Wednesday, September 28, 2005

“Bizarro World”

The title of this posting is borrowed from an episode of “Seinfeld” because it too perfectly describes how I felt throughout the day in what felt like “Bizarro World.”

* Next week the nine teachers who are in Mexico on the Fulbright teacher-exchange program have a mid-term meeting. Each one of us will give a 10-15 minute presentation about our school. Since I am so new to the school, I felt that gathering the thoughts of students and teachers would be more valuable than my opinions alone. So, I began my day at school by photo copying the questionnaire for the students. I was shocked when the copies came out to almost100 pesos – approximately 10 dollars! I could buy about 3 full course meals with that or 20 cans of Coke or take a taxi from home to Coyoacán’s center and back about 3 times or take the bicitaxi from the metro to work and back about 12 times. Why are paper goods and office supplies so expensive in Mexico?!

* After school today, Blanca, the Spanish teacher whose classroom is next to mine, stopped by as she does every once in a while. She mentioned something about the students not attending school tomorrow since we have a staff meeting all day. I quickly became frustrated at the lack of information I receive so I asked her how she had found out, if it was on a calendar or something. She said, “no”, that the students had told her. Blanca also informed me that the meeting would begin at 8 AM, which is good to know since on Thursdays I don’t have to enter school until 11 AM. I definitely would not have wanted to be the clueless “gringa” who walks in to a meeting THREE hours late.

* After school today I roamed the Iztapalapa Market in search of socks – 80 socks. I went to four different stands to buy the white athletic socks. I spent a while at the first stand and explained that I was buying the socks for an art project, to make puppets with my students. The vendor knew exactly the type of sock that I needed, as she described how her daughter just had a similar project at her school. When I needed only 3 more pairs and had negotiated a good price, I reached for my wallet and realized I didn’t even have a peso left. I went to the strip mall next to the market and took out some cash from the ATM. The money was dispensed in bills of $200 pesos. Knowing full well that no one would be able to give me change for that, I waited in the bank line to receive change for the 200. I returned to the market and bought the last 3 pairs of socks that I needed.

* When I left the market I labored up the stairs with my backpack weighed down with my laptop, camera and other necessities, and carrying in my arms the plastic bag bursting with 40 pairs of tube socks. A few steps ahead of me I saw an older woman trying to drag up the stairs a dolly stacked with three bags and in her other hand, she grasped an overflowing bag – with feathers sticking out the top. After I carried up the bag and a young man pulled up the dolly, I anxiously asked her what was in the bag. She said she was carrying her chickens. For some reason I further inquired if they were alive. I am positive she knew she should just tell the “gringa” what she wanted to hear, as she said, “Sí”.

* After resting at home for a couple of hours, I ventured back out to meet Andi and her mom, who had just arrived in town from Arizona, in the Historical Center. As I exited the metro station at Hidalgo, it seemed the end of the world was imminent as it began to rain, then hail, the sky turned dark gray and it was green outside.

* I escaped the weather as I ducked into Café Tabuba, where I was meeting Andi and her mom for dinner, and where last episode of my day in “Bizarre World” occurred. I was excited that I arrived promptly and looked around but didn’t notice Andi or her mom in the main room. I told the maitre d that I was looking for my friend and her mom and he said, “No, no hay nadie aquí así.”(No, there isn’t anyone here like that.) After about fifteen minutes I called Andi on her cell phone and asked where she was at – predictably she said that she was at the restaurant. I walked into the adjoining room and found Andi and her mom patiently awaiting my arrival.

My day in “Bizarro World” came to an end as we walked over to the Bellas Artes to watch the Ballet Folklórico de México. The costumes are colorful and the show is very exciting and comprehensive as each scene/dance represents a different part of Mexico.