A Fin De Cuentas...

Tomorrow I will leave Sahuayo and go to Guadalajara, from where I will take off on Sunday morning. This will be my last post in Mexico. I'd like to share a few miscellaneous thoughts. So far, your correspondent has been impartial, but I'd like to speak frankly.

1. Happy Birthday, Em.'

2. When foreigners travel abroad, they experience "culture shock." I had no such experience. I had no expectations of Mexico. I didn't know what to think. Perhaps it would have been different if I had lived in an aldea (village), but I quickly adapted to Sahuayo. Having a gym, pharmacies, familiar merchandice, and American roommates helped.

3. The other thing that happens when foreigners travel or live abroad is that they pardon the inconveniences and pitfalls of their adopted culture. They are highly critical of their native country but seem to think they've arrived in paradice. All the sudden, what they would otherwise consider barbaric, antiquated, or annoying in thier country, they consider cute and adorable in their adoptive country.

4. I don't think it's cute or adorable that people run stop signs and disobey traffic laws. I don't think it's cute that little kids drive motorcycles. I don't think it's cute that no one wears helmets. I don't think it's cute to harass your pet dog. I think it's rude to stare at people. I think it's rude and obnoxious to blare advertisements from loudspeakers. We complain about too many laws in our country, but I have to admit, sometimes they're established for good reasons.

5. It's good to visit home again.