Bisbee, Arizona

I really like this town, nestled in a small mountain range at 5300'. Its history began in the 19th century as a copper mining town, and the Copper Queen Mine is still open for tourists. A huge open-pit mine still welcomes people from the west side of town.

It's now known as an artsy town, full of radically-progressive residents quite happily living in old termite-infested small homes on the sides of hills. Their yards are small because the lots are small. The old town is practically a small town of 100-year-old buildings built by the mining industry.

The attitude here is so refreshing from the rest of Arizona. The I-don't-give-a-damn attitude is quite prevalent here.

But there is more to Bisbee than just the radical image. It's a few miles from the Mexican border. It's a little bit cooler here than in our town because of the higher elevation. Organic gardens are big here. Colorful gardens are also popular. The town even recycles all paper products.

Women don't color their hair and wear it in long braids in the back of their heads. Men don't shave their faces and don't cut their hair, either and wear clothes that smell of three-day-old body odor. Aging hippies of the progressive era, or disgruntled anti-establishmentarian protesters at best, Bisbeeans are a unique breed.

So, it was a big surprise when I went to the Bisbee School District today to check on my application. It was lunch time and the administrators were eating their meals at a round table in a back office.

"Oh, I read your resume!" said one lady.
"You've done a lot!" said another.

Ah shucks, gollygee, I thought...

"If you were certified to teach Spanish the superintendent would have hired you right away because the one Spanish teacher we have is a long-term sub!" said the primary Human Resource lady, who then took her time with me to fill out the tax forms for employment.

Which means my stay-at-home Mother-of-three-dogs days are over.

"I call the subs at 5:45am" said the lady.

I'll be up at Oh-dark-thirty, showered and ready to go!

"Just don't call me to teach math, I suck at it!" I replied, practically skipping out the door, relieved that finally someone's complimented me on my talents. I've always had a talent for foreign languages and now I've been FINALLY encouraged to hone in on that talent.

http://www.discoverbisbee.com/
http://bisbeearizona.com/content/