Thanksgiving Day - Sunday -Thursday

 Thanksgiving Day - Sunday – Thursday

 

Sunday Brunch with the local Expats

19/11/23 Sunday

I was invited to meet a bunch of the people from the Atlixco expat community for Sunday brunch at Vittorio’s, across the street from the Zocalo. I had been communicating with the group on WhatsApp and it was nice to be able to put some faces to the names. One of the expats is Aleksandra, the AirBnb host from my last trip to Atlixco. I didn’t get to meet her at that time because she was out of the country, but her husband, Carlos, was a great host who helped me when I was suffering from what I call Montezuma’s Prank, which is like Montezuma’s Revenge, but not so severe.

There was some lively discussion and I found out that a couple of the expats are musicians as well. I hope that we will get together for some pickin’ & grinnin’ in the future. I had a ham, egg and tortilla concoction which was covered with mole and it was delicious. Mole (MOH-leh) is a savory sauce that is made with chocolate and it is a specialty of the Puebla area. I had never had mole before and my hosts informed me that there are many, many different varieties.

When the gathering broke up, I wandered around the Zocalo which was full of venders, mostly selling potted flowers and then headed toward the bus stop. On the way there, I bought a nice, broad-brimmed sombrero for about $11 US, which I badly needed to protect my shiny bald noggin from the Méxican sun.

When I got home, I spent the rest of the day playing guitar, studying Spanish, and then TV and puzzles until bed time.

20/11/23 Monday

I took the bus to the Benito Juarez Mercado, which is like a farmer’s market that is open every day. Because it was the anniversary of the start of the Revolución, it was busy as hell and I also got to see a parade from the local schools, marching bands and baton groups. I watched for a short while but got bored of it quickly and went in to the market to get some veggies. I couldn’t find any mushrooms or celery, but I got a bunch of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, bananas and apples which should keep me fed until this weekend.

When I got home, I spent the rest of the day with my normal routine of guitar, Spanish, puzzles & TV in the evening.

21/11/23 Tuesday

It was a nice cool day so I got out walking early and was able to go a bit more than a mile uphill before I stopped to rest for a few minutes, turned around and started back toward the house. When I got near to the house, I decided to take the bus to one of the large supermarkets to get the groceries that I didn’t get at the mercado the day before. I was able to figure out the buses and even got off at the right stop for the supermarket, thanks to an abuelita (grandma) that noticed I was unsure of where to go and helped me. She had a weathered face and appeared to be in her eighties, and she took my arm and walked me across the busy street and all the way to the store. She and I had a kind of conversation with me understanding about a third of what she said and me speaking my very basic Spanish. When we got to the door, she wished me a good day and gave me a blessing, which I thought was very sweet.

After I checked out, I was able to fit my groceries into my backpack with a little left over in another bag; a load that I deemed I could carry on the bus, which would save me the expense of an Uber and would test my ability to find my way home. It took me a while to find the right combi, but I eventually made it home, just in time to jump on a conference call for work.

After work, Martha came to take me to the mall so I could try to get my Méxican phone straightened out. It was working okay, but I couldn’t pay my bill online. After dealing with the nice people at Telcel, they told me that they needed to file a work order with their IT department to see if they could straighten it out. This was my second time trying to fix this problem; I think the issue might have something to do with the guy who had this number before me; he may have had a problem with paying his bill and the number itself might be flagged. Fortunately, I was able to pay next month’s bill at the Telcel store. If it doesn’t get fixed by next week, I am going to ask them to try giving me another number and maybe that will do it.

22/11/23 Wednesday

It rained all night and rained off and on all day, so I stayed home and worked on my Spanish all day, with a few breaks to cook, play guitar and read a bit. “Nothing to see here folks, move along.”

23/11/23 Thursday

It rained all night last night and it was kind of chilly this morning; about 50° when I got up at 7:00. I had made plans to visit Tony & Shirley this morning, and I was hoping the rain would let up before I had to catch the bus, and it did. I got to their house on the bus and combi without getting lost on the way, which kind of surprised me, since I hadn’t done that before.

Tony helped me apply for an RFC, which is the Méxican version of a Social Security Card, and serves as a tax identifier as well as being needed for some financial dealings, including getting a Méxican bank account. Tony explained what he had to do to get his account, and I hope to do the same, some time in December. I will need some documentation from my new landlord, so I’m still not quite ready to move on that. I will also have to go to Puebla City to change my address with immigration within 30 days of moving, which means, in my case, by the end of December.

After spending some time with Tony & Shirley, I caught the buses back home and I’ve been hanging out here, studying Spanish and chopping veggies. My sisters, Betsy & Kelly, and the other family members that had come to their house for T-Day, face timed with me this afternoon from Milwaukee. They were feeling pretty good because the Packers had won and we had a nice chat. When I get done typing this, I will have a snack and see about doing a crossword or two before heading to bed.

Hasta luego.