Who: Andres Pinto, junior
Activity: In 2008, junior Andres Pinto left his familiar life in metropolitan Mexico City to reside in suburban Minnesota after his mother was elected to be the Mexican consulate in the Midwest. Her involvement in foreign relations has sparked his interest in other cultures.
Why did you move to Minnesota from Mexico?
My mom got promoted to be a consul, and we moved to Minnesota in August 2008. A consulate has to be in session for four years, so after those four years she goes back to Mexico. We will probably be here until December, or next summer. It depends what the Mexican foreign official decides on, since there is now a new government in Mexico.
What is your mom’s job?
My mom is the consul of Mexico in the Midwest. She helps the Mexican people in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota. She gives away passports and consular identification cards, which are identification cards for Mexican nationals living outside of Mexico.
How has her job influenced your interests?
I considered studying international relations, but I would not like to move constantly, so I don’t think I’d like to study that. But after high school I want to go to Europe for a year to study French. I find a lot of interest in languages. I dislike going to a place and having to speak in English or Spanish. I would just rather speak their language because I like to travel. My mom’s career really influenced me in the fact of being worldly and having this interest in languages and other cultures.
What are teenagers like in Mexico as opposed to Minnesota?
In Mexico City, teenagers usually hang out with big groups. We call them “reunions.” Every weekend or sometime during the week, we hang out with a big number of people, always more than 20. We just talk, socialize and stuff. Teenagers in Mexico also go out a lot to discos, but the clubs (in Minnesota) are weird. In Mexico City there weren’t really suburbs, so here in the suburbs, it’s different how everyone does everything in their suburb. Everything is centralized in school activities and football games. There weren’t school rivalries there, and we didn’t have school pride like there is here. I really like that pride here.
Does your family get any special privileges because of your mom’s job?
When I fly to another country or Mexico I don’t have to go through security, so I skip all the lines. It takes us like minutes instead of going through those long lines.
What have you enjoyed most about Minnesota?
Not the winter. But I like how it’s really calm. You feel more safe. Although I’m excited to go back to Mexico soon, I’m going to miss the people and the place. I’m going to miss the activities involving nature, like fishing and biking, because in Mexico City you don’t have lakes or a place to bike.
