What is it that you contribute to Baja, money excluded, that makes you part of the Baja community?DENNIS - 5-23-2007 at 03:51 PM
Clue........ Think JRbajaPackoderm - 5-23-2007 at 03:53 PM
Because I'm usually willing to buy a pitcher of margaritas?DENNIS - 5-23-2007 at 03:54 PM
For whom?Packoderm - 5-23-2007 at 04:00 PM
I don't know, I never think about it. If there is a group of dudes, and they are friendly to me, I'll just buy a pitcher of whatever they are
drinking. But usually Mexicans. It always seems to go over pretty good. The hardest part after that point is to make a diplomatic exit before each one
of them buys a pitcher as well.DENNIS - 5-23-2007 at 04:06 PM
Good point packo.............. How many maggies can a normal man drink.
My question is pointed to a cultural end, more than social lubrication. Thanks.woody with a view - 5-23-2007 at 04:09 PM
because i don't stay very long? that, and the friends we've made over the years.....DENNIS - 5-23-2007 at 04:18 PM
Well, Woody, we havn't had the pleasure of meeting personally but, I would bet that you and yours would be welcome in any Baja environment, only
because you show humility and curiosity. That's a good mix.DanO - 5-23-2007 at 04:20 PM
I contribute to the local economy to the extent I can, by buying groceries, building materials, etc., locally instead of stateside. I pay local folks
to handle projects, and I patronize the pangueros in my area. I contribute to a fund to pick up trash from our local beach and do some pick up
myself. I donate used clothing and toys to the fishing co-op. I treat people with respect and do my best to communicate in their language (something
I need to and should do much better).DENNIS - 5-23-2007 at 04:25 PM
DanO ----
Yeah... thats it. That's the idea. Give more than you get. Thanks for what you do without thanks. Very cool.Osprey - 5-23-2007 at 04:33 PM
If they like me a little now it's because I'm beginning to understand things. Once in Mulege I saw a crude sign that said Mangos. Two old guys were
sitting, rocking outside a little hut. I stopped, went into the hut, let them know by my smile, my gestures I might be a buyer. They pulled back
some straw mats under which were hundreds of ripe mangos. When I let them know I wanted 2 mangos their look said I was begging to be thrown into the
river. Later I gave my Jeep full of mangos to anybody I could find.
Dennis is this what you were getting at?
Baja Bernie - 5-23-2007 at 05:07 PM
For years the wife and I contributed to helping a young Mexican boy whip Leukemia. He has now been free of that killing disease for 2 years. We also
worked with the school in La Mision and contributed to sending an outstanding young man through 4 years of college work.
Just a whole bunch of stuff like that and that is some of the stuff we miss most since moving back to the States.
Most of the Mexican family’s in the area knew if they needed anything from the States all they had to do was ask and we would, in some cases, smuggle
it down. At last count I had brought 8 stoves, 26 TV’s and a sh……pot of other stuff they couldn’t get at a reasonable price.
Used to bring guns and ammo down, but that was a long time ago Honest!.
Speaking of JR, he was always hitting me up for that "Off" stuff to take down to the mosquitoe areas.....but then a lot of us did that stuff.
[Edited on 5-24-2007 by Baja Bernie]
[Edited on 5-24-2007 by Baja Bernie]windgrrl - 5-23-2007 at 06:27 PM
To give the ex-pats my $$$ so I can live my dream vicariously through them?DENNIS - 5-23-2007 at 06:33 PM
Thanks Bernie ------
I've been reading JRs posts and cant help feeling his comitment to his feelings. He truly had a brotherhood with the people of Baja, those of the
country and unaware of progress as we know it. He didn't try to change anybody. He just tried to give them a hand.
Im reading more and understanding more.
Bernie......... You have the same love for Baja, perhaps not so intense but, the same from the heart.
Thanks4baja - 5-23-2007 at 06:51 PM
higher contracters so they can feed there famillys. give fish to those who have no way to get them. support the local beer stores.Mexitron - 5-23-2007 at 06:52 PM
From the first day I stepped in Baja I was in love...the desert, the people, the plants, the geography, the surf...its been almost two years since
I've rolled around in that beautiful red dust, the longest stretch ever, and I gotta tell you absence makes the heart grow even fonder. I hope Baja
still loves me back!Bajafun777 - 5-23-2007 at 08:07 PM
At my work we have collected clothing for the orphanes in Tecate and T.J. over the years and we have given monies to the group that goes down not only
around T.J. but Mexicali to help the poor people put some small houses together each year. The customs in Mexico has made it tough to get the
clothing, food, and building supplies through and caused some of these outing to be stopped over the recent years. Every time something good happens
someone always putting their hands in to rip out what they can for themselves but people still try which is good. The animal shelter care donations
is always a good one to give to when in Baja. bajafun777Pescador - 5-23-2007 at 08:11 PM
I deal with the community the same way I do when at home. We, along with 6 others, pay he tuition of one of the local boys to go to high school. We
interact. I give a lot of fish away to people who have become my friends over the years. I invite them to my get togethers and they invite me to
some of theirs. I quit bringing clothes and give aways but bring a large load of things that I have a person in town sell on a garage sale basis and
then give the money to the school. I attend weddings, funerals, coming of age parties, and other social events but try not to collect these as
chevrons on my uniform. I freely share my philosophy of life but listen carefully when they share theirs. I am not the mini-mart, the bank, the
social worker, or the general contractor, but want to be dealt with respect as I show respect in return.Paula - 5-23-2007 at 09:49 PM
I love Loreto, and I love my neighbors. Anything more is between me and my friends.amir - 5-23-2007 at 09:58 PM
I am the new chiropractor in Todos Santos and I started to implement my wishes to donate my services to groups of people that can't afford it or
otherwise would never get an adjustment. In Eugene, Oregon, they would always close the doors to this kind of social service - the bureaucracy, the
red tape, the fear from competition, I could never figure out why I couldn't give my services away in the USA; I tried for 27 years... Here they
welcomed me with open arms and I am building a respectable and honorable reputation. It also makes me feel that I am part of the community and what I
am doing for them is only a small token compared to the health and happiness that I am finding here. My volunteer work so far has been limited to one
of the local agricultural camps, where migrant farm worker live in deplorable conditions. I try not to get involved in the politics of these camps,
but they do exist, and the workers need all the help they can get. Attached is a short story I wrote today about my second visit to this camp last
Monday. I'm sorry if it is too long, but I thought it fits nicely in this thread:
Second Visit to El Carrizal – 21 May 2007
This week I went for my second visit to El Carrizal agricultural camp to adjust the workers and their families. Volunteering for this kind of social
work fulfills my desire to give back to the community with the skills that come so easy to me.
This time the session was more organized. The camp knew I was coming and they were ready, although there weren’t as many people as last month during
the peak harvest season. I treated only about 40 people this time, including about a dozen children.
The 5-hour shift started with a young boy; he told me: “Last time you fixed the pain in my arm. This time my leg is hurting!” Children are easy to
adjust and he was very compliant. His smile and gratitude at the end of the adjustment was my reward and everybody that followed compensated me with
the same appreciation.
This boy then brought me one of his young friends that had fallen off a bicycle: “My friend here is also hurting in the leg.” Then he brought me
another young boy that had slipped and fallen during a soccer game: “He twisted his neck and he is hurting here…” he pointed. This little recruiter
brought me several of his friends one at a time and each stayed around to watch me adjust the next one; it was so much fun to have an interested young
audience watch me work! I admonished all of them not to try to imitate me and attempt to “adjust” each other, and this little lecture was going well
until I had to shoo them off when they got too rambunctious playing with my beard…
Then a team of Mexican government doctors arrived from La Paz to immunize the babies. This is National Children’s Health Week and free immunization is
a federal program. While they were setting up they got interested in what I was doing and I got to adjust these doctors, too. It was their first
chiropractic experience, and they needed it; a bonus for them and for me!
The camp worker’s shift in the fields is over at 5:00 and then they started lining up in the waiting room. There were only 3 chairs there, so they
were standing in line against the walls and I could see a line all the way out into the courtyard. As soon as my door would open to let out the last
patient, the next person would walk in. It went non-stop like this until almost 9:00 pm. At one point I had a chance to peek out the window and saw
the beautiful gold and red and pink clouds of a magnificent Baja sunset, but there was still a line of people waiting so I didn’t tarry too long in
the clouds.
When I work like this I lose track of the count of how many people I adjust, but two of them I remember in detail. A girl of maybe 7 or 8 years was
terrified and crying sadly; her knee was swollen and her leg splayed out. She had a lot of apprehension about me touching her leg and her mother
explained that the girl had been to many doctors and they had all hurt her, and not even the injections were giving her any relief for over a year. I
adjusted her back and neck first and she started to relax and to trust me; I think intuitively she knew then that maybe this treatment was not like
the others. I put her on her side and adjusted her hip, and the loudest “pop” I ever heard on a child this age ensued. While I was adjusting the
mother later, I saw the girl walking around, she was testing how she could move her hip now, she could bend her knee, she wasn’t limping… she couldn’t
believe that she got her leg back, and neither could I! What a blessing for this little girl, she would have developed into a crippled woman for sure!
These are the rewards of my work.
The other case was a middle-aged woman that was in so much pain everywhere that she could hardly walk or talk. After each bone that I adjusted on her
she would mumble: “Yes, doctor… yes, doctor” or “Please, doctor, please…” My empathy was fully aroused for this person, and after the adjustment her
color, countenance and energy made an incredible transformation. When she left, her smile and the glow from her eyes did not require any words, and
her tight handshake gave me goose bumps.
And so it went for a few hours until everybody that wanted an adjustment was treated. I’m looking forward to going next month again and continue my
service. Kudos to the Fortalecer Foundation whose officers coordinate these visits to the workers camps.
If you know of other venues where I can donate my services to groups of poor and needy people, please let me know.
Thank you,
Amir.Baja_Girl - 5-23-2007 at 10:18 PM
Hi, Amir,
thank you for doing this posting...
a friend of mine is a chiropractor who flies a plane and travels with
Mexican Medical Ministries www.mexicanmedical.com - I think, anyway, he flies with other healers (doctors, nurses) to remote outposts throughout baja. He will be in Loreto
this weekend.
I am not a religious sort of person, but I think it is important for all us who are able to make the human sojourn a little less painful...BAJACAT - 5-23-2007 at 10:57 PM
Cause we keep it alive,and unforgaten.spread the word Baja Is great..
amir - 5-23-2007 at 11:07 PM
Thank you, BajaGirl. I looked up the Mexican Medical Ministries link and will research it further. There is a big difference between religiosity and
spirituality. You might not be religious, but you care about the human condition - that makes you a spiritual being. I'd like to think that I am on
some sort of a spiritual path but am not affiliated with any Church, and so I might have trouble with an evangelical group. It would be nice if we
could keep religion and politics out of healing; however I must add in all fairness that it is wonderful and commendable for altruists to use the
pulpit as a springboard for their services - as long as it comes from the heart and people get the help they need, and there are no strings
attached...
Have fun on your own trip to Loreto, and a speedy health recovery.
Thanks again,
--AmirCapt. George - 5-24-2007 at 03:07 AM
we try to be a part of the community. a good place to be.shari - 5-24-2007 at 08:35 AM
What a wonderful thread and so relevant...Baja gave me a miracle (mi Sirenita) and I strive to give back as much as humanly possible on a daily
basis...I try to promote understanding between the races...bridge the gap on both sides and help others where I can. Part of joining this board was to
foster goodwill and offer helpful information to baja travellers with ideas on how to treat the locals to make their trip even more enjoyable and
satisfying. We talk ALOT about gringos and I attempt to explain the phenomenon to our mexican family and friends. I made SO many cultural boo boos
when I first started coming here...and so maybe I can help others avoid these shameful blunders. I am dedicated to helping our village see it's way
through the growth that will soon begin. I love this part of baja and it loves me back!rdrrm8e - 5-24-2007 at 01:54 PM
Back in 1983 I was on a roadtrip with one of my buddies and we stopped at the lone fire station in La Paz. At the time the population in La Paz was
about 300,000. They had 1 fire station, 1 1946 fire engine, no turnouts , no breathing apparatus, about 200' of leaky hose and 1 nozzle with a broken
bail!!!!! They had large pictures on the walls of that tiny station of themselves fighting huge fires in flaps and tank tops.
Being firemen ourselves we hatched a plan to buy used fire engines for $1.00 from the city we worked for. We took them to Bob's house and he did most
of the work repacking the pumps, scrounging tires etc. Then we would fill them up with all the hose, turnouts and equipment we could find and drive
them to TJ.
The LaPaz fire chief would take the bus up and drive them back. In a couple of years we had sent enough supplies that they had 3 fire stations, an
aerial ladder, and ambulance, scott packs, hose, turnouts and all kinds of equipment.
Eventually we were honored in an August ceremony celebrating the dead firemen in Mexico. We were given goatskin proclamations and rode the tailboards
all over La Paz code 3 in a massive parade.
I still have the ring that one of the bomberos took off his finger (they didn't have badges back then...but handmade silver rings that signified they
were "Bomberos") and gave to me. I am very proud of that.DENNIS - 5-24-2007 at 02:32 PM
rdrrmBe ----
Great story as are all the others above.Capt. George - 5-24-2007 at 03:06 PM
kudos to you and our La Paz brothers from a retired FDNY Firefighter.
Engine Co. 42 Da Bronx!fdt - 5-24-2007 at 09:36 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
What is it that you contribute to Baja, money excluded, that makes you part of the Baja community?
Baja California is "Grande Por Ti"
Baja California is "Great Because of You"
Maybe in twenty years or so. I'll hang out with some locals and be myself for
the time being. Till the next big one hits that is.
TOOT TOOT!! Osprey - 5-25-2007 at 06:28 AM
Baja hardly notices me. I leave a very small footprint. I even write stories about it.
THE COMMANDMENT
You wouldn't think it to look at me but I'm not really a world traveler. I guess I haven't rented a car more than two or three times. The occasions
were memorable. One time that sticks in my mind was perhaps in the late 80's or early 90's. I'm almost sure it was Hertz. For the first time, when
I checked the car out, a woman in a uniform came with me. She had a form on a clipboard; a diagram of the outline of a car was part of the form. The
young woman insisted I inspect the car, taking particular note of any damage to the car -- together we walked around the car looking for cracked
windows, dents, scratches, dings and ruined body paint. We found a small dent in the trunk. She made a note, marked the location on the form, tried
to duplicate on paper just what we had found. The interior was next; a small rip in the covering of the rear seat (near the door), marked on the
form.
I signed the form, she tore off one copy for me and wished me well. There had been little conversation but very little was needed. Hertz was going
to have the same form I signed very handy when I turned the car in. They had my signature on the Mastercard receipt. The rental contract was
airtight -- court-tested a million times with renters and their insurors in every state.
I've always been careful with the car when I needed a rental but this time I was extra careful; how and where I drove it, parked it, stored it. I
even had the damned thing washed before I took it back -- watched every move of the guys at the car wash.
A simple, yet powerful concept and contract: Enforceable Stewardship. Screw it up, cough up. Take reasonable care of it, return to the freedom you
enjoyed before the contract. The threat of Hertz charging huge auto repair bills to the bottomless pit of a hard-earned credit limit forced me to
take better care of the car than I took of my own. Just for kicks I took the car rental papers out of my coat pocket, laid it on the bar at the
hotel. I ordered another scotch, put on my cheaters and read "the fine print". There were 21 parts, all of them Greek to me. As to the vehicle, it
all boiled down to the rock bottom basics of stewardship. They needed the form for legal reasons but I thought, after my third scotch, in the real
world, all they really need is the one commandment, "DON'T CHANGE THINGS THAT DON'T BELONG TO YOU".
That's not all I was thinking. I was thinking "The Best Western chain can't buy a scotch/rocks after I've bought four of them at $5.50 a pop?" I
was thinking that God could have used such a powerful injunction. The Ten Commandants are simple, they cover all the really bad things, but people
forgot them, abused them, twisted them, found loopholes so their sins would be hidden, diminished or forgiven -- the Catholics have their
Confessional; Methodists, Protestants, Baptists hire Jewish lawyers.. God is in control, he's in control of time. He could go back, back to the time
of the Tablets. Maybe the whole earth would be better for it. After all, we don't really own the planet or any of the other things hanging (so
tenuously) on to it. The imperialists, the conquerors, missionaries, usurpers, interlopers would be under very different orders. Just like with
Hertz, if you change things that don't belong to you "You'll catch hell."
Maybe when Moses asked the Lord "Shall I go forth over the land, spread the gospel, read the tablets?"
Moses might hear God's Holy Reply, "Nah, use the Hertz thing."bajadock - 5-25-2007 at 10:42 AM
Baja likes me because I provide community support, but, do not advertise my philanthropy.
Now that I have a real kitchen and deck view with the water 500m away, my giving back now includes theme parties. Next one is blind wine tasting in 2
weeks, fyi.boe4fun - 5-25-2007 at 10:43 AM
Hola Amir, We have established a Prosthetic/Orthotic clinic in La Paz with the help of the local Rotary Club (La Balandra) and "Mobilize Mankind". We
hold 2 clinics per year and have seen about 4 or 5 dozen patients (I've lost count) who could not afford prostheses or orthoses. Perhaps you would be
interested in attending our next clinic (scheduled around Oct/Nov.) and lending your expertise? I'll email a copy of this to my contact in La Paz, Dr.
Alejandro Aguirre. His email is: aguirrechavez@yahoo.com Hope to hear from you soon. Paul Boe boe4fun@charter.netbajabound2005 - 5-25-2007 at 11:04 AM
We get so much from just living here! We do all we can to return what we get by supporting local businesses and tradepeople; we do volunteer work -
teaching English in our local primary school. We help support the many folks who so much to care for the local street dogs. And we are learning
Spanish to better communicate with the lovely people that are native to this country.
Giving Back/Why Baja Likes Me...
Cameron - 5-25-2007 at 01:19 PM
Why does Baja like me??? I'll never pass by a broken-down motorist without stopping to see if I can offer a hand, a little gas, or whatever's
necessary to get them back on the road. Okay, maybe not on the Ensenada Cuota at 3 in the morning when I'm driving alone, but otherwise, just about
anywhere or anytime.
Do I do this in the US? Nope. With few exceptions, I figure that with cell phones, AAA, State Troopers, etc., most US motorists will be just fine
without me. In the middle of the desert, 100 miles from the nearest town, it's a whole different deal.
The one time I've been broken down myself (in Baja), it took all of 5 minutes before I had two different locals stop to help me. The first motorist
pulled out a nylon tow strap, and after hooking his Nissan Pathfinder to my 3/4 ton pickup, towed me almost 25 miles to the nearest town. Once there,
he unhooked me, and was gone before I had a chance to thank him, or to open the frosty cold Ballena his wife handed me from the back of their truck!
Viva Baja!!! amir - 5-25-2007 at 01:29 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by bajadock
Baja likes me because I provide community support, but, do not advertise my philanthropy.
Bajadock,
I wrestled in my head before I posted my story, whether it was righteous to advertise my philanthropy. I know that it has more merit to give
anonymously. The highest form of charity is to give to anonymous recipients from anonymous sources. However, in this case, because of the nature of
this forum, and because I wanted to spread the word that my chiropractic services are available for free to those who cannot pay, I decided to go
ahead and "toot my own horn" a little. I saw it more as an opportunity to expand my goodwill rather than to advertise my giving. Sorry if it came
across in a selfish way...
--Amiramir - 5-25-2007 at 02:26 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by boe4fun
... Perhaps you would be interested in attending our next clinic (scheduled around Oct/Nov.) and lending your expertise? ...
Boe4Fun,
Ask and it shall be given! This contact is exactly why I've decided to post in this thread. I will gladly volunteer with your group. I'm composing an
email that will send to you possibly tomorrow. Greg and Gayle Edwards, from Mobilize Mankind, are dear friends of mine from Eugene, Oregon, and they
are partly instrumental for us being here now, and they have been sort of spiritual mentors for me. The work they do, bringing wheelchairs and all
kinds of equipment, and bringing therapists, and training parents, and arranging for surgeries, and everything else they do, is wonderful. I am glad
they are, and will be more, in my life. And what a gift for all the handicapped children of Baja they help!
--Amir
Bravo!
Dave - 5-25-2007 at 04:15 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by bajadock
Baja likes me because I provide community support, but, do not advertise my philanthropy.
Maimonides' eight levels of charity:
1. The highest degree of all is one who supports another by providing a loan, or entering into a partnership, or finding work for him, so that
the person can become self-sufficient.
2. Giving to another so that the donor does not know the recipient and the recipient does not know the donor.
3. Giving to another so that the donor knows the recipient, but the recipient does not know the donor.
4. Giving to another so that the recipient knows the donor, but the donor does not know the recipient.
5. Giving without being asked.
6. Giving after being asked.
7. Giving less than is proper, but in a friendly manner.
8. Giving in a grudging and unfriendly way.DENNIS - 5-25-2007 at 05:04 PM
Dave---
Giving is only part of it. You do that well.
The most important part of giving is, why you do it. You said it.
We dont come down here to give our life away. We dont come down here to buy friendship.
We come here to understand and be understood. We have reason to hope for and expect that.
I give, in a squandering way, to those in my life that need help.
They have my assistance. They have for years.
I repel from those, human or institution, that solicit my money for any reason that I find unfounded.
So, in your list of reasons, I am guilty of acting on points 2 - 5 - 6.
It's the best I can do.Bajagypsy - 5-25-2007 at 05:36 PM
I think baja likes me because of the way I was raised, I was raised by two hippies, who were firm belivers in punishment if you didn't take out more
than what you came with.
To this day, I know my mom could & would kick my burro if I left even a cigarte behind on a camping trip. It is that fear that makes me the
person I am today, and we always pick up everyone elses garbage up, even if just stopping for a pee on the side of the road.DENNIS - 5-25-2007 at 05:47 PM
Bajagypsy .......
Thats it.
You got it.
That's how I live my life. Just like you.
Give more than you get.
It's so simple.bajadock - 5-25-2007 at 07:36 PM
FELIZ VIERNES AMIR,
My reply was not meant to be judgemental re: anyone else. You are to be praised and thanked for your efforts. Although NOMAD is mostly words, it is
the DEEDS that we describe that make this little forum a community.
I like Dennis' idea and spirit on this topic LOTS!bajamigo - 5-27-2007 at 07:54 AM
Just do it. If no one on earth knows of your beneficial deeds, fine....that's giving. But if the whole world knows, equally fine, because hopefully
your deeds will motivate others. My wife and I teach English at the local school, pay tuition for 7 kids from secundaria through college, helped
launch several programs to benefit animals, are a soft touch for small financial emergencies, etc., etc.
Do we need recognition? Heck, no. But if our neighbors know that we're not exceptional in doing these things, maybe it will motivate some of them to
reorder their priorities and contribute more to our shared mission in Baja: helping these people achieve those small goals that we take for granted
but that their own social order militates against. At the top of that order is Carlos Slim, who will probably soon be considered the richest man in
the world and who publicly excoriated Bill Gates and Warren Buffett for giving away some of their billions.
The least we can give back is hope. That's one of the reasons we're here.
And keep up the great work, Amir, no matter who knows about it.DENNIS - 5-27-2007 at 08:22 AM
Bajamigo -----
Seven students, through college?
Jeezo..... What will you do if they're accepted at USC?
You can borrow my tent.
Been following this post
Baja Bernie - 5-27-2007 at 08:45 AM
from the start and 'giving' it a lot of thought.
Giving, to me, is only a small part. I have been receiving the blessings of learning from my friends in Bajafor over 40 years. Sure we give when we
see the need and when someone points out something that would help...............BUT......each and every day we receive a little more knowledge from
our Mexican friends............they never ask and they never push their way of living on anyone they just show us by example.
Some may think it selfish but we have 'always' gotten far more than we have given and everyone is much richer............both for the giving and the
receiving!
We have all learned that friends have no need to ask.bajamigo - 5-27-2007 at 10:37 AM
Dennis --- we only pay for college if they're studying to become real estate lawyers.
so I can live my dream vicariously through them?
I'll hang out with some locals and be myself for
the time being.
Till the next big one hits that is.
