So I’ve been in Tuxtepec for about one week now and in response to some inquiry, this is how things have been: When I first arrived, another teacher offered her on-campus apartment for me to stay in until I found a suitable place to live elsewhere. There are approximately 12 apartments on campus and a waiting list to acquire one; so demand easily outstrips supply. This teacher however only got it simply to take midday siestas months down the road when she got around to furnishing it. Being that the apartment was completely unfurnished, I slept on the floor with my trusty sleeping bag. Two or so days after arriving I went to Oaxaca, the capital, to process my change of employer on my visa. This school apparently follows the letter of the law and will not allow me to work until this has been completed – I suppose that’s conducive to working at a public university and consequently becoming a government employee, but nonetheless following the law so closely is somewhat out-of-character for the region. So that is to say, it’s strange that they don’t allow me to work while it’s being processed.
The immigration office there is nothing like that of San Luis Potosi. Most notably so is their demeanor. In Oaxaca, the woman (“woman” in place of a more preferable derogative) treated me as though my intelligence was somehow correlated to my poor Spanish speaking ability. Saving you all the details, she said I needed to furnish documents which were not actually called for by the standard form they have online, nor what she personally told the administration, who then told me, were needed. The first thing she requested was a set of profile pictures – you know, mug shots. So, being the good sport that I am, I went to the local studio and had them done. This caused me to stay in Oaxaca an additional day due to old-fashioned style developing used by this particular studio (i.e., not digital or Polaroid). I spent my time wisely and went to Monte-Alban, which was really awesome (a little more on that later). Upon returning the next day, she told me that I needed a copy of every page of my passport (mind you, she had already rifled through all my documents once before – you’d think that she could have told me everything I [supposedly] lacked. Realizing the copy machine directly behind her, I asked if she could make the copies here herself. She unhesitatingly said no. So, I left again, made some copies, and returned. Then she told me I needed copies of the receipt showing that I paid the fee to change my visa (which is paid for at a local bank – it’s strange). That was another trip to the copy store. I returned. Then I needed to make copies of my teaching certificate and the adjoining apostolate. I did so and returned. After everything was said and done another immigration official told me that it’d be ready by the middle of next week. I then proceeded to enjoy the rest of my stay in beautiful Oaxaca, leaving that hell of an experience behind me – or so I had thought.
While there I went to a little jazz show. It was quite nice and they were pretty talented. The ironic thing is that the first jazz show I attend in my life happens to be in the depths of southern Mexico – go figure. Oaxaca is a little touristy. In fact, while in the very tiny bar where the jazz show was held, the majority of the patrons were speaking English. The saxophonist picked up on this and, quite bravely I should say, tried his hand at introducing their songs in English. I, having been used to listening to very bad English, might have been one of the few who knew what he was saying. But I applaud his effort just the same. The zocalo, which is basically a gigantic plaza, is very nice. In fact, I took a 360 degree panoramic shot of the place, but have yet to piece all the pictures together. One thing to mention however is that despite the scruptiousness of the food served throughout the restaurants there, it can be a bit expensive if you’re a peso earning sucker like myself. I slept in that very zocalo twice; both times in the middle of the day when it’s teeming with people and both times without any intention of doing so. That’s what happens when you’re tired.
I said that I went to Monte-Alban. Look it up. What I can say about it that you can’t find on wikipedia is that as soon as I walked into the main field I was instantly thrown into a computer game I used to play called Serious Sam 2. It’s your basic shoot-em-up first-person-shooter the evening news baldly warns parents about. It became crystal clear to me that the writers of the game used Monte-Alban as one of the scenes for a particular level. The pyramids in their design, size, and position were exactly as I had remembered them. ‘Holy shit’ was my first thought, and my second was ‘where’s my plasma rifle?’
To and fro Tuxtepec and Oaxaca one has the option of singing Oaxaca for 6 hours through the majestic Oaxacan mountains, or if you travel at night the bus takes a tamed route between the base of the mountains for 7 and a half hours, if you’re willing to pay 100 pesos more (gringos: “to sing Oaxaca” means to puke. Think about it, “wa-ha-ka” really bears some resemblance to the sound you make when you puke). The decision’s easy.
Upon my return to Tuxtepec, I was informed that I had to leave the on-campus apartment immediately. Turns out the grounds keeper saw me coming and going and mentioned it to the administration who has a contract with the actual tenant that states that she is the only person who can reside there. Another teacher, who has been quite nice and very helpful showing me around, let me stay at his place while I found a place of my own. After looking at a few apartments, I decided on a spacious 2 bedroom for 2000 pesos a month and no deposit. I think the selling point for me was that one of the rooms had hooks built into the walls intended for a hammock. When I returned with my things that night, I asked if they locked the gate. She told me that for security they instead let out their vicious man-eating dog between the hours of 11pm and 7am. I suppose they had a sense of humor when they inappropriately named him Pollo. This ended up not resting well with Carolina, who’s moving down after Christmas. Putting that aside, I set out the little I have and tried to sleep, but the screaming triplet babies next door kept me from doing so. What’s more, the vicious man-eating dog is also vociferous. I hardly got a wink that night. The following morning I explained to the owner that my girlfriend is deathly afraid of dogs, and I couldn’t sleep with a it barking all night on one side of the apartment and on the other, screaming babies. She kindly returned my month’s rent and I found another place. I’m now in a one bedroom apartment, which too has hooks for a hammock.
Tuxtepec is in the middle of the jungle. I’m told that there are monkeys, leopards, toucans, and a variety of poisonous creepy-crawlies in the further reaches of the thicket. The city itself is situated in the middle of arch of a very big river called the Papaloapan, which the school named itself after. It’s not so much hot as it his humid and I’m told that during the summer it can reach upwards of 115 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s so hot that it’s uncommon for houses to have water heaters and for that matter, more than one faucet on showers and sinks. Many buildings are built with an additional aluminum roof to absorb the sun’s head and to keep it off the actual roof, keeping the building as cool as possible. Here is also the first time I’ve seen air conditioners in Mexico on more than just commercial buildings.
It’s also worth mentioning that there are a lot of indigenous people here, some of whom don’t even speak Spanish. That’s about all I know about them so far. Many place- names here though are from their language. Papaloapan means butterfly, and the other English teacher said something about how the Spanish used this word to derive the Spanish word for kite. There are also many towns in this region that end in –tepec. This supposedly means “hill” in the native language.
The bus lines don’t have numbers. Instead they’re color coated and named. For example, the buses that take me to the school are Ejode and Sra. Ursula. Ejode is dark orange with a military green stripe down it and, well, I don’t remember what the other looks like. On their windshields, they also have written the major places they go. I’ve speculated that they color the buses according to the lines to accommodate the illiterate population. This however is unfounded. The buses seem to me like hand-me-downs of 1950’s school buses with the muffler ripped right off of ‘em. They’re loud and the drivers grind each and every gear. Most of them are actually quite comfortable on the inside however. The seats are padded and many of them play music! To get off at a designated stop in town or wherever you like out of town you yell “baja!” or whistle and he lets you off.
Tuxtepec has a population of about 100,000. They’re much friendlier than Potosinos in that you can have a conversation with a perfect stranger about anything and most people say hello when you pass them on the street. An oddity however is that they’ll say “güero” to white people as a way to either get our attention or just as a means to say hello (I say “us” meaning myself and the other white person I’ve seen here, the other English teacher.). The fact that there aren’t really any other white people here (even Hispatic white) may lend to the reason why I’m referred to in this way more often. It sure the hell beats “gringo,” which really isn’t beyond them though. In fact, the other English teacher’s landlord calls him gringo all the time, though affectionately.
Yesterday I asked the school’s human resources office to contact immigration in Oaxaca city to check on the status of my visa. She reported back to me stating that immigration said they can’t find it the visa it self, a little green booklet, but they have all my other documentation. After checking again today they said that they should have a new one made for me by Monday. If that’s the case, then my 3 week vacation will have come to and end and I’d begin teaching probably the following Wednesday. If you’d like more information about my very cushy working conditions, please refer to my previous email.
If there’s still any specific information about Tuxtepec you’d like to know, then I’d be glad to answer. Keep in mind pictures are forthcoming.
-Chris
