Small Town Life
Posted from San Diego de Alejandria
It’s a Saturday morning and I am enjoying the sun on the roof top terrace having my coffee and listening to the sounds of the town around me. It has been unusually chilly and the warmth of the sun is so welcome, but I still have a light weight sweater on. Listening to the braying of the donkey on the next block, the chickens in the yard across the street, the music from the band practicing a couple of doors down, the birds above and the traffic on the street below I have to say that living in Mexico is anything but quiet. Of course Guadalajara with its population and traffic has an abundance of noise and activity; but even in a small town there is certain amount of what I would call commotion.
If your still in bed around 7:45a you will hear the propane man coming down the street with his siren sounding every few moments letting you know that he is on your block. If you need propane just go outside and flag him down. Some mornings it’s not propane you need but electricity or maybe even water. The town has both but every once in awhile there is a morning when the electricity is off or maybe at just half power with the light bulbs glowing dimly. The first time I encountered a brown out I was trying to shave and my thoughts were “where does one buy 3 watt bulbs?” On a recent visit to San Diego the towns’ water pump was not working and the tanks on the roof were empty. At least my shower was only a dribble while another member of the family was all lathered up when the tanks ran dry. But you plan for these events and hook pumps up and run hoses and pretty soon you have water again. And the electricity only seems to go out in the morning and it always comes back on so you just don’t get too excited.
Rare inconveniences like these aside, the town is very self contained and offers all the basic needs a person really requires to go about their life. After first moving to Mexico I was surprised to find that most people work a six day week with Sunday being their only day off. Also another surprise was that instead of shutting down for the weekend many businesses appear to do most of their trade on the weekends along with those that only operate on the weekends. Many of these weekend businesses are food related with the women opening up little restaurants located in the storefronts of their houses, or maybe it’s a coal fired grill on the sidewalk where they sell chicken Saturday and Sundays. One of the best weekend restaurants to visit serves the absolute tastiest gorditas. Little purses of fried dough filled with meat, potatoes, cabbage and cream. I think maybe they are the tastiest because she fries them in animal fat and not vegetable oil.
The number of businesses in a town this size really does astound me. San Diego de Alejandria has a population of 6,181 residents making it about the same size as Crete, Nebraska and slightly larger than Glenwood, Iowa.
The house I stay at was under construction my first five months in Mexico and aside from some specialty items everything you would need to build a home is available in town. There are construction workers to put the house together, carpenters for your cabinets, metal workers for your doors and windows, and two glass shops for the widow panes. There are hardware stores, building supply businesses, furniture and appliance dealers. Need bricks for construction just ride your bike to the edge of town and tell them how many to deliver, they seem to make bricks everyday and even though they are located on the edge of town the smell of the baking bricks still hangs in the air occasionally.
As many people know I drove here last May in my 1991 Ford Bronco. It made the trip with only one incidence, a plugged fuel filter and burned out gas pump. Since then it has been running like a dream and is on its way to the mechanic for a complete overhaul. After the mechanicals all get as close to new as possible it will go to the body shop for some cosmetic surgery and a new coat of paint. Not sure if it will stay red and tan or change to black and tan but whichever it ends up being should go well with the new natural cow hide interior the upholsterer is going to install. Thing is you can shop around to have the work done in town from all the mechanics, body shops and audios shops. Of course there is a gas station, a tow service, auto parts store, couple of tire repairs and a car wash where you can get it detailed for 40 pesos ($3.33).
Food is plentiful along with the choices of where to shop. Now it’s not like going to Wal-Mart or the supermarket and buying everything in one place. You have to choose which butcher to get your meat from and which tortilla maker to buy your tortillas from. And while every block seems to have at least one little shop, if not more they may not have the item you want. All the shops have snack items along with milk and beverages and some have veggies and some have bakery items, you just kind of learn when to go where. But then you can always take advantage of the folks who come into town selling fresh vegetables and fruit out of the back of their truck and announcing their presence over loud speakers mounted to the roof. I have always been a fan of jicama but have never had jicama like what we bought from the back of a truck. This jicama was so moist that the juice just ran out of it when cut. What has to be the best little shop is operated by a grandma who has nothing but a house hold refrigerator stocked with the coldest Coke and beer. Now if she’s not tending the store you just holler back into the house to let her know you are there. Seems like beverages are big business and you have a number of choices on where to buy liquor, and the choices they offer are pretty extensive as long as its beer or tequila. If you're a wine or scotch drinker the choices are pretty slim.
Clothing stores and shoe stores may not have the widest selection but the fashions are up to date and there are choices on where to shop.
Toy stores, gift shops and a jeweler are available if you need something for a special time. And if you need a place to rent for your special event you have your choice of venues.
Need to purchase a phone or use the internet – there are at least three options and the state is requiring every town to provide wireless internet in the town plaza.
San Diego de Alejandria does lack a local bank but there is an ATM, a money changer and what has been described to me as the unofficial “bank” – that provide folks with loans when needed.
The town has two hotels and a funeral home.
The bus station is always active with buses arrivng at all times during the day. The bus service in Mexico is extensive and living in Guadalajara I have come to appreciate the bus and the subway, but it's not just the big cities that have bus service it's the small towns too, and the funniest site is to see a bus bench on the highway in the middle of nowhere.
I have not needed health care at this point but should an emergency happen there is the ambulance service and for everyday health concerns there are doctors and dentists in town.
These are all the official storefront businesses but there is so much more commerce that goes on in San Diego. Everyone seems to be selling or working at something, there is a robust entrpenurial spirit alive in this country. There are the women who bake breads and sell door to door, women who sew the decorations on the sombreros for the tourist trade, women who take in laundry and those who tailor. The men, who do odd jobs, sell plants or handmade furniture on the street corners. Then the kids who sell candy or fruit they have picked. There is all sorts of unofficial commerce that takes place, there are even women who work the street. On a recent trip to Aguascalientes I remarked at the number of people who were begging. You rarely see this in Guadalajara and there is only one family in San Diego that will ask you for the money, everyone else is busy working for it.
If you are not involved in any of the storefront or non-official businesses that take place in San Diego you can always get a job at one of the factories. Working at the cheese factory was my first choice for a job until I found out they work six days a week, twelve hours a day and are paid $50 a week. Although I still think it would be fun to flail lengths of cheese over my shoulder and across my back to stretch them out not sure if my time is that cheap. The bag factory and the tennis shoe factory pay a bit better but not by much and the hours are the same.
Much of the “entertainment” that happens in town is sponsored by the government, schools or the church. San Diego is the seat of the municipality or what we would call county so a lot of the county events take place here. There is always something going on at the town plaza and you are guaranteed entertainment will be happening Sunday nights. Maybe a demonstration of traditional dance from another state or a mariachi band performing. Either way it’s free or the plaza is crowded. The schools seem to keep the kids occupied with events and the church of which there are three in town plays a huge part in people’s lives. Upon arriving in May I attended a two hour, Thursday evening, outdoor mass which included a procession to various stations set up around the church grounds. The final station was dedicated to blessing the people of South Africa and the athletes of the World Cup. Imagine my surprise to hear Shakira and her World Cup anthem being played for the procession. The priest and everybody were loving it!!!
Speaking of the church, there are many times when the priest is broadcast over loud speakers outside the church during mass and on a Saturday evening the kids are broadcast to the town while singing during their religion classes. The thing I really love are the bells proclaiming the time. How many mornings have I been to lazy to reach for my phone to check the time and I will just lie there waiting for the bells to ring.
There is no theater but there is a video store selling pirated copies of movies and CDs’.
Going out for a bite to eat is easy since there are so many choices available from taco and seafood stands to the chicken restaurant and the local pizza place. Over the last couple of years since I started coming to town it is amazing how many new eating establishments have opened.
And sometimes entertainment is simply sitting out in front of your house and conversing with your neighbors. Saying adois to everyone that passes by.
All this commerce and business and living generate a lot of activity and commotion and makes for a lively environment. People may make comments about their neighbors’ loud music and cruising around town in your car with the music playing is a popular activity – sometimes way late at night – but no one complains or gets too excited. After being in Guadalajara for a few weeks now and the constant barrage of commotion the city throws at you I have an appreciation for the lower volume of commotion available in San Diego.
It would seem that in a previous posting I offended some folks when I made the comment that small towns and the countryside in the U.S. Midwest felt quiet and lifeless to me. No offense was meant but I remember when small town America was self sufficient locally as opposed to regionally. A time when a town of 100 souls still had a gas station, conveinece store, postoffice and even a bar. I would ask that those folks compare what I have shared about San Diego de Alejandria and the amount of activity that occurs there to what goes on in Glenwood, Iowa or Crete, Nebraska. The last time I was in Glenwood it was pretty quiet except for the sound of flies buzzing around my head. And Crete? The last time it came up in conversation no one could say if Waneks of Crete was still in business. My point is simply that San Diego de Alejandria is representative of so many towns in Mexico both smaller and larger, that it is able to meet the daily needs of its residents and offer a place to live that is lively and full of commotion.
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