A Day in the Life - Part 2

Part 1 of this post was indeed a “typical day” in my life, but the following is also a true representation of what I encounter on a regular basis. Please enjoy this less sarcastic view into a “day in the life” of yours truly.

 I frequently find myself in a-typical locations...

 ....often with new friends!

I was cooking breakfast last weekend when the gas went out. This is a minor crisis because there are typically no trucks driving around town selling gas on Sunday. That means no cooking and no hot water. I was ill with a stomach bug all weekend and looking forward to real food, but maybe the universe was telling me to stick with my oral rehydration salts and crackers for one more day. In what can only be described as a small miracle, I heard a gas truck driving down the street mid-day Sunday. I lept off my couch and ran downstairs yelling “Gas! Por favor!” The truck stopped and backed up, and I profusely thanked the driver for working on a Sunday, because that was the only gas truck I heard all day. 

I recently went to a meeting a few hours away, and we had to leave at 6:30 AM. We made it to our 9:00 AM meeting only 20 minutes late, but the person who was leading the meeting didn’t make it until after 10:30 AM. They apparently got stuck behind a bus going ~18 mph on a 2-lane road and were severely delayed. No one was surprised or bothered by the late start time, which is one big cultural difference here. It's not a sign of disrespect when someone shows up late to a meeting – we're just operating on a different plane here with respect to time. While the majority of meetings I attend start about 30 minutes late, there are frequently times when we wait an hour or longer for the organizer to arrive. All you can do is be patient and not schedule more than one meeting a day.  

We didn’t have time to stop for breakfast on the way to this meeting, so I started my day with cookies and peanuts, the breakfast of champions. I said no to coke and orange soda and just had some Nescafe coffee for my morning beverage. If you are allergic to peanuts, you may have a hard time in Mexico as they are the “go to” snack for all meetings and parties.  

 View to the east from a gas station/site for adding oil to the car. 

 This picture really doesn't do this magnificent tree justice. 

View to the west from the gas station. You can tell it's the dry season.

The meeting itself was productive and interesting. There were around 20 environmental educators all gathered to give input on the development of a statewide plan for environmental education. As a relative newbie in Mexico, it was really great to hear about their different experiences and programs. We finally had lunch around 3 PM which included fresh shrimp that was delicious but almost cost my weekly grocery budget. Needless to say, the rest of the week I ate whatever was available in my house, supplemented with inexpensive veggies. 

I traveled to/from the meeting with 4 other people in an old car that was filled with laughter. As the oldest person in the car, I was graciously given the front seat, for which I was super appreciative when the game “corners” got going. We stopped twice on the way back to add 2 quarts of oil to the car, and we could hear the muffler scrape every time we passed over another speed bump, or tope in Spanish (pronounced toe-pay). These are EVERYWHERE in Mexico. There are a surprising number of articles online about topes, including one from Tripadvisor which said the following: 

Speed bumps/Topes:  Topes are legendary car-stoppers. They are NOT your average speed bump. If you see a yellow highway sign with a thick horizontal black line with circular bumps (some with the word "Topes" on them), slow WAY down when you see it. Some of them are made of Steel Spheres imbedded in the road. If you hit those going too fast, you may injure (your) car.

I’ve been in a vehicle more than once when the driver didn’t see the upcoming tope and girrrrl, you fly when you hit those! If you’re riding shotgun, it’s your duty to help spot topes and prevent injury to your car and your fellow passengers. I taught the people in our car how to say “speed bump” in English, which they thought was hilarious. Then we practiced saying all of their names in English – George, Alan, Erica and Veronica – and they practiced saying my name in English, which is never easy. I’ve been getting some really good spellings of my name lately, including Atom, Aatomm and Authum, and some people are finally agreeing to just call me Otoño (although honestly, I will answer to any pronunciation or spelling).

 Sunsets are a regular part of life here. 

  My regular landscape - mountains and volcanoes. 

 Sunset and overhead wires - part of my daily life.

During our drive back home, I had this strong sense of déjà vu – with Anthony Bourdain. I had a memory of traveling down a river together in search of peace and adventures (and I presume weird and/or delicious food), but then I remembered that I had just recently passed through this same spot on a bus while listening to a Fresh Air podcast with Mr. B. 

I made it home safe and sound, and ready for a shower after a long, hot day of traveling. I was just about to turn on the water when a small, semi-translucent lizard darted out from behind my shampoo bottle. I’m a big fan of lizards; however, I'm not a fan of encountering a lizard while naked, and I definitely cannot knowingly shower with a lizard. So, I got dressed and put on my blue rubber gloves (thanks Felicia!), grabbed an old plastic container for beans, and safely escorted señor lizard outside. I had a quesadilla for dinner and spent waaaaaaay too much time watching Youtube videos – like this one – before searching my bed for any additional lizards and listening to the many neighborhood dogs serenading each other throughout the night.      

So there you go - another typical day here in Mexico. ;)