Mexican Workers Find New World, New Home at Mackinac
By Jessica Delaney

Home is where the heart is, and nobody can attest to this better than the many Mexican workers working the summer season on Mackinac Island.

The majority of these workers hail from Mexico City, in the Federal District of Mexico. They come here to make money, in jobs that pay more than the jobs they can get in Mexico, if they can get jobs at all.

Juan Olgin has worked for Mackinac Island Carriage Tours for four summers and said that he plans to come back. He has been unable to find work in Mexico, and often spends his winters unemployed.

“I come here because the job is good,” said Mr. Olgin. “Sometimes I think of my family, but I need to work. You miss the family, but you do this for them.”

Hugo Quinones Arteaga agrees.

“I came because of necessity, because the work in Mexico is bad pay, and I came for my family,” he said. Mr. Quinones spent his first summer working on the Island in 2005, and encountered many problems in adjusting to his new life. The first problem he had to overcome was language.

Mr. Quinones spoke almost no English when he arrived in the United States, and was determined to learn English while living on the Island. He worked individually with a tutor through the English as a Second Language program offered by Ste. Anne’s Church, and also attended some of the lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Mr. Quinones believes that learning English is important both as a way to fit into the community and to help him with his job. He was part of the housekeeping staff at Grand Hotel.

Other Mexican workers have also made an effort to learn English, spending hours with tutors and in classes. Some, however, have said that the language barrier hasn’t proven to be much of a problem.

Jose Lopez, for example, another Grand Hotel employee, said he hasn’t had much of a problem communicating with people, even though he does not speak English. He said that enough Americans understand Spanish that he has been able to get along fine.

Mr. Olgin has picked up a little English through the years by listening to and interacting with Americans, but says that he has lots of difficulty conversing with people in the language. Generally, he said that he knows enough to get by, but sometimes it can interfere a little with his job.

“The language is the only problem with the job,” said Mr. Olgin. “We all understand a little English, but not much, not enough. We just understand enough to make the money.”

Though the majority of Mexican workers have difficulties with the English language, and cite it as the primary cultural difference between the United States and their homeland, they refuse to complain about it. What they do have complaints about, however, is the food.

“All else is good, the water, the drinks, but the food has many condiments and spices we do not use, it is hard on the stomach,” said Mr. Lopez.

Other Mexican workers agreed.

“The food, because it is different, it has a different flavor. Mexicans are a little fat and go home thin, because we don’t eat, we almost don’t eat. We go to our house and eat a classic hamburger, but it’s not what we’re used to,” said Mr. Quinones.

Even Mr. Olgin, a veteran of the Island, said that the food was difficult to get used to. He added that now he is able to appreciate it better, but “I am accustomed to it.”

His biggest complaint: “It doesn’t have enough chile.”

Cultural differences also abound.

Everyday activities in Mexico are simply not seen in America, and attitudes and behaviors are vastly different between the countries.

Respect for the flag is something Mr. Quinones both admires about the United States, and wonders about. According to him, in Mexico the flag is only flown for special occasions, whereas on the Island he has seen flags outside of businesses, private homes, and just on the street on a daily basis. Even more surprising than seeing flags flying, though, has been finding people wearing shirts with a print of the flag, sandals, hats, and even underwear. In Mexico, he said, this would be considered disrespectful.

As for the language, many Mexicans find is not so much knowing the words as it is using them correctly. Many phrases do not translate directly, and what could be a compliment in Spanish may sound derogatory in English.

One of the greatest surprises for many Mexican workers has been the lake. Owing to pollution, there are not many lakes around Mexico City that are clean enough to swim in. Acapulco has been heralded as one of the nicer lakes, but according to those on Mackinac, it isn’t anything next to the Great Lakes.

“What I like most here is the lake. It’s very relaxing, very clean,” said Mr. Lopez. “I like the forest, the carriages, and of course the ducks that fly and the flower baskets. It’s all very beautiful.”

Many workers find out about positions of employment on the Island through family members, and it is not rare to see a man living with brothers, cousins, nephews, or extended family while on the Island. But even with the support of family, it can be difficult to live in a new place, particularly for those who left wives, children, or husbands back home.

For these men and women, they find it beneficial to find someone familiar. For Mr. Quinones, that familiarity comes through the church.

In Mexico, 96 percent of the population is Catholic, so unlike here, where there is a separation of church and state, in Mexico it is common to see a statue devoted to the Virgin Mary, or to see people streaming out of churches. That was one of the most jolting experiences for Mr. Quinones to deal with upon coming to the Island, but he soon discovered that it was still possible to lead a religious life, even in a more secular country.

Along with working at Ste. Anne’s on his English, he has been attending their Spanish mass, offered every Tuesday night at 10 p.m. Following the mass is a Mexican dinner in the basement of the church. Workers are encouraged to gather, enjoy the church’s amenities, and spend time in a comfortable environment.

“Another good thing that I like is the church,” Mr. Quinones said. “I feel that what they do is very good. We do not finish mass and just go home. We have more time to spend together. Because I eat my food and it is Mexican, and I can dance and sing. . .it is familiar.”

Mr. Olgin said that the situation is vastly different for workers at Carriage Tours. He said that he has not felt much of a sense of community from the other Mexican workers and that it is difficult to find a niche to fit into on the Island.

“There are four of us here at Carriage Tours. There are more at Grand Hotel, but we don’t speak with them,” said Mr. Olgin. “There is a little community with us, but we are only four, no more.”