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INTERVIEW WITH A MEXICAN |
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Sergio Nolasco, mexican |
The meeting
South of Mexico City, in the city of Oaxaca, we had the chance
to discuss with the co-associate of the youth hostel where we
stayed. Sergio kindly accepted to answer to our questions, in a
blend of French, English and Spanish. We were surprised of the
similarities between our two cultures.
Discover some facets of the Mexican culture. |
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Sergio Nolasco
In a country of 54, 6 inhabitants per km2 versus 3,5 people per
km2 in Canada, we discovered Sergio Nolasco, a young man of 29
years old. He earns a living by welcoming visitors at Oaxaca’s
bus stations to invite them at his youth hostel. He makes sure
that guests feel at their ease and have all they need. What he
prefers most is nature - the mountains, rivers, beaches and
wildlife diversity of his country makes him proud. |
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La familia
For all Mexicans, the family is sacred. Children are a central
element of many celebrations. When children are not old enough
for school, mothers often bring the youngest at work. For
example, it’s not rare to see the store’s cashier with her child
in the arms. When both parents work, which is more and more
common nowadays, children go in daycare or home care. Family
meals are privileged moments that can last as long as four
hours. |
Work
The private sector in Mexico is very dynamic, but there is still
so much to be done. Here, there’s no unemployment or social
insurance. If you’re jobless, it’s up to you to survive. This
can be really stressing when you have mouths to feed. Jobs are
very precarious. To avoid pay raises, employers offer 4 to 6
month contracts. People do their best to get along. Some develop
their own little business, but since they have little money to
invest, they remain small. Mexicans are hard working people. The
heat, which can reach 49°C, with an unsupportable humidity
level, certainly slows them down, but never stops them. More
than 18% of the active population works in agriculture, which
represents 4% of the gross domestic product. |
In Mexico, the heat reaches
sometimes 49°C |
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Changing the world
If it was possible to change one thing in his country, it would
be eliminating corruption. Indeed, corruption is a plague in
this region of the globe. In Mexico, it’s difficult to trust
legal authorities. Also, this country has an enormous pollution
problem. The population is not conscious of their acts on the
environment. Along roads and everywhere in villages, important
amounts of garbage lie around. At the moment of his visit in
Canada, Sergio noticed how people cared about the environment.
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Upside down world
A cultural difference that made us smile is the signification of
skin color. For them, more a person has a pale skin color, more
he or she has chances of being successful in life. That way,
without even realizing, the child that has the palest skin color
in a family will get more attention from its parents. No need to
tell you how strange he found the fact that we wished to get a
nice tan for our return in Quebec! |
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In the countryside and in the city
Sergio notices an important difference between city people and
villagers. He describes villagers like traditional, churchgoing
people. Children from the countryside tend to leave home earlier
than those from cities. The workload on the farms obliges young
ones to quit school earlier than children growing up in bigger
cities. However, the country’s literacy rate is 92,5%. |
More than 93% of the Mexican
population are Catholics |
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