Ellen has been begging for earrings for what seems like a year. I’m sure it has been much less time, and she has been dedicated and sure. We’ve been talking and talking and promised her that she’d get them for her birthday. Unfortunately that didn’t happen and yesterday we finally made good.
I’ve never come across those earring stores you find the malls of the US here but when Pike wanted his ear pierced I looked into the subject and found that you really want the piercings done where they specialize in piercings – a tatoo/piercing parlor. Luckily, Playa has more than a couple parlors and it was easy to find a place for Pike. This year I thought we might have more options, but it turns out we’re still left with these parlors. Honestly, I just didn’t want to pay so much. So when we had multiple errands involving multiple children we decided to make an afternoon of it and take everyone in and get everything done. The boys got dropped off at the dentist, Jamie dropped Ellen and I at the piercing parlor and he and Sissy headed to WalMart. Here in Mexico we patronize WalMart as I figure all the big box stores (Mega, Soriana, Chedraui, Gigante, etc.) are all the same in employee policy and crap they sell.
The piercing parlor didn’t have any earrings to fit little Ellen’s ears and after hearing that we’d be paying $200 an EAR (even after recognizing us from 3 years ago!) I seriously reconsidered my promise. They mentioned a couple places we might find earrings so we headed out and walked 30th and Constituyentes looking for a joyeria. After giving up and reminding Ellen we were looking for earrings for HER and not looking to buy gum (although she didn’t want to break her 20 peso bill, she still wanted to stop at each and every tienda looking for gum…) we stumbled back to WalMart, pretty much given up. FYI Playa folks, Mega does not sell earrings of high quality. Immediately after walking in, however, we hit the 10kt and 14kt earring stand and that was that. After selecting, waiting for the sales girls to stop playing with a display and sell us the earrings, we headed back to the parlor. First, however, I managed to acost a young woman with a baby girl (obviously pierced ears) and asked her where she got the earrings and where she got the piercing. I had come up empty after asking my dentist (EARRINGS??? He shows me his ears – I don’t know ANYTHING about EARRINGS!!) and a couple other locals (who suggetsed piercing parlors). She told me that everyone gets their babies ears pierced at the hospital! Right after birth. (mystery solved)
Luckily the parlor was still open and they were happy to see us. It has been a particularly hard low season this year so I was somewhat mollified in paying out the $400 and he took long and good care of her. She is over the MOON with excitement and LOVES her new ears. I have to wonder though, where I got such a girly girl…
Well, that is a mystery solved. I too always wondered if they were sticking needles through the ears of baby girls at home or how it happened. As I recall, when I got my first set of ear piercings, my best friend and I did them for each other with a sharpened earring and a cold potato – oh and ice cubes to numb it first.
Shortly after I had my ear pierced and I was changing earrings, my son who was about 9 at the time was watching me. He asked, “Mom when the wind blows can you feel it blow through those holes?”
Bill wanted me to clarify if this was US dollars or pesos. If US dollars, you just killed him.
He also wanted me to let you know that unleaded is $1.66/gallon today.
;*)
I’m wondering the same thing as Jody. I’m sure it has to be pesos!! But then how many US $’s does that equal to? I’m also curious…why didn’t you just have them done at Wal-mart? That’s where both Jonas and Jewel got theirs done, although I have to say she did a shitty job on Jonas’. After his ripped out he took the other one out and hasn’t worn them again since. jewe;’s also stopped wearing hers, but then again, I had them done when she was a baby, so it wasn’t her choice to have them done. I wish she were more of a girly girl! It’s like I have three boys! lol
@Jonna – yeah! I’ve been wondering a while myself and envisioned many women just doing it at home. When the woman at Mega told me I could do it with a needle I asked her if she’d do her daughter’s with a needle and she immediately said “NO!”. After watching the piercing guy I’m sure I couldn’t have either.
@Billie – I have one girl and one boy who have always been fascinated with my holy ears – and both now have holes in their ears too. The other probably have never noticed. At least he didn’t ask you if the wind blew straight through your ears.
@Jody – $31.20USD. I always quote pesos in my posts – I have to do math to figure dollars.
Especially since the rate has been so fluid recently.
@Vicki – the only place you can get ears pierced here are piercing places and the hospital. Believe me, I’ve checked!
Generally, all little girls have their ears pierced as they are 1/2 way out the yoni (well, maybe not right then, but very soon afterwards) so only homebirthed babies (rare and for the poor who wouldn’t have money for earrings anyway) wouldn’t already have earrings. I’ll tell you, it is a like being an anthropologist here watching Ellen grow up. She’s like a different species she’s so girly. 
How is Joey doing? Update your blag! 
C’mon, mom…with the exchange rate, that is like 34 bucks to pierce both of your little girl’s ears, something that if cared for properly will last her the rest of her life. My sister’s crazy cousin pierced my left ear and my sister’s crazy aunt pierced the other with a needle, a potato, and a slightly chilled earlobe from a melting ice cube. I was terrified and if you ask me tomorrow, I will show you how lopsided the holes are.
Some things are worth every penny, tell Ms. Ellen that Ms. Heather Ellen congratulates her on her birthday as well as her bravery during the piercing. Girly-girls unite!