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ONE DAY AT A TIME

What is the biggest lesson we have learned? or are still learning? 

I will have to say patience.  Just learning to go at the speed that life moves.  And, honestly, if you knew how we used to travel at the speed of light and saw us here just goin’ with the flow, you would be so proud.  One way that has become manifest is in the lack of posts this past month.  Sorry.  We missed you all.

When I finally get a chance to sit for a minute it’s been a challenge to get my thoughts together at the end of the day.  My foggy fibro-brain has been chugging away and sometimes just gets wore out.

Saturday we were driving on some roads that are a mix of cobblestone and mud and horse trail.  Camouflaged on the road was a large piece of fence -barbed wire with the barbs actually being 4 inch nail spikes.  As you probably guessed, I ran this over and heard a horrible metal dragging noise so stopped but couldn’t see anything.  Upon further examination, Mikee found one of the spikes in my tire.  🙁  We did NOT pull it out but gingerly drove through this neighborhood, into town, out of town, over topes (speed bumps which you find ever 50 feet or so in town), dodging potholes from the rains that make rivers and pour into town to a tire place just outside of town.

(oh, and I just have to mention that I needed to be home at this time because we were having 50 people over for a party in a couple hours)

The guys at the tire shop were great.  They removed the nail and patched the tire.  Not just some wimpy outside patch either.  But secure and from the inside.  These roads are rough and the tires take a beating.

And it only cost 40 pesos -about $3.50 U.S.

Hooray!

(by the way the party was great!)

Fast forward to Sunday… we go outside to get in the car and drive to Jocotopec.  As Mikee backs out of the driveway the front of the car makes a scraping noise.  We get 100 feet down the road and he realizes THE TIRE IS FLAT.

…but only on the bottom.  😉

We carry a little portable thingy that hooks into the lighter and can inflate the tire.  Very noisy and slo-o-ow but effective.  Drive back to the house and pull out the real compressor.  He figures the leak is slow and we can still get into town.  Late, but still we get to our destination.  He stopped every couple kilometers to check the pressure and add air.  We make it to town.  Add some more air -with the real compressor we packed into the car along with a 50ft extension cord (because we are learning how to things go down here).  And then we get home safely.

Now we have something to do on Monday.  Great.  Because we get so bored and need to add more to do each day.  NOT!

But it is what it is…

So, Monday Mikee first refills the tire and then drives to Jocotopec to fix the tire (15 minutes drive one direction) then to Ajijic to figure out the problem with our visas -which are kind of important because it’s how we can stay in the country (35 minute drive in the opposite direction).  By the time he gets back to the house, he sees that it’s going flat again, so again brings out the compressor (Mikee is sooooo glad he brought that down!), and fills the tire AGAIN!  Back out to the tire store in Jocotopec.  Another 30 minutes waiting for it to get fixed,. This time Mikee (in his broken-spanish with animated gestures) asked them to submerge the tire to check for anymore leaks.  There were 3 nail punctures.  Finally that is a done deal.  At this point his enthusiasm about only paying $3.50 for the first repair is dampened by the having to pay 2 more times and the time spent driving and waiting.

A funny sidenote:  Mikee was relaying this story to a friend who in his kind concern for us talked to a mechanic in Rhode Island.  The mechanic told him that tire will never pass inspection with 3 puncture holes.  This is funny to me because (I am giggling even as I write) we are one of the few cars down here that even have brake lights.  Inspections …that just is not even a plausible thought and no such thing exists.

At least he is glad to have gotten stuff done and can now get some work done.  (yes, work.  must work to live here.)   Then the sinking realization that while he was in Ajijic he forgot to go to the next town out and pay the rent.  Another 2 hours of the day sucked up.  Upon arrival at the rental office the receptionist, who speaks very little English, had her English teacher write a note to ask us to bring rent & utility receipts for the last 3 months because she thinks we haven’t paid.  Apparently she doesn’t remember us being there and all the hassle she gives us each month because she does not know how to do her job of taking our check and writing it down.  We go through this repeatedly and now allow time for sitting in the office when we go to pay the rent.

By now it is 4pm and Mikee has yet to begin working for the day.

I did not even mention that he was trying to get banking done too.  We have already written about the adventure of banking here.  On a good day, it is a 45 minute process to deposit a USA check that won’t show up in the account for at least 8 more days.

This is not a bad day.  It’s just another day.  Sometimes we actually get stuff done.  But acclimating to going with the flow and adding the extra work of getting 3 kids through home-school has taken up quite a bit of our time and energy lately.  So, I apologize for the absence on the blog.

We just keep doing our best. 🙂

(Sorry no pictures.  I don’t have the energy to upload them right now.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{ 5 comments… add one }
  • Steph August 13, 2011, 6:35 am

    Come ooonnnnn, you have been slacking: ) sounds like your making lots of new friends. Me and Les like reading your stories, and we snicker remembering back to the stone age when we were there 4 months. Nothings changed!!!!! We can totally understand, or picture what your saying. Teehee……

  • DAD August 13, 2011, 8:23 am

    GOOD TO SEE YOU BACK IN ACTION WITH THE BLOG.

  • susan August 13, 2011, 9:49 am

    Wow, I am in sympathy. Not that I feel you were looking for it, but it is very encouraging to read what REALLY it is like there and not the “dream world” of living where the lneed is great. Reality check. I think it is very beneficial for others searching to move where the need is great to truly hear these things too, so they can make a realistic assessment of the sacrifices needed in order to do the work. The frustrations of dealing with a system that is broken, is a reality found in all parts of the world, just different broken systems!!! The District convention is SO wonderful to keep us focussed on the reality ahead! Lots of love to you all.

  • Tony Cardillo August 13, 2011, 8:18 pm

    I have really enjoyed reading of your adventures but this one is my favorite.Just when it seemed fixed something else happens. Good thing Mike is a man of many talents the least of which has proven time and again to be PREPARED.Keep up the blog, we love to follow it.

  • ginny brown August 13, 2011, 9:58 pm

    wow, if anybody could have the patience to get through a day like that regularly, you guys can. I would be pulling my hair out by now and looking to buy high blood pressure pills. Hope home schooling is going well. the kids first day of school is August 30. Sarah is going into her first year of high school. Steve starts his second year of college on Sept. 6. The summer is going by fast. miss you guys. love, gin

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