Like much of Mexico most buildings are not air conditioned. The newer built and newly renovated ones have air conditioning, but even the public buildings tend to rely on stone construction, favorable breezes and overhead fans to keep cool. I found myself going to a mall every afternoon and securing a place on a comfortable sofa where I would read and listen to my ipod. Oddly sundown did not really alleviate the discomfort. I remember leaving El Cumbanchero one morning about 2:30 and thinking what a lovely night. My stroll up the Paseo de Montejo to my apartment was a leisurely twenty minutes. By the time I arrived I was soaking wet--no it had not started to rain.
More than just the heat I just did not feel connected in Merida. I had made some friends but I could not find a sense of community. However, I will never forget some of the remarkable people that I met in Merida.
Dr. Manuel Sarkisyang was born in Iran educated at the University of Chicago and taught at the University of Heidelberg for forty five years. We would have long discussions about the world and he brought an amazing perspective to his observations. At the age of eighty six he has the perspective of a historian and a philosopher who has traveled widely and been able to view the world and understand it's complexities without the limits of nationalism or a narrow political focus. He is always able to understand the other point of view. He admired America most for it's sense of fairness, but I wonder how he would view the current United States with it's ever growing gap in incomes and its steady march toward eliminating the middle class. We did talk of the fact that the ratio between the highest paid employee and the lowest paid had gone from 45 to 1 in 1970 to now 1071 to 1.(When my family sold the bus company in 1972 my father was earning four times the lowest paid employee.) Dr. Sarkisyang warned that such disparity could only lead to some form of revolution. He also believed that America's efforts in Afghanistan were doomed because it is a country that does not understand democracy and does not wish to embrace it. The good doctor owns more than 30,000 books. Have you read them all?" I once asked. " No but I have referenced every one of them for my own books." He had published nine books.
Ricardo Ancona is nineteen years old and owns and operates the Cairo Cafe. It is indeed a cafe serving all the coffee drinks, sandwiches and pastries but it is also a video store with an amazingly eclectic collection of films. Upstairs there is a charming nineteen seat theatre where six nights a week a free film is shown. Often there is a theme to a week's worth of showings: a director, film noir, a relevant actor. Ricardo has an incredible knowledge of film most of which he has obtained through the internet. We would have long discussions about film and delighted in introducing one another to a film we loved. I expect that soon he will join the ranks of Mexico's emerging film makers. He will bring to his work a solid
education acquired from his passion for the art of film making. Like Martin Scorcese, Clint Eastwood and Steven Speilberg Ricardo's films will be innovative yet ultimately pay homage to great films of the past.
Working with Ricardo is a beautiful young woman named Paulina. I call her Paulie in honor of the great character on "The Sopranos". Her knowledge of film is almost as great as Ricardo's. At nineteen she wants to become an animator but I have a feeling that her films will be much more. Funny, bright, inquisitive and possessing the true artist's eye and talent she is destined to produce some remarkable work.
Peggy and Joe Willlams are from Colorado and after extensive research chose Merida as their retirement home. They are among the wonderful group of volunteers who work at the English Library. We would often see each other there and they were always eager to share their knowledge of Merida and Mexico. We seemed to bump into each other on the the street, at the mall, even on a bus. Just two of the nicest most down to earth people I have ever met. One afternoon in the library Peggy asked me what I was doing for Thanksgiving/ I laughed, "Nothing.I live in Mexico now." They invited me to their lovely home for a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving dinner and I will never forget it...the kindness of strangers...now friends.
Diana.
I was in the Mega store one day. It is a store clearly modeled after WalMart and Target with everything from groceries to clothes and appliances. I started talking with this beautiful woman who had a charming European accent. We exchanged emails and promised to get together for coffee. She wanted "to catch up on what was going on in the States." Three weeks went by and finally we met at the Cafe de Chocolate. We talked for three hours--about everything. She is from Holland, learned English in London, Spanish in Spain and has spent her career in disaster relief as a development officer. She had lived all over the world with the exception of Africa. These were two and three year assignments always in places that had been devastated by some tragedy. Her last posting had been in Myanmar and she was taking a five month vacation in Merida.
Diana became my best friend while I was in Merida. We got together for coffee, lunch or just to sit and drink beer and talk. Mostly I learned from this remarkable person.
She introduced me to a truly international perspective. Her experiences all over the world gave her a unique understanding of the human condition. She is not restrained by some narrow nationalism or political agenda. And like my friend Doug Allen she has observed first hand real human misery. And yet her optimism and great sense of humor is boundless. We talked of relationships: my wives, her past partners and the continual foibles of the human condition. We laughed about it because no matter where people come from there is a constant thread to the human comedy. Everyone wants to be happy but few know how to achieve it.
And so often otherwise peaceful lives are interrupted by tragedies beyond their control. It is in the aftermath of these tragedies that Diana and her colleagues step in and try to restore some peace. She has never owned a house or a car and can carry most of her belongings in her backpack, but who could contribute more to this crazy world?
Diana does not like to stay up late. Her brother Roel visited from Holland and after they had spent a few days sightseeing she introduced him to me with instructions to take him out on the town. We went to El Cumbanchero and had a great time. His English is good enough that we had no trouble talking. He even won the nightly dance contest!
On Saturday night I had planned to go to a concert but it was cancelled. I strolled over to another concert only to find it was for young kids. I made my way back to the main square and of course it being Merida I was now wet from perspiration. I sat on a bench and spread my arms hoping to dry off. Soon I was approached by this very nice looking man who introduced himself as Jesus. As I stuck out my hand he said "Are you gay?" 'No I am not", I replied. He apologized profusely as we were both leaving in opposite directions. Some Saturday night! But soon as I was walking down Calle 58 here came Diana and Roel. We went for a beer at a beautiful outdoor bar that has as it's ceiling the looming towers of the cathedral. They both laughed hard at my tale. Roel wanted to go back to El Cubanchero of course. Diana set off to bed . A table of about six lovely and vivacious Mexican ladies started dancing with us and we had a great time. At 2:30 am we parted. Roel was flying back that day.
Wonderful guy.
Diana is now off in the world once again doing great work. I miss her.
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