Belize

Photographer: Andrew Hitchcock, Flickr (Creative Commons)

High Brow Magazine suggests Mexico is the rising land of opportunity. Most of the MSM focuses on the violence south of the border, actually I would rather live there than any big city in the U.S., and they focus on the movement of people from south to north. There's another movement, however, and it's inbound migration.

A new study released this month by the Organization of American States (OAS) reported that the documented, foreign-born population in the country increased 45 percent from 2005 to 2010, reaching 850,000 people. Focusing on documented migrants, the OAS study reported that 65,000 immigrants came to Mexico in 2010 alone.

In terms of the national origin breakdown of new immigrants in the three-year period from 2007 to 2010, the study found that most came from the U.S. (10,472), seconded by Colombia (5,563) and followed by Guatemala (5,563). Cuba placed fourth on the list (4,871), Argentina fifth (4,242), Venezuela (3,950) sixth and Honduras seventh (3,755). Smaller populations of between approximately 1200 and 2100 people each hailed from El Salvador, Peru, Canada, Brazil, Chile, and China.

In Mexico, you can work from home and be warm, you can live where family is important, where it's a great place to raise kids, and it's a great place to retire.

The Courage Test

Hammock Musings shares his thoughts with us about a group of Gringos visiting Merida. I like this part:

They will soon be bombarded by brilliant colors, disturbing smells and clashing noises.  A shaded, cool oasis behind doors will provide relief.   Dreams and possibilities may be conceived.   Foreplay has begun as they move from oasis to oasis in this foreign land.

Crossing over is within the capacity of any in the group.  Some seem especially alert and attentive.  They could soon be breathing tropical air and wearing flip flops. Working out the details of a new life. Their whole lives could change in just an instant.  Many have the intuition for adventure but will fail the courage test.

Most of us are still in the foreplay stage. In a couple it's often that one is ready and the other thinks it's just not the right time. I'm constantly amazed by tourists who see a city once and decide right then to go home, sell everything and leave the States or Canada behind.