It's Different Now

It was easier for me to live in Mexico when George Bush was president. Especially after he won a second term. Who WERE these fellow citizens of mine that elected and re-elected this unworthy stooge? Who would want to live among them?

I kidded with my friend from Montreal. “You could sell fake Canadian passport covers and make a killing.” Somebody else did just that. I found them online. Only half-joking, I bought a few for myself and my kids, along with maple leaf stickers to slap on our bags.

Now it’s different. Granted, the past three years have been momentous for me. I lost a dear husband, published a first book, and found a whole new community of friends in California, in large part because I spend so much time there. But a new administration has made life different for me, too. To paraphrase Michelle Obama, I feel proud of my country again, for the first time in the new millennium. We saw the wisdom in her husband, came out in droves for him, and swept him into office on a wave of passion and pride. Our votes counted(and were counted!). Activism paid off. The world press loves us again.

And, like so many other tired feminists and community organizers, I have become energized. Tonight I’m off to a march in support of same-sex marriage. Tomorrow night to a meeting of the Unitarian social action committee. Thursday night, homework tutoring at the homeless shelter. It feels good to be back, to be involved again where it feels appropriate to me, within my own culture.

Do I want to live most of the year in Mexico anymore, if it means giving this up? After twelve years in the “Riviera Nayarit,” am I ready for a change?