July 1

First days in Mexico City, dissertating, parenting, grieving, leaving the island.

1966

We went to the banco and changed some money into pesos today. I also saw some classes and met a lot of the girls. They’re all so nice! One, Rosa Maria, was very nice. Others - I don’t recall all their names are a short one (Marta?), a funny one, and a bleached blonde named Clara.

We went to a movie: “Mirage” with Gregory Peck.

Sr. Cervantes has 2 schools - one in his house and an old one, pretty far away. We visited the old one and argued education with Sr. C. The best part was the bus ride. I was being stared at like I was in a glass cage - on exhibit. I’ll never be used to it. Many boys whistle and look me up and down (and up and down again) and it does make me nervous. But boy, what it does for the morale!

I met some friends of Raul and ?? (Roommate’s brothers). They all seem nice but I must be cautious.

This city! I love it, I love it, I love it!

P.S. My new friends want me to go to Chapultapec sometime with them. I was so happy when Sra. Cervantes told me.

1980

A day off, of sorts. At least, a day off the dissertation. Instead I’m doing some revision of the piece I did for Dress. They seem to be interested in publishing it, so it’s worth the day of work it will take. It is forcing me to realize that any work I do

1) will require revision by me or someone else

2) will never be perfect, even with the revision

But that shouldn’t keep me from trying. I hope I can finish the dissertation this summer. It takes so much time and effort. I’d like to start thinking about course planning for fall, but I can’t. Not yet.

1985

So June is kaput. It was a very busy, very productive month. The one thing I didn’t do much of was write! Oddly, it’s not something I really avoid, as much as something I just don’t ever feel I have the time for. It’s so nice to sit down and write for one uninterrupted hour, but those are hard to come by. This weekend I yelled at Kiddo a few times. Put her in the naughty corner twice and spanked her twice. I don’t now who was being naughty, her or me. To be sure she was being stubborn and disobedient. I was being bitchy and thin-skinned. Frankly, I think it’s more my problem than hers. During my period again, by the way. Maybe I should just not try to push myself those few days a month.

I am really looking forward to the trip to Canada, long drive and all. Seeing Bob again will be so nice. And meeting his wife and kids for a long visit will be even nicer. I don’t really know them very well.

1997

Books to find:

Gift from the Sea (Lindbergh)
Out of the Garden (Buchmann and Spiegel)
Anything by St. Francis of Assisi

Time to return to other business - - my interrupted life. Things have moved very smoothly, and the work of completing Mom’s estate is almost done. My deepest hope is that soon I will replace the memory of her cold, dead face, or the confused, frightened face of her last five weeks, with the memory of her any gentle smiles. I am grateful for her love and her wonderful example. With such a tough life, she was sometimes really challenged to be positive and hopeful. But she struggled to overcome her emotional, social and financial poverty by using her intellectual riches to pursue spiritual meaning. In finding it, she really achieved not only a rich life for herself, but a loving life for everyone she met. (And only I know how hard she struggled with that!)

Too bad I could never talk to her about my own evolving beliefs, but perhaps she knows and understands, somehow.

2024

Yesterday was a very long day, beginning with the last of our packing and a quick breakfast before boarding the Thomas Leighton for the one hour voyage back to the mainland. The trip to C’s place was a expected: lots of traffic and about three hours of hard rain. The kind of travel that convinces you that your vacation is over. Well ha, ha, ha, we are now visiting an old friend for five days.

Some impressions from morning:

Loading the luggage boat. The Departure. The engines move us away. land ho!

And the traditional chant:

And one last Star Island haiku:

Hypnotic gray waves

I’ve done some down to earth things

Out on the ocean