It is true that there is a lot of danger and violence in Mexico because of the ever-present drug cartels. However, there are also a lot of great reasons to visit Mexico as I plan to do in April/2013.
One of the neat things I’ve learned about Mexico is that the sense of family is very strong. People really appreciate their families there. They often live in the same house, family members from different generations. There are actually a lot of similarities between the Mexican and Middle Eastern cultures. In both cases, family is of vital importance, far more so than in places like Canada. In Canada, people might not see their family members for months or years at a time. This is really unfortunate, because the history that family members share is richer if people get together a lot and are familiar with the struggles and joys that each individual family member has.
Another similarity between the Mexican and Middle Eastern cultures is that the gender roles are strongly differentiated. Men do not do things that are considered women’s work because that would be a source of shame for them. Of course, the difference is that in some parts of the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, men and women do not spend much time together unless they are related. I do think this is a shame because one of the ways one gender can learn about another one is to spend time with them. That helps, I think, prepare for a good marriage where communication is easier because men understand women better, and vice versa. But it is interesting that in some ways, the Mexican and Middle Eastern cultures are similar when it comes to a certain macho attitude, macho meaning masculine and strong. In Canada, men can sometimes be confused with women, in terms of superficial appearances, but I suspect that is not the case nearly as often in Mexico and the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia.
People are also very friendly in both these cultures and very open and willing to make friends. They both love to socialize and have big parties where food is a big part of the celebration. In the Maritimes part of Canada, people are also very friendly. But we do not tend to have as big of families like they do in these other places. Or as many celebrations. Mexico is very Roman Catholic, although there are also an increasing number of Mormons there as well, so it is a very religious country, just like Saudi Arabia. And I have gone over already the similarities (and differences), some of them at least, between Mormons and Muslims. You can find those blogs at:
https://jaclynhollandstrauss.com/2012/07/08/mormons-and-muslims-sharing-christianity-and-islam/ (about missionary work)
https://jaclynhollandstrauss.com/2012/06/23/muslims-and-mormons-should-men-have-4-wives/ (about having 4 wives)
https://jaclynhollandstrauss.com/2012/06/01/mormons-and-muslims/ (fasting)
https://jaclynhollandstrauss.com/2012/05/22/three-similarities-between-mormons-and-muslims/ (how their Prophets received their messages, and multiple marriages)
