The Mexico Arrival - Part I

Alright, first...

Why Mexico?

When the American economy failed miserably, many/most sectors of the American public went with it. This includes the public education system. Teachers, seeing the "shrinkage" - as George Constanza would say - of their retirement funds stayed in the classroom, while schools cut expenses drastically, and when combined, new teaching positions were as hard to find as Obama supporters at a gun show. Needless to say, this situation did not favor new teachers.

After a wonderful student-teaching stint that ended in an absolutely disappointing way, I was left out in the cold, one of the thousands of new teachers huddling together for warmth and eating government cheese.

In mid-June, my good friend (and subsequent roomate in Mexico), Jeff, told me about his new position - in Monterrey, Mexico. Push comes to shove and June 30, I sign a contract to be a teacher for one year in Monterrey, Mexico.

And so July 30, I boarded a plane for Mexico and a subsequent year 1300 miles from Indiana.

I met with Jeff and our friend Jennifer (also going to Mexico) at the Indy airport. My family uncerimoniously dropped me off at the curb while the other two families cherished each last moment with their loved ones.

I was glad to be dropped off at the curb - haha! And our last meal in the states...Mexican.

The flight to Dallas (our first stop) was uneventful, minus some turbulance. Once in Dallas, our flight was delayed two hours, which we spent discussing our upcoming trip...and riding the huge circular rail line that connects the seperate terminals. The trains had several support poles in the middle, which I obviously used a chance to pole dance, while a terrified older woman looked on and proceeded to exit at the next stop.

In the terminal, waiting for the plane, we watched CNN, which obviously had to run a headline story about a potential swine flu outbreak.

Immidiately before we arrived in Monterrey, we met a thunderstorm. Upon exiting the plane, it started to storm severely. When we finally went through customs and picked up our bags, the electricity in the entire airport cut out. On the other side of the door, where our drivers were waiting, we heard a loud chorus of screams which sounded like teenage girls on a roller coaster.

The day after our arrival, the Jonas Brothers were holding a concert in Monterrey, and we were met by a line of at least 200 screaming teenage girls, crying and holding signs. They thought the Jonas Brothers were on our flight. They weren't. And so I learned that horrible, canned, American pop music is alive and thriving in Mexico. Lesson number one.

We were met by Dora, a young administrator from the school, and Susy, an elementary teacher from the school, picked us up from the airport. The drive from the aiport to the home we were staying at was about an hour. It was insane to pass not one store or hotel chain that wasn't American. Nothing. We passed Holiday Inns, Best Westerns, Wal-Marts, a Home Depot, and even a John Deere dealership. And despite the rainy conditions, it was and has become quite obvious that while there are poor areas of the city (like Mexico), there is truly little difference from any other city in the United States.

Alright, where we are living. Quite possibly the nicest place I have ever lived. And while that may be a slight exaggeration, it blew away any preconceived notions I have ever had. It was like pulling up to a trailer park and picking up Mila Kunis for a date. Ridiculous.

We live in a gated community off the main road (well, they're all main roads here). It is a series of six houses surrounding a community pool (nice) and a fountain. Our home is incredible. It is relatively new and absolutely newly-furnished. The previous occupants, a family with three children, left Sunday for San Antonio, it was repainted on Tuesday, furnished Wednesday, and we arrived on Thursday.

There are three bedrooms and three bathrooms - tons of closet space and a full kitchen and living area. Food and supplies had been stocked. A new washer and dryer are sitting here as I type. A flat screen television and new sofas. A new dinette set. Brand new appliances and furniture. The ceiling fans and lights are controlled by remotes. Like I said, ridiculous.

Behind my door (which I'm assuming was a young girl's room), was two "High School Musical" posters, which, along with the sheep herd of tiny Mexican girls at the airport for the Jonas Brothers, affirms my belief that no matter where I go, shitty American pop culture can't be escaped. There are probably Pygmies in Africa herding starving goats on some barren plot of desert land listening to Hannah Montana on their iPods.

To top that off. What is the view outside of my window? How about mountains. Yes, real, live, fucking mountains. It is absolutely one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been.

The idiosyncrasies - the toilet paper smells like baby powder and is soft as shit. The bad news - you can't flush any toilet paper, so you have to throw it in the garbage. Yikes.

The weather - hot as hell. Actually, I think Satan would rather stay in his pad than come here. Jeff and I have gone through almost half of a 20 liter (yes, liter - Mexico follows a real system of weights and measurements) water cooler. Oh yeah, there is a freaking water cooler on our counter. No shitting (and especially cause I can't flush the shitty paper)!

The Spanish - overwhelming. I'm even picking it up in one day, but it is hard to follow and you feel lost. And this isn't Europe - very few people we have come across speak English and definitely not close to fluency.

The police - everywhere. Constantly pulling people over and private. However, no one pulls over to the side of the road for the police. Driving - nuts. Two-lane streets with no lines. Traffic pulling off manjor highways right into parking spaces. People parking two or three rows deep, blocking in other cars.

Money - everything here is much cheaper than it is in the US. MUCH cheaper. I bought a Nike, high-quality football (soccer) jersey for $299 pesos (about $21 US dollars). I found them later on clearance (the 2008 models) for $10 US dollars. Even cheap rip-offs were around $25 US dollars in Europe.

The food - incredible. I haven't eaten much yet, but just amazing. It is not spicy and already, I will probably never eat American-Mexican food again.

And last, before I wrap up and go to bed...

There are drive-in bars. Here is how they work. You pull up to this place and go inside. You order any drink you want. They make it for you...in a 44oz styrofoam cup. No shit. They print out a label with your drink order on it and stick it to the cup, like Starbucks. That's it. It is like a Mexican Starbucks, but with booze. And the best part - you can drive with it! Completely legal. When we explained to Susy, who was driving us around, the drinking and driving laws, she was puzzled. She couldn't understand how that was possible.

Sorry for the long post. Most of them won't be like this. Tomorrow, when we have a better Internet connection, I'll discuss (as if I'm Maury or Oprah) my first full day, the school (sneak preview - amazing and they are building my classroom right now. Like, still building it.), and the people we have met and seen and a trip to the mall, which was sweet.

Peace.