Quedan 2 semanas.

Two weeks from today I'll be back in Sacramento, hopefully eating In-n-Out or frozen yogurt with Kim. :)

I don't want to go. I'm having such an amazing time here, I've grown so much, my Spanish is rockin, and I've made so many wonderful wonderful friends here, it's going to be really hard to get on the plane. In fact, all of my classmates are all threatening to somehow have me detained in the airport. :) I've been hearing a lot of "quedate aquiiiiiii Alis!" lately, and I really wish I could, but I've got a graduation and a bar exam to knock out, and that's really all there is to it.

I love Mexico City--everything about it. I really do want to come back here to work someday. There's ALWAYS something happening, you can eat like a queen for $1, the people are wonderful and friendly, and the public transportation system is very sophisticated and cheap.

A lot of my time lately has been spent goofing off with friends or working on a huge research paper that I have to turn in before I leave, but I've done a lot of stuff since I last blogged, so here's a quick update:
--Yesterday I actually got VIP access to go underneath the Cathedral and walk through the crypts! We went into the room where all of the bodies of the archbishops since the conquest are kept. It was REALLY creepy, but so incredibly cool at the same time. After the Spanish destroyed the Aztecan Pyramids at Tenochtitlan, they just built their buildings right on top, so the Cathedral sits atop of many pyramids and other Aztecan artifacts. So, the Spanish constructed the Archbishop crypt atop of Aztecan sacrificial altars--the marble tomb that holds that body of Mexico's first Archbishop is laid atop of one of these altars. It was quite a sight to behold. Also, I was promised that I'm going to be able to adventure even further underneath the Cathedral to see the Pyramids, but we'll have to go at night, so I'm working on it. There's supposed to be a ghost, too!

--Last weekend I went back to San Angel for my favorite art market, and then to Coyoacan to hang with my friends Mirelle & Sergio. We had a great time eating in the really great comedors in Coyoacan and platicando over cafecitos. When I came home I convinced Atenea and her boyfriend Alejandro to go to the food & art festival in the Centro de Tlalpan, and I'm so glad we went! I picked up some cool gifts for Vanessa, and ate tacos while listening to the live mariachi music. :)

--Last week some of my friends from school took me to desayunar in the mercado in the Centro de Tlalpan, we had a great time--here are some pictures:



--I finally checked out the Museum of Modern Art & the Castillo in Parque Chapultepec last week. The views from the Castillo were incredible, but what really blew me away were the art collections in the MOMA. I'm really glad I was able to visit before taking off.

--I bought my lucha mask. After a lot of deliberation, I decided to go with Dr. Wagner Jr., his purple option.

--The weekend before I went to Xochimilco with some girlfriends where we enjoyed quesadillas and micheladas while listening to banda and laughing our butts off. Afterward, we went to Gabi's house where we gossiped, danced and laughed until we had to get serious for the America v. Chivas game that night. Great day.




--This weekend should be fun, too--Friday my class is kidnapping me to go to las trajineras in Xochimilco, which is basically a big party on a boat that floats down a river. Saturday I think I'm going dancing or to a birthday party, and Sunday I'll probably spend working on my paper.

So, there's the past few weeks in a nutshell--lots of exploring, laughing with friends, and as always, eating.

See you guys REALLY soon at graduation!
xoxo

Spring break!

I'm officially back in gear after 2 weeks of spring break. Which was glorious.

The first week my parents came to visit! We went all over--Teotihuacan, the Centro Historico, Ballet Folklorico in Bellas Artes, San Angel, the Museum of Anthropology, and a ton of great restaurants! I'm still waiting on my mom to send me most of the pictures, but here's one that I took with my camera:

My mom & I on top of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan:

After my parents took off, I went to a small beach called Playa Paraiso with some friends of mine from school. It was incredible--there was no one there, and we camped for 3 days in tents under little cabanas. The weather was perfect. Most of our time was spent lazing around on the beach or swimming in the little laguna nearby, because the waves & undertow were REALLY strong.

After the beach, I took an overnight trip to nearby Puebla, which was meh, sort of mediocre. It was cool to visit, and I bought some really cool art, so that was a definite highlight, but otherwise, it was just a bunch of colonial architecture & churches, so I was like, NEXT.

Here's my top 5 favs from my two weeks off:
1. Showing my parents what I've been up to for the past few months
2. Staying up all night watching cable tv in our hotel room while snacking on the girl scout cookies they brought me (I never watch tv anymore!)
3. Ballet Folklorico
4. Swinging in a hammock and eating fresh tortillas while enjoying the view at Playa Paraiso
5. Laughing really hard about whatever it is my friends and I were joking about at the moment at the beach. :)

I hope everyone is doing well--I come home really soon and can't wait to see all of you! Much love from south of the border. xoxo