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Anyway, Colima isn’t Auckland, which I’m very grateful for as well. Moreover, in terms of both prices and quality El Globo leaves nothing to be desired. Yours truly tends to be quite happy with the coffee and the cake there. As a part of that construction boom, a second restaurant has recently opened up in the neighbourhood where I’m inclined to reside. That outfit prides itself on specializing in tastes from old Europe. It doesn’t sound as if Donald Rumsfeld runs the show there. Because it offers only dinner, I can’t give it a go for my daily brunch. Never mind. When things calm down there a little I may be tempted to grace it with my presence on a Friday or Saturday night. At the moment, the outfit is still packed out every night because it’s new. Sheep mentality has never been my cup of tea. Despite the recent arrival of new cafes, restaurants and various shops, I don’t reckon that Colima is going to lose its character. Colima is rather going to continue with its slow pace and provincial flair. That’s just one reason why yours truly is quite happy with his life and lifestyle in Colima. Besides new businesses Colima appears to be attracting a few more residents as well, in particular home owners. My neighbourhood may be described as rather posh with heaps of open space. Some of this space is currently being filled with new residential constructions. It doesn’t really surprise me. There seem to be quite a few folks residing and settling down in Colima who don’t suffer from serious financial difficulties, so to speak. On the other hand, don’t get me wrong. Colima is located in Mexico, and Mexico is located in Latin America. As far as I
understand the situation in Latin America, the countries most characterized
by inequality and poverty are Brazil and Mexico. When you see the guarded
mansions on the western outskirts of Mexico City and the slums on the eastern
outskirts, you don’t reckon that they’re located in the same country. When
you see mansions in a few suburbs in Colima and then areas that we may
call diplomatically a little less elegant, it’s hard to imagine that they’re
located in the same town. About two centuries ago, my valued fellow country
man Alexander von Humboldt dropped the remark :”Mexico is the land of inequality.
Perhaps nowhere is there one more appalling in the distribution of fortunes”.
Middle Income Countries However, that indirect approach may not be enough for so called middle income countries. The World Bank distinguishes between three categories of countries: high income, middle income, and low income countries. Most of Latin America – including my current home turf Mexico – falls into the middle income category. Geoffrey Garrett points out in Foreign Affairs that loads of middle income countries have ended up in the doldrums. They can’t compete in the knowledge economy of the developed world. They can’t compete either in the low wage environment of low income countries. Geoffrey reckons that middle income countries must be empowered to compete in the knowledge economy. To empower them to do so he figures that folks there must be given access to education, in particular to education that transforms them into sophisticated knowledge workers. Even though I tend to agree with Geoffrey, the questions remains how that sort of education can be provided. Readers of this magazine may be aware that the author teaches at one of the most prestigious private colleges in Latin America. It’s safe to assume that that this outfit contributes to transforming students into sophisticated knowledge workers. However, the tuition fees at that outfit may resemble more or less the annual income of the average Harry Up The Road. Families who can afford to have their offspring attend that sort of outfit are a little thin on the ground. The idea of doing foreign aid through grants instead of loans may have a few merits. Among other things, these grants can be linked to good governance. Some of those grants may even be used to enable students to attend colleges whose tuition fees their folks can’t afford to pay. Another option worth mulling over may be some sort of cooperation of the World Bank with the private corporate sector. It may not surprise you to learn that I prefer those – a little off the beaten track approaches – to getting governments directly involved. First, the involvement of governments almost always leads to bloated bureaucracy, not to feasible solutions. Second, besides bloated bureaucracy governments tend to produce heaps of airy fairy drivel, but again no solutions. With a little imagination and creativity, private sector solutions may be hammered out that look a bunch more promising. The following is a list of articles written by Jurgen for the magazine:
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Jurgen Click Here
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Some
Thoughts On Living In Latin America ~ 