Homelessness is all around me in México City, this is something I have blogged about before. But this morning I see a homeless guy that got my attention. This guy was across the street from my house, at the park across the street, like at 9:15 AM. I was on my way to get a newspaper to read while I ate breakfast and I couldn’t help myself from looking. This guy was sleeping on top of all his worldly possessions, dragging them on what looked like a big skateboard.
Was he a left over from last nights party? Had he been there all night? Had he walked so far that he was just too tired to push forward? Did he just want to camp out at this location because he liked the view? Whatever the case, this guy sleeps wherever he pleases – his home on wheels.
The other morning I was again having breakfast at a café down the street from my apartment, in Col. Santa Maria la Ribera. I always like to sit up front of the café to people watch, people that are always in a hurry to get to work.
Well, the other morning I saw what looked like the Marlboro Man pushing a bicycle. The only thing missing was the horse and boots. The guy had the cowboy hat, the scruffy look and what looked like a badass attitude written on his face.
As the guy got closer to me I noticed he was a milkman and not selling cigarettes. Too, the guy was not driving a delivery truck but pushing a bicycle. This I had not seen before, a milk delivery bicycle that had old rusty trays at the front and rear of a bicycle to hold individual glass bottles of milk. I don’t think I have seen individual glass milk bottles in years for that matter.
I went to take a picture of the milkman with my pocket camera that I ALWAYS thought I carried BUT I had left it at home. Being that I have been living in Col. Santa Maria la Ribera for a year and half and this is the first time I have seen the milkman in person, I left my breakfast at the table and ran home to get my camera. I grabbed my camera and ran back to the café – but he was gone.
So I looked around and found him not too far away crossing the street so I ran and started taking pictures. The gentleman looked at me and he didn’t seem to mind me taking pictures, so I continued taking his picture and he continued pushing the bike. As he was walking away from me, I wondered if he ever rode the bicycle or did he just push it.
I ran up to the Milkman again and started talking to him and he never stopped walking. The first question I asked must have been stupid because he just stared at me. My question was: Do you ever ride the bicycle or do you just push it. He didn’t seem to what to answer such a question, so I asked another one. Just how long have you been delivering mike in the area using a bicycle? He said for 40 years.
I asked if he delivered in other neighborhoods but he said no, just this one (Col. Santa Maria la Ribera). The Milkman then added that his milk was special, not like that store bought milk. He proudly said that his milk comes from the farm and fresh out of the cow. He said he starts early in the day and works until the early after noon delivering milk.
The guy was never grumpy though he had a grumpy characteristic about him. I found him helpful – but he never stopped to talk, he just pushed his bicycle. Said he was on this way to get more milk, I guess trying to finish his day without any more interference.
Though this guy sort of looked crumpy and was acted serious about his work, he did enjoy the attention I was giving him. To answer the question: Did you buy any milk? The answer is no. He had sold out :-(
Click photo blow to view more pictures
The other day I got an e-mail from a lady friend of mine: I love getting those melodious invitations in the mail, “This is an invitation to you if you’re free” she wrote. My friend and her husband live in El Centro Historico here in México City. In fact on the new groovy street in el Centro Historico – Calle Regina.
My friend said, a “German artist named Pia Lanzinger is doing her final of three performance pieces with a group of sweepers. Friday they did the Rockettes, more like ‘pass the shoe from me to you’ in slow motion, passing brooms and batting around a ball made from recyclables taped together.” Sounded like fun and original, and this was their last performance, so off I went.
I most enjoyed hearing the sweepers sing. Though they mostly sang off key it was most enjoyable to hear their music, songs, that these sweeper created themselves. All the music and poetry conveying their lives on the street — working as sweepers. Afterward I spoke to a couple of the sweepers and they beamed when I asked questions – hell I beamed from their energy too.
The German artist Pia Lanzinger did a excellent job in working with the sweepers. Lanzinger’s work focuses on “social phenomena and their effect on the individual, her site-specific works are based on research conducted with the co-operation of people in their own social environment. In recent years she has devised a number of projects for the public realm,” México City being one of them.
It was a lovely day :-)
Here a short video of what I heard that day
And here are the pics: Pia Lanzinger sits with the crew
Click photo below to view a slide show.
