San Miguel, Safe Arrival

It's now 1:45 in the afternoon, and I've survuved my first morning in San Miguel. I got a late start this morning, and tried to get directions to the AA mtg, but the English speaking staff here at the Posada were not working, and I was told I needed to take a cab. I didn't feel up to that straight off, so I did my usual, walk up to the Jardin, which is the main square in front of the cathedral, and asked some nice-looking Americal woman for help. I am so lost here. I am very glad for all the English speaking people here. We collated her map with my map, and I found the street where the meeting was supposed to be. I headed off, no money, no breakfast, to meet up with my new friends here. Eventually, I found the place, although I was half an hour late, but half a meeting is better than none at all. I was kindly welcomed, given a meeting list and a list of phone numbers.

After the meeting, I chatted a bit with a new friend, Sally, who fed me breakfast and had a lead on an apartment for me, just around the corner from the meeting room, and from her own place. I am going to look at it later this afternoon. I walked back up to the jardine, got some money from the bank machine, asked some more strangers where ot go for a good cup of coffee, had my caffeine fix, got a copy of the Atencion, which is the English newspaper that comes out once a week, and here I am back in my room, retreating and collating.

There are 7000 English speaking people living in San Miguel. It feels very safe here. But that being said, there is a rapist on the loose here. He has attacked 4 women over the past month, all of them single women in their sixties, who live alone in wealthy homes. The police are working on catching this man. So I have been warned not to walk alone at night, to take a cab. Probably good sense anyways, and cabs are cheap here.

I feel so vulnerable, not knowing where anything is, or how to ask for help, although my tactic of finding approachable people in the Jardin seems to be working out just fine.

The men here are not as aggressive as I had been led to believe. They don't say make remarks on the street to you, but I am wearing my “wedding ring” regardless.

It is beautiful and charming here, and I am feeling more positive about the city.

And it's hot.