Probaditas de Morelia

I knew things would be different. But it's never the things you expect. Take garbage for example.

My last apartment in San Francisco had the best and most futuristic system for garbage I have yet encountered. Simply walk 5 steps down the hall and drop the offending bag into the garbage shoot. Down the hatch and whooosh, it is whisked away to a happy place where little gnomes magically take care of everything. Perfection. Even after three years, each whoosh and satisfying thud gave me a slight rush.

Here in Mexico things work a little differently.

First of all, there is no shoot but that was to be expected. No big deal. Instead of the shoot and gnomes, Mexico has a truck with a little bell. Every morning at an unspecified and highly irregular time, this truck drives around the neighborhood ringing the bell to alert attentive garbage disposers of its presence. The system is simple, when you hear the bell and see the truck, bring out your garbage and pay them a small tip ($0.25 per bag) for the service. Oh they love to ring that bell. Ring a ling a ling.

It's 7am, I'm still asleep but from the corner of my mind I hear a sound to faint to be my alarm clock....Ring, a ling a ling a ling a ling. "Oh god, is the truck here? Is it close?" The bell is louder now. I run to open the window, sticking my head out to see if I can make out the phantom truck in the distance but it's nowhere to be seen. Ring a ling a ling. "Yeah, yeah. I hear your damn bell. Where the heck are you?" Ring a lin a li..... and it's gone. No bell, no truck. I've heard the bell many times but I have never seen that truck.

The old lady who runs the corner store and spends her days asleep behind the counter told me the truck comes when it wants to come. Not helpful. When pressed she said usually around 8am. But at 9am, still no truck and I have to leave for school. When I return, I turn the corner full of anticipation. Did they pick it up? Things look good, all the garbage is gone, but wait, what's that? They left mine sitting there? Of course they did. No tip, no pickup.

When I get desperate I leave money with this same old lady and put my garbage in front of her store. This works but I feel bad and I doubt she appreciates me dumping my garbage duties on her. But so it goes. Maybe they come by on Saturdays.

Asì­ es.

-n