One of the small, but enjoyable things about living in Mexico is the lack of concern people have for government rules. People know that the police are mostly corrupt, so everything is flexible. Mexicans don’t hesitate to drive through red lights on quiet streets, no one worries about jaywalking, food vendors set up on the street without worrying about paperwork, and in almost every other circumstance people feel free to negotiate rules. Everything is flexible and negotiable.
Returning to Canada, you are quickly hit with the annoyance of rule following. The flight attendants on your plane make you take off your headphones and listen to a safety demo in French, even though there is not a single French Canadian on the plane. Your Uber is expensive because your driver had to get a special license, even though you are driving home at 1 AM, you have to sit and wait for street lights to turn green. When you are driving you have to stick close to the speed limit because you are likely to be pulled over for going slightly over.
On any ranking of freedom, Canada will show up higher than Mexico. There is a better legal system and less regulation, but when it comes to actually living your life, Mexico is a much freer place. There are more rules on paper, but they are not consistently enforced. Everything is negotiable and although there are many rules that don’t make sense, people don’t often concern themselves with enforcing them.
Even though Mexico is thought of as a more left-wing country than Canada or even the US, when you spend time there and then go home, you can’t help but be annoyed by the oppressive nanny state and the people that enforce its rules.
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