Sweeping Up Dirt

Winter has arrived here in western Mexico.  That means we are typically hovering around 80 degrees in the day and getting down to a bitter 55 at night.  We've had a couple of days that were officially cold with temps only reaching 70, lots of clouds, and some rain.  Even I was obliged to put on a long-sleeve shirt and cardigan to stay warm and use three blankets on my bed as there's no such thing as indoor heating in these parts.

The brief rain was a welcome reprieve from our return to the dry season.  It's that time of year when you have to sweep two times a day to keep the dirt off your floors and everyone is suffering from dust-born allergies.  I’ve been walking all over town for my back rehab, and I frequently see people sweeping up dirt on the street in front of their house and placing it into a dustpan.  As you can see below, our streets are made of dirt and rocks.  I assume that people are sweeping up the dirt to keep it from entering their homes, but to an outsider, it looks like they’re fighting a losing battle. 

 Dirt road outside of town. 

This is what all the streets look like in town.  You can never sweep up all that dirt.

Every morning a large truck drives all over town spraying water on the roads to keep the dust down, which helps for about 20 minutes before our super-strength sun dries it out.  I’ve never been more aware of the placement of the sun and the hours when you can and cannot find shade on the street.  I’m like a heat (shade)-seeking missile that is constantly looking for shade and has learned the best hour to walk home for lunch to achieve maximum shade coverage.  When I first arrived in Mexico, I assumed I would be this lovely, constantly bronzed beauty after a few months thanks to my year-long exposure to sun.  During my first week here, I realized that the sun was way stronger than anything I had ever encountered in the US and that the shade was my new best friend, so I'm still pretty pale.

There's some of that beloved shade in front of our city hall. 

Now this is a house I could live in! 

Scenes from walking around town. 

Perhaps a future hotel in the making? And a rare cloud sighting!  

 Shadow art on a multi-textured house.  

Town views as the sun begins to set. 

You know what is not my best friend?  Church fireworks, which sound like a loud cannon and produce zero colors in the sky.  The first time you hear them, you have a desire to drop to the floor and seek shelter because your body thinks you must be under attack.  It’s hard to explain how loud and shocking they are unless you’ve heard them first hand or experienced combat in the time of cannon balls.  My brother was on the phone with me the other night when they went off and he did say the lord's name, but it was in concern for my safety.  Nothing to worry about – just a religious celebration taking place that rattles the windows!  The other morning the cannons went off a couple of times at 5:30 AM before we got a full 30-minute serenade at 7:15 AM.  There’s nothing like waking up to a noise so loud it shakes your bed before the sun has fully risen.

There's that church, on a cold, cloudy day. 

The next day we were back in business with hot, sunny weather!

I think it's fair to say I've started transitioning into old lady mode with my dislike for loud noises and late night parties.  My office had two holiday parties on two consecutive days and I could not bring myself to partake in the festivities until 1:00 AM (or later) with the rest of the group.  One day I made it till 6 PM and the next until a little before 10 PM.  I like to think I'm doing my part to help counteract the stereotype of a spring-breaker from the US, but really I've come to realize that I'm just an introvert (#1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 20, 22, 23) and I need time alone to reenergize.  

I am, however, still sufficiently young enough to enjoy a great animated movie and recommend that you see Coco!  I had the chance to view it with my dad during my recent visit to California, and it was a really sweet, educational movie about el Día de los Metros and Mexico.  If you haven't seen in yet, take a break during the holidays to check it out!