Back twelve years in time...

...that is how it felt like to spend five days with Betsy, Mike, Oscar and Vanessa. Of course, twelve years ago Vanessa was not part of the Three Musketeers, now the Fantastic Four, and Oscar was not even a thought. There are things that change, and things that never change. And this friendship belongs to the latter, I guess.

Many people know that the year at Peace House marked a before and after in my life. It allowed me to develop what I wanted to be, by shedding layers and layers of ideas that others had projected onto me, and that I had internalized. Betsy and Mike were key to this process. They made me strong. They made me enjoy being alive. They enabled me to walk into a dark room, draw the curtains, and let the sun shine.

And twelve years later it still feels exactly the same. I feel privileged for having you in my life.

Discrimination

What are you supposed to say when a six-year old asks another girl of the same age if she is not ashamed of having "dark" parents? And what if she tells her "Oh, but you can change parents or you can commit suicide"? This is what happened at school, among the peers of the lagartita menor. And it makes us all wonder what is required for the Mexican society to fully understand the extent of racial, social and economic discrimination that runs through it, and to do something about it.

Mexico is profoundly racist. We talk about "negritos", "chinitos" and "gringos", always implying that we are calling them names because we are joking. We are not. We find "otherness" unacceptable. We think of poverty, lack of opportunities and hardship as deliberate choices that illustrate the despicable nature of those who are not like us. We talk amongst ourselves about a country of which we only embrace small portions. We don't embrace diversity. We refuse to accept that all human beings are born equal, with inalienable rights and inherent dignity.

Many things are rotten in Mexico. But the failure to acknowledge discrimination and fight against it, is one of the worst features of our society. It will take us decades to make progress, because we are oblivious.

If you know about innovative approaches to deal with discrimination among children, teenagers and adults, please let me know. I am on the search.