Sunday, July 09, 2006
Goodbye, Arandas
It’s my last night in Arandas. I’m hungry. I gave away all my kitchenware, and I’ve defrosted my fridge, so there’s no food except an apple I already devoured. I thought about going out to the taco place I love, but it’s a bit of a walk and it’s late. It’s probably better to clean out my system anyway.
What a day. I went to the school to say goodbye to everyone at the end of the cursos and to pick up money for some furniture I’ve sold. The school bought my fridge. I came back and watched the final game of the World Cup while uploading pictures to my blog and eating lunch. I cleaned everything. I waited and waited for people to come by to pick up all the stuff they said they’d come to pick up. In the end, most of them did come, though later than I expected, and I sold or gave away everything I’m not taking with me. Fátima is getting married in December, so I gave her lots of little household items. Cristina came by to say goodbye, and she took all my food and other little things, either to keep or to give away to poor people. Rocío finally came with her boyfriend, and they took the fan. Aracely showed up late and picked up the little TV table.
I didn’t realize till everything had been taken care of, how anxious I have been the past few days. How did I think I could have had a party in addition to trying to get everything done? I’m ending my stay in Mexico this year the same way it started—in a frantic rush. A week before I had arrived, the school in Guadalajara notified me that a space in the TEFL course had opened up, and so I scrambled to finish everything all in one week. I didn’t sleep much. This week is a lot better, but it has turned out to be more hectic than I’d expected.
The apartment smells funny because of the fridge.
Cristina cried when we said goodbye. We’ve had so much fun in these few months, and, despite the language barrier, we have become very good friends.
Rocío gave me a handwritten note before she left with the fan. It said that she hopes I don’t forget her, and it recalled some of the fun things we’ve done together—evenings at the movies playing pool, cooking lunch together in my apartment, going to Atotonilco for a fiesta. And I want to ask her tomorrow, when she comes over in the morning to return the bathing suit that I left at her house, how could I ever forget her or the fun times we’ve had?
I’m not very good at goodbyes. Others tend to be sentimental and sum things up, while I just say goodbye. Later I do the sentimental summing up, once the goodbye has already passed. But I guess it’s also because I am the one leaving. I have a lot to look forward to, and I may not come back, but they are staying, and they’ll have to work with new English teachers, not knowing whether they will become friends with them. And they’re staying at this insanely disorganized school.
Tomorrow the principal and the owner are going to drive me to Guadalajara. They have some errands to run there, so it works out perfectly. I won’t have to transfer all my crap between taxis and buses that way. I’ll stay at Casa Vilasanta, “my” posada, and I’ll do some errands myself, before leaving early Tuesday morning for Columbus.
What a day. I went to the school to say goodbye to everyone at the end of the cursos and to pick up money for some furniture I’ve sold. The school bought my fridge. I came back and watched the final game of the World Cup while uploading pictures to my blog and eating lunch. I cleaned everything. I waited and waited for people to come by to pick up all the stuff they said they’d come to pick up. In the end, most of them did come, though later than I expected, and I sold or gave away everything I’m not taking with me. Fátima is getting married in December, so I gave her lots of little household items. Cristina came by to say goodbye, and she took all my food and other little things, either to keep or to give away to poor people. Rocío finally came with her boyfriend, and they took the fan. Aracely showed up late and picked up the little TV table.
I didn’t realize till everything had been taken care of, how anxious I have been the past few days. How did I think I could have had a party in addition to trying to get everything done? I’m ending my stay in Mexico this year the same way it started—in a frantic rush. A week before I had arrived, the school in Guadalajara notified me that a space in the TEFL course had opened up, and so I scrambled to finish everything all in one week. I didn’t sleep much. This week is a lot better, but it has turned out to be more hectic than I’d expected.
The apartment smells funny because of the fridge.
Cristina cried when we said goodbye. We’ve had so much fun in these few months, and, despite the language barrier, we have become very good friends.
Rocío gave me a handwritten note before she left with the fan. It said that she hopes I don’t forget her, and it recalled some of the fun things we’ve done together—evenings at the movies playing pool, cooking lunch together in my apartment, going to Atotonilco for a fiesta. And I want to ask her tomorrow, when she comes over in the morning to return the bathing suit that I left at her house, how could I ever forget her or the fun times we’ve had?
I’m not very good at goodbyes. Others tend to be sentimental and sum things up, while I just say goodbye. Later I do the sentimental summing up, once the goodbye has already passed. But I guess it’s also because I am the one leaving. I have a lot to look forward to, and I may not come back, but they are staying, and they’ll have to work with new English teachers, not knowing whether they will become friends with them. And they’re staying at this insanely disorganized school.
Tomorrow the principal and the owner are going to drive me to Guadalajara. They have some errands to run there, so it works out perfectly. I won’t have to transfer all my crap between taxis and buses that way. I’ll stay at Casa Vilasanta, “my” posada, and I’ll do some errands myself, before leaving early Tuesday morning for Columbus.
