Minor Challenges

Being in Mexico comes with its own challenges. 

One example: it takes forever to get things done the conventional way. The physical cable for my internet at home “broke”. This could mean that it was old or that it was cut… I never found out which one it was. The way to resolve this would be to call the internet provider, who will come out to check, then replace the cable. This process would take about one to two weeks during which time I would have no internet. Oh, and because they can’t tell you when they will come to fix the issue, you have to stay at home for that entire time…

Up until finding out what the problem was, I was already without wifi for 2 days… and I had had enough! I paid ‘a guy’ to get it done faster. And it was done within hours.

That’s how Mexico is. 

Then there are insects and other critters. I got used to the micro-ants: tiny black dots moving around. I had them on our kitchen counters when I arrived, but diligent treatment with bathroom cleaner (bleach) daily seems to keep them away. 

One day, however, I saw out of the corner of my eye a large bug emerging from behind the sofa. My adrenaline was surging! It was huge, I estimated five inches. Not sure how to deal with something of that size and not willing to go near it, I wandered around for a while. When it started to walk toward my bedroom, still on the wall, I sprang into action. With a broom I whacked it with the hard part above the brush. Whacked it about three times, and then it ran toward me. I whacked it again until it stopped. Thinking it was dead, I got my phone to take a photo of my triumph, and it started moving again. About to walk underneath the couch, I whacked it again with the broom until it was flat. I got the dustpan to sweep up the remains, and as I touched it with the broom’s bristles, would you believe it, it moved again! Of course, what else was there to do, I whacked it another few times until I saw a leg fall off. My goodness, my heart was racing, I was flushed, and the adrenaline was coursing through my veins. I slayed the dragon! 

I encountered two more of these giant cockroaches the next day. One was close to the front door and I just opened the door and swept it out. That saved me from cleaning up the guts again. The third one flew toward me as I was sitting at the dining table and it landed within arm’s length on the table. I went to get the broom again, but it moved around a lot. Eventually it was on the kitchen floor crawling around. I managed to capture it with a plastic container. After I calmed down from the excitement, I shifted the container from one floor tile to the next, slowly, ensuring the beast didn’t get a chance to escape, until I had it outside the front door where I could set it free.

Later I learned from friends that when you live on the ground floor, you have to fumigate your house about every month to keep it cockroach-free. And by the way, they grow to be three to three and a half inches, so my first estimate in the heat of the moment was quite exaggerated. It’s still big. 

My first encounter with a tiny gecko was quite funny. It was hiding behind the role of paper towels, and when I took them, we both freaked each other out – him scrambling to get away and run up the wall, me jumping a good step backwards letting out a scream of surprise… 

But the geckos truly don’t bother me as much, especially since I am hopeful that they eat mosquitoes. Those are more of a nuisance. Anyone who knows me is aware how much mosquitoes love to suck my blood. Well, it’s difficult to find them in the house, and so I am their fresh meal as long as they live here. Just today, I had six new bites. And no, I haven’t had any problems with diseases transmitted through mosquito bites. 

Speaking of diseases, however, I have made my first acquaintance with a “tropical” disease. In Guadalajara, I had a few days of very bad diarrhea, the worst I’ve ever had. I felt better after a while and had no further symptoms. A friend, however, recommended that I get tested for parasites, just in case. Well, the idea grossed me out, but I thought it wise to follow the advice. 

When I went to the doctor, he told me that it’s very common to get parasites in this region. Everyone gets them, he said. Most people who live here just take antiparasitic drugs every six to eight months. Well, I did not like the sound of that. He said that he’ll also test me for typhoid. My eyes went big. I said, “no way, I don’t think I have typhoid!” “We’ll see,” he said. 

I went to the lab with the requisition the doctor gave me. It was all very efficient and fast. I had the results sent to me within hours. And… yes, I tested positive for paratyphoid. The cure is antibiotics, which I generally try to avoid as much as possible, but unfortunately, in this case I couldn’t. The doctor promised me that he would help build my gut microbiome back up by prescribing me probiotics also. I hope that will help.

Life is a little different here in Mexico. But ultimately, none of these things are the end of the world. Everything is fixable. And it’s just the trade-off for living at the beach with wonderful weather and a relaxed lifestyle.