Parallels Between Countries

Our family relocated to Mazatlán, Mexico in February of this year (2025). This is my first time living outside the United States. I had been to Mexico a handful of times before our move and although I paid close attention to the way of life here as a visitor, I can’t help but to realize the remarkable differences and some parallels to the US when you live here as a resident. 

Now that we are here, life is simple. We have much less than what we had in the US. We had a 9000 sq ft house on 22 acres, we had 3 cars and motorcycle, we had a tractor, and I had every kitchen appliance I could possibly ask for. Here we are in an apartment complex on the 3^rd floor living in a 2 bedroom and we have a little used Chevy Sonic we bought here for 4000 pesos. We recently drove one of our cars from home down here so now we have two. We are living off of our earned social security and my husband’s pension from a company he worked for a lifetime ago. We have just what we need to live. Big money, big problems. Little money, little problems. Life is simple for us.

I have spent a good portion of my time here asking questions, making friends with locals and learning the language and culture here and the more I learn, the more things start to make sense to me. More importantly, I have noticed what does not make sense to me about our life in the United States.

The political climate in the US now is chaos, unrest and the current administration is running things like Hitler. A dictator and fascist. For the first time in American history, the military is trolling the streets in American cities with military grade live weapons. It is considered appalling for most. Trump created the largest militarized immigration police force ever, to sweep brown people off the streets and throw them in detainment camps. It makes us all shutter in fear with intimidation as a clear message being sent. The president claims they are there to ‘clean up the streets of crime’.

Here in Mazatlán, a normal day you see 2-3 pick-up trucks in a row full of National Guard holding military grade weapons patrolling the streets several times a day. The Mexican National Guard is making a statement that “Cartel” is not welcome and they will protect the city from their presence. It was very unnerving the first 6 months here. I thought I would never get used to it. I felt that if they needed to be here then how could it be safe? Now, I feel safer. I never felt unsafe here in Mexico but now their presence to me is normal.  The National Guard almost never stop. They almost never get out of the back of the truck. They are not menacing, unfair, or abusive. They are a presence to scare away a ghost in my naive eyes. 

The beaches are all free here. No matter where you are in Mexico, you are entitled to visit any beach. In the US, you buy property on the beach, and you “own” the beach front. You can call the police and have people who do not live there removed. 

Same with dogs. In Mexico you can have your furry pal on any beach, any time, any day. In the US only certain beaches, certain days and certain posted times. Dogs have to be leashed at all times. On any given day on a Mexican beach without a loose dog loving the freedom would be unheard of. I wonder why the US is so different? My guess is that people in the US complained about other dogs. They felt that what they wanted was more important than that of the greater good. People in the US have a sense of entitlement to their feelings. Here, family is first, always. The day at the beach is a multigenerational party. Grills, beer, music and food all day long. There are no complaints, there are no police calls to report dogs on the beach or off their leashes. People are just enjoying the beach and their families.

When we first arrived here in Mazatlán, one of the first things I noticed was how genuinely happy everyone is. It exudes from them in their daily activities and work. Because there is such an overt display of happiness, you can only assume that there is a foundation of peace and acceptance. It is overwhelming and hits you in the face like a brick wall. Coming from America where everyone is angry and on the verge of destruction, it is refreshing to feel free from that. It’s in the culture here. This is not for any other reason that the people here value different things than the people in America. The Mexican’s value family. They value good food; they value their time off because they work harder than any other culture I have witnessed yet. They value celebrating life and everything they HAVE instead of wanting what they don’t have. Their simplicity is their abundance. 

The parallels between countries are stark in my humble opinion. Even the reasons there are armed National Guard patrolling the streets could not be more different. I am still adjusting and acclimating to this new environment and there is a lot I don’t know yet, but I do know that my life is simple here and I have a sense of peace I have never felt before while living in America.