Coming up today or tomorrow, Category Stories newest challenge is "shop till you drop." Now, this was a hard one for me, because I hate to shop. Ha! just kidding! I loved this pic I found on the net, someone collapsed on a bench with a ton of bags on top of her. Too funny. Go play along with us!
Well, I've been in Mexico City for over 2 weeks and tomorrow I'm heading back to Philadelphia for a week, then Nashville/Franklin for the Sisinaversary for 4 days. (I'm so excited for it!!) Then July 1st or 2nd we'll return to Mexico City for the rest of the summer. Being here for 2 weeks has been both awesome and trying, mostly awesome though. There are so may things I take for advantage in the states. Communication is one. My Spanish isn't the greatest and everyone obviously speaks very fast here, with their own dialect or slang, often slurring words together, as most native speakers do. Communication for even basic things has been more challenging that I thought it would be, but it has forced me to SPEAK in espanol. I know in 2 years when my hubbies contract is up here and we are heading back to the states, or if Dave has his way Europe, I'll be so grateful for this opportunity. I already am. There are so many amenities here that I know won't get hard to get used to. I love our apartment, like a resort with the beautiful pool and landscaped gardens and lawns, guys serving smoothies and fresh made salsas on the weekends in a gazebo by the pool, like Isacc on Love Boat. The gym here is wonderful and I've been going a few times a week at 1 in the afternoon, it's dead and I'm all alone and love it!! I have exercised more in the last 2 weeks than I have in the last few months. My husband surprised us with a live-in muchacha that has been wonderful. Araceli is from Oaxaca and is rad!!! She's an awesome cook, is from a large family and so she knows all the yummiest dishes-which counteracts my exercise I've been doing, but o'well. She speaks zero english, so it's been challenging, yet fun trying to communicate in a serene environment rather than a busy, overcrowded store. The other night I was standing in la cocina, talking in my broken spanish, watching her prepare dinner (I do breakfast and lunch, and dinners on the weekends, but having her do dinner during the week has been fantastico!!) and thinking what a cool experience this is to meet and get to know someone who comes from such a different life than I've had or has grown up in a totally different culture, and my daughters get to learn Spanish, see a part of the world they may never have otherwise. I felt totally content and at peace with being here.
Another surprise from my esposo simpatico (nice husband) was a puppy. Now, normally I'm a big animal lover and would love a new puppy (he named her Frida- the girls okayed it- after Frida Kahlo), but I was a little annoyed at the thought of taking a 4 month old puppy every hour for potty training down 19 floors from our apartment, but she's so adorable (even though she's chewed up a wooden toy, a shoe and part of our new coffee table)that I'm glad we have the addition. It also forces me out of the apartment and across the super busy intersection into a quiet neighborhood lined with colorful hacienda- style homes and unique boutiques. It makes for daily walks that have provided me with deals on 2 dozen roses for $6 US dollars or some of the best chilies or produce I've ever seen. Muy fresca!!!
I forgot my camera, so I couldn't take any pictures of some of the cool, unusual places we went to this last couple weeks, but I will in the coming posts. These are all STOLEN off Flickr...
Of a few things I'm sure I'll love list: the fresh foods, the friendly people with social niceties such as "Buenos Diaz" from everyone, the luxury of a pool, gym and a helper close-by, the awesome museums and sites near me, endless sunny,pleasant days, fresh flowers that are cheap, avocado on everything (including my new avocado facials), lovely hacienda style homes on winding city streets, old spanish architecture, the beautiful, handmade crafts on each corner or in open markets on the weekends, fun and bohemian-ish clothes, having the opportunity to learn another language...
Of a few things I'm sure I'll dislike; traffic that's never ending, city smog that's disgusting to look at out my tall apartment windows(I can only imagine what it's doing to our bodies), lack of good craft stores (or rather what I like), the huge bonanza of overly dramatic telenovelas, the crazy love of soccer and lucha libres and missing my home in Philadelphia and my family and friends.
and finally, a pretty picture I just love, so I'm throwin' it up...
only 2 more weeks!!!
