I had an epiphany today: I can speak and understand Spanish really well. I'm understanding almost everything, and am speaking without hesitation. I was even really angry today and I reacted in Spanish! Isn't that increible?
Things have been going well--I'm in the middle of my midterms and I feel good about them. I've been spending a lot of time studying and trying to sleep here and there, because normally I get about 3-4 hours a night during the week thanks to the fact that I have to get up so early to make it to school. I'll never complain about having to be at the office at 8 EVER again.
So yeah, things have been same ol' around here, just studying, dealing with public transportation, and platicando con amigos. Since I haven't done anything too exciting, but have random thoughts I'd like to throw out, I thought I'd just make a list of top 10 random thoughts on Mexico:
1. Peseros: I noticed the other day that peseros actually race each other in order to pick up more bus riders. I often fear for my well-being when I'm on a pesero, but last week I actually thought I was going to die when another pesero nearly broadsided us. Uuuffff, que miedo. Also, I definitely don't recommend jumping on the peseros that are all pimped out, like the ones that are low-riders, have black lights, and car racing decals. The last thing that I think is funny about peseros is that ALL of the drivers recline their seat so it's more like a chaise lounge than a chair, which also means they can barely see over the driver's wheel. hmm.
2. Burritos: I FINALLY found a burrito in Mexico. Is that weird? Burritos are NOWHERE to be found, I think it might be a northern Mexico thing? Anyway, what's important is that I found them, they're a block away from my school, and they're the stuff dreams are made of. You can actually order a 3 foot long burrito if you're up to it (the overlap the tortillas). Anyway, the consist of an amazing homemade flour tortilla, any kind of meat you like with queso oaxaca, two types of really good salsas and FRENCH FRIES. They put FRENCH FRIES IN THE BURRITO. Oh man. I had one on Friday and thought about it every day until Tuesday when I had another one. I need to cut that out though, I'm definitely puttin' on some pounds thanks to the food.
3. Amiguitos nuevos: I really love my classmates. There are only 12 of us, which is a really small class size for Pedregal, and I get along really well with every one of them. They all want to take care of me all the time, invite me places, want to practice their English, want to visit me in California, etc. I've also met a ton of other really great people here at the University. Everyone is just so friendly and interested, I make new buds every day. Saturday I'm heading to San Angel to see a comedy show and eat crepes with one of my new girlfriends, Diana, and since we finish our midterms on Monday, a bunch of us are going for Aztecas to celebrate.
4. Television: Sucks. The novelty of novelas has long since worn off; they're really just awful. But that's all that's on tv, soo...I don't watch a whole lot of tv. I think that when I come back I'm going to watch tv for like two weeks straight before bar prep starts. Speaking of which...
5. Graduation: I'll be there! I booked my ticket for May 7, so I'll make it to the McGeorge grad party as well as our graduation. I wasn't planning on making it back so early, but I'd really hate to miss it. Booking the ticket did make me really sad though! I don't want to leave I love it so much here!!!
6. Micheladas: totally amazing. I think I've talked about them before, but whatever, I love them. Micheladas are beer with lime and hot sauce served in an ice cold glass with a salt coated rim. They're even better with tacos. No wonder I'm gaining weight.
7. La Hora Mexicana: In Mexico EVERYTHING runs late. If someone tells you they'll meet you at 3, they'll meet you at 5 if at all. I'm actually waiting on someone now, who is currently running 30 minutes late. The word "flake" doesn't translate and if you have a reputation for running late, it means that you consistently arrive at least 3 hours late, not 10 or 15 minutes like in the US. It used to REALLY upset me until I realized that being stood up or having to wait hours for someone doesn't mean the same thing here as it does in the US. At home, if someone stands you up or makes you wait for them without advising you beforehand, it's really rude and often considered a big FU that's often taken personally. However, here, it's the norm. If someone stands you up, or shows up really late without letting you know they're showing up late, it's not a big deal and it doesn't have any significance. So, if you're in Mexico, and your new Mexican friend tells you they'll be there "ahorita," that translates to anywhere from 20 minutes late to never. Hay que tener paciencia no mas.
8. Shopping: You wouldn't BELIEVE how expensive it is to shop for clothes here! Also, what I think is kinda weird is that Sears is here in Mexico, but it's REALLY nice. Sears is like Nordstrom here! They sell 7 jeans, but they cost $200USD!!! What is that about? Shoes are also incredibly expensive...so looks like I'll be bummin' it out of my suitcase until May. :)
9. Mi casa es su casa: The people in Mexico are so incredibly gracious; the're willing to welcome you into their lives and make you a part of their familia. Just yesterday I was invited to lunch at a friends house, and her mom served us sodas in the living room while we listened to music and chatted about the new Judicial Reform in Mexico before eating. It's just really wonderful.
10. Market food: So sometimes I forget that I'm not Chilanguita and I get really bold with my food choices. Mexico has AMAZING street food, but I need to be smarter about my choices. It's just so hard to say no sometimes, especially after living here for awhile...jijiji.
Hasta pronto, chavitos!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Quick update
it's been awhile since I've posted, so I'll give you a quick update and think of more funny stories to tell you later, you can bet on lots of new pesero adventures.
School is in full swing so a lot of my time is spent in class, getting to and from class, and studying. I obviously need to work a lot harder than the other students because of the whole "soy de California y hablo ingles" thing. I usually like to study in Cafe de la Selva in the Centro de Tlalpan, which is a really cool coffee shop that reminds me a lot of Cafe Milano in Berkeley, but the coffee is cheaper, there are ALWAYS tables available, and you can smoke.
I LOVE hanging out in the Centro de Tlalpan. It's gorgeous and really relaxed, and there are always really great food vendors around, not to mention a really wonderful little bakery that sells fresh baked bread for really cheap. There's usually something going on, too, live music or people performing, protests, etc., so I love hanging out over good coffee or atole and a fresh roll from the bakery and just watchin the sights.
As far as touristy stuff--A couple of weeks ago, I made the trek to the Centro Historico to hit up some museums and sights with one of my classmates, Paola. First we went to the top of the Torre Latinoamericana then to the Templo Mayor, which is an amazing museum exhibiting many archeological artifacts found in the Aztecan Templo Mayor; a huge pyramid that the Spanish ruined when they showed up. The ruins are smack dab in the middle of the Centro Historico! Right behind the Catedral! The juxtaposition is absolutely incredible--while walking through the ruins you are right in the middle of the city with all of its sounds, sights, and smells. It's really incredible.
The next day, my friend Diana and her brother took me to watch the UNAM Pumas Soccer game! It was a total blast, I'm learning all of the gritas and the Pumas are officially my favorite team because UNAM is a huge prestigious public university and their colors are navy blue anad gold. What more could I ask for?
Other than that things have been pretty relaxed. I've been going out on weekends with my sisters and new friends to different cool places in the City, hanging out a lot at home with my host family, and studying for my upcoming midterms. Life is bueno!
School is in full swing so a lot of my time is spent in class, getting to and from class, and studying. I obviously need to work a lot harder than the other students because of the whole "soy de California y hablo ingles" thing. I usually like to study in Cafe de la Selva in the Centro de Tlalpan, which is a really cool coffee shop that reminds me a lot of Cafe Milano in Berkeley, but the coffee is cheaper, there are ALWAYS tables available, and you can smoke.
I LOVE hanging out in the Centro de Tlalpan. It's gorgeous and really relaxed, and there are always really great food vendors around, not to mention a really wonderful little bakery that sells fresh baked bread for really cheap. There's usually something going on, too, live music or people performing, protests, etc., so I love hanging out over good coffee or atole and a fresh roll from the bakery and just watchin the sights.
As far as touristy stuff--A couple of weeks ago, I made the trek to the Centro Historico to hit up some museums and sights with one of my classmates, Paola. First we went to the top of the Torre Latinoamericana then to the Templo Mayor, which is an amazing museum exhibiting many archeological artifacts found in the Aztecan Templo Mayor; a huge pyramid that the Spanish ruined when they showed up. The ruins are smack dab in the middle of the Centro Historico! Right behind the Catedral! The juxtaposition is absolutely incredible--while walking through the ruins you are right in the middle of the city with all of its sounds, sights, and smells. It's really incredible.
The next day, my friend Diana and her brother took me to watch the UNAM Pumas Soccer game! It was a total blast, I'm learning all of the gritas and the Pumas are officially my favorite team because UNAM is a huge prestigious public university and their colors are navy blue anad gold. What more could I ask for?
Other than that things have been pretty relaxed. I've been going out on weekends with my sisters and new friends to different cool places in the City, hanging out a lot at home with my host family, and studying for my upcoming midterms. Life is bueno!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Adventures in public transit, officious defined, and buena suerte
Every morning I have to wake up at 5:30am to catch a funky-ass pesero at 6:30am so I can make it to school on time. And every morning, the bus is so full that I have to stand. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to stand in a completely enclosed space on the bus, but lately I've been hanging out with the driver sitting on the large dashboard because there's no space in the bus, or actually hanging from a pole with half of my body out of the bus door!
Peseros really suck, but they have a certain charm to them...to me at least. I think the general population of Mexico City actually hates them, but I think they're a blast. They're disgustingly dirty, the seats are horribly uncomfortable, the drivers drive like MANIACS, they smell heavily of gasoline, and they always contain about 20 more people than an American fire marshall would allow for...if you have money to pay, the driver will take it.
Also, I've noticed that at the bus terminal, there are these chavos (young dudes) that just sort of hang around eating junk food. When a bus pulls up, they'll jump in and sit in front so that when the bus pulls over, they jump out and announce where the bus is going (even though the sign in front clearly says where it's going). When they get back in, the bus driver gives them a couple of pesos for whatever it is that they're helping with.
Despite their quirks, I'm a big fan of taking peseros. Everyone I go to school with is pretty fresa, and they're totally appalled when they hear that I take peseros, the metro and the light rail all the time. But how can you beat getting nearly anywhere you want to go in Mexico City for less than $.20?? I'm telling you, you can't be that with a stick!
Also, a note on "services" in Mexico. It seems to me that people here throw something in your face here and expect you to pay for it--this is a good example of officiousness, which we learned about in contracts.
Here's a good example: I was in the car at a stop light with a couple of friends just the other day, when this fat old guy shoddily dressed as a clown approached my friend who was driving and complained to him for the entire duration of the red light about how because he entertains people, we needed to give him a few pesos? What the heck is that about? We didn't even SEE him do anything slightly entertaining! He might as well have just come up to the car and said that we'd have to pay him to go away!
Also last night we went out to a club, and when we parked, there was this old dude that was hanging around the street where we parked. He approached us and said that we'd have to pay him to watch the car! Like a pirate vallet service or something? What is that? So we were like, okay, we'll pay you afterward, thinking he'd be gone. And he TOTALLY wasn't! He was there at 2am, "watching the cars." We had to pay him 10 pesos so he'd go away because he wouldn't let us pull out of where we'd parallel parked until we paid him! Oh Mexico.
On a more pleasant note--I hung out in the Centro of Tlalpan today to get some studying done. I'm so lucky to live in such a lovely district of the city! After studying, I took a walk around the plaza. After buying a beautiful pair of handmade earrings from the guy who made them, and having a pleasant little conversation with him about Tlalpan and things I should do in Mexico, I stopped over to this amazing little bakery where I bought some great fresh baked bread (Katie, it's the same bread they served at Girasoles but better!!!).
Tonight I hung out with my sisters. Atenea and I made pancakes with cajeta and watched dubbed Disney moves in bed. We joke about how it's so much more fun to stay in bed and gossip and eat rather than go out! We have such a great time together. It's usually just the girls, me, my host sisters Atenea and Farath, and my host mom, Cairo. I'm so so lucky to be living with such a wonderful family in such an incredible place. I couldn't be happier!!!
Peseros really suck, but they have a certain charm to them...to me at least. I think the general population of Mexico City actually hates them, but I think they're a blast. They're disgustingly dirty, the seats are horribly uncomfortable, the drivers drive like MANIACS, they smell heavily of gasoline, and they always contain about 20 more people than an American fire marshall would allow for...if you have money to pay, the driver will take it.
Also, I've noticed that at the bus terminal, there are these chavos (young dudes) that just sort of hang around eating junk food. When a bus pulls up, they'll jump in and sit in front so that when the bus pulls over, they jump out and announce where the bus is going (even though the sign in front clearly says where it's going). When they get back in, the bus driver gives them a couple of pesos for whatever it is that they're helping with.
Despite their quirks, I'm a big fan of taking peseros. Everyone I go to school with is pretty fresa, and they're totally appalled when they hear that I take peseros, the metro and the light rail all the time. But how can you beat getting nearly anywhere you want to go in Mexico City for less than $.20?? I'm telling you, you can't be that with a stick!
Also, a note on "services" in Mexico. It seems to me that people here throw something in your face here and expect you to pay for it--this is a good example of officiousness, which we learned about in contracts.
Here's a good example: I was in the car at a stop light with a couple of friends just the other day, when this fat old guy shoddily dressed as a clown approached my friend who was driving and complained to him for the entire duration of the red light about how because he entertains people, we needed to give him a few pesos? What the heck is that about? We didn't even SEE him do anything slightly entertaining! He might as well have just come up to the car and said that we'd have to pay him to go away!
Also last night we went out to a club, and when we parked, there was this old dude that was hanging around the street where we parked. He approached us and said that we'd have to pay him to watch the car! Like a pirate vallet service or something? What is that? So we were like, okay, we'll pay you afterward, thinking he'd be gone. And he TOTALLY wasn't! He was there at 2am, "watching the cars." We had to pay him 10 pesos so he'd go away because he wouldn't let us pull out of where we'd parallel parked until we paid him! Oh Mexico.
On a more pleasant note--I hung out in the Centro of Tlalpan today to get some studying done. I'm so lucky to live in such a lovely district of the city! After studying, I took a walk around the plaza. After buying a beautiful pair of handmade earrings from the guy who made them, and having a pleasant little conversation with him about Tlalpan and things I should do in Mexico, I stopped over to this amazing little bakery where I bought some great fresh baked bread (Katie, it's the same bread they served at Girasoles but better!!!).
Tonight I hung out with my sisters. Atenea and I made pancakes with cajeta and watched dubbed Disney moves in bed. We joke about how it's so much more fun to stay in bed and gossip and eat rather than go out! We have such a great time together. It's usually just the girls, me, my host sisters Atenea and Farath, and my host mom, Cairo. I'm so so lucky to be living with such a wonderful family in such an incredible place. I couldn't be happier!!!
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