Wasting Time in Mexico

“Everything is so inefficient in Mexico.” I hear this comment with regularity, along with “Mexico time,” or “mañana.” And even though I’m not Mexican, sometimes I feel a bit defensive. Hey!—there are reasons for the slow rhythm. I’m trying the best I can to hurry this along.—I think to myself. Yet no doubt that in comparison to the American pace, life in Mexico is played to a different cadence.

Below are five time-consuming categories that I deal with on a regular basis. Disclaimer: This list is not a complaint. It is not complete. It is written only to describe items that for me, devour the hour.

1. Cleaning: I’ve always been a neat-freak. Yet now this disorder swallows a chunk of time. Driving around for the day (on pavement) with the windows down coats my dash with a down blanket of dust. Three times per week I fill up a grocery bag of garbage that has been littered in front of my house. And if the wind picks up, Tijuana turns into the inners of shop-vac.
2. Hot Water: I was aware that my home in the States had a hot water heater, but that’s about it—a general awareness. Here, it is up-close familiarity. Every few weeks the shower goes cold; I purchase a new 45-kilo tank of propane, and re-light the boiler. However, if the gas truck doesn’t make its pass out front, this requires disconnecting the tank, rolling it out and heaving it into my truck, driving to the gas depot, trading out the tank, driving back, and reconnecting—a process that can easily pass an hour.
3. The Border Wait: This item is very unique to Tijuana (the busiest border crossing in the world). Last month when Baja California residents purchased Christmas presents at San Diego Wal-Mart’s, the wait was out of control. Three times with my “fast pass,” I hit an hour and a half. Those in the normal lines creeped along for two to three hours until crossing.
4. The Mechanic: Maybe it’s because my truck is old, and most certainly the roads in Mexico are no help…but my vehicle seems to make its way to the shop with frequency. And for whatever reason, it’s never a “drop it off at 8 AM, hop in the courtesy shuttle van to work, and then pick it up, ready to go at 4 PM.” On the contrary, I inevitably end up underneath the engine compartment, shoulder to shoulder with the mechanic and then later drive all over town with him looking for parts. [This is an especially sensitive topic at the moment as my pickup has been out of commission since Monday with the exhaust manifold at a welding shop. Just got a call today (Friday)—the weld didn’t take. Oh boy…]
5. Paperwork: This may be the most boring of topics; but living in another country requires sitting in government offices, filling out forms, returning home for whatever was forgot (or just made a new requirement!), and taking a number once again.

Life is different here. And much time can be considered wasted. I guess that’s why it’s best to pack along a Bible and take advantage of conversing with others also in wait. In hindsight, some of my deepest and most meaningful discussions have occurred while doing nothing.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 11th, 2008 at 8:29 am and is filed under Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.