| This morning I went to the supermarket; I | | | | have some extra cash to bail yourself out of |
| keep trying to learn not to be in a hurry.I | | | | jail! Most people here don't have car |
| miss Safeway. I miss the speed and efficiency | | | | insurance; the person at fault has to pay for |
| of moving people through the lines. This | | | | the other person's repairs. Period. The bad |
| morning, there was hardly anyone in the | | | | part about this is, you don't have insurance |
| store. With the customary Mexican way, I got | | | | protection. You also can't go and buy a |
| to the "Express" line and the cashier had to | | | | plasma TV with your payoff should you choose |
| call someone over to undo some transaction. | | | | not to repair the car. This keeps expenses |
| Of course, this involved sliding a card | | | | down quite a bit.Mexicans love a bargain and |
| through the terminal, writing and stamping | | | | are into quantity, not quality. Not |
| about 57 papers, sliding the card again, this | | | | surprising for a Catholic country where the |
| and that...it took me 20 minutes to get | | | | average family has four or more kids. They |
| through the line with all that nonsense, and | | | | love Wal-Mart. They think Wal-Mart is the |
| I was the only one in the line, purchasing | | | | best thing since the tortilla. They say the |
| four items! One would think that with | | | | price is lower and the quality is higher. |
| computer terminals and such, things would | | | | Well, the price is lower because there are no |
| move a bit faster. But no, Mexicans love to | | | | import fees. Quality? That's anyone's guess. |
| stamp their papers.Same thing for going to | | | | Mexicans produce good quality things |
| the bank. In the U.S., we don't like lines so | | | | themselves, so I won't be surprised to see |
| we do online banking. Heaven forbid we should | | | | them become much more self-sufficient when it |
| wait for more than five minutes at the bank! | | | | comes to superstores.Milk is the same price |
| Try three hours! Here you go to the bank and | | | | everywhere. There is a standardized thing |
| take a number. Then you sit down if there is | | | | where things like milk, beans, tortillas, and |
| any available seating. There may be 125 | | | | a few other staples are kept at a low cost. |
| people ahead of you (this is NOT an | | | | Well, milk is expensive here, the price just |
| exaggeration!). I've clocked it and the | | | | shot up a few months ago. I am told that milk |
| average transaction at a Mexican bank takes | | | | is cheaper in the U.S. and I believe it. A |
| 10 minutes. Type this into the machine, get a | | | | gallon of milk here costs about $3.50.Other |
| printout, stamp, stamp, stamp, do something | | | | things are much cheaper; one can eat very |
| else, stamp, stamp, stamp, write something | | | | well on about $5.00 a day here, or less. I've |
| down, stamp, stamp, stamp, sign here...stamp, | | | | had three squares for less than $4.00 |
| stamp, stamp. Going to the bank here is | | | | before.You won't find the super organic, |
| torture unless you have a good book to | | | | microbrewed specialty beers here. You have a |
| read!The pleasure and pain of Mexico is a | | | | few choices, mostly Tecate, Corona, Dos XX. |
| system without a system. At the gas station, | | | | The Mexicans don't like to import beer. They |
| you don't courteously pull up to the front | | | | are very into their own beer.Although I miss |
| pump. You pull up to whichever one you want. | | | | the speed of things that I don't like to do, |
| There is no self-service here, they pump your | | | | I can't help but wonder if it's really better |
| gas and wash your windshield if they feel | | | | to know that something is going to take you a |
| like it. Most of the time they do. The gas | | | | long time, like going to the bank. It really |
| station people are very nice. One woman who | | | | slows things down. The only place where |
| works at the gas station next door to me | | | | Mexicans are fast is driving. Everything else |
| taught me how to say my numbers in hundreds, | | | | happens when it happens, pretty much.Living |
| like "one hundred, one hundred and fifty, two | | | | here takes a different sort of planning, but |
| hundred," etc. She always smiles at me when I | | | | thankfully I had the experience of living in |
| proudly ask for the amount of gas she taught | | | | the provinces of England and the San Juan |
| me how to say.Driving is an adventure. Mostly | | | | Islands before moving here. You learn |
| you have to watch out for the microbuses and | | | | patience there, waiting for ferries and such. |
| pedestrians and people on bikes and other | | | | Island life is anything but convenient. |
| cars and big trucks and the occasional donkey | | | | Still, Mexicans are more relaxed than the |
| cart. Well, I guess you have to watch out for | | | | islanders are.Update:I have now lived in |
| everything, really...a car accident here is a | | | | Mexico for two years. I don't even notice the |
| federal offense and no matter who's fault it | | | | lines anymore, the stamps or the enormous |
| is, both parties are arrested. If it is | | | | waste of time to do a simple little thing. |
| determined that it's your fault, you'd better | | | | The words "on demand" do not exist here. |