Things that are hard to get used to...

I know my last post was positive and emphasizing the ways that I am feeling comfortable and settled in... But I have to be fair and honest, and in the interest of full disclosure, I must share the following list of things that are really hard to get used to:

• The water situation - clearly this is one of the main things that all visitors to Mexico have a problem with. You certainly can't drink water from the tap, so you buy bottled water. I have a stand and dispenser for 5-gallon bottles of water, which I buy from the little store at the end of my driveway. Costs $10 pesos ($1 USD). The main issue is it's pretty heavy, and carrying it up the 2 flights of stairs is NOT fun. But the same tap water that you know is full of bacteria, this very same water is what you take showers in, what you wash dishes with, and what most people are using to wash vegetables and fruit... So there are all sorts of survival tricks you have to do to avoid ingesting the bad water. Keeping your mouth closed in the shower, letting washed dishes air dry (which apparently kills any bacteria from the water), being careful brushing your teeth, using anti-bacterial drops and clean water to wash fruits and veggies... The list goes on and on...
• Hot water - to get hot water, I have to light a flame under my water tank (using ridiculously short matches!), and once it finally catches on it takes about 30 minutes for the water to be ready. When the tank is empty (which I have no way of preparing for, it will just suddenly be gone) I have to call the gas man to have him deliver another one. I haven't had to do it yet, but I'm hoping he will bring it up the stairs to my apartment, disconnect the empty tank and connect the new one for me. So I don't blow anything up... : )
  
• Plumbing issues - you can't flush toilet paper, because the plumbing systems aren't made for this, and the paper will clog the pipes and cause major problems (this was true in Peru and Costa Rica, as well). So you put the used toilet paper in the garbage bin. Which is really hard to get used to, and pretty disgusting, particularly when you're having major stomach issues. (luckily I am over this phase, maybe that's why I'm finally ready to write about it!)
• Grocery stores - they're just totally different here in Miahuatlàn. I went to a big store in Oaxaca, and it was pretty similar to a US store. But in Miahuatlàn the stores are small, and they are mostly selling staples (rice, flour, beans, religious votive candles), and so it is particularly hard for someone who is cooking-impaired. Although, for the record, I am starting to cook some stuff, and I have some big plans...
• Insect alert - You have to constantly keep an eye open for scorpions. My former co-workers said that they've seen maybe 5 or 6 during a whole year, and usually pretty small ones. I shake out my clothes before I put them on, and definitely check my shoes. And I make sure there's nothing in my bed before I get in it! (this part is not so new, when we lived in Florida I had to be on the lookout, too). I have been thinking of this blog post for a while, kind of crafting it in my head as things occur, and this was originally going to be titled "scorpion alert." But I was surprised by a cockroach that came running out of my bathroom sink yesterday, after my weekend in Oaxaca. It scared the crap out of me! I just wasn't expecting it. I don't have the stomach or the heart to squash them anymore, so I trapped it in an empty yogurt container and closed the lid. It went out with the garbage...
• Feeling like an outsider, with good reason - I don't know if this feeling will ever totally go away. This morning as I was walking into the market, 2 little boys were pointing and laughing at me, and it was not in a nice way at all. I try to greet everyone with a smile and a "Buenos dìas," expecting the best even though I get burned about 30-50% of the time. Sometimes it feels so unjust, but I am trying to be aware of all the ways that "my people" have (mis-) treated Mexico and Mexicans, and particularly these largely indigenous groups, who have had their land stolen and their customs stifled by people with light skin for over 500 years. And here I waltz in, expecting to be welcomed with open arms... I'm trying to be more understanding of how that must feel for them, and what I must represent to some people. So I am trying to redeem myself, one person at a time.