My Vespa Ciao...
A European way to get around...in Mexico. 

Once I had finished my English Teaching training course, I started working at Interlingua at the beginning of 1982...

This was something totally new to me and I started loving it right from the beginning.

 When I arrived at the school where I was going to be teaching, I met some of the staff and my future bosses. I met Nelson the school manager, and the Director, Joyce.

I had a brief interview with both of them and we got on fine from the get go...

Nelson was a Mexican born guy, who may have lived in the United States for a while, or so I thought, as he had a very strong American accent, he was well dressed, he wore a suit and tie and shiny shoes, and was a friendly person, although he had a strong character.

He managed the teachers' working schedules, so if you got on his good side, you could get the hours that you wanted. 

The pay at Interlingua was in relation to the hours that you taught, with a minimum of hours allocated to every teacher. I think it was at least twenty hours, then if you wanted to earn more money you would have to work more hours, in order to do so you had to make yourself available, and likeable by Nelson. 

I had to learn the skill to sell myself, in other words, to be liked not only by Nelson but also by the students because if they requested me the more likely I would be asked to work more, which meant more money...and that was the bottom line, I was there to earn money and save as much as I could, so that I could to eventually take off again...

Joyce, the director, was an American, she was kind and usually got on well with everyone and spoke Spanish with a very strong American accent. 

There were several teachers working there, some part time others full time, and I got on well with most of them.

I think I remember them all, let's see...there were three American ladies, Sharon, Karen, Ellen, all blonde and young and single, they were good fun and I believe all Mexican male students loved them all, there was also a very proper Kiwi lady, Anne, (New Zealander), there was a French couple and an English guy and there were a few Mexican born teachers and... there was also one interesting short guy… from India... Deepak...with whom I would build a strong friendship, there's a lot to say about him so I'll expand on that on my next story.

Overall, it was a nice and diverse team of teachers, some stayed long, some came and went...
I stayed teaching at Interlingua for nearly 3 years... 

One of the things that used to bug me though, was getting there and back on public transport...

It would normally take me a good 45 minutes to get there by bus...and to be honest, I didn't like it at all, the only good thing was that it was extremely cheap... 

At that time, I was living at home with my parents, so, I was not paying for rent or board, I was only chipping in with the phone bill...

I didn't have many other expenses, and for that reason, I was able to start saving some money rather fast...and with my first savings, I bought myself a rather cute Vespa Ciao moped!!

This was not a very common sort of transportation in Mexico, it was a new European thing, and it could be slightly dangerous to ride on the busy streets of Mexico City.   

But I had seen them in Europe, in particular in Italy during my trip overseas, and they managed to ride around without any hassles in Rome, where traffic is absolutely crazy, so I thought ...why not? If they can do it in Rome, I could try it in Mexico City too...

By pure coincidence, there was a Piaggio Vespa dealership near my house...so after seeing them in their window display a few times, while I was passing on the bus one day, I decided to get off the bus and have a closer look.
 
These mopeds were like bicycles, with pedals, however, they had a wee motor powered by petrol, just like a motorbike would.

There was a wee 3-litre petrol tank in the middle of the moped… The pedals just gave you the option to ride it like a normal bike if you ever run out of gas... 

They were truly really cool…So, a few days later I went in and bought one! 

I chose a blue one, it was gorgeous, and while I was there, I also bought a helmet and goggles, they were quite retro, like from World War II.

I also bought a waterproof suit for the rain in bright yellow, so that I’d be seen at night. The suit was simply a pair of trousers that could go over my normal trousers and a jacket, both could be folded into a nice and compact pouch. 

I also had a pair of black gloves …I was completely set up for the whole experience... 

I started going to work every day on my Vespa, I was so happy…No more buses!!

I also used to take my Sony Walkman, the original one, the one with the orange headset, and play my cassette tapes on the road! 

I remember clearly that I used to love playing Janis Joplin or Led Zeppelin or Bob Marley really loud to try to cancel out the deafening noise of the traffic in Mexico City... 

I had to learn to be very careful while riding in the city, as most motorists didn't show any kind of respect for bikes, and were quite aggressive while driving, it was truly dangerous, and on top of that, I also had to look out for potholes... 

However, it was ten times better than travelling by bus and it was so unique that it made me quite popular at school amongst my colleague teachers and students, they all thought it was so cool, no one else had a VESPA, and when I'd ask them, why don't you get one?

They'd say..."Oh, no way, that's not for me".... I'm too scared, or some other excuse...

I rode my Vespa to and from work and to anything or anywhere else, however, at times, while still living at home, I'd borrow my dad's car to go out at night If there was somewhere to go or something to do... 

This is the way it was for the rest of that first-year working at Interlingua until one day...I found a flat, a flatmate and I was offered a teaching position at a new branch of Interlingua, a few blocks away from my new flat...

It all fell into place quite nicely... 

Another chapter of my life was about to unfold... 

I got a job, as an English teacher...
This would be the last job I’d ever have in Mexico... 

Getting a job was priority number one from the moment I got back home… 

It was definitely awkward being at home and getting money from dad for my daily expenses or anything at all, I wasn't even paying for my meals or anything else.... 

When you are young, you can take it for granted that your parents will look after you, feed you and house you...
You don't even stop to think about the expense you may be costing them at all...well, at least that was the way I was brought up and the way it was.

However, I was 21 years old then and, after living independently overseas for some time, I was very aware of the fact that I needed to pay my own way and cover at least my personal expenses...I couldn't continue being a financial burden to my parents for too much longer... 

All my brothers and sisters had left home... 

My eldest brother, Pepe, was the first one to leave...He got married and soon after had a child, my first niece, Claudia...

He was a young man when he got married, however, that was normal back then...he was a schoolteacher when he did so and was also studying Architecture at Uni...

The next one to leave was my brother, Jorge, he left home to live independently somewhere...I didn't know much about what he was doing back then, he simply moved out...it was all a bit of a mystery to me at that time...this was quite unusual in those days in Mexico, as most of the times kids didn't leave home unless they were getting married or got a job out of town or something like that... 

My sisters got married quite young, in their early twenties, although in those days that was the average marriage age for girls...so they were both gone from home...

By the time I left for my first adventure overseas they both had already had their first children, my sister Leticia had Daniela and soon after my sister Silvia had Sergio...

The last one to leave before I did was my brother Mario, he left soon after I went away on my first adventure in Europe, as he got a job up north in Monterrey...that was a great move for my brother's corporate career and life in general, as he also ended up meeting his wife up in Monterrey...and ended up staying there...

So, all my siblings were pretty much all set up for life, one way or another, it was just me left to get sorted...and I'm sure my parents were eager to see what would come out of this young one, their last child...
 As I've mentioned in my previous post, I was so lucky to find that advert from 'Interlingua' looking for English teachers...
I was quite excited about it and decided to apply... I made a phone call to enquire, and I was told to go to their head office for a chat... 
I went for my interview and test to Mexico City's *Zona Rosa, a small business district in Mexico City, where they had their head office.

*The Zona Rosa (The Pink Zone) is an interesting part of Mexico City, located roughly between the Angel of Independence and the *Metro station 'Insurgentes' (*Mexico's City Underground transport system). Pictured above. 

This business district had several pedestrian-only streets and back in 1981, it was a cool place for upmarket restaurants, night clubs and for several renowned Hotels...there were always lots of tourists around there.

It was a place I never necessarily went to, especially at night, a bit out of my lifestyle and budget, but we'd sometimes go there to a small but unique 'Record shop' to buy some of the latest imported records...

I believe things have changed a bit since then... 

I had no car, so I was back again using public transport in Mexico City, so I must've taken a bus and then the Metro to get to my appointment...I'm sure it must've taken me at least 45 minutes to one hour to get there...

I remember I was feeling quite confident when I walked in...and said to the receptionist, I'm here regarding the position for English teachers.
I was instructed to sit in a sort of classroom and wait for someone...there were others sitting in the room, obviously applying for the same job...

Then someone walked in, and we were given a job application form to fill out and were handed an English written test sheet...
It was an English grammar test... I actually found it quite easy...it was mostly basic grammar but had also some tricky questions... 

Then a couple of us were asked to wait to meet with someone for another test, the others were sent home...
Yay! I had passed my first test...

The next test was a conversational English test, which was simply having a brief interview with an American lady...
I must've done well because in the end I was offered the job!

They explained to me that I had to take a 2-week training course, right there at their head office, to learn how to teach English using their system.
Cool, I said, I'm keen...

Then they said to me that they had an opening at a branch by the "Parque de los Venados" a well-known park not too far from home and I said, that sounds perfect, when can I start?
They said "if after taking your training course we think you are ready to teach you can start in January"
Sounds awesome, I said. 

I went back home all smiles...
I GOT A JOB!

I could not believe it...wait a minute...I didn't even ask what the pay was...never mind...
Whatever it was I'm sure it was just fine... 

I felt empowered and hopeful! 

The news of my new job was well-received back at home by mum and dad...they were happy for me, and it sounded like a "real job", a teaching job...

That kind of occupation or profession has always had a good reputation, especially with my family, my brother Pepe was a primary schoolteacher and both my sisters Leticia and Silvia also ended up teaching...so my upcoming job must have given my parents some reassurance that I was moving in the right direction, somehow, according to their hopes for all of us... 

Can you imagine? … I was going to be an English teacher...Who would've thought?...

That type of job had never entered my mind at all until I saw that advert... 

It is interesting how things can present themselves to you in the most inexplicable ways...and, advertising has totally played a significant role in my life, without adverts I would not have found my current business and wouldn't have met my wife Helen... 

Anyway, this was going to be a totally new experience, I thought, and it would be definitely a way to continue speaking English daily so that when I'd take off again, I'd still be fluent...

PERFECT...LET'S DO THIS!

Back at home for a spell...

It was a bit strange being back home...
I was expecting that, in a way, although I wasn't sure how it was going to pan out...
My time overseas had inevitably had an effect on me, and it was time to figure out what to do next...

I arrived in Mexico City at the end of October 1981, and I was back home, in the house where I grew up, living with Mum and Dad...

I was the last of us six kids still living at home...

I wasn't entirely comfortable about the fact that I’d be living under my parent's roof again, however, I was extremely grateful that I could still do so...

I guess my parents were happy to have me safe and sound back at home, but I am sure they were wondering what my next move would be, as I was not going to continue with my studies...

They didn't put any pressure on me and gave me time to find my own feet...

Not much had changed back home while I was away...
Nothing had changed in our house… My old bedroom was just as I had left it…
I remember walking up the stairs and into my bedroom, carrying my overly used backpack and my worn-out leather carryon bag, still full of cassettes…

I looked around my room and somehow it looked smaller than I thought it was…
The permanent concrete bunkbeds were still there… now unused, as my brother Mario had just moved out…he used to sleep on the top one…he was the last one to leave before I did…
They were not being used now, but mum kept them neatly covered with a blanket…

There was a single bed to the left of the bunkbeds…my bed…
My mum had just made it up for me with clean sheets and all that…she was so sweet…

My clothes and shoes were neatly kept in the closet, where they had always been…
There was an old desk and a drafting table, which my brother Pepe used quite a lot throughout his architecture studies…

This was ‘my turf’ where my travelling dreams were born…

The walls were covered with posters of the places I would someday visit…The Eiffel tower, Mt Fuji, with a bullet train in the forefront, Ayers Rock, in Australia, The Opera house, in Sydney, and some others… (I’ve eventually been to all of them and a few more)
​
I’m not quite clear on what took place that day, but I’m sure my mum had a special meal prepared for me, no big ‘welcome home’ celebration, just a nice family meal at the kitchen table, and I loved that…

I felt welcome and safe at home, and was ready to face the road ahead…

My friends and neighbours hadn't changed, my family hadn't changed much either, it seemed like those 10 months had only transcended through me and my life...I had changed...but to most of them, "I had been on a long holiday"...

They asked me questions like, "How was your trip?" The way you may ask someone... “How was your vacation?”
People don't necessarily want to know all the ins and outs about your struggles and dilemmas and your new views on life...they simply want to hear things like...
It was great! It was amazing!

When I caught up with some of my friends, they'd ask me... “What country did you like the most?” Or other easy questions like that...
I'd normally answer, with a shrug of the shoulders... don't know, maybe Israel...to which they'd say...
 “Really? Wow! it must've been amazing"... and they'd quickly move on to other topics or to the local goss like ... “Did you hear that so and so are getting married?”

And immediately we were back in their world...where things had some order and things were what they were used to...

I personally had no idea how to talk to them about my adventure, as I was afraid they wouldn't relate...and it is probably just now, while writing my blogs, that I get to express my sentiments and my adventures a bit deeper...

I somehow felt, in the beginning, a bit out of place, just like when you find yourself at a party surrounded by people you don't know, who are totally different to you, and you are just standing there watching them dance and drink and talk and go on about their party...and you ask yourself…What am I doing here?...

I was absolutely sure at that moment that my stay in my hometown and country would be temporary and that I needed to find a way to generate an income to take off again as soon as possible, however, at the same time I knew that I needed to fit in while I was back home and make the most of it.
​
I reconnected back with all my friends, and restarted my social life, as If had only been away on a short vacation, which made the whole thing seem normal for me and for all my social world back home...

I needed to find my own feet and get myself a place to live independently...
In order to do so, I needed a job, and I needed some money as soon as possible... I was broke, and I also needed a good haircut. So, to begin with, I went to the local barber around the corner from our house to finally get a haircut ... My dad must have paid for it ...

I started looking at the different possibilities for me to get a "real job" and there weren't many available, I simply didn’t have the skills or the studies to apply for many…or any…

Then after a few days, I'm not sure how it came about the idea that I could teach English as a second language... I might've read an advert in the paper or on the Metro or somewhere...

There was a language school advertising for English teachers, and I thought I could have a shot at it...
That school was called “Interlingua”, I'd heard of them and probably had seen their adverts before but had no idea how it operated and what sort of qualifications I'd be required to have...

The advert said they'd be providing full training, I just needed to be a fluent English speaker and needed to know some English grammar.

That sounds like me! I thought…

Prior to heading out to Europe, I had studied English as a second language, in a similar type of ‘Language school’, it was called “Centro de Idiomas Benjamin Franklin”.
​
I had taken all their available courses, so when I completed them all I thought my English was quite good until... I was faced with the challenge of speaking the language every day with English people or anyone else from any other country who spoke English...Then I found out that my English wasn't that great at all.

However, my spoken English improved quite a bit while I was living in my Kibbutz in Israel, where everyone spoke English and I had to get good at understanding all kinds of different accents, Dutch, Swedish, Scottish, German, Israeli, Australian and some others…

My vocabulary had also improved as I started reading books in English and my ability to engage in conversations of all sorts also got much better as time went by… Heck, I had even started dreaming in English! …

Anyway, I figured that I could apply for that job and possibly get it... (More on that in my next story)
​
A new adventure was about to begin as I was about to settle down in Mexico City, my hometown, for a spell...

​Heading back home...
 
I had just been over 10 months away from home, in Europe and the Middle East and sadly, it was time to head back home...
 
I was getting close to the very bottom of my funds, and I had just enough money to get to Heathrow Airport in London, after crossing the English Channel on October 22, 1981
 
When I finally arrived at Heathrow I had no money, I couldn't even get anything to eat at the airport, I was literally waiting for my meal on the plane...
I was ready to jump on my flight back to Houston, Texas...
 
It was going to be a 9-hour flight on a '747 *Pan-Am Jumbo Jet', and I was looking forward to a restful flight, after having a meal that is... I was so hungry and really tired, and I was afraid I would fall asleep and miss my meal. I remember asking the guy sitting next to me to wake me up if I was asleep when the food arrived, he said "No problem, I'll wake you" he said... and before I knew it, I was fast asleep...
(*Pan Am, was once one of the largest Airlines in the world, they went out of business in December 1991)

It had been an exhausting journey so far on that particular day, to say the least...First, a bus ride from Amsterdam to London, crossing on a ferry from Calais directly to Dover and from there onto Victoria Station in London and then a train ride to Heathrow Airport... altogether about 16 hours...
 
All those hours on the road helped me reflect on my 'previously unimaginable adventure' around Europe and the Middle East...

Without a doubt, it had been an amazing adventure, with lots of challenges along the way but somehow, I managed to overcome them.
 
I had definitely changed a bit and had broken several paradigms I had been brought up with, even the tiny but significant paradigm of "dancing without a partner" ...
 
Things were going to be different from this adventure onwards in my life...
 
Freedom to travel to different countries and unusual places, while making friends who opened up their homes and hearts to me along the way without prejudging me or qualifying me based on my socioeconomic background or status, was truly something I fell in love with...
After this journey, I was left wanting more of that, not only in the near future but for the rest of my life.
 
Conventional life was not in my sights any time soon, and I was keen to learn and explore the rest of the world on my terms...
 
While I was in Amsterdam I started making my travel arrangements, booked a bus ride to London and my flight back from London to Houston and also contacted my brother Mario, who had just moved a few months back to a town near the border with the USA, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and he said to me..."I'll come to pick you up at the airport in Houston and then we can drive back to Monterrey" I said, excellent, thanks so much because I have no money left to travel down to Mexico...
I truly was skinned...
 
Mario, my brother, was actually quite supportive of my adventure, both morally and financially, and as I had mentioned previously, he was the one who sent me a 'cash boost' back in July that helped me travel a bit in Sweden while I waited for some money my old job in Mexico owed me...
 
He also did one more thing for me...He gave me an American Express Credit Card, an additional card attached to his own card, for any emergency I might've been faced with and, up until then, I had not made use of it at all...
 
Well, when I landed in Houston, I was feeling great, as I had had two meals on the plane and plenty of rest!

I went through customs nervously, it is usually an awkward moment with the passport control people at any US airport, they usually look at you up and down, like a persona non-grate or low-class individual or a criminal or, as their worst nightmare...
 
How long are you going to stay in the USA? They asked me, looking at my passport and then looking at me, double-checking I was the one in the picture...
I said, only a few hours thanks, I'm travelling to Mexico later on today, or so I thought... they stamped my passport and let me in...
 
I was expecting to see my brother out there waiting for me, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen...
So, I called him up...
Well, it turns out that there had been some nasty weather or a storm the day before and he wasn't able to drive across the border to get to Houston, so he was not going to come to get me...
 
OMG, what do you mean? what do I do now? I have no money...
and he said..."Don't worry, do you still have the AMEX card?" Yes, I do...

"OK, then get yourself in a hotel, take it easy, have a look around Houston and then get a flight to Monterrey for tomorrow evening and we can meet here, you can use the AMEX card to pay for all that"...

Really? Wow!!
Cool stuff! My brother had saved my neck again...
 
I got myself a room in the Holiday Inn near the airport, fortunately, they had a free shuttle bus from the airport, and once at the hotel, I organised a flight to Monterrey for the day after...
​
I was going to spend a day in Houston, and I had no idea what I was going to do until I arrived at the Hotel...

​They had some brochures at the counter about the NASA Johnson Space Center …and their Day Tours...
​
Hmmm, that looks interesting, I thought...

MONTERREY

I arrived in Monterrey and my brother was waiting for me...

I was just 21 years old, and he was 31...but somehow, he was in my eyes much older and more mature than that, he was living in a huge house, all by himself and had a great corporate job... he had it all together... he even had a dog, a very pretty 'Old English Sheepdog'...
 
He was living as a grown-up does...and he was still single at that time!
 
The first thing my brother said to me when he saw me at the airport, was …
"How was your flight?... You need a haircut" he looked at me disapprovingly...and he was right, I'm sure I needed one, I hadn't had a haircut while I was travelling throughout Europe, due to lack of money and reluctance, and looked a bit shaggy...

Then he said..."What's my dad going to say when he sees you like that?"
I said, shrugging my shoulders, I don't know, I'll get a haircut when I get home...
 
I don't remember a lot about my stay in Monterrey, however, I do remember that the next day we went somewhere, probably to his workplace, it was Saturday and there was some kind of party, there was a Nothern Mexican band, playing northern music of course, and there was some meat on the BBQ and drinks...

I remember thinking...This is a bit of an unusual town for my brother to live in, being a Mexico City's 'cool dude', but he looked happy...and that was the main thing...
 
It was a brief but pleasant stay in Monterrey...and I'll always be grateful for my brother's help in those days...What would've happened if he hadn't been there for me?... who knows...
 
That night I caught the overnight train down to Mexico City...it was the cheapest way to travel and more comfortable than a bus, or so I thought...

*Back then there used to be a passenger train from Monterrey to Mexico City, called "El Regiomontano", it was a 15-hour ride, a bit slow and old fashion compared to the trains in Europe, but it was a cool ride and a new experience for me. This train line doesn't exist anymore.