today, while waiting for my mom to pick me up, I noticed something I see all the time, and have become used to. If there is such a thing..
1. a motorcycle. Not a scooter, a motorcycle. On this motorcycle was a dad driving, and a mom riding behind him. Not so unusual. How do I know they were a mom and dad? because in front of the dad, were two small toddlers, both wearing helmets (an oddity) and behind him, the mom was holding a newborn. 5 on a motorcycle, going down the highway.
2. a man, driving a SUV, while holding a newborn, while talking on a cellphone.
There are no real rules about carseats that I can see in this country.
About a month ago, I got initiated here, and rode in the back of a pick-up truck home from work. This is the general means of transportation. If you have a pick-up, expect to pick up people and give them rides. I'm still not sure how people balance on the edges of the truck bed. I felt bounced around sitting in the middle of it!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Things that are not exactly noteworthy, but are part of my new and sometimes odd life:
1. You can't flush toilet paper down about 95% of the toilets, and the other 5% you probably shouldn't either. I have a special covered trash can in my bathroom for toilet paper disposal. I empty that trash every single day.
Which leads me to #2...
2. I put my trash out on the sidewalk every morning. We have trash pickup every day of the year. Mostly this is because I live in the village, and there really isn't anywhere to store trash, nor would you want to. They pick up on my street a couple of times per day.
3. My phone doesn't always work. Sometimes I'll have a dial tone, sometimes it will be hours or even days before it works again. There really isn't anyone to call and complain to. They'll fix it when they get to it.
4. You pay your water bill once a year. It comes around the middle of January. You have until mid March to pay it. If you don't pay it by then, your water will be shut off and you will not be able to get city water again until you pay some seriously hefty fines. When this happens, you hire a water truck to bring you water and fill your underground reservoir. If you pay early, you get a substantial discount. You bring cash (no checks or credit cards accepted around these parts) to what looks like just another house in the village. There are no signs on the house telling you what it is. You just have to know.
5. Electricity is super mega expensive here. It is currently running about 42 cents per watt. For comparison, Minneapolis is currently around 10.75 cents per watt. You don't keep anything plugged in that isn't being used or isn't necessary. I only plug my laptop in enough to charge it, then I completely unplug it from the wall. The only things that are plugged in 24/7 at my place are: the fridge, the answering machine, and my digital alarm clock (which I am thinking about only keeping plugged in on the days I need it to wake up). I never have to worry about finding an open outlet! I also turn off lights as I go from room to room. Luckily, my water heater and stove/oven are gas.
6. I don't have any light fixtures in my apartment. All I have are bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling. When you rent here, one of two things happen. #1 the place is completely furnished (cookware and all) or #2 it is unfurnished. You are allowed to paint and pretty much do whatever you want to the place. You can add ceiling fans, fixtures, etc. and when you move out, you are allowed to take all that you added with you.
7. I go to the store next door once a week and carry a 19 liter garrafon (water jug) home with me so I have water for drinking and cooking. I have city water for washing up, but I wouldn't drink it. I've had amoebic dysentery twice. Believe me, you don't want to drink the water. I also soak my fruits and veggies in an iodine solution. If you want to rinse noodles, you use the bottled water. I wash my dishes with the city water, but I make sure it is hot and use a pretty strong anti-bacterial dish soap.
8. I have a washboard sink and clothesline. This is my laundry room. I wash my clothes by hand and hang them, outside, to dry. Luckily, only the business downstairs and my upstairs neighbor ever see my laundry, as that balcony is in an inner courtyard.
9. It is not unusual for there to be a mariachi band playing until 3 or 4 AM on any given night of the week. Also not unusual, are fireworks being shot off any time of the day or night. It's a very celebratory culture.
10. On Christmas Eve, you will find families and neighbors all out on the streets with bonfires in the middle of the street and everyone eating and drinking together. This also happens (but not as much) on New Years Eve.
11. I am almost always, with very very rare exceptions, the only white person on the bus. I'm also one of the youngest expats in this area, and one of very few who have a legit work permit attached to their visa. It also is not unusual to be seated on the bus and have a mom and three kids pile into the one seat next to you. I've also been handed babies before. This is all okay with me. People help each other here.
12. About once a week I meet someone at the bus stop that tells me exactly where they work and live, just in case I ever need anything. Most of the time, these people fail to tell me their names.
13. Every time I have gone out to a bar, I have never bought myself more than one drink. Sometimes, I won't really want another drink, and I'll ask for the bill, but will be brought a drink compliments of some patron instead. I haven't found a polite way to decline a drink, yet.
14. Only imported crap has High Fructose Corn Syrup in it. This makes me very happy.
15. The good and healthy foods like veggies, fruits, grains, etc. are very inexpensive. This includes the organic items. Junk food is how it should be, expensive.
16. I have the home number and cell number of my doctor. When I am sick, I will call her and she will prescribe stuff to me over the phone, because she actually knows me, my medical history, etc. I don't really need a prescription for almost all meds (except controlled class drugs and antibiotics). She also will make me call her at night after having seen me and prescribed something to me to let her know how I am doing. I can always get in with her the same day and rarely wait very long, even when she works me in. She knows more about medicine than most US doctors I have encountered. In fact, she's really good at telling me ways to prevent things without having to take pills. Also, doctors here are very fond of the ol' shot in the ass. Why take a medicine for two weeks when one shot in the ass will do?
17. I have a neighbor that shares his wifi with me. He accepts food as payment.
18. It is normal to see a cow moseying down the highway, or a horse walking through the village.
1. You can't flush toilet paper down about 95% of the toilets, and the other 5% you probably shouldn't either. I have a special covered trash can in my bathroom for toilet paper disposal. I empty that trash every single day.
Which leads me to #2...
2. I put my trash out on the sidewalk every morning. We have trash pickup every day of the year. Mostly this is because I live in the village, and there really isn't anywhere to store trash, nor would you want to. They pick up on my street a couple of times per day.
3. My phone doesn't always work. Sometimes I'll have a dial tone, sometimes it will be hours or even days before it works again. There really isn't anyone to call and complain to. They'll fix it when they get to it.
4. You pay your water bill once a year. It comes around the middle of January. You have until mid March to pay it. If you don't pay it by then, your water will be shut off and you will not be able to get city water again until you pay some seriously hefty fines. When this happens, you hire a water truck to bring you water and fill your underground reservoir. If you pay early, you get a substantial discount. You bring cash (no checks or credit cards accepted around these parts) to what looks like just another house in the village. There are no signs on the house telling you what it is. You just have to know.
5. Electricity is super mega expensive here. It is currently running about 42 cents per watt. For comparison, Minneapolis is currently around 10.75 cents per watt. You don't keep anything plugged in that isn't being used or isn't necessary. I only plug my laptop in enough to charge it, then I completely unplug it from the wall. The only things that are plugged in 24/7 at my place are: the fridge, the answering machine, and my digital alarm clock (which I am thinking about only keeping plugged in on the days I need it to wake up). I never have to worry about finding an open outlet! I also turn off lights as I go from room to room. Luckily, my water heater and stove/oven are gas.
6. I don't have any light fixtures in my apartment. All I have are bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling. When you rent here, one of two things happen. #1 the place is completely furnished (cookware and all) or #2 it is unfurnished. You are allowed to paint and pretty much do whatever you want to the place. You can add ceiling fans, fixtures, etc. and when you move out, you are allowed to take all that you added with you.
7. I go to the store next door once a week and carry a 19 liter garrafon (water jug) home with me so I have water for drinking and cooking. I have city water for washing up, but I wouldn't drink it. I've had amoebic dysentery twice. Believe me, you don't want to drink the water. I also soak my fruits and veggies in an iodine solution. If you want to rinse noodles, you use the bottled water. I wash my dishes with the city water, but I make sure it is hot and use a pretty strong anti-bacterial dish soap.
8. I have a washboard sink and clothesline. This is my laundry room. I wash my clothes by hand and hang them, outside, to dry. Luckily, only the business downstairs and my upstairs neighbor ever see my laundry, as that balcony is in an inner courtyard.
9. It is not unusual for there to be a mariachi band playing until 3 or 4 AM on any given night of the week. Also not unusual, are fireworks being shot off any time of the day or night. It's a very celebratory culture.
10. On Christmas Eve, you will find families and neighbors all out on the streets with bonfires in the middle of the street and everyone eating and drinking together. This also happens (but not as much) on New Years Eve.
11. I am almost always, with very very rare exceptions, the only white person on the bus. I'm also one of the youngest expats in this area, and one of very few who have a legit work permit attached to their visa. It also is not unusual to be seated on the bus and have a mom and three kids pile into the one seat next to you. I've also been handed babies before. This is all okay with me. People help each other here.
12. About once a week I meet someone at the bus stop that tells me exactly where they work and live, just in case I ever need anything. Most of the time, these people fail to tell me their names.
13. Every time I have gone out to a bar, I have never bought myself more than one drink. Sometimes, I won't really want another drink, and I'll ask for the bill, but will be brought a drink compliments of some patron instead. I haven't found a polite way to decline a drink, yet.
14. Only imported crap has High Fructose Corn Syrup in it. This makes me very happy.
15. The good and healthy foods like veggies, fruits, grains, etc. are very inexpensive. This includes the organic items. Junk food is how it should be, expensive.
16. I have the home number and cell number of my doctor. When I am sick, I will call her and she will prescribe stuff to me over the phone, because she actually knows me, my medical history, etc. I don't really need a prescription for almost all meds (except controlled class drugs and antibiotics). She also will make me call her at night after having seen me and prescribed something to me to let her know how I am doing. I can always get in with her the same day and rarely wait very long, even when she works me in. She knows more about medicine than most US doctors I have encountered. In fact, she's really good at telling me ways to prevent things without having to take pills. Also, doctors here are very fond of the ol' shot in the ass. Why take a medicine for two weeks when one shot in the ass will do?
17. I have a neighbor that shares his wifi with me. He accepts food as payment.
18. It is normal to see a cow moseying down the highway, or a horse walking through the village.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Jesus
I was at a birthday party last night, at a bar down the street, for my new neighbor, Raquel. There was a mariachi band and when they were done, there was a jukebox. I danced a lot and met a lot of really nice people. The bartender looks a bit like John Travolta. A very charming drunken boy named Jesus kept buying me drinks and tried to convince me to call him. Sigh. I had some very delicious cake. Mexicans really know how to bake a cake, and make pastries.
After, we went to the casino, where I won $300 pesos (about $24USD). Might not seem like a lot, but that can buy me a ton of food!
I'm starting to finally meet people and go out and do things. It's nice. I found an apartment a few weeks ago in Chapala, where I am now living. It's 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry area and a balcony! 1 block from the lake. My neighbors are really nice.
Work is still a clusterf*ck, but I am working on fixing things in that department. Slowly, but surely.
After, we went to the casino, where I won $300 pesos (about $24USD). Might not seem like a lot, but that can buy me a ton of food!
I'm starting to finally meet people and go out and do things. It's nice. I found an apartment a few weeks ago in Chapala, where I am now living. It's 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry area and a balcony! 1 block from the lake. My neighbors are really nice.
Work is still a clusterf*ck, but I am working on fixing things in that department. Slowly, but surely.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
forgetting
I keep forgetting about this blog. Well, not so much forgetting, as I know it is there, but forgetting to write anything in it. So much has happened since I moved to Mexico. I don't regret my decision, not even a little bit.
I need to try and remember the little funny things that have happened. On the way here, and once here. I keep putting it off. Do I put it here, or on my mac.com website? (okay, it's now called me.com, but I think that sounds absolutely idiotic, so I still call it mac.com.)
For now, I will start with the current, and hopefully go back and tell the tales of the move.
Yesterday was a very long day at work. I was busy, which was a good thing, but having had a bout with anaphylactic shock the week before, my body is just still not up to par. I get worn out easily. I'm told this will lessen soon. The medicine I was allergic to, Metronidazol & Diyodohidroxiquienoleina, used to fight off amoebic dysentery, is a really harsh drug to begin with. It is hard on your body, and you absolutely cannot drink even a drop of alcohol, as the ingredients work a lot like Antabuse does (the med for alcoholics) makes you very ill. So, I was about 4 days into a 2 week dose of this stuff, when I just wasn't feeling all that well. I was achy, and had a horrible headache, which I blew off as reaction to the typhoid vaccine I had also got at the same time. I had a little rash on my chest, but I had just washed my sheets, and used a new fabric softner. I have sensitive skin. A couple more days go by, and I'm not feeling any better. In fact, the rash has gotten worse, as well as the aches and pains. I finally call my doctor, at home, and she told me to get some Supradol for the pain and come into her office in the morning. I woke up the next morning, and it took me 10 minutes to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Every part of me hurt. I couldn't grab hold of anything, I couldn't lift my arms, my ankles were in pain. Luckily, I am still living with my parents while saving up for a place. I had to have my mom help me get dressed. All the while, I was in tears. It was worse than when I had viral spinal meningitis.
By the time I got to the doctor, and she looked at me (which was immediately), my throat was almost all the way closed off, and I was really out of it. I got a couple of shots in the ass, and after a couple of hours, started feeling a little bit better. I've been getting better every day since.
So, yesterday being my first busy day since back to work, was a bit tiring. I was in bed and asleep by midnight. On a Saturday night! I slept for 10.5 hours, with only a small wake-up at 6am when the fireworks for the fiesta patronales were going off.
It's beautiful outside today. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping. It's 24°C (75.2°F) currently. Going to get to 27°C (80.6°F)today. We seem to get warmer than the weather forecast, so I'm sure it will be more like 29° or 30°C (84.2°F or 86°F).
I am going to go look at a place to live in Chapala. Two bedrooms, 1 bathroom. 2500 pesos ($200 USD). Hopefully it works out. Right on the bus line, next door to someone I have already met. The guy who owns the building, owns a restaurant here in Ajijic.
Later tonight, I am going to the plaza for the fiesta! Really looking forward to that. Hopefully some of my new friends are going.
For now, I will try and remember to write here, and to fill you in on the past couple of months.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
hungry
you don't know hungry until you have been there. Unfortunately, I've been there a few times. So hungry you can't sleep because your stomach is growling and you feel like puking because it has been too long since you have eaten.
That has been my summer. All my money has gone to make sure my kids have eaten, and even then they didn't eat nearly as well as I wanted them to. The last few weeks have been ramen, ramen and more ramen. I was able to get a couple of 99 cent Tony's pizza's at least once, but that really wasn't any better. I gave up eating anything healthy for them. It's what we do as parents. Sure I lost 15 lbs this summer, but it wasn't necessarily a good thing. I know I'm super unhealthy at the moment. People are more willing to feed me booze than food. It's calories, so I will take what I can get. Otherwise, I have nothing.
And they wonder why I am moving away.
I'm tired of the constant struggle. I've been struggling most of my adult life. Okay, all of it. I'm done, I'm over, I'm tired.
I need to go and find me. I need to go to a small village in a different country and take up a completely different life to do so. It's what I need and what I am about to do. Only 6 weeks and I am gone. For good.
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