I guess I am not entirely cut out for running a big house in Granada, Nicaragua. Some little trials have happened today. A lot of the little trials revolve around my maid. Poor me. I think I really like her. She is trying very hard to make our time together educational for me. I think she thinks I am pretty stupid, and it is true to some degree. We are a fine example of bumbling.
She lectured me this morning that I got ripped off with these two mature bourgainvilla plants that I bought. She was actually miffed. I told this plant seller woman that I wanted 2 plants, pretty mature, one yellow and one pink. She came the next day to the door and brought me exactly what I wanted for 70 cordobas. (24 to $1). Marta felt that I got ripped off. Could have gotten both plants for 22 cordobas. But, you see, I would have had to navigate the market, found a plant seller, carried them home, that kind of deal. And to boot, I still would have paid more than Marta. So, I think she is trying to protect me, but doesn't get my freedom with a dollar.
Two different world experiences here. Marta hasn't seen her mother in Costa Rica for 12 years because it costs $20 at the border plus $30 bus fare plus missed work days. Very different planets. And yet she can navigate the market. This morning I went into the endless abyss of the market to buy another extension cord. I found the stall where I bought 2 the other day. The guy told me they didn't sell extension cords. "Who does?" He had no idea. I ended up in the hardware store paying three times as much as I did at the market, but pretty happy with myself for getting it. (There is one outlet somewhere near the ceiling for about every 1,000 square feet of this house) I got home and had forgotten to buy an adapter for the three prong, two prong thing. I went back, but not before I found Marta cooking the best rice ever (cilantro, carrots, green onion) in a big frying pan with seran wrap as the lid....while cooking. I ripped it off and said, "You can't melt plastic, it has BAD chemicals!" She said the lid didn't fit right and it was better cooked with a lid on.
I won that one. I got the adapter. I felt I had a brilliant morning accomplished at lot. But the water was off again. A water main had broken down the street. Then I noticed Marta was washing dishes. We had no water. Well, we do have a water storage tank in the old bathroom in a lead lined tank. "You aren't using that water on the dishes or the food?????" I kind of freaked out. No, she was using bottled water for the food (I hope so) but the lead water for the dishes. "If you leave them, you will get ants." OK, ants or lead poisoning? Hard choice.
I had eaten breakfast out and eaten a big breakfast, but she had cooked lunch and I told her to go ahead and eat, I would eat later. She prefers not to eat alone. So we shared our saran wrap rice and she told me much of her life story. It was fun and interesting. Still no water, no laundry done, dishes in the sink, and I told her she might as well go home. She then told me we have a big problem. There is a tiny mouse living in the oven because I never cook. She thinks we should light the oven and toast him. I said I would have to do that tomorrow because I had another big job I had to do today. I finally got her to go home, and headed out to buy an envelope (you can't keep a box of them because of the humidity) and tape because they don't seal, and then go to the post office ( a corner in someone's house) This job actually only took a half hour, and a mile of walking.
So, strange as it may seem, I am really enjoying my life here. The weather is gorgeous, I have nice friends, I like my big house. For a lot less $, like $10 a night, I could stay at a nice family hotel and have breakfast served everyday, but at this time, I kind of like being a busy house woman who races off on important errands. Oh ya, the internet now works here (after one month) but now the cable doesn't. I don't care anymore. Don't need the stress in my busy life. The bourgainvillas are already blooming. Marta planted the little roots that were on the bunch of cilantro and they grew a lot in a few days. Amazing. Toenails grow really fast here too. Are they the tropical plant part of the human body?
No comments:
Post a Comment