Cultural...bumps

Now that I'm into my third month in Mexico, I'd like to take the time to address some cultural differences that could potentially get on my nerves, or that I find interesting.

Class
To put it simply, you either have a maid here, or you are a maid. The middle class is small, and most people have everything or have nearly nothing. To risk overgeneralizing, most people are not shy about making their status known. Even at work, there are those who give orders and those who do. And there seems to be little or no resentment/protest on the part of those receiving the orders; it seems like this is just "how things are" here, and how they've been for a long time.
At the beginning of the year, I went to a student's birthday party. Arriving early, I asked what I thought was the family if I could help them set up. I received strange looks and polite instructions to just sit down somewhere. As it turned out, these were people who worked for the party hall, clearly hired to set up for the family, and as a guest, offering to help set up, clean up, or lift much of a finger, you are usually refused.

Noise Level
I read in a book I bought called "Living in Mexico" that the culture is louder here, sometimes people talk at the same time, etc., and I said, I can dig. Well, I can dig, but it's a tad frustrating to NEVER have a quiet moment, and to have students who are slowwwwwwwwly learning what it means to work quietly and independently.
The water trucks make noise. The gas trucks have chains behind them to signal their presence. Taxis and collectivos constantly beep to alert riders who might want to flag them down. Multiple grown adults in my building BLAST music. People shout to get others' attention instead of going to them. The list goes on... it is NEVER quiet here. Never a dull moment. Even at school, during recess there is constant shrieking far beyond the noise level of a playground back home, and many children SCREAM when the bell rings to end recess, every day, even though at this point it is not a surprise.

Standing Out
There is NO way for me to blend in here. I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and I am melanin-impaired. Because of this, I feel like half celebrity, half freak show. The only time I feel sort of normal is at school, because almost half the teachers are foreigners like myself. Otherwise, I'm subject to stares, and sometimes hisses, whistles, and 'mamacitas' from the menfolk. And, no one thinks twice about calling us gringos or gueros (whities, basically). It's amusing...but sometimes I would just like to go a day, or an hour outside, without being stared at!
As a not-bonus for standing out, I often get offered "gringo" prices at the market... c'est a dire, the market vendors know immediately I'm probably not from these parts, they see dollar signs in their heads, and think I won't notice paying a little more than a local might pay. No way, folks! I live and work here; I earn pesos! I will barter with the best of them, so to speak.

Manana...
Nothing ever happens on time. I'm getting quite used to making few or no plans, and then even having the few things I think *might* happen not happen, or at least not when/how I thought they would. Things are a lot more...relaxed here in Tuxtla. No one's in a hurry to get things done, although sometimes outward appearances would tell you that all is going well and is organized. This even continues at school, where the teachers are supposed to plan a week ahead but then be okay with last-minute interruptions, lost prep periods, etc. I've found it easier to laugh and adapt rather than get my shorts in a knot, mostly because doing the latter wouldn't do any good.

Probably more to come...