Michael

Xenophobia - [an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange. ] from Dictionary.com.

For many years, I’ve harbored stereotypical thoughts about Mexico. Most of them were negative or unpleasant. You must understand these are not thoughts of prejudice but more along the lines of fears or phobias. This is not unusual for me as I have a history of fearing things that I don’t know or know well.

So, I’ve thought a lot about where those ideas have come from. Some of them are from stories of people I know that have traveled here. Others are from movies or news reports. But, frankly, all of them have been one-sided, narrow views of a country with a rich culture, wonderful people, colorful history and a laidback style of living.

For example, on our first full day (Oct. 21^st) we passed through some areas that were very dry and dusty with people barely etching out a living. But, I’ve seen the exact same thing in back road parts of the southwest United States. It’s a rough country where the people need stamina, perseverance and a strong will to survive.

I’ve already met some wonderfully nice people, ate some amazing food and seen some spectacular scenery not to mention an awe inspiring sunset each day so far. (Sorry, I did not take any photos of the sunsets. I decided to enjoy them and not photograph them for a change. I know what you are thinking. How strange?)

So, the best way I’ve found to overcome fears, phobias and stereotypes is to jump into the thing that is challenging you and keep an open mind. When you come out the other side, you’ll have grown more than you anticipated, expanded your horizons and found out that people are pretty much the same everywhere you go. I love that!

Michael