By Carmen Rioja
Sometimes your heroes fly away like birds obligated to migrate. But where do they go?
When the winter arrives December 22, many species of birds are pushed by waves of cold air to migrate to southern lands or in the South hemisphere in the opposite direction to approach a closer point to Ecuador. In any case the promise of a more beneficial environment.
Later when the winter finishes another sabe of very hot air and lack of water will push them back to their origins.
In San Miguel de Allende and even through the newspaper offices of Atención newspaper, many very bright people have served and then have to go away.
I remember Jesús Ibarra, Susan Ludekens and other great journalists. But this week we are congratulating Tania Noriz and honoring for her legacy and many years at different positions in the office of San Miguel. She was Editor in Chief for a long time. In our conversations, she always shows deep care for all the aspects of the printed news but also of the people related to La Biblioteca, so this column is devoted to her work and leadership for the past time.
It was not my wish that she goes to something different but sometimes hero’s have to fly. I like her personal writing very much. And I am sure of her literary success. Except that if we stay in the same place we will never get to fly, know better environments, experience more human connections, diversity and learnings.
Birds are always arriving from Canadá, USA to México, but also from Guatemala, Belice, Nicaragua, El Salvador, República Dominicana, Costa Rica, Panamá, Venezuela, and other countries to Mexico. SRE (Exterior Politics Federal Department)is cooperating with SAFE Third Via program to be a safe place to pass by or to stay. But we need to be patient. Not all can be learned in one day, and not all can be integrated in one day.
Remember when you are the visitor to be respectful of ways and means. Ask for help when you need it while migrating.
According to (https://www.migrationdataportal.org/themes/international-migrant-stocks)
Migration Data Portal there are around 281 million people who migrated only in 2020. In Northamerica only 57 million people, while 14.8 million migrants, corresponded to all Latin America and the Caribbean.
In Mexico for 2020 the total population of immigrants was near 1.2 million and of 11.2 emigrants. And even adding all central América countries this is the most lower migrants number at 5 million. Organized periodic migration shall be our goal, just as birds go to find resources to be able to come back home soon.
In San Miguel de Allende is not uncommon to hear that Canadians that come to south in the winter to enjoy of good weather (or better than the cold winters of the North) are referred to as ducks! “Here they come the ducks”. You could hear to local busines owners before the high season every winter.
Why do they come, and who stays? We just need to observe and listen to the birds carefully to realize migration may be one of the best mechanisms of natural species to evolve.
For the literary and local news we don’t know where our former Editor in Chief is planning to go; but we will keep a close eye on her success!
To Tania…
This sweet and serious girl…
by Amado Nervo
This sweet and serious girl,
she has a long bird’s neck,
languid and subtle neck
whose smooth gauge
she pretends to prow a ship,
of an ivory ship.
And there’s in her when she leans
the archaic and fine head,
-that looks like a pilgrim
golden flower- when greeting,
certain latin rhythm,
a certain girlish bearing
and a palatine grace
very difficult to explain…