Day 2 at the immigration office. Not that bad, though- was only there for about an hour each day. And tomorrow should do it- this time we'll show up at 8am, telephone and electric bill in hand for proof of address and I should be good. This is to renew my visa (FM2 or 3, I always forget), and the this time next year I can apply for citizenship. I'll have dual, American and Mexican. You didn't used to be able to have dual citizenship, you had to denounce one to take the other, but I guess the laws have changed. The other thing that's changed is all the cards now come from Mexico City; so although we'll be finished tomorrow, then we wait for the card. If the process goes fine, you get the card in 2-3 weeks. But we were sitting next to a guy who's been waiting for his since November last year. Another guy yesterday had been waiting a long time as well, and a lady came in today while we were there and she checked the list on the wall for her name, shook her head and left. This is Mexico, maybe it will take 3 weeks and maybe it will take 3 months, and follow the same process. ha ha if you have a problem, you're screwed. When we went yesterday she told us to go home and go to this website and follow the instructions, but when we did that this morning, nothing came up so we went back down there. The other lady helped us and she was really nice, and she did it for us. The only problem was my address changed since last year, hence we have to bring those bills tomorrow. It's funny- the electric bill is not even in our name, but she said it didn't matter, bring a paid one. The telephone bill is in my name so that's good.
When we did this last year, for the first time, we had to go up to Acapulco- a 2 hour drive- and we got there at 9am right when they opened and it took all day, but they issued me a card right there. That was of course after walking to the bank twice, to make copies once or twice, and walking to a picture place. And then there was the tiny problem that I was in Mexico illegally, ha ha! When we came across I had processed the truck and trailer paperwork and didn't notice they never stamped my papers for my visa, so in Acapulco I had to pay a fine and "admit" by signing a confession (ha ha) that I was at fault. We got pulled over so many times driving down thru Mexico to Guerrero pulling that trailer, but every time they only asked for Everardo's ID, and usually as soon as he answered yes to the question if I was American, we were let go..we paid no bribes until we were all the way down in Acapulco and I know I already wrote about that experience getting pulled over every 5 minutes...and paying to pass...
So this has been relatively painless; the office is only open 8am to noon, and fingers crossed, we'll finish it tomorrow. One trip to the bank, I already got the pictures, and we should be good.
Today we had English class with the group that is just slightly ahead of the other; 3 or 4 students who have been coming all along, and when we practiced the song....THEY WERE AMAZING! We're gonna sing our surprise song/gift on Monday for Karen and Mark. I think it's gonna big so cool! I know Karen and Mark will be touched, and I think the students will feel pretty good about themselves too. There's 2 teenagers, the daughter and sobrina of Elizabeth (oh I see I wrote sobrina which is neice), so I let them come, and they don't seem to enthused about the song, but the other ladies do. There will be at least 8 counting the teens, and today they sang loud with one missing, Maggie, and she has a big mouth and a pretty big voice. Miriam is my other current favorite cause she is very loud, but in a happy way, and she sings loud, too. With her there, she, Veronica and Elizabeth were all asking alot of questions with the lesson we've been working on for about 4 classes now, and this is what I was hoping for...to give them some basic stuff and then thru their questions to build on it. I made some breakfast menus for Teresa's Restaurant, and the last 2 classes I had one person take the breakfast orders for the others. Then another, but today, with Miriam, she starting asking more things, like what if we don't want to order yet, we need more time? So then Veronica wanted to know how to ask if they wanted dessert. Ha ha then a new conversation about desert and dessert. I had to erase some stuff to add more cause we used the entire huge whiteboard. That's the kinda class I love, where the students are engaged. So I need the Miriams. I love Jessica who works hard, but she is shy and so never asks anything new. I lost Rueben who was great for asking questions and joking around - I'm still not giving up on finding out where they live and trying to get them back.
But I have learned another important thing, and it may be about Mexico or maybe about poverty in general. That it ebbs and flows, people come and go. And of course there's all types, and just like in AA, you can't help them all, but you can sure help the ones who help themselves, the ones who sincerely want/need help. There are of course some manipulators out there, one guy who is a drug addict who I guess got clean for awhile, and did enough community service for One Mission to build him a little house. Now, months later, I hear that that house is gutted, he sold the windows and the door, and he actually traded the title for some money to someone who is holding on to it, although he's doing his best to try to manipulate it back out of them without repaying the money. He suddenly doesn't care for me too much cause I won't give him money or a ride, and am not interested to hear his sad story. I been around a lot of addicts, and I'm not buying it. Luckily I am not Karen, who as Christian missionary in charge of the place, has to have more empathy than me....but I'm sure she struggles with this guy when she has so many other people truly struggling.
So I came back from the States and my class has changed. I actually made it into 2 classes because there were so many the first day back, maybe 12-15 in the original class and 8-9 in the new class. Ha ha joke was on me cause after that...if I have 6 in either class it's a big class. But I can't really combine them back because one class is just beginning and the others are up to ordering in a resturaunt, right? So vamos a ver. I am learning to just go with the flow...and for a control freak like me.....ha ha that's pretty good. I just remain grateful that I can be of service here in my new community, in the armpit of Mexico!
So if my car holds up I'll just keep truckin' on out there 4 days a week. My car is another story, we bought it in Jan, and at the time had a cracked windshield, and the driver's seat belt was broken where you click it in- the receptacle I guess. Since then it seems to deteriorate....neither back door has a working handle on the outside, and now the passenger door is really hard to open from the inside. The windshield is still cracked and I need to get it replaced before I can go to Arizona to pick anybody up from the airport. Actually would have to fix the seat belt as well, but it's not as noticeable. Oh and somebody put a dent in one of my scratched back side panels...so I have a little beater Mexican car, it's kinda gray and always dusty...and nobody gives me a second look, just the way I like it. Viva!
When we did this last year, for the first time, we had to go up to Acapulco- a 2 hour drive- and we got there at 9am right when they opened and it took all day, but they issued me a card right there. That was of course after walking to the bank twice, to make copies once or twice, and walking to a picture place. And then there was the tiny problem that I was in Mexico illegally, ha ha! When we came across I had processed the truck and trailer paperwork and didn't notice they never stamped my papers for my visa, so in Acapulco I had to pay a fine and "admit" by signing a confession (ha ha) that I was at fault. We got pulled over so many times driving down thru Mexico to Guerrero pulling that trailer, but every time they only asked for Everardo's ID, and usually as soon as he answered yes to the question if I was American, we were let go..we paid no bribes until we were all the way down in Acapulco and I know I already wrote about that experience getting pulled over every 5 minutes...and paying to pass...
So this has been relatively painless; the office is only open 8am to noon, and fingers crossed, we'll finish it tomorrow. One trip to the bank, I already got the pictures, and we should be good.
Today we had English class with the group that is just slightly ahead of the other; 3 or 4 students who have been coming all along, and when we practiced the song....THEY WERE AMAZING! We're gonna sing our surprise song/gift on Monday for Karen and Mark. I think it's gonna big so cool! I know Karen and Mark will be touched, and I think the students will feel pretty good about themselves too. There's 2 teenagers, the daughter and sobrina of Elizabeth (oh I see I wrote sobrina which is neice), so I let them come, and they don't seem to enthused about the song, but the other ladies do. There will be at least 8 counting the teens, and today they sang loud with one missing, Maggie, and she has a big mouth and a pretty big voice. Miriam is my other current favorite cause she is very loud, but in a happy way, and she sings loud, too. With her there, she, Veronica and Elizabeth were all asking alot of questions with the lesson we've been working on for about 4 classes now, and this is what I was hoping for...to give them some basic stuff and then thru their questions to build on it. I made some breakfast menus for Teresa's Restaurant, and the last 2 classes I had one person take the breakfast orders for the others. Then another, but today, with Miriam, she starting asking more things, like what if we don't want to order yet, we need more time? So then Veronica wanted to know how to ask if they wanted dessert. Ha ha then a new conversation about desert and dessert. I had to erase some stuff to add more cause we used the entire huge whiteboard. That's the kinda class I love, where the students are engaged. So I need the Miriams. I love Jessica who works hard, but she is shy and so never asks anything new. I lost Rueben who was great for asking questions and joking around - I'm still not giving up on finding out where they live and trying to get them back.
But I have learned another important thing, and it may be about Mexico or maybe about poverty in general. That it ebbs and flows, people come and go. And of course there's all types, and just like in AA, you can't help them all, but you can sure help the ones who help themselves, the ones who sincerely want/need help. There are of course some manipulators out there, one guy who is a drug addict who I guess got clean for awhile, and did enough community service for One Mission to build him a little house. Now, months later, I hear that that house is gutted, he sold the windows and the door, and he actually traded the title for some money to someone who is holding on to it, although he's doing his best to try to manipulate it back out of them without repaying the money. He suddenly doesn't care for me too much cause I won't give him money or a ride, and am not interested to hear his sad story. I been around a lot of addicts, and I'm not buying it. Luckily I am not Karen, who as Christian missionary in charge of the place, has to have more empathy than me....but I'm sure she struggles with this guy when she has so many other people truly struggling.
So I came back from the States and my class has changed. I actually made it into 2 classes because there were so many the first day back, maybe 12-15 in the original class and 8-9 in the new class. Ha ha joke was on me cause after that...if I have 6 in either class it's a big class. But I can't really combine them back because one class is just beginning and the others are up to ordering in a resturaunt, right? So vamos a ver. I am learning to just go with the flow...and for a control freak like me.....ha ha that's pretty good. I just remain grateful that I can be of service here in my new community, in the armpit of Mexico!
So if my car holds up I'll just keep truckin' on out there 4 days a week. My car is another story, we bought it in Jan, and at the time had a cracked windshield, and the driver's seat belt was broken where you click it in- the receptacle I guess. Since then it seems to deteriorate....neither back door has a working handle on the outside, and now the passenger door is really hard to open from the inside. The windshield is still cracked and I need to get it replaced before I can go to Arizona to pick anybody up from the airport. Actually would have to fix the seat belt as well, but it's not as noticeable. Oh and somebody put a dent in one of my scratched back side panels...so I have a little beater Mexican car, it's kinda gray and always dusty...and nobody gives me a second look, just the way I like it. Viva!
No comments:
Post a Comment