“More warmth, less consent” is the most concise description of the cultural differences between Mexico and the US I’ve read! Mexico is great at “responsibilities to the collective” and the US is great at “respect for the individual.” Anyway, I’m glad that your dad is taking it with stride. I still laugh at a couple of jokes/complaints he shared with us. And I’m thrilled that Jackson is finding a supportive community of friends there.
It’s terrible that Americans need to break up their family and move to another country to get affordable care as they age. At the same time, how great that many Americans have the opportunity and privilege to move to another country to get more affordable care?
Oaxaca has a big medical school. The average annual salary for a nurse in Oaxaca is US $4,200. In California, it’s now $124,000. That is 30x the salary! (One of my college buddies makes so much in overtime pay that his salary as a nurse is over $200,000.)
We are far from sensible immigration policy, but I’ve been thinking a lot about CGD’s Global Skills Partnership and setting up some kind of pilot here in Oaxaca where nursing students meet certification standards to qualify as temporary travel nurses in the US. And then maybe after a year or two of working as a traveling nurse, they’d qualify for a longer-term work visa. (https://gsp.cgdev.org/)
There’s another kind of Silver Migration that interests me: Mexican migrants who have been living/working in the US for 20-40 years and then return to Mexico for retirement. I have a sense that there are more Mexican returnee-retirees than American retirees here, and that they have a unique set of challenges.
Great idea on the nursing partnership. I wonder how those nursing salary differences relate to the cost of living and what that differential is. The sister of one of the residents at the nursing home was a Latina who had lived throughout the US and herself managed nursing homes. She said it was a "no brainer" to move her sister to Mexico for care.... which is very telling. It's great that it's an option for some, but also just wild to me that middle class Americans who go into nursing here get financially wiped out in so short a time and have to go on medicaid. Or in many cases, don't get the care they need. And I hadn't given much thought to the silver return migration, but it makes sense!
I think you just took me on an emotional ride of trepidation, concern, holding my breath and then walking into 'A Secret Garden'-like episode, of wonder, relief for your Dad and his husband, and now I'm intrigued and curious
An interesting article and the financial reality hits hard!
Thank you, Hermana, for sharing this insightful description of your stay with our fathers in Mexico. I love you and love your beautiful writing. I look forward to my first trip down to visit with the dads and few more equipped to make the trip after reading your account.
“More warmth, less consent” is the most concise description of the cultural differences between Mexico and the US I’ve read! Mexico is great at “responsibilities to the collective” and the US is great at “respect for the individual.” Anyway, I’m glad that your dad is taking it with stride. I still laugh at a couple of jokes/complaints he shared with us. And I’m thrilled that Jackson is finding a supportive community of friends there.
It’s terrible that Americans need to break up their family and move to another country to get affordable care as they age. At the same time, how great that many Americans have the opportunity and privilege to move to another country to get more affordable care?
Oaxaca has a big medical school. The average annual salary for a nurse in Oaxaca is US $4,200. In California, it’s now $124,000. That is 30x the salary! (One of my college buddies makes so much in overtime pay that his salary as a nurse is over $200,000.)
We are far from sensible immigration policy, but I’ve been thinking a lot about CGD’s Global Skills Partnership and setting up some kind of pilot here in Oaxaca where nursing students meet certification standards to qualify as temporary travel nurses in the US. And then maybe after a year or two of working as a traveling nurse, they’d qualify for a longer-term work visa. (https://gsp.cgdev.org/)
There’s another kind of Silver Migration that interests me: Mexican migrants who have been living/working in the US for 20-40 years and then return to Mexico for retirement. I have a sense that there are more Mexican returnee-retirees than American retirees here, and that they have a unique set of challenges.
https://www.economia.gob.mx/datamexico/es/profile/occupation/auxiliares-en-enfermeria-y-paramedicos#:~:text=La%20fuerza%20laboral%20de%20Auxiliares,Param%C3%A9dicos%20fue%20de%2037.7%20a%C3%B1os.
Great idea on the nursing partnership. I wonder how those nursing salary differences relate to the cost of living and what that differential is. The sister of one of the residents at the nursing home was a Latina who had lived throughout the US and herself managed nursing homes. She said it was a "no brainer" to move her sister to Mexico for care.... which is very telling. It's great that it's an option for some, but also just wild to me that middle class Americans who go into nursing here get financially wiped out in so short a time and have to go on medicaid. Or in many cases, don't get the care they need. And I hadn't given much thought to the silver return migration, but it makes sense!
brilliant and thought provoking as always! look forward to chatting more about this, including our shared history of "expats" in that area. xoxo
Thank you Kate!!
I think you just took me on an emotional ride of trepidation, concern, holding my breath and then walking into 'A Secret Garden'-like episode, of wonder, relief for your Dad and his husband, and now I'm intrigued and curious
An interesting article and the financial reality hits hard!
super interesting. thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading!
Thank you, Hermana, for sharing this insightful description of your stay with our fathers in Mexico. I love you and love your beautiful writing. I look forward to my first trip down to visit with the dads and few more equipped to make the trip after reading your account.
Thanks hermano, means a lot that you read and enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to bringing the kiddos, hopefully in July TBD.