July 13 - Taking Veracruz Time

I think most people would agree that the pace of American life tends to be pretty fast.  People who know me would probably say I’m very good at filling my schedule and pretty terrible at down time.  In his book, The Geography of Bliss, Eric Weiner points out the benefits of taking life at a slower pace than is typical in America.  So, I’m trying to embrace the pace of Mexico.  

What have I noticed?

Yesterday we stopped at Tlacotalpan for lunch and time to “explore the city”.  Tlacotalpan is a small city on the Papaloapan river.  It is also a quiet city, without a lot of traffic, few street vendors, and little commotion.  There was not a pyramid or mountain to climb.  There wasn’t a huge variety of places to eat.  While I tend to be optimistic about new places, I did wonder what we would do to maximize the three hours from our busy schedule in this town.  So, a few of us started to stroll.  We slowly walked  through the streets and noticed the buildings.  Though there was little traffic, the streets had personality.  Bright color combinations changed with each new set of pillars.  Rod iron decorated doors and shielded windows.  Two horses waited, unattended or tied up in front of a pale blue church in the city square.  This could be the setting for a story and we had a couple of hours to absorb it. 

Today was a rainy day in Veracruz.  We started our day by picking up a teacher and some of her students to go on a tour of the Fortress of San Juan de Ulua.  After the tour, we made our way to have lunch together.  It was a Veracruz paced lunch.  We sat down and waited for our drink orders to be taken.  Then, we waited for our lunch orders to be taken.  I ate all of the chips.  I waited some more.  Our lunch came and we ate slowly.  We waited for coffee orders to be taken.  I might try to blame my impatience on being trained to eat lunch, help students, and check my email in 25 minutes throughout the school year or the fact that I get really hungry a lot.  Whatever the reason, I think I can learn a little from Veracruz time.  I was sitting next to a fifteen year-old girl from a public school in the area. She told me about what she thinks makes a good teacher, how she would like to improve school, and what she wants to do after high school.  We talked about the challenges that students face and how she was a little nervous about meeting us.  She let me practice my Spanish and she practiced her English.  Our lunch was a pretty good use of my time.