12.28.06 Day 10, Mexico Trip 1

We went swimming in the morning at Atotonilco and then came back to the house around 1. I was done with the water and a bunch of Mexican men staring at me. I am not even that good looking. I think it is just because my hair is not black and I turn red in the sun- very attractive. When we returned to the house I slept for two hours with Levi. I didn’t sleep well in the hotel. As I was trying to fall asleep in the hotel (without my fan) I counted 5 different dogs barking, some of which were in the hotel rooms flanking ours. And then at 7 am the roosters start from neighboring houses and loud speaker with a woman announcing all the things you can buy- sort of reminded me of a concentration camp.

I have decided that if I were stranded on a desert island and I was able to have one thing, I would want to bring Helio. He knows how to do anything without the proper tools. He opened a can of spaghetti sauce today with a knife. He also is not afraid to take a few electric shocks in the interest of dry clothes. He is extremely resourceful and pleasant to people he doesn’t know. In other words, he knows how to work people for what he wants. If I could take two things, the second would of course be a good tube of lipstick.

Levi has cuts all over his body. I fear he will contract some crazy virus because he has so many open spots on his legs and arms for some sort of bug or infection to take affect. He falls down a lot and it is often times on concrete. I am sure I will use the whole tube of Neosporin that I have in my bag before we get home.

I am getting really good at this doing laundry by hand thing. I don’t feel like a good sport about it though. I started doing the laundry at 3pm and finished up at 6:30 and still had a few more articles to wash. I ran out of places to hang it all. When Helio’s aunt stopped by I had to ask Helio to repeat himself when he said “you like to do the laundry like that don’t you babe” with a positive nod encouraging me to say “yes, love, I think this is fabulous” I didn’t answer like that and I think his Aunt thinks I might be a bit prissy. She offered her washing machine at her house but that would require my hanging out all day waiting for the wash with all their birds and the many, many Santa Clauses that have a button to push and a song to sing- Levi can’t leave them alone.

Jose Luis and Jodi were to have arrived in Mexico on the 28th. Friday (29th) is a party for one of Rafa’s girls- a birthday party. I am sure we will see them there. (Rafa and Jose Luis are brothers) It will be nice to speak English with someone. It would be even better to spend time with someone that would giggle in the corner with me about this whole deal.

It finally happened, I have been acting all “brave” and all and not wearing shoes in the morning when I get up to go make coffee- This morning (Friday) as I was stumbling around in the kitchen I stepped right on a cockroach. Thank God I had socks on but I can’t get rid of that sensation. I keep hearing the crunch and feeling the wet goo that squeezed out of him. Ick. (when I tried to share this story he was not impressed, he said, “honey, it’s normal to step on cockroaches” My response- NO IT’S NOT, who wakes up in the morning and steps on cockroaches?) Maybe it is bc I couldn’t sleep last night that my attention was elsewhere. I am hoping that the sleeping spell I have been under since I arrived has not been broken; I was up all night thinking about home and wondering how we are going to make this work when Levi and I return to the US. (I finally had to get up and take a sleeping aid) There are many things to look forward to like windows that have either a screen or a glass pane in it and not just a cut out in the wall, more than one channel on the television that is NOT children’s programming and a home security alarm but without Helio- such a paradox.

Until later-