“Why would you move to Mexico? It’s dangerous. “ I can’t recall how many times we have heard those words. Sure Mexico is dangerous, and so is the rest of the world. We live in difficult times, people. War, poverty, disease, famine, crime, natural disasters, depression, stress, sickness, and death, plague mankind. There are several ways we can deal with this:
- Join the crazies. You know, those people who go nuts and claim insanity after they drown their kids in the bathtub, or they go on a killing spree at the local elementary school.
- Live in fear. Become prisoners of our own insecurities. Isolate ourselves from everyone and everything that is different. Dwell in safety, yet darkness. Not living, only existing.
- Or make the best of it. Sometimes you are a little crazy or a little afraid but that can’t be helped. You stay positive and look for the good in people and places. You smile even when you don’t always feel like it. You get over yourself, because we are our biggest obstacles. You take chances now and then. And you welcome adventure. Life is beautiful.
We chose to make the best of it. That is just who Brad and I are. Yeah, sometimes we get down and negative but then we buck up and take it like a man, or a strong woman ;-) Getting back to where I started, Mexico is dangerous and Louisville, Kentucky is dangerous. Louisville has crime, gangs, drugs, and so forth. (Example: We had our house broken into during the middle of the day while I was picking up the kids from school about a year before we moved to Mexico.) When we decided to move to Latin America we knew that as a white family of six we were going to have to take extra precautions. But we took precautions in Louisville too. There were certain parts of the city we stayed away from, especially during the night. We made the best of it in Louisville, and we are doing the same here in Mexico. Here are some of the precautions we are taking:
- Our yard is fenced and gated. Our children can not exit the yard without us. No one can enter the yard without a key.
- We always lock our vehicle and we don’t leave any valuables in sight.
- If the students are protesting at Wal-Mart, blocking off exits with school buses and breaking out the spray paint, we don’t hang around for the event.
- We don’t flash our money around when we are shopping and we always count our change.
- Basically we just try to use common sense and good judgment in all things, although we are far from perfect.
Mexico’s dangers are greatly exaggerated. Like…. “Your white kids will be kidnapped and held for ransom.” Sure that could happen, but we could all die in a car crash tomorrow too. We refuse to live with those kind of negative thoughts hanging over our heads. It’s not fun and it’s bad for your health.
I am not going to quote a bunch of statistics. I thought about doing some research on this and sharing the info with you but I changed my mind. I can tell you from personal experience, I have not felt threatened or encountered any serious dangers in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico and we have lived here for over a year. Sometimes people look at us a little funny but I am used to that. They did that in Kentucky too, due to the huge, red birthmark I have on my neck. You can imagine the comments I got… Anyway…
I like Mexico. The people are friendly and kind, the weather is lovely, the countryside is beautiful, and the food is awesome. If you are thinking of moving, do your homework on the area, but don’t let statistics stop you. “Time and unforeseen occurrences befall us all”, so take necessary precautions but don’t let fear or stress determine how or where you live your life. Don’t join the crazies and don’t live in fear. Make the best of it, wherever you end up. Have fun and take some risks. Chose to be happy and smile. Remember, Mexico is dangerous and so is the USA… but wherever you are… life is beautiful. Signing off, Tina
Great article and so true. It’s like with any city news they always highlight the bad and rarely talk about anything good because that keeps people watching. If you base your life around what is in the media..then we should all just stay inside and await death. Most Kentuckiana don’t realize that per capita Kentucky is more dangerous than NewYork.
Well said Tina! Love reading about your adventures! Love and miss you guys! Happy blogging!
You are very right with the reasoning that ‘everywhere is dangerous’. How true. Funny enough, though, my husband’s dad is from D.F. and his mom is from rural Mexico, my husband grew up visiting Mexico all the time but these days he says he doesn’t even feel particularly safe there. I guess there can be a bit of bad feeling between Mexicans in the country towards Mexicans who immigrated to America. I grew up in Malaysia, and we now live in China, so our own adventure has also taken us around the world!
You definitely have to be safe wherever you live. Many Mexicans also tend to think that the USA is paradise… sooo not true but it’s hard to explain that to someone who has never lived there. I hope you have wonderful adventures in China!
I admire your courage. We do get “stuck” sometimes with a mindset that this place or that place is far more dangerous than what’s in the good old U.S.A.
I wish you much success, continued safety, and happiness in Mexico! Stopping by to say Hi from IBA social media Saturdays.
Thank you! Come back next week :-)