Musical Nostalgia

Well I have been back in Austin for a couple weeks now and have found it pretty difficult to write. I suppose part of it has to do with adapting to a new place and situation. Life here is quite different from the ejido life, obviously. Some people call it ‘culture shock.’ Although I speak some Spanish with friends, I now use English most of the time instead. My little house on the east side is there with all the amenities, although I do have a hammock set up. When I moved into the place last August, one of the first things I did was drill a couple holes in the walls and install a hammock. It makes me miss Mexico less. However, the cold here has made it almost impossible to sleep on so I’ve stuck with the bed for now. It will come in handy on those scorching summer months. One of the biggest changes beyond language and climate has been my distance from family. I am away from my parents (they live in Florida) and now away from my grandparents and extended family as well. The family bond is like no other. Maybe some of you are away from family, or perhaps your future college goals will create that situation. I have become very independent in these last few years and although I am doing wonderfully well surrounded by loving friends here in Austin, I cannot say I could have done what I have done without my family. Traveling throughout Mexico, exploring different places, and venturing out to Texas for grad school are situations I have done alone, but my family has always been there. Through their constant love and support via phones and computers (‘yay’ for technology in this case), I have managed to be the person I am today. I cannot thank them enough for all the love they constantly give. Enjoy every moment you have with your family. Some day you will go off to college and they will miss you; and trust me, although it is loads of fun, you will miss them right back.

This family thought got me thinking about the ejido life again. The main unit of support is the family. In the little village, many generations of families lived together, either under the same roof (as many as 10 people in oen room) or on the same street. Economically, the family shares the burden of paying for things such as school supplies, needed food, and medical bills. Each person in the family contributes to the household food consumption whether it is in the form of working in the ‘milpa,’ shucking the ‘maize,’ or tending the garden. Being in such poor conditions, however, there has been a growing reason of family division. The pressure to make money (especially when there is none) has driven many of the men to nearby Cancun and Playa del Carmen tourist spots to work as construction workers or assistant handymen, etc. This separates the family for up to weeks at a time. The father figure leaves and does not return for a week or more, leaving the woman and the oldest children in charge of the household daily functions. Of the people I talked with, I was told that this decision is made out of necessity. How does this affect the children…the wives? I am not sure. It is a phenomenon that is fairly recent (about 20 years) so the affects are not quiet clear. I think that having the family split up like that is a little sad; this is mostly based on my fortunate personal experience of always having my parents around. This also makes me think about immigration across the border. Most people cross out of economic constraints, some risking their lives to make it into this country. It is a little disturbing to think about how easily I fly in and out of the U.S. while others are dehydrating in the deserts to get in. Again, these people are usually members of a family that they are leaving behind, in order to send remittances back. The money sent back helps send their kids to school, feed and clothe their family, etc.

So here we have the people in the Felipe Carrillo Puerto ejido needing to leave their family to work, and people trying to get into the U.S. to work; both situations affecting the family unit greatly. I cannot offer any solutions, but I can go back to my original personal rant about being back in Austin. Although it has been hard to write and express these feelings (even now), I realize that this ‘culture shock’ I felt is really not much at all. I can only feel grateful to be such a mobile world citizen with the love of family and friends, some far away out of choice and not necessity. One saving grace in this sometimes gloomy world of poverty and injustice is music (of which I am passionate about), so I will end this entry with a recommendation for a song. Ever heard of Mana? I only recently listened to some of his music, he is very famous. One song I only just listened to and now love is called ‘Fe.' I recommend checking out the whole song, but here are some of the words in Spanish (worth translating if you only speak English, and good practice too for those learning) :

“Como puede ser, que haya tanta destruccion,

En vez de resolver

Les enferma todo el poder.

Que esto quede claro:

Hay que amarnos como hermanos,

Tenemos el valor, para darnos mas amor,

Lo se, ya lo se…”