Hi everyone! I decided to start a blog so that everyone could know what is going on with me here in Puebla, Mexico, since calling is rather expensive. I feel like I've already gone through so much that it would be difficult to type everything in one blog, so I'm going to try to condense all of what has happened since Candi (my best friend) and I have moved into a few words.
We left Dover the night of June 4 with my friend Jonathan Anglin, who was nice enough to let us use his truck to drive us to the U.S./Mexico border. Although we were cramped into the one-seater cabin and had to make a stop for tires along the way, we made it safely. We waited for José Luis (my boyfriend, who is from Puebla) at a Texas rest area, and it's a miracle he found us. When he tried to cross the border the first time, he accidentally had mapped out to go through a cargo-only point, so he had to drive another fifteen minutes to cross at a point that allowed regular vehicles through. They barely looked at his papers (which I thought a little weird) and he continued on into the States. At that point he had no idea where he was because his map took him through the other point. He decided to drive until he found a road sign or a gas station or something so he could get directions. NOTHING...he said he drove for miles before he even found a road sign. Once he found one, we gave him directions to the rest area, praying he could find it. Like I said before, it was a miracle he found us. We switched our few boxes from Jonathan's to his truck bed, said our goodbyes, and headed for the border.
Candi and I were both really nervous about crossing the border by car because we had never crossed that way before. We had all these boxes and were prepared to lie and say we were on vacation. When we got to the station, they just waved us through...didn't ask for papers, didn't even ask us to get out of the truck, so we were excited about that. We picked up Nelson (Candi's boyfriend) after passing through (had to leave him because he doesn't have a passport), and headed for Monterrey. After driving for a while, we arrived at another station and realized that it was the customs station and the last station was immigration. Border patrol asked for our papers and that's when we realized we went wrong somewhere. So...we had to turn around and drive another 15 or 20 minutes to go get our permission to be in the country. That was scary, but more annoying. The interrogators (I guess that's what you call them) just asked where we were going and what we were doing here. I was really nervous at that point, but when the guy started talking about how good the food is in Puebla, I was able to relax. We got our papers, rode back to the second station and drove through without a problem. That night we crashed in Monterrey, after eating a wonderful, healthy dinner of hotdogs and potato chips from an OXXO (Mexican version of a gas station...that doesn't sell gas).
The first night upon arriving in Puebla, we stayed the night with the parents of José Luis because it was already around midnight and our house had absolutely nothing in it. The next morning, we all hopped in the truck and headed for our neighborhood (Real de Santa Clara II). José Luis, by that time, had forgotten the house number. The only thing he could remember was that it was cream-colored. Well, all the houses in that neighborhood are either cream or light blue. So that narrowed it down. We drove and drove until finally he called the owner, who gave him the address. When we pulled up, we found out that the house was actually BLUE. That's what Candi and I wanted in the first place so instead of being annoyed at José Luis for not remembering, we started jumping up and down in the middle of the street. The neighbors were probably thinking, "What kind of people are they letting live here nowadays?" Although fairly small, the house works for two people and is a good price, so we were more than satisfied.
Now...what to do about furniture? Obviously we need beds first and foremost. Candi got hers from a friend of Nelson's so José Luis and I went to the centro (center of the city where the heart of Puebla beats) to find some cheap, handmade furniture. In one of the stores, we bought my bed, a table with four chairs, an end table, and a nightstand all for around 300-500 bucks (can't really remember specifically). We eventually went back and bought a coffee table and a bookshelf. The furniture is really beautiful as well as sturdy. I love Mexican style :)
On the way home from buying those things, we were talking about how we needed living room furniture and where we could go to buy some. Right after that, we just happened to see a truck going down the road with the back full of living room sets. So the boys had their arms out the windows flagging down these guys, and we were thinking, "Are we seriously going to buy furniture from the back of a truck?" Yes, yes we are. We found a lime green set (and I mean very very lime green) that we both liked, including a couch, loveseat, and chair. All that for around 200 bucks, although not the best quality in the world. Once we got them into the house they looked a little weird because they are made for short people (which I understand because the majority of Mexicans are short), but this is one of the only countries where we can get away with lime green furniture. That was just a hilarious experience that I wouldn't trade for the most comfortable couch in the world.
Slowly but surely we are buying more and more things for the house to make it more of a home. But the best experiences are learning how to live a normal Mexican life. First, cooking with gas. Never done it before in my life, neither has Candi. We experimented though, and everything turned out pretty well. Next, buying food at an actual market. Now that's fun. Fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, whatever your heart desires. Buying tortillas off the side of the road. Eating in other people's garages which they turn into restaurants at night and it being some of the best food you ever ate. It's all obviously very different than the way we do it in the States, but it's still fun.
Another experience, which I've already told some of you about, deserves its own paragraph. Washing clothes...I had never seen my Mexican mom do it when I studied here last summer. All I knew was that when I got them back, they were stiff as a board and felt like sandpaper on my body. Well, I soon found out why. Almost everyone uses a washing machine here, but almost no one uses a dryer. So...Candi and I go on a search for a washing machine and find one on sale for less than $200. Worth every penny...in the most negative sense. The thing, first of all, has no rinse cycle. It also has no centrifugal force to force out the majority of the water before putting the clothes on the line. Therefore, we must rinse and ring our own clothes out before putting them, dripping wet, out on the line. Then, a couple hours later, a downpour comes (why did we move during the rainy season again?) and we have to find places for all the wet clothes to dry in the house. All we can say is that they did it like this in the olden days and they survived, so we can, too. Just hoping for some great jobs where we can pitch that one and buy a better one. Or better yet...a muchacha (maid).
I have lots more stories that are all shoved in the back of my brain somewhere, but this blog is getting pretty long, although I said at the beginning that it would be just "a few words." I'll start writing about my adventures more often. Hope you all enjoy reading.
