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Violence/Drug Wars/Safety(Includes Guadalajara-U.S. Warning)
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the peanut gallery



Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 264

PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 4:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Prof,

Im heading to GDL in a few of hours, hope the roads are trouble free. Have you been there? Can you recommend a good restaurant? I asked if anyone living had some ideas but nobody replied.
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the peanut gallery



Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 264

PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Samantha,

Sorry for the mix up. For some reason i thought you lived in Oaxaca.
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Samantha



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

PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

LOL! Perhaps we could substitute the comment "situation in Sinaloa" for "situation in Ciudad Juarez" (or Tijuana or Matamoros,) or other far worse areas in Mexico. Sinaloa is no longer the correct example (but she has broad shoulders), and my post yesterday when I said "the dreaded Sinaloa" was mostly tongue-in-cheek. Last I checked, my "nanny" government says I can still safely be here, I'm just not allowed to cross the border or drive the highway to get here.

P.S. Do I qualify for "another good post" vote or do I fall into the rosy colored (mine are 3D) glasses category?
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the peanut gallery



Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 264

PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You got my vote!
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btsmrtfan



Joined: 01 Jul 2010
Posts: 193
Location: GPS Not Working

PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The latest communication from the International Schools Review contains the following:

"Mexico
Not many years ago Mexico was a tranquil, peaceful country. Today it is riddled with kidnappings and murders as a result of violent drug wars. What is it like to teach and live in Mexico in 2011?"

http://internationalschoolsreviewdiscuss.wordpress.com/category/teaching-in-political-hot-spots/
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tideout



Joined: 05 Feb 2011
Posts: 213

PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the peanut gallery wrote:
"It would make a pretty funny State Dept. advisory - 6 people were shot in Miami so US citizens should not, we repeat not worry about the situation in Sinaloa. Citizens of other countires ie. Germany, should check headlines about Munich or Frankfurt before traveling on Mexican highways at night! "



Very well put.

Defending ESL salaries in Mexico vs US teaching salaries by stating there are so many variables that it makes the comparison pointless is correct imo. By the same token the violence and crime rate in Miami has sweet nothing to do with that in Michoacan. But it seems that one comparison is not admissible while the other is.

Apples vs apples right?



I like your point that salaries can also slip into a wierd argument.

I make far more money in S. Korea but I'm less happy here than Mexico. My impression is that a lot of ESLer's in SK are here for making $ to pay off debt and/ or buying stuff. Probably more conservative and younger (in general). So for me it's a far less vibrant place than Mexico etc..but a lot of people here couldn't put up w/ Mexico.

Having said that I can't ignore my past experience of getting ripped off by two schools in Latin America. I'm willing to trade some salary for a better life. I'm not willing to get ripped off or work in unfair conditions. I will still be a bit suspicous about people who say (against all evidence) that they've been makin' it in __XXX ____city in Mexico for two years only to find out later that they're getting a check from mom or dad or Uncle Sam.

Again, it's just cartoonish portrayals that make me a bit loco!

Credit to those who've stuck it out. My ongoing impression is that those who've stayed in Mexico (w/o outside money) and are doing well or even just ok, have usually been at it a bit. They're connected, looked for the better apt. deals over time and so on. No doubt one person's pay may not "add up" the same as another's for a host of reasons.
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TeresaLopez



Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 601
Location: Mexico City

PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Prof.Gringo wrote:
[

Mexico isn't "safe" in any sense of the word. Hopefully things will improve, but I don't see it happening anytime soon.


Again with the WHOLE COUNTRY isn�t safe. While I agree that there are areas that aren�t safe, I�d be willing to bet major money that people from small towns all over Mexico would disagree with your condemnation of the whole country. I just don�t think you can say a whole country is not safe. Yes, there are serious problems in some areas, lots in the north, lots in Mexico City and Guadalajara, certainly, but even there there are areas that are far safer than others. It is not as simple as you make it out to be.
But violence can happen at any time in any place pretty much, and I guess you can choose to dwell on the negative, or on the positive, or, as most people seem to do, strike a balance, be careful, make adjustments and get on with life, instead of spending every waking hour worrying about what might happen. Or never happen.
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Samantha



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

PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Since the thread has become a sticky, I will add this information. Yesterday a new warning was issued by the US Government which covers the following cities. San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Leon, Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende.

https://www.osac.gov/Pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=10447


Last edited by Samantha on Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:07 am; edited 1 time in total
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tideout



Joined: 05 Feb 2011
Posts: 213

PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

TeresaLopez wrote:
Prof.Gringo wrote:
[

Mexico isn't "safe" in any sense of the word. Hopefully things will improve, but I don't see it happening anytime soon.


Again with the WHOLE COUNTRY isn�t safe. While I agree that there are areas that aren�t safe, I�d be willing to bet major money that people from small towns all over Mexico would disagree with your condemnation of the whole country. I just don�t think you can say a whole country is not safe. Yes, there are serious problems in some areas, lots in the north, lots in Mexico City and Guadalajara, certainly, but even there there are areas that are far safer than others. It is not as simple as you make it out to be.
But violence can happen at any time in any place pretty much, and I guess you can choose to dwell on the negative, or on the positive, or, as most people seem to do, strike a balance, be careful, make adjustments and get on with life, instead of spending every waking hour worrying about what might happen. Or never happen.


My last post on this I swear! Very Happy


This is a great example of how context and nuance makes things different. I tend to agree with your first paragraph TL but I've also read a couple of different journalists in the past year who've interviewed, totally off-camera officials within the Federal government. The gist of a couple of these interviews, is that every state in Mexico has some, at least semi-offical dealing with a cartel or drug connected organization. It could be as simple as a little extra cash to a public employee and an agreement on where that group can do business w/o much interference as long as there's no violence in that area etc..

In this sense Prof Gringo may really have a point.....

So, I'm just saying that I agree with both of you depending on the context.

Hey man, I'm just trying to get to 20 posts so I can PM!! Cool
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Guy Courchesne



Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City

PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 5:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Samantha wrote:
Since the thread has become a sticky, I will add this information. Yesterday a new warning was issued by the US Government which covers the following cities. San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Leon, Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende.

https://www.osac.gov/Pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=10447


The governors of those states were quick to denounce the warning, calling it unjust.

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/746179.html

The Zacatecas governor felt that his state's mere proximity to SLP is what added his state to the warning, without warrant.

They all ask the feds to defend the states from such characterizations.
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the peanut gallery



Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 264

PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If only they were so quick to defend their citizens!
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btsmrtfan



Joined: 01 Jul 2010
Posts: 193
Location: GPS Not Working

PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is surely not good news for Mexico when added to the already violent mix:

http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/02/21/hezbollah-working-with-cartels/
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Prof.Gringo



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!

PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

btsmrtfan wrote:
This is surely not good news for Mexico when added to the already violent mix:

http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/02/21/hezbollah-working-with-cartels/


Nope, really bad mojo there.

Looks like Acapulco is going off as well:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110221/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico_16

"ACAPULCO, Mexico � A spate of attacks on taxis in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco has left 12 taxi drivers or passengers dead, police said Sunday, just hours before the Mexican Open tennis tournament is scheduled to start."

"The attacks began Friday, when five taxi drivers were found dead in or near their vehicles.

The slaughter continued Saturday, when a driver was found bound and shot to death near his taxi, and two others were found dead of bullet wounds inside their vehicles. One of the drivers had been beheaded.

Gunmen opened fire on yet another taxi, killing the driver and three passengers.

On Sunday, the violence came closer to the city's tourist zone, where the tennis matches are held. Five cars were set afire and a man's body was found hacked to pieces outside an apartment building.

Dozens of cars have been set ablaze in Acapulco in recent days, for reasons that are not entirely clear."
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Samantha



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

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"For reasons not entirely clear" ?? That's a good one.
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the peanut gallery



Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 264

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Teresa,

All but 3 states have registered murders associated with the drug war. This conflict is affecting almost the entire country.

Samantha,

Yeah, thats a funny one. Just turn a blind eye to the obvious, chin up, and get on with it!
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