Monday, May 31, 2010

Another Day Another Dollar


The place is really quiet right now...the sun is in full shine. The dogs are asleep..one of the Argentine women is sleeping in the grass getting tan I guess. Everyone else is gone or still asleep. I took a freezing cold shower just now and I can say that it was not the best way to start the day. I don't know how long I want to stay here now. Not that i have any reason to leave i just feel conflicted about staying in one place for too long. It is hard to find contentment right now. I feel really motivated with no direction. I have the will and the energy to complete something but no focus on that something. I also feel like Im chasing something that doesnt exist. I dont know what that is or where it is that I can find it but it does not seem to be here. I guess I am bored, but not nothing to do bored...no sense of purpose bored is what Im feeling. I dont know what Im accomplishing right now by traveling through Mexico. I am very close to Central America and a part of me just wants to jump right in there..but then what? Jose is telling me that school in Guatemala might not be necessarily cheaper. He knows some people near here or something. Also, there is a place outside of town called Palenque, which is like great Mayan ruins or something that no one wishes to miss in their life while so close here in Chiapas.
My thoughts and feelings are still a bit consumed by Flagstaff, and I can only deduce two reasons for this...the dumbest reason I believe to be affecting me is Facebook...now isnt that dumb? but seriously if I can login to facebook I can read about everyone back home in minutes..I know what is going on to some degree and its impossible to let go when so interconnected...also of course there is Lindsay, who I think about all the time. This is such a conundrum for me. I am thinking about not using the internet at all maybe I can sell my computer or just break it..no I would give it away first. I know that I could just restrict myself to using only the blog when having the internet but even having the blog is keeping me connected to home. I dont know why it seems necessary to disconnect from Flagstaff but being on a journey isnt about staying with home.
I am starting to believe I am more of a home body than I would like to be. I suppose I want adventure and growth in my life but maybe I am doing it in a way that doesnt suit my personality. I am not so sure about this former comment except it seems like maybe I am just homesick...it seems silly because I have only been gone for two weeks.
Im not scared, either. not that i need be scared but...
this post is fucking dumb im going to stop now. I will see if i can get to palenque today. im going to start looking into where I am going next as well. stay in chiapas or go right into guatemala?

Sunday, May 30, 2010

where i am now

Well I am super stoked about where i am now and i hope i can be here awhile. i guess i should introduce everyone i can because there are many members at the estate i am at. yeah its kind of like an estate..there are two buildings and one is split into two homes there is an inner courtyard a garden and a front yard it is all covered in private fence covered in private plants...there are three dogs two cats and a horse...a man named jose has welcomed me here he is in his 50s has kids in the states and an exwife in texas. there is frank, i like him he has a motorcycle we try and talk a lot there is dadio my new friend i thin konly 22 has a nova in spain and his job is a party planner he puts on huge parties and organizes everything from the guest list to the music etc...then there is mau who has a job of leading groups through the jungles of chiapas and is an avid outdoorsman. there are about 2 or 3 more people staying here who are couchsurfers like myself...and then there is this lady i cant remember her name shes sweet and she is always looking after one of two very small children and then there is another lady who is quiet and is always cleaning or working. so far it is really swell they threw a party last night and invited many foreigners and other peoplo we had a big salad and spaghetti and bread..also there was beer wine and cocktails...and jose had weed! that was cool getting stoned for the first time in mexico changed everything boy i got excited and dadio and i had many good conversations in spanish he helped me a lot with all my many mistakes and i taLK so slow..i feel pretty dumb trying to communicate but what else can i do? i watched the suns lose to the lakers and now its the lakers and celtics in the finals well obviously im going for the celtics but now i just dont care. i passed up an oppurtunity to go out with everyone to stay at the villa and watch the game..bad choice..but i was tired and i am fighting a cold i think ...today i feel pretty good though. just woke up slept in late its after 10 the latest ive slept since ive been gone it feels like. well now today i was thinking of A. learning how to ride this horse B. exploring the downtown here. C. do whatever other people around here are going to do...seems hard to get bored when you are staying with many people. regardless it is beautiful here and im happy where im at..hope i can stay here for awhile.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Voy a San Cristobal de Las Casas esta noche!

I am leaving Oaxaca tonight. I have been here now for just a few days and it is really nice. I like this place much more than DF but I never like big cities that much anyhow so this is no surprise. The funny thing about my trip thus far is that I am not really taking in the tourist things like not going to the museums or inside all the churches or whatever..apparently I should eat mole while Im here or buy my mezcal here or eat fried crickets but oh well....I just want to get to Guatemala at this point. I am sick of being so shitty at Spanish and when I get to Antigua I am going to start going to school and stay with a family. It is much, much cheaper to attend school there instead of Mexico. I looked at prices for schools here in Oaxaca and its about 400 more dollars to do the same thing...now the quality of the school or the teachers might not be as good I dont know but doubtful because what I read of the school I am interested in it is a very popular choice.
So, I am going to be staying with a 52 year old man in Chiapas when I get there he wants to talk about the new law in Arizona and honestly I dont have much to say about it. I dont agree with it just like I dont agree with almost all of Arizonas choices regarding laws and financial interests. What can I say about it? no estoy de acuerdo porque el gobernador de Arizona es pinche estupida...lo que sea. no estoy ahi. I have had some good conversations with some people that I have met about politics and society on a larger scale and it has been good...I am frustrated by the language barrier on a daily basis, however. It prevents me from making friends pretty much. i no speak your language you no speak mine....Gracias Dios por la musica! I need to find a case for my guitar before I break it...´-knock on wood- and yeah I leave tonight at 830 for a twelve hour bus ride! however i got the top of the line bus which came out to a whopping 650 pesos not that much really like 50 bucks or so and if you think about a 12 hour bus ride in a really nice bus that is muy economico.
I guess I should apologize for my poor usage of the paragraph and indentation and all the other elusive grammatical implements I avoid. Out of laziness maybe out of carelessness most likely.
I want to write about something important but there doesnt seem to be anything worth writing about. I met two people since I got to Oaxaca that are rad. Sylvester and sophia-sorry if I spell these wrong..they are awesome people probably the coolest people I have met yet..I wish we had got to know each other more but maybe if I head back to Cuernavaca I can see them. Sylvester is super interesting and alive he is a writer too and I feel inspired when I meet people like him and sophia is incredibly hermosa as well as super inteligente they both are beautiful and smart people I am fortunate to have met them...
So I might have already mentioned this but the people here are really genuine and polite but not too much like I feel people are cordial and will act accordingly to be respectful BUT that is it. no more no less. like I think it is going to be hard to establish meaningful relationships or friendships in general until i get better at the language and have more confidence to just start a conversation with someone. I am still kinda apprehensive about getting out there and talking to people like I havent been going out at night to bars or whatever mostly because I dont know where to go and also the language barrier fear blah blah blah.
I have been following the Suns wherever I go and it makes me feel really close to home to watch them even if it is in a hostel whereever i am and the commentators speak in spanish. too bad they lost in the last couple seconds last night...goddamn Artest and his one important shot of the night...well we can get back in game 6...dont have a choice.
its just about 2 in the afternoon here and i have 5 or 6 hours to kill not sure where to go or what to do luckily my backpack is in storage at the hostel until i am ready to go to the bus station. i suppose i will look for a case for my guitar and maybe look inside some churches or museums..maybe eat some mole or have some hot chocolate or fried crickets...adios.

Did I mention sunburns peelin like crazy on my shoulders and back? did i mention that i fucking hate mosquitos? because my skin is peeling and its gross and i fucking hate mosquitos!

Monday, May 24, 2010

First Blog-ACTUALLY

Hello, mi amigos! I am going to tell you about my time thus far in Mexico. First let me say thank you to Steve for his reference on the USAirways because of him, I got bumped up to First Class…on that note thanks Andrew for letting me stay with you and Steve and Mokey too because it was great to see him. I got off the plane and went through customs and all that…they checked my bag and it wasn’t that big of a deal. I exchanged some money and asked about where the buses were. I didn’t get too much help because I had not realized I was looking for el Metro, the subway of DF (Mexico City). So after communicating with a few people I managed to find the subway entrance. It was similar to the stations I had been through in Germany so getting to the right stop and taking the right direccion was not a problema. Regardless, I still went the wrong way once and realized it immediately. It only costs 3 pesos for una boleta, which translates to about 25 cents…CHEAP! After I got outta the subway, which was super fucking packed because there are so many people in DF, I bought some freshly squeezed jugo de naranja for about 80 cents..pretty awesome. Yeah I asked for directions to Daian’s house, the girl I was staying with but she lives in a departamento like most people there. Her sister answered the door inside the fortress of her apartment. It had security and gates like everywhere around there it seems. People are worried about thieves and robbery or pickpockets are more common I suppose. Eryka, I can’t remember her name, was very nice and I used the internet and tried to speak with her. We both suck at each other languages- Go Figure. I was hungry and went to get food. She told me to go to la plaza to get food across the street. I went the wrong way and figured it out pretty quick…after I got there I decided to get tacos al pastor which is pretty much pork on a spit cooked with pineapple pretty bomb…Daian and her sister showed up and we had lunch together. She was very kind and had more English under her belt so we talked a bit. It seems a lot of people in Mexico don’t speak English or very little if at all. Later that day we decided to go downtown to some café and meet up with some friends in order to practice English and Spanish. There we were having some drinks and I met a white guy who was younger than me and a teacher there since September. He was cool and explained that it was good and all but he didn’t make too much money. Also there was no curriculum to follow so he just kinda taught them out of the books provided. It was for literature so he was working with kids who already had a grasp on the language. Everyone is really nice. I keep learning new words left and right and then I forget them just the same. It was a good night. Everyone dispersed and the three of us headed back and picked up a bunch of treats along the way at the Pemex(this is the gas station that is like everywhere.) The ice cream sucks there, its more water less cream also I don’t know about a lot of food in general. The Coke is better though! Well, I pretty much went to bed but read a bit about DF in a copy of “A Lonely Planet” that Daian had. The next morning I checked my email and facebook and Hilary had emailed me about meeting her in Cuernavaca that day (Thursday). So I had to tell the girls goodbye prematurely since they had offered me a place to stay for another night. I took the Metro to the south end of town and chatted with some cute mexicanas then found the bus station…it was like 13 bucks and it was pretty hard to communicate what to do..Keep in mind there are so many people everywhere and like the whole time people are trying to sell you shit like dumbass things all over the subways and on the streets and stands and whatever. Its like everyone is trying to make a buck only none of the jobs are legitimate or taxable. I don’t know but I think mexico is way more into money than your average American…im thinking that they just are poor so they are constantly concerned with it, like they are chasing the dream so bad money is their priority. I feel bad that the US is probably the culprit for this sort of obsession with the capitalist chase. Anyways, the bus was awesome like a 100 times better than a greyhound and a fifth of the price. When I got off the bus, I had to use some dudes cell but he was cool and Hilary answered and came and met me. We grabbed a cab and she told me that radio cabs are like the only safe ones but I should just avoid them in general. Dropped off my stuff at her awesome host familys house and we walked into el centro (downtown). I got a badass torta with hamon and pina and chiles and queso fresco and of course mayonesa. I like the street food. Fuck it ill get sick like everyone else does anyways so might as well eat good and cheap. We looked for a bank then found one inside an appliance store, just in case you want to make a withdrawal and immediately buy a new fridge. They wanted a passport to exchange money and I didn’t have it so no dice. We went to her friends and went swimming. It was me and a bunch of girls again. This happens a lot. I like it but people think im gay…especially Mexicans and because I wear little shorts too. Mexicans don’t wear shorts I swear..and more about that later. Hilary has some pretty cool friends in Cuernavaca. Everyone is from NAU in flagstaff….but I didn’t know any of them prior. Im kinda old in comparison…the median age is 21 and im 27 in two months so….her roommate is fernanda, a mexican American girl from east LA and she is totally chill and only 20 but wow she is a chill 20 year old. She is already fluencia so that is nice when we have to talk to people. All the girls wanted to go out and party before we caught the bus to the beach at 2 in the morning….yeah we are going to the beach for the weekend due south from Cuernavaca on the coast. So they put on makeup and we sat around had some tequila shots I met her mama she fed us I tried to talk to her man I cant listen to Spanish worth a damn they talk fast….so we got a cab and hit this bar but they wouldn’t let me in cuz I had SHORTS on so we went to another bar and met up with more girls…so its me and like 8 really cute girls that kicks ass and everyone thinks im gay…ha. The band played beatles covers and they were pretyy good at it too. The girls really wanted to go to the former bar so we went back and I got pants first. Then they let us in and we got drunk…we danced the music is so bad its like top 40 bullshit put to and electronic beat except the beats per minute or like to a fast salsa beat so its sort of like American pop/dance/salsa….its really bad but you can dance to it if you like the original track or just drink a lot….since we were getting three beers for 20 pesos it was kinda like duh! But damn whiskey is expensive and they don’t have anything good so I have to drink tequila or shitty beer…also cigarettes are super cheap but they are shitty too and no one smokes rollies so im just not smoking. So yeah at the bar this Mexican guy thought I was a faggot and told Hilary that “your boyfriend was making out with a guy in the bathroom”…I went up to him and told him that A.she wasn’t my girlfriend and B. he could just ask if he wanted to kiss me…..i was trying to be funny instead of getting mad but he didn’t understand my English so it was just confusion and dumb. Either way chinga su madre! After the bar we grabbed all our shit and headed to la gringa this little all night Mexican place and grabbed food with the whole crew that was going to the beach.. this guy through their university set up the whole trip and we got on a bus and drove through the night to this beach 7 hours south. I slept most of the time. So we get to la playa and it is the shit it is just like a corona commercial or something. There are hammocks everywhere and we pretty much stayed in peoples backyards and they set up shop like a restaurant so you sleep in their backyard and you buy your food and drink from them. The water was perfect warm and the sun was hot.

(I WROTE THE ABOVE LAST NIGHT I WRITE THIS NOW ON MONDAY NIGHT>>GO SUNS!)

Got drunk the first day and had fun..I swam a lot! I ate some mariscos and just chilled with all the girls. That night I got sick and threw up plus had diarrhea...still do and my stomach has been churning a bit....all went well and Sunday we headed back...before we left though I got to know the old woman who made my food and sold me shit. I started calling her abuela(grandma) and she started calling me guero(white boy). it was cute. I stayed the night with Hilary that night secretly because her host mom would have said no and apparently I talked in my sleep that night..I was on the floor and have been having crazy ass dreams since I got here. I spent all of today (lunes) walking around Cuernavaca and I bought a guitarra..its badass classical cost 1300 pesos (about 108 bucks) and its worth it. So I was playing guitar and drinking Coke in a botella because its so much better and this guy Thomas (Toe-moss) talks to me about it...we become friends and he shows me the city..shows me the market and this botanical garden and a bunch of other stuff...we have a good time and part ways...I meet up with Hilary when she is done with class and find a hostel..we go grocery shopping and chill and now she has just left..I am here and must plan for tomorrow. i will catch the bus back to DF and find a hostel or couchsurf for a few days..then I will go to Oaxaca. After that, I dont know...I am just trying to have a plan for a few days in advance at this point. So yeah big post...another one perhaps in a week or less. Nos vemos!

First Blog en Mexico

So I wrote this entry in my little journal over the weekend and then I rewrote it and typed it up in my computer and now I am at a new computer and I really dont feel up to it so here is the cocise version.....I will put in the long ass post when I have wifi on my computer..so: couchsurfed, bus to Cuernavaca, met up with Hilary, went to the beach for the weekend, back in Cuernavaca, have diarrhea, dont know where to go from here, all is well! OK BYE!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Nervioso

Hola amigos...Leaving in 9 hours to DF...really excited! had a great time with both Pete and Andrew and am very thankful for my good friends...I love Mokey! Finally seeing him after all this time it is good. Had a nice time in the Phoenix area the last couple days and well I am ready to jet! Viva la revolucion! Adios Estados Unidos!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Trabajo

I have less than two weeks...I am sort of nervous but mostly just excited. I can't think of why to mention it but the Phoenix Suns just won their second game against the Spurs....good for them. I am gonna try to stay on top of the series if the suns stay in. Also, I am downloading the third through the seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation and am totally stoked. No, I wont be watching Star Trek much at all but I know it will be nice to enjoy some leisurely show watching at some point on my trip. So am I going to be lonely? Sad? Bored? Scared? Yeah. Emotions have their time and their place and now I think I am saying nothing necesidad o importante so I will stop.

POEM

Got some flack for that
heart attack on my pride
ego lasts infinitely rewind:
Dont love you anymore
Its practical and rational.
Fast forward: feeling rough and splintered
two by four pieces of me
stuck in you and forever lost
Yeah its painful, use
the tweezers. I will just decay
rot away into a saddened
caricature of my pre-you self.