Welcome to Mexico!
By Victoria Schmidt
Out Of The Mouths Of Babes
Lakeside demographics are changing. It’s not just a place to retire. There is a wave of “mobile professionals.” Younger people who make their living online, or entrepreneurs. These younger people are also bringing their children. Recently I spoke to a young USA citizen living at lakeside. She is nine. I wondered about her experiences as a child living in a foreign country.
Families can avail themselves of multiple educational options. There are private schools, Mexican schools, home schooling and online studies.
My first question was which school she went to. She attends a Mexican school along with the local students. She loves learning Spanish and picked it up very quickly. “The kids are nicer than the kids in her USA school.” But truthfully, she didn’t like the school. So I asked if she liked her school in the USA and she giggled, “not really.”
“How do you like where you live?” With great enthusiasm, she described how much fun she had with the kids in her neighborhood. “You can walk everywhere and find what you want just like that!” As she snapped her fingers and then she said “and look—I can get my nails done for cheap” demonstrating her latest manicure with glitter.
“Oh I love the square, I love the tacos and all the people, it is so much fun. There is music and so many things to look at and I don’t have to use much of my allowance. Except when we go to Chapala. That square is boring now. Nobody goes there and my Mom doesn’t want me to go to the vendors because they are in the street and she thinks it is dangerous with all the cars. It’s pretty dumb and it isn’t fun there anymore.” I was quietly thinking, out of the mouths of babes.
I asked, “What other things do you like about Mexico?” She went on to tell me about all the things there is to do, and many free things, the malecons, and the park and the horses and burros on the streets. The globos and fireworks are awesome! “Oh and once my Mom took me to the zoo in Guadalajara. It was so cool, and look what I got,” proudly pointed to a bracelet on her wrist from the zoo. “I could go back there again and again.”
“I really like my gymnastics class, but I really want to be a dancer like the ones with the colorful skirts. Mexico is best for the colors.”
I asked her overall, if she had her choice about where to live in the future, would she chose in Mexico. “Oh yes!! psecially in San Antonio ‘cuz it is fun and real. Not like the places where all the gringos live. Why are they here if they don’t want to do all the neat things here with the Mexicans?”
Out of the mouths of babes.
While we were chatting a woman asked me where she could file a formal complaint about the fireworks and noise because they were scaring her dog. I explained to her that it was the Patron Saint Festival for her village, and that is Mexican culture. I suggested she talk to her vet about something that could help her dog. She glared stating “Mexico should just outlaw those (expletive deleted) things.”
My little friend said: “She wasn’t very nice. Why did she move here if she wants to change everything?”
“I don’t know sweetie, I honesty don’t know.”
Out of the mouth of babes.
