A Tale of Two Mexicos

Mexico City has become one of my favorite travel destinations -- quite surprisingly, given my completely ignorant dismissal of our southern neighbor during most of my early adulthood. (¡Viva España!) I went for the first time in 2007 quite randomly, inspired by an article about a Frida Kahlo exhibition in the city center.

It was a total delight. And I'm the type who likes to revisit delightful locations, so el D.F. resurfaces each time I think about a future vacation destination. That first long weekend in la ciudad de México was exciting enough that I planned a nine-week stay in 2009.

And even that didn't satiate my thirst for chilango culture, so I made it a priority for a summer 2012 trip. But I faced a bit of resistance from the boyfriend, whose desire for beach time while on vacation battles my preference for urban adventures. So, like the adult I desperately don't want to be, I compromised: a few days at my beloved Red Tree House in Mexico City's chic and relaxing Colonia Condesa, followed by a few days in Cancún, and a closing weekend back in the capital.


View Mexico City, Federal District in a larger map

The trip started off well -- and early. A pre-dawn arrival time meant we had a couple of hours to kill roaming the neighborhood before checking in, but the incredible folks at the Red Tree House, where I stayed for each of those nine weeks in 2009, found us a room to rest and freshen up in while we waited for our real room to be ready. And the guys actually upgraded us to their ridiculous penthouse, featuring a swanky suite with full kitchen along with a private rooftop patio and detached but fully appointed second bedroom with bathroom. (By the by, despite a pretty serious expansion since 2009, the place remains lovely and chaos-free.) We split those first few days between revisiting old favorites like El Péndulo and discovering new gems like Lilit.

With plenty of rad spots to explore and comida riquísima to devour, I was content to stay put. I mean, I was seriously not looking forward to Cancún. It seems odd, right? Warm, crystal-clear water. An all-inclusive resort with unlimited tasty vittles and strong booze.

Seriously, what's not to like? I'll tell you: insane, intense, maddening humidity. And insects. And loud, obnoxious, drunk-ass tourists -- you know, the kind who regularly visit all-inclusive Mexican resorts.

Now, the heat and humidity really were insane, but to be fair, the overall experience was a good one. Solid food and beverages, beautiful pools, a nice beach and even some baby sea turtles.

But after a few days of doing next to nothing (and still sweating), I was ready to head back to the drier valle de México, where I got my fill of queso fundido, tacos al pastor and pollo rostizado (not to mention my first mezcal, cabrón).

With three trips totaling 11 weeks during the past six years, I can finally move on to another Latin American metropolis, right?

Quizás.

(English translation below)

Obviamente, me encantaría regresar a Buenos Aires, la ciudad de México o Madrid -- o viajar a otra ciudad del mundo hispanoparlante -- para continuar aprendiendo la lengua que a mí me parece que nunca voy a dominar como quiero. Cada día me despierto con muchísimas ganas de hacerlo, pero no es posible. Pero se me ocurrió una idea sencilla: ¿por qué no trato de pasar un día entero en español justo donde estoy? Pero de verdad; tendría que escoger un día en que no haría necesidad de comunicar con nadie en inglés.

Lo que trataba de hacer en el DF durante los días en que no tenía que trabajar se puede replicar aquí en San Francisco (o en cualquier ciudad) más o menos facilmente si uno tiene ganas. Les comparto con ustedes algunas ideas:

• Mirar televisión por internet (enlace)
• Limitar TV 'offline' a Telemundo, Univision, etc. (aún mejor si aprovechan de los subtítulos en español)
• Ver peliculas en español via Netflix o DVD (con subtítulos en español si posible)
• Leer noticias de sitios web del mundo hispanoparlante
• Pasar por un vecindario donde hay mucha gente latina, pidiendo cafecitos o almuerzo en espanol
• Claro, mientras viajan al barrio, pueden escuchar música en español por iPhone/iPod (enlace)
• Charlar con amigos que hablan español o, si todos los amiguitos son gringos, se puede hacer el experimento durante un día en que hay un meetup de hablantes de español (enlace)

Y después de cumplir la misión, ¿por qué no describen la experiencia en un post (en español, por supuesto, aunque a lo mejor deben traducirlo para los gringos)?

Obviously, I'd love to return to Buenos Aires, Mexico City or Madrid -- or travel to another city in the Spanish-speaking work -- to continue learning the language that it seems like I'll never dominate the way I want to. Every day I wake up really wanting to do this, but it's just not possible. But a simple idea occurred to me: why don't I try to spend an entire day in Spanish exactly where I am? But for real; I'd have to choose a day when I wouldn't have to communicate with anyone in English.

What I tried to do in Mexico City during the days when I didn't have to work can be replicated here in San Francisco (or any other city) relatively easily if one is up for it. I'll share a few ideas:

• Watch TV programming via internet
• Limit offline TV to Telemundo, Univision, etc. (even better if you can take advantage of Spanish subtitles)
• Watch movies in Spanish via Netflix or DVD (with Spanish subtitles if that's an option)
• Read news from websites from the Spanish-speaking world
• Hang out in a neighborhood where there are a lot of Latinos, ordering your coffee or lunch in Spanish
• Of course, while traveling to the area, you can listen to music in Spanish on your iPhone/iPod
• Chat with friends who speak Spanish or, if all your friends are gringos, you can do the experiment during a day when there's a meetup of Spanish-speakers

And after completing the mission, why not describe the experience in a post (in Spanish, of course, although perhaps you should translate it for aforementioned gringos)?

I've purposely kept this blog's (frighteningly large) archive semi-difficult to access (oh, the embarrassment!), but in an effort to make travel-related posts easier to check out, I've labeled posts related to my trips to Spain, Mexico and Argentina. So, check out my vignettes from:

Madrid
Mexico City
Buenos Aires

First there was Andaluces por el mundo, then Españoles en el mundo and now: Mexicanos en el extranjero. "Mexicanos en el extranjero es una mirada fraterna a través de la cual conoceremos el día a día de los compatriotas que han abandonado México y se han adaptado a las costumbres y a la cultura de los países donde ahora residen. En cada programa compartiremos su cotidianeidad; ellos nos introducirán en su trabajo, sus estudios, sus familias, sus pasatiempos... para ver de cerca su proceso de adaptación y, también, los choques culturales que han tenido que superar."

No matter where these folks come from, I love watching the shows that document their longterm stays in foreign lands. I saw the Mexican version while in Cabo last weekend. It airs on the kick-ass Once TV, which also shows the Mexican version of an Argentine show, Soy tu fan -- it's really charming and fun, and Mun2 has just started airing it with subtitles, for those who are interested. Going back to the expat shows, Spain's RTVE also airs a program about people who've come to the country from elsewhere, Destino España. It's also worth a look.

Armed with the iPhone 4's much-improved camera and the fantastic iMovie app, I've grabbed short videos of my favorite spots in San Francisco during the past three months, with the goal of piecing together a collection of beautiful vistas, starting at the bay and stretching the seven miles across the city to the ocean.

I skipped some obvious tourist areas, such as Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf, simply because I don't enjoy them, and I also skipped some neighborhoods I do enjoy because they're not particularly appealing on video (West Portal, Valencia St.).

Here's what you do see in the video:

Ferry Building/Embarcadero
Bay Bridge/Embarcadero
AT&T Park/South Beach
Financial District/Cable car
Castro
Dolores Park
Twin Peaks
Alamo Square
Palace of Fine Arts
Golden Gate Bridge/Chrissy Field
Golden Gate Park/Dutch Windmill
Ocean Beach

Skyline from Dolores Park

Skyline from Dolores Park
Originally uploaded by tjdee

Traveling is fantastic, but coming home to this is pretty rad too. San Francisco FTW!

I regularly listen to the language-focused podcast produced as an offshoot of PRI's The World. I find linguistics and language-learning generally fascinating, but I'm obviously even more interested when the show features Spanish-related content. 

This week's show led with a story on the Spanish spoken in Bogotá (qué casualidad) and its status, in the eyes of many, as the clearest/most crisp Spanish. Se dice que es un español bastante neutro -- it's described as being pretty neutral. As such, it's not just a great variety for students to begin learning but Bogotá has become a popular place for Latin American companies to base their call centers (in other parts of Colombia people speak with more of a Caribbean accent, which is more difficult for a lot of learners to comprehend).

It's a bad idea to start talking to Latinos about the "best" Spanish, but I do think that the Spanish spoken in Bogotá is about as good as it gets. The capital cities of Ecuador and Perú also are home to pretty clear Spanish, especially among the formally educated. As much as I love Spain, the accents throughout birthplace of the language are typically tough for many students (as is the accent in Argentina, with its Italianized cadence and voseo, and in Mexico, where the slang, especially in Mexico City, can be overwhelming).

The World's story was interesting, but for the love of God, people reporting on (commonly spoken) languages really should have at least a fundamental understanding of that language. It drives me crazy when people perpetuate the myth that Spaniards pronounce every 's' sound as a 'th.' Sure enough, this reporter, in making a point about the difference between Latin American and Iberian Spanish, mentioned that zapatos would be pronounced thapatoth in Spain, when it would actually be pronounced thapatos. Z and c = th, but s = s.

Also mentioned in the podcast: The soon-to-be-released book What if Latin America Ruled the World? Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, a Colombian who teaches law at the University of London, argues that "few people have noticed that with Spanish language and culture in the ascendant the US is quietly but quickly becoming the next Latin American country." In the book, which comes out in the fall, he says the next Obama is likely to be Latino. In the podcast, he brought up the totally insane way the GOP is ignoring demographic trends and pushing an anti-immigration agenda despite the knowledge that, even if the borders were closed today, the country's population will be majority-minority by the middle of this century (and, of course, the group with the most dramatic gain is expected to be Latinos). Locos.