Upon stumbling upon this blog, you might have asked yourself, "Why is a blond-haired 'gringa' writing a blog about being an immigrant?" Well, the truth is, I am one! As of September 29, 2013, I am an American Immigrant and have taken on all the challenges that come with such a status. I like to think of myself as a 'reverse immigrant' because when most people think of American immigration they usually think of Mexicans coming to the U.S. or Canada, not North Americans going to Mexico. But, alas, that is exactly what I've done--and I'm not the only one.
According to the 2010 Mexican census, Mexico is home to 961,621 registered immigrants, and the majority come from the U.S. (click here for the full article on Mexican immigration). Most of these immigrants are children of deported Mexican immigrants, but others are professionals such as executives, scientists, and athletes who have secured jobs within the country. One of the most permanent groups of U.S. immigrants in Mexico, however, are older U.S. citizens looking for a warm place to retire. In fact, while waiting in the customs line at the airport on my way back from Mexico the summer of 2012, I met a woman who had decided to move to Mexico after a hectic life in D.C. and personal health issues had driven her to look for a more peaceful way of living.
I, however, do not fit into any of these categories (at least not very well). I am not the child of Mexican immigrants, nor do I have any Mexican ancestry (unless you count my Mormon ancestors who fled to Mexico in the late 1800s and lived in the Mormon colonies for some time). Although I am looking for work in Mexico at the moment, a professional career in Mexico is not my main reason for moving to Mexico either. Last of all, I am not a senior citizen looking for a quiet place to retire. On the contrary, I am a 20-something, recent college graduate whose entire ancestral line comes from Europe, the majority of it based in England.
So . . . while you may understand a little more why it occurred to me to write a blog about being an American immigrant, you are probably still wondering why I'm moving to Mexico. In reality, that is a very long story that you can read elsewhere on this blog (see ¨Lessons from a Non-Dater on How to Find Your One and Only¨ Segments 1 - 5). To make a long story short, I fell in love. What's more, the person I fell in love with just happens to be from Mexico!
In truth, I am writing this blog in the hopes of connecting my two worlds. I love the United States. Ask any of my close friends, family, or past American Heritage students and they will tell you just how much I love the United States and all the principles for which it stands. They might even tell you that I'm a little obsessed with U.S. history. I have also come to love and respect the history and people of Latin America. More specifically, after realizing that I would likely spend a good portion of my life in Mexico, I took it upon myself to turn every class project and paper into a study of some aspect of Mexico. Since I majored in International Relations, the types of classes that I took gave me ample opportunities to do just that. In doing so, I have developed a deep desire to truly understand Mexico and its people. In writing this blog, I hope to achieve just that.
More importantly, I want to help others understand and appreciate the people and the country that is just on the other side of our border. I hope to close the gap between "us" and "them" by cultivating understanding, and feel I am in a unique position to do so. In reality, our two worlds are already intertwined, we simply haven't seen it because we have not had the eyes to see our neighbors for who they are. We hear the stories of illegal immigration, drug dealers, violence, and poverty and look no further. I know I didn't look beyond these stories for a very long time. Study and experience, however, have shown me so much more and I know that the life I am just beginning to embrace is opening my eyes to a greater degree. If you like, follow me on my journey across the border and, together, we can learn to see.
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