Mental Snapshots July 19, 2010
Posted by EDW in Mexico.Tags: beach, Life, memories, mental snapshots, Mexico, Riviera Maya life, Travel, vacation
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I can’t believe how quickly the past two and a half months have gone! Today is our last full day in Puerto Aventuras–tomorrow we’ll spend the night in Cancun so that we’re close enough to the airport to make our flight on time. We’ve spent this last day watching the sun rise over the Caribbean, pedaling around Puerto on bikes, swimming in the pool, watching the intermittent rain, eating the leftovers, and trying to figure out how to fit forty pounds of seashells into our luggage.
I also spent some time looking through the hundreds of pictures we’ve taken. But even with my husband’s incessant picture-taking, there are still some wonderful memories that weren’t preserved by camera. Some of my favorites:
1.) Riding one of the local buses home from the grocery store on a particular Saturday afternoon. Because Mexicans typically work a six-and-a half-day work week, Saturday afternoons have a relaxed party vibe, similar to a Friday evening happy-hour in the States. Even without the rigorous work schedule to give it context, I was enjoying the mood aboard the bus, which was filled with people going home to their families. There was raucous accordion music blaring from the bus speakers, and two men in the front were sharing a six pack of beers. One of them, a middle-aged man wearing a sleeveless undershirt, denim shorts, and a bowtie, was having an especially good time. Every time the bus would stop, he would get up and dance around the front of the bus,with a beer in one hand and the other hand clasped over his heart, as though clutching an invisible companion to his chest. The other passengers acted like he was invisible, but I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. When I got off the bus, he bowed courteously to me. (more…)
Rain, Reactions, and Random Research or The Story of How I Don’t Have Lip Herpes, But Most Likely Need to Renounce Bananas July 6, 2010
Posted by EDW in Life, Mexico.8 comments
Today, like you, I am not in Belize. Nor am I in a car zooming down Carretera Federal 307 towards the Belizian border. Nor am I at a roadblock having our rental car searched by the Mexican cops. Although we had planned to celebrate our third wedding anniversary with a jaunt down to Belize for some rain forest hiking and another stamp in the ol’ passport, I was woken at midnight by the sounds of a deluge outside the bedroom window. I woke again at 5:00 a.m. to find that it was still pouring. To call this weather rain would be like calling the Norman invasion a parade. It was an ambush of rain. An overwhelming, unrelenting assault of droplets. Which coalesced into mini-lakes. And which wouldn’t have been a problem except that these lagitos amalgamated on top of the highway. People were wading across the 307, knee-deep in water.
Ever the optimists, we picked up the rental car anyway, but after driving along the flooded highway at about 5 m.p.h. with water slapping at the car’s undercarriage, we decided to postpone the trip until tomorrow.
So we went home, changed out of our wet clothes, and had some lunch. Which included a banana. A very, very delicious banana. It was so tasty that while I was eating it, I said out loud, “Wow, this is a really good banana.”
And that’s when a secret banana-hating gene that has lain hidden and dormant inside my DNA for 33 years decided to join the ongoing conversation of my bodily functions. This gene’s first contribution manifested as a sudden itchy, tingly, blistery hive on my lip approximately four minutes after finishing the banana. Only I didn’t know it was a hive because I’ve never had hives before. I ran to the bathroom to inspect what felt like the sudden onset of a pimple, and when I looked in the mirror, I screamed. My husband came to see what the matter was, and I was all panicky, pointing at my lip and whimpering. My first response (because I have been eating bananas all my life with no ill effects) was to conclude that I must have contracted lip-herpes from a drinking glass at a restaurant. I was all about to cry, thinking that now I was a person with lip herpes, and I was going to have to get my head around that and on my anniversary, to boot. Jim, on the other hand, was reasonably certain it was something I had eaten. (more…)
Swimming May 29, 2010
Posted by EDW in Mexico.Tags: American living abroad, being scared to swim, Caribbean, fear, lifestyle, Mexico, snorkeling, swimming
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I used to be a person who was scared of the water.Not only was I afraid of swimming, I thought I was a bad swimmer–so bad, in fact, that I didn’t trust that I could keep myself from drowning. I think I was scared of water because when I was a kid I overheard my mother say to someone that I wasn’t a strong swimmer. I think she was talking to a friend about me going to summer camp, and was expressing her natural motherly concerns that I might drown (or get devoured by a crocodile). I’m sure she didn’t have any idea that I was eavesdropping on her conversation; nonetheless, I took that phrase–not a strong swimmer–and made it part of myself. It’s funny what kinds of labels people cling to as a way of defining themselves; I’d probably never given my swimming skills a thought before that day.
My artificial fear of water lasted well into adulthood, and for no real reason. I had never suffered an incident where I almost drowned. I had never been bitten by a shark or a water moccasin, or even stung by a jellyfish. I had two strong arms and two strong legs. Yet, whenever I got into water that was deeper than my head, I got all pannicky and started hyperventilating. My ex tried to teach me to swim several times, thinking that the acquisition of some skill would dispel the fear, but knowing how to move my limbs in the water was never the issue. In retrospect, think I was holding onto that fear as a way of knowing something about myself at a time when I was desperate to know who (and why) I was. Like, “This is who I am: I have green eyes and freckles. I don’t like turnips. I’m afraid of the water.”
The truth is–and I’ve only discovered this in the past five or six years–I love to swim. And I do it just fine. I’m not an Olympian or anything, but I can move my body around in the water adequately, and I haven’t drowned yet. I love to swim in swimming pools and rivers and lakes, but most of all I love to swim in the ocean. And what I really, REALLY love is snorkeling. There’s so much cool stuff in the ocean to look at, and I love being out there in it! There are fish of every imaginable color and shape, there are snails the size of your feet, there are worms with heads like feather-dusters that live in hard, vertical tubes and worms with soft, brightly colored spines like water-logged caterpillars. There are sponges that look like leafless purple trees and brain corals the size of easy chairs. There are stingrays the size of coffee tables that undulate and ripple when they swim. There are bright yellow mat-like corals that spread across the ocean floor like slime mold and long-legged creeping red sea stars and ominous looking urchins with ten-inch spines secreted beneath rock ledges. There’s a whole other world of astonishing life forms underneath the waves, eating and fighting an mating and ejecting their guts as a defense mechanism. And I love being out there, like an alien on my own planet, moving through their weird, wet world with a mask stuck to my face.
The thing is, I wouldn’t have known ANY of this if I hadn’t challenged long-held idea (which wasn’t even my idea but someone else’s) and jumped in the water. I don’t remember how or when it happened–I think it was a gradual realization that I could, in fact, swim just fine and that I loved doing it.
The lesson is obvious: don’t let other people tell you who you are and what you should, shouldn’t, or can’t do. And don’t be afraid to revisit something you thought you were scared of. You might discover it’s your new favorite thing. In the end, I think the things you fear and dislike say less about you than the things you love, the causes you champion, your favorites and bests.
Fraud, Fracas, and Free Fire Show May 25, 2010
Posted by EDW in Mexico.Tags: American living abroad, bank fraud, Caribbean life, fire and water show, Integratedidea.com, Mexico, Puerto Avenuras, theft
4 comments
So, the last couple of days have been kind of hard. I know you’re thinking, “Oh gag. You live in the Caribbean.” And trust me, I’m not asking for sympathy: things are still great. Mainly I think the euphoria of the first two weeks is starting to melt into the day to day practicalities of life in another country–without a car. Mix in a bit of post-birthday melancholy (my birthday and Christmas are my favorite holidays and I look forward to them for weeks; after all the anticipation, time seems a loose and empty) and the fact that the downstairs neighbors have been on a 72-hour bender of shrieking and perhaps hurling things at one another–possibly their crying baby. It’s no wonder that I’ve lost my own patience a few times in the last few days when we’ve taken the colectivo somewhere (twice) only to discover that we either didn’t have our wallet, or the directions to the place where we were going. Which is not only a waste of time, but a waste of money. (Ever gotten to the grocery store only to realize you had no wallet? It makes you want that wine you aren’t getting even more.) Plus, Eunice died. Oh, and let’s not forget the fraud.
Yesterday morning I discovered a mysterious charge for $4.93 on our bank account from an unknown company identifying itself as “Integratedidea.com”. A little internet research quickly revealed it to be some kind of scammy-thefty-fraudulent foulness. So I emailed the bank and asked them to remove the charge and cancel my card. If only I were home in the states I would call the U.S. Attorney General’s office and beg them to use my tax dollars on something that actually matters to me, like capturing the dill-holes who masterminded this thievery and sentencing them to cleaning my bathroom. For life.
But this evening I suggested a walk on the beach to enjoy the moonlight and the breeze. And a reprieve from the wee banshee that lives below us. The moonlight glittering on the Caribbean would have been enough, but we were in the right place at the right time, and happened upon one of the big, fancy resorts setting the stage for their “Fire and Water” show–which we got to watch for free. Of course we had to watch from the back since we were perched on a little rock wall above the ocean, but the less-than-perfect view was more than made up for by the free-ness and the sense of happenstance.
Free stuff always cheers me up. Especially when it’s an exhilarating frenzy of drums and fire. Now I’m back inside the apartment, listening to the downstairs neighbors duke it out below. That’s free too, I guess.
(Mediocre photo was also free, since it was lifted from TripAvisor.)
Good Times and Groceries May 12, 2010
Posted by EDW in Mexico.Tags: American living abroad, Mexico, shopping for groceries in a foreign contry
8 comments
One of my favorite things about spending time in another country is the way commonplace activities become adventures. Take, for example, going to the supermarket. At home, it’s just another chore–and that’s on a good day. Sometimes it’s downright onerous. Curiously, the difficulty factor for grocery-shopping is much higher for me here in Mexico, which seems to be directly correlated to how much more fun it is. In the U.S., I only have to grab my mound of re-usable canvas bags and my car keys. Here, I have to walk or bike to the highway and wait for the supermarket-bound colectivo (a small shuttle bus that is the main form of local public transportation here), I have to make sure I have twelve pesos and a backpack (for the groceries), and I have to go early in the morning or in the evening when my groceries and I are least likely to puddle in the heat.
Once I’m at the store, I have to translate signage and labels, I have to convert pesos to dollars in my head. I must also be mindful of the actual dimensions of my groceries since it all needs to fit in my backpack for the trip home.
But, oh, how I love going to grocery stores in other countries! It’s one of my favorite things. I’m fascinated by the different labels, the bars of soap scented with exotic fragrances, the unusual variety of canned goods, the unfamiliar cuts of meat. The peculiar pastries and curious cheeses delight me. I could have spent hours wandering around inside the Soriana supermercado, and I would have if I hadn’t been uncertain how late the colectivos run.
The Soriana wasn’t what I expected. I had been told that it is the biggest supermarket in the area, with the best prices. But it wasn’t just big, it was HUGE! Because it carried both groceries and an impressive selection of household sundries, it reminded me of a SuperWal-Mart. Still the products on sale were decidedly Mexican; there were many brands unavailable or uncommon in the U.S., and these were the products that attracted me most. I bought a Mexican brand of chamomile shampoo and conditioner, and milk-in-a-box. I was even offered a Soriana points-card, which made me feel like a local.
Next time I plan to bike across the highway and shop in the pueblo (the local or “jungle” side of Puerto). There I will have to get my meat from the carniceria, my bread from the panaderia, and my beans and beer from the small, non-airconditioned market. Stay tuned….
I Am a (Coco-)Nut! May 10, 2010
Posted by EDW in Mexico.Tags: drinking from a coconut, Mayan ruins, Puerto Aventuras
5 comments
Q: What do you do when you bike a couple of miles to a deserted beach with a sandwich, only to discover you’ve forgotten a drink?
A: You pluck a low-hanging coconut from a tree, bash it against a rock a la Castaway, place the cracked coconut against your lips and ingest the water inside, thereby quenching your thirst.
Yes, I really did that yesterday. Never one to shy from local cuisine (or endure thirst well), I was pretty delighted with myself for remembering that coconuts have water inside. In fact, I was almost certain that I was a super-genius. One thing I can’t figure out: what the sweet, white flakes or the cans of piña colada mix in the supermarket have in common with the fruit I drank yesterday. It wasn’t sweet, it wasn’t milky, and really, if I hadn’t seen people drinking coconuts on the movies, I would NEVER have associated what I know as coconut with the reality that is the coconut. It tasted vaguely green and plant-y, much like I would imagine the water inside a barrel cactus tastes. I even used a sea shell like a spoon to scrape out the flesh of the coconut and eat it, and it wasn’t sweet either. My husband was squeamish about the whole thing and declined to partake of my beverage; I drank the whole thing by myself.
I have this to say: Screw having a cocktail in a coconut! Nothing compares to sitting on a deserted beach beside the ruins of a small Mayan temple, staring at the cerulean water while drinking an actual coconut. I liked to imagine that hundreds (thousands?) of years ago, a Mayan woman had sat in the same spot, drinking a coconut and admiring the world she lived in while her husband paddled around in the bay looking for fish just like mine was.
Later, at home (I live in Mexico now), I was forced to endure the painful realization that I am not, in fact, a super-genius. Because I forgot to put sunblock on the backs of my legs. Which were sunny-side-up as I snorkeled. And which are now sort-of crawfish-colored.
Segundo Dia May 8, 2010
Posted by EDW in Mexico.Tags: American living abroad, Mexico, Puerto Aventuras, Travel
4 comments
The sun rises early in the Yucatan. This morning I awoke to the chatters and swooping whoops of tropical birds outside our window. The sun was already well on its way up into heavens–the clouds were pink and gold against a backdrop of blue. It was barely six o’clock. Quietly, so as not to wake our hosts, we slid on our flip-flops for a morning walk along the craggy rocks that meet the sea nearest our apartment. The tide was coming in vigorously,foaming over the edges of the tidepools, and sending creamy wads of surf into the air.
The life in and around the tidepools was astonishing. I don’t know if fish sleep,but the ones we saw looked like they’d been awake for hours. There was every color and pattern imaginable: neon violet-blue, lemon yellow, papaya-pink, stripes, polka-dots, and everything in between.Tiny hermit crabs scuttled around on the rocks, and pelicans soared over the tide pools, inspecting their buffet of breakfast options. We even saw an iguana catching some early morning rays.
Me, I had coffee and a banana on the balcony. Later, we took a walk into downtown Puerto Aventuras to visit the fresh produce market, and just generally orient ourselves to the area–it’s bigger than I expected. By the time we got home we were hot from carrying the heavy bags of produce, and so we took a dip in the pool to cool off. After that, lunch: quesadillas and beer. It’s just after two o’clock and right now the sun is brutal–so I expect I’ll usually be blogging during this time of day. Or napping. Or, swimming like fool tourist in the ocean.
Oh, here’s where we’re staying–the top left apartment, with the green-and white umbrella. Until tomorrow, adios!
Bienvenidos a Mexico! May 7, 2010
Posted by EDW in Mexico.add a comment
Estamos aqui! For you gringos out there, that means “we’re here!” – only it doesn’t really feel like it yet, even though I’m very sweaty and full of taco meat. I think my brain is lagging behind my body, probably by several days. The last few have been a whirlwind of activity: goodbyes and dropoffs and frantic packing and unpacking of the backpacks, laundry and mopping and multiple trips to the storage unit to deposit sneaky things that were still hiding in cabinets.
I was so focused on the preparations that I spent very little time just “being”–I only went to yoga once in three weeks–so naturally it’s going to take some time before I realize I’m actually here, in Mexico, for the next two and a half months.
One thing: I’ve already started to lose my grip on what day of the week it is. Either I’m really, really tired, or Mexico is catching up to me faster than I thought.
