I'm all settled into my new place, and it's awesome. It's where I was living in Cafetales, only multiplied by a thousand. I haven't taken a bus since I moved here, and that tickles the hell out of me. I'm about a 15 minute walk from my work, which is great, because it forces me into the off-of-my-ass activity I might normally avoid. With the exception of a laundry mat, I have everything I need. I'm sure there's one somewhere, but I have no idea where it is.
I do have a couple of grievances. One being that the water pressure in my shower leaves something to be desired. I'm only offered a pitiful drizzle of water that comes out in a straight line. Needless to say my shower time has doubled. And there's some crazy leak behind my toilet that makes me have to use my towel to soak up the water on my floor every day, then hang it up outside to dry and repeat daily. I've gotta talk to the lady about it, but one, she's old as hell and that means I'm going to need to speak in formal tongue which I haven't quite gotten the hang of. And two, I can't really understand her when she speaks. I'm not scared though -- I'll deal with this water issue yet. Besides, it's nothing compared to the positives. I'd wade through an ocean to get to my toilet on a daily basis to eliminate having to take the bus.
It's Thanksgiving today, and that just breaks my heart into a million pieces. It's always been a routine thing at my house. It never involves extended family, so mostly it's just a dinner with the usual people with a lot of extra food. But still. I totally look forward to that particular food, and it's a holiday in any case. A heavily celebrated one in the U.S. Here, it doesn't exist. Here in Mexico there were no pilgrims to strike a truce with the Native Americans and thus spark the most glorious day of feast... ever. They never met here. There's not an inkling of the holiday anywhere in sight. It's to be expected of course, I'm in a foreign country. All the same it's a strange sensation to be in the complete absence of a holiday that's thriving 400 miles from me across the border.
I hope everyone has/had a great Thanksgiving. I miss everyone back home. I'll see you guys in 28 days!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Adios, Cafetales
I got a new place this morning. It's reasonably affordable, with the additional benefits of being much closer to downtown, a 10 minute walk from my job ( Yes. That means that the Bus from Hell has finally been eliminated from my life ), and surrounded by everything I could possibly want. It's an unattached living quarter separated from the house of this little old lady who's my landlord. She's terribly cute, and very sweet.
I'm ready to get out of here and finally put that God-forsaken family behind me, but at the same time it's a little sad to leave where I'm at. I'm very fond of my neighborhood and the house in which I'm living. It's a total pain-in-the-ass living so far away from everything and having to take the bus, and I swear if I eat another hamburger I'm going to spontaneously implode, but this place was the first hub of comfort I found in this country. It's not a big deal or anything, and I know I'll move a few more times before all is said and done, but it still sucks, just a little.
I'm gonna miss my roommate, too. He's been out of town for almost a week, and he doesn't know I'm leaving. I won't be able to say goodbye or anything, and that's no fun because he's really a cool guy who helped me a lot. I'll probably leave a little note of thanks with my phone number or something. But still. I'd like to thank him in person for all the kindness he's shown me.
Anyway. I'm officially going to San Felipe. Gracias a Dios. It's tranquil, safe, vegetated, and street-garbage free. And bus-free, let's not forget. Well, I have to take a bus back to this other job that's close to Cafetales in the morning, but at least it's an easy bus, not the BFH. I'm definitely looking forward to experiencing the improvements in my situation. We'll see how they go.
34 days until vacation in Minnesota!!!
I'm ready to get out of here and finally put that God-forsaken family behind me, but at the same time it's a little sad to leave where I'm at. I'm very fond of my neighborhood and the house in which I'm living. It's a total pain-in-the-ass living so far away from everything and having to take the bus, and I swear if I eat another hamburger I'm going to spontaneously implode, but this place was the first hub of comfort I found in this country. It's not a big deal or anything, and I know I'll move a few more times before all is said and done, but it still sucks, just a little.
I'm gonna miss my roommate, too. He's been out of town for almost a week, and he doesn't know I'm leaving. I won't be able to say goodbye or anything, and that's no fun because he's really a cool guy who helped me a lot. I'll probably leave a little note of thanks with my phone number or something. But still. I'd like to thank him in person for all the kindness he's shown me.
Anyway. I'm officially going to San Felipe. Gracias a Dios. It's tranquil, safe, vegetated, and street-garbage free. And bus-free, let's not forget. Well, I have to take a bus back to this other job that's close to Cafetales in the morning, but at least it's an easy bus, not the BFH. I'm definitely looking forward to experiencing the improvements in my situation. We'll see how they go.
34 days until vacation in Minnesota!!!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Those Who Walk Alone
Not too long ago I started a new job that begins very early in the morning, before the sun comes up. I was walking to the bus stop when I heard something following closely behind me. I've yet to experience any crime first hand here in Mexico, but needless to say I was shitting bricks. When I finally mustered up the courage to look back over my shoulder, it turned out to be a dog.
Strays are EVERYWHERE here. You can hardly walk a full minute before seeing another one; most mangy, severely malnourished, and terrified of coming anywhere near your space bubble. In any case, I was a little nervous having a stray following me, since Heaven only knows what some animals will do when spiraled too far down into feralization. Not to mention the potential diseases. You can imagine my surprise, then, when the dog immediately started wagging its tail and jumping up and down excitedly. I was touched. Normally I feel so bad for the dogs here, but none will come anywhere near me even if I want to offer something to eat. So I leaned down and put my hand out, and it launched at me and licked my hands to shreds while whimpering. I thought it was going to explode with happiness. It followed me to the bus and waited with me until I had to leave, and I looked from my window as it sat and watched me leave. Whatever the case, it was very cute. Very After School Special.
I returned to the same stop a few hours later, and on the walk back to my house, I found that dog dead on the side of the street. It had been hit by a car. It wasn't the first time I'd seen a dead stray here, but it was the first time it struck me so hard. I admit I got a little teary-eyed.
What I can't understand is how it's possible to take an animal into your home and destroy every ounce of its natural instinct and then one day decide to leave it to fend for itself. Imagine any of us, growing up in our homes with our microwaves and our cell phones and our televisions. Then imagine the people we love taking us into the jungle and leaving us there. Maybe we'd learn how to cope eventually if we didn't die right away, but try to picture yourself learning how to scrap for food, seek shelter, live in fear of predators.
The thought is so depressing. It's making a creature love you and then leaving it out in the cold. That dog clearly knew what human affection was like. It loved people, and obviously someone loved it at one point. And now it's dead because of someone's clear ignorance and disregard for its well-being. If you can't take care of a pet, don't adopt one. It's that easy. If you're not going to be committed to nourishing a living creature, then keep your hands off of it and at the very least don't contribute to its suffering. That's how I feel anyway. I think this is the first thing about Mexico I've found that I really can't handle.
Strays are EVERYWHERE here. You can hardly walk a full minute before seeing another one; most mangy, severely malnourished, and terrified of coming anywhere near your space bubble. In any case, I was a little nervous having a stray following me, since Heaven only knows what some animals will do when spiraled too far down into feralization. Not to mention the potential diseases. You can imagine my surprise, then, when the dog immediately started wagging its tail and jumping up and down excitedly. I was touched. Normally I feel so bad for the dogs here, but none will come anywhere near me even if I want to offer something to eat. So I leaned down and put my hand out, and it launched at me and licked my hands to shreds while whimpering. I thought it was going to explode with happiness. It followed me to the bus and waited with me until I had to leave, and I looked from my window as it sat and watched me leave. Whatever the case, it was very cute. Very After School Special.
I returned to the same stop a few hours later, and on the walk back to my house, I found that dog dead on the side of the street. It had been hit by a car. It wasn't the first time I'd seen a dead stray here, but it was the first time it struck me so hard. I admit I got a little teary-eyed.
What I can't understand is how it's possible to take an animal into your home and destroy every ounce of its natural instinct and then one day decide to leave it to fend for itself. Imagine any of us, growing up in our homes with our microwaves and our cell phones and our televisions. Then imagine the people we love taking us into the jungle and leaving us there. Maybe we'd learn how to cope eventually if we didn't die right away, but try to picture yourself learning how to scrap for food, seek shelter, live in fear of predators.
The thought is so depressing. It's making a creature love you and then leaving it out in the cold. That dog clearly knew what human affection was like. It loved people, and obviously someone loved it at one point. And now it's dead because of someone's clear ignorance and disregard for its well-being. If you can't take care of a pet, don't adopt one. It's that easy. If you're not going to be committed to nourishing a living creature, then keep your hands off of it and at the very least don't contribute to its suffering. That's how I feel anyway. I think this is the first thing about Mexico I've found that I really can't handle.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Shit and the Fan
I had a little hiatus there in dropping a new post, because as luck would have it, the fan is on and the shit is hitting it.
About two weeks ago, my landlord sent his son over to collect the rent. Two months worth. Fine, no problem. It nearly wiped me out, but whatever. Plus I had no problem giving it to the son because it's the fellow who lived with my family over the last year.
What do you know, the miserable little animal ( it took everything I had to withhold vulgarity there ) told his father I never gave him my portion of the rent. Now I'm totally getting harassed and I'm ready to set him on fire. I mean, I didn't make him count it in front of me and I didn't get a receipt. Which makes me the grand idiot of the world, but I thought I knew the kid pretty well. This is absolutely nothing that I saw coming. Even better is that everyone I've told about this here in Mexico has said "Whelp, welcome to Mexico." Hm.
So now I'm house hunting, and that makes me one sad gringo. It involves so much. Most importantly having to integrate a new bus system into my life. As if the one I'm dealing with now isn't wretched enough. Followed by facing setting up utilities in my house entirely on my own with the Spanish language. I'm at the point where a soft and simple conversation is tucked neatly into my belt, but discussing contracts and legal terms is way over my head. Oh, and followed by just dealing with packing and moving in itself.
I will say that the light at the bottom of the box is that I'll no longer have to deal with this ass-devouring family. I kept my distaste for their pestilent souls to myself through my early posts in order to smother my cynicism, but now that it's out there, I have no problem saying that their behaviors and attitudes warrant the immediate descent of a meteor upon their home.
About two weeks ago, my landlord sent his son over to collect the rent. Two months worth. Fine, no problem. It nearly wiped me out, but whatever. Plus I had no problem giving it to the son because it's the fellow who lived with my family over the last year.
What do you know, the miserable little animal ( it took everything I had to withhold vulgarity there ) told his father I never gave him my portion of the rent. Now I'm totally getting harassed and I'm ready to set him on fire. I mean, I didn't make him count it in front of me and I didn't get a receipt. Which makes me the grand idiot of the world, but I thought I knew the kid pretty well. This is absolutely nothing that I saw coming. Even better is that everyone I've told about this here in Mexico has said "Whelp, welcome to Mexico." Hm.
So now I'm house hunting, and that makes me one sad gringo. It involves so much. Most importantly having to integrate a new bus system into my life. As if the one I'm dealing with now isn't wretched enough. Followed by facing setting up utilities in my house entirely on my own with the Spanish language. I'm at the point where a soft and simple conversation is tucked neatly into my belt, but discussing contracts and legal terms is way over my head. Oh, and followed by just dealing with packing and moving in itself.
I will say that the light at the bottom of the box is that I'll no longer have to deal with this ass-devouring family. I kept my distaste for their pestilent souls to myself through my early posts in order to smother my cynicism, but now that it's out there, I have no problem saying that their behaviors and attitudes warrant the immediate descent of a meteor upon their home.
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