No matter where you live or what your job is, one common thread is uniting us all is the daily commute to and from work. When living in New Jersey, my commute would start at 5:45 a.m. and would often be accompanied by as extra large styrofoam cup of Dunkin Donuts hazelnut coffee, cream and sugar. It included driving above 60 miles per hour, several lane changes and stop lights. The average morning trip would take about a half an hour by car and I often felt tired before I even got out of the car.
I am still working, still teaching...but in a different environment all together. I do still have a commute to work, but I make that trip on foot instead of a car. Instead of a half hour, my trip totals about five minutes door to door. Instead of stoplights and lane changes, I navigate slippery sidewalks and towering topes (speed bumps made of bricks). Instead of feeling tired, I often feel invigorated and ready for the day after my morning walk to school. One of the few similarities is that I am still accompanied by a cup of coffee, but alas, not Dunkin Donuts!
Let me take you on my commute, from the door of my room at the Casa Grande to the door of my classroom at Lincoln School. For those of you far away, this will help you picture a little piece of my day, of my
Mexico.
Most days I leave my bedroom weighed down by my teacher tote about 7:15 a.m. (a vast difference
compared to my New Jersey days). I make sure the curtains and windows are open so that when I return my room is not an oven and on the way out the door I stop to pour myself the mug of coffee previously mentioned. I will often refill my water bottle with purified water
before I head to school as well, as I used half of it to brush my teeth. The water here is perfectly fine to shower in or wash dishes but a little sketchy for teeth brushing or for drinking directly from the tap.
On the way out the door I am greeted by a beautiful bird of paradise bush, but most mornings I can't see it because it's dark outside! By the
time school starts at 8:00 the sun is rising above the mountains outside of Guadalajara, but it's still dark on my way to school. I walk down a long brick pathway to our front gate. Most homes in our neighborhood of Las Fuentes (The Fountains) have wrought iron gates or concrete walls surrounding their yards. Mexico is quite different in comparison to the United States, where front yards are in full view of all who drive by. Many things are gated, walled or fenced in here. There have been many times that I catch glimpses of perfectly manicured, lush and plush yards and gardens when gates are open, but these are just momentary glimpses. The idea of 'keeping up with the Jones' has no real resonance here.
My first step outside of our gate is quite different than that of our pathway. The sidewalks here are notoriously slippery, sketchy and quite dangerous. A friend at church told me that she can spot a Mexican anywhere...they arethe people walking with their eyes on the ground to make sure they don't fall! On my way to school there is a particularly dangerous spot where tree roots have ripped the sidewalk to shreds and falls are almost bound to happen. I will often save my dressy shoes for once I arrive at school for this very reason, or more honestly, just don't wear them at all. The terrain is unforgiving!
Let's imagine that the morning you're walking with me, it rained the night before. And when I say rain, I mean torrential downpour! It's currently the rainy season here in Mexico, and that means at least once a day (or quite often during the night) there is a HUGE thunder, lightning and rain storm that soaks the ground and floods the cobblestone streets in Las Fuentes. My morning commute usually includes a few wet steps as I navigate the topes across the main street in our neighborhood. The topes are often the only dry part of the street if it is still flooded, which is quite amazing considering they are about two to three inches above the level of the street. It's kind of cool to watch cars almost float through the streets and then emerge when they drive over the topes. There have also been many cars that never do emerge! I as thinking seriously of bringing Nigel, my MINI Cooper down to Mexico for my second year, but when I saw a similar model car get lodged on top of a tope after a rainstorm I forgot about that idea!
There is a tequila factory headquarters across the street from our school and I will often see the guards
for the headquarters standing on our side of the street discussing important matters with other guards.
They will always receive a slight smile and a quiet 'Buen dia' from me. These are the guys that you want on
your side if something goes down! They are each armed with large guns with a round of ammunition around
their waist. I know what you're thinking...and I thought the same thing when I first got here.
But now that I'm used to seeing guys with huge guns on a daily basis, they make me feel safer than
more in danger. Can anyone say cultural adaptation?
Speaking of culture, Lincoln School fits right in with Mexican culture. The
school has a large, white gate surrounding it and facing the sidewalk. To enter
the school during the day, you must talk to the gatekeeper and then be buzzed
in and given a pass. Students also enter through this front gate in the morning.
They are greeted by the head of school and the disciplinarian. He checks to see
that students are following dress code procedures and if they are not, students are sent directly home
with their parents. He also gives them a squirt of hand sanitizer as they walk in. This is VERY Mexican
(since the swine flu scare) and gigantic bottles of hand gel can be found everywhere,
from restuarants to the cinema. My kids are addicted to the stuff, and if I let them, would take showers in it.
I can not enter through this gate, and walk a bit further down the sidewalk to the Teacher's Entrance,
a gate that I have the key for and is where I can make quick getaways to Starbucks without anyone seeing
me as well. After I enter the Teacher Gate, I walk across the patio (or as us North Americans would say,
the basketball court) to the main office. I scan my finger to start my day and then it's back across the patio
to my classroom, 5A2. I unlock padlock on the door and often open my classroom door to find a few
cockroaches have come to visit me during the night. It's a great way to start the day!
What's your commute like?
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