Down the Drain

Posted on August 11, 2015
by Lori

I finished writing an article today and was feeling pretty accomplished so we headed to Geek & Coffee with most of the Taggart family. I had Annie, and Aliya and I were leading the pack about a block from our house. Norah and Andrew were each carrying beach balls, because I figured those were safe for them to kick around in the yard at Geek & Coffee. The sidewalks are narrow here, so we were walking more or less single file.

Suddenly, I heard Don yell, “ANDREW!” which is not an uncommon occurrence but I still turned around to make sure he wasn’t doing something that would get us kicked out of town. I saw him running after a beach ball, in the street, with cars approaching. Then he was in the middle of the big storm drain grate yelling, “MY FOOT IS STUCK!” as the ball carried on down the street. While trying to extract himself from the grate before getting run over, I saw his iPhone fly out of the pocket of his sweatshirt and into the storm drain.

We attract our share of attention under normal circumstances…5 kids, a dog, beach balls, Don, and me, but now we had a kid stuck in the middle of the road, and Don holding his head and yelling, “OH MY GOD! THIS IS TERRIBLE!!” multiple times. Andrew freed himself but by then the neighbors were starting to peek out of their doors to see what was so terrible.

The kids attempted to open the giant grate and Adlani had the brilliant idea of opening the smaller grate and crawling through the pipe that led to the area under the large grate, but the grates wouldn’t budge. We thought about going home to get a broom and a roll of duct tape, but before we had a chance, a workman came off of a nearby roof where he must have been watching the whole scene unfold.

He had a piece of wire about the thickness of a light-weight wire hanger, and he bent it into a long handle with a rectangular section at 90 degrees, and fished the phone out of the storm drain within minutes, while cars drove past him lying on the road. 200 pesos later (he tried to refuse but Don insisted), we were on our way again.

Andrew’s take-away was that if this had happened in the ‘Ham, nobody would have rushed to help. Is that true? I’m not sure, but I do know there’s a lot more foot traffic here and more people with time to stop and lend a hand.

~~~

As an aside, I think the kids have become a little too comfortable with Don over the last couple of weeks, but occasionally Don wins…

Nueva Puerta

Posted on August 10, 2015
by Lori

Last night, our property manager sent me an email to say that “the blacksmiths” would be here today to install our new security gates. They showed up right on time and after about an hour of welding, grinding, a big electrical flash complete with the sound of a power surge, the smell of hot metal, and a lot of general clanging, they started cleaning up their tools and asked for a broom. That was easy!

When they closed the interior doors and the new security gates, I could tell from their body language that there was a problem. The new doors were the wrong “hand” meaning that the swing was incorrect. The locks were on the opposite door leaves, so the lock on the gate was on the right, and the lock on the interior door was on the left. Because one of each set of doors is “inactive” meaning that it is fixed at the top and bottom with surface bolts, the lock needs to be on the same leaf of each pair so we can use the doors on that side without opening the other leaf every time. I’m pretty sure I heard the Spanish word for F*CK a few times. I did NOT try to explain to them that I have some experience with doors – they were on their own.

One of the blacksmiths had already figured out that Norah was my Spanish interpreter, so he told her that he had to go get something and would be back. He took both of the new gates and came back several hours later after somehow switching them around so the hardware was on the correct side. The gates require a key to enter or exit, so I reinforced my instructions with the kids that in the unlikely event of a fire, we will be heading up to the roof deck and escaping to our neighbor’s roof.

I’m not sure whether I feel more secure, or more worried that I have one more key to keep track of! There are now 7 house keys on each ring!

Fin de Semana – Fabuloso!

Posted on August 9, 2015
by Lori

I don’t know why it’s different being here on a weekend (fin de semana) vs. being in the ‘Ham. Maybe it’s the leftover work that I used to feel obliged to tackle, the household projects waiting to be checked off the mile-long list, or the multiple scheduled events on the calendar. Here, we have no scheduled events, no household projects, and although I do have to get my work done, I’m trying to finish the mandatory stuff during the work-week and spend the weekend recharging.

Yesterday we went shopping with the Taggarts at the Organic Market and another arts and crafts market that had sprung up (where I showed amazing restraint and bought only edible items), and then we all came back to our house and ate the quiche and fresh bread that we had just bought, and some chips and guacamole I whipped up. It was SO NICE to just wander around town, on foot, and then sit around and eat until the wine ran out.

A thunderstorm began during my afternoon nap so the kids and I hung out waiting for it to stop so we could take Annie for her evening walk. It hadn’t stopped by 8:30 but the lightning seemed to have passed by, so I made the kids some quesadillas and took Annie out in the rain by myself. I can hear some of you questioning my judgement…walking in Mexico at night by myself (rain aside) but a) I didn’t have a choice because the dog had to pee, and b) I didn’t feel unsafe at any time. I’m not stupid, but I’m not going to live in fear, here or anywhere.

Adlani and Aliya have been having some tummy troubles so yesterday we asked the pharmacist whether they had any fiber gummies and instead she sold us a medicine called Treda. The information online ranges from “Treda is a miracle cure,” to “It’s better to avoid medication altogether and let it flow,” to “Treda can make you deaf.” They’ve each had 2 doses and are feeling much better, and they still seem to be able to hear me except when I tell them to pick up their crap.

Today we all slept late and then got ready for a date with some of the kids from our new school. Adlani was being lazy so he stayed home (all of the kids were girls), and I headed out with Aliya and Norah. About 3 houses down from ours I saw an old man passed out in a car, with the car door open and a dozen roses on his lap. It was a very surreal scene – like from a movie. A female police officer was walking by, so I asked her to check on him and we waited while she tried to rouse him – honestly, I was afraid he was dead. He finally moved – I don’t know if he was drunk, sick, or just got super-sleepy at the exact moment he tried to get out of the car, but from the look of the roses he had been sitting there a while. We gave him a glass of water and left him in the care of la policia.

The owner of our school had given me the email address of one of the moms from school – CC, and we made arrangements to meet at an amazingly wonderful café near our house, called Geek & Coffee. It’s a mix of an internet café and coffee place, with a bit more substantial food than a coffee place would typically have. The “geek” in the name is because there is usually a technology expert on hand to help with any issues you may be having with your laptop, tablet, or smart phone. There is a huge grassy courtyard with wifi throughout. We would have never in a million years found it because it’s off the beaten path behind the parking lot of Fabrica la Aurora, a beautiful art and design center that is a bit out of our budget at the moment.

We sat there chatting for about 3 hours, and it was fantastic! There were lots of dogs running around and we had Annie with us – there is also a resident cat. CC has 2 daughters around Aliya’s age, and one of their friends also joined us, plus a family from Missouri that sold everything and just began a trip that will end when the money runs out or when they find a place they want to stay for a while. They left 12 Rubbermaid bins and a rocking chair in storage, and they each have one bag with them. I’m so excited for them – what an adventure! Aliya and Norah hung out with the girls at CC’s – it’s just a little over ½ mile from our house to theirs. Annie and I walked home to check on Adlani, but not before Annie puked on CC’s floor. CC didn’t even flinch – my kind of friend. 😀

Come on in! The water’s fine!

Posted on August 7, 2015
by Lori

One of the most common pieces of advice we’ve had when people hear about our move is, “Don’t drink the water!” Considering all of the other issues that go along with an international move, the water is probably a minor one, but the effects of drinking bad water can be debilitating – at least temporarily.

When Ben and I went to Zanzibar during our 5-week camping trip from Nairobi to Johannesburg, I made the mistake of ordering a frozen drink. I didn’t think about the ice, and that decision resulted in 2 days spent in the bathroom, wondering how long I should sit there holding the trash can before I needed to go to the hospital. Our 3 nights in Zanzibar were the only nights of the trip (besides the first and last) that we were not in a tent, so I guess if it was going to happen, that was the best time.

In Morocco we never drink the tap water, but there’s something about the food or the spices they use that always gives us some “digestional irregularities.” Our pediatrician told me a long time ago to pack fiber gummies and that would help to free up the bathroom. We’ve never gotten really sick there, but my brother and sister-in-law did and it was not pretty.

The house we rented last time we were here in Mexico has a water filtration system, but I had no intention of drinking the water from the tap. We were only here for a month, so we could make do with bottled water. I don’t know what caused that plan to go out the window but we threw caution to the wind and drank the tap water from Day 1 with no problems.

Our current house also has a water filtration system, but when we arrived there was an empty giant water bottle with a spigot (like the office water cooler without the cooler). Adela told me that for 25 pesos ($1.50), Fernando could get us a new bottle. The tap water is probably fine, but for that price, it seemed like a good investment. Plus they re-fill the bottles so we’re not contributing to the plastic water bottle problem. And…we can buy new bottles from Miguel at la papeleria (yes – water from the paper store) so it’s close by and gives us another excuse to chat with our neighbors.

We do use the tap water for everything else, including washing the dishes and brushing our teeth. Fruits and vegetables have to be soaked for 10 minutes in an antibacterial solution (there’s a lot of information about that here). I don’t know how I would have figured that out if it hadn’t been in the printed instructions that came with our first house here. It wasn’t mentioned by our current landlord or property manager, and there wasn’t a bottle of the stuff under the sink or a plastic tub dedicated to that purpose like we had last time. I guess everyone just knows that it’s a requirement.

The other water issue in some of the houses here is low water pressure. I’m very happy to say that our house has great water pressure and the shower in the master bath is fabulous. The washer and dryer work great too, and so far the laundry pile hasn’t gotten out of control. One thing to get used to has been washing dishes by hand (no dishwasher) but the kids are on a rotating schedule – 1 clears the table and puts away any leftovers, 1 washes, and 1 dries, while I have a glass of wine and supervise.

I can’t believe we’ve been here for a week already! And Ben caught the cat!

Neighborhood Watch

Posted on August 6, 2015
by Lori

I’m at home alone with the housekeeper, Adela, right now, who talks to me in Spanish muy rapido even though she knows mi español es no bueno. Oh well, I guess it’s the best way to learn. I think I told her that a) the kids went to the hot springs with my friends, b) she only needs to change the sheets on my bed because the kids are still insisting on sleeping with me (yes, it’s crowded), and c) no, she won’t bother me if she cleans while I’m working. I have a magazine article to write while I have this extra quiet time, but I’m used to tuning out the noise, including people talking directly to me.

Yesterday, Norah and I went to the papeleria (paper store) on our street to have a couple of copies made and buy some envelopes (they’re sold individually). We met the owners – Miguel and Vero, and spent a few minutes chatting with Miguel, who noticed Norah’s Spanish and told her that he expects her to only speak Spanish to him. One of my hopes in coming to San Miguel was that the kids’ brains will switch to Spanish more quickly. They are used to speaking Spanish at school but on the street it takes them a few seconds to get into Spanish mode. Most of the people we’ve met here are trying to help me with this by forcing the kids to only speak to them in Spanish.

I told Miguel that we live on his street – we’re just a few houses up on the opposite side. I had already warned the kids not to blab our address to every Tom, Dick, and Pedro, so when Miguel asked which house I hesitated and he immediately said, “¿La casa amarilla?” (the yellow house). I said yes, and he said that he watches the neighborhood…everyone watches the neighborhood – not in a creepy way, in a “we’re watching out for each other” way. I asked him why there are always policia on our street and he said that it was because of the cars parked here. That makes a lot of sense, because cars aren’t allowed to park on the main street that is one street over, so a lot of people park here. We don’t have a car in San Miguel, but I still appreciate the extra vigilance while they’re watching for stereo snatchers.

Speaking of security, our property manager, Norma, came by yesterday to collect the rent and make sure we were doing ok. She didn’t volunteer to take the scorpion out of the washer, so Norah and I removed it with my new kitchen tongs and saved it for the kids to examine. Maybe we’ll keep it as a souvenir. Norma told me that she is going to have a security gate installed on the outside of our door, not because she is particularly worried about our security but because she has had them installed on all of the houses she manages. I think that will be nice, although it doesn’t comply with my egress standards. I already told the kids that in the unlikely event of a fire (everything here is masonry so once the plants and upholstery flame out there’s not a lot to burn), we’re heading for the roof, where we can escape to other rooftops.

Norah and I went to La Biblioteca Publica yesterday to get a library card, which cost 200 pesos ($12.50) for the year. There was so much going on while we were there…kids playing chess, teenagers taking an English class, ladies doing embroidery. It’s a real hot spot and we hope to get involved in some of the activities there. Norah found Harry Potter en español but decided to read Esperanza Rising in English first.

Our other big accomplishment of the day was to meet with the facilitator who will help us finish the process of getting our temporary resident visas. She and her husband drove us to get our pictures taken, and gave us lots of advice about San Miguel on the way. She will handle everything with Immigration and all we have to do is go in a few weeks to get fingerprinted. Her fee is about $300 but I think it will be well worth it. She and her husband are both very nice, professional, and knowledgeable about the immigration process and everything else about SMA.

Now back to work!