Progreso Street Scenes, Vol. One

January 23rd, 2007 • Related • Filed Under

With Jillian and I both coming down ill with some kind of awful chest/head cold, we haven’t gotten as many pictures of Progreso together as we would like. There will definitely be more to come, but in the meantime, here’s some tide-you-over, wet-your-whistle pictures of what life has looked like since we moved to Progreso.


Our rental house across the street from the beach.


The street we live on. Follow this, and you end up in Centro Progreso.


Sick and cranky on the couch.


Centro.


Adios, pinata.


With so many homeless dogs and cats here, it’s no wonder one started coming and going into our house as she sees fit. Internet, meet Dr. Jean Grey, the blue-eyed mangey cat we feed, who may or may not have infested our house with fleas.

…And that’s about it for this instant. Jillian and I are on the road to recovery, and our internet service should be kickin’ in our house by Thursday, at the latest. For now, we are more or less commuting to Merida every day to work at Pioneros, my favorite internet cafe. As soon as we are up and hummin’, expect more photos of our new digs, and the frequent updates you expect and deserve. Until next time, chicas.

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There Are 4 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by Julie on 23 January 2007:

    Malcolm, when I was in Progreso for the first time 3 weeks ago,the town and the area in general both scared the “…” out of me and attracted me at the same time…Why? Do you understand what I mean? What is it really like for you? If I were to buy something there, would I ever be able to feel like I belong? Everything was just so bizarre to me…weird…unreal…but also tempting, magical,hypnotic…Is there something wrong with me? I can’t wait to read more about your life in the Yucatan! Please write more often!

  2. Comment by Malcolm on 23 January 2007:

    Hi Julie,

    Thanks for stopping by. I definitely know what you mean, but I wonder if it is living in Progreso in particular, or Mexico in general. I mean, we have been here for less than six months, after spending the first five in Merida. Moving to Progreso was, in a lot of ways, like moving to Mexico all over again. Things are very different out here, but it is also much more the beach lifestyle we had envisioned for ourselves when we still live in the States. I don’t think there’s REALLY anything to be scared of. There have been some reports of crime (burglaries, etc.) directed against gringos, but I think this is only of note because it is in stark contrast to the unbelievably low crime rates in the rest of the Yucatan. Granted, drive to the outskirts of town, and you will find poverty the likes of which you have probably never previously imagined. However, that poverty doesn’t carry with it the same sense of desperation as it does in say, Jamaica, Queens. Life is lived at all levels here, and for the most part, everyone seems moderately content with that.

    Everything IS certainly as you described…bizarre, weird, and unreal. But it is that simultaneous magical, hypnotic feeling that we choose to focus on, and it is what keeps us absolutely loving it here. There are small challenges, but the rewards far, far, far outweigh them.

    As for whether you will ever “belong” here…no, probably not. I mean, Mexicans will never pass you on the street and think you were born in Mexico. But “belonging” is kind of a liquid thing, and we have found that we are already quite comfortable here, and, in small ways, DO belong to our community.

    We don’t have internet in our house yet, that’s why updates have been a bit sporadic. But if you read back in the archives when we first got here in August, you’ll see a bit of the transition we have gone through already.

    I’ll be happy to answer any more questions you might have, and in the meantime, keep reading…we will post a proper Progreso update later this week.

    thanks
    Malcolm

  3. Comment by Lauren on 23 January 2007:

    I can’t believe you are Mexican cheating on your brother with Dr. Grey. Wait til he finds out.

  4. Comment by Angela on 23 January 2007:

    Looks great, guys! Love the cat’s name ;-) Get better soon. HUGS!

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