Mexico City

Mexico City is not nealy as scary as I had imagined. I love the architecture and there are great green spaces and plenty of trees along the streets. But don´t get me wrong, I still prefer a much smaller town. They have great public art works and even really cool benches, each one along Reforma is different. Went to the Anotropology Museum today to get my nerd fill. It was a great musuem.The big park in the city is wonderful, much better than Central Park in NYC.
Can I say again that the buildings are beautiful here. The old, in the case of the ruins near my hostal and the main square (third largest main city square in the world, very old, and then even the more recent skyscrapers are generally artistic and not just plain hulks of buildings. I wish I had more time here and someone to explore the city with, but I´ll just have to come back someday.
Last night I spent much more on a baile folklorico show at Bellas Artes than I spent on two nights at the hostel. Big Mexico purchase, but very entertaining. It was $40 for pretty much the worst seat in the house. The stained glass ceiling in the theater was glorious. There were over 50 dancers and a full mariachi band on stage.

And saying goodbye to San Miguel de Allende was sad. I cried when I hugged Benito for the last time. Then I snuck onto an earlier bus in the morning so I wouldn´t have to go through a second goodbye when he dropped me off at the bus station. I called him when I was already on the earlier bus, bad I know. I was leaving and I just wanted to get it over with. Oh no, typing this I am tearing up in the Internet Cafe. Testing my detachment skills.

Tomorrow morning I get up at 4 am to catch a flight and then spend over 25 hours in airports and planes. I plan to sleep in the food court in the Lima airport and then I meet up with Lauren, Liz and Julie in Cuzco later Saturday morning. I am so phyched and also nervious that I will get big blisters from my Mexi boots.

Carrera Practice at a Rancho

Last Friday afternoon, Margaux, Benito and I show up in his taxi to a Rancho about 15minutes out of town. Apparently he hadn't called ahead and doesn't know them too well. We roll up with 24 cans of Modelo in a huge trash bag of ice. There are about 7 guys training horses for carrera competitions. We are on a long dirt road way out in the hills, but we want to ride horses. Yes, I know I am petrified of horses, but I am facing my fears, plus I meditated all morning to get me good and calm. Plus Margaux has 4 and road for many years. She ended up impressing all the guys with her skills. I had to be led around like a child for fear that the horse would just take off with (or without) me. It was a great day. We spent the afternoon watching their practice and then they walked the horses to calm them down for us and we spent the rest of the time just chilling and talking to them. Seems the next show isn’t for another month of so, but we were invited to come and watch them practice any Friday. Or ride anytime. Unfortunately, I don't have any more Fridays here.

Guadalajara for the weekend

We had Friday off from school. Thursday was actually Labor Day, but the school switched it around so we could have exams on Thursday and a three day weekend. I passed level three, but this week I am taking one-on-one classes instead of starting up with the next level.
Friday Margaux, Jamie and I work up early to take the 5+ hour trip to Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico. We paid the extra $4 so we had a really nice bus (the first class busses here are way better than any bus I have ever taken in the States) and good movies. I am proud that I know enough Spanish to understand movies.
Poor planning on our part, we arrived without a hotel and on a holiday weekend when the tourist booths were closed. No map, no guide book, but we found a simple hotel in the historic downtown and somehow immediately found our way to supposedly the largest market in the world under one roof.
After an attempted theft of Margaux's second camera lens (she is a great photographer) we were much more careful with our belongings. It was so hot this weekend. Way hotter than San Miguel, unbearable even. On Saturday we took the weirdest tour I have ever had (90% in Spanish) to Tequila, Mexico for a tour of Jose Cuervo's operations. It was the first time I tasted tequila since I horrible incident in Rosarita, Mexico after which I puked all over a friend and his friend{s car. That was 7 years ago. I have been avoiding tequila since, but I couldn't pass it up at the factory. I also love cooked agave, great sweet snack. We were told not to take pictures, so I have at least a dozen or so taken stealthily from waist height. I am just so bad with stupid rules. The hairnet picture is inside the factory too.
Sunday we spent most of the day at another market. This one was more artsy than the huge market, but not as pretty as the international art market that the city is so well known for. I bought a scarf and a skeleton lady and a necklace and I spent less than $7 and I got to bargain. Pretty sweet market.
I am sure we would have seen much more had we planned ahead or hot been ridiculously hot all weekend, but it was once again good to get out of San Miguel because it made me appreciate how nice it is there once again. Gratitude for what I have!

Motorcycle Molly

Last weekend I suprised myself. I have always thought motorcycles are dangerous and thus stupid I could not understand why people don't just buy a small car instead. That seems much more useful for friends and rainy days. Ever since I’ve met him, Benito has said he's saving up for a moto. Of course I made fun of him and said he should spend that money fixing his dead teeth. Anyway, after last Sunday I can at least understand why he wants them and why people keep Cape Cod Harley in business. We went for a long ride all around town. Cobblestone streets with speed bumps with someone who has scars on his body from a horrific moto accident in the past, yup scary. I cried at one point and tried to blame it on the wind even though I was wearing sunglasses. All in all, I loved it. It was so much fun and made me want a motorcycle. I still maintain that motorcycles are dangerous and dumb, but I can understand that they are lots of fun too. Then we stopped and he asked me if I wanted to learn to drive. Always looking to learn more, I said sure. Then instructions started coming at me in rapid Spanish. I soon realized I was not ready to learn and got back on the back. Fun day. Sorry mom, I know you are made, especially because helmets are unheard of here. Oh and yes, he crosses himself in front of every church even while on the bike. There were some cross moments way out in the mountains too, but I didn't see any church there.

This Sunday I went to a baptismo party for Benito's younger sister's baby. There were tons of Mexicans sitting around eating cake and drinking agua de jamaica (hibiscus flower iced tea). I could understand a good 80% of what they were talking about, but the conversation was way too fast for me to join in. I was certainly the mute gringa in the corner with a stupid smile on her face.Who knows what his family thinks of me. I am much better one on one. When we left, I couldn't stop talking for hours because I had been so quiet at the party.

I think I need to stop drinking so much here- last week was one long party. Sure I am studying lots and getting lots of reading done too, but I mean to spend more time meditating and thinking about what I want to do for a career when I get back to the states. Sangria can help with that right? Ok, I doubt it, but it was nice to see the connection between eating junk food and bad dreams this morning. I usually eat really well, but yesterday I downed cake and beer and ice cream late at night. Then I woke up in a nightmare involving a Mexico City taxi driver. Good motivation to stay away from bad food. I never knew how much it affected my body until I gave it up at yoga camp.

I am off to pick up my clothes from the laundry; hopefully they will all be there. Last week a friend of mine had to bring in the police because the laundry shop tried to tell her they didn't have her clothes. The clothes were hidden in the back. I am comforted by the fact that my clothes aren't so nice and I am taller than almost all the women around here.

Adobe, not Illustrator

So yesterday was great day. One of the students from last month has a daughter who bought an ex-hacienda 25 minutes outside of San Miguel two years ago. They have been fixing it up ever since. The student’s son took 5 of us on a tour yesterday. First we stopped by a work site to drop in on a class in making adobe building. People from all around the world had some to take the class. It’s pretty early to make the block once you have the right mix and they are much more environmentally friendly than concrete blocks. My favorite guy was a Haitian guy living in Canada, but preparing to help build permanent adobe structure back in Haiti. He had already bought himself a little brick making machine. They cost around $4500 USD and he got his from India, shipping included. It seemed like a great project. They people running the course were Jeff and Jim from http://www.tierraycal.com

Then we went to the hacienda. http://www.cantosdelossantos.com/us.html That family certainly has taken on a large project. The place was started in the 1770s, another part added in 1861 and then a 16 room hotel was started in 1980. Then the Mexican general who owned it fell out of power and could no longer us army funds and soldiers to finish his project. It went into ruin until this family of property managers from DC bought it two years ago. They are using looks of sustainable building materials and methods. It was good to spend a day talking about something I used to be so passionate about.
Then we sat down to a home cooking feast at the Hacienda with chef Ananda. Fresh- baked rosemary bread with olive oil, the best salad I’ve had in months, eggplant parmesan and then apple crisp with whip cream and lemonade. You would think I would try to loose weight before hiking in Peru, but apparently that is not my strategy. It was a wonderful day and I am back in the saddle with green building. Thursday I have dinner with three women who are working to bring more adobe projects to casita Linda. http://www.casitalinda.org All about the web links today.

Street Sweepers and Crosses

Ok, so every morning I wake up and after practicing yoga and eating fruit and oatmeal (I never new how good oatmeal cooked on the stove the long way could taste. No more microwave or instant for me if I can help it), I leave for school. Saying Hola and Buenos Dias to many people on the way.

It’s a short walk from my apartment to my school, past dozens of colonial houses on cobble stone streets. You know the kind of building that does not look like much from the outside, a protected front, but opens up to magical court yards and detailed rooms on the inside. I also pass by three major churches. The majority of people who walk or drive by these churches make the sign of the cross as they do so. So on this walk; I am surrounded by very religious people. It’s funny, three crosses in a row. I haven’t seen any car accidents in front of the churches, so I guess it’s safe for people to be so into it. This is a picture of one of the churches- the Oratorio. It is a beautiful walk to school and of course as a result I am often late to Conversation class.
All along the way, the help or household owner as well as restaurateurs and shop keepers are outside sweeping up the sidewalks in front of their place. They use handmade brooms and follow up with soap and water. Although it makes the stone sidewalks temporarily slippery, I am glad they are out there. I have never lived in a place with no rain. The roads are full of dust and dog poop. It’s important to clean it off the sidewalks and back into the streets. Still, given the wind around here, I’m hesitant to eat and of the roadside fare that is not covered by a clear plastic bag. Hmm, more about sidewalks, I like being the girl and walking on the inside. Benito always lets me go first and does that guiding thing with his hand. Me as an obedient girlfriend is certainly new. And the sidewalks are really narrow, so the custom is for the person facing traffic to step down and let the other person pass if there is not enough room. The people are so nice here, genuinely nice. Ok, the teenage couple next to me is exhibiting some gross mating rituals. I am off to the Jardin to read.

Still Loving it

San Miguel de Allende is quieter in April. Maybe lots of gringos have gone home to pay their taxes or spend the summer season in the States. Sometimes I curse the other gringos because there are so many, but I think their presence is a big part of what makes San Miguel special. They add to the cultural offerings and the arts. Plus, many restaurants cater to weak stomachs so I haven’t worried about eating raw veggies here. You know how much I love my salads. But I like shopping in the market and cooking at my house even more. Next week I am having a potluck.
While quieter, it’s also hotter and dustier this month. It hasn’t rained since I arrived. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen clouds here either. Apparently May will be the hottest month and then things cool down in June when the rains come. Until then I will marvel at how quickly my clothes dry and how much lotion my skin absorbs.
I like the new group of students taking Spanish with me at the Academia Hispano Americano. There are about 20 students from Mount Hood in Oregon at the school right now. They stay for 2 months and get 15 credits; seems like a good deal to me. Their presence certainly tips the age scale in the other direction. Last month the vast majority of students were retired.
I like learning Spanish much more than I expected. If I go back to the Cape in June, I think I will have to return here in the fall. Like Salsa, learning another language is a real challenge for me. It’s frustrating because I am usually so quick to pick up new things.
Besides the fun I am having with new friends, great weather, and friendly Mexican people, one thing that is certainly keeping me here is my boy Benito. He’s really fun and hanging out with his has done wonders for my Spanish. He doesn't speak any English and you know how much I like to talk. He is very patient and also helpful with corrections, plus his facial expressions are precioso. I appreciate the experience.
Every morning I wake up so amazed that I am in Mexico. I love the dusty cobble stone streets and the whistles I get from policemen. I mean, sure they can’t be trusted, but at least they are good for boosting confidence.
I still need to invite some stillness into my life and take time to figure out what I want. It took a long walk yesterday to figure out that I did indeed want to go to Peru with Liz, Lauren and Julie in May. I just made reservations today for some crazy plane rides. I leave Mexico City at 7 am on May 16th and I don’t get to Cuzco until 7 am the next day. As a super highlight, I get to stop over for at least a week in Costa Rica on the way home. I am a little nervous about hiking with three girls that are in incredible shape. One is doing another Iron man this summer, the other is training for a Half Iron man, and the third is always in good shape, especially with her recent spinning adventures. These are impressive, but intimidating friends. It’s only for 4 days, so even with the high altitude and the many flavors of Mexican ice cream I am sampling, I will make it, just not sure how good I will feel during it. http://www.salkantay.org/salcantay/salkantay-package-details-4days.html
In preparation, I joined a crappy little gym last Monday. It has a few stationary bikes and lots of weights and I got a student discount. Four rooms of weights and many pictures of Mexican body builders on the walls. I saw another woman there today, so my fear that I was the only girl was put to rest. It’s hysterical and very dirty and so Mexico for me. No one is ever at the desk to check me in, but that’s ok, because there are only 1-2 other people there at a time. They think my crazy abs and leg lifts are pretty funny too.

I’m off to a birthday party tonight at a bar with a wonderful view. Since the clocks changed last week, I will make it in time to see the sunset over the city. While making the reservations, it was the first time I have thought about going home. I might just fly back to Boston from Costa Rica in June in time to make the Provincetown International Film Festival that starts on the 18th. Not sure what I want, but here are a few thoughts. I want to feel the extreme peace that I felt during the last few weeks of Yoga TT in Bacalar. I want to enjoy Mexico while I am here. I want to meet up with the girls in Peru. Those are three things I can control, so that’s good. Just have no idea what I want to do when my travels are over. For now, I´ll just live in the now.