A Day in the Life - Part 1

A lot of blog challenges encourage you to write about a day in your life as a volunteer.  There are certainly days with really funny or magical moments - like when I happen upon a band playing in the central square or a baby with a mustache attached to it's pacifier, but most days my life isn’t all that different from yours.  I wake up, I eat breakfast, I go to work, I eat lunch, I come home, I eat dinner, I watch a few shows on my computer, and then I go to sleep.  It’s not that riveting to read about.  So…..without further ado, please enjoy this awesome summary of “a day in the life” of yours truly!

Daily view in the office.  Those bottles are representative of bebidas in this region and some of the producers that we work with. 

Morning: I set my alarm every morning but it’s a rare day indeed when I don’t wake up before it goes off.  I can tell you without doubt that life is better when you don’t have to wake up to an alarm.  There was one week where I had to be at the office at 8 AM on three separate days, which definitely required an alarm.  That was a really rough week.  In the US, I used to say that I only wanted to wake up before 6 AM if I was traveling somewhere on vacation.  These days, I only want to wake up before 8 AM if a vacation awaits.  

I generally lay in bed for a good 5-15 minutes contemplating how I could cut down time getting ready in order to lay in bed longer, and if today is the day that I’m willing to make the 15-minute trek across town with my laundry.  Do I really need clean sheets or can I go another day?  I take a shower every morning, which never lasts more than a few minutes.  If I have to wash my hair, it’s a military style shower with no water during periods of sudsing.  If I don’t have to wash my hair, I can leave the water on for the full two minutes available before the hot water runs out.  Now I could go out to my patio and turn the hot water boiler on, but I’ve decided that I can survive with the small quantity of hot water provided each day from the pilot light.  This decision is driven by both my desire to save water and gas, and my unwillingness to put on pants that early in the morning.

No pants, no more than 2 minutes of hot water. 

The Work Day: I’m usually out of the house within 30 minutes of waking and then take a leisurely stroll to work.  There are three streets I can walk down to get to work so I mix it up during the week to add spice to my life.  Occasionally I run into the truck spraying water on the road and have to adjust my route on the fly to keep from getting wet.  Once I get to the office, I eat breakfast and make coffee and talk to my coworkers about insightful issues, like how I unconsciously say "like" all the time - in English - when talking to them in Spanish.  I work for about 8 hours every day, usually at a computer, in a meeting, or attending a community workshop.  We currently have a mouse problem in the office, so I also work on keeping my feet off of the floor and far away from the mice running about.  

I almost always bring my lunch to work, which is definitely not the norm here.  I would like to go out to lunch with my coworkers more often but I gotta save that money to see more of Mexico.   

Typical view on my walk to work. 

Typical view on days with community workshops

Unexpected view during a recent meeting. 

Evening: This is where the magic happens.  I walk back home, sometimes stopping at the grocery store or the laundromat, and then prep my breakfast and lunch for the next day while rocking out to some tunes.  I make dinner every night, which typically consists of only two options: quesadillas with veggies and beans, or cereal.  I fluctuate between Trix (not just for kids) and Honey Nut Cheerios with lactose-free milk.  I recently tried regular milk for the first time in a year - not a good idea.  I wasn't lactose-intolerant before I came to Mexico, but now, lactose-free is the only milk for me.  After dinner, I wash dishes, take my trash/recyclables down to the street, and chill.  Before I got to bed, I pull back all of my covers and move my pillows to make sure there's nothing else in bed with me and then cover myself in lotion to combat the super dry winter air. 

So there you have it: a glamorous glimpse into my daily life.  You are welcome. :)

Typical breakfast. 

Typical dinner.  How much more exciting can food photos get?   

*Please note that a sarcastic sense of humor does not translate well in my current culture, so I gotta get it out somewhere.