#210 / 2011 June Oaxaca: The Oaxaca Lending Library

THE OAXACA LENDING LIBRARY

#210

Home of the Ex-Pats


When I was up in Santa Fe I looked up a friend Beatlick Joe and I met as we were stationed in our van outside a hotel in Marfa, Texas. "Sparks" befriended us and invited us in to use his shower. He even came out to see us when we were parked in Truth or Consequences for the month of February last year. 


Sparks gave me a contact name in Oaxaca: Conrad. I found him totally by accident. One day when my balcony mate Kurt was discussing the library he mentioned Conrad's  name. I just knew this was the Conrad I was working for. 


As it turned out Sparks' friend was a volunteer at the Oaxaca Lending Library. It was a unique place. Mostly it was run by ex-pats like Conrad. I went there often to use the computers, translate my poetry, and in general to find someone to converse with in English.


It wasn't too long a walk, probably fifteen blocks or so, some of the major parks and markets in town. Although I never made it, on Saturdays they held a soiree where English-speaking folks mingled with the Spanish-speaking folks. This is where my friend Cynthia met her retired British barrister.


Conrad was always a good source of information. I told him all about Joe's book and my journaling. He encouraged me to write about the ex-pats in Oaxaca instead of myself and my experiences. "They've all got a story," he advised.