Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Well now, this is almost scary. Today was wonderfully cloudy and only in the low 80's. For the first day in a while, I didn't wake up, spend my day, and go to bed covered in sweat! The forecast is for a cooling trend now, thanks to the storms in the south. Whew. We are all relieved.

Tomorrow will be interesting, I am in the process of getting my FM3 work permit for CETYS. It will not be a fun process, I am sure. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I have everything I need. Tomorrow is photos, like mug shots. For some reason, they want one full-face and two right profile with ear showing. I find that bizarre, since when you are driving, if someone pulls up next to you, they are looking at your left profile. But then again, our faces are pretty symmetrical. Logic doesn't exist here. Why two rights????? Two wrongs make a right, three rights make a left, but what are two rights? The Bush administration?

Obviously, it's bed time.

Roasted Chilis

Easy! Put any chili out on the sidewalk. Tomorrow's temperature is supposed to be 106 degrees Fahrenheit. I didn't even bother to venture out today, although we did have a lovely rain early in the morning. Yes, I am complaining. It is too hot. It's too hot everywhere.

People are getting very crabby and impatient and their productivity is diving. Well, of course! I think everything should just shut down in this environment and reverse hours. Be open all night instead of all day. Most of us here in Ensenada don't have air conditioning; the mild climate doesn't call for it. But with these high pressure systems shoving up from the Sea Of Cortez, the heat and humidity is just like the Midwest and South. Usually we have a fresh ocean breeze here that takes the edge off. The ocean breeze is even hot. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like inland, in the desert.

I've been reading on AccuWeather.com that the temperature here feels like 123 degrees. Yes, it does. Everyone is consuming water like crazy and I am grateful for that precious commodity. We take water for granted, but what would it be like if water were suddenly rationed? What if, like gasoline, some area controls all the water and jacks the price up so high that only a few could afford it? Personally, I bet that is on the table somewhere.

When I lived in England I knew a woman whose father had installed the first oil wells for Burma Castrol. Her son turned out to be quite a ruthless young businessman. I remember him advising her once not to bother investing in precious metals anymore. "In the future it will be water, Mum. Put your money there." I got the creeps listening to that.

So here I sit again, running up my power bill with the fan on nonstop, in a sticky night with a low of 89 degrees. I do not do well in heat. I never have. That's why I moved to the cool, rainy Northwest over 30 years ago, but even now the Northwest is neither cool nor rainy. Everyone is getting hit equally. What would happen if the distribution of wealth was as widespread as the weather? Now that would be interesting. Saving for a rainy day would have a whole new meaning.

My brain is turning into a raisin, I'm sure.

I may spend the day at the beach tomorrow.

Frodo

This little ball of black fur has been an unending source of entertainment and fun for me. Frodo came to me through Connie, my Mexican sis. He is the one that likes to try to steal my food. He's now about 1/3 bigger than in this photo. I hope to have many happy years with him.

Horsing Around

Angele and Krista (my 12 year old riding student) enjoy the lienzo at Rancho Chatuco.

Hot Summer Night

I won't complain. Conditions are much hotter elsewhere, but I want October to happen now. As usual, I am up during the wee hours of the morning, having languished all day trying to stay cool. Night time is the only time I can work and think!

I am giving you some summer flavor of my life here in Ensenada. One disturbing thing of note is more crime. This is the statistically the safest city in Mexico to live, but there has been a crime wave occurring here for the past few months that has been nothing short of disturbing.

An acquaintance of ours, who lives on the south side of town near the beach, was savagely beaten recently by burglars and airlifted to Mercy Hospital in San Diego. This lady is older, probably in her 60's or so. They broke her finger trying to get a ring off of it. That was the least of her injuries. After about 10 days in the U.S., she returned home today after having assured us all that she was fine.

At that end of town, where I lived for a year and a half with Zoila and her two kids, there is escalating crime. The road I lived on and loved, Pedro Loyola, has become a sort of slum now. Much more traffic and unsavory activity around there. One couple I spoke to commented that there was gang activity operating out of the junkyard just a few blocks from where I lived. That doesn't surprise me.

This town is changing an awful lot; yet it still has its own charm and beauty. Am I afraid? No. But cautious, always.

On the brighter side, there is always something to do and something interesting to see here. Friday night Zoila and I went to the local carnival again and we had a blast. We didn't take the cameras, which is too bad, but we might go back again during the week. The carnival is typical traveling fare, with the rides and games and concerts and contests. We went on the Tilt-A-Whirl and laughed and screamed. After that I decided to ride the mechanical bull. I will take this opportunity to brag about the fact that I, a middle-aged woman, outlasted all the 20-something guys on the mechanical bull. And it was my first time on one!

Tourists abound, lots of loud, blaring music, Hussong's and Papas & Beer have Americans packed in their drinking establishments and Ensenada is bustling with activity. I like to dip my toe in downtown once a week or so just to see what's going on.

I hope you enjoy the photos, little moments of my life here.

Happy Horses

My draft horses Jake and Star at Rancho Chatuco. I moved the horses right at the end of June. The city of Ensenada is encroaching into ranch territory and bringing with it unsavory conditions. Rancho Chatuco is GORGEOUS. It is owned and operated by the Rubio family, and for Mexico, it is absolutely deluxe. It is a huge difference to be with people who are gentle, good with animals. It's also wonderful to be free of having to haul alfalfa and clean the pens! The ranch hands do that. We will soon be offering horsemanship vacations at Chatuco!

Rain, please

For the past week or so it's been humid and sticky. The air is not moving, it just sits there like an oppressive sauna from which there is no escape. Most people here in Ensenada don't have air-conditioning because it's usually not this bad.

Today I slept all day, virtually exhausted from the heat and humidity of 65%. Call me a woos if you want, but I am not used to this! When I was in Texas this time last year, it was the same except 20 degrees hotter. Here it's only been in the 80's but not at all dry heat. Yech.

By the way, if you are interested in hearing about what it's like living in Mainland Mexico, you should check out Douglas Bower's articles. I burst out laughing reading some of his reflections. Here is the link to see Doug's articles: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Douglas_Bower

I especially loved reading The Realities Of Mexican Living l, ll and lll, Mexican Independence and American Girlie-Men, Mexican Bus Riding l and ll, and others. Living here and finding some hysterically funny parallels between Bower's observations and mine makes it even sweeter. He and I have exchanged a couple of emails but we have never met. Maybe someday we will.

If I don't wind up being a sweating heap of shriveled flesh before that!

Update: Mexico's President-Elect

I've recovered from my marathon. Felipe Calderon won the recount, but AMLO is going to take it all to court. There is a massive protest getting ready to happen in Mexico City tomorrow (Saturday, July 8). It's going to be interesting to see what happens now.....I just hope there isn't any violence. The stereotypes of Mexico are very obsolete and I hope that the Mexican people can maintain their cool and not get ugly over this. They are a beautiful people with a rich culture. Yes, there is an enormous amount of poverty here, but the solution to that is education and better infrastructure, not government handouts. Mexico is joining the world as a force to be reckoned with in terms of business, and it has for so long hung its head to the Americans.

I love living here because I can make a difference in lives. What I do (teaching English) matters. It's great. I am here to help make a better tomorrow for Mexico, to help it rise from the ashes of its earlier existence as a Third World country. I want to help it help itself, not rely or depend on its government to make decisions for it.

I've seen enough of what has happened in my own country with new laws being made every ten seconds to protect us from ourselves. Mexicans are very resourceful, they are bright, and intelligence steered in the right direction can make miracles happen.

Here in the North, the people are heavily invested in making all of Mexico better. I'm standing with them.

Please, when you come to visit Mexico, don't flash your cash around and act obnoxious. Don't expect it to be like an extension of the United States. Come here with an open mind and the willingness to allow Mexico to be Mexico. And bring an English/Spanish dictionary! Be a good guest. Please.

Mexican History Being Made

It's 2:00 a.m. on July 6, 2006 and I'm sitting here watching a real cliffhanger of a presidential election going on, much like we experienced in the States in 2000. People are beginning to protest the IFE where the votes are being recounted. The IFE is the Federal Elections Institute and it is the legal body that handles, impartially, the votes of the people. This arm of the government was formed in the 1990's in order to achieve truly democratic, clean voting.

At this moment, AMLO (Lopez Obrador, leftist) is leading by .02% over Calderon, whom people here in Baja CA want to win. This is exciting, being here, right now, in Mexico during this historic time.

Living in a baby democracy is a real trip. It's amazing to watch how careful the protocol is.

2:04 a.m. the difference is now at .01%, in favor of Lopez Obrador. All of my friends here have voted for Calderon. I personally hope he wins, he seems pretty pro-education. He is bilingual, which is good for a president to be. Lopez Obrador doesn't want to even know a single word of English. I don't even know if Bush knows English. Hmmmm. I wonder how a radical left-wing president of Mexico would get along with the right-wing Bush admin.?

2:06 a.m. 97.64% of all votes recounted, the same difference of .01% is still holding. So is my breath. To be an American, so accustomed to democracy, living in a country where democracy has only existed for 6 years is a real privilege.

2:08 a.m. Still the same numbers. Has it really been 6 years since we all went through this? It's weird having history repeat itself and living it all over again. Sort of...I mean, our American election in 2000 was quite a debacle. This one is exciting but tame, so far. But Lopez Obrador has vowed to fight if Calderon wins the recount, and with such a volatile party as his, anything can happen. I think they're still upset about what happened to them in 1988.

2:10 a.m. Still at .01%, 97.7% of the votes counted. The peso really fell before the July 2 election; this was good for those of us who earn our money in dollars. Then it went back up again when it appeared Calderon had won, then back down again when Lopez Obrador ordered a recount. Wow.

2:13 a.m. Nothing changing. Everything changing. In the land of "Don't worry, there is always tomorrow," people are worried. Everyone is worried about North Korea, but hey, we have an incredible history happening here in Mexico that is unprecedented. And it would appear that Mexico is just as divided as the U.S. is.

2:14 a.m. Calderon has edged ahead now, with a .03% lead. I bet Lopez Obrador is NOT sleeping, even though he left his headquarters hours ago and went home. Calderon is still at the PAN party headquarters. This is going to be quite an event; this is amazing, and you never know what will happen in Mexico. A court could overturn the votes, people could run rampant in the streets, God, who knows?

2:17 a.m. Calderon now has a .05% lead, with 97.84% of the votes recounted. The gap between Lopez Obrador (AMLO) and Calderon has been slowly closing for a couple of hours now. At one point Lopez Obrador was ahead by a full percentage point. Now the tables are turning. I wonder if the tide will?

2:20 a.m. I just did a spell check. Now I am going to check El Universal's site....still the same .05% in favor of Calderon. It was the same, in favor of AMLO, just two hours ago.

2:23 a.m. Still the same...do I dare go and get a snack? Yes. Be right back!!!

2:31 a.m. While I was in my kitchen making a tuna and avocado sandwich I was feeling the anxiety of "not knowing." You know, that feeling that if you do something biologically necessary like eat when you are hungry, you will miss something! Then I wondered, what good will it do me to know, RIGHT NOW, who is likely to be the next Mexican president? I can't vote and much of the world outside of Mexico doesn't really care. But here I am, waiting and watching. Oh, how we love to be "in the know" about things! And at this very moment, who am I telling?????? I haven't published this blog yet!

2:34 a.m. Okay, okay. I'm going to check.
Calderon is now ahead by .07%. A battle is going on right in front of me! No, not with people protesting...my 3 month old kitten Frodo wants my sandwich. He can't have it.

2:38 a.m. Calderon is now ahead by .08%. It was predicted that a recount wouldn't make a difference, that he would win anyway.
I wonder what's going on in Mexico City right now? Since I don't have TV, I'll have to look it up online. Should I be paying attention to N. Korea? Nah. They are having a tantrum right now and I don't want to deal with that. This is much more exciting. But historically speaking, both a nuclear bomb and a Mexican election can kill people.

2:41 a.m. Calderon is now leading by .09% with 98.01% of the votes recounted. They must have gotten to the Baja CA ballot boxes, finally. In the past, it was Mexico City that decided who would be president. Actually, it was the president who decided who would be the next president. Then in 2000, 70 years of the PRI party rule was broken by President Fox. And now, that party didn't stand a chance in this election. There were 5 people running for president, including a woman. What used to be a major party fell into third place, what was a practically nonexistent party a few years ago shot into a dead heat with a party that got shot down in 1988 and not even looked at much in 2000. Very interesting stuff.

2:45 a.m. Typical. My friend asked me to call her and wake her up when Calderon got ahead. I did. Now she wants to sleep. Well, she does have to get up at stupid o'clock to go to work and I don't. But I really do want to sleep. Can this recount go on without me?????? I don't think so!!!! And I'm sure YOU will want this blow by blow written not by a professional journalist or even someone who cares much for politics! I'm just a middle-aged lady living in Mexico.

2:48 a.m. Still the same, Calderon by .09% and I am trying to keep Frodo off the keyboard.

2:49 a.m. Oh my God, I turn my back for a few seconds and now Calderon is ahead by .11%!!!!! I would imagine that AMLO is either asleep or having a major explosion of temper right now. I wonder why this government doesn't want to educate its people so they can do more? Well, an education doesn't necessarily enable a person to do more, it just gives then a leg up and a huge debt in student loan repayments. Funny how one thinks at nearly 3:00 a.m.

2:53 a.m. Well, even Google News isn't this far ahead, it is still reporting that Lopez Obrador is ahead. Don't they know that this is HISTORY?

2:54 a.m. I wonder what would happen if I fell asleep right now? What would I miss??? I am American! NOTHING is more important than information!!!!!!!

D879265ghskhbg Oops, I fell asleep on my keyboard!!!!

2:55 a.m. Calderon is still at .11% ahead. The nerve. There could at least be a surge. It's been a full seven minutes and nothing has changed!

2:57 a.m. I am going to wait for three more minutes, then I am going to be sensible and go to bed.

3:00 a.m. Dare I go to bed????? Calderon's lead has now gone to .13%. They have surely reached the Baja boxes now. I wonder if they did that on purpose, since Mexicans do enjoy a good drama. I bet the IFE left the northern Mexico and Baja CA and Guadalajara boxes until last. But according to what I am reading, the IFE will not stop until it has counted every single vote! It took the U.S. a full three months to do that! Here there were over 40 million votes to be counted.

3:04 a.m. I'm still up. I wonder if I am still awake. The cats have now decided that it's time to go crazy. Maybe I should stay up a bit longer. By the way, one of my cats, Princess, is Mexican. She was a street cat who followed me home from the corner market one evening, insisting that she was moving in. After a full month, with Princess outside waiting patiently, I let her move in. She's a darling. She's almost 2 years old now. Frodo came from the U.S., my adopted sister Connie (you can see her in my earlier blogs) brought him down for me. Since my beloved 14 year old cat Merlin died just before my first Christmas here, I have waited for a year and a half to have another black male cat. Connie's cat had 5 kittens, 3 of them black males, and I asked for the one with green eyes. They brought him down from Chula Vista for me almost 3 weeks ago. I named him Frodo and I love him to pieces. So does Princess, even though he really bugs her sometimes.

3:09 a.m. Okay, it's still .13% in favor of Calderon. And I'm an idiot sitting here in the dark writing this when the pro's are probably blogging their big-word hearts out, citing all kinds of interesting facts about Mexican elections, etc. I honor your intelligence. If you really want to know, you can look it up on Google just like the pros do. Or Wikipedia. I don't want to repeat other people's stuff.

3:12 a.m. The cats are racing around my little 2 story apartment. They're having a great time.

3:16 a.m. Calderon is now ahead .15% I think I've been on a big enough roller coaster. The situation could turn at any time, but I don't think it will.

3:19 a.m. I just spent the last three minutes doing time management. I reset my watch because I'd set it 12 hours slow when we changed to daylight savings time. Then I looked for a pen so I could cross Wednesday, July 5 off on my calendar. If you are now bored reading this, it's time for me to post this and go to sleep. The breaking news of who ultimately won will have to be left to someone else. Calderon still has his .15% lead.

Space shuttle Discovery has no injuries.
North Korea is making everyone mad.
Bush is stressed.
The World Cup has more attention than any of the above.
Goodnight, Chet (ha ha, if you're not a Boomer you won't even know what that means!)