We aren’t in Kansas any more, Toto! Beamed at less than warp speed from the safety of my rocking chair—courtesy of United Airlines and some major “we’ve got problems, Houston” weather–I find myself immersed in a vibrant city that never seems to sleep. Bienvenido a Mexico City!
Swathed in the mantle of uncertainty and fear donned with my backpack in Boulder, I scuttled into a hermit shell at 1:40 this morning, vowing to spend the next three weeks studying my Spanish for Niños in a hovel, hoping that people might drop in, wanting to share their stories with me, en ingles perfecto.
Summoning enough courage to venture forth a few hours later, I was amused and relieved to run into Phoenix’ friend, Serendipity. (That girl gets around!) Though the folks here haven’t exactly been throwing themselves at my feet to school me on “problemas del agua,” I found that a little small talk (I mean REALLY small talk) invariably lead to discussions about my interest in water and its confluence with “civilization.”
A little jugo de cactus . . . a dash of malodorous workout sweat, and the wheels are greased: my new acquaintances are more than willing to share their stories about water: Small talk reveals some BIG recurring structural themes: water quantity/sourcing, quality, allocation and the political and economic forces which play major roles in the ultimate stratification and deprivation. The nasty word del dia: “Privatization!”
But enough of this small talk! I am looking forward to giving you something other than the Cliff Notes version soon. For now, a note of gratitude to my fellow fellows, without whom today would have turned out to be much less productive and far less entertaining for one who has truly fallen off her rocker. Saludos, amigas!
#1 by Ainhoa Martinez on June 25, 2014 - 9:27 pm
So happy to have you here in DF 🙂