1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: Hey, what's up, Latino usay listener komotuta. So today we're 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:09,800 Speaker 1: going to share an episode from the United Stateless podcast. 3 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: It's hosted by Mexican American Alexandra Ribera. The podcast documents 4 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: the stories of the so called returnees, people who emigrated 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: to the United States, largely as children, but have since 6 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: returned to their home country. In the first season, United 7 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:34,560 Speaker 1: Stateless focuses on Mexico with stories of life, love, spanglish, 8 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: and cultural shock. When you're figuring out exactly where is home? 9 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: Listen to alex an episode from season one where Alexandra 10 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: explores what's it like to actually grow up in Mexico 11 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: and a warning to our listeners, this episode includes some 12 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: explicit language and mature content. Enjoy. 13 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 2: Most Americans don't know a lot about Mexico, even as 14 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 2: a kind of Mexican American. I can say that I 15 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 2: came knowing some stuff, but I don't think I was 16 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 2: really prepared for my first trip as an adult. Ye See, 17 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 2: I hadn't been to Mexico since I was a baby. 18 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 2: When I was six weeks old, my parents were visiting 19 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 2: some family near the border, and they took me to 20 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 2: this town called Noglees. I guess my grandparents would take 21 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 2: my dad and his siblings there to go shopping, and 22 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 2: in the fifties it must have been a nice spot, 23 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 2: but this was the eighties and it was becoming ultra 24 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 2: and narco. We lasted only a few hours before my 25 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 2: parents got freaked out and took me and my brother 26 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 2: back over the border to Arizona. They haven't been there 27 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 2: since I was born in the US, but I grew 28 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 2: up in a community where a lot of people had immigrated, 29 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 2: and while they were there were representatives for pretty much 30 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 2: every livable continent save Australia. Almost everyone from a Latin 31 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 2: background was a refugee for most Salvador. My main exposure 32 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 2: to Latin identity growing up was a bunch of people 33 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 2: who had the very very specific experience of fleeing a 34 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 2: civil war. I definitely didn't have that. I didn't even 35 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 2: really speak Spanish at the time, but most of all, 36 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,079 Speaker 2: my family had been in what's now considered the US 37 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 2: for generations, and my mom's not Latin. So when people 38 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:33,919 Speaker 2: ask me what are you? I felt like I didn't 39 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 2: really have a good answer. The part was people really 40 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:39,959 Speaker 2: wanted me to have a good answer They seem to 41 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 2: have this checklist in their mind that one needed to 42 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 2: check off in order to be sufficiently Latin. And I 43 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 2: never really checked off any of those boxes. And I 44 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 2: couldn't escape the question either. I mean, my name is 45 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 2: Alexandra Rivera. People would see my name and want to 46 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 2: be told a story that would make them feel comfortable 47 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 2: with identifying me a certain way. That was just, you know, 48 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 2: trying to live my life. I have to admit I 49 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 2: was really jealous of my classmates who had immigrated. I mean, 50 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 2: I wasn't jealous of the experience of being an immigrant. 51 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 2: I was jealous that they had a short, quick answer 52 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 2: to the question what are you? Because in my mind, 53 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,920 Speaker 2: they didn't have these identity issues I was rapidly developing. 54 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 2: It was easy for them. They were Salvadorian and of conversation, 55 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 2: no explaining their whole family history upon meeting people. Also, 56 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 2: in my mind, everyone was completely fluent in Spanish. I 57 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 2: was very jealous of that too. I compared myself to 58 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 2: the population around me and came to the conclusion that 59 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 2: we didn't really have anything in common. But then I 60 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 2: went to Mexico City for the first time. By this 61 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 2: point in my life, I had learned Spanish. My grandfather 62 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 2: had forgotten English due to dementia, so it became pretty imperative. 63 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 2: That plus a lifetime of strangers being disappointed that I 64 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 2: didn't speak a language that, quite frankly, a lot of 65 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 2: them didn't speak, and a few months dating a Spanish 66 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 2: translator really put things into motion. And I thought I 67 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 2: was pretty well prepared. I just traveled through Spain and 68 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 2: had been fine. In fact, I even knew some Mexican 69 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,599 Speaker 2: slang for my dad, like he told me that people 70 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 2: called each other abato. He even calls white Ford F 71 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 2: one fifties vatomobiles. I thought I probably had an advantage 72 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,160 Speaker 2: in Mexico because I'd grown up knowing some Mexican shit, 73 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 2: like that pasoli was a dish made exclusively with pork, 74 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 2: and that I could definitely understand the accent, and that 75 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 2: there were people that looked like me. I thought I 76 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 2: was about to experience a weird identity affirming homecoming. Long 77 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 2: story short, I was wrong about pretty much everything, and 78 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 2: I was about to experience a shit ton of culture shock. 79 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,160 Speaker 2: So in this episode, I'm going to try and explain 80 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 2: what I learned about Mexico. So the best I can, 81 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 2: specifically Mexico City, where much of our story takes place, 82 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 2: because I want you to know what these returneys are 83 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 2: returning to, and if you're American, you probably have a 84 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 2: lot of ideas of what Mexico is like. There's Cancun, 85 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:17,839 Speaker 2: really great food, a lot of crime or misconceptions like 86 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 2: it's hot everywhere. I actually had to buy sweaters when 87 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 2: I was there. I'm Alexandra Rivera and this is United stateless. 88 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 3: Well, Mexico City has so much to offer. I'm super 89 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 3: in love with this city. And the thing is that 90 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 3: it has everything a big capital of the world can 91 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:51,159 Speaker 3: offer and probably half of the price. 92 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:56,040 Speaker 2: This is Alejandro Montez. Alex is a filmmaker in Chilango, 93 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 2: which is the local term for Mexico City native. I 94 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:01,600 Speaker 2: met Alex on my friend stay in Mexico City, I 95 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,040 Speaker 2: run in New York had given me his number over WhatsApp. 96 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 2: Alex thought he was probably meeting a five foot two 97 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 2: Puerto Rican. Check he was on vacation, not a five 98 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 2: foot eight supposed mixed Mexican American who was going through 99 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 2: an identity crisis. 100 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 4: He kindly spent a lot of time educating me about 101 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 4: the country but. 102 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:20,600 Speaker 3: It's it's really interesting because you have the best of everything. 103 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 3: You know, like you can go to the best art gallery. 104 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 3: One of the best things of Mexico City or weather 105 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 3: we have most through most of the year a really mild, 106 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 3: good temperature. The other thing is that the city is 107 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 3: really green. We have so many trees, we have so 108 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 3: many flowers, like we have aah, like really good mix 109 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 3: of being on a city. But you can actually be 110 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 3: next to a really old tree. Because Mexico City, you're 111 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 3: actually walking on the notchtip land, you're actually walking on 112 00:06:56,480 --> 00:07:00,120 Speaker 3: the super ancient ground where the Aztecs were. 113 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,479 Speaker 2: Mexico City has been around for a long time. Around 114 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 2: the year thirteen twenty five, the Mishika were also known 115 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 2: as the Aztecs, built the capital of their empire in Tenotechlin. 116 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 2: The story of the founding is very famous to Mexican history, 117 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 2: so much so that it's immortalized on its flag. One night, 118 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 2: the Machika's leader was visited by a god in a dream, 119 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 2: who imparted to them that they would come across an 120 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 2: eagle perched on a cactus devouring a snake. When they 121 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 2: saw this, he proclaimed they would know where to build 122 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 2: the city. So after several generations of wandering around North America, 123 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:43,679 Speaker 2: the tribe came across the sacred symbol the issue the eagles, snake, 124 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 2: and cactus were on an island in the middle of 125 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 2: a lake. So Mexico City started out as a floating city. 126 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 2: The Michika made a series of man made islands and 127 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 2: gardens and created canals that connected all of them. Think 128 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 2: of it as a massive venus with much more greenery. 129 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 2: If you've heard anything about the Michika, it's probably that 130 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 2: they sacrifice people. This is not something the Spanish made up. 131 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 2: Several of the religious practices involved a blood offering, which 132 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 2: historically had been made by sacrificing someone in their own community. 133 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 2: But the Michika were very successful militarily, and they took 134 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 2: a lot of captives from other tribes in the Valley 135 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 2: of Mexico, so it became a much more common practice 136 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 2: for them to sacrifice a captive from a conquered area 137 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 2: than one of their own people. And since the gods 138 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,439 Speaker 2: seemed to really be smiling down on them, they practice 139 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 2: sacrifice much much more than other cultures in the region. 140 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 2: When the Spanish came into the picture in the sixteenth century, 141 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:43,439 Speaker 2: they faced a formidable opponent in the Mehika, but they 142 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 2: had an advantage, and not because the Michika leader Machtezuma. 143 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,200 Speaker 2: The second thought that Hernan Cortez was the god kiss 144 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 2: Aquadal That was probably an invention by the Spanish. Turns out, 145 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 2: being the most hated tribe in the valley of Mexico 146 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 2: can make you some enemies. The local tribes contributed many troops, 147 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:04,080 Speaker 2: as well as knowledge of the layout of the city. 148 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 2: The Spanish brought with them weapons that had never been 149 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 2: seen in the area before and small parks. After three months, 150 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 2: the conquisadors and local tribes were victorious, but Tenotechlm was 151 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 2: mostly destroyed. After the victory, Cortez was able to take 152 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 2: much of modern day Mexico under his control. The colony 153 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 2: was called New Spain and lasted for three hundred years. 154 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 2: In the eighteenth century, the Spanish drained much of the 155 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 2: lake that Tenotechlm was built on, making way for more 156 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,959 Speaker 2: buildings in Mexico City. This was an incredibly stupid idea 157 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:44,520 Speaker 2: that has left the city in a very precarious situation 158 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 2: when it comes to the stability of its architecture. Note, 159 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:50,440 Speaker 2: if you're going to build a city in an area 160 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 2: that is prone to earthquakes, don't build it on a 161 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,040 Speaker 2: lake bed. There is part of the canal and island 162 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:59,839 Speaker 2: system that exists today. It's called Zochimilco, and if you 163 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 2: or in Mexico City, it's totally worth the visit. According 164 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 2: to my dad's deep delve into genealogy, his Spanish family 165 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 2: came to Mexico City in the fifteen hundreds. They were 166 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 2: Sephardic Jews who were escaping the Spanish Inquisition. I'm not 167 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 2: exactly sure how my dad's family came to what is 168 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 2: today New Mexico, but I know that it was a 169 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 2: popular spot for people to move after the Mexican Inquisition. 170 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 2: My ancestors, who were part of various Pueblo tribes, had 171 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 2: been there for a while. At the time, New Mexico 172 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 2: was part of Mexico, along with states such as Arizona 173 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 2: and California, until the Americans invaded in the eighteen forties. 174 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:43,199 Speaker 2: In nineteen twelve, it officially became a state. The thing 175 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:45,559 Speaker 2: about New Mexico is that it feels like a different 176 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 2: country from the rest of the US. It's very Latin, 177 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 2: but it's also definitely not Mexico despite all of the 178 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:55,320 Speaker 2: Chilean tamales. Although it has a lot in common with 179 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:58,680 Speaker 2: Mexico in terms of shared history and cultural practices, it's 180 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 2: also kind of its own place, which was something that 181 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 2: hit home for me very profoundly when I visited Mexico 182 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 2: City for the first time. 183 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:15,720 Speaker 3: I would describe Mexico City like a really like a 184 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 3: really young, funny bybrand city with a really old blood 185 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,480 Speaker 3: and spirit, you know, like a superpower, you know, because 186 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,080 Speaker 3: you can feel the magic of the place. That because 187 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:31,560 Speaker 3: the Mexicans, because of our culture, we do have a 188 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 3: really magical way of thinking, a really magical way of 189 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 3: seeing life or death. 190 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 2: Although the Aztecs were conquered by the Spanish, their culture 191 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:42,840 Speaker 2: and spirit was not. The spiritual and magical beliefs of 192 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:46,920 Speaker 2: pre European contact Mexico are very much alive and well 193 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 2: in today's Mexico City, as well as like other places 194 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 2: in the world. Quite frankly, have you ever heard of 195 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,800 Speaker 2: our cleansing, that rose quarts will help your love life, 196 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 2: that keeping aloe by the door keeps your home safe. 197 00:12:00,559 --> 00:12:03,199 Speaker 2: In the US, people have filed that under a phenomenon 198 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 2: known as New Age, but in fact those are all 199 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:11,240 Speaker 2: pre European contact Mexican beliefs. It's not a new or 200 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 2: French thing there. If you tell your Mexican friend that 201 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:16,240 Speaker 2: you're feeling off, they might tell you to go charge 202 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 2: your crystals. There are people in the street who will 203 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:22,160 Speaker 2: cleanse your aura, and they aren't there for Taurus. Another 204 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,080 Speaker 2: thing that survived Cortees the food. 205 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:29,440 Speaker 3: And also the food I don't know, like there are 206 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:32,480 Speaker 3: some tacos that it's just because they gave it to 207 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 3: you in a really low key restaurant, but if you 208 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 3: present them and put another plate thing in, you can 209 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,080 Speaker 3: give it in a diplomatic dinner because they're so yummy. 210 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,320 Speaker 2: Quite frankly, I was intimidated by the food when I 211 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,680 Speaker 2: got there. I really wanted to go to one of 212 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 2: those street food stalls, but I was having a hard 213 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:52,559 Speaker 2: time understanding people, and there are no menus at those 214 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 2: places by and large, so I tried to start out 215 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,800 Speaker 2: with food I knew, like pasole. I quickly discovered that 216 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,560 Speaker 2: I grew up with one. I a pasole, a recipe 217 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,560 Speaker 2: that is most popular in Northern Mexico and New Mexico, 218 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 2: and thought that that was the only way to do it. 219 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:10,320 Speaker 2: Turns out it can also be made with chicken, and 220 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:13,840 Speaker 2: sometimes it's made with no chili, And pretty much all 221 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 2: of my references were for the north of Mexico, and 222 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 2: people were very very quick to point this out. I 223 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 2: kind of felt the trade like I thought I knew 224 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:25,400 Speaker 2: the answer to a test and then showed up for 225 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:27,480 Speaker 2: the wrong class. And I was putting a lot of 226 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:31,080 Speaker 2: pressure on myself to get it, because that was what 227 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 2: I conveyed back home, that I got it, that I 228 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 2: was like vaguely Mexican American, that that's what I had 229 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 2: settled on. And this realization that maybe I didn't get it, 230 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 2: or maybe I was in the wrong part of the 231 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,520 Speaker 2: country to get it hit me like a ton of bricks. 232 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:49,079 Speaker 2: I felt like I had failed. And the funny thing 233 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:51,480 Speaker 2: was people in Mexico knew that I was a foreigner. 234 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 2: No one was disappointed that I didn't get it. Or 235 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:56,720 Speaker 2: by this point my self, doubt had reached the fever 236 00:13:56,800 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 2: pitch so bad that I was having trouble ordering coffee. 237 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 2: It was all in my head. Alex was very happy 238 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:05,480 Speaker 2: to explain everything to me. It was almost like he 239 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:07,439 Speaker 2: had a Mexico for dummy's curriculum. 240 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 3: And if you can find one or two friends that 241 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 3: would also show you the local we called changaro, like 242 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:17,599 Speaker 3: this little like a food truck, you know, like a 243 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 3: little place we called Changaro. And if you find someone 244 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 3: that would show you where to it from the cheapest, 245 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 3: most low key changaro to a good restaurant, I think 246 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 3: that you will understand a lot of Mexicans and Mexico culture. 247 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, I will say when whenever I asked my Mexican 248 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 2: friends like, hey, let's go on to dinner, They're like, 249 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:46,080 Speaker 2: we picked the most fresh up place possible. 250 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 5: That's why they saw you. 251 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:52,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, it's very hard to get a bad 252 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 2: meal in Mexico City. There's a lot of food I 253 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:58,280 Speaker 2: found that I was surprised never caught on in the US, 254 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 2: especially the Costra. The first time I had it, Alex 255 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 2: took me to basically the Chipotle of tacarias in Mexico City. 256 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 2: You know, the chain that you don't feel embarrassed about 257 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 2: eating at. It's basically a taco made out of fried 258 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 2: cheese in a taco. It sounds like a recipe that 259 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 2: was made in Wisconsin by someone who had a vague 260 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 2: idea of what they were doing. It's amazing taco wise, 261 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 2: Mexico City is known for the alpastor, a marinated pork 262 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 2: and pineapple creation that borrows a lot from shwarma. In fact, 263 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 2: it was created by Lebanese immigrants to the region. Meat 264 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 2: tends to be very regional in Mexico, as most things are. 265 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 2: Actually the North is known for beef. Mexico City has 266 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 2: pork aside from street food in thakarias. Mexico City is 267 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:55,880 Speaker 2: also home to two of the world's top fifty restaurants. 268 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 2: There are any Michelin stars in the country because there 269 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 2: is an a MI guide for Mexico, but if the 270 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:04,480 Speaker 2: government ever decided to pay for them to come, I'm 271 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:07,880 Speaker 2: sure they would clean up. I also want to clear 272 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 2: up a few things about the food. Number one, Burritos 273 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:15,160 Speaker 2: are a Northern thing and they don't have rice in 274 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:19,560 Speaker 2: them or French fries. Number two. While Nacho's were technically 275 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 2: invented in Mexico by a haired restaurant owner on a 276 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 2: border town who was trying to make a group of 277 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 2: Americans happy, Nacho is a nickname for a man called Ignacio. 278 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 2: It's not really a thing here unless you go to Chili's, 279 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 2: which is an American restaurant. The fijiita comes from Texas, 280 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 2: the chimmy chianga is probably from Arizona, and the crunch 281 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 2: wrap Supreme is from Taco bell I do want to 282 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 2: cave at that. Although it's hard to get a bad 283 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,280 Speaker 2: meal in Mexico City, it's not hard to get food poisoning. 284 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 2: Although I haven't gotten it every time I've gone, I 285 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 2: did get it twice in a row the last time 286 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 2: I was there, and from Fresa places, not jiangaros. Fresa 287 00:16:56,120 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 2: means bougie. That's also not a foreigner belly thing. Locals 288 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 2: will sometimes take a yearly anti parasitic. But something you 289 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,679 Speaker 2: don't need to worry about is the water or ice 290 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,240 Speaker 2: or like getting a salad. Almost no one drinks the 291 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:14,879 Speaker 2: water there, and no, there's no magical Mexican gut protocol 292 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:18,640 Speaker 2: that makes locals immune to sell Manila. It would take 293 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,879 Speaker 2: a whole second podcast to explain why water in Mexico 294 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:24,399 Speaker 2: City is a problem. And there are people who insist 295 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 2: that the water is fine and it just has a 296 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 2: bad reputation. And it is true that not every glass 297 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:33,159 Speaker 2: of water you draw from the tap has harm causing 298 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:38,920 Speaker 2: bacteria in it. It's a possibility it's not a guarantee. However, 299 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:41,480 Speaker 2: my friend turned me onto a water report from several 300 00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:45,160 Speaker 2: years ago that indicated elevated levels of mercury in the tap. 301 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 2: So I'll let you make your own decision on that one. 302 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,200 Speaker 2: Because of all these issues, Mexico is one of the 303 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:56,120 Speaker 2: highest consumers of bottled water in the world. I've even 304 00:17:56,119 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 2: seen people in favelas with bottled water. Mexico in general 305 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 2: has big economic divisions. I think there are a lot 306 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,160 Speaker 2: of people in the US who have this idea that 307 00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 2: everyone in Mexico is poor and really wants to go 308 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 2: to the States. The short answer is that there is 309 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 2: incredible wealth to go along with that heartbreaking poverty. 310 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 3: So you can see the difference between all the big 311 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:38,040 Speaker 3: corporate buildings and all the major transnational businesses. Next to 312 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,399 Speaker 3: that place, there is a fabella. So that's something that 313 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,879 Speaker 3: you can see all over. You can come from a 314 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,919 Speaker 3: really posh neighborhood and solidly you cross a couple of 315 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 3: streets and then you are there in the little town 316 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 3: that gives service to that big, posh place. 317 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:56,640 Speaker 5: What was it like growing up there? 318 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it was interesting because in my upbringing 319 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 3: was kind of like I could see the best of 320 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 3: two worlds. Like from my dad's side of the family, 321 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:14,800 Speaker 3: we come from a really humble working class origins in 322 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:19,880 Speaker 3: which my grandpa was a carpenter and a handyman. And 323 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,480 Speaker 3: from the other side, like, for example, my grandfather was 324 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:25,199 Speaker 3: a doctor. My family from my mother's side was like 325 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:27,800 Speaker 3: much more kind of like intellectuals. 326 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,400 Speaker 5: But I could see like the differences. 327 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:35,159 Speaker 3: My dad worked hard and really got to put himself 328 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:37,040 Speaker 3: and now his family into a really better position. 329 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 5: So I grew up in with that privilege. 330 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 3: But I would go and visit my grandpa, we my 331 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 3: visit my cousins, and my family that would belong to 332 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 3: a working classic, very Mexico City based families. 333 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,040 Speaker 2: The fact that Alex's dad moves social and economic classes 334 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:59,679 Speaker 2: is not unheard of in Mexico, but it's definitely not 335 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:02,640 Speaker 2: the no part of this was made possible because Alex's 336 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:05,359 Speaker 2: dad was in Mexico City and he'd gotten a scholarship 337 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 2: to go to a better school. Mexico has public schools, 338 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 2: but the system is more broken than the one in 339 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 2: the US, and also being in Mexico City made him 340 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 2: more available for opportunities than if he was in another state. 341 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 2: Social mobility isn't as accessible in the States as our 342 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 2: ingrained mythology would suggest either at this point in time, 343 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:28,199 Speaker 2: but that is also a different podcast. The US can 344 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 2: mean different things to different Mexicans depending on their income bracket. 345 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:33,560 Speaker 2: For many people in Mexico, it's a lifeline for a 346 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:37,640 Speaker 2: better quality of life. For someone like Alex it meant 347 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 2: luxury in a slice of fantasy. 348 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:40,960 Speaker 5: I mean I. 349 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 3: Remember my first time to Disney, and I was like 350 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:49,520 Speaker 3: six or seven something like that, So I mean it 351 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 3: was like so impressive and so mind blowing as a 352 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,159 Speaker 3: kid to go and see all that incredible stuff. We 353 00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:00,960 Speaker 3: could not sometimes be able to go so often to 354 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:05,159 Speaker 3: the US, but some of my friends in this push school, 355 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:08,119 Speaker 3: they would be going to ski and to Wale and 356 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,439 Speaker 3: to you know, like so many different posh destinies in 357 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 3: the US. 358 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:13,679 Speaker 5: But they would be coming. 359 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:17,160 Speaker 3: With you know, like the big toys and you know, 360 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 3: like everything that would land and clothing and all that. 361 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:23,080 Speaker 5: But and I. 362 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,399 Speaker 3: Was raised when I was a kid in it was 363 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 3: the eighties, so Mexico's economy in Mexico was still very 364 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 3: like closed, and so going to the US was something 365 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,879 Speaker 3: that was like, yeah, like have some privilege. 366 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,320 Speaker 2: A lot has changed in Mexico and Mexico City since 367 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 2: the eighties. Many mostly national corporations have made their lot 368 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 2: and headquarters in Mexico City. Why well, the Mexican government 369 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 2: is a lot more stable than many of its neighbors. 370 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:55,679 Speaker 2: They haven't had a dictator in their modern history. The 371 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:59,359 Speaker 2: currency hasn't fluctuated like it does in Argentina or Venezuela. 372 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 2: And sure are nartcos, but. 373 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:03,960 Speaker 4: The cartails don't really venture into Mexico City. 374 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 2: A big change happened within the last several years. Let's 375 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:11,880 Speaker 2: call it the rise of the digital nomad. You've heard 376 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,560 Speaker 2: of Mexicans moving to the US, nice storming the border 377 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 2: if you believe some But have you heard of the 378 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 2: opposite phenomenon, people fleeing New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Berlin 379 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 2: for Mexico City. What do you think of the digital 380 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 2: nomad influx? 381 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:34,280 Speaker 5: It's I mean, in my opinion, it's good in terms 382 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 5: of that, yeah, the actual. 383 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:42,679 Speaker 3: Yeah, all the money that has been put on the 384 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:47,959 Speaker 3: local economy. It helps, and it's something that right now 385 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 3: I think it's something super needed. Yeah, and so I 386 00:22:55,240 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 3: definitely think that's something that in the long run will help. 387 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 3: But in the other sense, it's having the gentrification classic 388 00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:11,439 Speaker 3: phenomenon which is now starting to show, and the rents 389 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 3: are going up, and they are now like tweets and 390 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:19,119 Speaker 3: memes now saying that, yeah, like the regular Mexican walking 391 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 3: in Droma or in Condesta, now it feels that we 392 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,040 Speaker 3: are illegal immigrants. 393 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 2: Digital nomads are a complicated topic for a lot of 394 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,639 Speaker 2: Mexicans living in Mexico City. When I was there, a 395 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 2: lot of people were honestly pretty happy about the influx 396 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:38,159 Speaker 2: of foreigners. I think that sentiment has somewhat changed after 397 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:40,440 Speaker 2: all of my Mexican friends were priced out of living 398 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:45,440 Speaker 2: in Condesse and Roma. But on the whole, Mexicans tend 399 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,800 Speaker 2: to really love foreigners. It's something that's ingrained into the culture. 400 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 3: Have you heard about this term Malinchismo, which comes from Malinche. 401 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 3: So Malinche was a princess that was given to Ernan Cortes, 402 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:02,119 Speaker 3: who was a conqueror, the Spanish conqueror of the city. 403 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:06,639 Speaker 3: As an interpret as a translator, but also kind of 404 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:09,600 Speaker 3: like a maiden. And then they became they were together 405 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,879 Speaker 3: and they had children and Malinche, which is kind of 406 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:17,160 Speaker 3: like the Spanish way of saying Malitin, who was a 407 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 3: traditional name, was kind of like the first one, and 408 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:24,440 Speaker 3: for many people they see her as a traitor, but 409 00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:26,640 Speaker 3: I mean she had she was about to be killed, 410 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:28,239 Speaker 3: so I don't know if we can judge her, but 411 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:33,120 Speaker 3: she was like kind of like giving favor to the 412 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:36,119 Speaker 3: conqueror or anyone. So the term of malin chista or 413 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 3: malincha is that you kind of like appreciate more things 414 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:42,719 Speaker 3: from outside your country, and you're kind of like favoring 415 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,680 Speaker 3: the knowledge of other country that is not yours. And 416 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 3: unfortunately the Mexican people is very Malinchista is like very 417 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 3: like if you actually come from another country, the Mexican 418 00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:58,120 Speaker 3: will find you exotic. 419 00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 5: But will treat you really well. 420 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:02,679 Speaker 3: He will treat to you like somehow Yeah, like you 421 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,680 Speaker 3: come to be really interested in your ways, and you're 422 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:09,440 Speaker 3: interested into in your kind of like very exotic and mother. 423 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,399 Speaker 2: One time Alex took me to a foreigner's party. I 424 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 2: was like, what's a foreigner's party? And he said it 425 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 2: was a party for people to show off their foreigners. 426 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 2: It was wild. I brought moonshine. I was told to 427 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 2: taste like bad decisions. Here's the other thing when I've 428 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:27,200 Speaker 2: told a lot of Americans about miley chismo. They tend 429 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:30,720 Speaker 2: to interpret it as a level of white people. But 430 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:32,679 Speaker 2: that's not strictly true from what I've seen and what 431 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:36,440 Speaker 2: I've been told, and it's actually pretty all encompassing. But 432 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 2: maleon chismo also doesn't apply to everyone. It doesn't apply 433 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:42,120 Speaker 2: to people that come from countries that produce a lot 434 00:25:42,119 --> 00:25:45,440 Speaker 2: of migrants, like Honduras or a Salvador. It also doesn't 435 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:48,200 Speaker 2: apply to people who don't look like they should be foreigners. 436 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:52,000 Speaker 2: So if you look Mexican but are from the US 437 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 2: and a stranger in the country, you are not going 438 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 2: to be treated the same way that someone from Japan 439 00:25:57,280 --> 00:25:59,000 Speaker 2: would be. And there doesn't seem to be a big 440 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 2: alliance between the digital nomads and the people who have returned. 441 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,200 Speaker 2: And while a lot of nomads are American and probably 442 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 2: have a lot culturally in common with people who have 443 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:11,199 Speaker 2: returned buying large, these two groups are living very different 444 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:14,240 Speaker 2: existences in the city. See, the Americans are still earning 445 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 2: dollars while the returneys are likely earning pesos. And there's 446 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 2: definitely a difference when you choose to be in a 447 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 2: place versus when you have to be in a place. 448 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,000 Speaker 2: Although I didn't meet any digital nomads on my first trip, 449 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:27,680 Speaker 2: I did learn about the tale of two cities andess 450 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 2: of being a returney versus being an obvious foreigner. On 451 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,399 Speaker 2: that fateful first time in Mexico City. Eventually I wound 452 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:37,280 Speaker 2: up having a good time. I met someone which prompted 453 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:39,240 Speaker 2: me to make plans to come back to the city. 454 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:43,200 Speaker 2: I made friends Sasa museums. I was just coming out 455 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:46,320 Speaker 2: of my fog of weird self inflicted shame and confusion 456 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 2: when I was headed to the airport. As I called 457 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 2: the Uber, I expected that it would be kind of 458 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 2: a quiet car ride. My brain was half fried and 459 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,400 Speaker 2: I was convinced that I had somehow lost my Spanish 460 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:05,680 Speaker 2: completely in my week in Mexico City. But when my driver, 461 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:09,320 Speaker 2: Victor Manuel's car pulled up, he hopped out and greeted 462 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,600 Speaker 2: me in an American accent at English. I was taken aback. 463 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:16,359 Speaker 2: What was this American doing driving Uber in Mexico City. 464 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 2: As we got on the highway and promptly got stuck 465 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:22,280 Speaker 2: in one of Mexico City's famous traffic jams, I asked 466 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 2: Victor Manuel where he grew up. He told me California, 467 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 2: but he had been undocumented. In his early twenties, he 468 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:31,080 Speaker 2: came to the conclusion that his time in the US 469 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 2: had run its course. He couldn't enroll in college because 470 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:36,080 Speaker 2: he couldn't pay for it. He was afraid of being 471 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:38,800 Speaker 2: found out every time he left his house. He didn't 472 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:41,200 Speaker 2: see any sort of path forward or protection for him 473 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:45,480 Speaker 2: on the horizon. So Victor Manuel decided he was going 474 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:47,639 Speaker 2: to disappoint his dad, who had brought him to the 475 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:50,280 Speaker 2: States when he was a baby, and returned to Mexico 476 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,399 Speaker 2: without speaking so much as a word of Spanish. But 477 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,720 Speaker 2: when he landed in Mexico, he realized how horribly unprepared 478 00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 2: he was for this transition, and more maddeningly, Daca came 479 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:07,320 Speaker 2: into existence six months after he left the US. When 480 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:09,679 Speaker 2: Victor Manuel landed, he told me he went to go 481 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,200 Speaker 2: find his family, who lived in Mitro kan, a state 482 00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 2: west of Mexico City. He hadn't had much contact with 483 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 2: his family since he left, and if I remember correctly, 484 00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:21,120 Speaker 2: none of them spoke English. He didn't speak Spanish, and 485 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:23,359 Speaker 2: it didn't take him long to realize that he was 486 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:27,200 Speaker 2: in a narco town. I remember Victor Manuel being very tall, 487 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:33,480 Speaker 2: especially for Mexico. And heavily tattooed and well, very obviously 488 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:36,800 Speaker 2: an outsider afraid of getting kidnapped by a cartel. I 489 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 2: remember him telling me he left Mitro Kan by bus 490 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:43,440 Speaker 2: under the cover of darkness. He landed in Mexico City 491 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:51,240 Speaker 2: with no job, no friends or family, and no Spanish, 492 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 2: as Victor Manuel described as struggles with his identity. As 493 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 2: a returney to me, I thought to myself, Oh God, 494 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:02,480 Speaker 2: this is like if I had to come live in Mexico. 495 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:07,760 Speaker 2: I recognized a lot of those feelings, like way more 496 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:11,480 Speaker 2: than I thought I would. This changed my life. I 497 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 2: grew up thinking I had zero things in common identity wise, 498 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:19,000 Speaker 2: with immigrants from Latin America, that they somehow had it easier. 499 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 2: And now I was hearing that actually the culture shock 500 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:28,040 Speaker 2: and pressure and disappointment upon first coming to Mexico, as 501 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 2: well as the intense imposter syndrome that he felt in 502 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 2: the States, were really, really similar. I was shocked. For 503 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:39,680 Speaker 2: my whole life, I had assumed that I was the 504 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:42,840 Speaker 2: only one who felt this way, that because of my 505 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:47,960 Speaker 2: unusual situation, I was the sole ambassador from my planet. 506 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:52,240 Speaker 2: And now not only was I hearing that I weirdly 507 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:55,800 Speaker 2: wasn't alone. I was also hearing about a predicament that 508 00:29:55,920 --> 00:30:00,280 Speaker 2: I had never even really thought about, what ha happens 509 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:10,600 Speaker 2: when people return. I'm sure you wanted to hear an 510 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:13,920 Speaker 2: interview with Victor Manuel instead of hearing me talk about 511 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 2: our conversation. The truth is I didn't get his contact info, 512 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:21,800 Speaker 2: and while later I realized I could have probably used 513 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,720 Speaker 2: Uber to contact him, by that point he seemed to 514 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 2: have left. What set me on the path of doing 515 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,720 Speaker 2: this whole project was trying to find him to be 516 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:32,640 Speaker 2: able to hear his whole story, to talk to him again. 517 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:37,560 Speaker 2: But so far I haven't been able to. So Victor, 518 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:39,800 Speaker 2: if you're out there, hit me up. 519 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 4: Oh yeah, and there's one last thing I have to 520 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:46,600 Speaker 4: tell you. 521 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,680 Speaker 2: First time you met me, did you think you're being catfished? 522 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 4: Yeah? 523 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:58,840 Speaker 3: I mean, now, obviously it was a shock because, yeah, 524 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 3: by hearing your name and have no physical description my head. 525 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 3: In my head, you were looking absolutely different. 526 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 2: So part of the reason why people have been so 527 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:17,160 Speaker 2: weird with me over the years is because of how 528 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:20,040 Speaker 2: I look. When people hear my name, they create this 529 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 2: image of me in their mind, like they might think 530 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:27,320 Speaker 2: I look like Selena Gomez or maybe indigenous like Elitia 531 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:32,040 Speaker 2: Parassio or appro Latina like Zoe Saldana. They don't really 532 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:35,440 Speaker 2: think Cameron Diaz. So not only do I not have 533 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:39,800 Speaker 2: a great story, I also look sweedish. That's actually been 534 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:43,520 Speaker 2: what gives people the most hang ups. Not really Latin 535 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 2: people per se, but people who are not from a 536 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:50,120 Speaker 2: Latin background, who, for one reason or another think I'm lying, 537 00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:53,080 Speaker 2: and while I have no ill will towards them, people 538 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:56,080 Speaker 2: like Hilaria Baldwin and Rachel Doleas all have not helped us. 539 00:31:56,680 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 3: Watching That You Are Blue White Blum, it was a 540 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:10,280 Speaker 3: little bit of a shock, but also I was like, Okay, yes, Mexican. 541 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:12,360 Speaker 5: Diverse than we are, very diverse. 542 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,840 Speaker 2: I feel like I painted a picture of Mexico City 543 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,680 Speaker 2: that sounds like an amazing wonderland. So you're probably love 544 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:29,840 Speaker 2: of the question. Did any of the retorneys realize there 545 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 2: are a lot of opportunities in Mexico and return on 546 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:38,120 Speaker 2: their own Well, the answer, in short is yes, definitely 547 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 2: not everyone, but yes. 548 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:44,840 Speaker 6: We just have this cultural idea that the United States 549 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:48,480 Speaker 6: is going to be the only place where you can 550 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 6: better you, right, But that wasn't really. 551 00:32:51,560 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 2: Afraid Next time on the United States lists this episode 552 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 2: was written and produced by Alexander Rivera. Story editing by 553 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,680 Speaker 2: Alexander Rivera and Caitlin Pierce from Roughcut Collective. 554 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:11,240 Speaker 4: Audio engineering by Francesco Messure. 555 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 2: Sound designed by Fernando Hernandez Bessera of isis Rado. 556 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 4: This podcast was done in collaboration with Blue Remedy Media. 557 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:22,560 Speaker 2: Follow us on Instagram at at United Stateless Podcast for 558 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:26,600 Speaker 2: more information and opportunities to donate to organizations at Help Attorneys. 559 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:36,600 Speaker 4: Visit our website at www dot United statelesspodcast dot com