I Believe This is What They Refer to As "Coming Full Circle"

When I was in Chicago preparing to move to Mexico, I had a small stroke of luck: my employer switched health insurance. This may not seem like a big deal, but as a woman facing a move to a country with uncertain medical standards, the opportunity to squeeze in all my doctors appointments even though it'd been less than a year since I'd last seen these doctors was HUGE.

I discovered an eye infection and a cavity, both easily fixed. On my last day of work I returned to the office after a final lunch with the girls and someone called out that my doctor had called while I was out. I knew she was planning to call with my test results (she knew I was moving) so I hurried to my desk to return her call.

My stomach dropped with her first words:

"I had a bad feeling when you told me you were leaving the country that there would be a problem."

Just what a girl likes to hear before moving to a country with uncertain medical standards. I had a going-away party planned for that night (my fourth that week) but I asked if there was any way she could see me since my insurance ended THAT DAY.

She said no, then kindly assured me that the tests I needed were very common and I shouldn't have a problem finding a doctor to perform them. She spelled out everything I needed & what the exact procedures were, then offered to stay in contact via email (which she did for a couple months).

And with that, I moved to Mexico.

I found a doctor within a week and thus began what ended up being one of my closest relationships in Zihua. In the three years I've been here I think I've seen this doctor at LEAST twenty or thirty times. Probably more. (and that's just off the top of my head.) I can't tell you how many times we've be thankful that we ARE in Mexico because even though I don't have insurance, the average visit costs 300-500 pesos, roughly $25-40 US. Sure, US co-pays are less, but I'm not paying a monthly deductible.

Anyway, over the past three years I've had countless exams, one biopsy, two minor procedures and one major procedure. Each time I go back for a follow-up, she's found something new. To say this has been frustrating would be an understatement, but at least now I speak Spanish well enough to go on my own. Ibis had act as my translator on those first few visits and he wasn't always as helpful as I'd have liked. Not to mention the doctor viewed me as a delicate American. Once I ditched him, my relationship with the doctor grew.

I wasn't due to see her again until the end of March, but when I decided to return to Michigan I scheduled an appointment at the beginning of February. On Monday Ibis and I went to get my results (they don't mail or call here) and she greeted us with a smile.

"You're fine."

"Everything is okay?"

"Yes. You're healthy."

It didn't seem real. After three years, visiting her on average every other month and CONSTANTLY getting more bad news, I didn't quite believe her. Ibis even asked her again to make sure.

I'll have to find a new doctor and schedule an appointment in another six months, but that's so much better than "fill out this prescription and come see me again in two weeks."

I keep feeling like she's going to call and tell me there was a mistake -- THAT would be fitting for the way things seem to go for me -- but for now I'm trying to focus on the fact that I'm healthy.

I'm Healed!

Well, sort of.

I saw the doctor Tuesday evening and after a couple minutes of poking, he declared me fine. I have to keep putting ointment on it for another three weeks, which means STILL no swimming or beachy things, and I still have to wear a band-aid, but I don't have to go back to his office.

Yay!

We didn't discuss why he wasn't there on Friday, and frankly, I didn't have the energy to ask. I'm just glad this is almost over.

Tuesday Stuff and Things

I haven't done one of these in awhile, and since I'm having trouble forming a thought long enough to make up an entire blog post, you get odds and ends.

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As of Saturday, we finally have a wash basin/tub that's large enough to hold water AND ME! We bought it so we have something large enough to hold Owen (we've been washing him in a bucket up until now) but if I sit with my legs crossed I can finally cool off in a "pool."

Only problem -- we haven't figured out an effective way to empty it.

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I was supposed to go to the doctor last Friday to get a check-up on my toe, but when I arrived I was told he'd already left for the day. They didn't call because "they don't have my number," which isn't true, and told me to come back on Monday.

We called several times on Monday to confirm, but no one answered and so I didn't go. We plan to try again today.

It seems to be healing nicely and I've made the executive decision to switch from the large bandage that requires lots of tape to a regular old band-aid. Now I can shower multiple times a day. Or go in a "pool".

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We have friends in town! Regular reader and commenter Mary is here with her husband and we've already gotten together twice. We met them during their stay last year (they stayed where Ibis was working) and now they're back!

Mary is the first blog reader to have the honor of meeting Owen, and so far everyone seemed to like each other. :)

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My grandmother is recovering well from spinal surgery and last week moved from the hospital to an assisted living/rehab place where she will have physical therapy, etc. We're all very relieved that things seem to be going so well.

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Finally, we still have bugs, although not as bad, and I'm itchy.

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What's new with you?

Seven o'Clock and All is Well!

After our overly exciting Thursday evening, the weekend was rather uneventful. Typically I wouldn't bother writing a blog post about that, but I know a lot of you were concerned (or still are concerned) and I wanted to reassure you. Sure, there were more killings and mutilations and all that fun stuff, but things in the Avila household were business as usual.

One thing I keep forgetting to give you an update on is my toe. (Adam, please control yourself.) I had a "procedure" done my first week back from the states where a portion of my toenail and some infected tissue were removed. I've had to wear a bandage ever since -- and let me just tell you how fun that is with a puppy.

My latest appointment was this past Friday and the doctor didn't have much to say about it, just that I'm to return in three more weeks. The biggest hassle is because I'm only supposed to change the bandage once a day, I have to encase my foot in a plastic bag if I shower more than once. This time of year I typically shower three times a day, so let's just say while things in the Avila household may be business as usual, they are a little more ripe.

Ahem.

Anyway, things are fine, I'm writing over 500 words per day (give or take) and I'm almost to the climactic scenes of my story.

Anything exciting happen over the weekend? Did you SEE the adorable picture of Owen crying? *sigh*

Crocs to the Rescue!

Hi! I'm back and I swear I plan to tell you about my trip -- I've already compiled a list of bizarre things I saw over the past two weeks -- but something more pressing is on my mind.

On the first full day of my trip I slammed my big toe into the side of the island in my cousin's kitchen and by the next day it was looking pretty gross. I've been comparing it to the alien that busts out of Sigourney Weaver's stomach -- all flesh and blood and other goopy stuff, none of which is very convenient when you're traversing across three states.

It looked like it was getting better over this past weekend, but then Tuesday things went downhill. Walking through three airports* on Wednesday didn't help, so as soon as I got home we found a doctor and headed right back out. Now I have antibiotics and creams and, most importantly, an appointment to get the whole mess sliced off on Saturday. (yum)

So where do the Crocs fit into this story? Well, as you may be aware, we have a chewing, biting puppy who doesn't understand that the slightest touch will make me pass out from the pain. I spent an hour running around on one leg (which is not as easy as it sounds) before I remembered my camouflage Crocs I bought when I was home last year.

They're perfect because the bulbous area up front doesn't touch my toes and they are sturdy enough to kind of keep Owen off me. They may also keep anyone else from coming near me, but since I can barely walk, I suppose I'll take it.


*While writing this post Wednesday night I found out there was a hijacking situation with a Mexican flight and that the plane was in Mexico City. I was there when that happened but all I saw were some Federales dealing with something important (ie: running around looking all serious 'n stuff).

Owen's Due Process Legal Fund - Four Days Left

I'm repeating my post from a couple weeks ago. Arran and his family have almost reached their goal, but not quite. Please help in any way you can, even if it's just to pass along the message.

Thank you.


**********


A friend of mine from college, Arran McWhirter, is at the end of a due process case against the local school district to ensure that his son Owen, who was diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in April 2008, receives that which the schools are required to provide him by law -- a Free and Appropriate Public Education.

They have incurred substantial legal fees -- over $150,000. They've already paid nearly $50,000 of that but have a long way to go. They are in the process of taking out loans but it still won't be enough -- they need your help. They have set the amount here to be raised on their site at $10,000-- it is a minimum amount that they hope is attainable by May 17th, 2009. Still, they'd like to raise as much as they can up to $150,000.

Owen's Due Process Legal Fund

The Administrative Judge will make a ruling on the case on May 28th. If they are the prevailing party they may be able to recover some of the legal costs. If they are to prevail and do not need the all of the money raised, whatever is left will be donated to Autism Speaks' advocacy program.

This is from Arran:

When your child is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and you start to read and do research about what s/he needs, one of the first things you learn is just how very important early intervention is to the management/treatment of autism. And not just early intervention, but intense early intervention. When we left Argentina, we did so because we couldn’t get Owen the early intervention services that everyone was telling us were so important for him. We returned to the US because, we, like every other parent of a special needs child, thought that those services would be available. They are available, at an exorbitant cost. And while we were naive to think that the State of North Carolina would provide most of the services, that the federal government under the IDEA act, had provided children like Owen the right to an education. We were wrong.

The short of our story (which is not a unique story by any means) is that while Owen was found eligible for services under his diagnosis of autism and and IEP was written, he was only offered 3 hours of services a week — a far cry from the intense early intervention that researchers, doctors and educators say he needs. We are positive that Owen will be able to enter a typical kindergarten class with his peers when the time comes but in order to get him ready he needs intervention. He’s getting what he needs, of course, because we have no choice but to provide it to him privately. What else are we supposed to do?

When people find out that we hired a lawyer to fight this they think we are crazy. It’s not a fight we can win, I’m told. It’s not a system that can be easily changed, I hear people say. I listen, and I nod, I tell them that I know, I understand, I get it, I do. But, what else am I supposed to do? What else can I do but fight. I fight for my son, for his rights. Isn’t that my job? This is not an easy battle, but neither is the fight against autism. It’s just unfair that you have to do both at the same time.

I know you don't know Arran, but he's a good person who's just trying to do what's best for his son. If there's any way you can help, even if it's just to forward this message along or post it on your own blog, it'd mean a lot to me and his family.

Thank you.

Editing, Books, and a Little Help

Saturday I officially started my "edits." I've spent the past month -- ugh, that long? -- writing seven new chapters for a subplot I decided to add, and as I finished those last week, it was finally time to get to the real edits.

Chapter One took me most of Saturday and it was only seven pages. Not the best start, but it was also the chapter with the most red ink from my readers. My wip originally started with what's now Chapter Two and I added the new first chapter because the action was actually starting too late (unlike most newbies who start it too early). That meant I'd spent less time tweaking the first chapter, and there were a lot of little details I'd left out.

Yesterday I tweaked some more (I fear this word will quickly dominate my vocabulary) and was all set to move onto Chapter Two when the Red Wings game started. I figured a three-hour break on a Sunday afternoon would be nice, but then they went and played THREE overtimes! In hockey, in the playoffs, overtimes are full-length periods (20 minutes) which means they played over five periods -- close to two full games. Needless to say, I didn't get much editing done after that.

Besides the setback yesterday, I'm really excited to finally be ON with it. I've got my word count to 81K -- woo-hoo! -- and I'm enjoying playing around with things and seeing how much I can improve them. I think I've set it aside long enough that I'm able to cut sentences without cringing, but no word yet on full paragraphs -- or eek! -- pages.

*****

For those of you paying attention, I set aside Reading Like a Writer and I'm not sure if I'll go back to it. The lessons in the book are great and I can see how I might benefit from it, but I cannot stand the literary examples she uses and that makes it hard to read the book. The entire book consists of these examples, which she then deconstructs. Um, no.

I did, however, LOVE The Time Traveler's Wife. Oh wow, why didn't anyone tell me how GOOD it is? It took me over a week to finish because I was just drinking up the words and sentences, the descriptions, the emotions. It inspired my own writing so much that I'm tempted to keep flipping through it as I work on my edits.

I haven't started reading anything new yet, but I did pull Writing the Breakout Novel off my shelf. Several people have talked about it recently and since it still ranks as my favorite writing book, I figured it can't hurt to re-read the sections I highlighted on the first read.

*****

Finally, if you haven't already, please take a moment to read my post from Saturday. A friend of mine from college is taking on his local school board to make sure his autistic son gets the education he deserves, and they need help raising the money to pay their legal fees.

Check out his site here:

Owen's Due Process Legal Fund

Update

This is an update to today's earlier post. Please read that for the full story.

*takes sip of large orange juice*

I just got back from the market, and while I was nervous heading there, I feel a little more reassured now. I saw a few people with face masks and the vendors I regularly talk with all knew about the flu.

This morning's paper says that several nightclubs and restaurants have closed, as well as the circus. (Yes, that freaked me out a little. We've already told our nephew's mom to keep an eye on him.) Apparently they shut down the circus in the middle of the act.

So, I'm relieved that people here are aware and the media isn't ignoring it.

I'll keep you posted if anything else develops.

Just When I Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in the Water...

I'm assuming that by now most of you have heard about the swine flu that has struck Mexico and is quickly spreading throughout the world. The Health and Human Services Secretary has declared a public health emergency in the US, Latin American and Asian countries are screening passengers as they arrive at the airports, and Mexico City is in complete lockdown.

Cases have been reported in the US, Canada, and New Zealand, and possible cases are suspected in France, Brazil, Australia, and several other countries. Meanwhile, nothing has been said about it in Zihua.

This article from the BBC seems to give the best breakdown of what's going on.

This one is a little scarier.

This has comments from people in Mexico City, including many doctors. It really gives a perspective that you don't see on CNN.

I'm having a hard time getting any local information, but there was something in the paper over the weekend about an increase in cases of diarrhea (30 reported on Saturday). Health officials think the situation here is from people eating from street vendors. During the dry season (which we're at the end of) there is a lot of dust, excrement mixes with the dirt, then goes airborne. (Yes, it's disgusting to even think about.) They're saying the illnesses are related to the dust, but diarrhea is a symptom of the flu, so I don't know if I believe them.

Needless to say we won't be traveling to Mexico City (DF) anytime soon. We were already planning to wait until the second half of May, and now we'll wait and see what develops. We have family there but they said they're doing fine. In fact, since Ibis' aunt is a teacher and they've closed all the school until May 6th, they might come here to visit instead.

[Update: late last night they called and said it's probably best if neither of us traveled to or from DF. So the visit's off for now.]

I am freaked out about Ibis since he works in a hotel and a lot of people from DF vacation here. I imagine a lot of people who live there might try to leave until things calm down, and may unknowingly bring the virus to other locations. Ibis has strict instructions (from me) to wash his hands a lot and to try not to touch anything, but there's only so much you can do when you work in the service industry.

I've bleached the house and we're thinking about getting an anti-viral to help prevent getting infected. I'm keeping a close eye on this and will let you know if it comes to Zihua.

Please Take Them Away From Me Before I End Up Bald

So many of my friends are on Facebook that I sometimes forget to mention things here on my blog that might be of interest. The latest? I... uh... found a spare moment yesterday - in the midst of constant web projects - to do a little "home renovation."

This is never a good sign:


The end result:


I've been wanting to cut my hair for months and months, but held off because Ibis likes it long. Well, it's getting warmer and, frankly, I'm sick of having to sleep with my hair twisted up and tucked behind my head so it doesn't brush over my skin, making me hallucinate and think there are bugs crawling on me. I rarely wore it down because it's too hot, so at least now my back won't sweat when I'm trying to look "nice." :P

I want to cut a couple more inches but I'll get used to this before doing anything more drastic. I might even break down and visit a salon.

I Think This is What They Mean By "Feel the Burn"

As of 8am this morning, I'm 3287 words away from winning NaNo. *does a little dance* As most of you know, my goal is 60,000 words, so I'm actually 13,287 words away from winning. That works out to roughly 2000 per day for the rest of the month. That's been more or less what I've been doing, so it shouldn't be a problem. Except for one thing.

I am getting burned out.

I still like my story but I'm so sick of my story. I like my characters but I wish they would just get on with it. Yesterday I backtracked and wrote a chapter I'd accidentally skipped, so I feel like I'm moving backwards and my characters are regressing.

Regardless of my mixed feelings, I got up early this morning and wrote 600 words. I think this story will be longer than 60k, but I'd like to get as much done as I can by November 30th so I can tuck it away and work on the edits for The Other Side. I don't want to stop my current wip midway through, so the more I can get done now, the better.

On top of this, I've either been bitten by little bugs or I'm having an allergic reaction to something, because I am ITCHY! My left arm, my chest and my chin are driving me bonkers!

How's your writing coming along? Do you have any ailments you'd like to complain about?



ETA: I completely forgot to mention my lips have been swollen for a couple days and are also itchy. I'm trying to narrow down what foods I've eaten.

Migraine Day

Can someone please remove the steel spike that's going through my jaw, up into my eye, and out my forehead?

Thanks.

So Apparently Vanilla Means Dark Brown

Like many women across the globe, I color my hair every couple months. I used to go to a salon, where Andreas would give me three different colored highlights, but now I use Garnier Nutrisse. Considering I'm still a relative newbie when it comes to home hair color, a mistake here and there should be expected. Up until now, however, it's been smooth sailing.

I've played around with colors - I was really blond over the winter - and lately I've gone a shade darker each time. Nothing drastic, just a slight shift. Well, I tried a new color, Vanilla, and this is what happened:



In case you don't see the problem, please look at yesterday's post and the picture there. Quite a difference, eh?

The good news is NO ONE talked to me this morning. They didn't even look at me. Perhaps I should've done this months ago.

Some String's Trying to Get Me

This morning, while working out, I innocently tugged at a string hanging from the side of my shirt and managed to rip a chunk out of my finger. Ouch. I carried on with my day, started laundry, read the internet, and just discovered this:


What in Tar Nation is going on? (And yes, those are Corona pajama pants, courtesy of my sister, several Christmases ago.) The strings are out to get me!

*****

In serious, writerly news, my aunt has given me the go-ahead to talk about the promotion for her book, Freezing Point, that I helped with. She's doing a "World Tour" with her book, sending it to readers in different countries, where they take pictures. I had fun toting the book to the beach, among other places, so go check out her blog!

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Finally, here's a picture of the sunset the night before all the rain came.

You Don't Know What You've Got, Till It's Gone

There are a lot of things to which you could apply that thought. Batteries when the power goes out, toilet paper after your morning coffee, ice cream that you didn't know you're husband finished. I said goodbye to a lot of things when we left Chicago and moved to Mexico, both tangible and not. I knew it'd be hard leaving my friends and family, but I never imagined how much I'd miss Thai food. I've gained a few things in return (mostly intangible) but I still look forward to someday having those former things back in my life.

However, the things I left behind are not the reason for this post. What I'm missing right now is the ability to breathe. Good ol' oxygen, in and out of the lungs. I'm clearly breathing since I'm able to type on my computer, but it's a struggle.

I've come up with a variety of explanations: my asthma is acting up, the air quality has worsened between increased fires and still no rain, or stress is finally taking it's toll. I've done some research online and difficulty breathing worsens at night, which I found out for myself a few days ago. We debated going to the hospital but I was able to calm myself down enough to fall asleep. The trouble with not being able to breathe is you start to panic and then it gets worse. Just writing about it is making it worse.

I haven't exercised for a couple days, figuring the least I move around the better. We have tracked down a doctor and Ibis just called to let me know I have an appointment later this afternoon. I'm not sure what all he can do besides give me medicine to open my lungs, but I'll be glad to find out if it's anything more serious.

For now I'll stick to shallow breaths and try not to get excited.

New Kicks

I'm really hungry and tired and hot but I thought I'd let you all know that I bought new flip flops today. They have lots of traction so hopefully I won't fall in the middle of the street anymore. Although, the minute I put them on and walked out of the store I proceeded to watch my toes and notice how the polish matches the sandals (pink). That's how I fell in the first place.

Eyes forward!

Left Foot, Right Foot

I learned to walk when I was around a year old. My mother had gone to Spain to visit her youngest sister who was in the Navy and stationed there, so I was staying with my grandparents. The story goes they pushed me back and forth between them until I finally wobbled on my own, and I haven't looked back since.

Perhaps I should.

Yesterday I was running a few errands downtown, among them looking for new "everyday" flip flops. The ones I live in have no traction on the bottom and I've been slipping more and more. I didn't see anything I liked, plus my bags full of produce were getting a little heavy, so I turned back towards the car.

As I approached the curb I looked down to observe how pretty my pink toenails look when Wham! Down I went. It was actually more like wha... woah... hold on... waaaa... ahhh.... wham! Kind of a slow motion tumble. The curbs here are sloped - not the handicapped kind, you can't get a wheelchair up these - but a very steep, and slippery, curve.

My non-traction sandals hit the curb and the rest of me quickly followed. I almost caught myself so I didn't hit the ground as hard as I would've, but I still skinned half my leg and slammed my elbow onto the concrete. I popped up before anyone could ask if I was okay, then ran across the street and hopped into the car.

I'm fine, aside from a bruised elbow and a couple scratches, but I've learned a valuable lesson: next time I want to admire my pedicure, stop moving!




(There was ANOTHER boom followed by a fire, but it's becoming old news...)

It's About Time

I believe in karma, or at least my idea of it. The theory that whatever good or bad things you do in life will eventually work their way back to you. If someone wrongs me I'm able to put aside my urge for revenge with the belief that they will eventually get what's coming to them. I've had personal experiences that back that up, but mostly it involved things happening to other people.

If you believe in my version of karma it would seem likely that at some point, something should be working its way back to me. I've often joked that with all the crap I've had to deal with in the past fifteen months I've got some serious good karma coming my way. I realize if I'm counting on it nothing good will likely happen so I try not to dwell on it, it's just something in the back of my mind.

I haven't gone into a lot of detail here but I've had various health problems that started three days before I moved to Mexico. Well, they didn't start that day but that's when the lab results came in. So on top of all the immigration BS we've had on our minds I've had monthly doctor's visits with a non-English speaking MD. Every time we thought I was fine, something new would turn up.

Well, I finally have been given the green light to move forward with my life (read that how you will). All my problems seem to be under control. The best part - I didn't have to make an appointment before I left. Every single time I've been in there I've had to schedule my next visit but not today! I do have to return at the end of August but that feels like an eternity away.

And best of all she gave me a prescription for some real migraine medicine! Thanks, mom, for suggesting the research ahead of time.

Nine Out of Ten Ain't Bad

Remember a while back I was complaining about my toe? The nail still hasn't grown back but it's doing very well. Even better - the other four toes on my right foot are doing fabulous!

I finally removed the polish that's been on for the past month and to my surprise the nails on my right foot look just like the nails on my left foot! Except, of course, for Mr. Baldy. There's a little nail on the edges and it kind of reminds me of a balding man who just has those patches of hair above his ears. Be glad I'm not posting a picture. When my nails were bright red he really stuck out like a sore... toe. Now I'm tempted to paint the little sides. Don't want to leave him out!

Having nine matching toenails may not seem like a big deal to you, but I've had problems with them for eight or nine years. Trust me, this is a HUGE deal. I've long-since mastered the subtle "tuck the ugly foot underneath the other leg" move and very few people ever knew I had an infection. Now I'm so excited I want to show everyone.

To celebrate I bought a new pair of shoes yesterday. Nothing fancy. Well, by Mexican standards anyway. Everything here is a little showy. They're flip-flops and have lots of silver and white leather and other fun goodness. Great for evening. ;)

How Mexico Has Changed Me - Part 2

I thought I should do a follow-up to my post the other day about ways that I've changed since moving here. While those things are all true, they make it look like my life is all palm trees and piña coladas. So here's the flip side.

I've Become a Rude Pedestrian
I'm generalizing here, but a lot of the locals here don't pay any attention to other people when walking on the sidewalk or down the middle of the street. There are also people who purposely put themselves in the way, actually take a step to the side so they are in your path and you are forced to get out of their way. After months of this happening (especially the young men & woman who try to nudge me off the sidewalk) I decided to fight back. I hold my ground while walking and make other people get out of my way. If people refuse to move (usually teenage girls) I make sure to say something. This may not sound like anything groundbreaking, but I try hard to be polite and I feel bad I've stooped to their level. I do get around much faster though.

My Body Has Weird Scars
I have a big one on my thigh that appeared overnight last spring, as well as a couple smaller ones near my knee. We think it may have been a jellyfish (long story) so that's the story I tell people. Recently a strange mark the size of a silver dollar has appeared on my side. It doesn't hurt but it's noticeable. I always have random bug bites, especially around my ankles, but there's a clump in the middle of my back that won't go away. Oh, and my toenail is still missing.

My Social Life is Nearly Non-Existent
I've always had a busy social life, whether going out to restaurants or dancing at night or playing sports during the day. Here we didn't make our first friends until November and I didn't find my first girlfriend until two months ago. I spent months and months sitting in front of the computer, reading, and watching movies. All pastimes I enjoy but I would have much rather been out having fun. Ibis and I would do things every now and then but we weren't earning any income at that time and it's tough to spend money on anything but necessities when you're in that situation. Now I've been going out a lot more and he thinks I'm trying to make up for lost time. Even so, I spend more days at home than I do out and about.

I No Longer Flinch at the Sound of Gunshots
Don't get me wrong, I still react, but now when I hear a gun fire in the neighborhood I merely turn my head to make sure nothing came through the window. Their frequency has lessened since the holidays passed, but around Christmas and New Years we heard at least 20 to 30 shots per day. New Years Eve I think each person with a gun personally fired that many. We just stay away from the windows and go about our business.

I No Longer Cry When I Hear a Dog Being Beaten
Sadly, this is another common occurrence. I do flinch when I hear the sudden cries of an animal but it no longer disrupts my day. I pause for several minutes and wish I could do something, but really, there's nothing to do. Animals are not viewed as they are in the US. The streets are filled with strays and kids learn early that it's ok to take a swing (or kick) at four-legged creatures.