Little Things

It´s the little things.

So I am sitting watching a soccer match in a bar in mexico when I hear Kansas´¨Dust in the Wind¨done Mexican Muzak style. Then, just when I think it can´t get any more hilarious, they start in with a Mexican cover of Toni Braxton´s ¨Unbreak my Heart¨(I wished so badly that you were there for that moment Meems). Seriously- it´s the little things.

It´s a pleasant Thursday night here in Oaxaca. I took today as a mental health day of sorts. Basically I slept through my alarm until 10 am! When I actually realized what had happened- I went to go do my usual morning routine and when I looked in the mirror, I was greeted by a very clearly exhausted and dishelved version of myself. In that moment I decided that I was staying home for the day. I called in sick- only a partial lie.

I told my cute and concerned host parents that I was just feeling exhausted and a little out of sorts and that I would be doing a little extra chilling out for the morning hours. My host mom Estela was super cute and made sure I got some fresh melon and bananas in my system (as well as her usual, very thoughtful, and very weak cup of coffee) before heading back to bed. She REALLY wanted to make me some tea- but I was seriously so ready to just go crawl back under the covers that I was able to resist. Which is somewhat of a feat because she is like the cutest, kindest woman ever. She´s hard to say no to (hence my continued willingness to swallow the brown water she serves in the morning). Anyhow- I went back to bed at 10 am. I couldn´t tell you the last time I did that.

It was sooooooooo nice. I took advantage of my refound attachment to my computer (thanks meems for sending my charger-so nice to have it) and my collection of music. I set the computer up on the bed and tuned in to one of my favorite albums (thanks Gabe for this one)- Greg Brown´s A Live One. Such a great album. For those of you who don´t know Greg Brown- get to know him. A couple of my all-time faves of his are on this one- Billy from the Hills, Spring Wind, Laughing River, and the 18 minute version of Canned Goods (an experience to say the least). Anyhow, I just laid down and listened to this recorded live show- and just listened. I realized that usually when I am listening to music- I am doing something else. Just sitting and listening to just the music- especially with all of the wonderful wordplay and great interjecting stories Greg creates- it was a nice reminder how powerful the medium of music is. Not to mention how sweet it is to have portable tunes.

After an hour or so of musical meditation- I got up, showered, and shaved the disgusting facial hair that had started to take over my face. I don´t know what it´s like for other dudes (or dudettes for that matter), but when it´s warm, having facial hair- no matter how thick or disgustingly thin it may be (as obviously in my case)- it´s like really uncomfortable and gets extra greasy with the warmth. Ok that was gross. Sorry. Anhow- I sent my furry guest packing.
Shaving is actually quite enjoyabe. It´s just a little bit like stretching for me- I just always try to get away with the absolute minimum. Enough of that.

So now it´s noonish- and I´m feeling very refreshed and finally ready to make an entry into the living world. I´m craving a cup of real coffee and I make for my favorite place- Cafe Brujula with my writing implements, computer (they have wi-fi), and water. The owner- I discovered this last week- is from Texas. He´s so hilarious to listen to when he speaks Spanish because he totally has the Texan drawl slathered all over the top of everything. Not that I should be making fun of him. Today while I was sitting sipping my favorite vice, a construction worker poked his head in what I think he thought was the entrance (not-just an open, ground-level window-balcony thing) and started talking to me (I think he thought I was the owner- white, large, speaks poopy spanish). I had been feeling better about my level of comprehension right up until the moment this large dude stuck his head through the window and apparently started consulting me on matters concerning construction. Yeah, I didn´t understand a damned thing.

I told the dude- ¨momento¨. And now, looking back, I´m sure it didn´t help that I had slept in way past my normal waking hour, had been listening to english music for much of the morning, and still had not yet finished my first cup of coffee. But regardless, I at least had the awareness to get up and get one of the local kids who work the counter and point to the window and say- ¨no se¨. Nice job Ike. One of the girls at the counter who I have this sort of unspoken, I´m a regular kinda thing with, thanked me and sort of giggled after clearing things up with the guy. Totally hilarious. But it´s the little things right?

So back into my slow approaching state of wakefulness I go. I open up my laptop and get all geared up to do some business that I have been putting off for a while. I finish my first cup of coffee and am starting to feel somewhat human. And then, of course, the internet isn´t working. Again with the little things. So after that first reaction of damn it why can´t shit just work when I want it to work passed, I laughed, and pulled out my pen and paper. And per my simple start to my morning- just sitting and listening to music- I just sat and wrote. Lovely. I love this cafe not just for their having the only coffee I have found so far that doesn´t taste burnt (I really did become a coffee snob living in Seattle), but also for the fact that a la my previously mentioned experience with mexican muzak at other locales, this place actually plays what I consider REAL music. That is- jazz, blues, and soul- and like the good stuff from both of those genres. Love it.
Just me, my pen, and Dave Brubek. Totally sweet.

After two more cups and several pages of productivity, I was ready to shift. I also was ready for something substantial in the belly. Still feeling slightly off- due to the various factors listed- I opted for this very healthy place that does these awesome juices and various vegetarian dishes. It´s always nice to eat something simple, substantial, and healthy when feeling a little out of it. For me, I imagine it´s like taking my inner gastro workings to the spa for a treat. Ok that was gross too. So I went there.

I also admit that I went there because I knew that there´s better, more reliable wi-fi access, and that I could get those few items crossed off my list that have been nagging me. It was perfect. I was the only person in the whole place (lunch rush hadn´t happened yet), and I got my spot by the window, and I got this delicious juice (pineapple, apple, ginger- wow) to go with my veggie enchiladas (just the right size, sense of substance, and nourishment). Plus the damned internet worked perf. Sweet. I hung here for about two hours, figuring out how to register for classes in Tennessee from a restaurant in Mexico (the internet- a series of interconnected tubes i´m told- is truly amazing). I crossed all of the truly important things off of the to do list- and savored that sense of satisfaction that comes from completing something. Little things.

This was just in time- because as I started back to the host house here- I saw the rain clouds off in the not too far distance. Now, I say just in time not because I was thinking that I needed to get back to the house to make sure I and my computer don´t get soaked (although probably I was a little- and probably I should have more). No, I was thinking- I am totally going for a run in the rain. Which I did.

I haven´t been able to get into much of a running rhythm here. It´s been like once or twice a week that I´ve managed to get out and on the road. Which- all in all- hasn´t been so bad. It makes each run a little more of a heightened experience. That said- I think part of it for me has been that between the heat, my school schedule, and general level of energy- there are these small windows that open through which I have the opportunity to crawl and start running like the crazy, blonde haired viking I am. I through on my clothes and headed out the door for my usual loop up this hill that looks over the city of Oaxaca and the valley it sits in. The mountains here are quite different from the dessicated, barren landscape of the coastal mountains. Here they are lush, and especially with May being the month of rain here, they are extra verdant at the moment. I pumped hard up the hill and got a great view of the valley, the mountains, and the approaching storm. I love storms.

Funny enough- I got like three drops of rain the whole time. I was hoping for a nice, soft, steady misting of a rain. I love running in those conditions. Everything smells amazing, I don´t get so damned hot, and...well, I really love not getting so damned hot. The last time I got back from a run, my host dad Daniel, seriously thought that I had fallen into some sort of large body of water on my way back from my route. This was almost as funny as all of the whistles of affection that I seem to get from the men down here. I guess my hair is getting long and I run pretty fast- they might think I´m some amazon Norwegian woman. Anyhow- even in the absence of my much desired rain storm- the run was fabulous.

I got back to the house and stretched and listened to music. Took a nice cold shower. Checked in with Estela about the state of my health. As you can imagine, she was somewhat concerned about my going for a run- especially with the likelihood of rain. But after showing up mostly dry and looking reenergized- I think she felt OK about things. Our interactions are always quite brief and usually involve me saying ¨que¨? She is in her early 60´s and spends most of her time around the house. She and Daniel have four kids- three daughters and a son. And they have, I want to say 6 grandkids as well. So the grandkids come over with some frequency and keep things somewhat lively, but theres a lot of cleaning, watching tv (hilarious novellas that I love to tease her about with short reenactments in front of the tv), and cooking. In a few moment of brilliance, I have been able to converse with her about larger order things- studying psychology, philosophy about family, religion. But mostly I´m out and about- and in the mornings- when we sit and have breakfast together- I´m in my morning mode. All in all, it´s just so nice to be in a house, in a family space, with my own room. I wish my Spanish skills were of a level that would allow for some deeper conversation (not to mention simple, logistical communication- sorry I took a huge dump and couldn´t get it to flush because I forgot that you all don´t actually put toilet paper in the toilet down here- sorry, but I had to). But even that element is fun- Daniel and I have some hilarious back and forth with miming and charades. They are simple, good, caring people.

Well, the rains finally came. I can hear the pitter patter on the tin roof right outside the internet cafe here. After such a lovely, relaxing day- I think I´m going to go home and enjoy completing a fully relaxing day with a movie. My host sister (Daniel and Estela´s youngest) Aracelli, is 27 and lives at home and has quite a decent movie selection. I did notice that she has all three Pirates of the Carribean movies- danger. I like watching with the subtitles- I feel like I´m getting to watch a movie and I´m learning. How sweet is that?

I can´t believe it´s May 21st already- less than two weeks left down here.

Truth be told- I feel like I´m doing all of the things I wanted to- get a start on learning spanish, eat great food, relax, and just have total space to myself. That said, with each passing day, I savor my time here and also get a little more excited about being back closer to family and friends.

Love to you all