Yup, it's been one whole year since I moved to Mexico. One year ago we had just arrived, fresh off remodeling the kitchen in Portland and immediately handing it over to someone else to enjoy. My cats were living with a friend in Portland. I was praying that those Spanish classes I had been taking would have somehow metastisized into a full-blown knowledge of the language. We were the owners of a bar. Luis' family welcomed us with open arms.
One year. Where are we now?
We still live in the same home. But there are obvious issues there. Nothing that will be fixed any time soon, unfortunately. But it's home for now.
We gave up the bar. It was a money pit. Now Luis' nephew Felipe runs it. We had a birthday party for Laura there the other day and I noticed that there was barely any liquor on the shelves. I asked Felipe and he said he pretty much just sells beer now. There isn't enough profit in liquor. Which is pretty much the state of the bar when we took it over. So maybe that was one of our mistakes. All beer, no liquor.
Now we have a carpinteria which has much potential, but not a whole lot of realized income yet.
My friend in Portland had some serious health issues and I had to scramble to find someone else to take my cats in. Now they are back in Hotlanta where they first came from. So far Wade's allergies haven't forced them into another move. And I think he likes having the undying loving attention from them.
My Spanish has come a long way. The other day I stopped in at the video store and ended up talking to the couple who run the place for a whole hour! I was really proud of myself for being able to hold a conversation with them in Spanish for so long, especially since Luis wasn't there.
I've been through some serious down times. I haven't always felt comfortable. I still feel limited in what I can do. I have no friends down here to speak of, or to speak to. But I am learning things about myself and how to deal with those feelings. I've recently felt some emotional strength coming back to me.
So all in all it's been a shitty learning experience of a year. There are parts I could have, and would have, happily lived without. But I think in the long run I will look back at this time and know that even though it was more rough than smooth, that I learned from it. And that's what life is for, right?
Monday, December 04, 2006
Visual Stimulation
I'm on a number of mailing lists. Some of them are regularly interesting to me, others only every once in a while. I got one a few weeks ago about a photography show call for entries. Since I have some 2600 photos of my time down here in Mexico, I figured I would skim through and see if I could come up with a good, solid set to submit.
At first I narrowed it down to 100 photos. Then I cast a critical eye on those 100. I wasn't sure. Did these 10 photos hang well together? Or was this photo too weak? Did they have a cohesive feel and look? Or was I fooling myself?
I finally decided to skip the whole thing. I didn't think I had a good enough set to submit and the deadline was fast approaching anyway. But I asked my sister what she thought. She looked over some of the previous winners and said she thought I had photos that could compete. I love my sister!
I mentioned the show to Luis and he was his usual uber-supportive. He thinks I constantly short-change myself when it comes to showing off my talents, and always tells me to go for it when things like this come up.
So I took another look at the photos and here is the set I have just submitted:
I think my artist's statement is a bit weak, so I won't include it here. Hopefully I will be able to fine-tune it before the midnight deadline...
You can see the winners from last year here. Tell me what you think. Unless, of course, you think my work doesn't hold up. And wish me luck.
Regardless of the outcome, all this visual review has inspired me to pick my camera back up in earnest again. I've been distracted by the carpinteria for the past few months, so not much has been going on with the camera. Well, that and my camera took a fatal dive into a public toilet about two months ago. Not surprisingly it doesn't seem to want to work now. So I have to get it looked at. Or buy a new camera. Any suggestions for good quality digital cameras?
At first I narrowed it down to 100 photos. Then I cast a critical eye on those 100. I wasn't sure. Did these 10 photos hang well together? Or was this photo too weak? Did they have a cohesive feel and look? Or was I fooling myself?
I finally decided to skip the whole thing. I didn't think I had a good enough set to submit and the deadline was fast approaching anyway. But I asked my sister what she thought. She looked over some of the previous winners and said she thought I had photos that could compete. I love my sister!
I mentioned the show to Luis and he was his usual uber-supportive. He thinks I constantly short-change myself when it comes to showing off my talents, and always tells me to go for it when things like this come up.
So I took another look at the photos and here is the set I have just submitted:
I think my artist's statement is a bit weak, so I won't include it here. Hopefully I will be able to fine-tune it before the midnight deadline...
You can see the winners from last year here. Tell me what you think. Unless, of course, you think my work doesn't hold up. And wish me luck.
Regardless of the outcome, all this visual review has inspired me to pick my camera back up in earnest again. I've been distracted by the carpinteria for the past few months, so not much has been going on with the camera. Well, that and my camera took a fatal dive into a public toilet about two months ago. Not surprisingly it doesn't seem to want to work now. So I have to get it looked at. Or buy a new camera. Any suggestions for good quality digital cameras?
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Punk You!
I’ve just watched an MTV program on punk rock. On the program someone said that it only takes 5% of the people to get together and change the way things run.
Mexico needs some punk rock.
Mexico needs some punk rock.
Not again....
I’m sick again. This time, Luis tells me, it’s the Dengue Flu. Not a pretty thing. First a day and night of flu symptoms – cold sweats, achy body, the works – which worked it’s way into diarrhea and mean pains in my head. Not exactly headaches, more like my temples are playing ping-pong with electrical impulses.
I’ve pretty much been in the house for the past four days, which is a bit odd this time. I’ve been reading books – three whole books already – and watching English language TV. It’s been a bit of a reprieve from Mexico and my existence down here. So I haven’t much minded being sequestered in my room. Aside from the frequent runs to the bathroom to take care of my runs, that is.
I’ve pretty much been in the house for the past four days, which is a bit odd this time. I’ve been reading books – three whole books already – and watching English language TV. It’s been a bit of a reprieve from Mexico and my existence down here. So I haven’t much minded being sequestered in my room. Aside from the frequent runs to the bathroom to take care of my runs, that is.
One Gallon
I’ve learned exactly how much boiling water I need to bathe: one gallon. And that covers washing and conditioning my hair, washing my body and even shaving if I feel the need. How do I know this? We’ve been having problems with the water heater.
First, we ran out of gas and didn’t have the money to buy a new tank full (all the gas here is propane and is sold in tanks). So we were either heating water on the stove in order to take a bath, or taking cold showers. Some times we switched the tank for the kitchen with the tank for the bathroom so we could more easily heat bathing water.
Finally, we got some cash and bought a new tank. Hot showers again!
A few weeks later a problem developed with the heating element for the bathroom water heater. Sergio actually did some work one day and bought a new element and replaced it. But something was wrong still. Gas wasn’t coming out. After a bit of wrangling with it all, Luis and Sergio realized that the new gas tank was hooked up to the kitchen and the old tank was hooked up to the bath and was now empty.
Once again we bought a new tank of gas and hooked it up. But there was still something wrong. The heating element wasn't working right. Luis and Sergio looked at it for a while, and I assumed that Sergio, with all his extra time during the day, would investigate and get the thing fixed. I mean, no one *wants* to bathe out of a bucket, at least not for very long if they can help it.
But no. I have no idea if Sergio has never gotten off his lazy ass to figure out and fix the problem, or if the problem is too expensive to fix at the moment.
So we are back to heating water on the stove.
So I boil a gallon of water and add it to about 3 or 4 gallons of cold tap water in a larger bucket and wash like the Old West Pioneers did. It’s humbling and frustrating. It’s humbling because I’ve realized just how fortunate we are in the States. Perhaps not everyone in the States can afford to pay for their water and gas bills every month. But that water and gas is automatically pumped into their houses, they don’t have to wait for the gas truck to drive by and hope they have the cash on hand to buy a tank of gas. They don’t have to open a tap to fill a cistern, then pump that water up to a tank on the top of the house, and rely on gravity to provide pressure. Water is pumped to you. What a fabulous concept. And humbling to live without it.
And it’s frustrating because I don’t understand why Cynthia and Sergio put up with living this way. They both have jobs which pay them fairly well, but they never have any money. I would understand that if there was something to show for their lack of money. Like a new stove, or a working water heater, or some nicer furniture, or food in the refrigerator. But we live in this house as if we are poor. At the moment Luis and I are relying solely on the money we are bringing in from the carpinteria (which isn’t much), so in a way we are poor. But Cynthia and Sergio have consistent income and they can’t hold themselves above the water line.
No use in thinking about it too long.
First, we ran out of gas and didn’t have the money to buy a new tank full (all the gas here is propane and is sold in tanks). So we were either heating water on the stove in order to take a bath, or taking cold showers. Some times we switched the tank for the kitchen with the tank for the bathroom so we could more easily heat bathing water.
Finally, we got some cash and bought a new tank. Hot showers again!
A few weeks later a problem developed with the heating element for the bathroom water heater. Sergio actually did some work one day and bought a new element and replaced it. But something was wrong still. Gas wasn’t coming out. After a bit of wrangling with it all, Luis and Sergio realized that the new gas tank was hooked up to the kitchen and the old tank was hooked up to the bath and was now empty.
Once again we bought a new tank of gas and hooked it up. But there was still something wrong. The heating element wasn't working right. Luis and Sergio looked at it for a while, and I assumed that Sergio, with all his extra time during the day, would investigate and get the thing fixed. I mean, no one *wants* to bathe out of a bucket, at least not for very long if they can help it.
But no. I have no idea if Sergio has never gotten off his lazy ass to figure out and fix the problem, or if the problem is too expensive to fix at the moment.
So we are back to heating water on the stove.
So I boil a gallon of water and add it to about 3 or 4 gallons of cold tap water in a larger bucket and wash like the Old West Pioneers did. It’s humbling and frustrating. It’s humbling because I’ve realized just how fortunate we are in the States. Perhaps not everyone in the States can afford to pay for their water and gas bills every month. But that water and gas is automatically pumped into their houses, they don’t have to wait for the gas truck to drive by and hope they have the cash on hand to buy a tank of gas. They don’t have to open a tap to fill a cistern, then pump that water up to a tank on the top of the house, and rely on gravity to provide pressure. Water is pumped to you. What a fabulous concept. And humbling to live without it.
And it’s frustrating because I don’t understand why Cynthia and Sergio put up with living this way. They both have jobs which pay them fairly well, but they never have any money. I would understand that if there was something to show for their lack of money. Like a new stove, or a working water heater, or some nicer furniture, or food in the refrigerator. But we live in this house as if we are poor. At the moment Luis and I are relying solely on the money we are bringing in from the carpinteria (which isn’t much), so in a way we are poor. But Cynthia and Sergio have consistent income and they can’t hold themselves above the water line.
No use in thinking about it too long.
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
We rented a movie called “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada”. It’s about a Mexican immigrant living in the US illegally, who is killed in an accident. His coworker, played by Tommy Lee Jones, had promised to take his body home to his family in Mexico if anything ever happened to him. So it is essentially a road movie. But it starts in Texas, in a small town.
One of the characters works in a restaurant, so a number of the scenes are shot there. One of the establishing shots is of a few empty tables at the front of the restaurant. There is a Lion’s Club banner in the background and a window on the far wall.
When I saw that shot I had a bit of déjà vu. When Luis, Pati and I had been driving back to Mexico after our visit to Portland, we stopped to eat at a small restaurant in Van Horn, Texas where I took this picture:
It is the same restaurant, and essentially the same shot they used in the film. Crazy what this world serves up to us.
One of the characters works in a restaurant, so a number of the scenes are shot there. One of the establishing shots is of a few empty tables at the front of the restaurant. There is a Lion’s Club banner in the background and a window on the far wall.
When I saw that shot I had a bit of déjà vu. When Luis, Pati and I had been driving back to Mexico after our visit to Portland, we stopped to eat at a small restaurant in Van Horn, Texas where I took this picture:
It is the same restaurant, and essentially the same shot they used in the film. Crazy what this world serves up to us.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Chaps
Btw, I bought my first pair of leather chaps in Leon. Leon is the world capital (according to Luis) of shoes, and they have a fair amount of leather goods too. And I was riding on the back of my motorcycle (no, Luis still hasn't taught me how to drive it!), so I figured a pair of chaps would be a good investment. Photos to come soon (I hope - my camera took one too many spills and now is on strike. Bummer.).
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