Friday 8 th April 2022….a great day!!!

 Today was food delivery day and Lynn, Margie, Reyes and myself went out this 

morning with the van full of food and some donated clothes and dog food.

We are always so well received and we have been doing this so long we know the families names and some of their stories…..it is a very humbling  and rewarding experience !!

If you would like to donate to this fantastic cause, our funds are getting low, please contact me

 at mexicokid77@yahoo.com

If you live in San Miguel I am more than happy to come collect  cash or donated items!!

Later this afternoon I went up some of the side street looking at the wonder decorations of the altars, such an amazing country!!

Best wishes stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Koshi!!!

Thursday 7 th April 2022… lovely video!!

 I hope you all can watch this…Kleenex needed!!!

https://fb.watch/cfi6C-HYEB/

Yashi Kochi!!

Wednesday 6th April 2022…a typical Wednesday!!

 Today was really an easy day for me I have been pretty busy since I came back

from my trip so this morning it was good to do nothing….

There is this pretty hedge that is really in my neighbors yard but grows so fast and it comes over the top of my wall and needs to be trimmed back…..my landlord has the ladder and cutters to cut it back but I just do not feel safe going up the ladder so I hired a handyman to come and trim it off this morning…..

This is the before look…

Romero doing his stuff…

And the finished product….

he did a great job and cleaned up well too….

I have Claudia a Mexican lady that lives in the neighborhood who makes delicious pies which I have been getting from her for almost five years now…..I called her on Sunday and gave her my order and she delivered the fresh pies this morning…….I have a quiche, a beef and mushroom pies and a chicken pot pie…

I cut them into individual servings and put them in the freezer they are so good!!

Another 200 pesos win this afternoon at poker ♣️ followed by walking Frida for an hour…..

I just got home in time to change and go back to my English class….we did something different today…..I only have 5wo students so we went to one of their homes for the class…it was vey lovey Patty is a lawyer and she and husband also run an Airbnb in centro…we had a great class and the prop is early nice.

Going to have a shower and then watch a soccer game from England!!

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Tuesday 5 th April 2022…a day in Mexico!!

 When people ask me why I chose to live in Mexico maybe this might explain just a little……

When I walk Frida at least one day a week we go and sit on the benches in the main  Jardin and I just relax sort of meditate and wonder at the beauty of the church and how it was built and then I also wonder how a Limey kid from a big steel city in England ended up here all these years later!!

Frida is a lady magnet…. everyday some lady will comment on how beautiful she is and it happened again this afternoon….two ladies passed by and stopped and turned and looked at Frida and said how handsome…..and of course me being me cannot let that comment escape without saying are you talking about the dog or me and always it is Frida as it was this afternoon we had a good laugh🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢

On the bench where we sat today at the end was a guy about 25 years old, not a homeless man but it looked like his luck was out on him…he tried to make conversation with me but I explained my Spanish was not good….he talked a little more and then he said something I did understand…he asked if I could give him 10 pesos for a bottle of water….

I usually always have change in my back pack but this time I did not all I had was some big bills and the smallest being a 100 pesos bill…..I looked at him and said in Spanish as I gave him the  💯 bill no beer and no smokes and he replied no…and away he went….

We continued sitting there FRIDA was on pigeon watch, she likes to look but does not bother them.

About ten minutes later the young man comes back with a bottle of water in his hand and he hands me a small container of ice cream and my change and says thank you…..I was very moved by this gesture and told him I did not eat ice cream and for him to have it and to also keep the change….he smiled fist bumped me and away he went!!

Later in the afternoon I went back into town to meet with Martha and Illiana for our one hour of conversation …..I parked my scooter in one of the designated areas for motor cycles and I always  open up the seat put in my helmet and glasses and always put my keys in a special pocket of my back pack.

Off I go to meet the girls and afterwards walking back to where I had left Little Yellow I open the pocket of the backpack and no keys..I stop look in every pocket but no keys ..now I am thinking I know what I did I left them in the lock of the scooter….my house keys, my car key fob..what the heck!!!

As I am walking I am hoping they are still in the bike but no such luck they were gone ……

BUT

Taped to my seat was a big napkin and written on the napkin was Gumbo Pizza…..

I looked around and saw Gumbo pizza store a few doors away from where I had parked…I went in the restaurant and asked the barman about my keys and he went and fetched the delivery boy who had found my keys and left the note…. 🤗🤗🤗🤗

I was so relieved and thanked him and gave him 200 pesos!!!

You ask me why I like Mexico???

Tonight I met four great friends at my favorite restaurant and we all had country fried chicken..great food …lovely company!!

I am blessed!!

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Monday 4 th April 2022..a new week!!

 

This story………

It happened at a New York Airport. This is hilarious. I wish I had the guts of this girl. An award should go to the United

Airlines gate agent in New York for being smart and funny, while making her point, when confronted with a passenger who probably

deserved to fly as cargo. For all of you out there who have had to

deal with an irate customer, this one is for you.

A crowded United Airlines flight was canceled. A single agent was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.

Suddenly, an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket on the counter and said, "I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be FIRST CLASS."

The agent replied, "I'm sorry, sir. I'll be happy to try to help you, but I've got to help these folks first; and then I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."

The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that

the passengers behind him could hear, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?"

Without hesitating, the agent smiled and grabbed her public address microphone. "May I have your attention, please?", she began, her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal. "We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him with his identity, please come to Gate 14".

With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically,

the man glared at the United Airlines agent, gritted his teeth, and said, "F*** You!"

Without flinching, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry sir,

you'll have to get in line for that, too."

This story reminds me of the day many years ago when I was flying from Seattle to New York to London…..when I booked my ticket I paid extra for the exit row with extra leg room and as it turned out I had the same seat, 11C , on all three flights.

When I checked in at Seattle they told me my  bags would go straight to my destination and there was no need for me check in again in New York.

The flight to JFK was uneventful and on arrival I had two hours between my flights so I wondered over to the airline check in counter just to double check my seat assignment.

I was in line and in front of me at the ticket counter was a very loud, aggressive and quite big woman screaming at the ticket agent behind the desk…..it was obvious from her accent that she was English and behaving very poorly…….the shouting went on a little while before the nasty lady slammed her fist down on the counter and walked away.

It was my turn to approach the counter and I could the see the lady who was the brunt of this abuse was crying and wiping her eyes…..

I slowed walked up to her and I said to her very quietly…….I want to apologize for that horrid English woman and assure you not all English people are that rude!!

She forced a smile and composed herself a little and smiled at me and said thank you and what can I help you with today sir??

I asked if she could check my seat assignment for my flight as I was told in Seattle it was booked……

She spent about 45 seconds on her computer and looked right at me and said I am sorry Mr.Pearson that seat is taken……..before I had time to reply or show my disappointment she went on to say but Mr.Pearson I do have a seat in First Class available and I have up graded you to that seat and she smiled at me!!

I was stunned as she handed me a new boarding card as she directed me to the first class lounge area!!

If you have ever flown first class you will know what a luxurious flight I had that afternoon…..it was totally amazing!!!

There is a moral here I think!!

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Sunday 3 rd April 2022…a relaxing day!!!

 Well I had full intentions of getting up at 5.30am and going to see the procession….

But last night we put our clocks forward and I just did not make it……

Later in the day I walked Frida and we went by the church and there were still many people about..

In front of the church of the San Juan de Dios Hospital, there are these traditional "taquitos de piloncillo", every year they come and are placed around the church, from the last weeks of February and Until Easter week in April, all the local people know and love them. They are little taquitos of dough, they bathe them in piloncillo and put them in the pan to brown, they are a little greasy and sweet, they are tiny and cost $1.00 pesos. You can find the ladies who sell them in a small stall or on the sidewalk, people from towns who take advantage of these seasons to sell their delicious taquitos. 

I did ask  permission to take the photo of the lady and bought three taquitos and they were quite sweet…

Like all the celebrations in Mexico you get the traditional fireworks all through the night and the colors around the church are amazing!!

This up and coming 18 year old superstar won the ATP title In Miami and I enjoyed watching him knowing I had seen him up close in person two weeks ago in Palm Springs!!

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Saturday 2 nd April 2022….an active day!!

 Another amazing time on the tennis courts this morning……we played a good men’s doubles game lots of fun and banter and the odd one or two good shots!!!

I then came home and watched the women’s finals from Miami and realized how the game of tennis should be played!!

Just relaxed on my rooftop for a while before I decided to go hiking to my favorite San Miguel hike……I love to go on this hike I find it very peaceful and today I loved the solitude and did a lot of thinking……sometimes not safe😆

As beautiful as the hike was today this beauty magnifies a thousand times in the rainy season when there are four waterfalls…

….BUT I was excited as today I found a new trail down to another body of water underneath the suspension bridge…..I have hiked this particular hike hundreds of times but my first time down to the river canyon floor!!!!

I am going to have a shower, some dinner and then watch a soccer match from England…..

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Friday 1 st April 2022…where does the time go???

 The months just seem to fly by…..April already……

For as long as I can remember my Mum always told my brother and I when we woke up on the first day of a new month to say Rabbits,  Rabbits, Rabbits and it would bring us good luck for the rest of the month and I have done this all these years including this morning!!

l love the Jacaranda trees that are in full bloom all over town……

Since I have been back on Sunday I have started back at the English school where I have taught for seven years, I teach the highest level and my students when they come to my class already can speak quite good English but the lack the confidence to speak….I will be the very first to admit I am not a scholar and did poorly in school, too many soccer games and girls to distract me but I seem to have a knack to be able to connect with my students and bring out the very best in them…..

My class is small and this semester was obviously cut short because of Covid and now we are just completing the semester from two years ago when Covid closed the school…….we will only be teaching till the end of the month when the semester ends and I have two students, Patty who is a Mum with two 20 something daughters and is a lawyer and Adriana a 26 year old college student……we just sit in a small circle and talk I challenge them with questions and I always have a lesson plan and we never do it because something comes up we get off track and talk about all sorts of things….I think the teaching that I do is the highlight of my life here in SMA…..

In addition to the class I also meet for an hour once a week with Martha and Iliana who were  in my class three years ago and they wanted to continue to meet when they graduated the class so we meet and again just talk!

Then about a year ago I joined an organization that gives scholarships to about 30 students every year and they needed tutors for English and I have been meeting with Vanessa again for an hour once a week…..she is 21 and her English is very good and she is an amazing young woman this country is in good hands with many amazing individuals like Vanessa, Martha and Iliana round!

It goes without saying I have so enjoyed connecting with Frida again

 we walk everyday for an hour and she is such a great dog, so gentle and good around other dogs and she walks well on the leash…..on our walk yesterday we stopped in the small park by San Antonio  church where there are some benches and I noticed this bird just sitting in the bush right by the bench…..when I sat down just a foot away the bird did not fly away he did not look to be in distress and he was still there when we left.

Finally to be back on the clay tennis courts is a real thrill…..I am blessed to be able to play so often, my knee does not cause me any problems or pain.

I have seen a few friends and I love my life here in this magical city!!

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!