| Samantha 的个人资料Postcards from Mexico照片日志列表 |  工具  帮助 |
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5月23日 One Year LaterIt's now one year later since I moved back to Canada from Mexico, and I'm sure you've waited with baited breath to see what I kind of shananagins I'd get into. I've waited myself to see what would unfold, and this is what happened.
I got a job as an art teacher.
I moved to a town of 4000 people, and 10 000 animals.
I bought furniture.
I bought a new sporty red car.
I'm not particularily happier. I have thought about Mexico every single day since I returned, and love my job but still feel a bit uncomfortable in the country. Every night, the news talks about the rising cost of food, but our stores are packed with produce. People worry about funny things, like mowing their lawns with diagonal lines, and scooping up after their pet. White middle class women are apparently having a crisis over spots left on their glasses from the dishwasher. I'd love to see a band of stray dogs run by, crushing these bubble worlds as they pass. Sometimes I call people "the Canadians", and I realize that the after-shock is much stronger than the initial shock of moving to a new place. I'll have to read back to see if I was always this cynical.
On the bright side, I've been back to my own art, and I'm getting some great recognition for it. As I said, I love my job and the people in the tiny town are really nice. I do a lot of volunteering and plan on travelling again soon. I've been able to visit my family often, and I never want to leave them when I'm there. I've also been able to save for laser eye surgery, to take place in one month. I'm counting down the hours for that.
Thirty days until I literally see my country with new eyes.
The Canadian media is roasting Mexico for its safety record, but it still fills my dreams with colour and taste.
3月19日 The NeveríaAfter an exhausting day of art exhibitions and a foreign film, a friend and I stopped into a nevería (ice cream shop) off of Insurgentes, to recharge.
The shop was a hole in the wall, but you could tell it was good because it was full of locals. The dog-eared menu also told customers that it´s been in business since 1921. There was an aged picture of the shop hanging regally on the wall, along with faded posters of Paris, and strange modern pieces.
The place reminded me of my grandfather´s old barber shop for some reason, I think it was the colours and the time period, that fact that neither place ever changed. The shop so nostalgic that I had to take a photo, an image that I haven´t been able to stop reflecting upon. 3月3日 Following the Via LacteaMy decision to return North in a couple of months has completely changed the dynamics of my life, and I've found myself taking a closer look at everything around me, energetically, but also nostalgically.
I went to the zoo and art galleries today, trying to rediscover the city with my fresh eyes. It was a sensory overload, and I though, how can I have a four year degree in fine art and not be recording this properly? The tipsy toddlers wobbling infront of my feet? The smell of peanuts roasting in sugar? The sound of the giggles coming from the river... the sun burning new freckles into my skin? I decided then and there that my new resolution is to take at least one good photograph a day, a photo that tries to catch the energy that floats around me.
When it was time to head home, I strolled towards Reforma Avenue and scanned the busses passing by. I tried to find one that was going fast, because if they aren't traveling at a speed that makes me clutch the bars on the seat, I feel like I'm never going to get back. Tonight, I waited for a bus that was going slow, so that I could daydream and take in the scenery. Yes, traffic has become romantic. The bus glided and the spiky-haired driver soflty nodded his head to the polka music he had playing on the radio. It was just our bus and a thousand other vehicles, slipping in and out of lanes, forming a wave of red and white lights in the twilight. The only way I can explain the feeling was like watching a movie of my life.
When I stepped off the micro I was listening to a song called Via Lactea (Milky Way). Suddenly, I felt the urge to look up at the sky. The stars punched out of the darkness, and a full moon illuminated my path. When you can't adequately explain how you feel, blame it on the moon. 2月25日 Random Acts of KindnessOne of my favourite newspaper articles is a weekly collection of stories called Random Acts of Kindess, published by the Toronto Star (http://www.thestar.com/ActsKindness/article/124892). In a world that likes to deliver us the worst, most sensationalized reports, this page always warms my heart.
Hundreds of people read this blog a week, but I hear very few of your own stories. I am wondering, what random acts of kindness have you found in Mexico? Or in any country for that matter? Please post under comments.
One of my most memorable was when I was volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and a single mother who was pulling everything together for her family, made my group and I a simple but delicious lunch to show her appreciation for the help. I've always wondered how the house came along in the end. 2月1日 One Step Closer to KnowingLast week I made an incredibly hard decision, one that I avoided telling people until I had whispered it a thousand times to myself. I decided that I will stay in Canada after I finish my contract this May.
Mexico is my country, I'm so proud that I can say that. It was good to question my place here as a foreigner, but I realized that when I'm with my friends, co-workers, and Mexican family, we don't really think of me as a foreigner, we're just together, being. I immersed myself as much as possible into everything the country had to offer... and then it became natural. Bump into me and I'll say "ay" instead of "oh". Ask me what my favourite food is and I'll say pozole without missing a beat. Ask me what I'm thinking, and sometimes I like the Spanish words that come to my head better than the English ones. Put me in a line of people waiting for something inane and bureaucratic, and I'll patiently daydream. This country had profoundly changed me, and I don't know how to say thank you. I can't live like I did before.
So why would I leave it? It came down to a couple of reasons. First, I've been able to live quite comfortably here, but it's almost impossible to save for the other things that I aspire to do. Professionally and financially, it's like being stuck in a permanent limbo, I couldn't see a place to rise at this point in my life. Staying in Mexico would mean only staying in Mexico, and I dream of traveling to places like Egypt, Madagascar, Peru...
Secondly of course, is my family. I think they might actually be worth visiting regularly in -20 degree weather, but that's a maybe ;)
I've started to tell some of my friends here, and they're happy for me- they had been asking since I arrived why I would stay. But Mexico is so warm, embracing, beautiful, fun.
Sometimes I catch the look on someone's face, or I bounce around the inside of a speeding micro bus, and I think... wow, I'm leaving this behind. But I can't live here with tears in my eyes, it's not my style. If anything, I'm going to start going into warp speed, visiting as many little cities as I can, and dancing at as many parties as possible (nothing new there). My postcards will be fuller than ever. I'll kick off this new phase by going to Acapulco with the girls tomorrow.
There is a U2 song that I've been humming all week, it seemed appropriate for my situation. One Step Closer... one step closer to knowing. 1月27日 Technologically CursedLast November I was listening to music on my computer while making dinner, and ziiiiiim, the room became silent. I went over to my computer and saw that it had shut down. I pushed the power button, but nothing. I blew into the fan, and pushed the button a few more times. Nada. Then I started frantically pushing the button, turning the computer around, adjusting the power cord… nope. I decided not to freak out until I brought it to the tec wizards at work.
The techies took it for a couple of days and told me there was nothing they could do, just bring it in to Toshiba. Tears spontaneously appeared in the corner of my eyes, thinking about the years of work that had died within this glorified mixture of plastic and metal. Sensing my distress, the techies said that the information was fine and they would burn it onto some DVDs for me. Whew! Even better, Toshiba told me it was the adaptor, and my parents were able to bring me an inexpensive one from Canada.
That little heart attack was just the beginning of my technological woes, however. That same week, one of my USB keys died for no reason, and the other one was stolen. Approximately three weeks after that, my beautiful SLR camera that I’ve used for years, stopped working properly. All of the Internet platforms that I’m supposed to be using at work have stopped working since I got back from holidays. And the icing on the cake? The adaptor on my work computer died this week as well.
Can this string of bizarre events be explained by anything other than a curse? If you know of a good hi-tech exorcist, please forward me their name. 1月21日 Patience, GrasshopperWhen you have gotten yourself into a rut in the surreal City of Hope, you know that there are some changes that need to be made in your life. It’s been more than a rut though, it’s been questioning, confusion, and, most terrifying for an optimist like me, cynicism. Some of it is feeling the pull of my two worlds. Recently I was waiting and daydreaming in a line, and I had this thought that almost hit my physically. I didn’t belong. I looked at the faces, the families, and I just knew at that moment that I didn’t seem to have a damned thing in common with them, and that I was like a beleaguered alien waiting amongst the mortals. I’ve also discovered at get-togethers and parties, however, that I don’t seem to have a lot in common with foreigners either. I’ve hit this place where I’m stuck in the middle. I can’t be Mexican. I’ve tried so hard to create this balance for myself here, latching on to customs and ways of doing things or dealing with things, but in the end, I’m still this pasty Canadian who may have no clue of what’s going on around her. What the heck do I know here, have I learned anything? I’m floating in this bubble, almost willing myself to run into a wall to feel something different. What is reality in Mexico? What is my reality, what is real for me and what isn’t? Can one split themselves in two like I have tried to do, for years of their life? Could I stay in this country for the long term? I ask myself this question on a daily basis. I’ve told myself for years that the best thing for me to do is have education, order and security, and friendship in my life. I moved to Mexico and I found different things- colour, taste, adventure, warmness, chaos, and thankfully still, friendship. How do I begin to weigh these values against each other? I promised myself that I would have all of this solved by February, and it doesn’t look like I will meet this goal, but anything is possible. In the mean time, I’m trying to drag myself out of all of this. I’ve started swimming and doing pilates instead of using the cursed cross trainer, doing more professional development courses, looking for a new job and new area to live, cooking different food and trying to do volunteer work (although my schedule is a little brutal). In the end, I’m really going to try and follow the wise advice of my mom, and let things unfold as they come. International House of MenToday, my landlord from downstairs came to deliver some mail and let me know that he and the family are moving away in a week. I congratulated him and hesitantly asked, so, what's happening with me?
He told me that the university across the street loves the size and location of the house, so they're turning it into housing for scholarship students. In this case, it will be guys coming from Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia... a South American smorgasbord. My mom has joked that she would say prayers to Saint Anthony for me, the patron saint of lost items and found husbands, so I'm wondering about God's sense of humour.
As soon as the landlord said "student house of guys", I had a flashback to the boys living in residence when I was in university: windows lined with beer cans, sweaty shoes, and The Simpsons playing on TV 24 hours day.
As if reading my mind, my landlord quickly added that since these are scholarship students, they have to sign a special contract that says no noise or disturbances, or they get kicked out. The family loves me, so the minute I think things are getting out of hand, it would be dealt with. I agreed to all of this in an upbeat manner, but really, I'm a little sad to see the family go. I had complete privacy, but they sort of looked out for me. The mother also made a mean brunch.
When I think about it, I get more annoyed by the thought of the washing machine being monopolized than by the idea of keg parties, so we'll just have to see how this goes. A ver. 9月3日 Monopoly, the Mexican VersionI was excited to find an inexpensive Mexican version of Monopoly in the supermarket yesterday, so I picked it up. I got a couple of surprises when I opened it though. The pieces were just regular coloured cones, the houses were brown and orange, and Mexico City is the Park Place of the game. I don’t aspire to control this megalopolis when I could get beachfront property in Cancun. If I were to create the place markers for this Mexican game, they would include the following:
These are stereotypical, sure, but that’s what Monopoly is about. Good old kitschy fun. Now I’m going to get my nail polish to make the houses look like they do here… 8月21日 One Year StatisticsNumber of serious marriage proposals- 1
Number of serious marriage proposals seriously turned down- 1
Number of songs I know the words to in Spanish- 62
Number of times I´ve said something embarrasing in Spanish, rather than the intended word- 5
Number of Mexican friends in my cell phone list- 46
Number of times I´ve traveled out of the Metropolis- 6
Number of tacos eaten- pounds gained?
Number of pairs of shoes I´ve worn out by walking- 5
Number of haunted houses visted- 1
Number of photographs taken- 1 838 8月13日 First Dream in SpanishJust as I bid farewell to my evil stomach invaders this week, I caught a cold. In order to attack it before it attacked me, I started drinking the liquid miracle Neo Citran before going to bed. The stuff knocks you and your cold out. One side effect it has on me, however, is really strange, vivid dreams.
One of the dreams was in Spanish, which is something I've waited to happen for a year. I was wondering why I was always dreaming in English, especially since I always used to dream in Portuguese, and talk in Spanish ever day here.
In the dream (in case you want to know), my friend Leila was asking me to name her baby something traditionally English- this is jumping the gun a bit since she gets married in October. I decided on Kaleigh. I had to look up if it was a real name, haha. That's what my brain came up with, amongst other really bizarre things that I barely remember anymore.
I'm hoping that this dream kick starts others in Spanish... but I will try not to induce them with Neo Citran, the stuff gives me a foggy hangover in the morning. 8月7日 American NetworkI would like to say that I exclusively watch Mexican television in order to practice my Spanish, but on chilly nights, I love curling up to watch Oprah on cable TV. I get almost every show that I would in Canada, particularly on channel 45, American Network.
This channel doesn't run traditional commercials, just propaganda for its own shows. I'll often see the same ads in an hour, and the taglines that they use have really been cracking me up. For example:
"A day in the life of an average American family... Everybody Loves Raymond".
"Ask Judge Joe Brown what's on your mind".
"Real human stories... As The World Turns".
This one took the cake this week. I keep seeing an advertisement for the movie "Crazy Canucks", but the voice pronounces the title as "Crazy Canooks"! I'm a crazy canook, eh? 7月10日 The Most Random Country in the WorldMy friend Sylwia is visiting Mexico right now for a work placement. I´ve had some trouble thinking of unique things to write about lately, and being with my friend makes me realize how much I´ve grown accustomed to life here.
There are still some things that catch my attention, though, things that I haven´t gotten used to or feel that I will never understand. When these things show up, my foreign friends and I say, ¨that´s so random¨, or ¨this is the most random country in the world!¨
For example, this week, I noticed that the tamale stand down the street is open. It has been sitting almost desolate for a year, but now it´s open... at different hours every day. Some days not at all, and others from morning until night. This isn´t completely uncommon amongst other small businesses as well, it´s just very random.
Also this week... there is a new man at a bus stop who sprays the front floor of the bus with a windex bottle, takes a tip from the driver, and hops off again. I have no idea if the spray is supposed to sanitize something, or if it´s just for fun, but it IS very random. The windex man came from nowhere and will probably move on to somewhere else in another month.
The strangest random event took place in my old neighbourhood last year. One day, there were deep square holes cut into the side of the road. The next day, the holes were filled with concrete and had giant metal frames sticking out of them. The day after that, the concrete and frames were gone, and the holes in the road were filled again. I have no idea what any of them were for, they just appeared and disapeared.
There are so many examples of these situations that I have jumbled them in my mental list. The thing is, these events tend not to phase me, because I just chalk them up to unpredictability and move on. They keep commonplace things fresh.
5月6日 Azucena Streetan elegant and burning smoke rises from the tired brick and carries the flavour of my street’s virtues and vices
4月20日 Almost Famous?Almost famous? Ha, not at all. However, I made it into the pages of a national social/entertainment magazine called Ocean Drive. Looks like a pretty good mag, with Diego Luna on the front (an actor I love).
The photo was taken at an abstract art opening at a museum that I did a placement at two years ago (hence the invitation to the opening).
The coolest thing was that I forgot our photo had been taken, and somebody else told me that they had seen us. I'll attach a couple of blurry photos here. 4月17日 Message from Mi Familia"You had better hope that Xempa has stopped growing".
Love,
Dad and Mom
(Note, my little bunny is 10 pounds now). 3月5日 Colin on Dr. Phil?I was flipping through the channels the other night, and got quite the surprise when I landed on number 45, with Dr. Phil. The person on the screen looked exactly like Colin! So much so that I took a photo to send to him.
This has happened a few times before- is he part of group of doppleganers? A time traveler?
One of my friends saw a photo and thought he looked exactly like a Venezualan soap star. Somebody else at Uni gave him a clip from Cosmo, where he was a dead ringer for the "man of the month". All nice compliments I'd say!
Anyway, here are the photos, you decide.
March 20th, 2006- I added another pic of a Manchester United player named Wayne Rooney, Colin actually sent this pic- and yes, the similarities are uncanny!
June 8th- Colin, you have your own store in the Mexican Meat District as well 2月16日 U2It sounds ridiculous to say that a concert was one of the highlights of my life, but the U2 show was mind blowing. I don't know how to describe it and give it justice. I'm sure the other 100 000 people who were at the event feel the same.
Our seats couldn't have been better. The coolest part was that because were in the palco (box seats) they didn't search my bags and I got to bring my camera. Even better, I got to take a lot of videos. I would post a clip on this site, but my little salary can't afford the bite of being sued right now.
They played my favourites (Mysterious Ways, Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Sunday Bloody Sunday, One, With or Without You...) and of course some new songs from How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
I was impressed by the way the band they really tailored the show to Latin America. The visual effects included thought-provoking words in Spanish and Portuguese, and Latin flags. Bono spoke in some English but mostly Spanish. They also modified some songs like Beautiful Day so that it went,
'See the world in red and green
Mexico City
Right in front of you
Shine Mexico
Shine Mexico
The soul of Mexico...
I also loved Bono's politics. I know that money from the concert won't just go to the upkeep of some spoiled star's yaught. Somewhere down the line it will support ideas that I believe in.
The absolute highlight for me was after the song Miss Serajevo, when they scrolled parts of the Declaration of Human Rights on the giant screen. The crowd roared with cheers and clapping when it said NO to social inequality. I had tears in my eyes and shivers down my arms.
I went to sleep with a high-pitched ring in my ears and vivid pictures in my head. The band had asked us to send a signal to end violence, like the conflict in Israel and Palestine and in Nicaragua. I dreamed,
'No more
No more
Let's send a signal from the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City
No more
No more... |
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