It was absolutely fantastic to get to speak spanish again, so often, with such nice people. Granted, it may have taken a day or so to warm up, and a few beers or so... The Mexicans were all so happy to have Americans that spoke spanish, they would just chatter, chatter, chatter. It really helped the bartering process, and service in general, when you spoke spanish. I miss it much, now, and am aching to go back. I have decided that, if the Peace Corps rejects me, I will go work in Mexico for a while instead. Mum agrees, preferring the randomness of Mexico to the security of the Peace Corps, and Dad just groans at both.
The people were all crazy there.... the staff at our hotel were mid-twenties, with the chicas skinnier than models and the chicos giant flirts. During the day, they organized and participated in violent and dirty games of water polo, tame bouts of water volleyball, BINGO, rifle shoting (yes, that's what it was), and occaisional aerobics. Every night they put on a show, mostly dancing, but a comedy night and an enactment of 'El Dorado', the Disney movie I never saw. Damn entertaining material, though, from a group that works well together.
I went out a few nights... Monday, M (staffer) took me and a crew from WI to Carlos & Charlie's and Senor Frogs. [NO, it is NOT pronounced "SEEN yer", as in an old man, but rather "sen YOUR", as in the spanish title for a man. To bad the ass on the plane ride down was unclear on that....] C&C was lame, but the Frog was busy, full of American cruisers, docked across the street. I met a blonde gal who bought me drinks and showed me pictures of her girlfriend while proclaiming, "I never in my life thought I would be with a woman, but she is my girlfriend and I love her." Over, and over, and over. She was crazy, drunk, and would be obnoxious if I actually lived in the same town as her. I begged M to take me somewhere native, so we ditched WI and went to 1.5, a trendy, mellow bar with electronica music.
Thursday the crew all went out again, with P (another staffer) also coming and A (you guessed it) joining us later. Same deal: C&C, lame, and Frogs, less busy than Monday, but decent. I saw blondie (see above), and she bought me more drinks and some gum. Gotta love it. P ditched out, to my disappointment, but we eventually moved on to the Baby Reef, a bar full of locals. It was half indoor, half patio, and so we stayed outside to cool off. Blondie came, as did her supposed former girlfriend, who was much more sane, but then Blondie left to make a call and never came back... It was adventurous, interesting, and one of those things you had to just be there to appreciate. {JLB: you, of course, shall be receiving the uncut version of the above stories... Talk to you Monday?}
It was rather depressing to leave Cozumel... I miss the spanish, I miss the friendly people, I miss the sun, the staff, the bars, the dancing.... Seriously, I would have LOVED to have 'missed' my flight back and just stayed on, living or working or whatever. I can fly by the seat of my pants; I don't need things to be formal and structured. I could survive Mexico. Maybe one of these days, I just will.
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