We have been in San Miguel de Allende (SMA) now for one week and one day. The altitude here is approx. 6500 ft. so along with the time change, the long, long, drive from California and the altitude it has taken us a week to acclimate. We can now walk the hilly streets of SMA without feeling out of breath.

The weather has been hot for SMA – in the high 80’s each day with high humidity. For us, much better than the desert heat of 103 – 106 this time of year. Today it has cooled and the wind is blowing now as if it will rain. We love the rain as we get very little of it in California.

Everything is slower here than in the US, especially slower than in California Today we opened a bank account so we can easily change dollars into pesos and it took about 2 hours. Everyone was very nice, offered us coffee, etc. while we waited and kept apologizing. We had coffee and sweets while we waited and by the time they were finished we were ready for siesta. The maid comes once a week and we were concerned that she would come into the house without knocking and that our dog, Sophie, would bite her. Fortunately for all that has worked out. My note on the door – in spanish – warned her of our dog and so with the dog in the spare bedroom she was able to do her weekly chores. Having a maid is in and of itself a bit of a problem for me since the whole class system that feeds the peons serving the gringos is repulsive. However, when you rent a house here the maid is part of the deal. I remind myself that for her it is employmnet. She is absolutely lovely and a very hard worker. We try to talk to each other in my broken spanish and her broken english.

Next week I will start the conversation spanish classes and hope to take some art classes. I will discontinue the Facebook site as only my daughter in law uses it among those I know. I find the conversation too surface for my interests. Lots of platitudes, feel good quotes and the same kind of chatter ones gets when starting a new relationship. At age 72 I no longer have the interest in going thru the mundane machinations of socialization that it takes to build the history that friendships are built on.

Today Art asked me what I didn’t like about SMA so far. The enclosed downstairs – one can only see to the outside patio. To look out at the street or the hills in back of us you have to be upstairs in the bedrooms. All houses here are designed that way and I have always had a high need to see out and not feel closed in. The only other dislike is that our dog, Sophie, is scared of new sights and sounds and there are many dogs unleashed here so we cannot let her out to run. Hopefully she will eventually become a bit more brave. The things I already like is that my spanish is improving. Even after only one week I can tell that I am more confident and can make myself understood on a very primitive level. Three months here should help immensely.

Always there is the concern about money. Even though the dollar goes a long way here it will take several weeks for us to see a trend in our spending. We are trying to be careful and yet at the same time spend enough to enjoy ourselves.

So, for today, Adios from SMA