I never realized until I returned to Zihuatanejo this time, how much I count on things being the same as we left them when we return. Perhaps I shouldn't say things, but more importantly, I count on the people being the same....I count on the familiar faces who we've come to know in our community. And they are not only the faces of the ex-pats who make this their home in winter; almost more importantly, it is the faces of the locals who live their lives in a quiet routine that hasn't changed much that I can see since I starting coming here 7 years ago. We know many of them because we do "business" at their establishments, but we know others because of living in the neighborhood, I consider them our friends and neighbours. Of course, we are becoming even closer to one special family who now consider us "Familia"...the family of our Nino's Adelante student Doraliz who came for cake and icecream and a "pool party" for her actual birthday - the quinceanara is next weekend and we are excited to see the dress and enjoy this special celebration.
This year, we had heard that there was a period of time during the summer where local businesses were being held hostage by demands for "protection money" - some of the owners had chosen to leave because they wouldn't play the game and feared for their safety. So when we returned this year, at first glance it seemed like there were a few of our familiar favorites missing. Now after one week of being here, we have discovered that some that we feared were missing have simply moved. In a country where many people cannot afford to buy homes and business locales, they are victims of the landlords who, if a business is successful, often double or triple the monthly rent, forcing businesses to relocate.
Yesterday when walking back into our apartment complex, I ran into Raul, the owner and developer of our two condominiums. He asked me if I was happy to be back, so I told him how important it is to me to see the same people, to feel like I "know" what and where to expect things and in the usual wisdom of Mexicans' he said "but of course, this is your "home"" and I realized that he is right. I truly do think of this as home and I want to feel comfortable, I like knowing and being known.
So when Gene told me that he had heard from a rather reliable source that the 7 bodies that were found executed and left by a busy roadside were reportedly the extortionists who were terrorizing local businesses, it all seemed to make sense. The rumor is that they were killed by the locals in order to put an end to their reign of terror. Regrettably, these summer time murders had been broadcast on network news globally, and added to the fear people have of visiting our area. Rather than being horrified by what could be called 'vigilante justice", I am in fact almost glad that the locals found a way of ending the terror that was preventing them from earning a living and feeling safe and secure. This is a complex society, with old world formalities and modern attributes. People play by age old rules and when broken, justice is swift and often not in line with what we might experience back in Canada.
But many things here aren't what we experience in Canada, in good and bad ways. On our first major stock up trip to our large grocery retailer here, Commercial Mexicana, we were greeted by a store employee, a "gringo customer relations' person who strolls the store asking us "is there anything you are looking for that I can help you with" or "if there is something that you would like, let me know and we'll bring it in for you" - this is a place that is trying hard to win back our loyalty and cares about my having a great experience in my home.
Security and peace are an important goal, but having my grocery store bring in my favorite foods comes a close second!
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