AT THE CLINIC
We were intending to write about the Festival, the just-concluded celebration of Our Lady of Peace, the patron saint of Bucerias. However, other events intervened and we were unable to attend except for the first day. But we did gain some valuable information.
Infrastructure. One reads about that quite a bit. And we think about roads and utilities and other items that speed commerce. But it can also refer to the various organizations and systems used to accomplish routine activities. Last year we learned about the dental infrastructure to attend to my wayward tooth. As we related, the dentistry care was excellent. (I am going to have my teeth cleaned while here.) This year is was Mrs.T’s turn to explore the general medical infrastructure.
Last Sunday morn Rebecca told me she was not doing well and the greater part of the night had been on the porcelain throne. And she was feeling a bit nauseous but thought the usual over-the-counter medications would kick in and resolve the two-ended ailments. When I returned in a couple of hours after church – probably a record number of baptisms – Mrs.T was not well at all. She suggested a trip to an emergency room at one of the hospitals in Puerto Vallarta. (PV has several hospitals and a couple cater to tourists; they have very good reputations.) We decided to see if Joannes or Luis were at home, they live in the same compound, and could recommend a doctor. Indeed Joannes was at home and called Dr. Victor to see if he was at his clinic in Bucerias, which he was. Joannes was kind enough to drive us the short distance across the highway to Clinica Santa Rosa.
The first thing about the clinic is that it is inviting. If your doctor’s office is like ours, it is in a nondescript building in a small mall surrounded by other offices that could contain anything from a veterinarian to an insurance agent and probably do. Or it is one of many offices, usually specialists, in a multi-storey tower that is part of a medical complex.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9151458@N07/sets/72157600448628972/
Any of your doctors’ offices have such nice manicured lawns and flowerful entries? Outdoor sculptures? Murals? One almost feels better before reaching the door.
Once inside we greeted by Doctor Victor. No sign-in desk to fill out insurance forms. No clerk or nurse to take vitals and fill out release forms and ask about next-of-kin. No. Straight to the doctor. And he did not waste much time.
Dr. Victor is quite affable. Went right to work. He took Rebecca’s BP, looked at her tongue, which lacked color. Said she was dehydrated and took her to a room. Hooked her up to an IV and started some fluids. He asked what antibiotics to which she was allergic, which is nearly everything. But she can take Cipro which he had and hooked up a bottle of that as well. No muss, no fuss – right to treatment within minutes. Obviously he had seen these cases before.
Clinica Santa Rosa is an excellent place to receive care in Bucerias. It has four nice rooms, each well equipped and with a bath and shower. The equipment may not be state-of-the-art, but it is up-to-date. The inside is as clean and cared for as the outside would suggest. It advertises as a 24 hour clinic and pharmacy, which seems to be true. The doctors, there are two, perform a full range of services from cirugias to partos and the clinic has the facilities. If not, as noted there are several first-rate full hospitals less than thirty minutes away. Try getting such treatment on a Sunday afternoon in Columbus without going to a hospital emergency room. (Our personal peeve is with those misnamed places called emergicare or urgent care or something similar.)
This was a bit more than the normal case that Imodium could handle. Probably some type of dysentery. The best we could analyze, it probably came from a hamburger that was undercooked. It almost definitely did not come from bad water. In almost every country where bottled water is available, that is what is consumed. Tap water may be used to wash things and cooked with if boiled. The US is probably one of the few countries where we put a glass under the faucet for water to drink. Bottled or filtered/treated water is the norm here.
Mrs.T was badly dehydrated, she was down about 4/5 liters of fluids. She needed to stay overnight at the clinic for more liquids and was discharged the next morning. Total bill: about $7500 MP or approximately $750 US including the room, doctor’s fee, and medicine, some sent home with her. Medicines were the costliest part of the bill. It took a bit, but she is essentially back to full strength.
Once again we were quite impressed with the infrastructure here. A superficial understanding based upon partial and misleading information, especially stereotyped, would be deceiving.
Dan and Rebecca
The senior Mr. and Mrs. T are here for a couple of weeks. The next bit of commentary may be a bit later.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Habla Espanol?
LANGUAGE
As some of you know, I was a language person at one time. Spoke a few non-English lingoes fairly well. But through disuse and laziness the skills have atrophied. I still am involved with international students and greatly enjoy working with them to hone their skills in English.
When we have traveled to foreign lands Mrs. T has worked very diligently to acquire some skills in the local languages and she has been able to carry on passable conversations. Her efforts in Spanish have been particularly laudable as we spend extensive time here in Mexico. But the question herein is: Do you need to speak Spanish? Some other comments first.
Generally I have found that US citizens are about the worst when it comes to learning a foreign language. I think mostly it is arrogance. We do not feel the need to learn language – or much else for that matter – about another country. We feel other countries and peoples should move our direction and adopt, or at least adapt to, our ways with minimum efforts on our part. And to our advantage English has become the de facto lingua franca for the planet, used in most commerce, diplomacy, and other transactions.
People in other parts of the world, although there are exceptions, seem for the most part willing to recognize the need to communicate in many tongues and are willing, even anxious, to learn several. We have encountered many people who are not just bilingual but multilingual. Here it is quite common for people, especially those closer to the tourist industry, to speak three languages: Spanish, English, French being most common and not a few speaking Italian or German.
(As an aside: This area is really a very southern province of Canada. We are surrounded by Canadians, and sometimes we are misidentified as such, from all areas including both English and French (‘of a sort’ WD would say) speakers. The developer of our complex and his wife are also interesting in this regard. Joanne is French Canadian, so no surprise in her skill in French and English, but she speaks Spanish as well. Luis’ heritage is quite interesting. He was born in Mexico City. His first language is French! His family is actually of French ancestry and that was the language spoken at home. Recall that there has been a significant French presence in Mexico since before the Napoleonic era. And lest we forget, Spanish is not the native language – there were many Indian dialects here millennia before the arrival of Europeans. The Canadians seem to like lying about the pool, bakin’ in the afternoon sun.)
Back to the question at hand. One can get along reasonably well without fluency in Spanish. Generally Spanglish is adequate for most transactions. However, as one becomes further immersed in the local culture and more distant from the tourist venues, fluency is a greater asset. While one can still frequently be understood, it is the comprehension of what the locals are trying to tell you that becomes more problematic. It helps even just for understanding the dubbing or subtitles on tv shows. (Mrs.T prefers her own interpretative commentary during the infomercials.)
Let me put to rest two myths. First, talking louder does not help. Second, the folks are not talking too fast – we just listen too slowly. You will note that the above discussion is essentially about the spoken language. The situation with reading and writing is somewhat different. We can read a little and write virtually nil. (I rather like the concept of the question mark, albeit inverted, at the beginning as well as the end of a query. Anyone know what it is called? Note to GEH: How did you get that to appear in your email?) I am picking up the language by slow osmosis.
Hope this commentary did not bore you. A couple of more doors have been added to that picture album. It is Festival week. More about that later.
Dan and Rebecca
As some of you know, I was a language person at one time. Spoke a few non-English lingoes fairly well. But through disuse and laziness the skills have atrophied. I still am involved with international students and greatly enjoy working with them to hone their skills in English.
When we have traveled to foreign lands Mrs. T has worked very diligently to acquire some skills in the local languages and she has been able to carry on passable conversations. Her efforts in Spanish have been particularly laudable as we spend extensive time here in Mexico. But the question herein is: Do you need to speak Spanish? Some other comments first.
Generally I have found that US citizens are about the worst when it comes to learning a foreign language. I think mostly it is arrogance. We do not feel the need to learn language – or much else for that matter – about another country. We feel other countries and peoples should move our direction and adopt, or at least adapt to, our ways with minimum efforts on our part. And to our advantage English has become the de facto lingua franca for the planet, used in most commerce, diplomacy, and other transactions.
People in other parts of the world, although there are exceptions, seem for the most part willing to recognize the need to communicate in many tongues and are willing, even anxious, to learn several. We have encountered many people who are not just bilingual but multilingual. Here it is quite common for people, especially those closer to the tourist industry, to speak three languages: Spanish, English, French being most common and not a few speaking Italian or German.
(As an aside: This area is really a very southern province of Canada. We are surrounded by Canadians, and sometimes we are misidentified as such, from all areas including both English and French (‘of a sort’ WD would say) speakers. The developer of our complex and his wife are also interesting in this regard. Joanne is French Canadian, so no surprise in her skill in French and English, but she speaks Spanish as well. Luis’ heritage is quite interesting. He was born in Mexico City. His first language is French! His family is actually of French ancestry and that was the language spoken at home. Recall that there has been a significant French presence in Mexico since before the Napoleonic era. And lest we forget, Spanish is not the native language – there were many Indian dialects here millennia before the arrival of Europeans. The Canadians seem to like lying about the pool, bakin’ in the afternoon sun.)
Back to the question at hand. One can get along reasonably well without fluency in Spanish. Generally Spanglish is adequate for most transactions. However, as one becomes further immersed in the local culture and more distant from the tourist venues, fluency is a greater asset. While one can still frequently be understood, it is the comprehension of what the locals are trying to tell you that becomes more problematic. It helps even just for understanding the dubbing or subtitles on tv shows. (Mrs.T prefers her own interpretative commentary during the infomercials.)
Let me put to rest two myths. First, talking louder does not help. Second, the folks are not talking too fast – we just listen too slowly. You will note that the above discussion is essentially about the spoken language. The situation with reading and writing is somewhat different. We can read a little and write virtually nil. (I rather like the concept of the question mark, albeit inverted, at the beginning as well as the end of a query. Anyone know what it is called? Note to GEH: How did you get that to appear in your email?) I am picking up the language by slow osmosis.
Hope this commentary did not bore you. A couple of more doors have been added to that picture album. It is Festival week. More about that later.
Dan and Rebecca
Thursday, January 11, 2007
color us happy
A RAINBOW OF COLORS
One popular notion is that Mexico is a colorful place. We find that to be true here in Bucerias. Houses and fabrics display a wide palette of bright, festive hues. Probably some of that is for the touristas, but much of it seems genuine joy of happy colors. The typical construction of concrete allows ‘whitewash.’ While white, beige, and other neutral colors dominate, folks do not limit themselves to subdued exteriors. And color is applied to ironwork as well as buildings. The sun and sea exact a toll, however. Colors fade and wrought iron will rust without routine upkeep.
So here are just a few pictures of some colorful abodes and businesses around town. Many are on the other side of the highway. No pictures were edited, they are straight out of the camera.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9151458@N07/sets/72157600448628790/
dan and rebecca
One popular notion is that Mexico is a colorful place. We find that to be true here in Bucerias. Houses and fabrics display a wide palette of bright, festive hues. Probably some of that is for the touristas, but much of it seems genuine joy of happy colors. The typical construction of concrete allows ‘whitewash.’ While white, beige, and other neutral colors dominate, folks do not limit themselves to subdued exteriors. And color is applied to ironwork as well as buildings. The sun and sea exact a toll, however. Colors fade and wrought iron will rust without routine upkeep.
So here are just a few pictures of some colorful abodes and businesses around town. Many are on the other side of the highway. No pictures were edited, they are straight out of the camera.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9151458@N07/sets/72157600448628790/
dan and rebecca
Saturday, January 6, 2007
pictures of Bucerias
Several of our readers have asked for pictures of Bucerias. I hope the previous link to information about the town gave you a good overview of what our small city looks like.
But we thought we should add some of our own pictures.
What could tell you more about a town than its doors, entries, or portals? You probably have seen calendars with doors of famous locales. And indeed doors can be inviting, just functional, or quite ornate. But they tell a lot about the occupants on the other side as well as the nature of the city.
Doors tell you about the resources of the area. Here wood is a dear commodity, not as readily available as in the US and generally not used as a building material. Concrete and ceramics – tiled roofs and floors – are the materials of choice. Wooden doors are a bit of a luxury, even on the tourist side of town. Concrete or ceramics do not generally lend themselves to doors. In contrast, wrought iron is a traditional material readily available and relatively inexpensive. So it is used quite extensively as you will see in our pictures.
Now some of you will think that all this iron is for safety and security. In the US we probably see iron-barred windows as a common use of this material. But a closer examination will show that the iron is more ornamental than obstacle.
Well here are pictures of a few entries to domiciles and businesses in Bucerias taken on an early morning walk. Although these pictures are all on the tourist side of the highway, there are wonderful doors on the other side as well. If you zoom in on the pictures, you will find even more interesting details.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9151458@N07/sets/72157600448626102/
dan and rebecca
But we thought we should add some of our own pictures.
What could tell you more about a town than its doors, entries, or portals? You probably have seen calendars with doors of famous locales. And indeed doors can be inviting, just functional, or quite ornate. But they tell a lot about the occupants on the other side as well as the nature of the city.
Doors tell you about the resources of the area. Here wood is a dear commodity, not as readily available as in the US and generally not used as a building material. Concrete and ceramics – tiled roofs and floors – are the materials of choice. Wooden doors are a bit of a luxury, even on the tourist side of town. Concrete or ceramics do not generally lend themselves to doors. In contrast, wrought iron is a traditional material readily available and relatively inexpensive. So it is used quite extensively as you will see in our pictures.
Now some of you will think that all this iron is for safety and security. In the US we probably see iron-barred windows as a common use of this material. But a closer examination will show that the iron is more ornamental than obstacle.
Well here are pictures of a few entries to domiciles and businesses in Bucerias taken on an early morning walk. Although these pictures are all on the tourist side of the highway, there are wonderful doors on the other side as well. If you zoom in on the pictures, you will find even more interesting details.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9151458@N07/sets/72157600448626102/
dan and rebecca
Saturday, December 30, 2006
First dispatch of 2006-2007 mexico
HELLO EVERYONE.
“Wish you were here” is the usual greeting from someone on vacation. But we are not on vacation, we have just moved to our winter residence. But we would indeed be pleased to have you visit, but not all at once!
This is just the first in what we hope will be several dispatches from our condo in Bucerias. In this issue we will give some basic information about our locale – some of you will be more familiar with this information, bear with us as we orient the new members of our distribution list.
Bucerias is on the Pacific coast of Mexico just north of Puerto Vallara. One could say that Bucerais is a suburb or exurb of PV. We are as about as far from downtown PV as Dublin is from downtown Columbus.
Although at one time Bucerias was the town of divers, the meaning of the name, now it is essentially a tourist place. But tourists of a special sort. The first type of tourist is the snowbird who comes down for the winter season to escape the gloom and cold of the north. A lot of such folks are from Canada. And there are quite a few that enjoy the area so much that they have taken up permanent residence and vacation is in reverse: from here to elsewhere. The second group of tourists consists of Mexicans who want to vacation by the sea during holidays and other breaks. Many Mexicans from Guadalajara and other big cities own a house here.
Here is an excellent site that tells much about our town:
http://www.buceriasmexico.com/
If you scroll down you can read a nice summary about Bucerias and even see a satellite picture from Google Earth.
Click on the picture at the top of the page to see a nice panorama of Bucerias. When you do that you will see ‘overview’ listed. If you click there you will find several more minivistas. And the slide show is also worth viewing. We will be sending some of our own pictures in upcoming e-letters.
Explore as many of the categories listed on the left to discover as much about Bucerias as you like.
HOUSEKEEPING MATTERS
We enjoy sharing our activities and pictures with you. We have no problem if you would like to share our dispatches with others, and should they wish to be put on our distribution list, just forward an email address. Of course if you are not interested in our stories, just let us know and we can remove your address from our distribution.
Some of you have indicated that because of your connection you are unable to easily download graphics or pictures. We will continue to send you both the complete version of our dispatches and a text-only version. Perhaps you will be able to get a speedy broadband connection sometime.
We hope some of you will receive birthday greetings we have sent from here. Some of them could be a bit late. And if the card is dated ‘2006’, that is because Mr. T was confused.
Talk to you again soon. Feel free to email with comments or questions.
..dan and rebecca
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