Tuesday 27 January 2004

Traveller's Insights

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Hello ^fname^,


This is Nucha Aquino from Thailand/Philippines.  
Welcome to our Small World. We are sending this 
ezine to 2900 readers today.


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Thank you Dave Wix for the third article in his Morelia 
series. See his earlier works at...

Living Like A Native In Morelia, Mexico
http://small-world.eLaguna.net/articles/morelia.htm 

The Sights, Sounds, and People of Morelia, Mexico 
http://small-world.eLaguna.net/articles/morelia2.htm 

Your Banner or 8-line ad here for $10. Order here.

 

            

Fond Memories And A Common Sense Approach To Living In 
Morelia, Mexico

By David Wix



For me, living in Morelia was a very rewarding experience. 
It was certainly far different than what I had been used to 
in the United States. When I went there in 1997, technology 
existed, however, technicians were at times limited in their 
knowledge compared to their counterparts in the United 
States. Therefore, on occasion, computer equipment did not 
work as well as what I had been accustomed to. And, computer 
services were much more limited. For instance, when I first 
arrived at Centro Mexicano Internacional (CMI, my school in 
Morelia), there was one computer available 10 to 30 minutes 
a day to students for email services. If I wanted additional 
time and services, I had to go rent one of the two or three 
available computers at a local cyber café a few blocks down 
the street from CMI.

Now, I could have felt disheartened like some of the 
American students at my school, however, I viewed it as an 
interesting challenge. Instead of reading emails during my 
available computer time, I would download them, print them, 
and read them later. Then, I would hand write out any 
replies I wanted to send, type them up on a non-internet 
computer in Microsoft Word. Afterwards, I saved them to a 
disk, and the next day cut and paste my replies into my 
emails and sent them during my 10 to 30 minutes of computer 
time.


Morelia’s Transportation System

Welcome to the world of the Combi, Morelia’s at times 
challenging bus system! Consisting of a fleet of VW buses, 
the normal capacity is 15-18 people. However, it was not 
unusual to see more than 20 people sandwiched into every 
nook and cranny of the Combi. It was times like that that I 
really hoped everyone had used their deodorant. The nice 
thing is that Combis went virtually everywhere and one never 
had to wait very long for another in the event of missing 
the previous one. And, with such closeness, it was 
impossible not to get to know fellow passengers. I met many 
wonderful people that way. There were times, however, I must 
admit I broke down and took a taxi when I felt I needed my 
space. That was alright too, though, because as long as one 
negotiates the price prior to starting out, most trips are 
quite reasonable. For instance, in 1997, I could ride pretty 
much anywhere in El Centro (downtown) for anywhere between 
$2 and $3. Even longer trips across town were generally 
never more than $8 to $10. 

Most generally, I felt safe riding in either mode of 
transportation. One Combi experience I had, however, was a 
bit tense (funny now, not too much then). I decided to take 
a scenic tour around town one day. For most of the trip, 
there was one other person besides me and the bus driver. 
He sat up in the front seat with the driver and got into an 
intense political discussion that eventually turned to the 
subject of Gringos. It was obvious neither of them cared 
much for the fact that Gringos were living “south of the 
border.” I sat quietly listening, hoping that I was dark 
skinned enough to resemble one of them. By that time, my 
Spanish was good enough that I could hold my ground in most 
conversations. I felt tremendously relieved, though, when 
the driver looked over at me and said “you are from Brazil, 
right?” I didn’t actually say yes, but I managed a quick 
remark in my limited vocabulary of Portuguese, enough to 
satisfy him and his friend at least. After that, I confined 
my Combi trips to shorter runs and more crowded buses. 


Getting Used To Living On “Mexico Time”

The first time I taught an English class on a Saturday, I 
was exposed to the concept of doing things on “Mexico time.” 
Saturdays classes were always a bit more relaxed than ones 
during the week as most school administrators were gone. 
Students as well as teachers let their hair down a bit more 
than usual. I generally was not as strict about breaks as I 
had to be during the week, so, 5 minute breaks on occasion 
turned to 10-15 minute ones. It was alright, though, because 
we almost always got through all of our assigned material. 
Now, lunch break was a different matter. The first time I 
let my class take off for lunch, they went off by 
themselves. It was supposed to be a one hour lunch break, 
of course. Well, 1:00 PM turned into 1:30, 1:45, 2:00. 
Finally, a little after 2:00 my class returned. When I asked 
one of the students what happened, one of them said “sorry 
teacher, we were just on Mexico time today.” So, after that, 
I went to lunch with my class and kept them together as a 
group. Instead of feeling penalized, they loved it. And, I 
used the time to teach a few lessons not in the book.


My Students

While at CMI, I taught classes of all levels, from beginner 
to advanced, from niños (children) to adultos (adults). I 
even got called upon to teach a class in linguistics to a 
group of teachers. My favorite class of all, I must say, was 
a group of 10 to 12 year olds. At first, I was not sure I 
would survive with all the antics that they pulled on me. 
Most of them wanted to play in class and rarely ever do 
their homework. Now how does one appeal to a 10 year old to 
get them to stay to task? Well, I commended them for how 
intelligent they were. Then, with the more difficult ones, I 
mentioned how nice it would be to meet their parents and 
report on their “progress” in my class. Now, the latter 
choice worked. After that, I never had a bit of trouble. In 
one of our last classes I asked each of my young charges to 
write about their favorite place, person, or thing. One of 
the girls, about 11 at the time, really touched my heart. 
She got up to describe her favorite person. “My favorite 
person is my English teacher David. His Spanish is not 
always the best. But, he is a good teacher and I love him.” 
I think I had a lump in my throat about a mile long that 
day.


Shopping Conditions

Just like with the buses of Morelia, shopping areas can be 
overcrowded and a challenge. There was more than one 
occasion I experienced pushing and shoving (never violent 
though) to get through to a counter to purchase food or 
other items. A Mercado (Mexican market) is nothing like the 
grocery stores I had been used to in the United States. Of 
course, there are a few supermarket style grocery stores in 
Morelia that are similar, but, they aren’t near as much fun 
to go to as the Mercados. As I mentioned in one of my 
previous articles – one can purchase almost anything in a 
Mercado (hopefully all legal). I used to spend a lot of my 
free time walking all over El Centro to the various shops 
and Mercados. I remember buying things from CDs to leather 
goods to delightful foods I had never experienced before. 
At my favorite clothing store, Milano’s, I was able to buy 
an entire new wardrobe for less than $150. I found leather 
jackets and coats at a stall not far from the downtown 
library for $50 to $75 that would easily cost $400 to $500 
in the United States. Morelia has some of the best bargains 
I have ever found if one is willing to spend the time and 
energy to look.


Conclusion

Living in a different country with a different language and 
different customs is not for the faint of heart. This is my 
point – living in Morelia is different than where you live 
right now. Some of Morelia is quite modern, other parts are 
not. One cannot expect conditions to be exactly the same as 
in the United States or other more modernized countries. 
But, if you have a sense of adventure and use common sense, 
you can have a wonderful time and some marvelous 
experiences. I did. I have memories that will last a 
lifetime. I met people, saw places and things, learned new 
things, lived and experienced things that I will always 
treasure.

When you go to Morelia, go with an open mind. Be willing to 
learn, live a different lifestyle, experience new things. 
Above all, use common sense and have humility. If you do, 
you will have fond, priceless, unique memories that will 
always hold special meaning for you. 



-------------------

"About The Author"

The author, David Wix, lived, worked, and traveled 
extensively in Mexico during 1997 and has degrees in history 
and languages. Currently he is working as an insurance 
broker in California. He has had articles published in his 
areas of expertise and is currently working on a couple of 
books to be published in the near future. Author's website: 
http://www.dave-wix.com and 
http://www.travelwriters.com/davewix.
dave@dave-wix.com
 

 

 

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Nucha Aquino

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