It's officially summer in Mexico. I've known this for a couple weeks, but it truly hit me yesterday when I was putting fresh sheets on the bed and sweat was running down the side of my face. It is cooler when it rains, but that doesn't happen everyday, and it feels like we're inside a sauna during those times in between.
I tend to get aggravated when I'm overheated (as Ibis will attest to) and things that normally wouldn't be a big deal suddenly become the reason that life as I know it will never be the same. A bit dramatic, I know.
As I mentioned last week, I've started querying, and I'm thinking that maybe I should have waited until next week -- at the very least -- to send those puppies out. Aside from the eternal wait for news on Ibis' immigration, next week I'm finding out about something else rather big that I'm not going to get into here. Add to that the recent news that a dear friend has a brain tumor, and my stress level is much higher than normal. When that happens my anxiety kicks in and suddenly I can't breath very well.
Which brings us back to the weather. I don't know how many of you have asthma, allergies, or other breathing issues, but when the humidity level is hovering around 80%, it's particularly tricky getting oxygen into spasming lungs.
Do you have any suggestions on how I can calm myself when everything is out of my control? And please don't say "buy this" or "hang out at a cute little coffee shop." I need options that don't cost money or require a metropolis.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Unanticipated Side Effect
Despite the woman at the Mexican Immigration office telling me that I could write on my application that I speak Spanish fluently, I'm not quite there. I understand a lot more than I speak, which means I can follow a conversation, I just can't always add my twenty cents. (If you know me, you know I don't stop at two cents.) I did pretty well during our week in DF and once they all figured out that I could answer them, I was one of the gang.
Then I came home and tried to write in English. Yeah, no.
I sometimes tease myself that I'm going dyslexic because my fingers get going too fast for their own good and the words come out a jumble, and that's without a Spanish mish-mash going on in my head. The day we got home it was as if I'd forgotten how to type. Even now I'm catching myself making mistakes that I know are a result of dual languages.
This was especially alarming since my main goal after our trip was the final pass-through of my wip. Woops. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making excuses -- I just never expected this side effect. I have noticed occasional slips in word order when I'm talking, but the writing thing is new for me.
Have you ever noticed something that effects the mechanics of how you write or type? Aside from a heavy night of drinking?
Then I came home and tried to write in English. Yeah, no.
I sometimes tease myself that I'm going dyslexic because my fingers get going too fast for their own good and the words come out a jumble, and that's without a Spanish mish-mash going on in my head. The day we got home it was as if I'd forgotten how to type. Even now I'm catching myself making mistakes that I know are a result of dual languages.
This was especially alarming since my main goal after our trip was the final pass-through of my wip. Woops. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making excuses -- I just never expected this side effect. I have noticed occasional slips in word order when I'm talking, but the writing thing is new for me.
Have you ever noticed something that effects the mechanics of how you write or type? Aside from a heavy night of drinking?
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Tias, Tacos, and Televisions
Unless a wave of inspiration knocks me over in the next twenty-four hours, this might have to be the last of the alliterated highlights from our trip to Mexico City. I already have a couple ideas for a writing-based post, but we'll see.
Tia means aunt, and not only did we get to visit with two of Ibis' aunts whom I adore, but I was referred to as Tia by several people who seem way too old to be calling me that. It's one thing when our four-year old nephew runs around saying "Tia, Tia, Tia" -- he only comes up to my hip. My "nieces and nephews" on this trip ranged from fourteen to twenty-seven! Fortunately the oldest just called me by my name.
Ibis's mother was the youngest of thirteen children so her siblings' children are somewhere between our age and that of our parents. It seems weird to be calling people I associate with my parents "cousins" and I found myself relating more to the younger generation. I guess that shows my immaturity, lol.
On the fourth day of our trip when the cousin we were staying with asked me my name for the hundredth time, it occurred to me that the youngins might have chosen to call me Tia because they couldn't pronounce my name. That I am used to here.
As you all know, I've been living in Mexico for well over two years, and in my time here I've had lots and lots (and lots) of traditional Mexican food. Molé, enchiladas, carne asada, tiritas, postres... you get the idea. Well for whatever reason, his family was under the impression that I've never eaten any of these things and they were all determined to introduce me to "traditional" Mexican cuisine.
The most common meal? Tacos.
Seriously?
Don't get me wrong. I love tacos. We eat them all the time. In fact, I was introduced to real tacos (meat, onion, cilantro -- nothing more) while still living in Chicago. I have nothing against tacos. But when we're in the capital of an entire country, surrounded by restaurants from all over the world -- most of which we don't have in Zihua -- I don't want tacos. At one point I even said to Ibis that is seemed like they were treating us like we were visiting from the US, not another part of Mexico. Oh well, I made pasta when we got home and the Thai will have to wait for another trip.
Finally, Televisions.
I think I've been surrounded by near-poverty for too long because I almost fell over every time we walked into another family member's home and were greeted by a 60+" flat screen tv. Often times there were three or four in each home. Wtf?
We have a nice flat screen in my parents' basement, waiting under a blanket for us to return. (Actually, I think my dad finally made good on his threat to hook it up, but it's still in the basement.) We've made do with our 13" television for so long that I had forgotten how lovely it is to sit on the couch and feel like you can reach out and touch the actors.
This may seem like a silly thing to point out, but I noticed it in each home, to the point that I started to wonder if they all went in and bought them in bulk or something. Can you do that with electronics?
In all seriousness, the best thing about this trip is I felt more like myself than I have in a very long time. No one stared at me, they just treated me like a normal person, even if I am lighter than everyone else and my eyes are blue. I didn't feel out of place and I truly enjoyed meeting my family. If I was disappointed about anything, it's that it took us two years to go visit.
The nephew that prompted this get-together is studying medicine in England and won't return to Mexico for another year and a half, so we're already talking about going back for that. He joked that we should all come to London in 2012 for the Olympics, so of course Ibis started inviting everyone to Chicago in 2016.
Only time will tell.
Tia means aunt, and not only did we get to visit with two of Ibis' aunts whom I adore, but I was referred to as Tia by several people who seem way too old to be calling me that. It's one thing when our four-year old nephew runs around saying "Tia, Tia, Tia" -- he only comes up to my hip. My "nieces and nephews" on this trip ranged from fourteen to twenty-seven! Fortunately the oldest just called me by my name.
Ibis's mother was the youngest of thirteen children so her siblings' children are somewhere between our age and that of our parents. It seems weird to be calling people I associate with my parents "cousins" and I found myself relating more to the younger generation. I guess that shows my immaturity, lol.
On the fourth day of our trip when the cousin we were staying with asked me my name for the hundredth time, it occurred to me that the youngins might have chosen to call me Tia because they couldn't pronounce my name. That I am used to here.
As you all know, I've been living in Mexico for well over two years, and in my time here I've had lots and lots (and lots) of traditional Mexican food. Molé, enchiladas, carne asada, tiritas, postres... you get the idea. Well for whatever reason, his family was under the impression that I've never eaten any of these things and they were all determined to introduce me to "traditional" Mexican cuisine.
The most common meal? Tacos.
Seriously?
Don't get me wrong. I love tacos. We eat them all the time. In fact, I was introduced to real tacos (meat, onion, cilantro -- nothing more) while still living in Chicago. I have nothing against tacos. But when we're in the capital of an entire country, surrounded by restaurants from all over the world -- most of which we don't have in Zihua -- I don't want tacos. At one point I even said to Ibis that is seemed like they were treating us like we were visiting from the US, not another part of Mexico. Oh well, I made pasta when we got home and the Thai will have to wait for another trip.
Finally, Televisions.
I think I've been surrounded by near-poverty for too long because I almost fell over every time we walked into another family member's home and were greeted by a 60+" flat screen tv. Often times there were three or four in each home. Wtf?
We have a nice flat screen in my parents' basement, waiting under a blanket for us to return. (Actually, I think my dad finally made good on his threat to hook it up, but it's still in the basement.) We've made do with our 13" television for so long that I had forgotten how lovely it is to sit on the couch and feel like you can reach out and touch the actors.
This may seem like a silly thing to point out, but I noticed it in each home, to the point that I started to wonder if they all went in and bought them in bulk or something. Can you do that with electronics?
In all seriousness, the best thing about this trip is I felt more like myself than I have in a very long time. No one stared at me, they just treated me like a normal person, even if I am lighter than everyone else and my eyes are blue. I didn't feel out of place and I truly enjoyed meeting my family. If I was disappointed about anything, it's that it took us two years to go visit.
The nephew that prompted this get-together is studying medicine in England and won't return to Mexico for another year and a half, so we're already talking about going back for that. He joked that we should all come to London in 2012 for the Olympics, so of course Ibis started inviting everyone to Chicago in 2016.
Only time will tell.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Skating, a Stuffed Sheep, and a Snake
Several strange things happened within our first twenty-four hours in Mexico City last week. First, ice skating.
If you're thinking that it never occurred to you that people ice skate in Mexico, you're not alone. While trying to decide what to do, the family was debating between a movie and patinaje. Since I didn't know what the heck that was, I voted for a movie UNTIL I discovered it was ice skating. I pretty much always take the active option if there is one and I haven't skated in years.
The two on either side of Ibis both play ice hockey and are very good skaters. The rest of us not so much, especially because there was a half inch of water on the ice surface and the skates hadn't been sharpened in quite some time. After skating we played air hockey for over an hour. Yay!
The following morning we went to a "traditional" Mexican restaurant for breakfast, complete with stuffed sheep in the median out front.
By stuffed, I mean formerly living and now taxidermied for the public's viewing pleasure. The restaurant served mostly meat, but as far as I know, it did not serve sheep. Unless I missed something.
After breakfast a large group of us went to a small historical town (I didn't catch the name) to tour the cathedral and convent. On the way across the plaza, we stopped to check out this ginormous snake. Don't they look excited?
There was a wedding going on in the cathedral so we saw the wedding party cruise by in a horse-drawn carriage. We spent about an hour touring the cathedral, during which time we lost two of the aunts for a short time, but we found them waiting on a bench near the entrance. Smart ladies.
Then I got lost with both of them when we went to find the bathroom (yes, I realize the bathrooms are becoming a theme).
Have you ever held a giant snake like this?
If you're thinking that it never occurred to you that people ice skate in Mexico, you're not alone. While trying to decide what to do, the family was debating between a movie and patinaje. Since I didn't know what the heck that was, I voted for a movie UNTIL I discovered it was ice skating. I pretty much always take the active option if there is one and I haven't skated in years.
The two on either side of Ibis both play ice hockey and are very good skaters. The rest of us not so much, especially because there was a half inch of water on the ice surface and the skates hadn't been sharpened in quite some time. After skating we played air hockey for over an hour. Yay!
The following morning we went to a "traditional" Mexican restaurant for breakfast, complete with stuffed sheep in the median out front.
By stuffed, I mean formerly living and now taxidermied for the public's viewing pleasure. The restaurant served mostly meat, but as far as I know, it did not serve sheep. Unless I missed something.
After breakfast a large group of us went to a small historical town (I didn't catch the name) to tour the cathedral and convent. On the way across the plaza, we stopped to check out this ginormous snake. Don't they look excited?
There was a wedding going on in the cathedral so we saw the wedding party cruise by in a horse-drawn carriage. We spent about an hour touring the cathedral, during which time we lost two of the aunts for a short time, but we found them waiting on a bench near the entrance. Smart ladies.
Then I got lost with both of them when we went to find the bathroom (yes, I realize the bathrooms are becoming a theme).
Have you ever held a giant snake like this?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy 4th of July!
Since today happens to be a Saturday and some of the hotels shoot off fireworks on Saturdays, we might actually get a show tonight. We don't have any special plans and since I'm assuming most of the world will NOT be online, it'll be a quiet day for me.
I didn't get a chance to read Anna Karenina on the trip because the bus was a lot bouncier than I expected, but I've started it since we've returned. I can think of worse ways to spend the day than curling up with a HUGE book, especially now that the rainy season is here and we've actually had a few gray days. (I'm happy about the clouds.)
Have a great day!
I didn't get a chance to read Anna Karenina on the trip because the bus was a lot bouncier than I expected, but I've started it since we've returned. I can think of worse ways to spend the day than curling up with a HUGE book, especially now that the rainy season is here and we've actually had a few gray days. (I'm happy about the clouds.)
Have a great day!
Friday, July 3, 2009
A Pyramid, a Palace, and a Potty
Round one of the highlights of our trip to Mexico City. I think the title explains it fairly well. The first two are sights that thousands of people before me have already immortalized, but the last one is all mine.
First, the ruins at Teotihuacán. There are two main pyramids: Pirámide del Sol (Sun) and Pirámide de la Luna (Moon). Here we're on the latter:
An entire town surrounds the pyramids, and some of the paintings have been preserved quite well. There are brochures and guided tours that explain what each brick used to be and what the residents most likely used each area for, but we had more fun coming up with our own explanations. Besides, I've read enough history to have a basic idea. Playing fields? Check. One-room homes? Check. Sacrificial altars? Check.
The brochure says it's four kilometers from the parking lot to the Moon Pyramid, so we walked at least 8K, and that's not counting the hike skyward. Ibis and I are both in good shape, but the elevation in Mexico City is nearly a mile higher than here in Zihua and my lungs could feel it.
The following day we went on a tour of downtown Mexico City. Yes, that meant more walking, but fortunately the majority of the trip was on a double-decker tour bus, aka turibus.
This is the Mexican white house -- El Palacio Prediential -- where Felipe Calderón does his thing. There was a small barricade surrounding the building, but nothing compared to the security in Washington, DC. I didn't notice many guards there (besides in the doorways) but another building on the plaza had at least 30 armed guards all lined up along the pedestrian pathway. Maybe Felipe was getting lunch there?
Finally, one bizarre story for today. You can't really see it, but in the middle of the block there's a blue sign that says "WC" (water closet). Yes, this is the infamous bathroom.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, a couple days ago I mentioned in the comments that Ibis and I used a bathroom in the heart of the city and had an experience that ranks up there as one of the most bizarre of my life.
We paid our three pesos each (four for me because I wanted paper -- shocking, I know) and were directed down a narrow passageway. There was only one entrance but a woman waved us both through. We stepped hesitantly into another hallway and were plunged into darkness. Plunged. Buried under six feet of dirt plunged.
A single beam of light bounced it's way toward us and a woman mumbled at me to go into another room off the hallway. I guess this was the ladies room. She held up the flashlight so I could see the row of cloth-covered doors, then ran away, leaving me back in the darkness.
I should point out that before I split up from Ibis, there were several people wandering the first dark hallway, all seeming a bit lost and confused. Ibis was shuttled further down that hallway and I never saw him again until he emerged back outside (after me). I did, however, hear his voice from time to time, and that made it all a little less freaky, although I never did figure out what it was he kept saying.
Back to the stall -- I locked myself in and tried not to think about what might be going on in such a weird place. It was quite cramped so I looked over my shoulder to get a lay of the land. Nothing. I was sure there was a toilet but I sure as hell couldn't see it. I was wondering what to do (for you men who've never had to squat over a toilet when you can't see what you're doing, this was quite daunting) when I noticed a small flashlight balanced on the edge of the stall door. Score!
I grabbed the light and set about doing my business when a woman came running into the room and started yelling at me. There were a lot of voices echoing in there so I couldn't quite tell what she was saying, but I did hear "lampara" (flashlight). There didn't seem to be anyone else in that particular room, so I knew she was talking to me, and man was she was pissed! I shoved it at her under the stall door and she snatched it away, plunging me -- you guessed it -- back into darkness.
Now let's evaluate the situation for a moment. Squatting, darkness, nasty cranky woman, and an inability to see ANYTHING. Yeah, I didn't flush.
I burrowed my way towards the light, yelled to Ibis (who I assumed was still in there) that I'd wait for him outside, and promptly ran into a man trying to enter the bathroom. As we were trying to figure out how to get past each other, a little girl opened the stall door (from inside) that happened to be between us. I never expected to play mediator between a grown man and a little girl in a Mexican bathroom, but that's what I did.
I stumbled outside, blinded by the midday sun, and wondered if I should stop the unsuspecting people heading inside.
First, the ruins at Teotihuacán. There are two main pyramids: Pirámide del Sol (Sun) and Pirámide de la Luna (Moon). Here we're on the latter:
An entire town surrounds the pyramids, and some of the paintings have been preserved quite well. There are brochures and guided tours that explain what each brick used to be and what the residents most likely used each area for, but we had more fun coming up with our own explanations. Besides, I've read enough history to have a basic idea. Playing fields? Check. One-room homes? Check. Sacrificial altars? Check.
The brochure says it's four kilometers from the parking lot to the Moon Pyramid, so we walked at least 8K, and that's not counting the hike skyward. Ibis and I are both in good shape, but the elevation in Mexico City is nearly a mile higher than here in Zihua and my lungs could feel it.
The following day we went on a tour of downtown Mexico City. Yes, that meant more walking, but fortunately the majority of the trip was on a double-decker tour bus, aka turibus.
This is the Mexican white house -- El Palacio Prediential -- where Felipe Calderón does his thing. There was a small barricade surrounding the building, but nothing compared to the security in Washington, DC. I didn't notice many guards there (besides in the doorways) but another building on the plaza had at least 30 armed guards all lined up along the pedestrian pathway. Maybe Felipe was getting lunch there?
Finally, one bizarre story for today. You can't really see it, but in the middle of the block there's a blue sign that says "WC" (water closet). Yes, this is the infamous bathroom.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, a couple days ago I mentioned in the comments that Ibis and I used a bathroom in the heart of the city and had an experience that ranks up there as one of the most bizarre of my life.
We paid our three pesos each (four for me because I wanted paper -- shocking, I know) and were directed down a narrow passageway. There was only one entrance but a woman waved us both through. We stepped hesitantly into another hallway and were plunged into darkness. Plunged. Buried under six feet of dirt plunged.
A single beam of light bounced it's way toward us and a woman mumbled at me to go into another room off the hallway. I guess this was the ladies room. She held up the flashlight so I could see the row of cloth-covered doors, then ran away, leaving me back in the darkness.
I should point out that before I split up from Ibis, there were several people wandering the first dark hallway, all seeming a bit lost and confused. Ibis was shuttled further down that hallway and I never saw him again until he emerged back outside (after me). I did, however, hear his voice from time to time, and that made it all a little less freaky, although I never did figure out what it was he kept saying.
Back to the stall -- I locked myself in and tried not to think about what might be going on in such a weird place. It was quite cramped so I looked over my shoulder to get a lay of the land. Nothing. I was sure there was a toilet but I sure as hell couldn't see it. I was wondering what to do (for you men who've never had to squat over a toilet when you can't see what you're doing, this was quite daunting) when I noticed a small flashlight balanced on the edge of the stall door. Score!
I grabbed the light and set about doing my business when a woman came running into the room and started yelling at me. There were a lot of voices echoing in there so I couldn't quite tell what she was saying, but I did hear "lampara" (flashlight). There didn't seem to be anyone else in that particular room, so I knew she was talking to me, and man was she was pissed! I shoved it at her under the stall door and she snatched it away, plunging me -- you guessed it -- back into darkness.
Now let's evaluate the situation for a moment. Squatting, darkness, nasty cranky woman, and an inability to see ANYTHING. Yeah, I didn't flush.
I burrowed my way towards the light, yelled to Ibis (who I assumed was still in there) that I'd wait for him outside, and promptly ran into a man trying to enter the bathroom. As we were trying to figure out how to get past each other, a little girl opened the stall door (from inside) that happened to be between us. I never expected to play mediator between a grown man and a little girl in a Mexican bathroom, but that's what I did.
I stumbled outside, blinded by the midday sun, and wondered if I should stop the unsuspecting people heading inside.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Crossing the Line
We arrived in Zihua at 8am Wednesday morning, despite our bus leaving Mexico City an hour late. This time we went via Acapulco so instead of twelve hours like on the way there, we made it in nine. And I managed to sleep most of the way.
I haven't yet gathered my thoughts to tell you about the trip because I spent most of Wednesday reading the 140+ blogs in my Google Reader account AND going over my very last edits for my wip. Today I plan to make those final changes, tweak my synopsis then -- *fingers crossed* -- send that puppy out.
Part of me can't believe I've finally arrived at this point, but the other part is quick to remind me that I'd initially set a goal of querying by the end of February. If I'm counting correctly, I'm a bit off that mark. Now, before you get all encouraging and tell me that it's better to wait and make sure you present the best work possible, I'd like to point out that that's exactly what I did. I've spent an extra five months adding, revising, rewriting, cutting, and pasting, then I threw in some Mexican seasonings and here we are.
What's been fun is there are several blog friends out there who are also at this juncture. It's exciting to follow along with their journey since I understand (finally) exactly what they're going through. That said (and I can't remember if I said it here before or not), I don't plan to give blow-by-blow details of my query process here on my blog. I'll certainly share good news, but I don't want this to become a pity party.
So, now that you know what I'm doing today, what did I miss while I was gone?
I haven't yet gathered my thoughts to tell you about the trip because I spent most of Wednesday reading the 140+ blogs in my Google Reader account AND going over my very last edits for my wip. Today I plan to make those final changes, tweak my synopsis then -- *fingers crossed* -- send that puppy out.
Part of me can't believe I've finally arrived at this point, but the other part is quick to remind me that I'd initially set a goal of querying by the end of February. If I'm counting correctly, I'm a bit off that mark. Now, before you get all encouraging and tell me that it's better to wait and make sure you present the best work possible, I'd like to point out that that's exactly what I did. I've spent an extra five months adding, revising, rewriting, cutting, and pasting, then I threw in some Mexican seasonings and here we are.
What's been fun is there are several blog friends out there who are also at this juncture. It's exciting to follow along with their journey since I understand (finally) exactly what they're going through. That said (and I can't remember if I said it here before or not), I don't plan to give blow-by-blow details of my query process here on my blog. I'll certainly share good news, but I don't want this to become a pity party.
So, now that you know what I'm doing today, what did I miss while I was gone?
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