Official Temporary Resident - Monday-Thursday


09/11/2023 Thursday

Official Temporary Resident

 

Popocatepetl on my morning walk today


It has been an eventful few days since my last post.

Monday:

I got the notice that my guitars and my box had arrived at the shipping place. I had just recently been included in a WhatsApp meetup group for expats in Atlixco, and, since I knew this would probably be more than one carload, I asked the group if someone with a pickup would be able to help me. After a while, my local facilitator and guardian angel, Martha Sceravino, volunteered to pick me up at 2:00 and help me.

When we got to the place, I asked if I could unpack everything and leave the boxes and packing material. They said yes to unpacking, no to leaving the material. I had packed a couple of framed pictures, and I could tell, when I moved the box, that the glass on the frames had broken. Martha and I could see that there was no way to fit the shipment plus the cardboard in her car, so she recruited a taxi at a reasonable rate to help with the excess, and we got everything to my house, the picture frames being the only casualties.

Tuesday:

I had started work again on Monday, and I set up working hours to be from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, Monday through Friday. I got some assignments from my bosses and I’m all set now.

I played guitar a lot today, and had a visit from my landlady, who washed my clothes. There is no dryer, so I had to hang them on the line when they were done. I don’t think I have ever done that before.

The Atlixco Clothes Dryer

I also spent some time studying Spanish and watched an episode of Firefly, Deep Space 9, and Babylon 5.

Wednesday:

I had to get up at 5:00 AM so that Martha and I could be 1st in line at the immigration office in Puebla City, which opens at 9:00 AM but is notoriously ponderous in its workings. I had to register there within 30 days of entering the country to complete my canje and get my government ID. Martha also brought along a couple, Tony and Shirley, who had just moved to Atlixco, originally from Texas but living in Mexico for several years and needed to change their address. They were a very outgoing couple and we had a lively conversation on the way to Puebla and while waiting in line.

Martha had informed me earlier that if we got in right at 9:00, we could maybe be done by noon. First, you have to present your application and supporting documentation to a clerk, who will question you about why you want to move to México; then you wait while that is reviewed. After that is approved, you get your photo and fingerprints taken, after which you are asked to wait while the ID card is prepared. This is where things can get screwy. I have heard stories of people having to wait for days because the printer stopped working or they run out of supplies for the printer.

My stroke of good fortune continued, however, and I was able to get done by 10:30, fully one and a half hours quicker than Martha had ever seen before. To celebrate I treated Martha, Tony and Shirley to a great breakfast at a little place near my house. I had enfrijoladas con chorizo, which is a kind of bean enchilada with a tasty sauce and Méxican sausage; not vegan, but delicious! Total cost of breakfast for four including fruit, orange juice, entrée and coffee: about $26.00 US.

Outside of the INM with Martha
After that, I just ran out of steam and relaxed for the rest of the day, going to bed early, at about 10:00.

Thursday:

I woke up at 6:00, did my morning computer stuff and went for a walk in the cool morning sunshine. I got in about 1 ¾ miles, and stopped at the little tienda on my way back for snacks for later. I took a new route, mostly uphill on the way out, and was treated to a gorgeous view of the volcano, Popocatépetl (po-po-kah-TAY-peh-tel). Where I live, the hill and buildings block the view of that awesome mountain, but it always impresses me every time I see it. I just have to walk one half mile up the hill and there it is!

Popocatepetl


When I got back home, it was time to go to work, so I clocked in and got to it, while reflecting on how fortunate I have been in my life.

Location: Atlixco, Puebla, Mexico

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 21, 2024 at 10:32 AM

    Jajaja my dear Patrick, dry clothes in Mexico is something unique, sun is our best resource

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Famous PatrickJanuary 21, 2024 at 9:12 PM

      And a great money saver as well. I wish my house had solar water heat.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tepic, Nayarit - Visiting Victor and Diana

Image
 Tepic, Nayarit   Agave, the Tequila plant I don't know it's real name. I call it a "Dr. Seuss Tree" 05/04/24 – 13/04/24 I am writing this on Cinco de Mayo, May 5 th . The trip to Tepic was actually a month ago, but I was sick for a couple of weeks after my return and it has taken me this long to get back to writing.   Originally, I had planned to go to Tepic on the last week in March, but I had to delay it until the week after Easter. I was going to visit Victor Youcha, a friend of Don’s that I had met down here, and Maria and Jesus, 2 of my former employees who lived a couple hours north of Tepic. Unfortunately, Maria’s mother got sick and had to go to the hospital, and I wasn’t able to spend any time with her and Jesus, because I had already bought my bus tickets and couldn’t change them at that late date.   The bus going to and from Tepic were overnighters; a 14 hour trip each way. On the way out, we got stuck for 2½ hours waiting for an accident to clear...
Read more

El Cerro de San Miguel Arcángel - Sunday – Saturday

Image
Cerro de San Miguel Capilla de San Miguel Arcángel (and me) Sunday - Saturday, 10/12/23-16/12/23 I was hoping that this would be the week when my life would be settling into a routine, but it is still a bit hectic. Little by little, I am handling the problems and adjusting to life in Atlixco. Problem #1: Customs I received the papers for the sale of my house last Thursday along with a check for the downpayment. I signed the papers   and put them in one envelope and then put the check in another envelope to send to my grandson, Jesse, and headed to the local FedEx office on the bus. The clerk was helpful and it appeared we had gotten through the language barrier pretty well despite my low level of Spanish. When I got home, I realized that he had misspelled the street name on the envelope with the check, so I went back and had him change it. Problem solved? On Tuesday, I checked the routing numbers and found that the papers had been delivered to the agent, but the check was h...
Read more

Florida, Brunch and Español

Image
  From my roof, Popocatépetl, on a clear morning I can’t believe that it has been 3 weeks since I last wrote in my blog. I will try to be brief and inclusive. ( About the photo: To give you an idea of how big the volcano is, the peak is about 2 miles higher than where I am standing. ) 080224 Thursday – 130224 Tuesday My vacation to Florida It started out well, with my favorite Uber driver, Anastasio, picking me up right on time to take me to Puebla, where I had tickets on a 9:00 bus going to México City Airport (MCO), Terminal 2. Not wanting to be late, I made sure I got there almost an hour early. The bus took off on time, but it soon developed engine trouble and broke down. We waited a half hour for a replacement bus to pick us up. I should mention that I have a neurotic fear of being late for travel and because of it, I rarely sleep well the night before a trip. Now, I was a half hour behind schedule, but I should still be on time for my 2:00 flight if nothing else goes ...
Read more