If you didn’t hear, a group of men hijacked a Aeromexico plane returning from Cancún today. They demanded to speak to President Calderón, or said they’d blow up the plane. The standoff ended peacefully maybe an hour ago, when federal police surrounded the plane and took the men into custody.
No one was harmed, thank god. UPDATE: CNN now says a 44-year-old Bolivian man was solely responsible for the hijacking, believing God was trying to send him a sign because of today’s date, 9-09-09. (Sigh.)
But upon hearing the news — Crayton told me quickly over the phone — I felt… weird. I was walking home from a wine store, and looked around for signs of panic. No one looked any different from any other day.
The dude in front of the Zona Rosa Starbucks was still playing his saxophone, with his lobotomized Strawberry Shortcake piñata set in front of him to collect change. People rushed across the street in front of oncoming cars. A man outside the Plaza Insurgentes said over and over, “Me regalas una moneda. Me regalas una moneda.” (“Give me change. Give me change.”) You know, the usual stuff.
It hit me that human beings are pretty resilient creatures. I wasn’t suddenly tense, or deeply scared about the hijacking, because everyone around me was conducting their normal, daily routine.
Then again, maybe Mexicans are just used to this. We’ve had a string of bad luck this year. Swine flu. Earthquakes. Economic recession. Police officers killed in drug violence. Screaming U.S. State Department Travel Alerts urging Americans to stay away from Chihuahua and Tijuana and Michoacán. And that’s just this year. I’m happy there hasn’t been a peso devaluation, or things would really be in the crapper.
Anyway, this is all just a long way of saying that living here is tough sometimes, in ways that I never thought it would be. I expected the language problems and cultural issues. What I didn’t anticipate was how conflicted I’d feel when things go wrong. I’ve fallen for this country, hard, and it’s a little scary to think that maybe things aren’t as organized here as I’d hoped.
In no way does that mean I want to move back to the U.S. (Sorry, mom.) In a weird way, it’s almost like all this stuff is bringing me and Mexico City closer. She was my heady, beautiful, spazzy crush when I first arrived, and now I’m seeing her realistic side. But I’m still in love. Been thinking lately about taking a beach trip to the Riviera Maya with Crayton in November, and this doesn’t change my plans.
For more details on the hijacking: Check out The New York Times’ coverage, the BBC and, in Spanish, El Universal.
I am living in San Salvador right now and understand you quite well. Sometimes I´m getting paranoid about all the gang-related violence around here (especially after hearing about murders and robberies in the neighborhood), but if you just take a walk and look, everybody is normal – which means, most of the time: smiling and enjoying life.
Mankind is good in not noticing trouble around, probably because everybody has his own bunch of smaller and bigger problems. This of course doesn´t mean that things should be like this, but it sure is understandable to some degree. But living in a “country less stable than your own” you notice also that people are enjoying more every “normal” day. “Live the moment” could be the message behind that.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Karl. I think Mexicans know how to live in the moment amazingly well — actually, I was thinking this very thing yesterday, when I was stuck behind a group of guys strolling through the Zona Rosa. I was in a hurry, and hungry, and tired, and they looked like they didn’t have a care in the world.
Then I realized NO ONE is in a hurry here in Mexico. It doesn’t matter if a person is late, because tardiness is expected here. If a person is hungry, and has some pocket change, there’s food available practically every 30 feet. So: few people (those who can afford it, anyway) are hungry here. Few are in a hurry. What else is there? Tons of time to enjoying your friends, your family, the weather. It’s actually one of the things I love about Mexico. Hope I can soak up some of that attitude before I eventually leave. Gotta learn to grab a street taco when my stomach’s growling!
You might as well have been describing the Philippines! The smiling faces, the tardiness, the laidback approach to life. I guess 300 years of Spanish colonialism made us more akin to South America than to any Asian country.
I wonder if the sensation you’re feeling is more tired to our American way of thinking. That everything must happen NOW. That the only happiness is one derived from monetary wealth.
During the time I lived (and/or visited) Manila, I experienced earthquakes, terrorist bombings and revolutions, yet people still went about their daily lives. At the time, the US Dept of State screamed for people to avoid the Philippines yet there I was, in the mix of it all – and enjoying every moment.
When I travel or spend time in other countries, I am always touched by the seemingly life happiness by the people of the world – and they’re usually people living in what we in America would consider Third World or poverty. So little monetary wealth but yet these people seem quite happy with their lives, much unlike what I see in the United States.
I’m glad this ended up peacefully. I was telling some friends earlier that if they tried to cross the border into the US they would most likely get shot down.
Jay C.: I completely agree with you. People here seem genuinely content, even though they don’t have all the “things” that Americans would mark as for a successful life. When we moved here I actually felt guilty for owning too much. Why do we need martini glasses, when there’s a family around the corner who dress like clowns and run around in traffic, just to make a few pesos a day?
AJ: I’ve heard that about the Philippines. Hopefully I’ll make it there someday!
John: Not entirely sure what you mean…?
In a romantic point of view, Mexico is a surreal experience even for the people who born in here. Interesting post! And very positive despite this awful times.
I think when something like this happens it makes people not sure how to react so you get a lot of, “I just have to go on with my life because I don’t know what else to do.” Keep your chin up!
http://www.theprettyproject.com
interesting post. i agree with. until and unless it happens to you, anybdy rarely pays attention to these actvities
Wow. I don’t know how Canadians would react…maybe we wouldn’t have heard about it until the end of the event ! My workplace had a bomb alert last December and I was panicking and everyone was evacuated and it was a big deal because there was a shooting in a college downtown a few years back. WELL, noone heard about it until it was over ! There was no precise information anywhere so people didn’t bother reacting.
Love this post, Lesley. xD
Deff the people here are calm about almost everything. Sometimes I think its because they are our of the loop. But then the ones that are don’t usually care to be in it. Because they know it keeps their lifes easy. Sometimes the slow pace and layed back life style drive me nuts. But you know even during the scare of the flu, sure everyone was following precautions and so on but did you see anyone who as actually scared. I know I didn’t, except my friends and family that were in the states. It really is a different experience to see how people here react.