On getting by with just basic Spanish (or not :)

I’m actually a little surprised at how far I can go with only a very basic level of Spanish language skills. Here’s where I’m at:

I can order food, ask directions, bargain a little in the market, go grocery shopping, drop off my laundry to be done, find things on a map, ask the taxi driver how much it will be (it’s always about $3), talk about the weather, and finally… the hardest thing…. get a SIM card for my iPhone and get it activated!

The beauty of old things in Oaxaca

As I walked around town yesterday (the weather was much nicer… in the upper 70s instead of low 90s), I was struck by the beauty of everything old.

Everything from the bright colors of buildings, to the colonial architecture, to street art and graffiti. It’s all beautiful.

I know this is not Japan, but it’s beautiful in a way that reminds me of the Japanese concept of “wabi-sabi.”