Tijuana Taxi

Once I graduated from THE University of Akron in 1983 the hard part started, trying to find a company that would take a chance on this handsome and completely green Zip fresh out of school. I looked for six months in my hometown of Akron, Ohio for just that very thing. The Rubber Capital of the World was going through a massive transition from a manufacturing center for the automobile industry to something else. It didn’t seem clear to me what the “something else” was going to be and to be honest it was probably one of the worst times in history to be looking for a job in Akron. Most of the tire companies were heading out of town and many people were finding themselves unemployed. I had been married for about a year and a half and it was time for me to fish or cut bait (as my Pop used to say).

Michelle and I did a lot of research and we decided to move to Atlanta, Georgia in early 1984. Atlanta was the total opposite of Akron at the time. It was a bustling boom town with tons of jobs and growth like I had never seen in my life. I found a company to take a shot on this “wet behind the ears” business tycoon with absolutely zero experience. I started work in February of 1984 at American Appraisal Associates which was headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and had about 1,000 employees worldwide. The office in Atlanta was one of the bigger satellite offices and we had about 50 or so appraisers performing valuations all over the United States and various spots around the world. I had never been anywhere prior to getting this job so it was pretty cool to be jumping on planes, staying in hotels, visiting big cities, seeing the country and realizing that people are the same everywhere you go. Unlike me, most of them had not heard of Akron, Ohio which was astonishing to me.

During my first month on the job, the company got a huge engagement in San Diego, California for General Dynamics, a defense contractor, and needed to put a team of about 100 folks to work for about six months. I had only been employed for about a month and now I had to go back to the apartment and tell Michelle that I was heading for California for the next six months. she had only been in Georgia for a few weeks. She took it like a champ and the next thing I know I’m on a LT11 heading for San Diego. Every third weekend I could come back home for three or four days and then I had to be back in California. Thankfully, she had her mom and sister come up and live with her while I was gone. They had found work as well so that part worked out a LOT better than I thought it was going to.

Once I arrived in San Diego, I found out that I was going to be living in a corporate apartment on Coronda Island. If you have ever been to Coronado, you know how beautiful it is! I was in a room with a guy from Minnesota that I had never met. We worked different shifts so both of us basically had the place to ourselves. After growing up in a smokestack city and now living on an island in the Pacific Ocean across from downtown San Diego was pretty heady stuff for a tire builders’ kid. To quote some scripture, It sucketh not.

I soon found out that most of guys there did not look at this assignment as a great opportunity but rather a pain in the rear that felt like a demotion. What did I know? I was having the time of my life and I was so new that I had no clue that this was not a GREAT gig but a mind numbing horrible assignment. I was new to the company and was looking at this as a way to show my new employer that they had made a wise investment in the Rutmachine. I hustled and this really torqued off the more senior guys because they were catching hell for being out worked by an FNG.

I met some guys from the home office in Milwaukee that became good friends and they decided to take me under their wings and keep me out of trouble (good luck with that!) and we commuted back and forth everyday from the apartments to the massive GD plants on the other side of the bridge.

Today’s blog will be about my first adventure in a Tijuana taxi and the adventures of your favorite tire builders’ kid on my trip to the lovely oasis of Mexico just across the border.

But First…A Joke:

About to have a blood test, this simple soul of a human nervously waited while the nurse tightened a tourniquet around his arm. “I understand you’re from Michigan,” she said. “Are you a Wolverines fan?” “Absolutely!” this simple fool replied. “Well,” she continued as she raised the needle, “this may hurt a little. I’m from Ohio, Go Bucks!”

A Verse to Contemplate:

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man” - Luke 6:22

Have I Told You This One?

Have you ever been in a situation and you quickly realize that the world was a LOT bigger than you thought it was? That’s exactly what was happening to me. Our assignment took us into these huge manufacturing and engineering facilities. In one plant they were making cruise missiles. I walked in and I saw a million square foot plant stocked with these missiles stuffed together like people in a wedding reception. Another plant had a B-52 bomber that they were installing controls in. A third plant had a Saturn rocket being constructed. The machine tools that made these things were massive and I was in awe. Of course, we had to act like we saw this kind of thing on a daily basis but I’m not sure I pulled that off.

We worked six days a week and had Sundays off. They were long days but since it was so new to me the time flew by. After a few weeks the older guys were bored to death and wanted to do something other than work. My new buddies were over at my apartment one evening for dinner and they look at me and ask, “You ever seen a bullfight?” Not only had I never seen one I was so naive that I didn’t realize they still did those types of things. I thought that maybe in Spain, but I had no idea that they did it in Mexico. So, we decided we were going to check out the bull fights in Tijuana when Sunday rolled around.

We had a rental car for work and didn’t think it would be a good idea to risk something happening to it in Mexico, so we drove to the border and parked it and then walked across a bridge into Tijuana. As we go into the city, I kept seeing these young mothers with four or five little ones around her and they were begging for money and food. My older buddies advised me to not give them any money because they would be hitting us up the rest of the day. I thought that was awful and gave this cute little kid a quarter and immediately realized they were right. The kid army had found a softie and they wore me out all day.

The next guy to wear us out was the taxi drivers. We obviously didn’t look like we were from there so they would hit us up every 10 or 15 minutes for a ride anywhere. We had planned on shopping around the main strip for a while and then we were going to go to the bull ring for the matches. Back in 1984 when we walked down the strip there were stores everywhere and every price was a negotiation. I am not a fan of negotiating but my friends loved it and they worked hard to get the lowest prices possible on stuff like shoes, shirts, souvenirs, blankets and just about everything. Even the taxi rides were a negotiation. The dollar was really strong back then and you could get a good amount of stuff for not much. I started to wonder if we were being tracked as “ugly Americans” but it appeared as if this was the way it worked.

Another group of “interesting” people were the “gentlemen” working out in front of the seedy bars. They reminded me of the guys at the circus boardwalk trying to convince you to come in and see the tattooed lady or wolf boy. One guy literally grabbed me and tried to pull me into a place and he and I had a staring contest for a bit. Other than that it was a cultural experience that has stayed with me.

It was time to head to the bull fights, so we found the taxi driver that had been working us all day. we made his day when we said okay let’s go. He leads us a couple blocks off the main strip and we pile into this old beat-up Ford LTD that looked about 50 years old. My two buddies got in the back, and I sat in the front passenger seat. You ever aimed your backside to sit in a chair and once you sit down you realize the seat has no cushion whatsoever? I take my seat and immediately sink to the floor to where I am at eye level with the door lock. The guys in the back are laughing and as I turn to see them I realize I can’t see them since the head rest is blocking my view! I look over at our Tijuana taxi driver and he asks if I am comfortable. We have a good laugh which changes to concern as he starts driving us through some really rough areas as we head to the Bull Ring. I start hoping that this guy didn’t take offense to the business we were giving him all day. If he pulls into one of these side streets we are toast.

We are fortunate and he not only takes us to the arena but gives us a guided tour of the city as we traveI. I missed it, of course, because I needed a ladder to get up to see out of the window. Once we arrive, he says that he will wait for us and take us back! Are you kidding me?

We go and find a ticket booth and suddenly realize that we are gravely under dressed. We had shorts and t-shirts on, and these people were dressed to the nines! The young women were beautiful and dressed in sun dresses and the guys looked like they were going to church and not to see a death battle between man and beast. It was very impressive. The next thing we did wrong was pick a seat on the sunny side versus the shady side. We soon found out why the sunny side seats were so much cheaper.

We take our seats and find out that there will be six separate contests. I thought that was a lot for what we paid. So far so good! The first match starts, and it really was not what I thought it was going to be. I envisioned that it was this battle between the bull and the courageous human fighter. Eh, not so much.

Before the fighter even comes out the bull comes into the ring with several blades already in its neck to keep its head down. These other guys come in a chase it around and throw about a dozen more swords into the bull and then these guys on horses with mattresses hanging off them so the bull can’t gore them corner the bull and then one of these dudes drives a huge post into the bull which nearly kills it. THEN the brave fighter comes out and does his thing. I was not impressed. The bull never had a shot…this is rigged.

After seeing the exact same thing a few more times, we decide to take our sunburn and head back. True to his word, our taxi driver was waiting for us exactly where he said he would be. He loads us in (guess where I sat?) and we head back to town. We tip him nicely and thank him for his help and we start heading back for the border.

The only thing I really wanted was a wool blanket. Every shop had them and they were advertised for $10. They seemed more than reasonable for me, so we went into a store, and I started to buy one and my buddies from Milwaukee come in and start negotiating the store owner down. Thirty minutes later the shop owner gives up and gives it to us for $5 each. I take mine and put it under my arm and take my victory lap around the corner only to find out that this entire road of shops was advertising them for $4!

We head out and cross back over into the U.S. and travel back to Coronado. It was amazing to see how much life is different just twenty miles from one another. I passed at least a dozen more women and their kids begging for money and realized that this was the way they made their living. When we got to the car I put my $5 blanket in the trunk and headed back to the apartment thankful for an interesting day but also thankful for the life I get to lead.

Thank you, Lord, and please remind us all how much you love and care for us.

A Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I pray for those who misunderstand me to know my true heart. Help me to love the unlovable and those who hurt me. Please give me strength to remain silent and wait on You.

Book Recommendation:

Crucible Of Hell - The Heroism and Tragedy of Okinawa, 1945 by Saul David (2020)

Music Recommendation:

Black and White by Tony Joe White (1968)