Much of this newly developed land is a mudslide waiting to happen after the next severe thunderstorm. Negotiations with the city eventually produce running water and electricity, though the bargaining can take years. I think of Manuela and her family who are waiting for electricity to be provided to their wood and tarpaper home at the top of the ridge. We eat our meal of soup and beans in the glow of an oil lamp, while the January wind whistles through the room. Schools run double sessions to accommodate an exploding student population, though many students drop out at the secondary level because of the cost.
Parks are few with small dusty playgrounds.
To label the one small hospital as woefully inadequate is a ludicrous understatement. The companies that inhabit the free-trade zone have few restrictions on their activities and are highly mobile. Thus, short-term profit margins often overshadow commitments to the workers community. Today s assembly plant in Nogales may well be in Cambodia next month. Yet, corruption, stagnation, and chaos in the Mexican economy and government ensure that the maquiladora jobs are still far better than other options despite the uncertain working conditions.