The Neighborhood

Heather and I live in a third floor apartment in the Rinconada del Sol area of Colonia Arboleadas. On our floor there are two families, both of whom are very nice and quiet which isn't always the case here in Mexico! This is the loudest country I've lived in thus far, hands down.

The family to our left has at least five people in their two bedroom apartment. I'm not clear as to how many people actually live there and how many relatives stop by to visit, but a little girl, who reminds me of my friend Deb's daughter Olivia, often runs to our gate on the constantly left-ajar door and flashes a huge smile! She's an absolute doll and I always say, "Hola, Como estas," but she never responds. She's very silly, but also a bit on the shy side.

Our vecindario (barrio is only used for poor neighborhoods) is full of conveniences, one of which is an excellent coffee shop, Cafe David, with local grown coffee beans. I make a couple of cups each morning and take it to work with me in a travel thermos.

We have some amazing flora and fauna here in Chiapas. Living in the state's capital city of Tuxtla Gutierrez, we don't often see it, but my students flipped out one day when they saw this bird outside of our classroom window. I was pleasantly surprised at their excitement and we all gathered around the windows as I took a picture. Kids are so cool.

On a very small negative note, Heather and I arrived home after school one day to find a crowd had gathered in front of a government building on our street. They were upset about something and had spray painted acronyms I wasn't familiar with on a building. I couldn't resist capturing the event on film, but realized that it may not be the best idea. The mob didn't seem to care, thankfully, and I walked home unscathed with my picture.

The comedy of knock-off brands warranted a picture. Heather bought this Duvvacell battery in San Cristobal, not realizing that it wasn't the brand she thought. She got all the way home to find that the batteries were corroded - oops!