When I called home to wish my parents a Happy Anniversary, fortunately they both picked up the phone at the same time – thus avoiding the ritual of mom cradling the phone in her hand, still not quite trusting of the hold button, and screaming across the house, “Raaaaaaalph, Raaaaaaalph.” She then asks if he picked up yet, I say “no” and after about two more rounds of “Raaaaaaalph, Raaaaaaalph” he joins us. So, as they both answered the phone I began heartily singing “Happy Anniversary to You” at which Dad hung up! I mentioned in an earlier Blog how awful my voice is, but to have your own father hang up on your well-intentioned rendition of “Happy Anniversary” that pretty much proves how awful my voice really is. OK, in all fairness to my Dad, he said he didn’t know who it was – maybe he thought it was one of mom’s friends . . .
Calling the U.S. (by landline) is actually a lot cheaper than trying to communicate within Mexico (by cell). To call the U.S., I bought a phone card online at clon.com that is 700 minutes for $50 – about 7 cents a minute. Within Mexico, my landline is cheap but the cell phone eats minutes like Pac Man gobbling up pellets while escaping from the Ghosts. When trying to make a call from the cell, without advanced warning a recorded voice says the balance has run out and a new card needs to be bought. Local calls are about 35 cents a minute. I’m sure a cell phone would be cheaper if I were to rent one or use it with a contract; however, contracts are for a year or a year and a half. So for now, I head to the ATM, take out $1000 pesos – tuck half of it safely into my bra and keep the other half handy to buy a card for $500 pesos and hope that it lasts at least a week!
