Catch Up

We're keeping busy here in Tijuana. It's been awhile since I've posted, so I'll try to catch everyone up on what has been happening over the past three weeks. I've realized that I hate sharing my computer. As my friend Nate said, it's like living in a family. Luis really likes Facebook. I wish I had never helped him set up an account. 

But I can't blame the silence completely on him. Posting during the week is out of the question because I don't really have time, and I'm usually pretty tired and lazy on the weekends.

The most exciting thing that has happened is that my friends from Chicago, Kimmy and Nate, came for a visit. Paving the way, I hope, for more people to come visit. :o) They couldn't stay for very long, but Jose made them lunch and we showed them around the neighborhood. We walked in the park, stopped by the panadaria, and got some nieve at the ice cream store. If you're interested, Kimmy put a bunch of pictures up on facebook. She did a better job than I did at documenting the experience.

I think we can safely say that Jose has taught Kimmy everything she knows about boxing. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of that while they were sparring outside the ice cream shop.

I finally made it to the beach! Over labor day weekend, we went to the Playas de Tijuana. Being from Illinois, I didn't really understand the beach. Especially when I was told that the water was cold. If people didn't swim, what did they do? I think I get it now. It's fun to just sit and listen to the waves. And not swimming takes a little bit of the pressure off. It's like going to a really great park or something. 

Of course, part of my time there was ruined. It think I'm getting to that point in my stay here where little cultural differences are turning into big annoyances. When we arrived at the beach, we walked around a little bit and finally found a place to sit down. As soon as I sat down, this marching band walked onto the beach wanting to serenade people for money. Maybe it wasn't a "marching" band per se. But there were lots of loud brass instruments and drums. It was probably a 10 person band. They had some takers and started playing some loud traditional Mexican music. I don't have anything against traditional Mexican music, but they were so loud I couldn't hear the waves. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera that day and don't have any pictures of that band. Nor of the cool art festival that was going on a few blocks away that we checked out. But Jose and I went back last weekend and I took some pictures then.

The beaches are right next to the border. I'm not entirely sure what is keeping people from crossing. There is a sign that says there are dangerous things below the surface of the water. But some of the poles on land are far enough apart that skinny Luis could squeeze through. The US side is obviously not a public beach. It's a little weird to see that side so deserted.

 

This little girl was fun to watch because she kept dancing in the waves. I think that is her brother fishing. 

I thought this guy was funny. I could see Jose do something like this. He would just lie down and nap if he were tired. He wouldn't worry about a towel. I guess that's what I'm here for. If you can't tell, I was having fun experimenting with my different camera settings.

These look like snow boots to me.

My American Nights have gone from consumerism to being out-doorsy. My manager at work suggested I check out some of the trails at a park close to work. It is the Mission Trails Regional Park. When I talk to San Diegans about it, they don't really seem that excited. But I think this place is awesome. There are little mountains there that are right next to the city and don't take that long to summit, but still give you that feeling of accomplishing something. I hiked the tallest peak a couple weeks ago. It was fun, but I've found that some of the other peaks are a little more fun because there are fewer people. I've also started running on some of the trails in the morning if I get to San Diego with enough time before work. Some of the hills kill me. But I can tell I'm getting stronger. Here are some of the pictures I have taken at that park.

These pictures are a part of the first trail that I ran on.

This was a cloudy morning. I swear there is a mountain there.

These are pictures from the top of Cowles Mountain, the highest point in the county.

The last bit of noteworthy news is that I burned my arm last weekend. We finally figured out how to turn on the oven. It doesn't have a pilot light, so we have to light the burner with a lighter through a hole on the bottom of the oven. I thought I had lit it and was pre-heating the oven, but Jose noticed it wasn't lit. He suggested that we let it air out, but I was being impatient and told him it would be fine if I just lit it. When I lit the lighter, it ignited the gas that had accumulated in the oven and a ball of gas shot out. It burned my arm, but only the heat reached my face and melted some of my hair along my hairline and my eyebrows. My arm was red from my elbow to my fingers. It didn't really look that bad, but it hurt like crazy. Jose took me to the doctor and she prescribed a cream for the burn and pills for the pain. I had to ice my arm for most of the night because of the pain. By the next day, the pain had receded considerably. Only my hand still hurt when I accidentally rubbed it against something. A week later it looks really good. All the red is gone. The only places that look bad are where my veins have raised up my skin. I guess that it burned more there. Overall, I was pretty lucky. It could have been a lot worse.

I thought I'd throw this picture in here. Jose and Perla are really warming up to one another.