Clinics, Wal Marts, Nightclubs, Drum Circles

Well, these last couple days were action packed, sort of.

Friday I spent the first part of the day accompanying Edwin to a hospital to get his grandmother a doctor´s appointment with a heart specialist. Sounds boring, I know, but it reminded me of why I first thought that Mexico is such a funny place. We took a combi to get there, which is essentially just a minivan reconverted into a vehicle that can transport up to 15 people. Okay maybe not that many, but it was close quarters. Anyway, our passengers included myself, Edwin, a small indigenous man selling gum and cigarettes, and several tired looking ladies in professional attire. You´d think that if there was any music to be played in this seen, it would be a sad norteno ballad (we were suffering the heat and cramped space) and definatly it should be background music, heard from the distance. But what was it instead? First song, Everybody have fun tonight!! Everybody wang chung tonight!! Closely followed by Michael Jacksons beautiful hits ¨the way you make me feel¨and ¨beat it¨...my goodness. No one flinched, no one smiled, or sang along, but just accepted this fate while in my mind I sang along, tapping my foot and bursting into laughter to edwin´s response of ¨what??¨ He didnt understand why those songs are funny.

Ayayay. Later that day we went on another adventure. The opening of WAL MART!!! The entire day was spent by Edwin and his brother David telling me that all the traffic in the city was because of this new wal mart opening. I thought, NO WAY. wal mart is not that great of a place. But later we got there and I am telling you, I saw WalMart sitting there glowing like a city on a hill, joyful people streaming out, gleefully running off with their smily face wal mart bags, their footlong chili popsicles, their low, low prices. And I have to admit, I too was attracted to the magestic building, approaching it as if they would crown me Queen of Globalization, Edwin presenting me with the title, ¨YOU are the first gringa to step foot in this wal mart!¨ Wow, and how true it was. Soon I got to see Laptop computers sold for 1,000 dollars, american jack-o-lantern pumpkins, and Garnier Fructis products galore. Let me say, Mexican wal mart kicks american wal marts ass, as far as amazing food goes. There are maybe 100 yoghurt flavors, watermelon for 70 cents a pound, and a ginormous panaderia (bakery) with fresh baked goods and tortillas. I went again today (sunday) it was like a circus, filled with reggaton and merengue music, blaring announcers crying out numbers for raffles, and a lot of cashiers and managers who had never heard of sunflower seeds. What? Not one of these people in charge could figure out how to charge us for sunflower seeds. theyd never heard of em. they said that. in spanish.

I cant help but think this is going to be bad for the cities economy. anyway, it was a historic event i am part of- the downfall of tuxtla gutierrez.

That night I feel asleep to the thumping of the local disco who happens to have a paid lisence to play ¨wanna be my lover wanna be my lovaaahhhh la da da dee da da da daaaa¨until 8 in the morning.

Saturday, yesterday Edwin and I went to San Cristobal de las Casas, the most fantastic city in the world!!! Its beautiful. The weather is perfect, its traquil, interesting, theres tons to do, i am basically obsessed with it. It is my goal to live there. The only thing I dont like is the american tourists. i enjoy the french, the german, but geeeez american tourists are bad news. i cant tell you how many obnoxious old men i saw only talking to people in english. and indigenous people. not only do these people not understand engilsh, some of them are struggling with SPANISH as a second language. crazy gringo fools. One time i met an italian tourist and she told me she thought i was european. ill take that as a complement, not because i hate america but because americans abroad are embarassing sometimes, and europeans tend to always look awesome (as tourists, that is).

One thing that does exist in San Cristobal is hippie drum circles and girls who belly dance and throw fire. in fact, there is a HUGE bohemian community, but they only difference is that here after a performance someone goes around with a hat asking for money. and by hat i mean woven rasta net. I sat watching them in my chal (that is, a shawl made by a tzotzil indigenous lady) thinking, man, I too, one day, would like to dance with balls of dangerous fire attatched to chains, coming very close to my face and ginormous mane of hair. this is now a serious goal. ill keep you updated.

Today I spent a lot of time preparing dinner with edwins madre, and also there was a spectacle when we discovered a giant rat behind the bookcase. AHHHHH!!!! that took up at least 2 hours of laughing time for this day. jijijijijijijiiiii thats how spanish speakers laugh.

hasta pronto!