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Despite living here for well over a decade, just about every day I learn something cultural and, in turn, something about myself – and it’s not always flattering.
Recently, my neighborhood, or colonia, celebrated the patron saint of its church as it does every year, with special masses, dinners, dancing, and lots and lots of incredibly loud cuetes, or firecrackers. Well, being a lover of peace and quiet, the noise at all hours of the day and night had me on edge and cranky, especially because it seemed arbitrary, with no rhyme nor reason, just noise for the sake of noise. Try as I might, I couldn’t figure out when to brace for sonic impact, one day a firecracker waking me at 5 am and the next day not until 6, and so on.
Well, turns out that every time a procession of supplicants arrived at the church it was welcomed with – you guessed it, just like during the December 1 - 12 processions for Mexico’s patron saint, the Virgin de Guadalupe. And when I realized that what I was hearing was based on a long-standing tradition of respect and reverence, my attitude shifted dramatically and I even joined in the festivities and had a great time.
Yes, cultural misperceptions can really trip you up. Just the other day I got on the bus to come to work and, since two routes are boarded at the same stop and I wanted to ensure I was on the right one, I asked the driver upon entering, “Are you going to El Centro?” And he replied, “No por Paso Ancho.”
Irritated, I indignantly added, “But the sign says El Centro.” To which he responded, “Si, Centro, no por Paso Ancho.”
And then the light bulb came on: Right from the beginning he was telling me what he wasn’t going to do, when my expectation was that he say what he was doing. And I shook my head and smiled at the wonder of it all…
A double-edged sword, construction seems to the name of the game here these days, with properties along both the Jalisco and Nayarit coasts being snapped up by eager buyers before they’re even finished. In Puerto Vallarta itself, high-rise condos and houses now in development are eliminating life-sustaining mature trees but providing the opportunity for a privileged lifestyle right in the midst of things.
And the public has been assured repeatedly by City officials that the transformation of parks into parking lots is advantageous all the way around, not only for vehicular traffic, but because the new “parks” to go on top of the underground garages are much more inviting than the ones they’re replacing.
Well, on this one I remain confused. A billboard on the construction site of the former Parque Hidalgo clearly shows an illustration of a manicured venue conducive to lovers strolling and children playing. But here’s the rub: Not yet completed, the parking structure has already risen to a couple of stories above street level! So how on earth will kids be able to retrieve their Frisbees before they plummet onto the busy thoroughfare below? And will the elderly and infirm be automatically disqualified from enjoying the place?
Just asking, my heart aching at the thought of my favorite park, Lazaro Cardenas, disappearing into the ether as well – as it is scheduled to, any minute now.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about what you’re reading,
you’re encouraged to let me know at heather@mexmags.com
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