Interesting Friends

George Ure, whose web site I read for news updates, keeps encouraging us to think about what our marketable skills are. A couple of weeks ago, Jim had rung my doorbell and was asking about a problem he was having with his computer. It was running slowly. I told him I had some experience owning a Windows machine and could look up information on the web to try and help him out. This took a few days, as the internet was intermittent (say that three times fast), as were my work habits, but I downloaded a few pages of helpful information and thought I had enough to go on.

So we set up an appointment and the first thing Jim did was show me around his house. It was incredibly beautiful and well-designed, based on different levels with most of the rooms built around a central square of patios and gardens. We went to one of the upper rooms that had an office looking out on the town and got to work. Jim's computer was running so slowly that if you clicked on a new window it took up to a minute for that window to show up. He must have the patience of a saint! It turned out that none of my notes were useful after all. But I've learned to follow information. So much of computers (and life in Mexico too) involves following clues, like trails of breadcrumbs or links in web research, so I kept trying things and paying attention to what showed up. It took over an hour, but eventually I ended up in the right control panel and changed the default settings and the computer ran good as new. Was I relieved!

Jim was ecstatic. I'd told him I like fixing things and find it really satisfying to get systems to work properly. ( Of course the only things I'm much good at fixing are software and of course people using Matrix work but I always welcome the opportunities. ) There was a drafting table in the office and Jim told me he used to be a professional architect. This must be why he could do such a good job designing the house! He showed me around a little more and I asked a lot of interested questions as I love beautiful spaces. When he designed the house he'd put a surprising amount of thought into the sightlines and the flow of natural light. He even thought about how skylights could be used twice, with some of the light coming into the top room and the rest being carried down to the room underneath. He had special stone-like glass in the balconies that fit right in with the floor patterns but which scattered light into the rooms below. He'd also been careful to build so that he wasn't looking into others' balconies, being on a steep hill, but others who built after him were not as considerate. Apparently there used to be a bylaw about sightlines but the town government changes every December and some developers simply grease politicians' hands at the end of their terms to get the required approvals.

Jim asked how he could pay me back but he and Therese had already invited me to come to dinner a couple of nights later so I said that was enough. Two nights later I showed up at their door in my best clothes with a bottle of Chilean wine and joined the two of them and a neighbour in the living room. Therese had made an incredible humus as an appetizer which contained parsley and was the color of guacamole. The neighbour had lived in the area since the seventies, even before this section of town was built up. They all told me more about the town culture. Apparently there was a problem with Mexican teenagers going to America and coming back different and forming gangs. Since we were in a very mixed neighborhood, the house next door to us was owned by a very poor Mexican woman who had had a number of children who were now growing up. There was a gang that met in our street nightly, and apparently the woman's daughter had taken a machete and carved a chunk out of someone's abdomen a couple of nights before. There was no danger to us, as the gang members only went after each other, but it was tragic to hear that American culture could have such an awful influence on the local teenagers. Jim, Therese, and their neighbour all knew the teenagers and their parents by their first names, having watched them grow up. Also they heard a lot of news from their Mexican servants and contractors.

The conversation switched to lighter topics when we sat down for dinner. Therese had prepared some fresh salmon with mashed potatoes, cactus, and corn. We continued to drink wine and Therese turned out to be a fantastic storyteller. She had us laughing so hard we didn't notice the time passing. She'd also prepared a wonderful layered dessert with pomegranite juice, stewed guava, and ice cream. Before we knew it, it was after eleven. As I said goodbye at the door we heard a train whistle in the distance and I realized that Therese and Jim were now more than just acquantances, they'd become friends.

It was a bittersweet evening though as I was scheduled to move to my next apartment in two days. There's a lot to catch up on so look for another post in the next day or two!

(Apologies for the lack of current pictures but I did add pictures to the "Farmers and Shoppers" post below).