ten -- count them -- guidelines

In rereading my last two posts, I realized that I have never fully explained what I am looking for in Mexico. I am not running away to perfection. I am moving to enjoy what Mexico has to offer: with all of its pleasures and its many flaws. But I have established some criteria for the move. But, like the Pirate Code, they are merely – guidelines.

Guideline #1:
No matter what I plan, events will lead me a different way. And I welcome that prospect with joy. I want adventure, not predictability. Even if I lived the rest of my life in Salem, that guideline would be true. Anne Lamott said it best: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”

Guideline #2:
At every turn, go back to guideline #1 before planning any further.

Guideline #3:
Relationships trump all other concerns. In Mexico, that means that I simply must learn Spanish. I have already allowed my inability to communicate to keep me from meeting new people. And this is all about pride. I do not want to sound as if I am an idiot or a five-year old or an idiot five-year old. That description would be a euphemism for my current Spanish skills. I need to get over myself, and simply start learning. I have an adequate computer program from The Learning Company: Learn to Speak Spanish and a marvelous computer and CD program from Learnables. I have taken the first lesson in both programs about eight times now. The reason is the same for everyone: I get started; I get interrupted; I need to start over. I just need to dedicate a specific time every day.

I have enjoyed reading Nancy’s plan for learning Spanish on Countdown to Mexico. She used several techniques that I will not be able to use, such as, listening to Spanish television programs. I do not have television. However, I can listen to favorite movies on DVD and turn on the Spanish voice-over and subtitles. That will allow me to read and hear at the same time.

I also have two additional sources I am going to explore. A number of my fellow employees are native Spanish speakers, others are taking Spanish courses. I would like to set up a table where we could spend our lunch hour conversing and learning in Spanish. It would be a completely non-threatening environment. A second source is my Bible reading. I try to read through the Bible every year in a different translation. This year, I am going to try a Spanish translation. I have a program on my PDA that allows me to see multiple translations simultaneously.

Andee on My Life in Chacala tells some of the most heart-warming stories about the value of knowing Spanish – and eventually learning its associated culture. She has put her Spanish to use by assisting with rentals. I would like to know enough Spanish by the end of 2008 that I will feel comfortable speaking and making mistakes -- giving me more grist for anecdotes. No story is better told than when the narrator does not come out well in the end.

Guideline #4:
I need to avoid becoming a prisoner of the great American fear: finance-itis. Somewhere along the way, money becomes an obsession with us. What we own, where we live, what we drive, what we do for a living define us far more than the depth of our character and our commitment to each other. In fact, the first list almost always negatively impacts the second. I am not anti-material. We live in a real world where we must take care of our basic needs. But I must stop worrying about where money is coming from beyond today. In reading my earlier posting, it is quite apparent that I am not where I should be on this issue. There is plenty of money for me to do what I want to do right now.

Guideline #5:
Even though I look forward to making new friends in Mexico, I want to be close enough to my old friends that it will be convenient for them to visit. That is certainly true for La Manzanilla and Barra de Navidad. The flights from Portland to the Manzanillo airport are very quick and easy. Pátzcuaro presents more problematic logistics. The Morelia airport is close, but flights arrive after midnight. Most visitors seem to fly into Zihuatanejo and then drive three and a half hours –-through admittedly beautiful country. I would like to keep the travel as simple as possible.

Guideline #6:
Visiting with friends is great, but I do not want to set up a vacation destination in my new home. I am single. I have a dog. Those two factors are my habitation destiny. At most, I need one bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen (cooking is not only a hobby; it is a social ritual for me), and some living space. More than that is merely show.

And the dog. The venerable Professor Jiggs will be 12 in ten days. For a golden retriever he is very big. I am surprised he has survived this long. He already suffers from arthritis and nerve impingements that restrict his mobility. But if he is still alive when the move day arrives, his needs will play a large part in where I decide to live. That means that hot weather is out of the question. (If he could type, he would have typed that sentence himself.)

Guideline #7:
The common wisdom is that people new to Mexico should rent for six months in a given area and move on to another place to get a feel for neighbors, neighborhoods, and infrastructure – and then move on to a new spot for another six months. In other words, do some serious dating before you get married. Because I am rather impetuous, this advice is just the opposite of my inclinations. (That is an odd statement for a fellow who has managed to spend 58 years avoiding any personal commitments to either marriage or long-term romances. But that is an entire entry – or blog – of its own.) Some of my favorite blogs start out parroting the advice and the bloggers end up buying a house before Hamlet has an opportunity to assess the state of Denmark (to mix my metaphors). This one I will need to play by ear. My default is to seek a place to rent. But if the right “woman” shows a bit of ankle, an earnest money agreement will probably be on the table.

But not ejido land. If I have larned anything from my fellow bloggers and from my reading, it is that purchasing ejido land is trouble. I will undoubtedly post more thoughts on this topic in the very near future.

Guideline #8:
I want to live where I can walk or ride a bicycle in my daily routine. I will take my truck to Mexico for hauling large items and – see Guideline #9. Relationships are difficult to create if one party is isolated in sheet metal.

Guideline #9:
Archaeological sites need to be within driving distance – or on overnight trips. Living in Greece taught me the joy of archaeology. And in Mexico, it is difficult to throw a rock without hitting a mound – if not a pyramid. It will also give me a good chance to catch up on my old college studies. Back during the Punic Wars when I was at school, the general view was that the Aztecs were like Nazis and the peaceful Mayans were the equivalent of 1939 Poland. We have learned so much more since then. I need to read – and I hope I can find some recent studies in Spanish. Two birds. One stone. Point and match.

Guideline #10:
(And last – simply because we are a decimal people) Sound and light. I am not retiring to Mexico to seek a tropical paradise. If anything, I want to have enough sensual stimulation that I know I am alive and thriving. A view of the sea or of mountains would not be bad, but they are not deal busters. But there must be sound and light.