Job Discussion Forums

MikeySaid · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 509 Location: Torreon, Mexico

It doesn't start to feel real until it gets close to you. Here in La Laguna it hasn't directly affected me, but it's gotten closer than one would like. Our wedding photographer's cousin was kidnapped and hasn't been found. While that sounds like a stretch, it's a family member of someone we've spent a considerable amount of time with.

What's worse, the house I lived in last year while teaching at a Colegio is just 20 meters from where there was a shootout between the Federales and two men who were wanted by the FBI. I wouldn't be surprised if that resulted in at least one teacher saying "no, thanks" and not coming back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6LWo5DGal0

EDIT: And if things go the way we hope, we'll be back in the US by mid-August and I will be struggling to find work in America.

Mrs L · Joined: 20 Mar 2008 Posts: 72 Location: Rainy England

El Gallo · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 318

I used to feel Chiapas was a safe place to live but with the recent arrest of Mariano Francisco Herran Salvatti, who has been the attorney general in Chiapas for more than six years, I'm having second thoughts. Herran was also drug czar for President Ernesto Zedillo from 1997 to 2000. The arrest revealed he had ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel and contacts with the drug mafia in the US, and has made a public appeal for revenge and for his release.

When I was stopped at the same police checkpoint for a third time this week, I asked the officer how many times a week he had to stop me because the checkpoint is between where I live and where I work. He replied he was new and didn't remember me and that things are very unstable now in Chiapas and the checkpoints would be increased.

Chiapas used to be just a supply route but with Herran gone as the boss of the drug trade here, the other cartels will move in as competition. I hope Chiapas doesn't become another Sonora.

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

el gallo wrote:

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

thelmadatter · Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 10:56 pm Post subject: normalcy

I think the real difference between those of us who live in Mexico and those who have not is that we have experienced the day-to-day grind. I mean, we get up everyday, do what we have to do, going where we have to go and basically it happens without incident. There is no way to distill that kind of experience in any kind of media story. The Internet can serve as a way to get that kind of feel, because you have can contact with any number of people to find some kind of consensus.

The consensus here seems to be ... yeah, the narco problem is real but it can mostly be avoided either through common sense (dont deal drugs) or by avoiding certain areas (an advantage natives of said places do not have unfortunately)

That being said however, Im not sure I would be as non-chanlant as I am now if I ever become a victim of a violent crime here. Lets hope I never find out.

dixie · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 644 Location: D.F

jfurgers · Joined: 18 Sep 2005 Posts: 442 Location: Mexico City

Most of the Mexicans I teach always ask me why I'm living in Mexico. When I ask them why not they say because there is no security here. It seems like the Mexicans are more afraid than we are.

Dragonlady · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:08 am Post subject:

deleted

unrelated directly to TESOL

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Interesting. While there's certainly a big difference between DF and small town Chiapas (or small town anywhere, I guess), I wonder what Melee would say to that comparing her small town to your experience.

In my own time living in Acapulco, I intergrated well enough into the local scene to be able to talk fairly freely with people living there. This was before the PRD and the Zetas took control of the drug trade in Guerrero state mind you. There were gangs, drugs, and violence a plenty in that town, with unions, police, and local government all playing the same game. No serious secrecy to it, though I'm sure tourists never saw it.

What was different then and now is media. A few high profile incidents linger on in the collective memory, taking a very long time to cease being the defining point of a place. Much like Chalie Peterson (sp?) in Tuxtla.

I'm not saying there isn't drug violence or that the war on drugs hasn't resulted in more deaths. I'm just looking at the media spotlight and the increasing one-upsmanship in gloomy stories coming out (a la Jfurgers headliners). Reminds me very much of late 2002 and the WMD of a certain Middle East country.

john_n_carolina · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 700 Location: n. carolina

exactly....and, i don't see it much different than the Crack wars (U.S) in the early and mid 80's. after awhile, it was gone and no one even remembers. but, there were some really bad years there that were probably far worse than what is going on in MX.

MELEE · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 5:30 pm Post subject:

The foriegners are insulated here. While I generally consider this town to be VERY safe, car theft is a BIG problem, as are car-break in (stereos). Since only 2 of the 15 English teachers own cars, and niether are really nice cars, (My car is so COOL, but it's sound system is not). Yes, the English teachers are pretty isolated from that crime. The second biggest problem is generally domestic violence followed by fights in the clubs that play Banda music so again, most of the foriegners easily stay out of those arenas. The only form of local news is the radio, which has news for an hour every morning. Most of my co-workers do not listen to the local radio station, so they don't hear the local police report that, on Mondays especially, can take up to 10 minutes for them to run through all the incidents. Though, like Dragonlady mentioned the murders or serious violent crimes tend to happy to people who are noteworth for their business activities or political activities, or are caught in bed with the
wrong person.