All posts by chivacongelado

in english

Strawberry fields forever

You may be aware that Mexico is not one of the most egalitarian societies on this planet, and socioeconomic differences are very much a part of the social fabric.  I was fortunate enough to grow up in a middle class family in the capital, with access to good schooling and domestic and international travel.

While growing up I think I tried to make the best possible use of these opportunities, but when I reached my teenage years I realised I truly disliked the pseudo-elitist environment I was brought up in, and got rather fed up with those social standards on what to wear, how to act, what kind of music to listen, what car to drive, when to gossip, etcetera.

Fast-forward 10 years.  I had been living in Finland for a few years and moved to Brussels to study my masters degree.  The school was not very big, so for extra-curricular activities and a couple of courses they tended to band together the undergraduate exchange students and the foreign graduate students for what one could call "economies of scale". 

Two of the exchange students were from Mexico, and one of them embodied pretty much everything I disliked of that environment I had left: the feigned (or real) ignorance and lack of curiosity, the social and religious conservatism, the gossiping and the materialism were all there, and I couldn't avoid this person for half a year.

Needless to say, the beginning was quite hard, but it definitely taught me to face my own prejudices and not only deal with it, but actually get along pretty nicely and (most importantly) sincerely.  While we didn't become best friends, I believe we were able to have a good working relationship, which is one of the most valuable lessons learned from my time there.

in english

Seven random facts about the frozen goat

I don't do memes that often, but got this one from Karrioo so decided to pitch in, especially since this is a (mostly) personal blog.  Funnily enough, the last time I answered to one of this it was in Spanish, so here goes:

  1. I've never liked fighting but practised martial arts for many years.  Thankfully I've only had to use that knowledge once.
  2. I'll almost always wear a hat.
  3. When I was a kid, I'd read or play with Lego.
  4. I love eating so much that that's how I learned to cook when I moved on my own, and I'm not half bad.  During my time in Finland I've come up with some Fenno-Mexican fusion recipes 😉
  5. I don't watch that much TV anymore, but will still follow certain sci-fi series, the news or important football matches.
  6. When I had to choose what I wanted to study, I was between political sciences and information systems.  Is my choice that obvious?
  7. I'm almost always listening to music, especially if I'm driving or on my own.

Now, I'm not going to send this forward as most of the people I follow have answered it, but if you feel like it, take it up! 😉

in english

Russian tourists in Finland

Tahko slopes

We were skiing in Tahkovuori very recently and I was wondering about the amount of Russian tourists to be found unlike the previous times I’ve been there.  Searching a little bit I found this and this article, where they explain that there is a boom in visits of Russian citizens from last year.

If you are looking for a job in Eastern Finland (currently suffering from difficult times in the wood industry), try hospitality and learn some Russian.

in english

Recap of 2008

Internationally this year has been an interesting one, which has started to turn a little difficult towards the end, as you can see in the international, the Finnish and the Mexican 08 recaps.

Personally it was not any easier, but the end balance of has been very good I'd think. I expanded profesionally and became an expert in areas I didn't know that well at the beginning of the year in a challenging environment, and most of my energy and time went there throughtout the year (which shows in this blog, as I've been more active in Jaiku & Twitter where you need to think less to write a post).

Personally we found a place of our own that we improved for many months, but the results are there. My parents got their first grandchild, as my sister and her husband had a baby girl, whom we've now met and fallen in love with.  Some friends have gotten married, some have lost their loved ones, and we've tried to be there in both cases.

With this in mind, we can hope for the best in the new year, and work hard for it.

How has been your 2008?

in english

Monocle’s Mexican fixes

I'm a big fan of Monocle magazine, and was quite amused when they talked about their main tips for the Mexican government in the year to come, which I quote below:

  1. Streamline the tax system and make it easier for people to pay.
  2. Stop police corruption by hiring better-educated cops and paying them more.
  3. Create a third television network so the media is not in the hands of so few.

Even though all are relevant and rather urgent, the first one was the one that got me thinking.  One of the things that works especially well in Finland compared to Mexico is the taxation system. 

We might disagree on the amount of taxes you have to pay (that's a whole other discussion), but it is amazingly easy to pay them: you only give an estimate at the beginning of the year, get a tax card, give it to your employer and then taxes are discounted automatically during that fiscal year (which is the same as the calendar year). If your estimate was off the mark, you can check your pre-filled tax return the next May, and you may even get a refund the next December.  In 7 years I've never needed to ask any help from an accountant, and I've never had a problem.

No wonder Mexican tax payment levels are lower than Botswana's compared to GDP.  Can they try to improve this for the new year?