Normally, we try to stay away from contributing stories regarding personal life’s trials and tribulations. The key word in this story will be “circumvention” Which really means I’m gonna’ do it anyway.

It’s a Mexico story, so that makes it a "World Interest” type of reflection.

As many of you know, my wife (life partner) and I have been living and teaching English in Baja California Sur, Mexico for about the last two years. This last Christmas vacation-’08-‘09 was about 31 days.

Our plan was to fly to Guadalajara (dirt cheap on T.T.A. Tree Top Airlines. Start with a few days along with Christmas Eve and Christmas Night looking at all the wonderfully beautiful (that ain’t no shit) women-men for her in GDA, rent a car, and hit the road to explore beautiful Mountainous Central Mexico.

I had been in Portland, Oregon for a couple days taking care of some business, and I took a taxi for $20.00USD to the posada in downtown Guadalajara where my wife was happily waiting for my on time flight.

I have spent considerable time in Guadalajara on several occasions, and I can tell you that with 6 million people, (22nd largest in the world), it’s a city not to be missed.

I remember getting out of the cab on the afternoon of December 31st, in El Centro Guadalajara; happily greeting Kathleen, talking about the soon to come travels as we were going to explore.

It must have been a bigger day for me than I thought. Next thing I knew I woke up in the Jalisco State Hospital (This is where you go when you are a Penniless Pesoless Mexican).

It was now January 16th-Kathleen was asleep on a blanket on the floor-where she had been sleeping at my side every night since 1/1/09. Nothing seemed strange about this at all. It’s like I had just been watching the past 17 days on T.V.: “Oh… I have been here in the hospital with a Coma, and an Epidural hematoma, hundreds of stitches holding my head together."

Seemed normal to me... all but the “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” style beds.

I gotta’ tell you though…the Doctors and medical staff all seemed well trained and professional to me. Perhaps better than what I might have received in a U.S. First Class facility.

The sum total for the entire stay was about $700.USD

We finally returned to the nice posada where it all started, where I spent another week in bed, and finally hobbled back to the airport for the flight to San Jose, MX after our month of “vacation”.

At one point they told her I might die, from there it went to loss of the use of my entire left side of my body. Well, here I am over 5 months later…Alive and fully functional. What really happened? How did my head get this huge gash? How was I brought to lay on my bed unconscious where Kathleen was to find me? I have no recollection, and nobody is coming forth with anything more than speculation. I could go on and on about it.

I am not back to work yet, but we are ploughing through the paperwork.

This is my first contribution in about five months. For those of you have missed my writings, and sent me your thoughts: The best of thoughts to you.

The point of these words: Enjoy the days you have, life is short; make the better of every one. This kind of thing happeneds to people every day. I am going to continue to live and work in Mexico, where real medicine is still practiced.
 

Good to be back....F-