I got sick, got antibiotics from a tip-jar doctor, and came back to life right as the World Cup kicked off here in Mexico City. The city went dead quiet, then erupted. I Watched Mexico win from a cantina with free tequila and a torrential downpour. Oh, and I'm moving.

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Thank you for listening, please do it again, and then take antibiotics.

Onefjef is produced, edited & hosted by Jef Taylor.

What's going on, onefjef?

So Chris said that you weren't feeling so hot, man.

So I just wanted to say feel better soon, and that you're awesome.

My hope is that if you aren't feeling better by the time you get this video,

that you feel better super soon, man, so you can get back to the good life.

This is CDMX Dispatch numero ocho.

Hello again, my friends, my family, my enemies, my neutral parties who I don't

really have much of a thought about.

All of you, hello.

Welcome once again to onefjef, the podcast, home of top choice parasocial

content for you and your ears.

I've had a month.

I think I can very easily say that I've had quite a, um, a

difficult month here in Mexico City.

And, you know, this is what it's about, the testing of the resilience,

the how do you do in the hard times, the et cetera, et cetera.

But I'm alive, and I'm starting to accept that part of this experience,

this relocating, this restarting my life experience in a new

country, is about letting it roll.

Letting it roll, not getting caught up.

Don't cling to it.

Let it go.

Like meditation, let the thoughts come and go.

Just enjoy the ride.

That's, I guess, the thing.

I've learned to enjoy the ride.

You have to do your best to enjoy the ride.

Otherwise, you're going to get sick and throw up everywhere.

I'm no longer sick.

I was sick for two weeks.

As I think I said in the last podcast, eventually I wasn't getting

better with the stomach illness, so Patricia took me to a pharmacy

where there's a doctor there, and the doctor just kind of lives next door.

Doesn't live, but, you know, has a little office next door.

And you go in, and they check you out, and you don't even have to pay them.

You just-- There's a tip jar.

Literally, there's a tip thing there.

So you tip them, like, two or three hundred pesos or whatever, and then you go

next door, and you get your prescriptions.

I guess all I needed was antibiotics because the antibiotics really immediately

was… Not immediately, but a few days later, I was finally starting

to feel like myself again and not, you know, peeing out of my asshole.

Sorry, sorry.

Couldn't help it.

So God bless modern medicine or, in this case, somewhat older medicine.

Antibiotics have been around for a long time, but you get the idea.

And I got my first experience with Mexican medical care, at least one

part of it, and it was a positive one because I, I feel better.

So hooray for that, right?

But it was still about five days after that that I was still kind of recovering.

But I think, like, yesterday and today is the first days I've actually felt like

myself again, which has felt amazing.

The first game of the World Cup was yesterday.

I'm recording this on Friday, and it was here in Mexico City.

I did not go to the game.

The tickets were, of course, eight hundred dollars apiece for nosebleed seats, which

again, FIFA is a criminal organization, but we don't need to go into that.

I watched the beginning of it.

I watched, like, the opening ceremony.

The school that I'm taking Spanish classes at had a little, I don't know,

party or gathering where they showed the opening ceremony, and they were gonna

watch the whole game on a projected screen in one of the classrooms.

And I hung out there for a while.

We had pizza and stuff, and that was fun.

But then the, uh, YouTube video, I don't know where they were getting the

stream from, but it kept stuttering.

Like, every five seconds it would stop and start again, and I'm thinking, "I cannot

watch the whole game like this." Nobody else seemed to mind, but I was just, "No,

I cannot watch the whole game like this."

So I left right after kickoff, and since I left right after kickoff, I'm walking

back to my apartment through, like, k- a little bit of Condesa and then into

Roma Sur, and it was like a ghost town.

I have never seen Mexico City quite like this.

There was barely any traffic, and the area my school is in

is a very busy intersection.

But it was like it was not busy at all.

They, they let everybody stay home from work yesterday.

I think everybody had to work from home.

I don't know if the kids had school.

So there's reasons for it, but even, like, the taco stands, which are numerous, um,

all the food stands that are numerous in that area, were all kind of dead.

And, uh, it was kind of amazing, like, in a weird way, you know?

They were all just not doing anything and just listening to the game or watching

the game, and everywhere you went, all you heard was just sounds of the game,

the broadcast of the game everywhere.

And then you knew when there was a goal because I was walking…

The first goal, I was walking.

I was almost to my apartment, and I knew exactly when the first goal happened

because then you suddenly h-heard horns honking and the sound of people cheering

from some apartment, whatever it was.

It's pretty neat.

It's pretty neat.

So then I met up with my friend Shauna at a cantina here that we've gone to before.

It's about equidistant between our apartments, and we went there once before.

And cantinas are, uh, like- Basically old-timey Mexican bars.

I guess that's the only way to put it.

I think they used to be men only, but they're not anymore obviously.

But it's just like an old-timey Mexican bar.

It's like a traditional Mexican bar.

This one's not as old-timey as others, but it's definitely got a vibe to it.

And so we went there, but as I was walking over there, like every single

restaurant and bar, y- you can just peek in 'cause they've all got open fronts

'cause the weather here is amazing, and they've all got the game on.

You can watch the game and, you know.

It was fun.

The entire city was kinda like unifying.

So we went to the Ultramin- Ultramarina Cantina it's called actually, here in, I

think it's Roma Sur, but maybe Roma Norte.

And they're always wonderful too.

The both times we've been there they've been just w- so wonderful,

and we're always the only, you know, white people in there.

We sat on the patio, watched the game on a little TV.

It was a beautiful day, and everybody walking by was in a good

mood with wearing the, you know, the, the jerseys and everything.

I don't really care that much about sports, but it always makes me happy when

a sport thing brings together a giant population of people under one umbrella.

Like everybody likes each other, and that's always nice.

Not that people get, don't get along and don't like each other here in

Mexico City, but you know what I mean.

So they won the game, of course, and every time there was a goal, I caught some of it

on a, uh, or maybe Shauna did, on a video

And then after they won the game, a guy, one of the, you know, the guys

who works there comes around and gives free shots of tequila to everybody.

And then we were still on the porch, and then it started to rain.

And this, uh, torrential rainfall came in, which happens quite a bit

here, but it was torrential, you know?

And we're under this umbrella on the, on the patio, and it was

just kind of beautiful, really.

It was really fun.

There's people going by cheering, people honking their horns.

At one point, there was a guy with a giant Mexican flag in the rain just

waving this Mexican flag determinedly.

You know, determinedly?

I think that's a word.

Everybody was in a good mood.

I didn't know that I was gonna do anything for the World Cup,

but I'm really glad that I did.

I'll go watch the next game too Another announcement is that I am

moving to a new apartment next month.

I'm going back to the US for about two, two and a half weeks in about two

weeks to see the family and to enjoy the kickass 250th birthday of America.

Bam!

Hell yeah, bro.

How can I miss the 250th birthday of America?

It might be the end.

It might be the end, and if it is the end, it's the most perfect ending of all time.

You could not write a book or a movie or anything better than the story of

America that ends with Donald J. Trump.

You could not.

Anyway, when I leave for the States, I am going to be moving out of this apartment.

I'm leaving a bunch of my stuff over at my friend's house, and then when I come back,

I will be moving right into the new place.

Why are you moving, you ask?

Well, I'm moving because when I was sick for two weeks, I realized that

this apartment, which is mostly an Airbnb that has been… They got

sick of Airbnb-ing it, and they just decided to rent it long term.

When I was sick here for two weeks, I realized, I looked around 'cause

there's, I mean, there's so much of his stuff, the guy who owns the apartment.

It's all over the apartment.

There's his books.

There's his stuff on the wall.

It's really… I feel like a stranger, like, in this house.

I feel like if it was just an Airbnb that I was renting for, like, a month, and I

knew I was leaving, that would be fine.

But, like, being here for, like, three more months, it's hard enough doing

what I'm doing here while also feeling like I'm a stranger, like I'm a guest

in this apartment that is supposedly supposed to be mine, you know?

And also, there's been a, there was a ton of noise when I was sick for those two

weeks, and it drove me a little crazy.

And the street is also very noisy.

As I've lived here longer, I've realized that I don't need

to live on this busy street.

It's very, very noisy at night, and I can't really have my windows open.

Anyway, many reasons that I wanna leave, and there's also a complicated

story about how the guy's not giving me my deposit back, blah, blah, blah.

But I don't really wanna go into that because it's not fun.

The apartment I'm moving into is, uh, much smaller, but this apartment

is, is just too big for me, honestly.

It's two bedrooms.

One of the bedrooms I'm just using for storage.

And then when the, when the, when the cleaning women come, every time

they come, I can't find something.

Like, it's where did they put this?

Where did they put this?

Like, they always are rearranging things, and it drives me insane But

then they also, like, occasionally fold my underwear in a very nice way, and

that actually makes me forgive them.

So… And I've tried to fold my underwear in the same way, but I'm unable to.

It's like origami, something like that.

So granted, I haven't spent a lot of time trying to figure out how

they fold the underwear, but I've spent, you know, five to 10 minutes,

five to 10 minutes, I'd say.

The next place is just a one-bedroom, but it's, like, more modern.

It's on the top floor of a five-story building, and it has a, like a patio that

you can see the mountains around the city.

I can watch the storms roll in.

That was kind of the selling point.

The patio was a big part of it.

Also, it's just a cool… Like, it's, it's not big, but it's a cute little place.

The street is also quiet, and there's a garbage room, so I don't have to chase

down the dinging bell to take my garbage out, which honestly will be wonderful.

So that's what's happening, and in a way it feels kind of like a reset, you know?

Like a starting over.

You know, I did round one with Mexico City.

I'll be leaving, then I'm coming back, and then I start round two, and I've

got this next apartment for seven months and I can always extend, so.

So yeah, I'm excited.

I'm excited for a change of location.

You know, I did like this apartment quite a bit at first, but the

longer I've been here, the more the, the issues with it have started

to kind of become more apparent.

And then I just kind of really lucked on this other apartment.

I was one of the first people to message on Facebook, and I think that's

a big part of the reason I got it.

And it's cheaper than this place too, which also helps.

So, so that's happening and I'm excited.

And there's also a screen on the bedroom window which, if you know, you know

because the mosquitoes here are a thing.

They're not crazy bad, but if you leave your window open without a screen on

it at night you're gonna get a mosquito in there, and that mosquito is going to

drive you to the edge of your sanity.

It is going to drive you to the very edge of your sanity But if there's a

screen, they can't come in, so bing bong.

In case you're wondering, there will be new feature length episodes

coming soon with interviews from expats and so forth, and Mexicans.

Uh, I've got a bunch of them in the can.

In the can is lingo for I've already recorded them.

And, uh, I just have to double down and start to cut these things

down and start releasing them.

But believe you me, in the next week or two I'll start to get those out.

Um, I've also been working quite a bit.

I'm still taking Spanish for six hours a day.

I'm not making excuses, I'm just explaining.

But next week is my last week for a while of, of all these Spanish

classes because it is exhausting.

Like, I didn't realize how much energy it takes to just think hard for six hours.

I'm not moving, I'm just thinking, and by the end of the six hours I'm exhausted.

My brain is just like leaking out of my ears.

So I'm gonna do one more week because I really do enjoy some of

the people in some of the classes.

Some of the teachers are great, and I'm learning a lot, and they're giving me

a 10% discount, which is also nice, so.

So yeah, one more week of that, and then, then I go to Cleveland the next week, and

then, uh, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

I wanna give a shout-out to our newest Patreon subscriber.

We'll call her Sarah.

Thank you, Sarah, for signing up for the Patreon page.

You are a scholar and a gentlewoman, and I really appreciate

your support of the podcast.

You will be remembered when this podcast is huge.

You'll be remembered as one of the first in a growing group of the elite

early adapters of onefjef the podcast.

And if you yourself would like to support the podcast just like Sarah

has, you can go to patreon.com/onefjef and sign up for as little as $5 a

month or $25, or honestly, if you want to, you can donate $100 a month.

You can donate a hu- $1,000 a month.

Elon Musk, I know you're a trillionaire now, you can donate a million

dollars a month and you'll be fine.

So why don't you do that, Elon?

Are you asking yourself, "Are you really gonna take Elon Musk's money?" Yes.

Yes, I would.

Yes, I would.

I'm not saying I like him, just saying I'd take his money.

Anyway, patreon.com/onefjef.

I do have extra content on there from time to time.

Not as often as I'd like.

I'm hoping to change that, but, you know, I'm giving you what I can.

If you so sign up now, though, you'll get a whole past year plus worth of

extra content that you can… You'll have plenty of stuff to listen to.

Some extra episodes, some videos, some photos, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

You'll love it.

You'll have a great time, and you'll be among the elite.

You'll have escaped the proletariat of the podcast, and you'll have

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So you'll feel good about yourself.

Okay, that's it.

Patreon.com/onefjef.

Do that, please.

I love you.

And please do like, rate, subscribe, and review to the podcast because

it does help the algorithmic gods to show this podcast to whoever else.

Um, so thank you.

And if you have any questions, comments, concerns, anger, whatever it is, you can

email the podcast at [email protected], [email protected].

That's O-N-E-F-J-E-F, just FYI.

And you can also call the podcast, leave a voicemail, and I may

or may not play it on the air.

1-669-241-5882. That's 1-669-241-5882.

Hey, that's good.

1-669-241-5882.

That's a song that's already been made, but I think it works.

I think it works.

It's no Garfield 1-2323, but who can beat Garfield 1-2323?

That crown has been taken.

And finally, please follow the podcast @onefjefpod on Instagram, @onefjefpod

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If you find the podcast, just follow it.

You'll love it.

You'll have a great time.

Everybody will.

And I think that's all for now.

Do you have a meaningful quote to share with us for the end of this episode?

Well, uh, I'm gonna try to find one for you.

Well, don't take too long 'cause we're waiting.

I know.

I appreciate you, but just give me one moment, and we will find it.

Let's see.

Ah, here's a good one.

A poem by Rumi, the Sufi poet from whatever century he was in.

It was a long time ago.

When was he in?

13th century Sufi poet.

I think Rumi is short for Rumiford.

Here's the poem: "Keep walking, though there's no place to get to.

Don't try to see through the distances.

That's not for human beings.

Move within, but don't move the way fear makes you move.

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened Don't open the

door to the study and begin reading.

Take down a musical instrument.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

I'll see you next week.

Very good, Jeffrey