Tonight a group of us from the complex hired a van to take us to Merida to attend a fundraiser for AFAD. You can see their website here .
There were finger foods, desserts and drinks, including wine. After a few speeches there was music provided by a trio of girls with beautiful voices. They were accompanied by a fellow on keyboard as well as a gal with spectacular saxophone skills.
A few works of art were up for silent auction. There were also lots of smaller items to purchase...t-shirts, keychains, calendars...that sort of thing.
A moving slide-show showcased a few rescued dogs and how AFAD is working to raise awareness, especially with kids.
I recently read an article on last year's event that said the expat community wasn't very well represented. I believe there were only 7 or 9 expats. This year, the representation was much better. Shoot, there were 12 in our group alone.
The only negative to the evening? The people in the back who kept talking loudly enough that it was difficult to hear the speeches. But here's something I don't recall seeing happen in Canada...when the talking became too loud, the chatters were shushed. Those who were trying to hear would say "Shhhhh!"
I know that chatting with friends is an important part of social events but, come on, people! There'll be time for that after the speeches. Give the speaker some respect.
I enjoyed the outing but it was a very loud evening and I was glad to get back to the peace and quiet of home. Well, at least I thought there would be peace and quiet. Not so. Someone across the back alley is playing very loud music with a strong bass.
Meh. Ni modo.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Bond. James Bond
The other night, Senor B and Theresa's husband discovered they had a mutual love for 007. So, this afternoon, the 4 of us went to see the new movie at Liverpool. We lucked out in getting there just as one was starting so we didn't have to wait, at all.
Like many movies here, it was played in English with Spanish subtitles. I found myself reading the subtitles as a way to increase my Spanish skills. But then I ended up missing too much of the action so I had to force myself to ignore the subtitles.
I can sure see how subtitles are a useful tool for learning another language. Seeing the Spanish words and then hearing the proper usage in English helped me to make sense of some things.
Afterwards, we went for a quick coffee at the little cafe on the upper floor. Neither Senor B nor I can remember the name. Shame on us!
Theresa and Husband took us to the spice section which also has other items that are familiar to NOB folks. They also showed us the dried fruit that's been rolled in chili. They claim it's addictive but I have my doubts. As much as I like spicy food, this looks like it could be too much for me. However, we're not afraid to try new things (I do draw the line at bugs, guts and partially developed duck embryos) so I expect we'll give them a go sooner or later.
Senor B and I took the Autoprogreso back and forth. The young lady I sat with helped to make sure we got off at the right place. We missed it by a block but we were early so it was no big deal. To catch the bus home, we had to cross the road...3 lanes of traffic both ways. You pretty much take your life in your own hands when you cross roads here, but we managed without incidence.
Flagging down the bus is difficult at night. I suppose if we lived in the city we'd get used to what the front of the bus looks like. Since we don't, we always end up missing the first bus or two.
For the first time, I experienced the "you're white so I don't understand what you're saying" phenomenon. I asked a 20-something fellow, "Autoprogreso aqui?" He gave me the deer in the headlights look and said, "No hablo ingles." Now it was my turn for the deer in the headlights look. I said, "Pero hablo espanol," and asked him again, "Autoprogreso aqui?" He repeated that he didn't speak English. *long inner sigh* Ok.
We eventually caught a bus and made it home.
We enjoyed hanging out with Theresa and her husband. Hopefully we'll get to see them again before we head north.
Like many movies here, it was played in English with Spanish subtitles. I found myself reading the subtitles as a way to increase my Spanish skills. But then I ended up missing too much of the action so I had to force myself to ignore the subtitles.
I can sure see how subtitles are a useful tool for learning another language. Seeing the Spanish words and then hearing the proper usage in English helped me to make sense of some things.
Afterwards, we went for a quick coffee at the little cafe on the upper floor. Neither Senor B nor I can remember the name. Shame on us!
Theresa and Husband took us to the spice section which also has other items that are familiar to NOB folks. They also showed us the dried fruit that's been rolled in chili. They claim it's addictive but I have my doubts. As much as I like spicy food, this looks like it could be too much for me. However, we're not afraid to try new things (I do draw the line at bugs, guts and partially developed duck embryos) so I expect we'll give them a go sooner or later.
Senor B and I took the Autoprogreso back and forth. The young lady I sat with helped to make sure we got off at the right place. We missed it by a block but we were early so it was no big deal. To catch the bus home, we had to cross the road...3 lanes of traffic both ways. You pretty much take your life in your own hands when you cross roads here, but we managed without incidence.
Flagging down the bus is difficult at night. I suppose if we lived in the city we'd get used to what the front of the bus looks like. Since we don't, we always end up missing the first bus or two.
For the first time, I experienced the "you're white so I don't understand what you're saying" phenomenon. I asked a 20-something fellow, "Autoprogreso aqui?" He gave me the deer in the headlights look and said, "No hablo ingles." Now it was my turn for the deer in the headlights look. I said, "Pero hablo espanol," and asked him again, "Autoprogreso aqui?" He repeated that he didn't speak English. *long inner sigh* Ok.
We eventually caught a bus and made it home.
We enjoyed hanging out with Theresa and her husband. Hopefully we'll get to see them again before we head north.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
A Wonderful Evening
Tonight we joined Theresa of What Do I Do All Day? and her husband (yes, the elusive and rarely seen Husband does exist) for a play put on by the kids at TTT. You can see the info here .
Oh my goodness. It was great! I'm under the impression that the students wrote it themselves, though I may have misunderstood. I know just enough French and Spanish to get the gist of the non-English parts. It felt like most of it was in English, though, so it added to my enjoyment. Still, the non-English parts were easy enough to follow along. I think most mannerisms must be universal. Everyone knows what a wink, a booty shimmy, or a tantrum means.
The surprise love interests at the end had everyone howling with laughter and the Gangnam style dance was also unexpected.
Whether the students wrote the play or not, the performance was well done and it highly entertaining. Good job, kids!
Afterwards, we went for a bite to eat. I'm afraid I didn't get the name of the restaurant. Senor B thinks it was Amare. The food was very good and the ambience nice. The big tree growing within its walls, its canopy of branches forming the ceiling, was a unique and pleasant feature. During the day, it must feel like eating in a park.
The fun play, good food and great company all made for a wonderful way to spend our evening.
Oh my goodness. It was great! I'm under the impression that the students wrote it themselves, though I may have misunderstood. I know just enough French and Spanish to get the gist of the non-English parts. It felt like most of it was in English, though, so it added to my enjoyment. Still, the non-English parts were easy enough to follow along. I think most mannerisms must be universal. Everyone knows what a wink, a booty shimmy, or a tantrum means.
The surprise love interests at the end had everyone howling with laughter and the Gangnam style dance was also unexpected.
Whether the students wrote the play or not, the performance was well done and it highly entertaining. Good job, kids!
Afterwards, we went for a bite to eat. I'm afraid I didn't get the name of the restaurant. Senor B thinks it was Amare. The food was very good and the ambience nice. The big tree growing within its walls, its canopy of branches forming the ceiling, was a unique and pleasant feature. During the day, it must feel like eating in a park.
The fun play, good food and great company all made for a wonderful way to spend our evening.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
The Girl With the Magic Fingers
Meet Sochi, the girl with the magic fingers. She's amazing.
She has a fold up table that she hauls over on a hand truck. I have no idea how far from the complex she lives but I think it must be a bit of a walk because she looks a bit tuckered when she gets here.
Senor B and I had booked her for 10am today. We've had her come a few times and she's always prompt. Today was no exception. A big "Hello, it's nice to see you again," accompanied her warm, wide smile.
Her table is almost as big as she is so we help her pull it out of the bag and get set up. Then it's down to business.
She uses a nice glide-y lotion, a metal ball with small spikes and few other gadgets that I saw but didn't take note of what they were. She uses the ball on the bottom of the feet. Eek! It made my feet twitch and I was afraid I was going to kick her!
I get a monthly massage at home so I'm used to them but she went deeper than my guy at home. There were a couple times I winced. She gave my frozen shoulder a good going over. I'm sure I'm going to hurt tomorrow.
I have a bug bite on the back of my right arm that has become very swollen. The red area is a good 4 inches in diameter. Because it's so big, she was concerned that it was a cockroach bite. Say what?! Cockroaches bite? omg. I got it during the night, along with 3 or 4 more, so I'm pretty sure it's just a mosquito bite.
A full body massage takes just over an hour and she charges 250 pesos. Much cheaper than my guy at home and every bit as good. She also has clients in Merida. I left all my business cards back in Canada but if anyone is interested, I can get her contact info. She doesn't speak a lot of English but with the help of my handy-dandy dictionary, we managed.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Quick Catch Up
Well, I'll try to make it quick. I'm not much of a talker in real life, but I can ramble on and on here.
Our flight down was uneventful. No troubles with TSA.
We had some fun coincidences happen:
1) In emailing back and forth with our neighbours, D and V, on the floor above us, we discovered that we would be taking the same flight from Houston and that Senor B and I were seated in the row behind them.
2) While sitting in Houston, Senor B remarked that a lady who walked by looked familiar. I took a look and agreed. It turns out that she was who he thought she was...none other than the lovely Natasha who owns the Cafe Pantleon here in Progreso. We had planned on taking a cab from Merida to Progreso but Natasha, who flew down on the same flight, said she would call her husband and tell him to bring the van so they could give us a ride home. Wasn't that nice of her? We don't even know her except for having eaten at her restuarant a few times. So here's a little shout out for her. The food is delicious and you won't be disappointed.
Cafe Pantaleon
Calle 31 #234 entre 14 y 16
Colonia Benito Juarez
Progreso
Tel: 969-934-0405
3) While on the plane, I had the pleasure of sitting beside a lovely lady named Mary. Turns out Mary was on her way to visit the distinguished Joanna of Writing From Merida . We chatted about people we knew in common, she personally and me through reading Joanna's blog.
---------------------------------------
Senor B and I haven't done too much since we arrived. The first morning here, he went to move his suitcase. He pivoted at his knees and one of them popped. So he was laid up until Sat morning. He couldn't walk very far and what little he could manage was done with a limp. He's walking normally now but he's taking it easy so he doesn't overdo it.
Friday morning I went with D and V, as well as another couple, into Merida. We had hoped there would still be some Day of the Dead activities going on but the square was devoid of any celebrations. We did a bit of shopping and then headed off to Costco for a few things. Not too much, though, because we were riding the bus.
Senor B's knee meant he couldn't go grocery shopping with me so I was picking up a few things at the little store across the street. I'm more than capable of going downtown by myself but the introvert within me kicked into high gear and I just couldn't muster the gumption to go alone. Neighbour Liz took me to Bodega on Thursday so I was able to stock the kitchen with a few things. Today, Senor B and I went uptown for a few more things. Now that I've been uptown, I can manage it on my own. How weird that I need Senor B on the initial trip.
This morning we went for breakfast with neighbours Owen and Bindi. They took us to a little restaurant they discovered. It's called Samak, located on C78. I didn't catch the cross streets but it's north of C27. Cute little place run by Gene, a very personable fellow from Oregon. He's been here for 6 years but his restaurant has only been open 3 months. He made eggs benedict, which isn't on the menu, for Bindi. The rest of us had the all-you-can-eat buffet. Everything was very good.
There was a big revival meeting this morning, at the soccer field next door to the complex. I loved hearing the older hymns I remember from my youth. They were sung with the harmony that makes them so stirring. I'm guessing there were a dozen big Greyhound-type buses that had brought people in.
Ok. That's enough. I said "quick." You got the condensed version of the past few days. I really should have written something daily but my introversion of the past few days made even blogging difficult. I will try to be more diligent over the next 3 weeks.
Our flight down was uneventful. No troubles with TSA.
We had some fun coincidences happen:
1) In emailing back and forth with our neighbours, D and V, on the floor above us, we discovered that we would be taking the same flight from Houston and that Senor B and I were seated in the row behind them.
2) While sitting in Houston, Senor B remarked that a lady who walked by looked familiar. I took a look and agreed. It turns out that she was who he thought she was...none other than the lovely Natasha who owns the Cafe Pantleon here in Progreso. We had planned on taking a cab from Merida to Progreso but Natasha, who flew down on the same flight, said she would call her husband and tell him to bring the van so they could give us a ride home. Wasn't that nice of her? We don't even know her except for having eaten at her restuarant a few times. So here's a little shout out for her. The food is delicious and you won't be disappointed.
Cafe Pantaleon
Calle 31 #234 entre 14 y 16
Colonia Benito Juarez
Progreso
Tel: 969-934-0405
3) While on the plane, I had the pleasure of sitting beside a lovely lady named Mary. Turns out Mary was on her way to visit the distinguished Joanna of Writing From Merida . We chatted about people we knew in common, she personally and me through reading Joanna's blog.
---------------------------------------
Senor B and I haven't done too much since we arrived. The first morning here, he went to move his suitcase. He pivoted at his knees and one of them popped. So he was laid up until Sat morning. He couldn't walk very far and what little he could manage was done with a limp. He's walking normally now but he's taking it easy so he doesn't overdo it.
Friday morning I went with D and V, as well as another couple, into Merida. We had hoped there would still be some Day of the Dead activities going on but the square was devoid of any celebrations. We did a bit of shopping and then headed off to Costco for a few things. Not too much, though, because we were riding the bus.
Senor B's knee meant he couldn't go grocery shopping with me so I was picking up a few things at the little store across the street. I'm more than capable of going downtown by myself but the introvert within me kicked into high gear and I just couldn't muster the gumption to go alone. Neighbour Liz took me to Bodega on Thursday so I was able to stock the kitchen with a few things. Today, Senor B and I went uptown for a few more things. Now that I've been uptown, I can manage it on my own. How weird that I need Senor B on the initial trip.
This morning we went for breakfast with neighbours Owen and Bindi. They took us to a little restaurant they discovered. It's called Samak, located on C78. I didn't catch the cross streets but it's north of C27. Cute little place run by Gene, a very personable fellow from Oregon. He's been here for 6 years but his restaurant has only been open 3 months. He made eggs benedict, which isn't on the menu, for Bindi. The rest of us had the all-you-can-eat buffet. Everything was very good.
There was a big revival meeting this morning, at the soccer field next door to the complex. I loved hearing the older hymns I remember from my youth. They were sung with the harmony that makes them so stirring. I'm guessing there were a dozen big Greyhound-type buses that had brought people in.
Ok. That's enough. I said "quick." You got the condensed version of the past few days. I really should have written something daily but my introversion of the past few days made even blogging difficult. I will try to be more diligent over the next 3 weeks.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Tickets Have Been Bought
After several tense weeks of not knowing when Señor B's shift change would start, due to his new position at work, we've finally been able to book our tickets. But because we didn't know when his new shift would happen, we missed out on a great deal with Continental. Oh well. Ni modo.
Usually we take a red eye from our home airport to Toronto and then to Cancun. Then the bus from Cancun to Mérida and then a cab to Progreso. It takes us a full 24 hours to get from our house here to our condo and makes for a very long and arduous trip.
This time, we're doing things a bit differently. We're going to fly with Continental instead of WestJet. We'll leave from our home airport, connect in Houston and then fly to Mérida. The flight is a bit more but we also factored in the bus ride to and from Cancun as well as a night's stay in Cancun, which we always do the night before we leave México, to ensure we don't miss an early morning bus from Mérida. We've heard stories of bus schedules being changed without any notice, leaving passengers in a bind. We prefer not to have our adrenaline pumping too hard first thing in the morning.
Going with Continental will make our travel time quite a lot shorter, about 15-18 hours each way. That might sound like a lot to most, but when you practically live in the friggin' tundra like we do, it's just the way it is.
The only concern I have is going through US security. Señor B always sets off the alarm because of his hip replacements. The TSA has a reputation for being rather intolerant. Señor B doesn't think he needs a letter from his doc about his hips but I think it would be wise to have it. We've never encountered any problems but we haven't gone through US security since his operations. I guess we shall see what happens.
So!...all of that to say...we'll arrive to Progreso late evening of Oct 30 and leave early morning Nov 30. I can't wait!
Usually we take a red eye from our home airport to Toronto and then to Cancun. Then the bus from Cancun to Mérida and then a cab to Progreso. It takes us a full 24 hours to get from our house here to our condo and makes for a very long and arduous trip.
This time, we're doing things a bit differently. We're going to fly with Continental instead of WestJet. We'll leave from our home airport, connect in Houston and then fly to Mérida. The flight is a bit more but we also factored in the bus ride to and from Cancun as well as a night's stay in Cancun, which we always do the night before we leave México, to ensure we don't miss an early morning bus from Mérida. We've heard stories of bus schedules being changed without any notice, leaving passengers in a bind. We prefer not to have our adrenaline pumping too hard first thing in the morning.
Going with Continental will make our travel time quite a lot shorter, about 15-18 hours each way. That might sound like a lot to most, but when you practically live in the friggin' tundra like we do, it's just the way it is.
The only concern I have is going through US security. Señor B always sets off the alarm because of his hip replacements. The TSA has a reputation for being rather intolerant. Señor B doesn't think he needs a letter from his doc about his hips but I think it would be wise to have it. We've never encountered any problems but we haven't gone through US security since his operations. I guess we shall see what happens.
So!...all of that to say...we'll arrive to Progreso late evening of Oct 30 and leave early morning Nov 30. I can't wait!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Home Safe and Sound
First off, I have to apologize for not posting about our safe arrival home. I'm touched that some of my fans were concerned enough to email me to see if things were ok. Thank you.
We arrived to our home airport late afternoon Sat, March 24 and drove home that day. The weather was nice and it was such a treat that sunset wasn't until almost 8:30pm instead of the 6:30pm that it was when we left the beginning of March. It made the long drive home much more pleasant - more driving in the light instead of the darkness. I love Daylight Savings.
The following Saturday, I made the 5.5 hour drive to my mom's to look after her while she recovered from surgery. She's doing well and I came home yesterday.
I had only one week to put my house back in order after being gone for a month, prepare it for me being gone another 2 weeks and make (and shop for) a menu plan to make freezer meals for Momsie so she doesn't have to worry about that for some time. She has to take things easy for a while so having meals already prepared is as simple as taking them out of the freezer and reheating.
Momsie has internet but I felt that I was there to visit with her, not be on the computer. Plus I was busy cooking and baking. And crocheting. And doing jigsaw puzzles. *grin* So the end result is that I didn't get to posting that Señor B and I had made it home ok.
Now we're all anxiously awaiting the desperately needed rain that's in the forecast.
We arrived to our home airport late afternoon Sat, March 24 and drove home that day. The weather was nice and it was such a treat that sunset wasn't until almost 8:30pm instead of the 6:30pm that it was when we left the beginning of March. It made the long drive home much more pleasant - more driving in the light instead of the darkness. I love Daylight Savings.
The following Saturday, I made the 5.5 hour drive to my mom's to look after her while she recovered from surgery. She's doing well and I came home yesterday.
I had only one week to put my house back in order after being gone for a month, prepare it for me being gone another 2 weeks and make (and shop for) a menu plan to make freezer meals for Momsie so she doesn't have to worry about that for some time. She has to take things easy for a while so having meals already prepared is as simple as taking them out of the freezer and reheating.
Momsie has internet but I felt that I was there to visit with her, not be on the computer. Plus I was busy cooking and baking. And crocheting. And doing jigsaw puzzles. *grin* So the end result is that I didn't get to posting that Señor B and I had made it home ok.
Now we're all anxiously awaiting the desperately needed rain that's in the forecast.
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