Tres, Dos, Uno, Arriba!

We've been in Laredo for a little less than two weeks. Wow. I don't even know where to start. It's not that it's terrible here. But it's definitely different. Let me start with the things I don't love about Laredo so I can end on a positive note! Here we go.

Things I don't love about Laredo:

The people are rude. And they brag about it. One lady proudly told Enoc "Yeah, we're rude here in Laredo. We know it!". Another lady with quite the booty actually hip-checked me at our hotel's breakfast one of our first days here. I was filling up my cup from the water jug and she couldn't be bothered to walk around the table. Instead she smooshed me up against the wall. The people in Laredo don't seem to have any concern or regard for each other. It's like everybody is just looking out for number one and screw everyone else! In contrast, Corpus had a small town feel and most people were very nice (And fat. Corpus was voted # 1 in the nation for obese peeps-just a side note).

The temperature has been around 103 almost every day. It's the kind of heat that when we get in the car, the air conditioner never really touches it. We only get cool where the air is blowing directly on our skin. But we always arrive at our destination drenched in sweat.

For such a hot place you would think outdoor water parks or air conditioned, indoor play areas would be huge. Wrong! There are a few parks around, but it's usually too hot to play there. We tried that once and Oliver cried because the slides burned his legs. The playgrounds I see are always empty. There are no indoor playgrounds that I've been able to find. I thought for sure the mall would have something, but I was mistaken. I've seen one or two community pools, but none I would want to take Oliver to. Plus they've always been closed. The hotel we were staying at when we first got here had a tiny, tiny, tiny swimming pool. And the Extended Stay we are at now has no pool. Weird. Even Utah has fountain-type places where kids can splash around - like the ones at Gateway or Sugarhouse Park.

The Southern part of Laredo is scary. We are in the North and we never go South if we can help it! We did take a family trip to The Rio Grande and looked across at Mexico. That was kind of cool.

Our Extended Stay. We are here because the company couldn't find anywhere that wouldn't make us sign at least a 6 months lease. At first I was really excited to be somewhere that allows pets. We had to sneak Besita in and out of our hotel every day and it was really stressful. I'm still thankful we don't have to do that anymore. But it's hard living in a small, studio apartment with a toddler! Oliver's bedtime and bedtime routine have pretty much gone out the window. And there's nowhere for him to really play. He doesn't like it and always asks when we can go home.

There aren't other kids here for Oliver to play with. All the APX friends we made are still in Corpus. Most of the guys here with us in Laredo are single. There is one other married family, but I haven't met the wife yet. I know she has her hands full because two of her children have special needs.

Laredo stinks. The air smells stale and murky. It doesn't help that we are constantly coming into contact with the unwashed locals. They smell as if they've been lying in their own feces for a month.

Things I enjoy about Laredo:

Everybody is bilingual. It creates a really interesting atmosphere in the city. Definitely my favorite part about being here. I was sitting in my car at a red light the other day and a man knocked on my window. I cracked it and he burst into Spanish, pointed around, shoved a flyer (all in Spanish) in my face, and walked off. I still don't know what that was about. I took a class at Gold's Gym last week that was entirely in Spanish. Probably my favorite day in Laredo. I don't really know what the instructor was saying, but she was excited! I caught a few phrases like "Uno, dos, tres, arriba! Tres, dos, uno, arriba!" Something about pompis (butt). She looked at me once and said "Chica, dkjoeveieve otros discos, klsfjeoefv, pocitos." She wanted me to get a smaller set of weights for a new exercise. It was great! (And the class seriously kicked my pompis; I couldn't walk for days!)

The library is awesome. It's a beautiful double-decker that totally makes up for the lack of a bookstore. It's nicer than the Corpus Christi or Salt Lake County libraries. More comparable to the Salt Lake City library downtown - without the shops.The kids area is fantastic - thank goodness, because it's the only place I've found where I can take Oliver to get out of the heat or our one-room prison. And the workers are surprisingly nice! It's turning into our home-away-from-hell.

Our ward was very welcoming. Can I just say, I was counting down the days until Sunday. I was desperate for anything that would feel familiar. I think that's so great about the church. No matter where you are, it feels like home.

Even though I would never live here, I'm glad for the experience. It's interesting to see how other people go about their lives and their business.