Today was a good day for La Ultima Wipe in beautiful ‘ol Guanajuato. It has gotten quite cold and blustery all of a sudden, so that is nice.
As I was walking to pick up Mikko, up the long long hill (as seen in the following pictures,) I started chatting with a woman who I see each morning. She invited me into her house and I met her husband and son, who was reading La Jornada (the progressive, lefty paper.) She was actually advertising her weekend amusement park type business and encouraging me to come with my family. (At first I thought she was just inviting us to all go out there together, then I realized is was her business.) It looks like fun, there is a trampoline and scooters to ride and other diversions. She was so sweet and after a nice little visit she said I should stop by her house anytime.
It was perfect timing because I was feeling so disappointed yesterday after my acupuncture appointment that was with a woman from Orcas Island. She was very nice, and is involved in some cool things, but she filled me in on some gringo gossip and we spoke English the whole time (obviously.) I keep getting worried that I will just fall into these gringo circles and not get to meet or get to know any real Mexican people, or speak Spanish.
So today was good. I started out at the lab getting my blood drawn and chatting with the lady there in Spanish. Had a whole day of Spanish at school, met the lovely woman on the stairs, then chatted with Victor outside of school, half in English half in Spanish (he is totally bilingual and is very gracious and patient with me.)
Picking up Mikko was a joy. He continues to be very happy and perky. (It turns out there was a boy in his class who was a bit volatile and unpredictable, who has now been expelled, and Mikko has been much happier about school since then.) As Mikko and I were coming down our callejon steps, I told a man coming up carrying a crate on his head that I liked his hat. He didn’t smile BUT Mikko understood what I had said. Then some teenagers were coming up the steps. We live about 2/3 of the way up to the Pipila. The boys were on their way there. When they came around the bend and saw that they still had a ways to go they wailed, and I yelled to them that they could do it!! They smiled and laughed, and trudged on up. That made me feel good. We came home and I had my little lie down and then made delicious enchiladas with the leftover mole.
I went into town to get my blood results, (which were too high, so I am a little worried, but not too worried, mostly just annoyed, ) and went to an internet spot after faxing my results to Kaiser. When I came out it was just after dusk. The air was chilly, there were open shops and beautiful buildings with people shopping and visiting and living their lives and I really felt like I was in Mexico again, not the amusement park that the Cervantino festival turned this town into. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to experience it, but I’m happy to get to experience life after Cervantino now. Then as the total clincher to a good day – I walked all the way up our callejon without needing to stop and rest.
The wind is blowing really hard right now. It is cold enough that I am actually wearing a few shirts and socks for the first time since we got here. I might even put an extra blanket on my bed.
Hey, sweetheart! I love this blog, and the pictures make me want to visit you tomorrow!!!! But it looks as if I will have to force myself to walk up to the reservoir daily to get my hill walking in before I come. I do appreciate that as long as I walk SLOWLY I will be FINE… when I get there.
Keep the pics coming, and let me know what you want ME to bring down when I come. And remember me when you here the man calling “Anne”. Love, anne
not to put too much pressure on, but my future rests in your words. when i read about the food, i was super excited to come, but then seeing all those steps, i became reluctant. but then the next post made me excited again, but then toward the end it reminded me of my elevated triglycerides and now i don’t know what to do.
please, quit toying with my emotions.
but i tell you, when i do come, i’ll try to remember to bring you a bathrobe.
terry cloth, right?
xo,
Line, I love the pics of dia de muertos. and please put a relleno in the post for me. good work on blogsville.
xo,dulcye
P.S. almost ready for the big show
hey cuz. I am so far behind on the blog. Working now, its so different and Saturdays have become so precious to me. I finished my time backsplash project which was partially inspired by you and my admiration of the colors used in Mexican decor. That was two Saturdays ago. There are pictures of that on friendster by the way;) Anyway today as I type this on my beloved iPhone, I sit in a Dominican owned hair salon, next in line to have them beautify me. I was approached by a woman in the grocery store who thought I spoke Spanish (it happens enough that I really should LEARN it) she must not have liked my ratty ponytail/bun thingamajig LOL so after some hesitation about paying someone to do a bad job on my hair, here I am. There’s a Dominican guy at my job who is trying to teach me Spanish using the emersion method and he’s the one who told me these ladies know what they are doing when it comes to hair. It is interesting that’s for sure. This is my first time in life being surrounded by women who share a similar hair texture. I’d be amazed by how much that means to me. It seems rather silly, but being mixed growing up in Portland, I had problems with finding stylists who didn’t know what to do with my bouffant;)
I’ll post an after picture if it turns out well. U inspire me to immerse myself into an unfamiliar culture…I’m glad everything is going well and I will continue reading your latest posts between errands today.
i meant tile backsplash of course. Ooh goodie im under the dryer…i can get caught up now!