Create a blog this week on your experience with Mexico or Guatemala, Belize, Honduras ...meaning have you been there? Are you from there? Whether you have or have not been there...give me three things that come to mind when you think about any of these countries and then explain why those things remind you of that particular place
I have been to only one place you mention above and that would be Mexico and have mixed feelings regarding this country. I for the most part I have only traveled to tourists destinations, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Rosarito, Carmen De Playa and Cozumel. These destinations are beautiful but yet disturbing for me.
The first thing that comes to mind is warm weather! Although are weather here in Tahoe has been quite warm for this time of year.
The second thing that comes to mind is their cultures and their beliefs. Are they the same and how do they differ? I consider them of spanish descent. Are their languages the same and what about hteir myths and stories and how they differ.
The third is poverty and how they must struggle to survive for most of the populations. Things I take for granted like running water, shelter, electricity, clothing, etc. I can go on and on about what I take for granted but you don't understand till you see it or live it. I know my sister visits Honduras every other year as a nurse to help with vaccinations and medical care. I hear first hand the struggles and how lucky I am to have the things I have.
I just posted on another classmate's blog about the extreme poverty the people of Mexico endure. I am sure that many foreign tourists are uncomfotable about this aspect of the Mexican culture - to some degree, but at the same time feel good about the bargains they can find for their travel budget. I applaud your sister for her medical services!
ReplyDeleteWhile there is extreme poverty in Mexico and it is prevelant in some areas, we have the same problem here in the good ole US. I have been taking my children to Mexico for many years now and have noticed a pronounced difference in them since they have been exposed to the extreme poverty that they have been witness to. They seem to have a better appreciation of where they are from and the advantages that they have. I would also like to applaud the Mexican families that we have seen living in the circumstances that they do because they seem to always find a way to smile, care for their families and continue their cherished cultural ways.
ReplyDeleteThe poverty in the part of Mexico you visited must be pretty bad if it is one of the top three things that come to mind when you think of Mexico, unfortunately. I realize this is a very hard reality for many people that populate this earth, and I have not truly been exposed to what poverty really is in the terms you speak of: shelter, clean running water, and especially electricity. I admit this is something I am a little nervous about encountering when I do have the opportunity to travel through Mexico because it is foreign to me having been raised with all of those luxuries and more. In that same thought, though, I have a strong feeling it will be an experience that can only lead me to appreciate and be thoughtful about the luxuries and resources I can obtain with such ease today.
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