Crazy Mexico

May 18, 2008

I would like to start off this post by mentioning a few of the things I have encountered in the country that I really did not expect. First of all, it’s bloody hot. It gets up to the mid-thirties everyday. Thank God it get’s quite chilly at night so there is some respite. I really can’t wait for the rainy season to start. It’s so dry and dusty here and there are like a zillion mini forest fires all around town so the air is full of smoke and ash. You can barely see all the mountains around town because the air is so hazy. Secondly, there is an amazing excess of shoe stores in this city. I have counted nearly twenty just around the centre of town. It’s totally insane. The lack of rules of any sort is also quite insane in this country; especially when it comes to driving. There are speed bumps absolutely everywhere in Mexico and most of them are totally unmarked. Stop signs are more of a recommendation than anything and stop lights function more or less like stop signs (stop then proceed with caution). Also, if you own a pickup truck, filling the back of it with as many children as possible and then driving as fast as you can and hurtling over unforeseen speed bumps is considered a perfectly suitable mode of travel. I am happy to say that I participated in this Mexican tradition and lived to tell about it. Also, motorcycles in Mexico are made to transport anything. This includes up to four people (none of whom wear helmets), the days groceries hanging precariously off the back and I even saw a man with a child’s car seat strapped to the back and his infant child in a blanket tied around his chest ¡¡¡on a motorcycle!!! Totally insane. I often forget that I am living in a developing country here in Mexico and it is usually something to do with health care that brings me back to reality. It’s quite interesting to see how they treat the common cold here. First of all you are restricted to a diet of warm food and liquid and meals of meat and beans are served to balance out your humours or something like that. I had a cold for a while and my host mum wouldn’t let me put ice in my drinks for the longest time. Also, you will often see people walking around with surgical masks and gloves on (not entirely sure why). Nevertheless my doctor friends here inform me that neither of these strategies will actually make any difference whatsoever. Finally on my list is the brilliant discovery of the yogurt stand. There are little street vendors all over the place from whom one can buy a dish of fresh fruit covered in yogurt and any variety of toppings (i.e. granola, frosties etc). I totally need to bring this idea back to Canada. I go almost every night to my favourite stand. Also, they have natural flavoured ice cream here which is like plain yogurt in ice cream form! It is soooo delicious especially when covered in chocolate.

So anyway, what have I been up to lately? Well, On Friday at work we took a field trip to a school where they had a proper soccer field so the boys could spread their wings. (The truck ride back was my trip in the back of the truck Mexican style) I had a good chat with Marcos and found out that he has passed the fourth and final stage of rehab and will be leaving the centre in a couple weeks. I’m going to miss him so much. He’ll be living and working in Guadalajara where they have set him up with a job and a place to live. We’re going to exchange contact info so I can go visit him and see how he’s doing. Friday was Alex’s last night so we all went out for micheladas (beer and clam with lime, chile and salt… yummy!) and then on an hour long hunt for quesadillas at about 1am. I am happy to report we found the most awesome street vendor in the Bermuda Triangle (they jokingly say all the dogs that walk through it disappear). Saturday, Gemma, Mieke and I went to Colima (a small city next to a big volcano about an hour from Guzmán) We spent a lot of time getting lost on buses but did a little shopping and saw a cool museum. We also went out to the little village of Comala and ate lunch at this cool restaurant where they decided what you want to eat and bring out several dishes for you. It was really cool and quite tasty. There wasn’t much else going on so we went back to Colima for a bit more shopping and some Micheladas. By the time we got back to Guzmán I was so exhausted I could barely stand. So after going for a walk to get some yogurt (some things are more important than sleep) I finally went to bed.