Back in Ciudad Juarez...at long last

[MattHanson1990]

After two miserable months in f*** a** Los Alamos, I am finally back in Ciudad Juarez for the fourth time this year. Just before I left the States for Mexico for HA round 4, I decided to give up two American things. One, I stopped going to the gym and started hiking instead. Two, I stopped driving and instead used the bus system in Los Alamos.

For the most part things have been better this time than the first three times, and just like last time I am the ONLY American tourist staying at the hostel. This time I'm doing things differently. Most importantly, I decided I won't be seeing that petite woman who lived a couple of blocks from the hostel's previous location. Having listened to the podcast between Winston and Rock, I realized that I made the mistake of falling for the first woman who showed genuine interest in me.

And the problem was that I was desperate, having been on a dry spell my whole life up to that point, and constantly being shut out of the dating scene in my own country. That woman wasn't right for me. For one thing she is a single mother with three kids. She seemed desperate and just wanted to jump into a relationship quickly, only getting to know me a little bit. She was also more of a taker than a giver since she almost always asked me for money whenever I went to see her. I'm also going to play my violin in downtown, as I was recommended by Falcon to bring a musical instrument to Mexico. From what he told me Mexican women love music. So here's what has happened so far on this trip, excluding the near 1 day layover in Albuquerque.

Day 1:
As I arrived in El Paso on the greyhound bus, I called the hostel, and no one picked up; I'm spending two nights as a couchsurfer and then the next five as a regular guest. So I took the brio bus to UTEP to briefly catch up with my friends from the InterVarsity chapter, including that one girl I hit it off with in November. They were tabling outside the student hall for freshman orientation. The girl I hit it off with was in a pink dress, and boy was she attractive (she was almost a 7). About an hour into tabling, Nicia contacted me and told me she was waiting for me at the hostel; so I took the brio back to downtown El Paso and then crossed the border into Ciudad Juarez. Since I was carrying two pieces of luggage, the authorities asked to search one of them upon me entering Mexico, my violin. The funny part was when they asked if it was a Stratovarius, and I told them no. So then they let me continue into the country. And as I was walking towards a bus stop, I made eye contact with a young woman, she smiled, and I initiated a conversation with her en español. It flowed naturally, and she smiled the whole way through. But I had to cut it short since I had to go to the hostel. So then I took a bus to go to the hostel since it relocated in April. After getting checked in, I played my violin for Nicia, and she filmed me to show her family. But I felt tired from the heat, so I slept in the hostel the rest of the day and did nothing.

Day 2:
I re-entered the US for three hours to hang out with Hanny at UTEP. First, something very memorable happened after I cleared customs and immigration. Right outside the checkpoint, there was this average looking Mexican girl sitting on the sidewalk. And as I made eye contact with her, she smiled, and we started having conversations in Spanish, then in English. She lives in Juarez but goes to El Paso Community College. And I was like wow, even in El Paso, you can chat up girls, especially the ones from Juarez. After 3 hours I went back to Juarez. Nicia and I walked over to the Paso Del Norte cultural center to see if I can rehearse on stage, but there were rehearsals for a play. So we decided that I would play my violin on Avenida 16 de septiembre the following day. Then I rested for a while. But later I went over to the Asenzo bar right across the street from the hostel. There I met a woman I met through Nicia and I also met two other guys. And one of whom I talked to about the social disconnectedness and dysfunctional dating scene in the US, and he agreed with everything I said. And then I saw a hot girl go in, taking to the woman briefly before going in. So then I went in myself and found her with a group of two other women. I approached them, and asked them if it was OK to sit with them, and they welcomed me. The hot one I found out was born in El Paso and raised in Juarez, then went to UT Austin for college (she's going to Harvard for grad school). After they left the bar I tried to start conversations with another group, but a security guard threw me out for "being annoying". WTF? I thought getting thrown out for trying to talk to people ONLY happened in the US.

[Ghost]

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[MattHanson1990]

Sounds like you are really improving with each subsequent trip to Mexico. I think you will benefit more the deeper you go into the country. I often read good things about Guadalajara. How good is your Spanish? I get the impression that you're beyond conversational.

You made a good decision giving up that single mom. Trust me, you can do way better. And as your Spanish improves and you travel deeper into the country and perhaps even find a way to support yourself longer, the better it will get.

I think with your musical talent and your Spanish, you will definitely find a good girl eventually. It's really probably just going to come down to a job/income for staying in Mexico. And the visa length is no problem, right? Can't Americans stay for up to 6 months on just a tourist visa?

As far as income, I'm getting a few thousand dollars for composing a new soundtrack for the 1950s film "Salt of the Earth". And I decided I won't be renouncing my U.S. citizenship since I still want to make money from composing stateside, and I would also like to visit parts of the U.S. I haven't been to yet, like the Midwest or the Deep South.