I’ve posted TWICE now in my head and I can’t believe there isn’t an application available yet to move posts from my head to the blog without my intervention. Sheesh! Read the rest of this entry »
I have been chasing my tail a bit this year on the FM3 renewal. They’re asking for more involved paperwork than last year and today I finally tracked down a translator with a seal. I showed at at immigration this morning after thinking I had all the paperwork in order and could at least get the paperwork STARTED, only to find I’d brought 1 wrong piece of paperwork and 1 that needed translation. My FM3 expires in 5 days so it is getting down to the wire. Luckily, instead of simply sending me away, I was shown to an attorney’s office who was very happy to charge me $400/page to translate my paperwork. Ouch. Even in pesos, ouch. Then I spilled some coffee on her assistant’s closed computer and the day got very bad. She was cursing in ENGLISH so I knew it was going to be very bad and very expensive. Strangely, after all the cursing and trying to clean it up, they were both very comfortable letting me leave taking only my name and cell number. BUT before I managed to spill coffee on the computer, she walked into INM and got my paperwork started for me! So the tramite has begun and I won’t be fined for renewing late. I can only hope.
When I was at INM, the receptionist recommended that Scociabank did legal translations of the documents I needed (but I had lied and told him I’d already checked and they’d said they didn’t) and after the fracasso with the laywer I figured I needed a new translator. So I checked with HSBC (who told me their executives could only answer that question and that they’d be in in an hour or so) and then at Scociabank. I cooled my heels at Scociabank just waiting for some executive to simply answer the question and after 15-20 mintues, I had my answer, “no”.
At home, I was able to contact some computer repair folks and the lawyer and with no demands yet being made on me to replace the 6-month old laptop (which had only a 2 month warranty - don’t ask), I arranged for contact between the lawyer assistant and the computer technician and I am hoping the cost will not be too dear.
By the end of the day, I had managed to get Pikey’s retainers replaced (for only $1500), the translation begun (pick it up tomorrow) and 3 out of 4 kids to Judo. Both boys were in their judo class, Jamie and Sissy were at Sam’s getting crap for tomorrow’s excursion and Ellen and I were buying dinner (tamales sold on the streetcorner). The tamale lady recognized me from last week and we tried chicken mole, chicken in green sause and another chicken I can never remember because it is a word I don’t recognize. We sat on the curb, watching the black clouds roll in from the north, certain harbringers of rain, and listened to one of the “viene viene” guys singing a haunting ballad. The parking lot was vast, the sky darkening, our bellies were filling with warm delicious tamal and we had a haunting meoldy to accompany us.
It really was a perfect day.
Plus, I now have a little slave who will be working off a $1500 debt.
I’m in the middle of an op report (flexor tendon repair, if you were really wondering) but I had to stop, get up, walk outside and enjoy - if not only for the loss of power but also the draw of the rain…
Day after day of dry and dust and finally RAIN! The amazing freshness of the smell, the drop from 112F/44C to 85F/29C, the renewal, the loss of internet (satellite :)), the sound of the drops and tiny waterfalls cascading all over the grass roof, the puddles of toxicity collecting in the road, the deep grounding it produces. We each individually gather together to watch the clouds gather, to watch the osprey and large birds riding the thermals and being chased by the downfall, to smell the first smell of rain, to hear the first patter and to exclaim and wonder as the smell gets stronger and the drops begin to fall.
We cannot help but wander in the great drops, feel the cool wetness and drink deep of the earthy smell. As the frequency of the downpour decreases, we wander away and the littlest kids come out, whooping and jumping in the toxic puddles, creating ginormous rooster tails with their bikes and luxuriating in the lovely wetness of the rain.
Many months ago, either Solidaridad (the municipality) or Playa del Carmen (the city) installed a tope and a police quasi stop (they hang out in the middle of the road and ocassionally will slow people down) just on the south side of town. The tope was an absolute killer - double skyscraper Dots Bots - and the entire car would continue shaking for about 15 minutes after we would cross the tope. As with all topes constructed out of Dots Bots, one or two bots eventually disappeared making the crossing of the tope simply monumental instead of horrific. Then one day, soon after Semana Santa, the topes (both northbound and southbound) disappeared. The quasi police stop (that isn’t a stop and is now merely Cans of Fire®) continues and at first, even the taxistas hit their flashers and slowed to a crawl before remembering the axle-eating tope was no longer alive. Now everyone flies through, though, at the speed limit of 80kph. So it begs, really and truly BEGS the question, “why did they put it in and then take it out?” It was put in well before Semana Santa, so I can’t believe it was soley there for that 2-week period. It was working, and working well - we were all frightened of that damn tope - but why take it out? There were only 1-2 bots missing so it was still very effective, and it is just one of those thinks that makes you shake your head and realize you’ll never understand the culture.
Jamie and I took a date night tonight and headed to the tourist side of town. He bought a moka frio at some coffee place but it has already been about a year since we were last in the tourist area of Playa and I got fed up pretty quickly. I’m just not used to the hawkers and crowds and after re-injuring my 1/4-healed calf in Yoga this morning, I was tired of shuffling down the street. So we headed to a PAN rally and I got elote on a stick (with limon, mayo and chile) and Jamie got a chicken tamal. The food cart lady either had never seen a gringa eat elote or thought I was crazy because she sure tried to make Absolutely Certain that I wanted elote and the fixings. She was cracking up the whole time but had no problem with Jamie’s tamal order. We sat at a fountain, surrounded by families and kids, with the PAN rally on the right and a martial arts movie projected on a wall on our left. The perfect end to a perfect date.
It looks like the kids will be taking Judo classes. I’ve been wanting to enroll them in some kind of classes, to expose them to local kids and to broaden their horizons, but their staunch desire to sleep until afternoon and play only with our (now in Canada) Canadian neighbors put an end to that pipe dream. They checked out the taekwondo class yesterday and decided today that they much preferred Judo. The boys will be in a 2-hour class 3 to 6 times a week and the girls in a 1-hour class 3 times/week. We’ll try it a month but Pike already wants the “uniform” (kimono). We’re starting to come back around to our routines and life is good. It is also starting to warm up, but nights are still cool. 81F/27C at 11pm tonight as I post.
It’s been about a week since the first case was discovered in Mexico and we’re pretty much the same as when we started. Three of the four kids have had some virus and were all better yesterday. Today Pike is worse again but no fever, so I’m not going to worry too much. Unfortunately, he’s got a birthday (BIG THIRTEEN) in a couple days, and I’m hoping he’ll be feeling up to celebrating by then. After reading that humidity seems to keep the germies somewhat at bay, I’ve turned off the A/C in the trailer and converted Pike from an “All A/C, All the Time” boy, to sitting outside and enjoying the fresh air boy. He is now making up his food list for his birthday fest so we can shop til we drop today in preparation for the festivities. Tomorrow is International Worker’s Day and Mexico (as well as we, when we were in the US) celebrates, and then we’ll all be taking the next 4 days off as Mexico tries to decrease the spread of the new virus. That’s about all the virus talk I’m up for today.
I don’t know why I continue to run when it seems like I’m constantly injuring myself. I tore/strained/pulled a different calf muscle last week (my sister is certain it was a kharmic equation) and began running again a couple days ago. I’m still recovering from a fall I took (injurying my patellar tendons) and I still can’t stretch the quad on that leg. So why do I do it? What motivates me to continue to try to run in the heat and humidity and injuries I continue to reap? I honestly am stymied but I’ve found something that doesn’t really feel like exercise and I am loving the results of this “non exercise”. I gained 3 kilos during the visit of my family and I’m down one as of yesterday, but I seem to be forever stuck in the 77-78 kilo range. I’m hoping that this redoubled effort to lose the 3 I gained will result in further loss; down in the lower 70’s.
I thought we had found a muchacha for our palapa - she did a marvelous job last Tuesday and I expected her to return today, but either our immense load of dirt and mess caused her to run for safety or she’s under the weather or something else. I really hope she comes back. She could do some magic cleaning and I even bought her some Fabuloso. Maybe I should use it myself. And that’s the news from the Caribbean - now I need to clean and clean and school and find a printer.
I’m not sure why I insist on running
At least once a day we’re mopping the floor of the comedor. With copious amounts of water, soap and sometimes bleach. There is SO MUCH water on the floor we need the squeegee and mops and many rags to get up all the cleaning items. Are we addled by the influenza porcino? Nah, just absently allowing the washer to overflow again.
Jamie worked his magic fingers on our washer and it is spinning its heart content again, but in order to get all the water out of the drum, we need to lower the exit hose to a waiting garrafon. Except sometimes we forget the hose is in the garrafon and an entire rinse cycle spills on the floor. So again, we have a Very Clean Comedor. And again, our neighbors wonder why we’re such clean fanatics.
Jamie also recently worked his magic fingers on the van and we have moved from a frequently working van to an always working van. Much more convenient that way.
The boys are on the mend, the sore throats going away, fevers decreasing to 38C and under, and we’re now bracing for the economic fallout and possibility of a pandemic that the flu may bring. We’re hoping for a nonevent.
We’re coming off almost a month of family visits and had such a lovely time with everyone. That said, February was the last time our family was together and we’re now enjoying being a family once again and letting the emotions out from the loss of Jamie’s mom. I must owe a gazillion to the therapy jar as a few days ago Sissy revealed she had no idea her grandmother had died. How she didn’t know but the other 3 did know, I have no idea. She also seems to have completely gotten over her intense need to be connected to Jamie since his absence and happily sleeps in the (previously) boys’ room and no longer needs to know where Jamie is at every moment of the day. He is both happy that she’s found independence but also worried that she’s masking anger or something for his leaving. So, more funds to the therapy jar.
Did someone mention something about sickness? We sure do have lots of ways to say “pig” in Mexico. We’re riding out the storm of flu worries and hoping for the best.
Pandemic Booklet put out by SF folks…
Flu Wiki with links to news articles
Idaho’s Pandemic page
WHO’s swine flu page
Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the ground in DF tweets
Biosurveilance blog
Cold and flu treatment
It was a weird Sunday yesterday. Normally this is the day that most Mexican families are out grocery shopping but many of the Chedraui shelves were weirdly empty (NO canned salsa to be found anywhere) and I ended up at WalMart for whole wheat flour. I’ve never been a big believer in the 3-month supply of food adage, as food spoils so incredibly easily down here, but we now have lots of rice, beans, pasta, pet food, canned salsas :), rajas, and tomato sauces. With 2 kids and Jamie down with headaches, sore throats, fever, tiredness and nausea I’m hoping for a weird virus or mild cases of something. Crossing fingers and hoping QRoo really does have more than 120 doses of Tamiflu. I’m guessing that the death toll in Mexico is exaggerated only in reference to the number of cases. Either the deaths are higher due to non-swine flu deaths or the actual number of cases are much much higher (I read somewhere something in the 100K range) and as such, the death toll relatively low. What we’re preparing for is not a deadly disease but if this flu becomes pandemic, I expect that supplies will be especially low here at the bottom of the country and there will be fewer people well enough to move supplies around. So we’re stocking up and crossing our fingers along with the rest of the world.
Other than the week my parents were here, I’ve come to the realization that we’ve been living life at 1/2 speed. The first week or so that he was gone we tried to to life as usual. I studied, we homeschooled, and kept things rolling along. Little by little things dropped. School stopped when Papa and Tata arrived. Speaking Spanish stopped then also. I can’t remember the last time we had a family meeting. This last week I’ve felt so 1/2 full of life, so melancholy, so “missing something” and today it is going to change. He already emailed from the regional aiport he’s leaving from and should be here around 2-2:30pm today. He’s flying Wisconsin to Georgia and I can’t imagine weather delays in Georgia to keep him from arriving in Cancun. But I suppose we’ll check the airline just to make sure.
The light, the spark, the happiness is coming back into our lives and we can’t wait. Daddy’s coming home. We also just changed to daylight savings time so I really need to make sure I’ve got the times right or he’s going to be a very grumpy light/spark/happiness.
Update: His flight got in early - so he is already at Atlanta. He should leave there at 12:18 heading home (CUN).
And to pass the time, while we’re waiting for him to board, here are some exercise-related PSAs. Do not attempt Ashtanga Yoga while listening to “Wait Wait..” if Paula Poundstone is on. I was going through the standing sequence while Peter Sagal was interviewing Michael Pollan and Paula had me laughing so hard I couldn’t even get into the asanas. PSA #2, if you’re trying to pass someone on the trail, make sure you lift your feet or you’ll come crashing down and scrape your knee badly. You should be able to soldier on and finish your run though. After sitting on the ground for 5 mintues waiting for the pain to subside. Practice LIFTING the feet on the run. PSA #3, it is about 20 degrees F cooler at 8am than at 9am. Enormous difference from 98F/38C to 77F/25Cish and you’ll go from thinking you’ll never be able to run further than 3 miles without dying at the end at 98/38, to crashing badly on the trail, limping, then walking, and running an extra 1/2 mile and fishing with energy at 77/25. Go figure. From now on, I’m going early.
It is a sad Wednesday. Ellen and I saw my folks off to the airport today, an end to an absolutely lovely visit. Unfortunately, their laptop died this morning so they’ll have lots of errands to do upon return to California. We’re planning on seeing them this August for their 50th wedding anniversary but it was still incredibly sad watching them leave. That, and the fact that my husbandito has apparently DESERTED me (I’m guessing that might result in an email :)) and we’re all feeling very lonely and sad. Well, all of us except the kids who are out playing with homemade spears and sheilds and don’t even seem to notice that people are disappearing from here at a very rapid pace.
I do, however, have sisters arriving in the next week and I’m hopeful that husbandito will find his way home again (that is, unless he has found the bachelor life, sans kids and nagging witch to be more heavenly than bickering kids and bitching wife).
I can’t gush enough about our visit with the old farts - it was simply lovely and it passed by MUCH too fast. We can’t wait until they come back.
Well, after moping about for a bit, I’ve found some focus. Some haciendas to visit and a training program. I’m already running 3 miles every other day (3-4x/week) so the first 3 weeks should be doable. The hacienda tours are just to salivate over. Maybe for when Chris and family come to visit…
Diesel doesn’t count. Get up at dawn. Somehow manage to get back to sleep without tossing and turning and staring at white walls. Enjoy a lovely breakfast and cawfee. Get stuff together for trip. Wake sleepyheads. Drive 2 hours to Valladolid. Drive to Convent San Bernardino de Siena. Brush off the small children selling mamey and asking for money. Tour the convent with a very knowledgeable and relaxed guide who asks for $10MN per adult. Give him $100MN after spending a good 30-45 minutes touring the convent and listening to history. Pile in the car and head to the town center and settle in for a sumptious lunch of conchita pibil, puc choc w/refried beans and small salad, escabeche, 2 tortas (jamon con queso) with sides of refried beans and papas fritas, one order of beef steak with papas on the side, 3 salads, 3 pitchers of freshly made limonada and watermellon juice, and a coffee. Pay $760MN which includes a $100MN tip. Sit and enjoy a luxurious lunch while the kids swim in the restaurant pool. Head 3 blocks to cenote and swim in the cenote or get bit by red ants. Tough choice. Pay $85MN entrance fee for all 7. On the way home, get ice cream for 7 and have money left over. You still haven’t spent your $100USD. As a matter of fact, you have a LOT left over.
It was so lovely being back in Yucatan state. Maybe I’m just jaded but it seems like everyone over here in QRoo has one hand out for money and the other in your back pocket. Even the taxistas in Valladoild are tranquil. I parked in a taxi stand and asked the driver sitting the shade on a park bench if I could just sit in the car while the family headed to the paleteria. He was totally fine and even moved to give us room on the bench to sit. Try that with a QRoo taxista and you’ll be missing fingers before you even put the car in park. We had a lovely good-bye day with Papa and Tata. I gave them the choice of Punta Allen (with a possible stop at Boca Paila again) or Valladolid and Tata really wanted Valladolid. We’ve always enjoyed our trips there and today was no different. The weather was perfect - breezy and warm - and the people lovely. We’ll be terribly sad to see them off tomorrow but are so thankful for the time we had with them here. It was a perfect trip.
