Plans are meant to be broken
Trip Start
Nov 03, 2006
1
5
17
Trip End
Ongoing
Xalapa/Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Friday, November 10, 2006
I found this teachers course in Jalapa & they gave me the chance to join them when they had already started. Yes folks they accepted me in the course & off we (my mother and I ) went on Sat. (4 of Nov) It was a long trip (4 hrs to Mexico City & then 5 hours to Jalapa) We got up super early 4:30am and left for Qro. We arrived in Jalapa at 3:30 pm which gave us a chance to find a place to stay for the night and get our bearings. My mother decided to buy a map of Jalapa and you don't know how difficult that was to find it! No one in the centro had/has it! We were amazed but finally on Monday we went to Wal-Mart so that issue was settled to our satisfaction.Anyway on Sunday we bought the newspaper in order for me to find a place to stay and can you believe that there was not one place that we found to be semi decent?! Another problem was that we would call and no one would pick up. What was the purpose for them to put the ad in the first place,it still boggles the mind to this day. We went to Coatepec (15 min away from Jalapa) because the school is on the route from Jalapa. There was one that was semi decent however, the wanted a deposit & a contract which I wasn't to keen on after being in one for so long! & they wanted $2,500 semiambuelado.So on Sun night we met with one of the teachers who presents the course &s he recommended a place that was semi decent in the centro part of town for $2,800 (includes utilities). Its not bad but its not good either. But for the moment its decent enough because they don't require for you to sign a contract & you can leave when you want to. So I decided to stay there for month in order for me to get accustomed & see if there's any place else that I can find thatīs about the same price range but a little big bigger ora little bit more decent. Im not THAT picky but seeing that the boiler is outside of my back window facing my kitchenette presents a problem. It makes a big BOOM when it turns on & there are a couple of rooms so I don't know how many rooms are connected to the boiler. Basically it makes a real racket. Plus, whenever the tiny little fridge turns on it makes a racket too. So last night (my first night) seeing that the fridge & the boiler wanted to chime it at the same time gave me the impression that I wouldn't handle living there for 6 months. My mother was snoring too so that equated to the situation. But they have a tv! Must look at things positively .
On Tuesday, my mother left & for some reason I felt rather sad seeing her leave(tears came to my eyes!). Maybe because I don't know anyone its kind of like college but not. I dont know its rather of a weird sensation. Maybe because I feel lonely but I hope that will pass very soon. We bought a few items which I found to remind me again of those college years (sheets,blankets, & the important stables) But the place is cold!Its always rather cloudy and rainy! The teachers told me that the temp goes down in the winter similar to San Mike! So basically I'm crying for my new parka that is snuggly living in San Miguel de Allende. Tropical its not!Also, today I went to Cheduri I got lost but I had the map so i was fine & I wanted to go slow seeing the if I could see any place that was decent that offered apartments or rooms to rent. Although I did come across the Radio Universidad de Jalapa. I went it and took a look at the bulletin boards. They had some info on dance classes (Afro dance class pretty cheap $250 per month) & free concerts so I'm going to do that for now. Hopefully, I might find people my own age who I can relate. The majority of people who I have met are rather friendly. But Jalapa is rather dumpy (not seedy but dumpy like Cancun) looking (My mother built my expectations) so I might live in Copatepec because I found it to be smaller and about the same looking but at least theres some paint on the buildings. But the people are nice so thats one incentive to stay!
I also want to get a job as an assistant to a teacher. So Im going to do my resume and go to schools to see if I can get a position. Hopefully I might find something to my liking. But there are other jobs so If worst comes to worst Iīll just go back part time to the hospitality venue. Although I found a Tomatis en Coatepec so my second choice would probably apply for a position. I'm totally psyched about that!
