caddy's don't jack.
so it's been a really tough couple of weeks at school. it's weird adjusting to an entirely new system of administration, viewpoints, disciplinary procedures, etc. i'm learning, though...i'm learning. i was frustrated a lot this past week....sad at times, ready to go back home other times, defeated at times, completely head over hills in love with my job other days....yeah. it's a weird day by day, blow by blow sort of scenario.
anyways....but today, to end the week, we had a big meeting of the entire faculty. that was nice because it's the first time that that's happened since school began over a month ago. sort of nice to look at eachother an communicate as a whole....(yes, you do sense sarcasm). anyways....so i say that to say that we got out of school late for having to be held up. i was really ready to go home, wasn't feeling the best ever (all of my munchkins are sick....one even vomited today and had to call his mom to come get him), tired from not sleeping well last night...and just in the mood to rest before going to my other job at the restaurant (which normally keeps me until 2 or 3 am). anyways...so i leave and notice that the cadillac i'm borrowing is making more noises than it usually does and that the gas tank is blinking EMPTY (yesterday, it showed 4 bars...and then randomly last night it's on empty). so i ease it through town....UNTIL i get to the light that is utterly and completely packed. it was in that moment that the caddy decided it was done for the day. it completely shut off, including the use of the brakes, steering column, everything. i was panicked. there are places to park all alongside the careterra (highway), however, this is RUSH hour traffic time...and people are everywhere....so there are NO spaces. i rolled off as much as i could...and the car just died. that was it. there was no moving it or doing anything. and there was no space even if i'd wanted to attempt to push it in neutral. so i told the little man that was in the store where i'd ended up...halfway in the highway, half off.
his concern was not blocking his stores entrance....it was the flow of traffic. i know, i told him...it's just that i literally can't do ANYTHING with it. i'm gonna walk for gas.
i did. i must have been a hilarious sight...i usually am when things like this happen to me. i made it to the pemex....the guy there told me that i had to go to the liquor store to buy a gallon jug, dump the water out, and return so he could fill it up with 40 pesos of premium gas to carry back to the car. great. as i was about to enter the liquor store, he whistled really loudly across the parking lot (i'm convinced that to be a mexican, it is a pre requisite to be able to whistle REALLY loudly and in about 5 different forms...for signaling purposes...you convey this sort of message with the tone, length, and volume of the whistle....i'll fail that part of my dual citizenship if i have to take it...)...i turned to see him waving me back over to the pemex. he told me to hold on, he had something i could carry the gas in. sure enough. it was a gigantic clorox bottle. i was delighted. he lent me that and the funnel to siphen in the gas.
i headed back towards downtown on the side of the road. i was quite the sight, as usual, because of my fair skin and blonde hair. it's always cause for ruckus...
anyways...finally get back and to my horror, arrive to find a LINE of traffic backed up so far....being led by the police truck...with the movement of traffic both ways, only one lane could pass at a time. the cars trying to go behind mine had to wait until there were no cars in the oncoming lane....i was mortified....and there was no hiding what was happening or to whom the fault belonged....the guerra....the gringa....me. the men who were in the stores lining where i had been pushed aside came out to help me put in the gas. they put it in. i jumped in. the car started. and i headed back to the gas station to put some more gas in and return the borrowed items. thank goodness they were so understanding....and supportive.
what a day. i learned: caddy's don't jack. when it even starts playing like it's getting low on gas...you better rush to the station....cause you'll be blocking the height of rush hour traffic in mexico if not. yikes!
anyways....but today, to end the week, we had a big meeting of the entire faculty. that was nice because it's the first time that that's happened since school began over a month ago. sort of nice to look at eachother an communicate as a whole....(yes, you do sense sarcasm). anyways....so i say that to say that we got out of school late for having to be held up. i was really ready to go home, wasn't feeling the best ever (all of my munchkins are sick....one even vomited today and had to call his mom to come get him), tired from not sleeping well last night...and just in the mood to rest before going to my other job at the restaurant (which normally keeps me until 2 or 3 am). anyways...so i leave and notice that the cadillac i'm borrowing is making more noises than it usually does and that the gas tank is blinking EMPTY (yesterday, it showed 4 bars...and then randomly last night it's on empty). so i ease it through town....UNTIL i get to the light that is utterly and completely packed. it was in that moment that the caddy decided it was done for the day. it completely shut off, including the use of the brakes, steering column, everything. i was panicked. there are places to park all alongside the careterra (highway), however, this is RUSH hour traffic time...and people are everywhere....so there are NO spaces. i rolled off as much as i could...and the car just died. that was it. there was no moving it or doing anything. and there was no space even if i'd wanted to attempt to push it in neutral. so i told the little man that was in the store where i'd ended up...halfway in the highway, half off.
his concern was not blocking his stores entrance....it was the flow of traffic. i know, i told him...it's just that i literally can't do ANYTHING with it. i'm gonna walk for gas.
i did. i must have been a hilarious sight...i usually am when things like this happen to me. i made it to the pemex....the guy there told me that i had to go to the liquor store to buy a gallon jug, dump the water out, and return so he could fill it up with 40 pesos of premium gas to carry back to the car. great. as i was about to enter the liquor store, he whistled really loudly across the parking lot (i'm convinced that to be a mexican, it is a pre requisite to be able to whistle REALLY loudly and in about 5 different forms...for signaling purposes...you convey this sort of message with the tone, length, and volume of the whistle....i'll fail that part of my dual citizenship if i have to take it...)...i turned to see him waving me back over to the pemex. he told me to hold on, he had something i could carry the gas in. sure enough. it was a gigantic clorox bottle. i was delighted. he lent me that and the funnel to siphen in the gas.
i headed back towards downtown on the side of the road. i was quite the sight, as usual, because of my fair skin and blonde hair. it's always cause for ruckus...
anyways...finally get back and to my horror, arrive to find a LINE of traffic backed up so far....being led by the police truck...with the movement of traffic both ways, only one lane could pass at a time. the cars trying to go behind mine had to wait until there were no cars in the oncoming lane....i was mortified....and there was no hiding what was happening or to whom the fault belonged....the guerra....the gringa....me. the men who were in the stores lining where i had been pushed aside came out to help me put in the gas. they put it in. i jumped in. the car started. and i headed back to the gas station to put some more gas in and return the borrowed items. thank goodness they were so understanding....and supportive.
what a day. i learned: caddy's don't jack. when it even starts playing like it's getting low on gas...you better rush to the station....cause you'll be blocking the height of rush hour traffic in mexico if not. yikes!
posted by Courtney @ 10:07 PM
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