Why Wouldn't You Want To Go To The States?

I get lots of people who talk to me about going to the States. Sometimes they think I can get them there easier, or get them a job once they do get there, or something that would benefit them. Other times they just want information. That's why I was pleasantly surprised the other day when one man told me he could never spend even 6 months in the States.

His reason was that he could never go without eating his food! He said that every meal he wanted some tortillas, beans and limes. Apparently he would go crazy if all he had to eat was white bread, hamburgers, pizza, or any of that other stuff Gringos eat all the time.

Oh yeah, and he wouldn't want to leave his family for very long.

But more than that, he would really really miss his good home cookin'!

Isn't it nice to know we're not the only ones who have troubles adapting?

Who Wants a Better Stick?

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit Spanish Lookout in Belize. It is a community of Mennonites, who have a marvelous story that shows you what can be possible with hard work and the desire to be better.

52 years ago 40 families moved to Belize to start a new life, away from the damaging cultural trends and influences they saw in the States and Canada. Unfortunately, once they arrived they lost literally everything they had. The way to grow food and survive in hot wet Belize was very different from what they had been taught. They spent the first rainy season living under tarps in the jungle. They had less than their poor Belizean neighbors and lost all their children to Malaria.

Their neighbors showed them how to plant corn by burning off the land, then using a stick to poke a hole in the land, bending over and dropping some seeds in the dirt and moving on. This back breaking work gave results and they had enough food their second year to survive.

The next year somebody came up with the idea to put a foot pedal on the stick so that instead of forcing the stick into the ground, they could step on it to make the hole. This greatly reduced blisters and made the work a little bit easier.

The next year somebody else decided to make the stick hollow so that they could drop the seed down through the hole without having to bend over. Once again, the work was easier and they got more done.

The next year a hopper was designed that would automatically dispense the seeds down the stick.

Now, 52 years later, Spanish Lookout is responsible for 82% of all produce in the country of Belize. Instead of sticks, they use tractors, combines and airplanes. The man who showed us around is personally responsible for 96% of all rice consumed in and exported from Belize.

At their 50 year anniversary celebration, they invited all the men who helped them when they first arrived. They were sharing memories and talking about where they came from. When asked how the Belizeans were planting their corn they replied, "We poke a stick into the ground."

What is it about the US mentality that makes one yearn to have better, to figure out how to work half as much and earn double? Dando vuelta a la tortilla (flipping around the tortilla), what is it about the Guatemalan mindset where they are content do things the same way it's always been done, without ever questioning why or if there's a better way?

The consequences of Illegal Immigrations

The illegal immigration debate comes up frequently in US politics, but severely lacking is the focus on the consequences for the countries illegal immigrants come from. Here are some of our experiences:

The plan is pretty consistent during many conversations with men wanting to go to the US: Pay a Coyote Q40,000 ($5,000). Arrive in the States. Immediately find a job. Stay for 10 years during which time you have built yourself a house, bought a bunch of land, put your kids through school and of course, paid back all the family members that loaned you the Q40,000. After you've made enough you turn yourself in and get a free plane ticket to come home and live the rest of your days as a retired rich guy.

10 years is a long time for a man to be by himself. During one medical clinic a mother brought her 10 year old son. His problem was accidental BMs during class at school. He wouldn't even realize it until his "friends" started making fun of him once they smelled it. The doctors immediately thought it was a psychological problem and asked when it started. "Right after his dad called and told him he had a new family in the States and wouldn't be coming home." Men who go to the States leave behind children who grow up without the benefit of a father figure. Their sons grow up spoiled and their daughters grow up to be sluts. Their wives many times have more kids. If the guy actually does return after becoming accustomed to things like reliable plumbing and electricity, not to mention fast food, they come back to a family that doesn't even know who they are. The entire family structure here is breaking down.

San Benito, Petén is the second most violent city in Guatemala (number one is solidly Guatemala City). The reason is the high percentage of men in the States. Their kids don't have to get jobs like other teens their age, so they have lots of free time on their hands (even if a teen goes to school, it is only in session from 1pm-5:30pm). They have money because of their fathers (so they buy guns which are cheaper than video games). They form gangs of gun wielding vandals who shoot Tuk Tuk drivers for fun and steal motorcycles for joy rides. I know this for a fact here in Petén and would be interested to know the profile of a gang member in Guate City.

In the department of San Marcos there is a town called San Martin Chili Verde. In 5 years land prices increased 100 times. The reason was that a number of the men went to the States together. Once they got jobs there was a rush to see who could buy the most land. It destroyed the fair market value for land. The men that stayed (and did not break the law or abandon their families) cannot afford to buy land because their job doesn't pay them enough.

We live currently in the town of El Chal. El Chal is a dirty, horrible little town full of ignorant people and the only place in all of Guatemala where nobody waves at anybody else. The majority of the men here are either in the States or worked for the narcos. The only claim to fame here is a water park built buy the narco family and the highway runs straight through the middle of town about 40 minutes from Flores. A 50m x 50m sized piece of land here without electricity, water or title costs Q100,000.

The town of San Francisco is 12 minutes from Flores. It is a beautiful, well kept town populated by the doctors, lawyers, engineers and school teachers who work in the Flores/Santa Elena/San Benito area, but wanted to get away from the violence. The new mayor is a medical doctor. Without the vast inflation caused by immigrants, land is actually affordable. A 50m x 50m piece of land, here with electricity, water and title costs between Q35,000-Q50,000.

By allowing illegal immigration to continue, the US is destroying any chance Guatemala has of improving itself. By removing male influence, separating families, increasing violence and gross inflation, Guatemala is destroying yet another generation and raising the next one in an environment where the only option they are presented with is to leave.