|
|
|
|
The best way to learn a language is to take the cheapest transportation
you can find. This is how I got caught up in the Mexican caravan
home and saw what I saw. You don’t point out an elephant in
the room unless you got an elephant gun, but here is a story of
such triumphs over adversity that would make a veteran like Oprah
tear up.
We were driving on 57 when it finally hit me; the festive cheer
on the bus was of men who were bringing the Holiday Booty home to
their families. While in Austin, a woman from San Miguel de Allende
sold me a direct ticket to Guanajuato, and the bus was full of Guanajuatense
men eager to see their mountains once again.
The bus breakdown at 2am galvanized the group as we combined forces
with another bus Voltron-style. One of the great wonders of the
world is the elite-Tetris-like Mexican skill to pack a lot of stuff
into very small places. The undercarriage was to laden with gifts
like really nice bicycles and DVD players, the total overflow extended
several rows past the bathroom up top, forcing a very sardine-packed
situation up front. The guy from Celaya sitting next to me took
to talking to a grandmother and her grandson, keeping him occupied
throughout the night. Me, I watched the landscape of the wild lands
of Mexico drift past the bus window. Sometimes you see a lone fire
far off in the distant mountains of the desert, and your only thought
is, “How can anyone survive out here?” The entire night
was peppered with soft discussions about the upcoming good times
once they got back home.
From what I saw, a lot of kids in Mexico are going to be having
a better Christmas than some of my kinfolk back home. And knowing
how many other buses were in this convoy, I think the American retail
industry should be very grateful because the Mexican workers spent
their money in the USA for gifts back home in Old Mexico. For those
who have forgotten, this is called trade. Though sometimes vilified,
these people are not pochos, but obviously men who see a good opportunity
for their families and take it, but also always come home to Mexico.
Trust me, the look on everyone’s faces changed when the dramatic
Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato made their appearance on
the IMAX going on in the windows of the bus. Plans to expedite things
went so far as to call a taxi for me and two others to go directly
to San Miguel instead taking the bus there. Seriously güey,
they got a dude from San Luis de la Paz to meet us at the intersection
of the road past Los Rodriguez and 57. After another brief Tetris
session, all our luggage and our bodies were packed into the taxi
and whisked away through the great ranches that lead back to the
city of San Miguel de Allende.
The whole vibe of the trip was jovial, but if I was staring two
months vacation in the face, I could find some reason for cheer
too. Plus, they had obviously done good enough to bring home one
heck of a Three Kings Day.
Here is how well they have done. It is estimated that these workers
sent US $16.6 billion dollars back home to Mexico, which combined
with the rest of Latin America, comes to US $45.8 billion. A large
part of the American economy is benefiting from this as well, because
they are buying products in the USA to bring home. If Mexican migrant
workers were doing something absurd, like sending home only one
in every five dollars earned, that would mean they spent approximately
$64.4 billion dollars in the USA.
 Unlike
those who came before them, this new wave of Mexican migrant workers
are using their money not only just for their family, but also for
their communities. What they call remittances has created many a
great thing here in Mexico. It looks like a win-win situation for
both countries. I wonder if it would be any different if they were
Canadians.
I will never forget that bus ride, because it will always be my
last through the great John Ford western movie set that is 57 in
el Norte. I got a ride home on a plunder ship full of Mexican Vikings,
who had obviously been involved in some very hard labor to earn
everything on board. But homeward bound is the key.
|