Los Campechanos y Cocodrilos

Today was hot, not warm, hot, and its still February. Rumor has it that April and May here are not fit for man nor beast. And misquitos, Dios mio, I'm not saying they're big, but they ought to require a pilot, co-pilot and navigator in the cockpit. Live is actually taking on a bit of a routine here. No big trips to report. I am starting to feel a bit like a real Campechano, except I can't speak Spanish very well, am at leat 12 cm taller than the average Campechano, have light skin, light hair, and blue eyes (and, I'm sure, dress funny). My one month aniversario has come and gone. I did get invited to a cocodrilo farm located in an escuela preparatoria (instead of grade school, middle school and high school, the Mexican equivalent is escuela primaria, secundaria, and preparatoria). We later went to a nature center where they had preserved a few acres of the mangrove swamps that Campeche used to sit on. I have attached a picture of both the crocodile farm and the mangrove swamp. (You can click on the image to get a better look at that bad boy above). In addition, I recently got an invite to a football (soccer) game that my buddy Aldo was playing in. The level of football was actually quite good. I have discovered if you want a quick insight into the culture of a given area, go to a public sporting event and to the local cemetary. Anyway, I learned all kinds of words at the football game I probably won't be able to repeat too often. By the way, I did make it to the local cemetary.

My Spanish speaking has hit a bit of a wall, but I think that is to be expected. I am trying to engage more folks in conversation, but I continue to have good days and bad days. In addition, there are folks that are easier for me to understand than others. The dialect here is quite different, I think it is the equivalent of a Costa Rican, for example, learning English in London for a few months and ending up in rural Alabama. En resume, espanol en los libros y en la aula es muy diferente que espanol en la calle.

The PT thing is moving along, patients here in Mexico, as I said before, are more involved on the whole than in the US, and are therefore seen for a lot longer period of time. There are no insurance companies to appease, therapists don't even do daily notes. It is left to the professional opinion of the PT to decide when to DC a patient (imagine!).

I mentioned last entry that the final day of Carnaval was Martes de Pintadera, the day before Miercoles de Ceniza (ash Wedensday) when the locals douse each other with paint. It ended up that I did brave it and go out, and I'm glad I did because I got this great picture of some boys just coming back from the festival.

In the immediate future, Jessica Castellano (one of my PT students from UNM) is coming next week to help out and get the Mexican experience for 10 days, and then Deborah (my wife of veintiuno anos) is coming for a 10 day vacation. Deb and I are planning a trip to Merida, Calakmul (a wonderful Mayan ruin deep in the selva muy cerca de la frontera de Guatemala) and to Celestun (an island con muchos flamingos y otros pajaros interesantes). More later! Hasti Spumonti!