Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Morning Thoughts--getting ready for my trip
I am packing and repacking my suitcases for a trip to the States to visit with a friend. I don't know if I will write anything on my blog while I am gone. I don't want to pressure myself to do that. I will return in ten days. A very short trip. Maybe that is the way to go instead of month long trips. I am already looking forward to coming home again. I will miss Chico and the Kitty. My friend Leslie is going to watch them while I am gone.
I went to Jocotopec on the Mexican Mother's Day and visited with my friend, Louise. She is the first woman I met when I moved here years ago. Now she is finally moving out of this area after living here for twenty plus years. She has a beautiful home in Jocotopec which she has rented out. It is like living in a garden because all the rooms have many windows. We talked for several hours, catching up on our lives, and then walked to the Jocotopec Plaza. I took lots of photos and I will put them on my blog and Accesslakechapala.com when I get a chance.
There was another expat murdered here. This time in Chapala. If you want to know about it, check out the Chapala Crime site. I hate to think about it. What a terrible way to die, beaten to death!
When I first moved here, the expats were left alone. I don't know what is happening here but it is scary. I am glad to get out for a few days to get a sense of perspective..... Maybe I should start looking at other places to live. But I am very happy here most of the time. It is a hard decision to make.
This situation makes me think of that parable about the frog in hot water. If you put a frog in cold water and slowly heat it up, it will stay in there until it boils to death. If you put a frog in boiling water, it immediately jumps out. I am the first frog.....
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Well it's like you said a long time ago, there is less crime overall in Lakeside than any place in the US. It just stands out more because it's happening in a foreign country to expats but the truth is there are more murders and higher crime in the US overall than there are in Mexico. Foreigners have to be wise about things living in a foreign country, like not keeping money in your cars or homes for one thing, the other is not flaunting money around by wearing and buying expensive things. I think anyone that is a foreigner who makes a lot of money in a tourist area of a foreign courntry is vulnerable for theft so they would have to take extra precautions to be safe, if they don't then they are at risk. Learning the language would be important to make it there long term too. I feel that anyone living in the US must learn our native language to really belong here, and I would feel the same way about living in a country that speaks a different language than English.I would learn to speak the native language out of respect and to be more empowered.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that feed back. I believe you are right. Unfortunately, my memory is very bad. I will learn something one day and forget it the next. p
DeletePat, if it makes you feel any better, five shootings occurred in Philadelphia last Monday. I believe three died.
DeleteHi Lorrie, Thanks for commenting. That is tragic.... p
DeleteI meant the shootings were tragic, not your comment. Sorry. p
DeleteSpeaking a foreign language is all about practicing and living in the country makes it possible to really immerse into it, it's just a matter of using it while taking classes to learn to speak it. It's hard at first but in no time it would become second nature. I too have a horrible memory, But the key with learning to speak fluently in any language is just taking classes, repetition and practice. It's like learning music, practice, practice...practice! It's easy to not learn it when you live in a community that is predominantly English speaking Expats but I think it would behoove you to learn the language if you could find a way to do it. I spoke Spanish when I was living in Puerto Rico as a child and picked it up very fast. But everyone in my neighborhood spoke Spanish and none of my playmates spoke English so I was forced to learn it. I recall it came naturally because we had a maid/nanny that only spoke Spanish so we were forced to pick it up. Plus we were in classes to learn it as part of our schooling. Children of course pick up languages much faster and easier than adults do typically, but I think if you made it a point to immerse yourself in learning it, it would fall into place for you. It's just a matter of it being something you want to do. I know Pat, when you set your mind to something you do it. Just from the short time I've been around you and from this blog, you have done many great things!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your faith in my abilities. I am sure that if I move to another area, I will be forced to study Spanish. For now, I can get by without knowing much. Thanks for writing. p
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