Nicole's Blog

While I was in California in April, I received a very sweet gift from a friend the day before I left. It was a book about Tarot and an accompanying deck of Tarot cards. Now, Tarot is not something I had been previously very into, although a good friend who came to visit over Christmas brought her deck with her and gave a few readings. It was fun and mystical at the same time, with a whimsical seriousness (oxymoron?!) not unlike the iChing that I've been so fond of consulting ever since the early 2000's.

In any case, after being gifted this deck of Tarot cards, I soon came to find out that the Tarot is, like the iChing, a sacred oracle used over thousands of years by sages and mystics to divine information and advice from the universal source of wisdom. So I felt quite flattered that this friend of mine thought enough of me to think I was ready for something like this.

Strangely enough, the gift of Tarot cards coincided with a few other mystical events. I had recently met with more than one friend to do some visioning work about my creative path, especially related to writing projects I want to undertake. These sessions had revealed a lot of interesting ideas and affirmations for me. I had also borrowed a book from a friend (the same one who had given me the Tarot reading over Christmas) about Wicca. After reflecting on all three things, I realized there was a very real & not-so-coincidental connection between them. It was as if unintentionally, but nevertheless simultaneously, 4 different friends were helping me along a path to spiritual/creative realization. If you count another friend who was giving me new ideas via books on Jungian psychology, that makes five direct influences in the same direction!

In any case, without getting too complicated here, the Tarot book recommends the practitioner get familiar with the cards before using the regularly. One of the suggested ways of familiarizing with the cards is to read them and meditate on them in their natural sequence. So I did that. It just so happened that the card I selected the night before I was to leave for a trip to NY for my 10-year reunion and an extended visit with family was entitled "The Lightning Path." This card suggests a lot of accelerated growth, of struggle but the need for the focus on love to clear away all obstacles, of the returning to original intents, and of rapid ascendance to a new mental plane.

At the moment I drew the card, I wasn't too keen on what it meant. I was feeling anxious about having to leave Margo behind on my travels yet again, that I'd be away from him during his birthday, that it'd be hard emotionally to go back home, see family, old friends, and then have to leave again...etc. etc. But I did have resolve that I was doing the right thing, by going back, and I was certain that no matter the outcome it'd be a successful trip.

I should mention here that after the beginning of my cookbook "tour" in CA in April, and on the heels of a lot of uncertainty that has been arising in me about the having kids question, etc...I met with a shamanic guide friend who helped me to gain some real clarity about just that. It was her opinion that for me, having kids isn't out of the question in the future, but in the more immediate future I have some other project getting ready to burst out of me- at the time I thought it would be a book on migration. That was in April. I am still laying down plans for that book.

But after this reunion I realize that the "birthing project" is not just a kid, it's not just one book, but rather, it may be the arrival of a new "me" in general. I say this because I've been struggling ever since I got to Mexico with this whole idea of what I was going "to do with myself" professionally. I considered going back to teach, I taught out of my own home, but as for an offical title I could come up with none. That in and of itself was OK, but it wasn't doing much for my professional advancement. In choosing to "go it alone," I was stifled by lack of affiliation and networks. I have always liked having allies, I am brave but have never needed to be a lone warrior.

This all came full circle at the end of reunion weekend. After a weekend of partying and good food, I met with a former professor and mentor who I hadn't seen for over 10 years. While I was at Cornell I had traveled to Venezuela with him, as a student investigator, as an assistant in his lab, and finally as a co-editor for a student research journal he published. A Chicano himself, he has dedicated the good part of his career to the advancement of minority and motivated students to excel in the sciences...to him I am indebted a great part of my academic and professional success.

I guess I always thought just keeping in touch over email was enough. That can never be true. At our meeting, after explaining to him some of the difficulties I was encountering in Mexico, we discussed the possibilities of an official affiliation for me with his lab. This was more than I would have expected. And yet, it made so much sense. He is an medical ethnobotanist, a world-reknowned researcher of plant biochemicals that can be used to cure illnesses. Of course it is much bigger than that...the native stewards of the plants, their use of herbal remedies, the connections with science, conservation of traditions and native habitats, is the big picture. We always saw eye to eye on this and I carried out many of those scientific and social concerns in my 10 years of work after college. I guess I just never realized just how much I had been carrying out his dream for his students.

Caught up in my own insecurities, I thought I had never done enough, by not having gone and gotten my PhD as he had recommended I do 10 years ago, that I had nothing to show for in that academic sense. Granted, as my brother joked to me, and even a Masters' doesn't count? Yet in my mind not having reached "the pinnacle" was always a mar on my record. When I shared this with my old prof, and ruefully regretted not having come to see him sooner, he laughed and told me none of that mattered. Now, with a professional alliance of this sort, I will be able to stay in Mexico, keep writing about a number of different topics, but also have the support of a network I had always cherished, and know can take me many places- my alma mater.

The point is as long as we never let go of our dreams, no matter how wide of a circle we are drawn out into, no matter how diverse our interests, or how far we may detour from the path, if we always have that original compass reading in mind...guiding us straight to our passions like that magnetic arrow pointing north, we can find our way. Yes, the arrival may be straight through brambles and bushes and you may have to crawl under or leap over some logs, dodge some scorpions or black widows, but as long as you have respect for self and the land through which you are making your journey, and keep you senses honed, the expedition can, in the end, have some surprisingly satisfactory destinations.

Today's title is something I always keep in mind when going back and forth between countries...buffeted between La Jolla vistas and swine flu scares...one starts to lose track of where one belongs. It had been 14 mos. in Mexico...and then 2.5 weeks in the U.S...and all the jumping around really helps one to reflect on what's true to you.

You never know a good thing until it's gone- another folk quote that applies to us all, quite often. Although in my case i might adjust that saying slightly to read, "You never know quite how good something is until you have to let it go." When I moved to Mexico more than 2.5 years ago, I actually did foresee the difficulty I'd have in adjusting to life away from my friends and family...knew that I'd be challenged to adjust to a new set of cultural norms, and not being able to have all the things I was used to in the States. However, what I didn't fully realize is just how integral my circle of friends and professional leanings were to my well-being. After the initial excitement of living in a new country, building a new home, and the distractions of first blush culture crashes had died down (probably after the first year & a half), I was confronted with an entirely unique set of obstacles. Which I could characterize as, "oh shit- this is for real!" I really wasn't going back to my old job. I sure as heck wasn't finding one as satisfying here right away. I really didn't have enough dough to go chill with my pals in Cali whenever I liked. I wasn't able to just pick up and go spend time with my family nor were they for me. And I started resenting the circumstances that led to my decisions for coming here and withdrawing into myself...no longer the social butterfly I always had been. Something of a depression set in for several months.

But in that withdrawal into the interior came something more- something unexpected- with lots of reading, introspection, meditation, and a renewed commitment to self-exploration and healing. Later, I began to branch out, involve myself more in my community here, drop the tough or sad girl act. I didn't feel obligated to do so. It was because I really desired it. All that must have shifted something inside that led to a patina of genuine happiness slowly but surely emerging in my aura. I suspect that helped me start to make more friends down here- an interior peace must have reflected outwards and made it easier to connect with others. My relationship with my husband sweetened and deepened. Work projects started to just flow- not motivated by money, but from my own personal wellspring of creativity.

It was here that the opportunity presented itself for me to go back and visit my twenty-something stomping grounds- the SF Bay Area- where I had spent 7 years growing up, having matured there into an independent adult, having endured a painful separation from an ex, having developed and nurtured deep bonds with many close friends, having made concrete and outwardly successful my professional manifestation of my worship of divine Mother Earth, having met my husband and our relationship having flowered and confirmed beneath the sunny rays alongside the deep blue Pacific ocean swells. San Francisco, the storied beaches and forests, now almost mythical in my mind with over 2 years of distance between me and her.

When I had first entertained the idea, early into my time in Mexico, it felt too raw, too soon, for me to go back, as if I did, I'd only despair in not being able to stay. Or that I didn't have enough personal satisfaction to report back on- it was easier lying through photos that I was OK being down here away from everyone. Going back home to NY was easier b/c I've never been able to nor needed to deceive my parents- they could tell by an off-inflection in my voice- but for CA was a tougher subject. Later I realized why- it had to do with it being the place that was not only my former home but Margarito's as well. That in my act of booking the tickets and him not being able to, was the confession of reality, the stark fact that we are split down the middle in our privileges. I was putting it off because I was unable to bear the thought of leaving him behind here while I went off and "played" in the place we had once called home together. A place that, after the nostalgia of Queretaro and the first delights of being around his family wore off, was actually quite sorely missed by him- not only for its economic opportunity, but that California had gotten under his skin too- the liberal politics, the standard of living, the general concern for the environment and social issues, our friends. It was literally painful for me to book that ticket, knowing that I could do it and he couldn't. That I was going out on a limb financially, what with the economic crisis in full swing and me not having much income to speak of. But the announced wedding date of my cousin in So. Cal was the impetus. And finding $240 round-trip tickets was the incentive I needed to "just do it." So I did.

It took a lot of calm to get through that first week of panic when, two days after booking the tix, Margo announced he was being laid off his job. I felt I had made a mistake, acted impetuously, what was I thinking, how was I going to live this down if I didn't set us into financial ruin. My old thought patterns. The kind that I struggled with the first year here, the one of "I will die without income" or "We will die soon if we run out of money." Thoughts that aren't so foreign to folks caught up heavily in a certain lifestyle that for now shall go unnamed. But then I remembered my affirmations. I shall find a way. The universe will show me what I need to do to make this work. I am talented and I can support myself. There is a reason I follow my heart. So I steeled myself and opened myself to just those.

I knew there was more to this trip that just beach hopping, although knowing the curative properties of that ion-charged ocean wind, even that alone would have been enough. I needed to reconnect with my friends, with whom email, letter-writing, the occasional visits here, and Facebook just hadn't cut the mustard. I had some official paperwork to take care of. Had some shopping that needed doing. Needed some legal advice on Margo's immigration case. Wanted to renew bonds with my family in So. Cal that had languished for over 5 years. Craved rejuvenation from the natural world that had nourished me into the reverent Earth warrior that I am. Yet there were other surprises in store for me that, as only the divine creator knows will occur, would be revealed to me in due time.

One of those novel creative whims turned satisfying sustenance was my Mexican cookbook. I had started it in December after a visit from friends here, and it had grown into a 60 page compendium of local dishes replete with my original paintings, illustrations, and a chapter on the history of indigenous Mexican food plants. It wasn't until a friend suggested I give classes based on it during my visit that I started to look at this "hobby" as something serious- i.e. potentially bread-winning. So I got down to preparing the dough and letting it rise. And what a surprisingly ample loaf it was. I ended up giving 4 classes to over 50 attendees, sold over 40 books, and was asked to do a series of talks at Bay Area libraries later this year. My humble little collection is now officially in circulation at the Half Moon Bay library and I have been encouraged to investigate self-publication with Lulu press, something I am giving serious consideration. I couldn't have done this without the friends who had faith in my abilities and got involved supporting me on the endeavor...but I am amazed at how something I thought was so ho-hum grew into something so cool, so fun. I managed to pay for my trip and even a little more. It was right to let go of my fears of flying and believe that if I just followed my spirit, the path would come up to meet my feet. That in and of itself is very eye-opening.

Another, quite unexpected but appreciated sentiment, was the feeling that I was visiting- that Mexico is definitively my home. It may be a home with issues and obstacles yet to be surmounted, but it is my home nonetheless- my heart is there, my house is there, the love of my life is there. That as beautiful the Bay Area is and as abundant as my dear friends there are there, it is not my home anymore. I haven't ruled out that it could be my home again someday...I never cease to dream...but for now it is only a place to visit. I am not 100% sure about why I got that feeling but I am certain of it. And that was sort of a relief because I was afraid I'd go there and wish I lived there again- feel a tortured aspect to my visit that would be tearful upon leaving. I certainly did tear up on occasions but it wasn't for leaving the physical space. I left with the profound sense that even though I may be flying back to Mexico, I am not necessarily separate from my loved ones and places. That if I just close my eyes, I can imagine my wings circling the globe and part of me is everywhere.

To expand on that...the last unexpected delight borne of this trip... brings my story full circle and to a close. I said earlier that I didn't know quite how good something was until I had to let it go...and that good something was my circle of friends. The importance of the support we afforded each other, and the amount of happiness, vision, and clarity we could experience by being around each other even for a short period of time, were simply, underestimated. I didn't fathom quite how integral they had been to my development as a free thinker and daring spirit. I had always credited my parents and myself in that role. Yet after spending a couple weeks of albeit rushed but genuinely cherished time in the presence of my good friends, mentors, former students, and extended family members, I observed some things about myself and them that I think I had prior taken for granted.

For example, I tend to think that only with family can you truly let your hair down- be yourself- and still accept each other in the morning- but after spending several crazy days running around doing cookbook stuff in the presence of a handful of buddies who were hosting me or the classes, I realized I have this familial type of support with them too, and deeply appreciated that. Another example of how crucial friends are to our well-being is there ability to see through your facades and go right to the heart of your emotional struggles- my most common one being torn up about my self-imposed exile in Mexico alongside Margo- several companions sensed this, and ever so gently got me to open up and reflect out loud about the subject- one that has hardened me prematurely but that only the best of friends can help you to surmount.

I gained a deeper appreciation for how the Bay Area is a hotbed of transformative thought- that many of the tools I had used in my darkest hours struggling to find a foothold in Queretaro- only to find there was none- I had learned in my old home. Of course the roots of my character, the foundation for my ability to stand strong in the face of the personal earthquake that moving to Mexico was- the trust in self, in my instincts, in love, those come from my childhood in NY. But techniques that I could use to turn obsessive thinking into tranquility, to turn anger into patience, or frustration into open-mindedness- those were all obtained via training and exposure during my time on the SF Peninsula. Yoga, loving kindness, and meditation come to mind in that regard. Y que bueno que los aprendi!

Yet above all, the plain old fun factor trumped all other benefits in its ability to recharge my batteries, and renew my faith in the importance of play in buoying the spirit. Our moments moving to the music, whether at house parties, at the wedding, or at the LiveVibe in SF, penetrated a place in my soul that can only be reached by dance. Ever since childhood, when we rocked out to my mom's latest favorite song on the stereo, til adulthood, dance has been an important part of my life- and I now realize of my friends' as well- a celebration of being alive. In sharing this celebration with each other, we seal an unspoken pact of collusion in reveling in this life of ours- one that is unbreakable over time and distance and can only be described in dimensions foreign to language- a connection that transcends cultures- much like food, sustenance for the body- moving as one to the music, as we dance together, we feed our souls. This is a timely lesson for me, as I contemplate what will be my next step here back in Qro...something that I interpret as a message to find ways to incorporate music and dance more into my life, besides revelation in nature. So it will be.

Thank you to everyone who carted me around, fed me, saw to my various needs during this trip, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you, and how glad I am that we did.

This is a long entry--think it makes up for the couple months since I've last posted...

Several goings-on here, seemingly disconnected but more likely interwoven...just finished an exhilarating artistic project- the first panel of our mosaic mural between the house and the bodega was officially completed this week. It turned out cooler than I ever would have expected. I just stare at it and think, it is really possible I made something so beautiful? I imagine it must be similar to how Margo feels when he contemplates our house- though being much more modest than I, would never say it. Well, I've got to say it- it's so gratifying to develop a skill from pure observation- watching M lay tiles for months, and then use the "garbage" left over into a masterpiece. My point is, if an all left hands person like me when it comes to mechanical and construction stuff can accomplish this, anyone can. I'll be here when some of you out there want to try it out yourselves. :)

Also almost done with an excellent book, the Great Cosmic Mother: A Return to the Religion of the Earth. Recommended by my friend and former spiritual healer Maggi, all I can say is, why did I wait 3 years to read this book? It is an incredibly detailed compendium of the history of female power, ranging all the way from biological facts about women relating to evolution, to the Neolithic period where Goddess worship was the norm...plus societies that still retain some of this tradition today...to the shift to patriarchy about 4,000 years ago and the long-range effects this has had on our society. The interesting thing is I've always experienced an undercurrent of acknowledgement for the female divine, ever since I was young, thanks to my Mom, and a brief intensification of that during college with the whole ecofeminist thought thing, but I think I let it go on the back burner after I started traveling to Latin America, where there's a huge dichotomy between massive patriarchy and the traditional indigenous cultures, plus a mixing of both. This book is the first I've read that manages to thoroughly explain and connect all sorts of disconnected suspicions and observations I've made in the last decade or so...and is really enjoyable and inspirational at the same time. Highly recommended.

In other news, we recently met a sustainable builder here in the Bajio at a green Building conference. We have a mutual good friend in common back in the Bay Area. There is some potential for collaboration that I am very hopeful about, especially for Margo.

In that same vein, an extremely interesting article that highlights an ironic twist of fate... http://www.alternet.org/story/130361/ about how the economic downturn is actually generating more sustainable, communal values in American society. Shared living situations ain't anything new to us Gen Xers, nor will it be short lived for us, either. As for the mantra "live simply so others maybe simply live," I'm thinking maybe a "slow-down" might not be so bad after all. In fact maybe it is the necessary jolt needed to bring padded, isolated, suburban lifestyles down to Earth and see things from another perspective.

As for how all this relates to my current situation...I've been embracing it more. I'll confess that the same things from early on- the red tape, the corruption, cultural clashes, still get to me from time to time, but it's as if they just aren't as front and center anymore. I can also attest to a renewed commitment on my part to make acceptance of long term change. Not to mention that I am working actively to be open to new and unexpected opportunities. For example, the cookbook. The first year I was here, upon having mentioned my credentials to someone, they joked about how I was going to get a Masters in Mexican domestic culture. I did not find it funny at the time. But now I joke that I got a Masters in Mexican cuisine. Who would have guessed that an American would be teaching Mexicanas how to make tamales? It's all in how you look at something.

Long ago, when I had been here about a year and a half, on the heels of a rather depressive period, a good psychologist friend of mine told me I was experiencing sever culture shock. In her opinion, it was no surprise, given that I was in contact with zero members of my home culture in my host country- just phone calls, letters, and Internet contact. That it took a long time to adjust, as she had experienced while living 4 years in Brazil.

Although I was able to receive a bit of comforting from this advice, it still took another year or so for me to "get it." This had to do with many things- part of it was making a few more expat friends down here, part of it was undergoing a creative rediscovery process, the result of which allowed me to give my own self permission to live the creative life I want to live, free of fears of money...the idea is that living simply, but happily, is much preferable to living largely, but stressfully, and a few other parts here and there, results of personal work, even opening to some spirituality in my life.

No where have I seen this multiple step process of entering another culture, experiencing culture shock, and coming out on the other side; better summed up than in an online article I found on the website of the American high school in Queretaro (JFK). In their section on culture shock, they have the following to say:

"Adjustment includes an initial period of elation; a time in which all is seen as new, exciting, “exotic” and interesting. Cultural difference is seen as “other” and appreciated for its difference. (My aside: you could say I experienced this part in the years spent traveling to Latin America for pleasure or as part of a school group- in the 1990's, the spring and summer of 1997, 2000, and 2004) After a period of time this excitement wears off and the newcomer begins to realize that they are actively participating in the culture. Personal expectations may be challenged by how things are done in the new culture. Material goods that one is used to may not be available, or the version at hand is not like the one found at home. At this point people frequently begin to make comparisons with their home culture and become critical of the differences. Feelings of frustration may now arise. This is natural and to be expected. (This was my period experienced from arriving here in 2006 to probably around December 2008) At this point a newcomer can choose to accept or reject the culture of which they are now a part. They can decide to judge or not to judge. They can begin to “settle-in”; creating a rich life in their new surroundings. (The strange thing for me is although I started this part of the process as early as early 2007, for some reason I was still half -in/half-out until early this year.) They begin to “blend-in” while maintaining their own unique cultural identity within the context of the new culture. Some people tend to resist mixing with the host country society and culture and turn to home oriented groups for coping and escaping from the task they have in front of them. (I think I now have a fairly healthy balance of contact and support from both sides- where I used to live and where I now call home. I think it was partially a matter of subconscious resistance that held me back). We believe that our goals will be achieved only within an atmosphere of social cooperation and mutual understanding of the different cultures. (Wouldn't that be nice to achieve worldwide?)



I share the above because a friend of mine also recently relocated to Mexico, ironically in an eerily similar motivation as the above boomers' story suggests...and he too was struggling with culture shock issues. The crazy thing is I think that you could use this guide in any case where you make a huge life shift. It's hard to go from one way of living to another. In my case, after living a largely academic life for decades, I never would have dreamed that I'd arrive at the place in my life where, to use the old vocabulary, my husband is "laid off," and I am "jobless," but the perceived reality is much more vibrant than that. We are both artists at heart, who just want to "do the work," contribute something positive to our society, and if we can start doing it little by little, using our home as a base, why not? It doesn't feel as scary as before. I have not given up ideas on expanding beyond our our domain, we are still continually connected with the community and our families...but that old stress of the rat race is fading. And I am not in too much of a hurry to get back to it...at least not in that exact incarnation, for the time being. Visions are constantly flowing in, how or when they will be actualized is another story, but if our home, health, and other projects are any testament to the power of imagination and creativity...I have no doubt that something good will come of this. Carpe diem!

What a "month!" It seems as if I've stumbled upon something that was really missing in my life. The last 6 weeks or so could best be described as a "social explosion." On the heels of several serendipitous gatherings, starting with Election Night in November, I have met and made friends with a surprising number of Americans (& Mexicans) living in Queretaro & nearby. As for the fellow "gringos," some of them recently arrived, some have been here about as long as me, and others for many more years than I.

The oddest thing is how I went so long without meeting any of them and now it's like a flood. I suppose it could be compared to hitting "a vein," whether that be mining or drawing blood. The other weird thing for me has been how well many of us have "clicked." A possible reason for this is that it appears (and I've been told by others) that Americans in Queretaro are more integrated into the Mexican culture, having family, business, and social ties, etc. Apparently the deal with many other American expats in Mexico is that they're somewhat apart from the Mexicans and in retirement enclaves where they really don't have to speak Spanish or mix with the natives much. The former conditions are much more along the lines of my personal situation, and my guess is that creates more of an affinity.

The upshot of all this has been an exuberance of social and creative energy on my part. Also, a genuine happiness for having been able to "come full circle," that is, experience a certain pride for the linguistic and cultural strides I've made since arriving here, connect with a community that is truly interested in getting to know part of that native Mexican world I've becoming intimate with in the last 2 years, and just plain overdue "bonding" time regarding some of the shared trials that my fellow "immigrants" have experienced living in this land. Not to mention a lot of affirmation for my long-term plans that I dream can be carved out of this sometimes frustrating, often exciting, and regularly humbling journey!

So considering that, among other blessings in our lives lately, there's been a lot to be thankful for. I've updated my website with some photos from a recent workshop held here at my home. We're also looking forward to friends who will be visiting us over New Year's. We both wish all the very best to our loved ones across the latitudes and longitudes, for a safe and happy holiday season. Until 2009...

For me, it was such a treat that I did it 6 days early. The rest of the world is waiting for you.



Nicole Salgado, October 30, 2008



I know, some of you have your reasons. Some of you don't vote on purpose. I have a message for you below. For those of you who don't vote for reasons of simple carelessness ("I forgot" or "I was busy"), you would do well to fortify your intention and make sure it doesn't slip your attention come Tuesday. People around the world are looking to you to act. If you aren't even registered, all I have to say is- how could you? Don't let it happen in 2009.



Last night, during an English conversational group that I moderate here in Queretaro, the question of U.S. vs. Mexican voting rates came up. There it was, the glaring, embarrassing, inexplicable discrepancy: ~25% of the American population vs. ~80% of the Mexican population voted in the last election. How can you explain that phenomena which obviously has nothing to do with wealth or literacy...or maybe, ironically, has something to do with too much wealth? I attempted a half-hearted reason for my fellow U.S. citizens who don't vote- that maybe their lives are too comfortable to really be worried about the vote. That feeble excuse for an explanation was met with the comment, "If I were wealthy, I think I would want to vote for the candidate that is going to preserve my wealth the most."



Maybe that is the reason- in the U.S., for too long, both major parties have been dedicated to maintaining that illusion for Americans of their relative wealth. One might be miles away from being a raging Republican, or a dazzling Democrat, but subconsciously, they might believe that their most basic needs will ultimately be taken care of by either party. I personally think that our exploding environmental, financial, and medical crises (not to mention the moral poverty that attitude propagates) should be enough to prove that that perspective is not just erroneous, but recklessly dangerous. It behooves us to take a stance.



Don't get me wrong- I too, am jaded about the system. I have little faith in our institutions and in our voted officials. I'm way too young to have arrived at this bitter state I'm in. I agree, Barack isn't going to answer all my problems and perhaps he might even turn out as corrupt as the worst of them. I even had a moment of nostalgia when I saw Cynthia McKinney's name on the ballot. I liked her record while I was in CA and I have a soft spot for the Green Party.



However, I am realistic. I know that it is no one's responsibility but my own to take civic matters into my own hands. Complain as I will about the government, corruption, evil deeds in the name of politics...if I do nothing, I am complicit. Not to mention 2 years of living in a foreign country has a way of making you appreciate those little rights and comforts you left back home. Which is why I undertook the process of requesting, ensuring the receipt of, voting, and faxing in of an absentee ballot yesterday.



So what if my (or your) candidate turns out to be a rotten apple- does that mean we should just throw in the towel? If someone has a bad experience with a significant other does that mean they should swear off dating for life? No! Vote them out & look for another! Think there is no one better? There are always more fish in the sea. Find a nascent candidate to support who really represents your views. Work within party lines if you don't believe in more than a 2 party system. Propose and work on an entire new governance (or non-governance) social system if you like, but....



You can't just claim innocence by making statements such as "politics make me sick" or "I don't want anything to do with a system that doesn't represent me." Why? Your willful refusal to vote will not "send a message." A passionately passive stance will not "make things better." It will not make the evils of the system disappear. By not participating you are choosing to have no voice- which will only multiply the negative conditions that you claim to detest.



What your choice of no voice *will* do is it will give the candidates a blank check to do what they want because they know they have few citizens to answer to. It *will* cause many other countries of the world grief and consternation. They will look to us, the country whose hands are grimy with their domestic matters, and ask- why do so few Americans care about their own destiny- much less our own? It's probable that the U.S. spends as much if not more $ meddling in the affairs of other nations (that includes multinational corporations, which now need not even obey the laws of nations) of the world than caring for its own. That is no one's fault but our own for not having exerted enough collective influence, for having taken the passive stance.



I'm not sure I've got any more excuses for you up my sleeve to offer to Mexicans here when I attend one of a handful for election night parties in this metropolis. So before Tuesday, realize that your vote (or lack thereof) will have substantial repercussions- not just for the U.S., but for people around the globe. If you're still not registered, the polls will be waiting for you next November. Exercise that most basic right...which has become an undeserved privilege for those who do not practice it with regularity. The world, and I, will thank you.



p.s. Thanks to the dedicated officials in the San Mateo County Board of Elections Office for holding my hand through the absentee balloting process. It came down to the wire but it was worth the trouble.



Salgado lives in Queretaro, Mexico.