Saturday, May 23, 2009
Drug Wars
Oaxaca City is as safe as one can reasonably expect a city of 400,000 people to be. We visited in April 2008 and had a wonderful time. Since then, we have been following the steady stream of headlines about drug cartel-related violence. Here is the U.S. State Department Travel Advisory for Mexico, which was issued on February 20, 2009: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html
Mexico is indeed struggling with terrible violence and corruption, mostly related to President Calderon's intense crackdown on organized crime in Mexico City and U.S. border areas since his election in 2006. If you are really interested, you should definitely take a look at this interactive map showing that Oaxaca, while under the influence of the Sinaloa cartel from the eastern side of the Sierra Madre mountain chain, is far south of the violent territory disputes occuring near the U.S. border. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/22/us/BORDER.html
But I can't leave this topic without pointing out the enormous influence of the U.S. drug market on Mexican cartels, law enforcement, and ordinary citizens. Please read this amazing position paper by the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, which argues that the "war on drugs" has failed, and proposes bold solutions to advance democracy and peace across Latin America and the U.S. http://drugsanddemocracy.org/files/2009/02/declaracao_ingles_site.pdf
The Basics: Yes, we are moving to Mexico!
Felicidades, you have arrived at the Waits Gambill Mexican Adventure blog! We are really excited about our upcoming move to Oaxaca City, in Oaxaca state, in Mexico. Check out our Family Year Abroad destination at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oaxaca.
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we've been getting:
1) Why are we moving to Oaxaca? To learn Spanish! We've been dreaming about taking the kids to a Spanish-speaking country ever since we got married. All three of our children will be enrolled in local Mexican schools and totally immersed in Spanish. We picked Mexico because it's our neighbor, it's huge, fascinating, and relatively affordable, and travel back and forth to the states takes only a few hours.
2) Are we coming back? Yes, definitely. We'll drive away from 1150 Cumberland Road on July 4, 2009, and plan to return some time before school starts in July or August 2010.
3) How are we pulling this off? (Okay, no one has asked precisely this question, but we get it in one form or another...) Art will be telecommuting to his law firm, Kilpatrick Stockton, and making occasional visits back to the states to visit clients and check in at the office. Lauren has decided to leave her job at Voices for Georgia's Children, focus on learning Spanish for a year, and see where that takes her upon return to Atlanta.
4) Do we speak Spanish already? NO! We are just screwing up our courage and diving in. Please wish us luck, and send prayers and good karma!
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we've been getting:
1) Why are we moving to Oaxaca? To learn Spanish! We've been dreaming about taking the kids to a Spanish-speaking country ever since we got married. All three of our children will be enrolled in local Mexican schools and totally immersed in Spanish. We picked Mexico because it's our neighbor, it's huge, fascinating, and relatively affordable, and travel back and forth to the states takes only a few hours.
2) Are we coming back? Yes, definitely. We'll drive away from 1150 Cumberland Road on July 4, 2009, and plan to return some time before school starts in July or August 2010.
3) How are we pulling this off? (Okay, no one has asked precisely this question, but we get it in one form or another...) Art will be telecommuting to his law firm, Kilpatrick Stockton, and making occasional visits back to the states to visit clients and check in at the office. Lauren has decided to leave her job at Voices for Georgia's Children, focus on learning Spanish for a year, and see where that takes her upon return to Atlanta.
4) Do we speak Spanish already? NO! We are just screwing up our courage and diving in. Please wish us luck, and send prayers and good karma!
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