An Australian in Mexico - Why I moved to the third world

Australia is supposed to be one of the most liveable countries in the world. Why would someone choose to leave and live in a developing country?

I've been living in Mexico for two years now. People often ask me why I would leave such a beautiful, peaceful country like Australia to come to Mexico. The answer always depends who I'm talking to, and my mood at the time, but I often find myself saying "This is going to sound very odd," and proceed to tell them that political risk is a major factor. This sounds especially strange to my students living in Russia, who are trying to get into Australia for a very similar reason.

The thing about Australians is, they can be very docile. A nation which (by certain measures at least) is only a few generations old, and has never seen war on their own turf, has never had a revolution, and has never had to really fight for anything much. Some people chalk the Australian "government knows best" way of thinking up to the previous generations of convicts from whom many Australians are descended. There is a strong culture of anti-authoritarianism among Australians, in their words. But when it comes to civil disobedience, it's all but non-existent. If the government were to go from bad to worse in Australia, I'm not sure how well the people would be able to fend for themselves.

In Mexico, things are by no means perfect, and there are several problems. For example, government corruption, drug wars fueled by the US government in one way or another, a high rate of crime in certain parts of the country... however, there are also certain advantages.

Markets, in many ways, are still relatively free in Mexico. A corrupt government leads to a population where the people aren't very shy about breaking the law, and they will start businesses even without a licence. Sometimes I hear about "food deserts" in the United States, where people have to travel for miles to find a grocery store that sells fresh produce. That's unthinkable in Mexico - there are at least three corner stores within three blocks from my house, which sell produce, in addition to fruit and vegetable shops, and in addition to the neighbourhood market, with its five or ten produce stalls, chicken stalls, butchers, creameries and breakfast stands.

People don't show any undue respect to authority in Mexico. They're willing to bribe police if necessary, and police are willing to accept bribes. That makes the rule of government law much more decentralised, and if the president or some other ambitious politician were to make a broad-sweeping decree, it would have much less effect than in Australia, because everyone knows that every link in the chain of command can be broken. Police can also be wary of stepping out of line, because, especially in regional parts of Mexico, the people aren't beyond finding their own ways to get justice.

Australia is a beautiful country, very comfortable, clean, with down-to-earth people. However, in a crisis situation, which seems might come this year, or in the following years, I have no idea how Australians would fare, and I think many would panic and break down, and possibly starve, as the majority of people obtain their food from two certain large supermarket chains. In comparison, the Mexican economy is decentralised in the supply of food, and decentralised in some ways in its justice system, and the people are robust and resourceful. Yes, Mexico, though not without its generous share of wonders, can be dirty, even a little scary, but the threats are generally nothing like what the media might have you believe, and in a crisis, I am certain that the Mexican people will weather the storm with Mexican resourcefulness and warm smiles.