morning classes were canceled to particip[...]

June 1st, 2010 - 12:58 pm § in Around Town, Mexico, Op Ed

Sometimes Reality Hurts for an Idealist

One of the hardest things about being an idealist is that many times reality hurts. A lot. When I heard about the attack on a caravan of activists in Oaxaca, Mexico a couple of weeks ago, which resulted in the deaths of both a Mexican and a Finnish activist, it hurt. I don’t know either [...][...]

May 28th, 2010 - 11:19 am § in Around Town, Mexico

On My Toes

I’m in a dangerous place. Not because of the drug war going on around me. Nor because I’m 30 feet up a rock face of El Potrero Chico. Not because I’m hanging by a 10-millimeter-wide chord on my handy dandy harness. It’s dangerous because it’s comfortable. The comfort zo[...]

March 9th, 2010 - 8:04 am § in Culture, Event, Mexico, Nonprofit Spotlight, Op Ed

Without Corn There is No Country (Sin Maíz No Hay País)

“Maíz is life, it is happiness, it is parties, it is everything,” said Raúl, a campesino from the state of Hidalgo who we interviewed at the “¿Transgénicos? No, Gracias.” conference this week in Guadalajara.  “When the contaminated [genetically modified] corn came into our are[...]





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