On Walmart

Against all the fibers of my being I'm going to write about Walmart. I'm not a fan of Walmart for reason I won't get into, but I don't think I could write about becoming Mexican without mentioning the Holy Grail of the Mexican shopping experience.
Ir de compras (shopping) should really be called ir de walmart. There is nothing one can't buy and nowhere one can't find a Super, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Walmart. Aside from the obvious allure of cheap Chinese crap, Walmart has done an incredible marketing campaign to lure in Mexican buyers. But this is not what Walmart has actually come to mean to Mexican communities around the United States (and now Mexico as well).
Walmart is the modern day Plaza. Centuries ago when people lived in an age where it wasn't necessary to cross a border to feed your family, towns were built based around the Plaza. In fact houses were build around a central courtyard. These central meeting spaces were community centers. Places to meet people, to "shoot the breeze," to gossip, talk politics, or simply to enjoy the company of others. Mexicans are a relational bunch. Mexicans are also a chatty bunch. So if you put the two together you can understand that Mexicans sit around doing a lot of talking.
When I lived in Mexico I remember sitting around on the driveway (which doubled as a patio) for hours as my host mom would sit with her friends and gab the evening away. I was always bored to pieces but I guess I can thank her now for the unbeatable Spanish language immersion I endured for 3 months straight.
I suppose there are some Americans who like to sit around and talk as well. Sure we all like to catch up with our friends here and there. But on average I would say we are a doing culture. We make plans for lunch, penciled into our crackberries (Blackberries) and sandwiched between 5 other activities for the day. Its rare that we just sit and talk without any agenda. It's even rarer that we show up to a friends house unannounced and sit and talk without any agenda.
So where do chatty relational Mexicans go in communities across the US to meet, chat, and make connections- to the one place that affords them the luxury of being welcoming and open 24 hours a day, Walmart.
My mother-in-law is one such Walmart goer. Being new to Colorado, the first place she learned to drive herself to was Walmart. Even if she doesn't need to go shopping at all you can find her and my sister-in-law hitting up Walmart at 8pm (as long as the Telenovela isn't on). They very rarely come home with multiple shopping bags. Perhaps a token purchase to make sure the trip wasn't "wasted." But it was never about the shopping to begin with. They just need to go to the plaza, to be relational, to meet new people, to feel Mexican again.