Still Here

Yup, I'm still here. Still in Tuxpan. Still trying to adjust. Had a fight with Luis the other day. Called my lovely sister Lisa and had her talk me through my misery. Things are ok with him now.

But I still struggle with feeling out of place. There are so many reasons for this. Mostly I think it's because Tuxpan is a very small town. Everyone is in everyone else's business. They all care what their neighbor is doing. I really couldn't give a hoot. I care about what is going on in my life. If someone around me has some effect on my life, I might care about what they are doing. If something is bothering someone I care about, I care about what that something is. But who really cares what the neice of Sergio's sister in law is doing? Does it have anything to do with me? No? Well, good on her. She should live her life without my interference.

But that isn't how it works down here. I talked to one woman about this issue, and she said that people here are poor, they don't necessarily work every day, so they have to find something to amuse themselves. And the level of education is very low. Not that people don't go to school, but what is taught and the level of comittment to that teaching is very low. My nephew is taking a Shop class in high school. I suggested that he might be interested in doing some work for us in the carpenteria. His mom said no because his teacher doesn't really teach him anything. The teacher is usually drunk.

Oh. Drunk around power tools. Probably better that he doesn't try to teach the kids anything.

Ny neice has been taking English classes for 3 years. She can't even hold a basic conversation with me. And I mean *basic* - like "Hi, how are you today? I'm going to my English class now. I'll see you later."

Really.

So poor education and boredom. Apparently that is all you need to turn your attention to your neighbor's life rather than making one of your own.

But there is this whole culture of isolation going on down here too. TV news is much more shallow than news in the US. Yes, it is possible! Most of what passes for news is gossip about the stars. Who's fucking who, who is having a baby, who is getting a divorce, blahblahblah. News of the outside world is kinda rare. News of what is going on in Mexico is kinda rare. I mean there are reports about floods in the major cities, deaths, robberies, blahblahblah. But what is going on with the people in charge? What is the president doing? What are the other state polititians doing? Who knows.

The television stations are all owned by the same company. Or maybe there are a few companies, but not many at all. It is a monopoly for all purposes. And that monopoly is maintained by keeping the people in power happy. So you don't show them on your stations in any way that might be construed as negative. Or, better yet, only show them when they want the publicity. Wait for them to ask you. Don't go after them.

Freedom of the Press doesn't exist down here.

So you only see what they want you to see. Limiting your viewpoint further.

I'll write more about all this later. I think I'm getting a bit off track right now.

Suffice it to say that I'm still here.