This is where the Governor of Morelia "works"... meaning they show it to visitors and say he works there (for tradition, of course), but he really doesn't. It's okay to say this... our tour guide told me... lol.
I realized I haven't posted a pic of the school... so here is the front side... later on (when my camera dies) I will post more from my "wealth" of photos...
Let me regress for a moment: Rogelio sliding down the hill of rocks last weekend... can you imagine what I looked like? One word... pathetic...
I realized I haven't posted a pic of the school... so here is the front side... later on (when my camera dies) I will post more from my "wealth" of photos...
Let me regress for a moment: Rogelio sliding down the hill of rocks last weekend... can you imagine what I looked like? One word... pathetic...I am fascinated by politics in Mexico... apparently this is a fascination shared by most of my teachers at the school. Maybe it’s just my personal observation, but it seems to me that anytime you find academics you also find a propensity to discuss politics... one could draw several hypothesis about such a pairing, but I will leave that to your imaginations and turn to my thoughts on the political system here and the changes that have been occurring in Mexico... sorry if you find this post boring... you don’t have to read it... lol.
Mi clase de conversacion (conversation class) is truly a joy. In fact, I have decided that “conversation” – not in any specific language, but just in general – is going to be my new occupation. Does anyone know of a job wherein discussing topics constantly (any and every topic possible), all day long, is a must? Oh wait... maybe a professor of literature??? Hmmmm....
Anyway, my teacher asked us if we had any topics we would like to know more about, discuss, etc., and I mentioned that I was interested in the Mexican political system. So... it started. We spent two days discussing the topic, then in one of my other classes the following day I mentioned that we had been discussing politics and that professor and I discussed politics the entire hour, and then the next professor and I discussed them for a half hour of the next period... it was fabulous... =P And then today (since it was Friday and a holiday... at least that was our excuse) three out of my four classes consisted completely of conversation which ranged from politics, religion, and African-American authors to marriage, obligation, and immigration (all really light topics, so you can imagine how my Spanish faired... or in this case, failed... lol).
So, here’s what I have learned this past four weeks:
Mexico is a country whose political corruption has not only been an occurrence in the last eighty years – it has almost been an expected one. Corruption from the top of the political system to the bottom has been rife, and soaring inflation, national debt, and fluctuating worth of the peso have struggled for prominence in being the most disastrous for the country as a whole, while “...the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”
My professor, Luis, gave me a brief rundown of the political history of the last century and a little insight into the changes occurring right now. For instance, Mexico had a president from the same political party – PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, a party whose placement on the “left” and “right” political scale has fluctuated severely) – for seventy years, which means that party had total control of the government through the Congress, Senate, etc. It was only in the year 2000 that a president from the PAN (Partido Accion Nacional, the “right” party, but much less conservative than the Republican party in the U.S... this party is closer to “independent”) party was elected, the first time in Mexican history where the President was elected legally and democratically (mainly as a result of the very, very strict system of voting in Mexico, which is a result of corrupted experiences in the past and makes cheating in an election almost impossible).
However, there is more than ample speculation that President Fox, who concludes his presidency this December, was never allowed to push through any changes or decisions because the Congress (whose majority is comprised of members of the PRI party) vetoed almost all of his suggestions. Consequently, many Mexicans refer to the last six years as a “standstill” or pausa (a pause) when the country has simply been waiting to see what will happen.
And now... things are happening. When candidates for this presidential election were being decided, announced, etc., the Governor of Mexico D.F. (the federal district in Mexico City), Lopez Obrador, continually denied that he would be running for President as a candidate of the PRD (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica, an extremely liberal “leftist” party... much more extreme than the Democratic party in the U.S.), despite urging from his loyal supporters. On the other hand, Obrador kept acting as though he were going to be running for President, campaigning in his own way, which involved refusing to use television as a means of advertising, since he was one of the Mexican people and he wasn’t going to resort to advertising strategies meant to ensare and exploit the average human’s perceptions and awareness. The PAN party announced its candidate, Felipe Calderón, to the general approval of many Mexican people, and suddenly Obrador was in the race for President.
At the beginning of the campaigning, political analysts believed that the majority of the Mexican people were in favor of Obrador, but Felipe Calderón’s use of television for advertising was making its effects felt, and midway through the campaigning, Obrador’s people decided to avail themselves of television anyway for advertisements. By election time, the outcome of the voting (which occurred this past August) wasn’t clear – but it ended up being Felipe Calderón who won by a slight margin.
However, here’s the rub. In the different states of Mexico, people were also voting for their Governor, their local officials, etc. Obrador refused to admit he lost and that Calderón won the election. He immediately called for a recount – of just the votes for President... he said the state official elections didn’t need to be recounted. The IFE (Instituto Federal Electoral) refused to comply, saying that the computers had been run effectively, the voting was legal, democratic, and in every way correct. However, the computer program that configures and counts the votes was designed by the company that Calderón’s brother-in-law owns, and the head of the IFE is a bosom friend of Calderón’s – Calderón was the witness who signed at this man’s wedding. As one of my other teachers pointed out, “The answer my friend is blowing in the wind...”
So... Obrador is publicly denying Calderón’s place as President, and with his party forcibly kept Calderón from giving his acceptance speech (essentially like our State of the Union). Calderón simply handed the men who prevented him from entering the auditorium a piece of paper with his speech and left (later on his acceptance speech was aired on all television channels from his office – interrupting La Fea Mas Bella I might add for those who care... lol). The Mexican people were furious that he was prevented from giving his speech, and through various actions, voicing of his opinions, and bull-headedness, Obrador is quickly losing support. However, there are still those who refuse to accept Calderón as President, and one lady who I meet with to do private lessons in the morning, said, “El no va a tomar possesion como Presidente en el primero de Diciembre.” (“He is not going to take possession/position as President on the first of December.”) There are those who are certainly willing to commit violence to ensure he is not the head of the country...
In addition, the President of Venezuela, Hubo Chávez, a good friend of Obrador’s, has also made a public statement saying that he does not acknowledge Calderón as President, and that he embraces Obrador instead as the President and as a strong ally for the future.
So... the country has been in turmoil; split down the middle with different opinions, insulting actions, and rising tempers. Students, my age and younger, have launched protests, rallies, supportive parades, etc. It’s really very inspiring to see so many young people taking an interest in the political decisions of their country... but I am a spectator here. How would I be reacting if I were a resident of Mexico? Would I march? Would I protest? Would I be willing to risk my life and my family for independence and “free” thinking? Or would I sit back as well... and wait?
I don’t know. And neither do all the people here. It’s as though everyone is waiting to see what everyone else will do... waiting to find out what will happen in the intervening two months before Calderón “takes” office.
But in the meantime... it’s celebration time and the Mexican Independence Day is tomorrow. Tonight my professor, Luis, an amiga of mine from the school, Meghan (a student from Chicago who is studying to be a youth pastor, and who wants to work with inner-city urban kids/teens after she graduates), another couple from the school, and I are going to el grito de independencia (literally – “the shout of independence”), which is happening in all the cities of Mexico tonight – essentially a remembrance of Miguel Hidalgo y Castillo’s cry “El grito de Dolores!” which is now, “Vive Mexico! Vive Mexico!” shouted by each city’s gobernador and echoed by the populace... how cool (for lack of a better word), and I am totally excited to go... or, for you Chelsie... “super excited!” And don’t worry mama y mis abuelos... I will be safe, and my professor has vowed to protect us from amorous young men... lol.
On the way here I saw men dressed in costumes dancing in the square, flags waving in the street, etc., and so I took pictures… but I can’t get them to copy over… so I will try to post pictures at the beginning of next week... until then... have a great weekend everyone! Hasta luego...
Mi clase de conversacion (conversation class) is truly a joy. In fact, I have decided that “conversation” – not in any specific language, but just in general – is going to be my new occupation. Does anyone know of a job wherein discussing topics constantly (any and every topic possible), all day long, is a must? Oh wait... maybe a professor of literature??? Hmmmm....
Anyway, my teacher asked us if we had any topics we would like to know more about, discuss, etc., and I mentioned that I was interested in the Mexican political system. So... it started. We spent two days discussing the topic, then in one of my other classes the following day I mentioned that we had been discussing politics and that professor and I discussed politics the entire hour, and then the next professor and I discussed them for a half hour of the next period... it was fabulous... =P And then today (since it was Friday and a holiday... at least that was our excuse) three out of my four classes consisted completely of conversation which ranged from politics, religion, and African-American authors to marriage, obligation, and immigration (all really light topics, so you can imagine how my Spanish faired... or in this case, failed... lol).
So, here’s what I have learned this past four weeks:
Mexico is a country whose political corruption has not only been an occurrence in the last eighty years – it has almost been an expected one. Corruption from the top of the political system to the bottom has been rife, and soaring inflation, national debt, and fluctuating worth of the peso have struggled for prominence in being the most disastrous for the country as a whole, while “...the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”
My professor, Luis, gave me a brief rundown of the political history of the last century and a little insight into the changes occurring right now. For instance, Mexico had a president from the same political party – PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, a party whose placement on the “left” and “right” political scale has fluctuated severely) – for seventy years, which means that party had total control of the government through the Congress, Senate, etc. It was only in the year 2000 that a president from the PAN (Partido Accion Nacional, the “right” party, but much less conservative than the Republican party in the U.S... this party is closer to “independent”) party was elected, the first time in Mexican history where the President was elected legally and democratically (mainly as a result of the very, very strict system of voting in Mexico, which is a result of corrupted experiences in the past and makes cheating in an election almost impossible).
However, there is more than ample speculation that President Fox, who concludes his presidency this December, was never allowed to push through any changes or decisions because the Congress (whose majority is comprised of members of the PRI party) vetoed almost all of his suggestions. Consequently, many Mexicans refer to the last six years as a “standstill” or pausa (a pause) when the country has simply been waiting to see what will happen.
And now... things are happening. When candidates for this presidential election were being decided, announced, etc., the Governor of Mexico D.F. (the federal district in Mexico City), Lopez Obrador, continually denied that he would be running for President as a candidate of the PRD (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica, an extremely liberal “leftist” party... much more extreme than the Democratic party in the U.S.), despite urging from his loyal supporters. On the other hand, Obrador kept acting as though he were going to be running for President, campaigning in his own way, which involved refusing to use television as a means of advertising, since he was one of the Mexican people and he wasn’t going to resort to advertising strategies meant to ensare and exploit the average human’s perceptions and awareness. The PAN party announced its candidate, Felipe Calderón, to the general approval of many Mexican people, and suddenly Obrador was in the race for President.
At the beginning of the campaigning, political analysts believed that the majority of the Mexican people were in favor of Obrador, but Felipe Calderón’s use of television for advertising was making its effects felt, and midway through the campaigning, Obrador’s people decided to avail themselves of television anyway for advertisements. By election time, the outcome of the voting (which occurred this past August) wasn’t clear – but it ended up being Felipe Calderón who won by a slight margin.
However, here’s the rub. In the different states of Mexico, people were also voting for their Governor, their local officials, etc. Obrador refused to admit he lost and that Calderón won the election. He immediately called for a recount – of just the votes for President... he said the state official elections didn’t need to be recounted. The IFE (Instituto Federal Electoral) refused to comply, saying that the computers had been run effectively, the voting was legal, democratic, and in every way correct. However, the computer program that configures and counts the votes was designed by the company that Calderón’s brother-in-law owns, and the head of the IFE is a bosom friend of Calderón’s – Calderón was the witness who signed at this man’s wedding. As one of my other teachers pointed out, “The answer my friend is blowing in the wind...”
So... Obrador is publicly denying Calderón’s place as President, and with his party forcibly kept Calderón from giving his acceptance speech (essentially like our State of the Union). Calderón simply handed the men who prevented him from entering the auditorium a piece of paper with his speech and left (later on his acceptance speech was aired on all television channels from his office – interrupting La Fea Mas Bella I might add for those who care... lol). The Mexican people were furious that he was prevented from giving his speech, and through various actions, voicing of his opinions, and bull-headedness, Obrador is quickly losing support. However, there are still those who refuse to accept Calderón as President, and one lady who I meet with to do private lessons in the morning, said, “El no va a tomar possesion como Presidente en el primero de Diciembre.” (“He is not going to take possession/position as President on the first of December.”) There are those who are certainly willing to commit violence to ensure he is not the head of the country...
In addition, the President of Venezuela, Hubo Chávez, a good friend of Obrador’s, has also made a public statement saying that he does not acknowledge Calderón as President, and that he embraces Obrador instead as the President and as a strong ally for the future.
So... the country has been in turmoil; split down the middle with different opinions, insulting actions, and rising tempers. Students, my age and younger, have launched protests, rallies, supportive parades, etc. It’s really very inspiring to see so many young people taking an interest in the political decisions of their country... but I am a spectator here. How would I be reacting if I were a resident of Mexico? Would I march? Would I protest? Would I be willing to risk my life and my family for independence and “free” thinking? Or would I sit back as well... and wait?
I don’t know. And neither do all the people here. It’s as though everyone is waiting to see what everyone else will do... waiting to find out what will happen in the intervening two months before Calderón “takes” office.
But in the meantime... it’s celebration time and the Mexican Independence Day is tomorrow. Tonight my professor, Luis, an amiga of mine from the school, Meghan (a student from Chicago who is studying to be a youth pastor, and who wants to work with inner-city urban kids/teens after she graduates), another couple from the school, and I are going to el grito de independencia (literally – “the shout of independence”), which is happening in all the cities of Mexico tonight – essentially a remembrance of Miguel Hidalgo y Castillo’s cry “El grito de Dolores!” which is now, “Vive Mexico! Vive Mexico!” shouted by each city’s gobernador and echoed by the populace... how cool (for lack of a better word), and I am totally excited to go... or, for you Chelsie... “super excited!” And don’t worry mama y mis abuelos... I will be safe, and my professor has vowed to protect us from amorous young men... lol.
On the way here I saw men dressed in costumes dancing in the square, flags waving in the street, etc., and so I took pictures… but I can’t get them to copy over… so I will try to post pictures at the beginning of next week... until then... have a great weekend everyone! Hasta luego...
1 comment:
Hey I started to comment like 4 hours ago and then I didn't...haha...anyway...That was a super good post. :) Love ya.
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