We usually avoid writing about political issues here. Plenty of my fellow Bloggers handle that territory. Readers here may or may not know that here in Mexico foreigners are expressly demanded to avoid political involvement. In a manner of speaking this lets me off the hook.
We will disclaim here that we have libertarian leanings (note with a small “L”). From this it might be assumed we are a bit radical. This is additional reasoning to avoid political comments on this Blog, where we otherwise write about the good, bad and ugly of living life in Mexico by a couple of expatriates.
Today we are going to move beyond policy to comment on the recently passed immigration law by the State of Arizona.
We are not here to argue the value, or lack thereof, of controlling the influx of undocumented humans in the United States; rather to discuss the indiscriminate racial profiling and bigotry that is endorsed by this new Arizona law.
Here in Mexico we seem to enjoy far less bigotry generally as compared to the attitudes of many of the citizens of the United States. I suggest that the new law in Arizona is nothing but an act of bigotry. The new law ignores some of the freedoms outlined in the Declaration of Independence.
We liken the passing of this law to the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act, written to form the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The Act included language that allowed settlers to decide whether they would or would not accept slavery in their region; certainly an act endorsing themes of slavery and bigotry of all kinds.
Abraham Lincoln, arguably the finest President of the United States, stated the following in a speech made in Peoria, Illinois on October 16, 1854. The speech, with its specific arguments against slavery and bigotry was an important step in Lincoln‘s political ascension.
In the Peroria speech Lincoln explained that he hated the Act because it endorsed themes of slavery and bigotry.
“I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world — enables the enemies of free institutions, with plausibility, to taunt us as hypocrites — causes the real friends of freedom to doubt our sincerity, and especially because it forces so many really good men amongst ourselves into an open war with the very fundamental principles of civil liberty — criticizing the Declaration of Independence, and insisting that there is no right principle of action but self-interest.”
He went on to say in this 3 hour long speech, “Little by little, but steadily as man’s march to the grave, we have been giving up the old for the new faith. Nearly eighty years ago [now 234 years] we began by declaring that all men are created equal; but now from that beginning we have run down to the other declaration, that for some men to enslave others is a ‘sacred right of self-government.’ These principles cannot stand together. They are as opposite as God and Mammon; and whoever holds to the one must despise the other.”
It seems to me that these words are quite fitting to the new Arizona Law that endorses indiscriminant acts of accosting people, demanding they show documents and possibly holding them without probable cause; racial profiling brown people; detaining them based solely on the color of their skin. Is this not a very slippery slope towards the end of freedom declared by the people of the United States at its inception?
Argue as you will how these conditions can just as easily occur in Mexico and other countries; and perhaps will become more of a problem in Mexico as retaliation to this law. Does not the United States hold itself to a higher standard of freedom? Apparently not.
Americans have won important new freedoms since the Founding, in part because freedom now applies to racial and sexual minorities who were discriminated against, and worse, in the past. Now Arizona moves in the opposite direction. It is a sad day to see such a law coming from a state belonging to the United States of America. Stay Tuned.
If you possess an adventurous spirit, have moved to Mexico, or you are just visiting but have seen those colorful rental scooters and they are crying out to you – a scooter may be just the ticket to adventure.
We bought a scooter a year and a half ago. We have quite a few kilometers under our belt now, so we can report with some authority.
Our purchase was a 150 cc Chinese made knock-off of a Honda motor scooter. I have to say that adds to the adventure – the Chinese scooter.
Let us get this out of the way: Early on we had one mishap. It occurred nearly at a standstill pace, but in rocks and gravel; so our little blue and silver plastic covered scooter lost its newness in short order; as did our throw-caution-to-the-wind riding style to some degree. The Calypso’s and Cruise Azul have long since recovered.
The Chinese scooter, the Honda knock-off, sells for about one fourth of the real deal. I ran the numbers and thought if I could own four for the price of one I would take a shot at it. Doing the math indicated that when the scooter reached 10,000 miles or 16,000 kilometers it could be tossed in the garbage and still have been worth every penny. This of course is a male’s rationale when trying to convince his wife that buying a scooter makes good sense – at least economically.
There are some well documented (by way of the Internet) modifications one can perform on the little Chinese knockoffs that bring it still closer to the real Honda. I did these 10 or 12 pre-ride alterations; I know they have helped. Not to get too technical here – just if you are actually considering the lunacy of scooting around Mexico inches off the ground at speeds as high as 55 mile per hour (88 kilometers per hour) you should look into these modification.
For those of you uninitiated with driving in Mexico, you should know that generally the driving here will add to any adventure. Defensive driving is mostly thought to be relative to other drivers and that does fit here however, here defensive driving includes looking out for farm animals, and other creatures ambling on highways – even freeways and toll ways. You also will need to watch the roadway itself for holes and bumps that could be life changing or ending, in car, truck and certainly on a motor scooter.
Never count on what you deem the rules of the road – people pass on the right, they drive through traffic lights and stop signs; they drive the wrong way on one-way roads, and in Mexico people park anywhere. You can encounter rocks and gravel and other building materials. Are you getting the idea about the adventure in all this?
If you haven’t been scared off yet then now I will report some of the good parts:
60 plus miles to the gallon is wonderful. Boldly passing long lines of four and more wheeled traffic on your Hardly Davidson is exhilarating. Almost never having to be concerned about where to park is a major relief factor here in Mexico where it is common to see double and even triple parked cars. It is amazing how bold the Mexican driver can be with the use of those blinking emergency lights – I mean once they have set those blinkers off this seems to entitle them to park anywhere. But, I digress.
For scooters with 150 cc engine size or less, there are no licensing requirements. You buy your toy and are on the road without concern for sales tax, registering or licensing – that plays to my libertarian nature.
We have made a couple long trips (over 100 miles or 160 kilometers). These trips were reasonably comfortable after such distances. It is surprising just how much stuff you can carry on a scooter. We do have a carry case attached that makes a nice back rest for a passenger as well. We manage to get two to three bags of groceries home the six miles from Coatepec – no problem.
Helmets are the law here – however like most Mexican Law few concern themselves with such details. It is common to see a family of four riding an 80 cc scooter – occasionally with the dog too.
Calypso’s on Cruise Azul – March 2010
In conclusion we have fully enjoyed scooting around our area of Mexico. Our Jetta and the Big White Ford 350 truck have become very lonely, seldom used vehicles. Live to Ride and Ride to Live! Stay Tuned!
The streets are not lonely like the four souls in Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. People are packed in the street like sardines. You have to stand there a bit to realize there is some organization to the chaos.
Xioc, Veracruz comes alive at night – especially in the heat of the night, after a day of temperatures in the high eighties.
Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks
The Calypso couple goes for a ride. We mount Cruise Azul; our little 150 cc Chinese scooter and prowl the pueblo. Faces in windows watch our every moved.
The park is lighted. Time of day is not a factor. Rows of brown skinned teenager’s faces turn green as they stare into their cell phones. Is one group talking to another? Are dead batteries the death of hope? Will s/he call? Are they staring into their phones waiting for mom or dad to order them home?
We turn onto Calle Victoria. At the end of the block a crowd has gathered. We cruise in as far as is respectable; then park, walking the balance of the distance.
I am aware that I am taller than everyone there; something I am still not used to. Slightly over six feet will keep you above the tall grass in America, but here it will put you in rarified air.
On the last day of the month in April here in Mexico they celebrate Día del Niño. Not Mother’s Day or Father’s Day – but Children’s Day. A national celebration for the children. Toys are distributed, games are played, there are special food treats and of course there is the usual piñata for everyone to enjoy.
The Day of The Children is an important one for most of the people. Schools have special programs and events, everyone takes part. For a week or more parades of people travel the streets of Xico calling for toys and treats contributions.
Tonight the orderly crowd on Calle Victoria is waiting in line to touch the baby Jesus figurine. An hombre with a microphone assures the crowd everyone will have an opportunity to touch Jesus. Earlier the plaster statue had been paraded through the streets. Fireworks and crowds of the faithful covered in the smoke of incense followed the lofted baby Jesus.
Here is a local tip: We have discovered that the nightlife in Xico occurs on the western half of the city. While you will enter town from the southeast you must continue up towards the grand church and beyond to experience the night life of Xico.
Night Taco Stand in Xico – It will be gone by morning.
People are setup for the business of feeding you into the night. Churros or fried bananas not substantial enough – then there are hot dogs, hamburgers and tacos in the heat of the night. Stay Tuned!
Dateline – the weekend: Saturday morning the rising sun drives us up early and out of bed – hadn’t seen much sun during the week. We consider our plans for the day and decide Now was our chance to jump on Scoot Azul and head six miles into Coatepec to buy bread and cheese at the Eco Fair.
Then a scoot three blocks up and over to the left a block to the Mercado for some veggies and maybe some fish. We buy fresh shrimp 120 pesos ($10. U.S.) per kilo. Seven pesos a kilo for tomatoes (on the way home we spy tomatoes for 4 pesos a kilo in Xico).
After the Mercado, once around the park. In Mexico you never see just one. It feels like there are people everywhere. No time to find relief from the jouncing ride – need to get the shrimp home.
Sunday we take a ride up to Teocelo. The road to there is wasted. What use to be the best road has managed to become the worst. Nothing goes to waste in Mexico; thing are used until they are waste – especially the roads.
At the entrance of Teocelo are rental cabins and a public pool, this includes a restaurant where we like to dine. Desayuno is Huveos Rancheros and then off to complete our mission.
We ride further to Independcia and Monte Blanco (Bamboo Towns). We order a small table, a decorative ladder and a corner shelf for my office area – will a more organized space make your author a better writer – it is doubtful. But La Senora will feel more at peace with a neater universe.
Now it is Sunday afternoon.
A man needs an escape plan. Mine is barbequing.
I am not allowed in the kitchen. I am too messy. But, the barbeque is my universe. There I am master.
I have a long association with the hibachi, spanning four decades with yet more to come. I claimed ownership after my father died back in 2001. It has traveled from Kingman, Arizona to Pueblo, Colorado to Xico, Veracruz. I am happy to share its cooked offerings with all who come here. But the act of barbequing is mine alone.
As I begin to prepare I realize there is not enough carbón; that is what charcoal is called here in Mexico. I jump on Cruise Azul and head a mile and a half diagonally across town. Remember it is Sunday. The tienda where we purchase carbón is enjoying a day of rest – grrr.
We scoot a hasty path to the little Xico Mercado after being advised it can be found there by yet another small tienda proprietor.
There in one isle is a large bolsa of carbón – but no one there. Asking at the booth next door it is explained that it is Domingo and thus closed – come back mañana.
I pull to the curb at another small tienda. We yell to the proprietress.
“¿Sabes una tienda que vende carbón?
My son would be proud. His old man can now ask a question in Spanish.
She points in the direction ahead.
“Si!”
“En esta calle?”
“Si!”
We ride up several blocks to another tienda that has a look like it might sell carbón. I am told to go to the place next door. There is no sign of life there; just a metal door. I ring the doorbell. In a while an hombre appears. He has carbón for 12.5 pesos per kilo.
“¿Cuánto por toda la bolsa?” I ask.
“160 pesos Señor.”
“Bueno!” say I.
We stuffed the large bag between the seat and the dash of Cruise Azul. This requires a modified seating arrangement – but the return home is just a few blocks.
We start the charcoal with one sheet of newspaper in a clever cylinder. Fifteen minutes later the red hot coals are poured into the pit of my father’s barbeque. The coals are spread wide for skewers of shrimp and veggies. If you read here you know we are vegetarians; not vegans. We eat food from the sea and I already mentioned my favoring cheese.
Yes – We are Veggie Heads!
Was the hunt for carbón worth the effort? We think so – take a look.
Michelle Obama has been in Mexico City for a couple of days. On the news this morning a helicopter fed live video of a huge traffic jam near where Mrs. Obama was to have a round table discussion and breakfast at the historic La Hacienda de los Morales, a restaurant dating back to the Spanish here in the 16th century. It seems some streets were closed for security reasons causing a huge traffic backup.
Mrs. Obama met with a dozen young Mexicans from around the country, each telling their own personal, passionate story about how they are trying to help their communities. It was reported that she commented that there is “power in their voices.”
She went on to say in praise, “They don’t need Bill Gates, they don’t need Michelle Obama.” No argument here on that point.
Michelle Obama has started a campaign against obesity. Her program “Lets Move” has anti-obesity strategies. The program will include nutritional labeling of the products which would be done by the US Department of Agriculture, improvement in the nutritional standards of school lunches, enhancing opportunities for children to engage in physical activities and developing high quality food access.
Apparently this was not part of her mission to Mexico, even though Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon stated in January that Mexico has the largest number of overweight adults, overtaking the US, and also Mexico has the largest number of obese children (30 percent of the Mexican children are obese).
In that light the lower house of the Mexican Government Tuesday approved two laws seeking a ban on the sale of junk food in schools and making physical education mandatory in the country, where some 70 percent of adults in Mexico, according to official figures, are overweight, while 70 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 11, or some 4.5 million minors, are overweight.
This got me to thinking. Will depicting fat content on labels, shooing away junk food vendors from around the school yard and a few gym classes really solve this problem?
I have this idea that stemmed from a visit we made not long ago to a fair here in Mexico. It can best be told in pictures:
French Fries – High Calorie – Note: the Vendor Enjoying some fries. Click on any photo to ENLARGE – I encourage you.
Fried Foods Abound!
The FAT Dogs Were Being Grilled EVERYWHERE!
These Bad Boys Should Be Served with a Stent Tube on the Side!
A Young Couple Enjoying a Couple FAT Juicy Ones!
THE SOLUTION
With massive amounts of Fat Polish Hot Dogs being consumed all about - over on Stage One I spied the solution! Even better than hot dogs on a stick – hot dogs on a string!
String Up Those Perros Calientes
No Condiments and This Will Slow Consumption Way Down
We have been complaining about the weather forecasts and current conditions reports we read on the Internet and television for some time. This subject usually draws a lot of interest here.
We love to get comments and feedback from our readers. We encourage the reading of comments. They often are more entertaining than our musings. Many comments are illuminating; occasionally offered by experts.
On our last weather topic entry (as mentioned there have been several over the years), we received a comment from “br” of The Weather Channel. A bit of sleuthing turned up that “br” is a PHD weather scientist. Actually Principal Weather Scientist and Vice-President of The Weather Channel inAtlanta, Georgia and around the world.
The Problem
“br” explained some things about the Yahoo weather report which is my usual weather information source. Yahoo weather data is provided by The Weather Channel people – weather.com.
“br” comments in part:
“Hi John – earlier comments are correct .. you are seeing the observations for GEN. HERIBERTO JARA, Veracruz [the airport in Veracruz City].. only official surface observations are considered for the current conditions on these web sites .. there is no [official] obs within 60 miles of Xico .. unfortunately, it is difficult to provide current conditions that are relevant to your exact location in areas of the world where observations are sparse..
So your choices are the Veracruz point currently in place.. Puebla (elevation is 2166 meters) or [Poza] Rica (elevation at 62 meters) .. Xico is at 1440 meters..”
“br” confirmed Jonna’s comment stating that she understood “they” collect weather data from the nearest airport, “…probably only big airports.” On a personal note Jonna a respected reader and member of the Viva Veracruz Forum provides a wealth of information and contributes many erudite comments. So the big guns were commenting-in to help us all understand – cool!
“br” stated:
“Yahoo weather says “Nearest weather station is Xico, Mexico” in their heading .. this is a real fine point, but the nearest weather station is the airport near Veracruz .. there is a “forecast” point for Xico .. that is, we prepare a forecast explicitly for Xico .. but there is no official observation station in Xico that we know of …”
We now can assume there is no weather being reported out of Xico or even Xalapa (a city of more than 500,000 people) and 15 miles to the northeast.
“br” also made the following comment:
“So let us know if you think either Puebla or [Poza] Rica are more representative of what you experience in Xico, we would be happy to change this mapping or relationship when you pull up the weather information ..”
Yikes – the idea that I can alter the process of The Weather Channel is mind boggling! You have to love the power to the people provided by the Internet.
OK feet touching ground again let’s consider how we might get more accurate weather predictions and condition reports.
The Solution
It can be said that weather conditions 60 miles away coming from a city on the Gulf of Mexico at an extreme altitude differential will very often have little to no bearing on the actual current or future weather conditions of Xico – Coatepec – Xalapa.
Gathering data from Pueblo or Poza Rica will not make reporting more accurate.
I wonder why in this day and age of the Internet and the opportunity for real or near-real time communication that huge powerful operations like The Weather Channel cannot incorporate information provided by numerous satellite informers or in what I believe are weather science terms “first order reporting stations.”
“br” – this Blog and approximately 300 others from around the globe are incorporated in the news report of Global Post News. You will find bloggers added to news agencies in all corners of the reporting process. Likely thousands of blogs are used daily to enhance the news information process throughout the world.
In Global Posts words, “…With the recent launch of GlobalPost, high-quality bloggers are being given positions of prominence for the first time on a major news media website, starting with promotion on the home page. Hundreds of top-notch bloggers from 41 countries around the world also appear on the region pages….GlobalPost, where [John Wilpers] the Global Blog Coordinator on a consulting basis, recognized that there is a lot of terrific content being created around the world by excellent writers who are experts in their field or who are simply well-informed or passionate about a subject or country. That on-the-ground, grassroots-level reporting adds to the professional work of our correspondents in each country, giving GlobalPost readers a complete picture of life, events, trends, and peculiarities in each of dozens of countries worldwide.”
It would seem that a similar type network of on-the-ground, grassroot-level weather reporters could provide more localized data to The Weather Channel enhancing the accuracy of the reports on both current conditions and weather forecasting.
“br” I suggest you contact John Wilpers to help coordinate the gathering of ideas for a process like that of many news agencies. If you decide to go in that direction – count me in .
Saturday 10 April 2010 – 8:00 A.M. Central Daylight Savings Time: The sun is shining, a few light clouds and the temperature outside is 64 F (17.8 C). Stay Tuned for more news and weather!
A commenter on this Blog recently wrote in part; “Just returned from a trip to Xalapa/Coatepec/Xico and noticed that people who appeared to be North Americans or possibly Europeans, avoided making eye contact with us when we encountered them on the street or in restaurants. I wondered at the time if they were maybe trying to avoid these kinds of situations where something goes wrong between friends in a small community of expats.”
I replied: “I must confess that we are not aggressive about opening conversation with foreigners. In part because we are pretty sure they aren’t down here to deal (meet) more of their own kind – that may be an over simplification – it might also add us to the list of people you saw in Coatepec that did not ‘engage.’
In an area where there are few gringos – it is a good idea to prearrange a meeting….”
After thinking that over I realize visitors here may very well have questions they would like answered by those that have come before them. And that perhaps the Calypso’s have not been as friendly as we should be. As foreign ambassadors of our adopted land we may be mediocre representatives. We do continually encourage folks to visit the Viva Veracruz Forum where they will be treated to myriad opinions and information about our area and Mexico as a whole.
You may have read about the ‘smiths’ we lost as friends recently due to a totally wrong assumption on their part? Not our fault makes it no less disheartening.
We don’t make friends easily. But, we do value the friends we have.
We seem to have some trouble keeping friends as well. Why? That question is too deep for me. I read somewhere that a good friend is cheaper than therapy – so there it is.
We made some new friends last week.
Vivian and Jeff made their second trip to the Xalapa area to scout things out for a possible retirement location. Their retirement is in the long term planning stage – something I am not good at – long term planning.
Seldom do the Calypso’s greet and meet; or is it the other way around? I suppose this is part shyness and part selfishness. We just met Bob Cox after ‘knowing’ him on the Forum for two years. Ignaucio my right hand man and chief moderator on the Forum since 2006, I have yet to meet face to face; even though I think of him as a friend.
We have many Internet friends whom we have never met face to face.
“There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.” Diana Cortes
Vivian is a 50’s something beauty who resembles the actress Annette Bening; only better looking. She is a former dancer for the San Francisco Ballet Company, currently co-owner of a dance studio. Jeff, well I liken him to Shaggy of the animated adventures of Scooby Doo. He exudes gobs of energy and is a smart dude; a think tank, futuristic, mechanical engineering designer for Boeing. They currently live in Seattle.
Vivian and Jeff – New Friends From Another Country
Along with another expat couple from Xico we met up with Vivian and Jeff in Coatepec for drinks in the afternoon one day recently. The conversations were fast and furious with six people bantering about questions and answers in rapid fire. Anita and I invited Jeff and Vivian to meet with us again before they ended their ten day visit to our area.
“Friends are relatives you make yourself.” Eustache Deshamps
Our second meeting happened the next day. A barbeque at our casa; a better venue. The weather was wonderful. The grilled salmon steaks tasty. Cold wine and beer refreshing. And the conversations stimulating. We always feel a bit more secure socially in our own environment.
Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer.
We had some long meaningful dialogue about our lives. At some point the hombres (guys) and the mujeres (gals) separated so conversation took on a one-on-one quality.
“A true friend reaches for your hand and touches your heart.” Attributed to Heather Pryor
Vivian and Jeff are back in Seattle. We are emailing. They are considering joining us in Puerto Escondido next year. We believe we have new friends – a good thing.
“Since there is nothing so well worth having as friends, never lose a chance to make them.” Francesco Guicciardini
We have several friends that are foreigners in Mexico; still more that are natives of Mexico. If you are ever in the neighborhood give us a shout. I promise we will do better. Life is good.
Many moons ago I engineered a couple Weather Report albums. Go HERE for a sample .
One of the finer ensembles of people, and musicians I had the great pleasure to work with. The weather outlook was always bright and sunny with Joe Zawinul and company.
Joe and I go way back to the Cannonball Adderley bands. Cannon was a mentor of mine – a special human being who departed from this earth way too soon.
But this entry is about a different weather report – the one we look to daily to know what we might expect in terms of weather conditions.
Below is a screen capture of the weather as reported by “The Weather Channel”; captured at about 1 PM Wednesday. You may need to enlarge it. So what is wrong with this picture?
Well a lot actually. A few short weeks ago in this Blog I mentioned how the weather predictions here are bad. This new complaint is not about predictions; rather it is about reporting current temperatures.
Needless to state that weather conditions current or otherwise are difficult to keep up with around the world and even out of a first world country to an emerging one. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt on the difficulties of real time weather reports.
It is ALL too common to have The Weather Channel’s report so far from reality that the misleading is harmful. In other words if you can’t report more accurately – perhaps it is better to not report at all.
Let’s take a look at some glaring miss-information.
First the report is that the current temperature is 91F. Someone out there must be having sun stroke – there is NO WAY it has been or will be even 7 degrees close to that. I currently show 82F – and we live right here in Xico. I can’t even recall when I last experienced a temperature reading as high as 90 F here in Xico. I admit it does happen – but not today and not very often at all.
The real humdinger is that, “It feels like 104 F” From my point of view it doesn’t FEEL like 91F let alone a whopping 104F! Come on people what closet are you hiding in? And with a reported 63% humidity – not uncommon here but it is NOT that high currently – how would you elevate a reported 91 F to 104F? No that is simply far from the truth.
It also shows that it is sunny (a symbol seldom used in these parts by the Weather Channel). I just covered my scooter because there are a few raindrops occurring right now.
If you look over to mid-page right you will see five areas of the world – and two countries – these are the places I keep track of weather everyday.
Notice the low in Capitan, New Mexico – reported to be a low of 24F- yikes!
Of course I have NO idea where the miss- information about Xico is coming from or why it is so far from the truth.
We are NOT trying to sell you on Xico. We are happy with the number of gringos living here (very few). We look forward to Dianne and John’s return. I really like drinking Don Julio with Dave and our next Blog entry will be about some very special folks we met a couple times last week (just to show we do have some friends).
But, I have to take exception with the erroneous weather reports and suggest if you are watching to help evaluate whether to be here or not – I recommend you check with a few Bloggers and forget about “The Weather Channel’s miss-information.
I have to run – it is thundering out there and I need to unplug a few things. Stay Tuned!
We received a one paragraph email from a gringo we know here in Xico; we will call this person one of the Smiths.
Smith wrote that s/he just started receiving collection calls for the first time (yesterday). Smith had read about our bogus collection calls on this Blog. Also we have discussed our frustration with these numerous nuisance calls with both the Smiths socially on several occasions.
Because the language of the one paragraph is in part a bit off color, I will explain rather than print it here verbatim.
First Smith wrote with great ironic literary technique that s/he could appreciate from my Blog entry and the subsequent responses how aggravating unwanted persistent phone calls can be. The Smiths first collection call was early enough in the morning to get one of them out of bed. The second call came from a different person within the same collection agency some four hours later.
The agency was looking for a certain Mexicano we will call Ms. Lopez; a name well known to us relating to our collection call nightmare. Smith explained that they seemed determined to find her. Smith was told that someone gave the collection agency their number; further that it was reported as Ms. Lopez’s new number.
In the paragraph Smith wrote that their number is not new. In fact the number “is as old as the hills”. We knew this having known this couple prior to their moving into their rental casa that included an existing telephone line and number. A rental we had actually hunted down for the Smiths before they arrived in Mexico.
Now totally bothered by the second call, Smith asked the collection agent what Ms. Lopez’s old number was.
S/he went on to suggest that we might imagine how surprised and unbelieving s/he was when the collection agency person gave them our new number; and how Smith just knew we would not do such a thing as give them their number (more irony).
Being a good sleuth Smith went on to state that s/he looked up Ms. Lopez in the phone book. There was Ms. Lopez’s number in the Xico section of the phone book; it was of course our new number “…with the same odor”. Here I was a bit confused as to the point as of course we all knew Ms. Lopez had our telephone number prior to us – no revelation there. But that fact in Smith’s mind seemed to sew up any loose ends about who the perpetrators might be.
Obviously the Smith’s are incensed assuming that we gave the collection agency their phone number.
The truth is different.
Our first take was how totally bizarre! You can count the number of gringo families living in Xico on one hand. How could this terrible situation get transferred to the Smiths? What’s more how could the Smiths assume we had done such a thing? Believe me when I tell you this is so far from our characters – however apparently not to the Smiths.
I left the email and thoughts of the situation until the end of the day. I went back and re-read Smith’s bitter little diatribe. Then it quickly dawned on me.
You read about our trouble getting phone service back in early January. During that tedious process we had given the Smith’s phone number to Telmex as a contact point here in Xico. In fact as I recall, Telmex had actually called the Smith’s regarding our service twice – once for a reference and once when they were trying to contact us about the service.
Obviously some not so bright individual at Telmex had mistakenly given the Smith’s number as a reference relating to Ms. Lopez. Of course this move would be totally libelous in the United States. Can you imagine AT&T mistakenly giving out a referral telephone number to a collection agency? It would be like winning the lottery – the financial liability would be enormous for such an action.
We made some accusations and suggestions about Telmex service last January. Our problems were mostly assuaged by some quick responses from them, in an effort to stop the bad press as much as anything. This error in judgment however goes even beyond that.
It should be noted that we have been told by the collection agents on a number of occasions including during some Sunday calls that the collection person calling was a representative of Santander Bank. Here we might assume that Telmex may very well be in cahoots with a bank to assist in their collection process by providing private information.
I intend to get in contact with Telmex to hear what they have to say about all this.
The reality is there are no other possibilities. Telmex provided the Smith’s telephone number to the bank’s collection representatives.
A reasonably intelligent Telmex person should have figured out that this collection related to the previous owner of the number – Ms. Lopez – not to the Calypso’s or any referral numbers relating to them. Of course there is no way a referral number given by us could be connected to the previous owner of our phone number.
But then the Smiths couldn’t figure it out and they were our friends. They could only assume that for some inane reason we would give their phone number to a collection agency that has been driving us nuts for the last three months. How they reasoned this out is beyond me. It is easier to understand the insipid Telmex personnel doing such a stupid thing.
We are currently still receiving 3-10 collection calls a day. We are trying Carlos’ suggestion of leaving them holding on line.We haven’t heard from the Smiths; and probably won’t. Updates will follow.
Here in Mexico compared to the U.S. people and organizations are more free to do wrong as much as they are more free to do right. More freedom here in Mexico is a two edged sword as you can see from this story. Freedom does not come without costs. You can imagine how far we might get accusing Telmex of supplying that phone number. We shall see. Stay Tuned!
