"Where is my broom?" - próximo blog

These are just a few words about how many of us have experienced NAFTA, both in Mexico and in the US. For me, it all started looking for the always present, useful and cherished mexican broom, made -as it's label says- from "mijo". I was living in Cancun, México at a time when the caribbean wind blew -non stop- the fine sand that it was used to build the -every time bigger- hotels. My mijo broom was the only way to get the floor of my house really clean, free of sand and dust. 

One day,  trying to buy a new broom,  I discovered -to my horror- that mijo brooms were gone...I could not find one single mijo broom at any supermarket...Couple of years before that we, Mexicans, started hearing something about a trade agreement between our country and the US. Most of us thought it'd be nice to get imported goods at a good price. Aha...

Time passed by and I saddly confirmed that my broom had permanently dissappeared from the supermarkets. Until... it came the day when I could not believe my eyes. A mijo broom was happily standing, almost nodding, at the supermarket aisle. I wanted to hug it! I was so happy that my broom came back! Of course, I had to give a good look at it, it was gone for so long that I had to make sure it was MY broom. It looked very much like a regular mijo broom but the stick was made of a different wood though...when I turned it around to read the label, I was shocked by light, it read MADE IN THE U.S. 

Around that time, tuna fish cans dissappeared from the supermarket as well as my all time favorite fruit, the delicious avocado. You may now understand why I am ever since paying attention to NAFTA.

After many years,  we all seam to be used to our "free" trade even though nor Mexicans either Americans -both regular- may know zip about it. In any case, we complain about things like old trucks with unreliable drivers crossing the border to the U.S. or the fact that american supermarkets like Kmart opened in Mexico without offering the american goods we expected to buy and closed when sales didn't keep up with business.

The idea of writing about the topic  arised when having a conversation with my dear Texan friend, Larry and he asked me, Silvia aren't you afraid of living in Mexico City, we hear in the news of such violence, narco killings... My response came quick, direct, no second thoughts... "I am more afraid of NAFTA", I said.  Our conversation surprised him and thus evolved with his suggestion  to write about what happened to my broom and how as regular citizens we can only see the tip of the gun of an agreement that affects our every day life, no matter in what side of the world we live.

Of course, this is not a cientific document or extensive research, it is aimed to give me an opportunity to learn more about a topic that trapped my attention when I could not find my broom.