Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Your message cannot be sent.

When I arrived in Culiacán last week, I didn't have my Mexican cell phone with me.  I had left it at the house knowing I wouldn't need it.
When I got home, I wanted to send messages to several people.  Alma and I had been chatting on facebook while I was delayed in the DF airport and she told me that she had gotten a boyfriend for Christmas.  I wanted more details about that and to tell her I had arrived, etc.  Her message wouldn't send.  I had another message typed out to Carmen (Yuri's aunt) to tell her I was back and see if she wanted to go to the Baptist church at some point.  Yuri seems to think I'll like it (mostly due to the no-instruments), and I wouldn't mind trying it out since I'm not crazy about the one I go to now.  Her message failed to send, too.
When I arrived at school last week to a locked gate, I tried to call the office, but I couldn't place a call.
There have been times I've tried to send a text and it wouldn't go and I just had to wait a bit.  But I've still been able to place calls.  While I thought I had left some credit on my phone when I left, it may have expired.  I think it was Thursday of last week, I went by the Oxxo to get a charge.  I got my coca light (the first since I had been back) and walked up to the counter asking for a "recarga de TelCel."  What happened next, I was not prepared for...
They didn't have any credit to give me!  You walk in.  You pay your however many pesos you decide.  You tell them your number.  They enter it into their computer.  You leave a happy (and charged) customer.
What did they mean they didn't have any?!
Then she tells me I can get a chrage of Movistar if I want that.  Well, lady, considering I asked for TelCel and have a TelCel phone, that may not be the best plan.
I left speechless, enjoying my coca light.
I think, possibly, that each Oxxo (and there are hundreds in Culiacán) buys its own share of airtime and sells it until they're out and then they buy more.  I just happened to hit on the "We're out" day!  The good news is that we stopped at an Oxxo on the way to (closed) cascabeles and they, in fact, still had air time.

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