The Laundromat

Once a week I make the 6-block trek to my local laundromat carrying my dirty clothes in a clear plastic bag.  I’ve got a system for how I put my dirty clothes in there to keep my undergarments discreetly tucked away, as I’ve run into people I know on that walk more than once.  I also don’t want to be that weird lady from the US who walks around town with her underwear on display.  On my way to pick up my clothes this week I saw a truck parked outside of my office with a goat and 3 (human) kids rolling with laughter, followed by a dog wearing a human shirt walking down the street. Later that night I saw a woman pouring ketchup on her Hawaiian pizza, so – as you can see – laundry day is often full of excitement.  

 Outdoor clothes washing area. 

Typical indoor clothes washing area. 

My outdoor clothes washing area. The right sink has no drain; the one on the left is "ribbed" for washing. Those plastic bottles contain cleaning products.

I feel a special connection with the woman who runs the laundromat because I once spent 30 minutes with her during a torrential storm when her breakers blew, water started seeping into the building, and we huddled together in the dark.  We always engage in friendly banter about the weather, her work, how I like our town, etc.  I try to arrive at the laundromat as soon as they open to make sure my super soft sheets are laundered in time for bed.  I learned that time the hard way as I once arrived too early and had to sit on the sidewalk for 20 minutes, trying to look nonchalant as every passerby told me they opened at 9:00. 

My name is hard to pronounce and to spell, so the laundry woman always gives me the ticket to fill out myself, and then we have a conversation about what time I’ll be back for my clothes (~ 8 hours later).  Roughly half of the time when I arrive to pick up my clothes, they’re not yet bagged.  It’s not really a problem for me because – and, I know this may shock you – I’m not ever rushing off to do something else.  The first time my clothes weren’t ready, they were just coming out of the dryer.  Rather than sit there and watch two nice Mexican women fold my underwear, I asked if I could help.  They said sure, so now I always fold my clothes with them.  It’s a little gift when I get to help them with the folding as I miss doing my own laundry.  I love that smell and feel of warm clothes.  I love the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction from completing a chore and having everything neatly folded and put away.  And most importantly, I love sleeping on clean sheets. 

Sampling of views on the walk home from the laundromat. 

I usually just talk to the boss, but this week she was running around between big dryers, so as I folded my laundry with the other woman I said "Cómo estás?"  She didn’t appear to register that I said anything, so I folded in silence.  When the boss returned she told me that the other woman didn’t talk.  I said “Ok, then I won’t ask you any questions” real friendly like and everyone smiled.  I didn't want to be rude and ask more questions but I keep thinking about her: can she hear? can she physically not talk or does she choose not to? does she like working in the laundromat?  what’s her story?

I’m participating in an initiative to capture photos and stories of the people in Mexico, similar to the Humans of New York Facebook page.  I’ve been interviewing people I work with and I think I need to interview the head laundry lady as well.  It’s fascinating to learn about other people’s lives and it’s really surprising to hear what they share.  I'm not saying you should fake interview people, but should you find yourself next to a friendly stranger, don't be afraid to talk to them.  However, I would be leery around cows with horns.  Everyone told me the 2 cows below were friendly but that is not the vibe I got as they were racing towards and cow-yelling at me when the gate was open.  I didn't even say anything about the one cow's obvious toupee, but it clearly did not like me.  Whatever cow.  If I could interview you, I totally would, because you clearly have things to get off your chest. 

 No interviews needed here - I knew exactly what this cow was thinking as it raced for the gate when we opened it to walk through. 

These cows, however, had a true air of mystery.   

Guilty Pleasures

Although I talk a lot about my trials with cockroaches and spiders, I have to admit that I have it SO much easier than volunteers in other countries (and other volunteers in more remote locations here in Mexico).  True, a mouse ran right past my feet this week (inside my house), but my fellow volunteer Narcissa doesn't have a flushing toilet and has to heat water for bucket baths in her Mexican village. Thus, in the spirit of full disclosure, I thought I would tell you about some of the best parts of being a volunteer in what others have dubbed "Posh Corps" Mexico (i.e. those things I am extra thankful for here).  

Most importantly, I have access to clean water that only requires the effort of stopping a truck to buy it, and I have access to a variety of delicious foods.  My options are a little limited in my small town but I can still find salads, hamburgers, pizza (served with ketchup packets for some odd reason), mozzarella sticks and delicious tacos.  If I travel to a big city, I can find US-style sandwiches, Indian food, cappuccinos, etc., so I’m not limited to only beans and rice for 2 years (for which I am very grateful).  

Corn dog from a street vendor in Guanajuato? Don't mind if I do!

Subway sandwich in Puerto Vallarta? Why, thank you kindly. 

Perhaps the poshest part of my life is the fact that I have access to internet, and – in an ultra-posh move – Netflix Mexico.  While I don’t have a TV, I’ve still managed to waste tons of time in front of a screen with the excuse that the comfort of watching cheesy sitcoms helps keep me from getting homesick.  Since August, I have wasted oodles of time by watching the following (and yes, I would agree that it might be best if I cancelled my Netflix membership): 

• All current episodes of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” – season 1 was da bomb!
• All current episodes of “Stranger Things” – the first time I tried to watch this, I couldn’t get past the opening credits as I was convinced there was a creature in the house with me. I tried again later and found that as long as I watched it in the middle of the day, I was good to go.
• All current episodes of “House of Cards” – before I watched the show, I though Kevin Spacey’s accent was super awful but now I’ve embraced it.
• 4 seasons of “2 ½ Men” – I’m going waaaaaaay back for this one.
• 3 seasons of “Friends” – nothing takes you home like the trials and tribulations of Ross and Rachel.
• 4 seasons of “Modern Family” – everybody’s favorite is my favorite too.
• All episodes of “Hot in Cleveland” – for when you want something really cheesy, wholesome and bedazzled (and totally suitable for grandma).
• 3 seasons of “Orange is the New Black” – ummm, not suitable for grandma’s viewing.
• All episodes of “Arrested Development” – Buster is the best.

 See, sometimes I do leave my house and explore my community, including local churches. 

  This lovely stained glass window created the colorful wall art you can see here. 

A sampling of statues in a local church. 

Don’t get me wrong, I partake in brain-stimulating activities that sometimes include other people too, but I’ve definitely indulged in some holdovers from my US life.  Netflix Mexico is not my only guilty pleasure here, although it is perhaps the fanciest.  Other pleasures I at times partake in include the following:

• Cheddar cheese – a friend came to visit from Puerto Vallarta a few weeks ago and she brought me cheddar cheese – which you can't buy in my town – for FREE!  Words can’t express my gratitude and joy for free cheese.
• A thin crust Hawaiian pizza with black olives – there’s a great little restaurant near my house that sells a 3-ingredient, 8-slice pizza for $89 pesos, so twice a month I splurge for a weekend pizza and a warm blissful feeling in my heart.
• Chocolate-covered almonds – these are available in Pepe’s market and even though they are kind of expensive (40 pesos for a bag the size of your palm), I buy them 1-2 times each month because they are delicious and it’s my only source of chocolate.

• Art – I am slowly accumulating artistic items to make my house feel more like home and ensure I have some great items to bring back at the end of service.  Cindy also helped me make some big pieces of art for my house using fabric purchased in Querétaro, simple wood frames made by the local carpenter, and her staple gun.  Art is life people.

 This is my fav - I love this style of art. 

 Once I found a giant, dead moth in the pot. 

Painting by my landlord's wife. 

I think these lovely plant pots qualify as art. 

 Two of four custom-made pieces of fabric art, by yours truly.
Cindy brought me back frames from the US to house my favorite cards from Guanajuato.

I finally found some Otomi designs during a recent trip to Querétaro.  Some day I'll go to Oaxaca and Chiapas for the really good stuff.

• A real bath mat – some friends picked out a lovely, plush bathmat for me at Costco and it’s really nice.  I really thought this was a “must have” when I first arrived, but now I see I could live without it (but why would I want to?).
• Costco in general – The first time I went we had to run through the store because we were using a borrowed card from someone who was on their way to an appointment, but it was glorious. Glorious I tell you!  I bought two different kinds of cheese (one with sheep’s milk!), the softest sheets, the softest towel, the biggest jar of peanut butter, a big box of sugar-free crackers, and A LOT of toilet paper.  Before I arrived, I haughtily thought “Costco has no role in Peace Corps life,” but now I understand.  I’m sorry I ever doubted you Costco – I do need you.
• The time to learn all the lyrics to great songs – thanks to my internet connection, I’ve been able to take more time to actually learn the words to some of my favorite songs.  And I’ve had the time to play them over and over again which I’m guessing my neighbors love.  I know my sisters have enjoyed hearing me sing these on the phone.  These are some of the best that I’ve spent my time on and that I recommend you spend time with too.
• Someone New – Hozier
• Heartbeats – José González
• All I Believe In - Amadou & Miriam and the Magic Numbers
• Tricky – Run DMC (these lyrics ain’t tricky to learn!)

There are other perks to serving in Mexico, such as the really nice air-conditioned buses you can take cross-country (sometimes), finding people who at least speak a little English, the fact that the Spanish language has a lot of words that are similar in English, access to stores that sell things like toaster ovens (you might have to take the bus for 3+ hours to reach such a store but it’s totally doable), and the fact that - should you ever find yourself in a serious bind - a) there’s Amazon Mexico and b) regular Amazon will deliver many things to Mexico.  

 You can't order this longhorn on Amazon but you can see it in Mexico.

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 You can also find art in unexpected places, like this leaf art stamped into the concrete.

So, if you’ve been thinking about joining Peace Corps but aren’t sure you can handle a pit latrine, living without electricity, a bland diet, carrying water for long distances, no access to public transportation, etc., consider Mexico.  You’ll learn Spanish (the second most commonly spoken language in the world), eat delicious food, experience some of the most mega-diverse areas in the world, do important work and have a lot of fun!  And you can finally learn the words to some Run DMC songs, or whatever tunes float your boat. 

Diversity & Inclusion

I recently traveled back to Peace Corps Mexico headquarters to participate in two important events: trainings for the Diversity and Inclusion Network, and a national Volunteer Advisory Council meeting.  I decided to take a sabbatical from my career and join the Peace Corps because of a seed that was planted during Equity and Social Justice trainings I attended at King County.  I jumped at the chance to keep working on those issues with the Diversity and Inclusion Network (DIN) here in Mexico, as DIN’s goal is to “create and maintain an environment that celebrates diversity and promotes self-awareness, social inclusion, and integration among Trainees and Volunteers, and to integrate these values of diversity and inclusion into the work we do at site.”  Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

 Church in San Miguel de Allende. 

Diversity - it's good for ecosystems and for society. 

Papel picado on display. 

I’m not going to lie to you, trainings on how to support your peers and be a good ally are energy-intensive and require you to really open up.  On November 8th, election day in the US, we did an exercise where we wrote 6 words that we or others have used to describe us.  We each shared one “bad” word and its story, and then we reframed it in a positive light.  For example, if your word was “pushy” you might reframe that as “strong.”  You would not believe the words and stories that people shared.  You would not believe how personal and powerful they were, how much it bonded us, or how strong and supportive my fellow volunteers are.  You probably can believe there was some crying involved...  

Last week’s training was a reminder that we know so little about the people around us, and what they’ve been through or where they're coming from.  A reminder of the value of diversity in all it's forms and the importance of supporting and standing up for the rights of people being oppressed or discriminated against.  A reminder to be open-hearted and loving towards people, because everyone deserves kindness and respect.

 We ran in to many kind people in the mercado. 

This is an iconic image found all over Mexico. 

This is the most beautiful of churches. 

On the way home, my friend Kyle and I decided to celebrate our amazing fortune to be in Mexico right now by checking out San Miguel de Allende.  If you’ve been thinking you want to visit Mexico and you want to see beautiful architecture, have lots of opportunities for shopping and good food, and you want to be super comfortable/surrounded by plenty of other Americans and Canadians (but not on the beach), then this is the place for you!  The Mercado San Juan de Dios and the Mercado de Artesanias are amazeballs, you can buy a hot white chocolate drink that is heaven on earth when paired with a chocolate-filled churro (and yes, that was our dinner), there’s one beautiful plaza and church after another, and you won’t feel too much like you’re in another country when you pass the rows of retiree mansions above el centro. 

One of the mansions we passed on the hike to the botanical gardens. 

 A perfectly rustic door attached to a huge mansion. 

The most elegant of door knockers. 

Artwork in the window of a local store.  

However, the real gem of San Miguel de Allende is the botanical gardens, El Charco del Ingenio, just up the hill from town.  Sure, you could pay an uber or a taxi to take you there, or you can be tough like me and Kyle and trek up the hill on foot (which then earns you hot chocolate and churros for dinner).  It was a cloudy day, so we didn’t see many people out, but we had a grand time investigating different cacti and other Mexican plants, many of which are rare, threatened or in danger of extinction.  We spent about 4 hours at the park and reserve, hiking into the canyon and then out to the mirador with the most amazing view of the city below. 

View from the end of the garden trail. 

Hiking in the botanical gardens. 

So many cool plants. 

Wall of cacti.

My favorite pink church in the distance. 

We spent a lot of time talking during that trip, carrying on the conversations from our DIN training.  We talked about how the strength of biodiversity in the nature preserve we were exploring was akin to the strength of diversity in our human population (and wouldn’t it be nice if we could find a way for everyone to see that connection).  It occurred to us that a fourth goal of Peace Corps is getting to know your fellow Americans better – and in a different context.  Here in Mexico my best friends from America are all in their early-20s, or they’re retired, and they come from all walks of life.  That’s a wee bit different than my friends back home (not that you people aren’t still young and sprightly). 

Kyle is about the age of my youngest sister and I have to say that getting to know him has really helped me see my sister in a different light and to value her thoughts and words in a different, more positive way (side note: Zoe, I'm really proud of you 💚).  Likewise, Kyle probably would not be spending his weekend with me if we were in the states and I was his 30-something coworker (I can admit that my coolness has limits).  But because my fellow volunteers and I are all doing this thing at the same time together, we’re all peers in a new way.  Turns out that if you surround yourself with people different than you, you are going to be stressed and uncomfortable, but you can also start to see all those things you have in common and to see yourself in them.  This is what I came for: growth and a new perspective.  It was during an equity training in 2015 that I heard the following, which prompted me to join Peace Corps: "If you surround yourself with people who think and look like you, it's a lot harder to understand the perspective of those who are different."  

Kyle in the wild.

It's been a rough month as I struggle with what lies ahead for my LGBTQ friends, for my non-white friends, for my career in the environmental field, for the families of many people I've met here, for my rights as a woman... but I know I'm lucky to be in Mexico right now and that I am blessed to have this opportunity to be a voice for my country and to meet so many extraordinary people.  And, perhaps most importantly, I finally got a nickname everyone can pronounce: just call me Auti (or for my nieces, Aunti Auti).