This morning I took the metro for 40 minutes all the way to the end of the Blue line, #2, exiting at Cuatro Caminos and then hopping on a “pesera” (a van) for a couple of minutes until I reached the Centro Deportivo Israelita (the JCC – Jewish Community Center). I had the goal today of “renting” a locker so that I won’t have to lug my tennis shoes, toiletries, tennis racket and other necessities back and forth.
I caused quite the commotion as lockers are only rented for a year but I only have 4 months left here and didn’t want to have to pay for 12 months. When I persisted with the matter, sure that there had to be some compromise, I was told the computers are programmed to charge for a year’s rental. This irks me to no end when people act at the mercy of computers. The situation took a turn for the worse when I found out that I couldn’t rent a locker since I only have a visitor’s credential. Quickly luck shifted to my side when Ada and her girls entered the club just as I was about to give up, at about 5 minutes to 2 P.M. Lockers are only dealt with on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. About an hour after beginning the mission, all was resolved - the locker is in Ada’s name and on my credit card. I got a “deal” as I am not charged anything for the next three months and pay only for the 2005-2006 year – but I leave here on January 21?!?
Once I calmed down and put my belongings in my locker I bought a salami sandwich, a can of coke and some biscuit cookies and headed for the massive grassy area in search of a shady spot under an umbrella or a tent. All of a sudden I heard my name and joined Sam and his friend, Benny. I met Sam last Sunday, along with his wife Martha; their interactions remind me a lot of my parents. Sam has one daughter at Penn and a son in his junior year at The American School in Mexico City. When Benny asked what was up with the English, as Sam likes to speak with me in English, I told him I’m from Chicago. Benny then told me how he spent the mid-80s in Chicago studying for his advanced degree in Software Engineering at Northwestern University. He remembered it was the year that the Cubs made it into the playoffs and he attended the Bears game when Walter Payton broke three records – ah, the good old Chicago sports days. I eyed Sam and Benny’s tennis rackets and invited myself to play with them next Sunday. Now I need to look into taking a lesson or two this week to recharge my game.
Around 3:30 I headed upstairs to the fitness area and plugged my headphones into the “Cardio Theater” to listen to what was playing on the TVs up front. As I pedaled away on the elliptical I watched Sunday football with the Denver Broncos taking on the San Diego Chargers with commentary in Spanish. I was happy to hear that the Bears won today. When the commercials came on I flipped the channel to listen to the music videos playing on the next TV over. The area closed at 4 P.M. so I hit the showers. The locker room seems like it has trick mirrors to make it look bigger than it is but it really has thousands of lockers and there are even different showers to choose from depending on the type of showerhead; the showers are even controlled by a sensor.
The CDI facilities are incredible: A library with computers and Internet, an auditorium for performances, bowling alleys, food stands and a restaurant, a small indoor pool, an enormous outdoor pool with many diving boards, a small, shallow pool for children, an indoor play area for kids, a mini-soccer field, a mini-basketball court, plenty of bikes for the kids to use, at least 13 tennis courts, a couple of soccer fields to practice on and a real nice one for competition, a pristine baseball field, squash courts, a huge gymnastics area, a beauty salon, a stationery store and so much more.
