Walking

It's amazing what shutting up will do for you.  Being in another country with not too many people I know makes for two types of situations most of the time: talking non-stop having been showered with questions from new friends, complete silence taking in others' conversations or around people I don't know at all.  That silence on the bus really makes me think.  It made me think yesterday what it means to "look Mexican" even though I was unable to write to the depth of my thoughts.  It makes me wonder why I'm here.  It makes me glad I'm here.  It makes me miss things.  It makes me forget things.  

That still silence is deep and reflective and thoughtful.  

The silence I enjoyed tonight was active.  Mabel and I left the house at 7pm on the dot (it amazes me how some things are so prompt-the seeming unimportant things like walking and going to the grocery- and other things are so late-the seeming important like jobs, church, birthday parties)to go to New Malecon.  Bewley, I know you will police my sentence, so it's actually Nuevo (NWAVE-oh) Malecon (mall-eh-CONE).  It's a long stretch of road that was very busy tonight!  It is nowhere near downtown.  It goes by Forum (the mall near my house) and stretches in the direction of Mabel's dad's house.  It's parallel to one of the two or three rivers in Culiacan.  

We got out of the car and each started our music.  I had made a "running mix" on my iPod when I got here with high hopes.  Here 3.5 weeks later, I finally got to use it, though it was mislabeled.  I walked the whole time.  I'll get to running.  As I was walking, listening to English music (Ashley, What that Hook Gon' Be was one of them...made me think of all our return road trips!), I was taking in my new city.  No one would expect me to call this city my city the first few weeks I was here, so this isn't surprising, probably.  But I spent the last three and a half weeks trying to orient myself and take it all in.  I noticed all the differences, though I think Culiacan and Nashville have quite a bit in common.  Maybe I should do a Venn diagram!  Sorry.  Anyway, as we were walking, and I was seeing the city at night, knowing that it's a dangerous city (as any big city is), I realized its beauty.  I don't think Nashville is necessarily beautiful.  The skyline makes me happy and I love love love that I have lots of grass in front of and behind my house.  I like the trees, and I think it has cute neighborhoods.  All in all, though, I don't know that someone new to Nashville just says this is a beautiful city.

I saw the niceness in Culiacan tonight.  It wasn't hot; I was sweaty-very sweaty- but it wasn't hot.  There were no people in my personal space.  There were no singers on the bus asking for some pesos.  There were no red shirts anywhere to be found!  The trees, though different, seemed pretty.  The lights from the churches downtown were beautiful colors and highlighted places I was familiar with.  The river, though brown and still, was appealing.

This is not my home, but I am at home.