I moved to La Paz from Quer\u00e9taro (for those who don’t know, it’s a city close to Mexico City) in 2014. Ever since, I have felt so blessed and grateful to belong to such a great and caring community, with so many joyful and dear friends. Every year, I write a post on my anniversary in La Paz, and this year, I want to reflect on what belonging to a community means to me.<\/p>\n
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Baja California Sur has always held a special appeal. The turquoise waters whisper promises of serenity, with rugged mountains dotted with cacti standing as silent guardians, and the slower pace of life is a magnet for those seeking a change.<\/p>\n
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Over the years, I’ve witnessed a steady influx of people, both from within Mexico and from abroad. Those seeking a change, like Mexicans from big cities such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey, have traded concrete jungles for sandy beaches, drawn by the promise of a more relaxed lifestyle and a growing job market. Foreigners, especially retirees and remote workers, have been captivated by the beauty and affordability, seeking a slice of paradise to call home.<\/p>\n
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I’ve witnessed firsthand the delicate interaction between newcomers and the established community. I have seen waves of expats with a spirit of camaraderie, those who enroll or create their own charities and volunteer organizations, and those who organize cultural events, injecting a breeze that makes this region so unique. As an outsider myself, I saw the positive impact of nationals moving to Baja. People who brought new businesses with specialized services and products that weren’t available before. This all contributed to enriching the society.<\/p>\n
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But migration can also have unintended consequences. Local workers struggle to compete with new skillsets. Crime rates rise with the influx of people. There is a lack of public services and an increased cost of living, especially housing.<\/p>\n
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Communities, like intricate ecosystems, thrive on balance. Introducing a new element too abruptly can disrupt the harmony.<\/p>\n
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This is where the weight of responsibility settles on us, the “migrants.” We can choose to be passive observers, or we can become active participants, striving for a sustainable equilibrium. Supporting local businesses is a start. Learning Spanish and its culture, volunteering at a local school, sharing our experiences with others responsibly, and teaching ourselves to become more community-aware can help. Thinking of the community as a whole, not as individuals, becomes a way to give back.<\/p>\n
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There’s no easy answer, no clear line dividing “good” migrants from “bad.” We all exist on a spectrum, taking something away but hopefully also giving something back. The question that keeps me grounded is this: How can I ensure that the paradise that drew me in, the place I now call home, remains a welcoming haven for everyone?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I moved to La Paz from Quer\u00e9taro (for those who don’t know, it’s a city close to Mexico City) in 2014. Ever since, I have felt so blessed and grateful to belong to such a great and caring community, with so many joyful and dear friends. Every year, I write a post on my anniversary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=391"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":392,"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391\/revisions\/392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexicanship.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}