Growing up in New Hampshire, monarch butterflies always fascinated me. As a young child I was mesmerized by the gold-flecked chrysalises I would find in my backyard, and watching a monarch unfurl its wings for the first time was a small miracle that I will never forget. These colorful migrants are still a welcome streak of color in the wild fields of my home town, and many of us pay special attention to cultivating plants and gardens that will support them at this early stage of their journey. I still remember my surprise when I learned how far these small winged friends travel on their trip south into Mexico — a journey that transcends our human concept of walls and borders.
As an environmental photographer and filmmaker, I live a somewhat migratory life myself. I still cherish visits to my hometown in New Hampshire, but now spend the majority of my time in other countries telling stories about both animals and people. I’ve spent time living in Kenya, Tanzania, Chile, Thailand, and Myanmar, but never has my living situation been questioned quite so often as it has been since my move to Mexico two years ago.
“But. . . isn’t it dangerous?” people ask, eyes wide. The question isn’t asked with ill intent. And yet, there are so many layers of misconceptions to peel away before I can get to the core of what I’d really like to share about Mexico. I have had a variety of experiences there, from the mundane to the remarkable. One of the things I have been most struck by living in Mexico City is the normalcy of everyday life, which does not differ so much from day-to-day life in the United States as I might once have expected. That said, there are aspects of the country that have blown me away. The stunning beauty of the natural and built landscapes is unparalleled. The cuisine is more varied, artistic, and delicate than I had ever imagined. The history of the country is rich and complex. The culture is not one, but many, coming from different states and different backgrounds, each with its own unique culinary traditions, each with its own climate, and each full of millions of people. And the people are what one would expect from the 10th most populated country in the world – not homogeneous. How could we expect anything as limited as the stereotype we see in the media? The reality is a country with a wide diversity of people, with a whole range of ways of life, economic status, religious beliefs, political perspectives, levels of education, languages, ethnicities, traditions, and pretty much everything else. The only generalization I can make is that on the whole, the people I’ve met have been good hearted, generous, and welcoming to me as a foreigner in their country. As for my safety, Mexico’s level 2 travel advisory as listed by the U.S. Department of State puts it on par with Italy, Spain, France, and the U.K. In Mexico City, there are areas where I feel perfectly safe, and there are places I would not walk at night, just as there are in Boston or New York. People also inevitably ask me about drugs. In fact, cannabis and opiate use are both much more prevalent in the United States than they are in Mexico. It would be naïve to say that there are no problems in Mexico. That said, we have many problems of a similar scale in our own country. The difference is that as a U.S. citizen, I do not face immediate reactions of fear or disdain when I speak of my nationality, country, or culture. The first of the monarchs have been crossing into Mexico this past month, soon to arrive to their final destination. With no conception of the human inventions of nationality, borders, or walls, they are traversing one large, beautiful, connected continent. Leave it to us humans to complicate something so simple. It is time for us to transform and diversify the way we think about Mexico. Mexico is one of the most interesting countries I’ve ever been in, and also one of the most misunderstood. Fear and misunderstanding spread easily when we are bombarded by prominent figures and media that promote xenophobia. But fear and misunderstanding can become dangerous when they go uncontested, and can breed prejudice. It is so often our personal encounters with individuals and places that help us to erase our misgivings about another’s culture or country. With that in mind, I’d like to use this column to help demystify Mexico one personal story at a time, and share both the ordinary and the extraordinary of life, cuisine, nature, and friends there through the lens and scribblings of a New Hampshire native. I hope you’ll join me on this journey – and maybe you’ll be tempted to come and experience it for yourself. You’re guaranteed to make some new friends, and you might even run into some familiar winged New Hampshire natives.
Molly Ferrill is a photographer and filmmaker from New Hampshire who is currently based in Mexico and is passionate about building bridges between people through sharing stories and experiences.