What motivates someone to leave the United States for a new life in Mexico? Kat needs to escape her old life; Jay says there is nothing left for him in Chicago after a divorce; Ingrid wants affordable medical care; Fred just wants to blend in; Miguel explains who is "American"; Christian speculates on the unresolved origin of the word "gringo"; Meredith reveals intentionally and unintentionally offensive words.
What conditions are motivating waves of U.S. immigrants into Mexico? David explains how veterans arrive after WW2 claiming to go to school on the G.I. Bill; NAFTA and Walmart allow the importation of products and a lifestyle; Kat and Jay reveal their new nicknames; Lorraine tells what makes an "ugly American"; Vince describes the world view of the U.S.; Ingrid is grateful for Mexican hospitality when her husband dies suddenly; Robert accepts things as they are.
How do new immigrants navigate relationships when they don’t speak the same language? Meredith explains why mañana is not just about time; Sasha tells the story of a friend, still learning the nuances of Spanish, who accidently wishes someone a "happy anus"; being bilingual opens up the world to Ana; Luis is treated badly in the U.S. before learning English; Grant hopes he will meet a boyfriend who will help him with his Spanish; Willie's word of the day is "hungover."
Does Mexico offer greater economic opportunity than the U.S. or Canada? Arthur talks about how less regulation and lower labor costs in Mexico create economic advantages; Miguel explains what motivates Mexicans to immigrate north; Luis tells his story of paying a "coyote" to cross the border; Ana Marie gets a job with a U.S. corporation in Mexico but then the corporation moves the job to another city; Luis describes what Mexicans think people in the U.S. do for work; Meredith explains why a siesta is not a nap; Miguel and Vince detail classic stereotypes.
Hundreds of thousands of citizens have left the U.S. for Mexico in search of a better quality of life. GRINGOTOPIA, a series of twelve, 10-minute chapters, gives voice to this phenomenon through interwoven interviews, paced like a social conversation,…
Hundreds of thousands of citizens have left the U.S. for Mexico in search of a better quality of life. GRINGOTOPIA, a series of twelve, 10-minute chapters, gives voice to this phenomenon through interwoven interviews, paced like a social conversation, with a diverse group of 25 people. Living south of Guadalajara, in the Lake Chapala area, a magnet for U.S. and Canada expats, they tell insightful, intimate, and humorous stories about life-changing moves across more than just a geographic border.
