New Neighbors in the Old Port
by Margaret Fleming
Now that we have our office open in the Old Port, we have started to get to know our neighbors there.
Our immediate next-door neighbor is someone we have known for many years--Dr. Luis Vazquez. Dr. Vazquez is a delightful character--a courtly and cosmopolitan gentleman whose home and waiting room are a veritable museum of art. He invited us in to see it right after we moved into our office. We were fascinated by his eclectic collection of works and wandered happily through the rooms looking at all the paintings and sculpture on display--ceramic pots, metal sculptures, oil paintings, water colors, stained glass, and many others. Seeing a collection of photographs by Luis Bernal, John recognized his old teacher from Pima Community College, the one from whom he learned photography so many years ago. It turns out he was a close friend of Dr. Vazquez, who wasn't surprised to know that John considered Lou Bernal one of the best teachers he ever had.
An old map of Maine from 1856 hung on another wall. It immediately reminded us that our good friend and colleague Craig Runyon, who is from Maine, would love to see it. We introduced him to the doctor last weekend and he was predictably impressed by the map. Craig was also impressed by his surprise encounter with a large tortoise who bumped against his shoe as he was walking around looking at the exhibits. The tortoise looked up as if to say, "You are invading my territory, but you look like a pretty good guy, so I'll leave you alone." Where else could Craig make such an acquaintance?
The doctor (or more probably his wife) also has a number of cats and kittens, with whom I made friends. One black cat frequently sits on the air conditioner outside our office as if he recognizes our name, El Gato Negro, and wants to be our part-time mascot.
Another neighbor--temporarily--was a 12-year-old boy named Gerardo, who came by looking for a job to earn some money for school supplies. He told us that his father is dead, he has a younger brother, and he takes a bus to the Old Port often to try to pick up work. He did a good job washing our car and helping us move some boxes and furniture, so we told him we'd probably have work for him from time to time. Who knows--if he comes around regularly, we might even teach him to be a real estate agent. So far, however, he hasn't come back. We hope he is busy with his schoolwork.
Another neighbor we met was Ed Arocho. Ed sells time shares for the Mayan Palace. He is from Puerto Rico and he has an extensive background in sales and education. Later the same day we met several other Mayan Palace employees. There are many OPCs (outside salespersons) working throughout the city. Their job is to steer prospects to salespeople like Ed.
To the north of our office, and around the corner, is the new Costa Brava Restaurant, opened by the Piquero family in their own home after their former restaurant was destroyed by fire a couple of years ago. They are continuing their tradition of serving fine foods and beverages in an attractive setting.
Another interesting neighbor is Shandra Keesecker-Rivero, known as Sami. She owns and operates a language school just around the corner, where she teaches English to Spanish speakers and Spanish to English speakers. She also does translations.
Sami has lived all over the world. She was born in Colorado, went to school in Massachusetts, was an exchange student in the Netherlands, and spent several months in Cuernavaca on three different occasions. That is where she learned to love Mexico and also where she met her husband. He is Plinio Rivero Lavín, an architect who is a partner in a local firm, Design and Building.
Sami has a degree in International Relations from Hampton College in Massachusetts and is working on a master's degree in Second Language Education from Prescott College in Arizona. We went over to her school, where we met her receptionist, a friendly young man named Ricardo. The school is small, but Sami has it well-organized. Right now she is teaching 7 different groups who are learning English and one that is learning Spanish. She also teaches classes for a couple of local companies. One of her objectives for the future is to plan and promote tours to different parts of Mexico. The name of her business, Recursos, means resources. It's a good name, one that suggests her versatility and the range of services she can provide.
There are other neighbors we haven't met yet, but so far it's a varied group--medicine, odd jobs, time shares, hospitality, and education. And our contribution is real estate and tourist information. Stop by and see us sometime--and meet our neighbors too.
