guest post. different guest. obviously.

Or maybe not so obviously. Why would I think it was obvious that it is someone else?

I met Alan through blogging. I think he arrived through neil h, but I might be very wrong about this. I remember being a teensy bit worried about his showing up because he's English. Then, when I realised that he wanted to be friends, in spite of who we were, I remember being awed by his braveness. He's a brave man, Alan. Maybe you don't think he is, I don't know, I know it must seem all so very normal, with his allotment, his water butt, his dog, his books, his life. Know that he's an extremely courageous man, Alan.

-The courage that it takes to have hope. To go to his allotment and see the ravages of some bug or other, and still believe everything is going to come through, to struggle through every day life, that takes courage.-

And that is not even the courage Alan had to display to be our friend. When Alan found us and commented, there was a small - it felt huge - sub-segment of the bloggy blogginess that hated us with hatred only known in Mexico by people who live around people from Veracruz.

Big hatred.

I think we even warned Alan.

But he persisted. And we loved him for it. We love him now. We live for his videos (much like we live for neil h's caturdays. When I say we, I may be using the royal we, but I'm confident I'm not), we wish his life was better - damn water butt stealing bastards! -, we wish we all lived closer.

And to think we didn't even know each other a few years ago. And now we kind of feel like adopting him. How life changes.

Anyway, the photo is our fair city, Tijuana, Mexico, and I am maria. I have a blog, somewhere in Typepad, where I try to make sense of my life and show images of the city.

Don't go there now, though, because the images are not that beautiful at the moment. I usually try to show the best side of the city, but it's an uphill battle, because, beautiful as Mexico is, Tijuana is not the most shining of examples. Some people feel like it's not really a part of Mexico at all, it looks so... outside of it. It's like we've put together the worst of it all and just dumped it at the border.

I'm not going to say that all people find it ugly. Tourists seem to love it (and it's hard to express how much not like Mexico it is), or hate it (and then you're really disappointed that they think this is Mexico), and the people who are actually from Tijuana believe it's the best city in the country (and who can blame them? I think my hometown is the best even though I know it sucks). It doesn't lack excitement, though, and it's where we've made our home.

And this is where maybe we're a little bit like Alan, courageous. Or at least that's what I always hope to be. A little bit like Alan, because he is awesome.