Why Join the Foreign Service? Part II

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.”

– Aldous Huxley

Mucha Lucha

 I attended my first Mexican wrestling or lucha libre fight, complete with scantily-clad sign-holders, questionably in-shape competitors and brightly-colored wrestling masks. 

Obviously this is much less a genuine competition of wrestling skill than an exhibition. People root for their favorite 'characters' and there are clearly defined good guys and bad guys.

Far more spirited than the lucha libre was the lucha de clases.  We in the 'rich section' were treated to a constant battle of taunts and insults to and from those in the 'cheap seats' (though, of course, the difference in price could not have been more than $1 or $2 American). The mildest was probably "Pobres, pobres! Tu madre es mi criada (Hey, poor people! Your mother is my maid)!" The irony, of course is that none of Mexico's genuine burguesia would be caught dead at a lucha libre fight. The antagonisms seemed to be entirely posturing.  

Bread of the Dead

To the people of New York, Paris, or London, "death" is a word that is never pronounced because it burns the lips. The Mexican, however, frequents it, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it; it is one of his favorite toys and most steadfast love. Of course, in his attitude perhaps there is as much fear as there is in one of the others; at least he does not hide it; he confronts it face to face with patience, disdain, or irony.

Octavio Paz, 'The Labyrinth of Solitude

This is pan de muerto (literally, dead man's bread):

Last weekend was El Dia de los Muertos here in Guadalajara.  For the most part, this is a solemn occasion dedicated to the memory of those we have lost. Families visit the cemetery and bring small altars to the departed, on which they place photos of the deceased along with treats they had enjoyed in life (cookies, tequila, etc.).

That side of Dia de los Muertos is not visible to outsiders. What we do see is a carnival-like celebration somewhat reminiscent of Halloween, with a much stronger emphasis on the 'death' aspect rather than playing dress-up. Kids paint their faces to look like skeletons and eat sugar skulls called calabritas:

All in all, a good time.

Congressional Tantrums

The State Department is a frequent punching bag for congressional grandstanders who want to punish the Administration without offending their constituents. Once way to do this is to hold up ambassadorial nominations for little or no reason. Viz:

Mexican Post Held Hostage Over Cuba

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio and fellow Sen. Robert Menendez, both angry over the Obama administration’s diplomatic opening to Cuba, are now targeting America’s ties to a far more important neighbor: Mexico. 

At issue is who, if anyone, will serve as the next U.S. ambassador in Mexico City during the final year of Barack Obama’s presidency. 

In June, the administration nominated Roberta Jacobson, the State Department’s assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, who helped lead the negotiations that re-established U.S. diplomatic ties to Cuba. But her confirmation has been held up in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with the vote postponed earlier this month. 

The committee is expected to vote in favor of Jacobson during its next business meeting, but the nomination is then likely to languish indefinitely on the Senate floor unless Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) deems it a priority. 

The holdup, sources familiar with the committee said, centers directly on Jacobson’s work on Cuba.

So one of our immediate neighbors and biggest trading partners goes without an ambassadors because some people want to brush up on their anti-Cuban bona fides. Well, if that's not statesmanship I don't know what is. 

Hola, Patricia

Sheesh. One week here and they've already got a hurricane...

Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've been engaged in a flurry of settling-activities, combined with the lack of Internet in my apartment. Add to which, the 'strongest hurricane in recorded history' is currently barreling towards Mexico's Pacifuc coast.

Am I worried? Well, Guadalajara is far enough from the water that Patricia should lose strength once it gets here. One the other hand, drainage infrastructure is notoriously bad here and flooding is a possibility.

I may be called in to help with stranded/distressed Americans over the weekend. We shall see.

UPDATE: The hurricane was something of a letdown. A bit of rain, strong winds. Luckily it managed to miss major populated areas and was disrupted by passing over the mountains.

Why Join the Foreign Service?

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.

- St. Augustine

And That's a FACT

This blog was on hiatus as I depart for training on how not to get killed overseas. Specifically, Foreign Affairs Counter Threat (FACT) training.

I won't go into too much detail on the training itself. First aid, self-defense, that kind of thing. Sometimes fun, often stressful.

That was nothing, though, compared to my arranged marriage. When I arrived at the hotel the clerk told me "OK sir, we've put you in a room with your wife."

"What?"

"Your wife, Meg."

"Uh...."

I eventually convinced them that I and this Meg person were not married. But it didn't stop them from telling Meg (whose last name is similar, not even identical, to mine) the same thing and giving her my room key. When she arrived and saw my stuff everywhere (I was out) she was able to get herself a different room - but of course when I got back MY room key didn't work.

I just love the fact that State would ASSUME two people with kind of similar last names are married and room them together without even bothering to ask. 

Now the serious packing begins.