Erin's Road Less Traveled to Mexico City

Seattle, United States

As noted in the pictures, Kim and I celebrated by donning our, still embarrassing, Mexican wrestler (luchadoras for future reference.. for they WILL be referenced I’m sure =) ) costumes and enjoying Kim’s piñata and margaritas.

Nacho Libre.. yes, we're feisty and ready for Mexico

This resulted in the interesting discovery that, despite my ninja-like stance, I am apparently only good at severely frightening the audience that I’m swinging a stick at, when it comes to breaking piñatas.. luckily they still let me into Mexico.

Pinata time!

my poor pinata skills...

Besides that Brian, my mom, my dad, and my buddies that helped haul some stuff away and celebrate with one last illegal bonfire were soooo amazing in helping get 3 years worth of stuff packed into 2 BIG boxes and cleared out.

Mexico, Mexico

Ok, I don’t know what the trick here is.. I’ve yet to smell the slight sewage smell that’s supposed to waft through the streets, 99% of the dogs I’ve seen seem not to be starving and NONE of them have been rabid (in fact they actually have stands where you can RENT a dog to walk it around the park!), there’s healthy, lush trees (and palm trees!)
throughout the streets and parks, we’ve seen joggers, there’s no rude, machismo whistling even if you look like death warmed over (in fact, one of the only whistles I’ve gotten was when I DROPPED something to let me know!)… This can’t be one of the large latin american cities that I’ve learned to fondly cherish in my own sick twisted way?

one of the parks a couple blocks from our apt

Parque Mexico

Yes, it’s true. Mexico City reminds me of a tropical NYC, pretty and well-behaved by day, and at night, by our apt at least, less well-behaved but only in that annoying frat boy (“fresas” (strawberries) they call them here!) way. Yes, as the picture below, taken a block from our apt, can attest to. I think we are handling the “culture shock” quite well so far.

huuuge culture shock

;) In fact I doubt that 2 years will be long enough to try out all of the tasty looking restaurants and cool bars, up to even my dad’s approval standards!, in our neighborhood.. but I’m sure we’ll give it a go! There’s even a Celtic bar about a block away, just in case we were worried about getting our St Patty’s day plans squared away.

But before you become too concerned with Kim and I’s desired cultural experience, let me tell you that upon further exploration.. within just a couple more blocks, mixed in with the beautiful parks, I am finding my expected abundance of street tacos, the kind our school nurse is warning us about and I adore, other seedy restaurants, dilapidated colorful buildings, and JUST enough sketchiness to VERY carefully plan and alter your route home after dark, choose the correct bag to carry, and walk with a slightly angry step. Oh yeah, and there’s that 2nd bank account I’m creating due to the popularity of “express kidnappings” but we’ll worry mom about that later.

And, then of course, there is the Spanish, making even the most simple interactions possibly confusing for me and full of embarrassing miscommunications that I’m probably still unwaware of. And, if you thought asking questions about the menu at a restaurant in another language can be tricky, try figuring out cell phone plans or utilities bills! My new phone still doesn't work by the way...

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Erin on August 1, 2008 from Mexico, Mexico

from the travel blog: Erin's Road Less Traveled to Mexico City

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Mexico, Mexico

As Kim and I boasted of these past few months.. yes, we own a refrigerator and a washer/dryer.. see, finally growing up! Here's some of the other stuff and the new place we call home.

The "office"

Our living room

We got the place from some teachers that were leaving the school (headed to a school in Russia I believe..) They left a stocked kichen, full of lots of chocolate, cookies, and liquor.. bless their souls.

the kitchen

El bano

Here's our bathroom, you might ask.. what is kim doing? we have to put this metal tube from the dryer through the shower, out the window when we need to dry clothes! Although the custom of not flushing and throwing away your toilet paper was a little disgusting before, now that I have my OWN bathroom.. this has been a revolting new additon to household chores. On that note, as we've been looking for the apartment garbage all week we finally were told today that you just leave it on the streets early in the morning "without anyone seeing you"..?.. hmm.

Kim's room

Here is my room..

My room

I included a picture of the view from my window.. a cool colonial-style building, there's a giant church across the street, a lime tree below me, and a huge neon (luckily facing the other way) casino.. funny Mexico City....

View from my window

Reading Nook.. I really just wanted to include a funny pic of Jason (a friend that came down with us from Seattle)

For some reason we have lots of stools??

Note the steel reinforced front door with 4 deadbolts, not to mention the locked front door of the building, and bars and padlocks on our interior windows, this makes me feel very safe untiiiiil I start thinking about what has led to these precautions.. hmm.

There's sooo much storage I don't know what to do with it.. anyone that had seen my packed "hobbit hole" of the last 3 years will understand my confusion.

We have our own roof top cage.. most tenants seem to use this for storage or drying clothes.. we're thinking Rooftop Cage parties, of course.

View from the cage.. and a typical evening sky.. did I mention it's rainy season?

View from the roof

Erin's Road Less Traveled to Mexico City

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