Yesterday we went into Ensenada to go to the fabric place I found last Saturday. I knew just what material I wanted for the mobile home curtains and ended up choosing the same pattern different colors for the bedrooms. It's fuuny how they do it. The guy measures and just cuts right across. Before we came, I took my little cheat sheet and converted inches into centimeters, even though Everardo said oh no problem, they'll have both....yeah...not. So I gave the guy the measurements and he said he had to make each as 2 sides because of the width of the roll. Well good cause that's what I wanted. After that it went down hill. I could tell at times it was too much, but others not so much... I kept trying to ask question as Everardo and they guy had a running conversation. I still don't know if the set for the sliding glass door will be wide enough, or even long enough because we haven't tried to put them up yet. So he marked on a post it after each set of cuts and then gave us an armload of material and the post it, which we had to bring to the front to pay. Then we stopped at the roads and had another almost argument when I agreed that 6 out of 7 were fine, but (again the sliding glass door) the rods weren't long enough. Everardo kept saying how "they stretch way out" and I kept trying to make him read the label that showed the narrow-est and widest length. He kept saying I didn't understand and so finally I just shut down. Ok fine. If I had been so frustrated I would have said we need the round ones- not the rectangle ones we have to fit the material over. We got to the car and then he notices....are you ok? NO NO I AM NOT OK. I said this is when I HATE not being fluent! I have to stand by and watch things happen. Then I mentioned the rods and he took them back. Ha ha I knew they would not want to let us return them cause we paid with the bank card. And ha ha I was right, but the lady called a couple of other people, and they decided to just give us cash because they couldn't figure out how to reverse the bank card charge- fine with me- pls don't try something you don't know how to do.
I love those little pieces of paper they work it all out on. It's like the bakery area of the grocery store. All the baked goods are not packaged and you pick up a tray and a big pair of tongs and choose what you want. Then you take it to the counter and they put it in little paper bags and then staple a receipt to close the bag. Sometimes I choose something I want to eat while I shop (yeah terrible I know....like a doughnut) and I have to ask them to leave it out. Luckily I am learning not to worry about what other people think of me, cause as chubby me goes walking off munchin' on a doughnut I don't want any bad vibes. Anyway I usually can't follow conversations too well so I would be thinking everybody is talking about me! But if I speak first then everyone thinks I'm fluent and then they rattle off stuff way to quick for me and I'm lost but trying to go with body language...nodding my head...or shaking my head....
I do really like how people are not self conscious about their shape. I see women way way chubbier than me wearing tight tops, skinny jeans, all kinds of stuff. And maybe in the higher class (money snobby don't mix with mere mortals) skinny and rich is a must- but most of Mexico is poor. Tiny population of rich, a few more middle class and then everybody else is poor. But man I see some happy people in situations I can't believe. I have definitely had some personal growth spurts here!
So anyway after the fabric shopping fun, we drove towards home but we were on the other side of Ensenada, closer to the docks, and we saw some segundas we hadn't seen before so we stopped and walked along the block. Yippe! Found a standing lamp, a couch and a chair. We were in the car so said we'd come back for the couch and chair the next day..this was 3 different shops. Then we stopped at a roadside stand and grabbed some carnitas to eat at home...ha ha but Poppi was in it when we stopped at Walmart for the round curtain rods. So today we went back to pick up the chair and the couch. Ouch the chair was gone. I mean the segundas are everywhere- how did that one chair get chosen...guess we shoulda given a deposit. But it worked out much better. We took the couch and then went along the segundas that line Reforma going south out of town towards our place...and I spotted a set of matching chairs in excellent condition so Everardo negotiated with the guy and brought down the price a little (remember for me the price is always always more!) Then as we walked back to the truck I saw the perfect loveseat, and Everardo said no way! The place is too small for all this furniture...I reluctantly agreed since the truck was full...but on the way home changed my mind and wanted it ha ha. So we went to the new place (tiny movile home) and guess what? The lady didn't leave the key! So we unload onto a covered porch and went back to Ensenada. We had to stop at a tire place and while we were waiting we walked over to a sidewalk vendor and had shrimp tostadas OMG so good. But it gets better! I read Jaiba (pronounced High-ba) and it means crab! I just learned this word a couple of weeks ago because I thought the word for crab was congrejo (con-gray-ho). OH MY GOD some fresh crab!!!! I stuffed myself for about $4...so good.
So we got the loveseat for 150 pesos less than marked and brought it home. We got the key, and....he couldn't get the couch thru the door. And he wouldn't let me call anyone to help. Finally we took the scren off a wide window and he pushed the couch thru it. And I mean we had to destroy the screen, but in Penasco he mastered putting up screens so he'll replace it. And.....he was right, I chose too much furniture for such a small place...but tomorrow I'll look at it again and I'll make it work!
So we get home after 4pm and there's no water in the house. There wasn't any when we left this morning but we called Mike the maintenance guy and so expected it to be resolved. He wasn't there and no water. I called him and he was in Ensenada "getting a part"...he always says that! He showed up after dark and worked on it, but as soon as he left the water stopped again. Everardo has been fooling with the pumps and the pilas all evening and it looks like we have at least the water coming up from the ground- the water that comes up hot from the ground, then gets cooled off in one tank, moved to another and then pumped into the house...and we use a hot water heater to heat it up! ha ha ha ha. Well we started using water we buy from the truck (like everyone else) because the hot water is too salty). But none of this complicated system was working today. Tonite we finally took salty showers....did I mention that the mobile home has piped in water? Oh and it's free. Yeah free and a relief. We've had so many water issues the past 3 months I'm ready for ...well I don't want to say ready for something new cause what if it's worse???
So tomorrow we'll move some more stuff over...and maybe takes the doggys to see the new place...man I love Mexico!
Mexico fun fact:
Mexico hosted the Football World Cup in both 1970 and 1986.
I love those little pieces of paper they work it all out on. It's like the bakery area of the grocery store. All the baked goods are not packaged and you pick up a tray and a big pair of tongs and choose what you want. Then you take it to the counter and they put it in little paper bags and then staple a receipt to close the bag. Sometimes I choose something I want to eat while I shop (yeah terrible I know....like a doughnut) and I have to ask them to leave it out. Luckily I am learning not to worry about what other people think of me, cause as chubby me goes walking off munchin' on a doughnut I don't want any bad vibes. Anyway I usually can't follow conversations too well so I would be thinking everybody is talking about me! But if I speak first then everyone thinks I'm fluent and then they rattle off stuff way to quick for me and I'm lost but trying to go with body language...nodding my head...or shaking my head....
I do really like how people are not self conscious about their shape. I see women way way chubbier than me wearing tight tops, skinny jeans, all kinds of stuff. And maybe in the higher class (money snobby don't mix with mere mortals) skinny and rich is a must- but most of Mexico is poor. Tiny population of rich, a few more middle class and then everybody else is poor. But man I see some happy people in situations I can't believe. I have definitely had some personal growth spurts here!
So anyway after the fabric shopping fun, we drove towards home but we were on the other side of Ensenada, closer to the docks, and we saw some segundas we hadn't seen before so we stopped and walked along the block. Yippe! Found a standing lamp, a couch and a chair. We were in the car so said we'd come back for the couch and chair the next day..this was 3 different shops. Then we stopped at a roadside stand and grabbed some carnitas to eat at home...ha ha but Poppi was in it when we stopped at Walmart for the round curtain rods. So today we went back to pick up the chair and the couch. Ouch the chair was gone. I mean the segundas are everywhere- how did that one chair get chosen...guess we shoulda given a deposit. But it worked out much better. We took the couch and then went along the segundas that line Reforma going south out of town towards our place...and I spotted a set of matching chairs in excellent condition so Everardo negotiated with the guy and brought down the price a little (remember for me the price is always always more!) Then as we walked back to the truck I saw the perfect loveseat, and Everardo said no way! The place is too small for all this furniture...I reluctantly agreed since the truck was full...but on the way home changed my mind and wanted it ha ha. So we went to the new place (tiny movile home) and guess what? The lady didn't leave the key! So we unload onto a covered porch and went back to Ensenada. We had to stop at a tire place and while we were waiting we walked over to a sidewalk vendor and had shrimp tostadas OMG so good. But it gets better! I read Jaiba (pronounced High-ba) and it means crab! I just learned this word a couple of weeks ago because I thought the word for crab was congrejo (con-gray-ho). OH MY GOD some fresh crab!!!! I stuffed myself for about $4...so good.
So we got the loveseat for 150 pesos less than marked and brought it home. We got the key, and....he couldn't get the couch thru the door. And he wouldn't let me call anyone to help. Finally we took the scren off a wide window and he pushed the couch thru it. And I mean we had to destroy the screen, but in Penasco he mastered putting up screens so he'll replace it. And.....he was right, I chose too much furniture for such a small place...but tomorrow I'll look at it again and I'll make it work!
So we get home after 4pm and there's no water in the house. There wasn't any when we left this morning but we called Mike the maintenance guy and so expected it to be resolved. He wasn't there and no water. I called him and he was in Ensenada "getting a part"...he always says that! He showed up after dark and worked on it, but as soon as he left the water stopped again. Everardo has been fooling with the pumps and the pilas all evening and it looks like we have at least the water coming up from the ground- the water that comes up hot from the ground, then gets cooled off in one tank, moved to another and then pumped into the house...and we use a hot water heater to heat it up! ha ha ha ha. Well we started using water we buy from the truck (like everyone else) because the hot water is too salty). But none of this complicated system was working today. Tonite we finally took salty showers....did I mention that the mobile home has piped in water? Oh and it's free. Yeah free and a relief. We've had so many water issues the past 3 months I'm ready for ...well I don't want to say ready for something new cause what if it's worse???
So tomorrow we'll move some more stuff over...and maybe takes the doggys to see the new place...man I love Mexico!
Mexico fun fact:
Mexico hosted the Football World Cup in both 1970 and 1986.
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