Six Months On…

Hola, amigos!  It’s hard to believe that I have been in the fine city of San Juan del Rio for six months already, and you sure wouldn’t know it from my Spanish skills, or lack thereof.  In many ways life now seems very “normal” in the sense that I am doing many of the same things here as I would be in Motown: working, paying bills, grocery shopping, and even finishing my %$#@!taxes for our friends at the IRS.  Thank goodness for TurboTax.  What I am trying to say is that the initial excitement that dominated the beginning of this great “adventure” has, not surprisingly, diminished and in many ways it just seems more like…life.  That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just means I’ve been here for a while and that I’m comfortable. 

Many things have occurred since my last update.  First, and most importantly, I now have HOT WATER!  Yes, it’s true.  While I am now using more water and natural gas, my hygiene has noticably improved to the point that girls don’t run screaming in the opposite direction as I approach…at least not for that reason.  It only took four months, but a friend helped me find a great plumber named Don Cruz.  Not only did Mr. Cruz come over for half-an-hour on a Sunday, but he also fought against any payment for his services!  Just a slight difference from the $200 it would cost to even get a plumber on the phone on a Sunday in the States, let alone come to your house.  So any of you using my previous lack of hot water as an excuse not to visit can scratch that one off your list.

I also broke down and bought some new wheels.  Nope, not a car–come on, now.  I bought a sharp-looking, Mexican-made, red mountain bike that I like to call “Diablo.”  Now my commute to work is only ten minutes.

I have also had many notable experiences since January.  For example, I visited my first Mexican beach, Puerto Vallarta, participated in a Native American “Sweat,” watched my first professional soccer match, and even went to see a very Mexican-sounding band by the name of “Intocable” (Untouchable).  The music of Intocable is not really my favorite, but it did give me a great excuse to wear a cowboy hat and spend US$15 for a six pack of Tecate Beer–some things don’t change no matter where you go. 

Work continues to go well.  I am forcing my students to learn at least a little bit about what I think are the important things in American culture and/or the English Language: baseball, March Madness, AC/DC, Texas Hold ‘Em, and General Motors.  Most of them don’t like baseball, have no idea what March Madness is, and can’t understand a word of AC/DC.  However, they did like Texas Hold ‘Em because they beat me handily (no surprise) and they can relate to the auto industry since it is so prevalent down here, and is only becoming more so.   I do have many new students since the New Year, including four eleven-year-olds.  So if any of you have great ideas as to how I can make English fun for the youngsters please let me know–they need your help!

Okay friends, that’s the latest from San Juan del Rio.  I put some new pictures on the page entitled ”New Pics” so take a look.  Yes, there’s even a photo from the Intocable concert.  I’m not sure why I am making such blackmail so freely available, but it is there for your amusement.  I hope you are all happy and healthy.  Be well and remember, “La vida es buena!”  (Life is good!)

DON