Expatriate of the Month

Each article in this series features an interview with an expatriate living in Mexico. SolutionsAbroad has sat down with many fascinating and successful expats who have made Mexico their home. They share their experiences and offer advice to newcomers in Mexico.

Sabrina DeSantiago

Executive Director for the 'Young Democrats'

Sabrina DeSantiago is the executive director for the Young Democrats or Yo! Dems and is a member on their executive committee. She sat down with SolutionsAbroad to speak about the organization and her experiences as an expatriate living in Mexico. She was accompanied by the Yo! Dems Media Coordinator Juliet Lambert.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Sabrina Santiago. I'm currently living in Mexico City and before that I was living and working in Washington D.C. on Capital Hill.

What were you doing there?

I worked for Senator (Hilary) Clinton for two-and-half years where I was involved with the Democratic leadership doing outreach for the Democratic caucus especially to the Latino community. Before that I was working for a Congresswoman from Los Angeles, Lucille Roybal-Allard, who was the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress.

And what was it like working for Senator Hilary Clinton?

It was wonderful. It was also a lot of stress because there's a standard of excellence that must be met for all things and I think that's appropriate though for someone who expects to give a lot of themselves to their constituency. It was challenging, lots of hours, but you knew that you were working for somebody who was trying to make a difference which is easy to say in politics but in this case it's true. You knew that if you wrote her a memo or if you spoke to her about an issue that was important to the communities you represented she was going to take it in mind and act on it. It wasn't like something she was going to file or waive off.

So you're saying she was less concerned with spin and more about being genuine?

Absolutely.

And how long have you been in Mexico City?

Eleven months now. I arrived just after the mid-term elections and my last day on the Hill was actually Election Day 2007.

And what are you doing here?

Right now, I'm planning a wedding and working with Yo! Dems.

And what's it like as an expat working and living in Mexico City?

I sometimes compare it to New York but it's like New York times ten! I think New York has a rhythm that applies to Mexico City but here in Mexico City each sector of the city has its own rhythm and so when you're doing things with different groups it's a lot of adjustment, in fact it's constantly adjusting.

What do you mean by that?

Lets say I'm meeting with somebody from Yo! Dems in the morning. It's most likely going to be in Polanco or Santa Fe or Condesa or Roma, communities with lots of expats and something that feels a lot more familiar with lots of coffee shops and restaurants, and in general the meetings tend to be more timely and efficient. Much more formal. And then in the afternoon if I'm meeting with the caterer for the wedding or my fiance has a small cafeteria in the Centro we could say we'll meet at six o'clock but it's like seven thirty before anyone actually shows up and then it's dinner ... we can't have a meeting without a full meal ... I thought I was prepared to handle the social differences as my parents are from Mexico and I grew up with a degree of knowledge of Mexican culture that maybe other expats don't have but I'm always being surprised.

Like three-hour lunches?

I still don't understand that. I'd rather get out early then not have to go back to work in the evenings. I think that no matter how much people think they know about what Mexico's going to be like they don't really know until they get there. And it's very different in Mexico City than from Guadalajara or San Miguel de Allende. I think Mexico City is the most international city I have ever lived in only because there are people from lots of different parts of the world. I have friends here who are from Hong Kong, Italy, Germany or who are one generation out from their parents getting here and even though they identify themselves as being Mexican, at home they'll speak Italian or German. It's very much an immigrant experience here which I didn't expect to find.

Do you feel safe living in Mexico City?

I think Mexico City is a lot safer than people think. I don't think it's any different than living in New York or any big city. You just have to be careful.

Could you tell us a bit about the Yo! Dems?

I think we're really trying to provide people with an opportunity to participate in politics as they would in the States here in Mexico. Lots of people think once you're abroad the only thing you can do is vote and I think the fact that we have voting abroad is incredible but I think that's not only the extent you should be involved in your party. A party needs everybody who's willing to be active.

What's the difference between the Yo! Dems and Democrats Abroad?

Juliet: Traditionally the Yo! Dems or Young Democrats are normally made up of people thirty years or younger but as this is Mexico the demographics for foreigners living here tend to be a bit older. It's obvious we're not going to be carding people at parties but our age range is probably around the forty mark. Basically, the reason why there's sort of a separation is because traditionally Democrats Abroad were very fabulous at registering people to vote and they've been doing it forever and they know what to do and they walk you through the process. Young Democrats on the other hand want to raise money and get people actively involved in campaigning.

Sabrina: People are interested. I think there's no one place in Mexico where you can find exclusively the expat community. They seem to be all over the place. There's no one who really keeps records or numbers. I mean the embassy knows who comes into the country but that information is privileged and so we're trying to reach out to everyone but it's not an easy task.

Do you have any important events lined up?

We have a conference. The annual Americas Regional Meeting of Democrats Abroad is going to be held in Mexico for the first time in 10 years and what happens is everybody from Canada down to Argentina will come together and discuss what our next steps are. Obviously the 2008 presidential election will be at the top of the agenda so how we can effectively mobilize and make sure we're reaching everybody will be important discussion points. It's an open invitation to any Democrats in Mexico who would like to register. There's a link www.mexicodemocrats.org which will walk you through the registration process. And even though it's a three day event you're in no way obliged to attend the full three-days and can opt to choose a particular day instead. The event begins on Oct. 25 and closes with a gala dinner on Oct. 27 and will be held at the Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de Mexico which is on Mexico City's main square or Zocalo.

Who would you vote for in the Democratic primaries?

Juliet: I think it's too early to say. There's still so many debates and so much stuff is happening between now and then. I hope everything's not locked and loaded. I'd like to think there's a process we still go through in finding out about our candidates and there's so much we need to learn about all of them.

Sabrina: It's a process. To think it's one hundred percent for one person or another or even for a ticket is at this point premature, and you can see that from the campaigns where everyone is fighting tooth and nail because they know it's so competitive.

Have you had a chance to travel around Mexico? What have been your favorite places?

My family's from Durango and Guadalajara and so those are places I know best and which I adore. I love the people and the climate of Guadalajara. Durango is great because it's such a contrast. It's exactly what all the best things when people say "provincia," you know slower but in a good way: you know your neighbors, you can be out in the plaza at two in the morning and be perfectly safe. I wasn't prepared for how colonial all of Mexico was going to be. I knew what it was supposed to be but it's so intergrated into people's everyday lives. It feels like you're in some city in Europe where people are used to being next to a 300 or 400-year old building. And being from the States and especially being from California that just doesn't happen ... an old building is like from 1950!

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