the day of forty-four sunsets

So I should be coming home tomorrow.

But I'm not.
I was thinking of staying for another month the latest date I could switch my ticket to was February 16th, which actually works out really well.

Six of us - Laura, Ashley, Britanny, Angie, Erin and I - are taking a bus to Mexico City on Wednesday. It's going to be a long ride (15 hours I believe) but Laura and Ashley came down here on the bus from Calgary so they are seasoned bus-riders.

We are going to stay at Bethel there. I'm really excited.

As for what I have been doing...
The past week has been really awesome. We had several rad days at the beach. We took this little raft out (apparently a 2 person raft) and piled 11 people on it and tried to catch some waves. We caught a few but mostly we just fell off. I will have some impressive bruises before we tire of this raft.
On Thursday, we stayed all day at the beach (the Bruja) and then had a bonfire.
We also went to an orchestra which was mostly awesome. It was really good until halfway through when a giant electric guitar dropped down above the stage and really long speeches in Spanish were made. It kind of wrecked the mood. But it was still fun.
And of course service has been great, 'service rocks' and all. It wasn't really what I was expecting. We search for Mexicans who know English more than we look for tourists.
The congregation is amazing too. There are lots and lots of people visiting from all over right now - people like me who are serving where the need is great and conveniently escaping the winter. The attendance at the meetings is about double the actual number of publishers. The first thing that I noticed is that everyone sings really loud. I mean really loud.
It's been so cool getting to know people from all over.

This whole Mexican experience hasn't been what I was expecting. For example, I read all sorts of warnings before I got down here about eating from taco stands but we eat at them all the time. They're really good and super cheap.
Yesterday I discovered a smoothie place really close to our house. It's my Mexican Booster Juice. I'll have to take a picture of it.
Anyway, my point is that this experience has been better than I expected.

I am looking forward to my bonus two weeks here.

Teacapan (yesterday) 

Completely self-explanatory. 

Market in Centro: shell-covered greatness 

We're Concentrating On Falling Apart

Today was... a day.
A really good/really bad day.

First, it was beach day. Only my second one since I've been here. It was so great. The water was a little calmer so I had a chance to get comfortable on the surfboard. I caught my first real wave and rode it all the way to the shore. But I forgot to stand up. After that I was super psyched but, alas, there were no more good waves.
We ate some food up at the restaurant. Our plan was to watch the sunset but there really wasn't one. It was fun just the same.
Everyone left and Erin, Jeremiah, Alex and I walked up the road to take the bus.
But no buses came.
Apparently they don't come out that far after 6. We sat on the side of the road waiting for a long time talking until we finally clued in that a bus wasn't coming.
Jeremiah kept saying stuff like, "This is so great! We're stranded. In Mexico. And we just went surfing. In Mexico!" I took pictures of everyone's excited-to-be-stranded-in-Mexico faces.
Finally a taxi came and after negotiating a fare to Rico's, a little cafe in the Golden Zone, we hopped in and slid the surfboard across us through the side windows.

The funny thing is that we were having a party tonight. And we were very late for our own party.

From Rico's we got picked up by some people who were planning on coming to the party. They have the cutest little Westfalia that we all crammed into.

The party was actually at Russel's house. It was a Napoleon Dynamite party (Last night Erin and I tried to pick up some food for this party. Apparently you can't buy tater tots in Mexico. Figures.). There were 21 of us in that little, tiny apartment. I wasn't really looking forward to seeing it for the sixth time, but it was hilarious somehow.

So we were having a grand ol' time.
But then...

First I have to explain that Russel lives in a huge house that is split up into little apartments. Laura and Ashley, also from Calgary, are renting one of the downstairs apartments.
They went downstairs for something and realized that they had been robbed. They think it was when they went to use a payphone and left the door unlocked for a minute. Ashley's wallet and camera are gone. The camera had all the pictures from their trip so far on it. At first they thought that a set of keys had been stolen, which freaked them out, but they found the keys.
I feel really bad for them. We all helped search the apartment and then we looked around the neighborhood for a bit to see if they threw out Ashley's wallet. They have been really sick for the past couple of weeks - they were just starting to feel better - and now this.

And then I just got an email from my parents saying that an old family friend from Fernie passed away last night.

So, yes, it was a day.

Somewhere Only We Know

Sorry for my lack of posts (letters to body parts put aside).
I should have a fountain of Mexican adventure stories. And I do.
But, you see, it takes me such a long time to decide which of these tales is worthy of space on my blog (yes, because all my other posts are so full of wisdom and insight).
Anyway, I didn't want to monopolize the computer.
I have, however, been writing regularly in a real journal - you know, pen and paper. It's good because I can freely write about what a big jerk Erin is without her knowing it.

No, no, Erin is great. I mean magnificent.
We have taken to beating each other up though. I have some unexplained bruises that I like to blame on her.

Now I am going to sit in my room and think of a really great story (worthy of my blog).
No promises.

Adios.

Dear index finger of my left hand,

Please accept my apology for my treatment of you in the past couple of days.
I promise that one day I will learn how to properly catch a football so as to not hurt you.
I also promise that in the future, I will always use a cutting board.

Tomorrow I will get a box of really cool band-aids to make it up to you.

Yours truly,
Britt Davis

You take your car to work, I'll take my board

I have decided that English needs to adopt the upside-down question mark at the beginning of questions. Because there is nothing worse than forcing your voice up a tone at the last minute when you don't realize that a sentence is really a question.
Yes, this is what I have learned in Mexico.

So I am alive after all. Sheer disappointment that Hello won't work has prevented me from posting since I arrived here on Tuesday.

I have too many stories to tell and no time to tell them right now.

Tomorrow we are taking the surfboard (by 'the' I mean Russel's) to the beach on the bus. This makes me very happy. Should be good times.

I will try to post something interesting soon. Adios.

"Packing My Bags"

Right now I am listening to a song called "Packing My Bags" by Idaho. How appropriate.
I just finished making a playlist for my mp3 player. Some Death Cab, a little Nick Drake, Radiohead, Namelessnumberheadman, Hayden, the Weakerthans, Brand New, Elliott Smith, Bob Marley, Jack Johnson, Weezer, Keane, Ryan Adams, Postal Service, East River Pipe, Idaho, Spoon and so on. It makes me happy.

So I'm just putting together all the little pieces. And I am set to go.
Am I too relaxed? Should I be a little more worried by now?
I have to be at the airport at 5 a.m. tomorrow.

For a moment today I thought that winter was... quaint. For a moment. And that was because I was warm and cozy inside.

But, not to worry, I will have plenty of time to freeze when I get back on February 1st.
Well, I should get my packing done.
I am going to keep up my blog while I'm away to tell you of my adventures.

Adios for now.

I miss Rachel. I found a frame that I was planning on giving to someone else, unwrapped it, and put this picture in it. 

I just got these pictures from Rachel's wedding in Edmonton, which was way back in the spring.  

the life aquatic

Boxing Day is over. I am so glad.
Here's my theory about Boxing Day:
Most people spend all their money before Christmas, giving the economy a nice little boost. The most reasonable thing would be for people to stop spending money when they have none left. But "they" (the industry? the economy?) just can't have that. And so "they" came up with a new ridiculous excuse to drag people into the malls - Boxing Day, conveniently right after Christmas.
Keeping the malls full.

Anyway, I have one more shift left, tomorrow. We're taking something in for all the people in the Mobility dept. because they have been fabulous.

Today feels really odd. I just got home from the cinema (cinema?). My dog seems to be missing.

Nine days. Scratch that, it's Monday now...
Eight days until Mexico.

A guy at work the other day told me I should be going to University instead of travelling. I replied, as if this was a scientific fact, "I will learn more in a month in Mexico than a year of school here."
I think it is true, if not scientifically proven.
How can anyone really learn when they're doing the exact same thing they've been doing all their life? It's by new experiences and circumstances that we learn to adapt, which is what emotional growth is all about.

P.S. Do you ever wish you could breathe under water?

Stop. And Go.

Soma is what they would take when
Hard times opened their eyes
Saw pain in a new way
High stakes for a few names
Racing with sun beams
Losing against their dreams
-The Strokes

A Brave New World reference? Can it be?
I never noticed before.

"I have done all I can do in this town"

I had a fondue party tonight.
A little tribute to the eighties.
Only bad thing is I have quite the mess to clean up tomorrow morning. Bah.

So, yesterday I said I was almost in tears at work... today I was in tears. If it keeps going at this rate, I will have a mental breakdown by boxing day. (Yes, I have to work boxing day. Take pity on me.) I was by myself for one thing and it was crazy busy. Something went wrong with every activation, which was also a nice little treat.
I now hate Christmas on a whole new level. Does anyone actually enjoy Christmas shopping? I wouldn't want a gift that was bought in panic and desperation. It's nothing more than a big marketing gimmick now.
("and now Christmas is for shopping
and the shopping god is everything")
I am so glad I don't celebrate Christmas.

Ah well, only four more shifts and all this cell phone knowledge will thankfully be of no use.

And then I'm off to Mazatlan!
I think I am subconsciously anxious about it. The past couple of nights I have dreamt about Mexican mishaps (is it 'mis-haps'?).
But consciously I'm not really worried at all. Definitely looking forward to it.

Well, I've gots to get up early tomorrow so as to clean up the mess I've left before service.
Adios.

dressed up like it's world war 24

There is one song on the display ipod at work. I have heard "...my boyfriend is back, he's gonna save my reputation..." a kazillion times. It's our theme song. It used to claw at my brain but I've learned to accept it. Now we dance a little each time it comes on.
So, work has been good. It's getting a lot busier. There have been so many people buying their ten-year-olds cell phones. Yikes.
I had one guy that almost had me in tears today, actually. I had to take a little trip to the back to "get a drink". He was so condescending and ignorant. Forbid a young girl such as myself might know a little something about cell phones!
The day went uphill from there though.

I just got back from Serena's.
GT's at Serena's.

I have so little to say right now. Much is going on but I just don't feel bloggy.

16 days until Mexico.
Enough said.

I wore this button to the annual pioneer sessions today.  

Self-declarative. 

Twenty-two

Depart: Calgary, Canada (YYC) - Tue, Jan 04 at 7:00am
Arrive: Los Angeles, CA (LAX) - Tue, Jan 04 at 9:22am
Depart: Los Angeles, CA (LAX) - Tue, Jan 04 at 11:13am
Arrive: Mazatlan, Mexico (MZT) - Tue, Jan 04 at 2:44pm



And a little throwback to Erin's pre-Mexico countdown blog days.
My countdown starts....
NOW.

3 weeks.
7 shifts.
9 meetings.
22 days.

brown paper packages tied up with string

I sat in the chiropractor's office in one of those hot backless gowns for two hours today, reading and re-reading a poster:
"How to be a Chiropractic Artist
....adjust with your heart
...make a snow spine
...make a cake on Sept.18"
...and so on.
Then I read two issues of Alive magazine. Apparently lipstick isn't as innocent as previously thought.

It was worth it though. First, because it was free because my mom works there.
Second, because my neck feels sooo good.
And the next adjustments won't take as long. I can't wait for Wednesday.

I got a package in the mail the other day. It was a brown paper package but it wasn't tied up with string. My cousin sent me an mp3 player. I made the mistake of telling her that my discman was broken. Not that I'm complaining, it was a good mistake.

Saturday night was fantastic.
There's something to be said of low expectations.
I was invited to this party a while ago but didn't really decide to go until the day of. When Steph was telling us about it, she said that there would be no chairs or tables. Darrin asked, "What if someone just wants to talk for a while?" to which she answered, "If we wanted you to talk, we'd have a talking party."
And so we danced.
Hours of caffeine-induced maniacal dancing.
Fabulous.

Mmmhmm.

the truth is in the details

I came home from service three hours earlier than planned.
But it was two hours longer than I thought I could last three hours in.

Even my good mood couldn't defeat the bitter cold. We had fun while we lasted. It scares me that winter doesn't even officially start for another couple weeks.
Even if it wasn't so horribly cold and windy, I can't get in my huge days because it gets so dark so early.
All I can say is I will have a lot of catching up to do in the spring.

Oh, and this is also quite comforting.