New Life in Mex City, Made Easier With High Definition and Satellite TV
About six months ago, word came down from my boss. 'Mexico City', I asked? The boss explained, in a tone that let me know quite clearly that this move was the last option standing between me and a layoff, that the company needed a help in the Mexico City, (D.F.) office, and, since I spoke Spanish, and had no family to speak of, it made the most sense to send me. 'Think of it as a temporary move, this is actually a promotion' he said. Not being the best time to be looking for a new job, I accepted'and off to Mexico I went.
With almost half a year under my belt, the adjustment hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought. My company set me up with an apartment that seems brand new ' flat screen, high definition satellite TV, totally furnished, the works. Honestly, a big step up from my old place in Miami. My Spanish is better than ever, I was embracing my new home, staying away from McDonalds, TGI Fridays, and the usual Gringo traps in Mexico, and things were going smoothly.
Work was essentially the same, albeit in a different language, my home was much nicer, and I was living better than I had been in Miami. Still enamored with the HD entertainment system, I could watch all the same shows I did in back in the U.S., but as August approached, I started to read ESPN.com, and immediately hated the fact that I would have to go across town to one of the giant hotels to catch a game on Sunday. I received ESPN Deportes, so I would get Monday Night Football in Spanish, but that meant that I could catch only one 49er game'not acceptable.
Further exacerbating the situation was the fact that Sunday was traditionally a family day in Mexico City. Half of the town is closed, and most people spend the day with their families. Since I have no family in Mexico, I was on my own, making this a perfect time to watch football, especially since most of my friends here, even if not spending the day with family, were interested in Futbol Americano only so long as Primera Division soccer wasn't on, which it always seemed to be. So Sundays I was on my own, which was fine, but without the 49ers, which was not fine.
Enter the miracle of globalization. As it turns out, I'm not the only one who got shipped to Mexico City in the midst of a global recession. After doing some research, and talking to a few expats, it turns out NFL Sunday Ticket is available in Mexico through the Sky satellite TV feed. Jackpot. Talk about a turn around - in the matter of one week, I went from facing the prospect of seeing one 49er game in a season, all the while being tortured with a flat screen TV, high definition entertainment system and nothing to watch on said entertainment system every Sunday, by myself, but soccer, to every NFL game in HD, and nobody to bother me while watching. I pull up Skype, and can watch the game while chatting with my brother and friends in the States. Turns out this was a promotion after all'
