WHO AM I?


February 09, 2013


I consider myself a normal, common-sense, fun-loving, reasonably intelligent kind of person. I may live in Canada or the US but for years now I have enjoyed spending up to several months a year in a home in El Parque. I have always enjoyed my time here. Each year when I arrive in El Parque I am greeted enthusiastically by the many friends I have accumulated. I arrive to find the property and the common areas in good condition and I always feel safe and secure.

During my stay, I try to focus all my time and effort on having a good time with my friends and taking advantage of the abundance of social activities, planned and spontaneous, that are available here. I play water volleyball regularly in a pool that seems to always be heated to just the right temperature and then relax in a hot tub that is usually actually hot. On occasion I take advantage of a regular Friday evening happy hour that seems to be run efficiently. I play bean bag on Sundays and there is a Texas hold ‘em game available once a week. Bridge, Tai Chi, and various other activities are available. (I even, god forbid, occasionally take advantage of an exercise room or take ridiculous hikes to ridiculous places. I have to work on putting a stop to that. It wears me out.) There is usually some kind of spontaneous get together at someone’s house and there are fairly frequent planned social events. The weather is almost always perfect and allows for unlimited rounds of golf or tennis if I so desire. Life is great here at El Parque.

As is true of any good sized community, there will always be, at any given time, a handful who have issues with the board or the way the community is run. It would be foolish and useless for me to let that spoil my fun. Individuals are perfectly entitled to have their own issues and those issues should be addressed (just not by me). El Parque has a board and an Administrator specifically tasked to deal with issues that arise. In my opinion, others would be foolish to even attempt to deal with issues that are solely the administration’s responsibility.

I am frequently asked if I consider El Parque my home. I always reply yes because that makes me appear to be a concerned community citizen and that is what everyone wants to hear. That is not entirely the truth. I enjoy El Parque but my home is in Canada or the US. It is annoying and inconvenient to become involved in El Parque politics and it interferes with my fun. I don’t know anything about bylaws or Mexican condo laws. While rumors and gossip keep me aware of general issues and complaints, I don’t know enough of the particulars about any of the issues or complaints to make an informed judgment about them. I tend to side with the board and the administration simply because that is the easiest path to happiness. My fellow residents don’t want to hear anything negative and, to side with a complainer can seriously damage one’s popularity and detract from one’s social acceptability. If issues and politics make me a little uncomfortable here, soon I will simply pack up and go home to Canada or the US and when I come back next year, things might be better.

I am always happy to see the annual AGM roll around. If I am one of those attending, I can just raise my hand when everybody else does and hope for a short meeting. That strategy always maintains good graces with the majority of the people and I would feel comfortable that I have done a civic duty. Once the AGM has been completed, everything kind of quiets down. My conscience is clear because, with the AGM out of the way, nobody can be expected to do anything productive even if they were previously doubtful about issues.

The riddle and title of this posting is "WHO AM I?". For those of you who are curious, an answer might be “I AM YOU”.

Think about it!!!!



Interesting post and nicely written. Seems a little pessimistic to me though. I thought it might be me but I don't hike.

posted by Anonymous : 4:22 PM, February 17, 2013




Pessimistic? How about taking a look at the new comment under "Gimme Some Truth" ... Realistic is more like it.

posted by Anonymous : 7:28 AM, February 26, 2013




ADIOS, VAYA CON DIOS

The time has nearly arrived. Another pleasant stay at El Parque is coming to an end for about 80% of the homeowners here. Within the next month or so El Parque will exist in the minds of departing homeowners as simply pleasant memories of good times, good friends and warm weather. In another 7 months, El Parque will reinsert itself pleasantly into their thoughts as they anticipate their return to this Mexican paradise. I believe I can speak for all the REAL permanent residents here in El Parque that, as is always the case, we thoroughly enjoy your annual visits and look forward to them with enthusiasm.

We do, however, regret any inconvenience you may have suffered this year because of a few disobedient homeowners who may have made your stay mildly uncomfortable. Regrettably, there are always a very few independent thinkers among us who seem to want to spoil everyone’s fun by bringing up issues that are uncomfortable. If only those dissidents had understood respect, respect spelled O B E D I E N C E, things would have been better this year. We will do our best to remedy that situation before your next visit. After all, the majority of those who live permanently here in El Parque are either board members or have been recruited to serve on one of our many board inspired committees. We understand that everyone is allowed to have thoughts and opinions that may differ from ours but we draw the line at allowing them to actually express those thoughts and opinions. We will do our best to make sure that this year’s troublemakers will have been deported, jailed, or otherwise forced out of El Parque before your next much anticipated visit. Wish us luck and have a pleasant, safe trip home. We will miss you greatly.

posted by Anonymous : 7:38 PM, March 20, 2013




There you go again being sarcastic and facetious. Before you accuse any one of being instrumental in any of the initiatives you refer to, you should be absolutely certain that indeed it was anyone on the Board or administration responsible. Your group has done many things that have been detrimental to the well being on El Parque and you must certainly know that your popularity within the community is non existent. Be careful what you wish for. Still don't understand why you would want to live in a community that you so detest. Even if you have issues with the Administration, where were you on Staff Appreciation Day. Shame on you for not participating in an event for the staff . Do not kid yourselves - it did not go unnoticed by them.

posted by Anonymous : 6:18 PM, March 21, 2013




Oh get real, we all know, who, what and why. Nobody is pulling the wool over anyone's eyes. Please, who would want to be "popular" in your bunch, is evil a prerequisite? Your welcome to enjoy one another's company. I've been witness to your personalities and I would dare say that even your children would be highly disgusted and disappointed in the parents that hopefully taught them to behave exactly the opposite. If you didn't, shame on you!

As for employee appreciation day, don't kid yourself, our guys know who their friends are. We don't have to show up at a party for them to know who their real friends are. In case yor wondering, that would not be you, the board or the administrator. They totally know what's going on here. Do you think they're stupid?? Do you think they approve of this administration? They need their jobs, they need the money and they feel obligated to show up when their required to do so. You can quit patting yourselves on the back any time. There're just "not that into you".

posted by Anonymous : 7:50 PM, March 21, 2013




Interesting that you say the employees need their jobs - if you get your way they will not longer be our employees - they will all be fired by a management company who will hire their own staff - so stop deluding yourselves into thinking that you are their best friends. They know exactly what will happen to them.

As for children being disappointed in their parent's behavior, what would they say about those of you who have been observed giving the finger to your neighbors and swearing. Best to check your own behavior first before you criticize others.

posted by Anonymous : 8:24 PM, March 22, 2013




You are misinformed!

posted by Anonymous : 7:27 AM, March 23, 2013




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