There are Mexicans…and there are Mexi Can'ts…
by @nit@
There are many things I am proud of, and one of them is having been raised Mexican, more so because I also happen to be Jewish growing up in a country that is mostly Catholic, nobody ever showed me any prejudice and I was lucky to be part of that passionate culture. I am also a very proud American, because as a Mexican/Jew I was welcomed with open arms when I came here to start my adult life, and I don’t deny that I experienced some culture shock at first, but I managed to adapt very quickly, I speak the language well, and can tell jokes ;) don’t they say that if you can tell a joke in a second language you must know the language well?
We tried to help the Latino community here in San Diego for the past 15 yrs. by creating Medical Clinics that catered primarily to that community, because we were grateful and knew we had something to offer, more than anything the knowledge of our idiosyncrasies or differences in culture if you will, since that’s where we had grown up.
We met many wonderful people along the way that really were trying to make a difference and bring back the pride in our country, but we also met many people who don’t help with that. People who will do anything to get as much as they can get out of someone else without any pride. A sense of entitlement if you will.
Take for example the ladies I have hired over the years to help me out with the house chores. If they were back at home first of all they would have a difficult time finding a job, because there are way too many people, especially in Mexico City where I grew up, and there are not enough jobs to be had. But lets say they did, their salary wouldn’t begin to come close to what it is here. I copied this from a Mexican government site:Minimum Daily Wage:
There are three 'zones'; The average daily wage in Mexico is currently MX$48.70 a day, although the IMSS's (Social Security) register, with 13.5 million members, showed that the average pay in January 2006 was MX$197 per day.
Converted to dollars that means between $5-20 dlls per day (minimum of 8 hrs.)
Lets compare it to their jobs here. An office manager in a large corporation that has been working there for a while makes about $20 dlls/hr. She or he have a formal education, they’ve worked themselves up the ladder, and they do whatever it is required to get the job done, whether it is to call the plumber to unplug the office toilet, or make sure there are supplies, as well as create important reports. No matter what it takes they get the job done. And we shouldn’t forget they have to pay taxes on that money.
Now back to the cleaning ladies I’ve hired. They don’t want an hourly wage because it wouldn’t be enough for them, so instead they tell you they will clean your apartment for $60. The first time it takes her about 4 hrs. That's $15/hr. more than an Executive Assistant makes and she had to go to college for that. She's trying to leave a good impression or so she thinks. I even let them pick their schedule, whatever works better for them. The second time she spends less time, 3 hrs. She claims she had to go to her other job, so that cost me $20/hr. for her without the results I wanted or the time I wanted her to spend working for me. So then I decide I want to ask for what I want and give her one more chance to show me she deserves my hard earned money, I tell her to do a specific tasks and she says that it’s not part of what she does, like I don’t do windows!
I don’t believe in anyone who claims that they can’t find a job. There are so many jobs that are being filled by people who don’t put any effort into it, who are constantly begrudging and feeling shortchanged, as if someone was out to get them. And I’m constantly seeing people look for good help, the problem is that there are more people who don’t do windows, than those who are willing to melt the glass and shape it till it’s just right, and then make sure it stays clean!
May you always have clean windows!
Hugs xoxo
@nit@
