The fake ID that brought me to Mexico
This is the second in a series of excerpts from a book I'm writing that consists of interviews with women who have come to Mexico alone. Join me and Virginia as we sit at the kitchen table of her two bedroom/one bath condo in the small village of San Antonio, east of Ajijic. The freshly painted white walls and daffodil yellow cabinets reflect Virginia's cheerfulness and outlook on life. Streaming through her new curtains, the sun dances through her thinning gray hair.
Virginia is eighty-one in years, but not in spirit or sprightliness. The oldest of twelve children, she was raised in Montana and lived most of her adult life in California's San Joaquin Valley.
She pulls her chair to the table and says, "As I was preparing for this interview, it occurred to me there were three important turning points in my life: a jealous husband, a fake ID and a recession in Japan." She grins mischievously and I raise my eyebrows.
"Okay Virginia," I say," you've pushed my curiosity button. Now, please fill in the blanks."
After the war, I was discharged and married Harold. Twenty-three years later, when the boys were off to college, I left him and moved to Sacramento. Harold was so jealous, I couldn't tolerate it. I felt like I was in a straight jacket. After sixteen years of medical transcription, I worked three years as a bookkeeper in a Presbyterian Church and eventually ended up employed by a large aerospace company.
When they downsized in 1990, I was an account analyst and took early retirement at seventy-three. They thought I was ten years younger, because my neighbor had doctored up my driver's license with his old Underwood typewriter when they hired me. I was really sixty-three then and they never would have hired me if they had known.
As soon as I retired, I enrolled at Sacramento State College and earned a certificate to teach English as a second language. When I finished the two-year program, I flew to Japan, ESL certificate in hand, but the recession was in high gear and no-one would hire me.
I had some friends who lived in Ajijic, so I wrote them, asking if there was anything I could do as a volunteer. They responded right away, saying, "Come on down." This was five years ago and I loved what I saw.
I told them, "I'm going home to get my things and I'll be back."
I'm so glad I didn't get a job in Japan. The cost of living is too high there. I would have had to work fifty hours a week just to eat and pay rent. The Lord was looking out for me when he put me here where I could do his good deeds.
I live comfortably on $1200 to $1500 including my rent, and my car. I do a lot of traveling. Things are getting more expensive though. This condo costs $350 per month. My food bill has doubled in the last two years and restaurant prices have gone up as well. In another five years I may need to move around to the other side of the lake--if it's still there."
She takes a sip of water, leans forward and whispers conspiratorially, "So, now you know about the jealous husband, my fake-ID and the recession in Japan." The laugh lines around her clear brown eyes hint at a jovial, perhaps mischievous personality. "What else do you want to know?"
"I'd like to hear about your life in Mexico. What do you do to keep busy?"
I'm using my ESL training here. A friend brought a young boy over who had been out of high school for a year because the doctor had told him his eyes were too bad. He was a junior. I met with him and his older brother twice a week. Now he's a math major at a local university. Gradually, by word of mouth, I acquired more students. I enjoy teaching the Mexican people, they're so friendly and helpful.
A few years ago I took a course on lighting and I've worked for the last three winters doing either light or sound for the local theatre. I'm anxious to get trained on the new board. This year I did only two plays and worked on the Christmas Cantada.
After my first year in San Antonio, I was made elder of a nearby church and then, senior elder and Chairwoman of the Board. I had an awful lot of responsibilities and I took them very seriously. When I finally resigned that position, I volunteered to take care of the flower beds. I still do that. The gardener just trims and mows and waters, but he doesn't know how to properly care for the flowers.
In my alone time I like to read and walk. I'd much rather pick up a good book than watch that darn television. Of course, TV would probably help me with my Spanish. I walk at least an hour every morning, trying different routes each day. I belong to the Hash House Harriers, a walking club. When I walk with them, they speed me up. When I walk alone, I have a tendency to slow down.
And I like to travel. Last year for my eightieth birthday, I drove back to the States and visited everybody on the West Coast who I correspond with at Christmas. I went to California, Oregon, Washington and over to Missoula, Montana. I drove over 12,000 miles by myself. It was a great trip.
"You're amazing, Virginia. For me, even at my age, driving 12,000 miles alone would be horrific. Do your family and friends visit you here?"
My friend Alice is thinking of moving here. I said to her, "Please come down and visit before deciding. There are definitely adjustments that need to be made." She's unhappy with the US government, but Mexico has their own share of governmental problems." Virginia glances at her watch.
"We're almost finished, Virginia," I say. "Would you mind talking a minute about your health?"
I'm pretty healthy. I go to an alternative medicine doctor in Chapala. I don't believe in pills and medicines. For years I've had Medicare and a supplemental insurance policy in the States. I tried to sign up for IMSS, the Mexican national insurance, but was refused because I had skin cancer twenty years ago. If something really bad happens, I'll go to a VA hospital here, so why worry about it?
Life's really pretty good here for me. I've still got my health, I feel useful and I'm doing the Lord's work."
She picks up her glass of water and swirls it, studying the whirlpool she's created. Then, looking me right in the eyes, she asks, "Do you think my jealous husband, the fake ID and recession in Japan were all part of the Lord's plan for me?"
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