I can say that everyone we have talked with has been kind and considerate but the world that we live in is in a little shock.
1 US Dollar equals
20.42 Mexican Peso
The status of the dollar to peso exchange rate is very real in our life. It is probably even more important in the lives of the Mexicans we know. The economy and trade in Mexico is more closely tied to the dollar than you might imagine. Real estate is most often priced in US dollars so a drastic change in the exchange rate can seriously devalue a home here.
On a day to day basis we exchange our US dollars into pesos. I'll be going to the banks this morning to do so. The good or bad news is that I will receive more pesos for my dollar than I have ever received. 20.42 is a record low for the peso.
Compared to previous years when the Peso was in the 12 to 13 range, today's rate will be 60% higher than what I would consider a normal level. In the short run that happens to be good for me personally but I worry about what it does to the typical hard working Mexicans we live with every day.
I think it is good for us all to know that our American politics are not just a local matter. They have real effects on real people all over the world.
This all being said I would hope that as we finish out this political season that we would all remember that we are just a very tiny fraction of the big picture. I think all we can really do is be kind and caring people in our small corner of this universe.
I say at the end of each post the phrase "Life is Good". One of my goals this year is to be more generous, kind and giving to others. I might not be able to change the world but I should be doing something in my small corner of it.
Life is good.
I like your comment about how our politics affect the world. And, I like your compassion for the folks of Mexico.
ReplyDelete