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In the morning, we all attend Spanish classes at the Spanish Language Institute. It's about 10 minutes by car from our house, so walking's not much of an option, especially since you never know when it might rain. And when it rains here, the streets and sidewalks can fill with water.
I've been moved to different level classes three times so far and it's only been a week. I feel like Goldilocks. This class is too hard, that one is too easy. Eventually, I hope, I'll find one that's "just right."
Getting about:
Thankfully we're only a ten minute walk to the central plaza where most of the action is. Lots of street vendors, street entertainment, restaurants, shops, banks, etc. But to go anywhere else we take a taxi.
Everyone takes taxis here. Taxis are as popular here as they are in New York City, and the drivers drive about the same... no, they're definitely worse here. It's not a good idea to sit in the front if you're easily excitable. It's not a problem for me. I just don't wear my glasses. There are a few traffic lights, which they do obey... mostly. Otherwise it's a free
Inside the courtyard
The pool looks nice, but no one ever swims in it. They just dangle their feet in it. for all. They just go when there's a break in the traffic. Sometimes the break is really small though or nonexistent. It seems to work for them.
In Mexico there's this tradition of police officers stopping drivers for traffic violations and instead of giving them a ticket, expecting the fine to be paid to the city, the officer wants a "la mordida," a bribe. Mordida means "small bite" in Spanish. Even tourists can be targets. It's either pay it or go to some nasty Mexican jail. Sometimes the mordida can be negotiated, which seems odd. The reason people seem to accept it, as it was explained to us, is that police officers don't get paid well, so it's considered a part of their salary. People here don't necessarily like it any more than we would, but the tradition isn't likely to change. That's the way it's done here in Mexico.
It can be an interesting thing talking to the talking taxi drivers. One night on the way home, we were talking to our driver and learned that he had lived 2 years in the U.S., most of the time in Miami and a few months in Los Angeles. He told us that one of his favorite things about living there was Chinese food. We also learned that he had illegally crossed into the U.S. from Tijuana, Mexico. It was a short taxi trip, so the conversation ended there. From what I've heard, everyone here in Mexico knows someone that is living or has lived in the States. I've heard about these people in the news, but haven't ever actually talked to someone that has done it. Later in the program we're meeting someone that went to the U.S. illegally and returned. He/she is going to tell us about his/her experience.
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