Things I Love About Mexico

I thought that the time had arrive for me to make a list of things I LOVE about Mexico. I imagine that this list will grow longer in the next two months, but it's time you all learned some of the simple daily pleasures that just aren't the same in the States.

First, the food. After three weeks of regular purchases at the local Walmart, I realized that the supermarket is definitely not the best way to save money here, because the roadside shops are cheaper (and way better). To feed my continuing addiction to cold cereal and milk, of course, I have had to continue the purchase of those items, but other than that I just buy snack food for the evenings (pretzels and dried fruit are definite favorites, though others will do). The rest of the time I run into whatever shop happens to be closest and purchase a delicious meal for less than the raw materials would cost. For example, the beautiful sandwich (torta) on the right was only about $1.30, and if I want rice on the side (which between the two will fill me up for about six or seven hours) it's only another $1.30. Huge tacos are about the same price, and at one nearby shop I can get three small tacos for about $0.85. And all of it is so much better than anything I make at home (minus the delicious fried potatoes from last night -- a definite aberration from my normal bland dishes).

I also love the fact that we are technically invited to pretty much any event we hear about. In practice, this is just a cultural nicety that Mexicans have developed, inviting each other to various events out of politeness. But for a gringo that speaks English, it is all-but-reality. Birthdays, weddings, road trips, shopping, meals, sports, farming, fiestas, we've been invited to participate in every one of these at some time or another over the last four weeks. It's been a blessing in getting my schoolwork done, because I'm supposed to attend all sorts of these kinds of events, but also it has been one of the greatest ways to get to know people. And they are such good people.

The Mexican bus system is (mostly) fabulous. It is quick, frequent, and runs to almost every corner in the city. In addition, they will drop you off or pick you up at almost any point on the entire route, not just scheduled stops. The one small complaint I have is that the unscheduled nature of the system occasionally results in long waits and a small learning curve to discover which buses go where, but once you figure it out it's enormously efficient and much cheaper than owning a car. The buses are also occasionally super-nice, as in the picture on the left, though generally we enjoy much less luxury. They also drive a bit too carelessly, but so does almost everyone on the road in Mexico, so that's nothing to worry about.

I love the land and climate here as well. Sunny almost every day, rain almost every evening, and just humid enough to keep my skin from drying like in Utah but not so much that I feel like I'm taking a shower if I walk halfway down the street. The rain tends to pour when it does come, backing up the often-insufficient drainage systems, but since we're rarely out by the time it comes I don't mind at all. The land is so beautiful, once you get out of the cities. Small towns and tree-covered hills (there used to be more trees, I was told), mini-volcanoes, clouds everywhere all the time, the smoking volcano in the distance, it's absolutely stunning at times.

What else do I love? I love the mixture of old and new, which I've dwelt on this a bit -- still, I had to chuckle when I saw the older ladies in Santa María with their classic eighteenth-century dresses and baseball caps to shield them from the sun. I love the informal economy build around helping the lower middle class survive. I love hanging my laundry on our roof so it will dry, and running up when I see a raincloud to make sure it doesn't get soaked again. I love playing soccer. I love sitting and talking for half an hour just because people like talking. I love carrying home our drinking water (fabulous water) in 5 gallon garrafones. I love the markets, and the old colonial buildings, and the beautiful Catholic churches, and most of all I love the people. I love them for their openness, for their fast-changing emotions, for their politeness, for their strange way of interacting with society, for the mix of Indian and European and American that constantly expresses itself in different ways, for their disdain for the current political system, for their giving hearts, for their love for excitement and noise and people -- they are truly one of the finest peoples on earth. I look forward to watching them blossom as the rose, as prophesied, and hope to be able to be a part of that in the coming decades.

"...Charity is the pure love of Christ,
and it endureth forever..."
(Moroni 7:47)

I hope to love this people in the same way.