Woe is me!
This is a letter I sent to our family after being here for about three months. I was sitting here logging on to sites in the Atlanta area just to see pictures of home and feeling sorry for myself when I wrote this.
Hello all:
Danny and I were talking last night and I've decided my two biggest bitches about living here are boredom and lack of "quiet". These goddamn people can't listen to music unless it's blasting at 200 decibels. They spend more money on speakers than food! They can no longer talk in a conversational tone of voice due to generations of being blasted with noise levels consistent with an airport runway, a BUSY airport runway....Mufflers are something that crazy people wear who live in the northern territory, and then there's the headlights and tail lights, or lack thereof, that also contribute to the screeching of worn out brakes when people run up on each other in the dark.
Our house sits right on the street with another that intersects (3 way) and basically dead ends in front of our door. Every kid in the neighborhood, from 2 to 18 years old, hangs out on our corner and plays stickball or basketball. The ones who aren't playing are screaming as loud as the ones who are because a; they aren't allowed to participate or b; yelling encouragement to the ones who are. The parents could give a shit less, because as long as they are out in the street, they (the parents) can enjoy their ear shattering music without being bothered by children.
Next on the list is boredom. What can I say? This is the most boring place I have ever been. We can't leave the house for very long, due to mother. So, that precludes any overnight trips to see other parts of the island unless we take her with us and that's not happening! We're afraid she'll either run Elizabeth (the housekeeper) off, or we'll come back to find half of our things missing. Mother is determined to convince us that Elizabeth is a thief so we'll fire her. To that end, she is constantly stealing little things from us and also complains and accuses Elizabeth of stealing things from her (lipstick, toothpaste, etc.). Mother, unfortunately, takes great pride in trying to make our lives as miserable as hers and it has long past worn thin. I can't convince Danny to throw her out as he seems to think she can't afford to live anywhere else. The truth is, no one would have her even if she paid! Lucky us.
But, I digress, Back to boredom. I miss working. Never thought I'd say that. I'm not sure if it's work I miss or just having something to do everyday. The money was also nice. For me, or anyone in my position with no Spanish, working is impossible. Even if you could find something, making an average of US$1.50 an hour isn't exactly appealing. Starting a business is cost prohibitive so I read, play on the internet, cuss mother, my hair, the heat and the country in general.
Going into Santiago is good for an adrenalin fix for a little while. As I've said before, driving here is an adventure all in itself. Those with even minor heart problems or anyone having an innate fear of dying are strongly discouraged from participating in the country wide demolition derby. I do it anyway. I cross myself, throw in a few hail Mary's, kiss the Star of David, say In'shala, rub Buddha's belly and call on all my spirit guides for protection and then head out.
On a more positive note, we went to the local high school and talked to an English teacher about Spanish lessons. Roya (the instructor) will be here beginning this week for my lessons. He will be coming to the house two days a week (Tuesday & Thursday) in an attempt to actually teach me the language. I am hoping to at least pick up something, but I have no illusions of ever being proficient. My brain and tongue simply do not co-operate. We'll see.
We're still getting a nightly thunderstorm. My poor beans have root rot and aren't looking so good. I did pick enough for Danny and I to have for dinner today. Another high note. I found some imported, pre-packaged sirloin burgers at Pricesmart. Boy are they good! The beef here sucks big time and I was starting to have beef withdrawal. They also have whole NY strips (choice not prime) at the National, but at US$85 to US$90 each and add to that freezer burned, we're not apt to be buying those very often. Not much freezer space anyway. For steaks, we go to the Cosa Nostra once in awhile. Barbara gets her meat from the states and makes a mean b?arnaise.
I haven't been weight training for the last week or so. Not sure why, just not in the mood. I've got to get back into it though, I'm starting to feel crunchy. Haven't gained any weight, haven't lost any more either. Still have no clothes that fit. Most of the stuff you see here is stretch, faded to look old and worn, or "wanna be" street walker. They do have some nice shops, but they also have outrageous prices. Plain 100 percent cotton is very hard to find and to me, that's strange. Guess I'll have to drag out the sewing machine a see what I can cobble up. Hey, not a bad idea, at least that will be something to do. See boring.
Assuming the butter I left out for the cake hasn't melted and run on to the floor, guess I'd better go on downstairs and finish dinner. Our kitchen would give a sweat shop a good reputation. Can't wait for winter. A week or so ago, we had rain for several days straight and consequently cooler weather. All the locals were running around in long sleeved shirts and pants. Not me, I was in shorts and a tank top enjoying every minute of it, even if it was raining like hell! O'Reilly, being a gene jump Dominican dog, was shaking so that I had to wrap him in a towel. Poor thing will probably freeze when it does cool off.
Love to all,
Dianne