Lady of the Haus
Originally uploaded by tjdee

Leaving for the airport soon and thinking about a few things I haven't mentioned:

- I have never seen more people with neck braces than I have here. I've spotted 6 or 7 people with their necks wrapped up in Mexico City. I blame the insane driving (la ley no aplica).

- Just over 9 weeks and no Montezuma's revenge, bitches! Top that! (Although, to borrow I term I recently came across -- and look away if you're easily grossed out -- the nights w/o any substantive food have caused the occasional bubbleguts.)

- It's April 7 and I haven't had a drop of tap water since the morning of Feb. 2. Crazy.

- Similarly, I haven't cooked anything for myself since Feb. 1. Haven't even used a microwave.

- Eating out all the time has been crazy and I'll be glad to switch it up, but I will be sad to have to start cleaning for myself again; I've had my room (and private bathroom) cleaned every single day. ¡Qué lujo!

- Despite my initial reservations, I quickly got used to hauling my laundry to the nearest lavandería and letting fulano take care of it. Not looking forward to hitting the laundromat myself this weekend (but, gracias a dios, the new place has in-unit washer and dryer. Livin' the dream once again).

- I've noticed myself taking notes in both languages recently. For example: "cooking y agua." I wonder if this will become a habit. I guess it's better than just English. I just need to avoid el español pocho.

- Finally, after 2 months here, Starbucks just changed it's wifi password. Every Starbucks I've been to in DF and Guanajuato use the same service provider and the same password. So, basically, you just need to buy one drink, check the password on the receipt, and you're able to log on anywhere that offers this service provider (not just Starbucks!). And if they change things up once every two months, that ain't bad. Of course, I have been going to Starbucks practically every day, so I didn't feel guilty at all the few times I logged on from Sanborn's or a random store.

Anyway, me voy. Next adventure: moving again at the end of the month. South Beach/Embarcadero, baby!

Last class was yesterday. En cuanto a las clases, the week started off with me being super frustrated -- de muy mal humor -- but it quickly improved and the rest of the week was pretty fun. I had to write up a little something, which I may as well throw up here:

Llevo casi 9 semanas aquí, así que es un poquito difícil tratar de resumir toda la estancia en unas frases, pero voy a identificar tres experiencias inolvidables.

Como ya he dicho, empecé mis estudios de español con un gran énfasis en la cultura española; por lo tanto, todavía mantengo un interés fuerte en áquel país, su comida, las ciudades muy distintas, los acentos y dialectos. Por eso, en cuanto a México, lo que más me ha interesado ha sido la influencia española -- por ejemplo, la arquitectura de las ciudades coloniales. Pero uno no puede viajar a este país sin darse cuenta de la belleza y poder, digamos, de la civilización azteca y de los otros pueblos indígenas. Mi recién visita a Teotihuácan fue una revelación. Quizás las pirámides ya no son tan mantenidas, pero, por haber sido construidas hace 2 mil años, me parecen bien impresionantes. No podía creer que el sitio fuera real. Me parecía algo de un parque de atracciones. Y las pirámides fueron completadas mientras las personas viviendo en la península ibérica -- esos hombres quienes vinieron mil quinientos años después para conquistar a los "salvajes" -- aún eran consideradas los bárbaros de Europa por los romanos.

Decidí viajar al DF no porque fuera mi ciudad favorita del mundo hispanoparlante, sino porque pasar dos meses en España hubiera sido demasiado difícil dado que los husos horarios de San Francisco y Madrid son demasiado diferentes. Por eso, vine a la ciudad de México y estoy muy contento porque creo que ya conozco la ciudad -- al menos el centro, y sobre todo, La Condesa, un vecindario absolutamente precioso. Cuando fuimos al DF en 2007, mis amigos y yo tuvimos solamente cuatro días para hacer lo más posibile. Pero esta vez, por tener tantos días libres aquí, he podido pasar horas y horas en los cafés del barrio, mirando la gente -- como buen escritor -- escuchando el slang chilango, disfrutantdo la belleza del Parque México y de la gente "nice." Nadamås esto, sentarme y observar, es una de mis experiencias favoritas del viaje.

Finalmente, tomar clases ha sido un placer, aunque a veces me ha frustrado la necesidad de trabajar mientras estudio. Como he explicado, es bastante difícil enfocarme, pensar en español y platicar con todo el mundo inmediatamente antes o después de trabajar en inglés. Sin embargo, a pesar del trabajo, asistir a las clases aquí valió la pena. Ahora tengo un vocabulario más amplio, creo yo, y he aprendido unos conceptos completamente nuevos y he repasado reglas gramaticales importantes. Y por eso, les doy las gracias a todos de International House.

Pero hace mucho calor ultimamente, así que mejor me voy. Pues, adiós cabrones.

Working during my Mexican adventures (save one week when J came down) has been wonderful for the obvious reasons: I have been able to spend a significant chunk of time in another country without having to quit a job, live off of savings and risk long-term unemployment upon my return. I'm working 4 days a week, so I have three days every week to enjoy the city (although the addition of classes means I don't have any fully free days).

But those pros come along with some serious cons. This has not been a true immersion experience because I have to spend 8 hours a day, 4 days a week, thinking, writing and speaking in English. That's a must. Obviously, if I were not working, I'd still be riding the English-language wave by checking in with family and friends via phone, email, etc. But working is a real cock-blocker when it comes to improving my Spanish as much and as quickly as I'd like.

That said, I definitely have sensed improvements. I've been able to clear up confusing rules. I've learned a lot of colloquial Mexican-Spanish. And perhaps most importantly, I'm putting myself out there and making mistakes without beating myself up too much. That all has led to more confidence.

A big help in maximizing my Spanish-only time has been music. It's a tool I use in SF, too. Whenever I want to kickstart my day or need to refocus after a long spell of English, I open up my iTunes "Spanish" playlist and force my mind to begin thinking in Spanish. Here are some of my longtime favorites (all of which helped teach me a grammar trick or wicked Spanish-language expression):

Julieta Venagas - Me Voy (Mexico)



El Canto del Loco & Amaia Montero - Puede Ser (Spain)



Leonor Watling & Miguel Bosé - Este Mundo Va (Spain)



Diego Torres & Julieta Venegas - Sueños (Argentina)



La Oreja de Van Gogh - 20 de Enero (Spain)

Mariachi on the Patio
Originally uploaded by tjdee

Mariachi band performing in the garden on a random Wednesday night? Sure, why not?

Working upstairs in my new room, at first I thought the owners of the Red Tree House, where I'm staying, had bought some wicked new stereo speakers because the music was super clear and loud. Took me two songs to realize what was going on.

After about 45 minutes I went down quickly to take some video. I had to turn down wine twice (everyone is very friendly and inclusive). Stayed just long enough to find out a guest was having a special birthday dinner. Then, back up to my lovely new room to work from the uber-comfy couch and, predictably, listen to the new Kelly Clarkson CD instead of live mariachi music.

Strike a Pose
Originally uploaded by DulcePicoso

Since my trip to Madrid in 2007, I've realized that I'm a very good solo traveler (better than expected). Add another person, with his/her opinions, desires, preferences, etc. to the mix and that's where problems can occur.

That said, last week's stays in Guanajuato and Querétaro, both colonial cities to the northwest of Mexico City, were pretty fun. Jesús and I saw most of what we wanted to see, had some amazing food (both at "nice" restaurants and hole-in-the-wall joints) and, most importantly, experienced Mexico's first-class bus service.

Believe me, people, many companies claim to offer first-class bus service, and I'm sure they're all nicer than anything Greyhound has to offer (not that I'd know), but only ETN gets my seal of approval. I think there are only 24 seats on the entire bus and only three in each row. Plus, free wifi ON THE BUS. I can't even get wifi at San Francisco's airport for free. ¡Viva México!

(I've yet to organize a proper Guanajuato/Querétaro Flickr set, but here's one of my favorite photos and a video from the trip.)

Zócalo - View from Torre Latinoamericana
Originally uploaded by tjdee

Went to the Torre today. For 50 pesos you take one elevator to the 37th floor, another to the 41st floor and then walk up a couple of floors to an observation deck called El Mirador. There's a nice place to have coffee, a little museum and a fancy restaurant up there too. Vale la pena.

¿y 'no son enchiladas' no es raro?
Originally uploaded by tjdee

I got very defensive in class today for a hot minute. But as the kids say (if you get in a time machine and go back to 1996), I checked myself before I wrecked myself.

After immediately jumping at her with "cómo que no se usa así, está en mi libro de slang mexicano y es muy común y qué diablos me estás diciendo," I stopped arguing, listened, thought about it and realized she was totally right. WHY YES, I do totally overuse "es que" and, yes, I guess it really does carry the connotation of making an excuse for something and, yes, I totally am just using it as a transition (así que) when it should be reserved for excuse-making.

Also, I really do need to stop relying on "un montón." Mucho works just fine. At this level, it's all about diversifying your vocabulary. it's easy to stick with words and phrases that are comfortable and sound colloquial, but it's a trap. Hay que buscar, buscar, buscar.

Thanks, teach.

Bella Roma
Originally uploaded by tjdee

This is one of my favorite photos of the trip so far. First, it was taken (today) on another ridiculously gorgeous day here in Mexico City. It's on one of the main streets in Colonia Roma, a neighborhood I wasn't really feeling the first couple of times I wandered through it. But Roma really grabbed me today. I even started debating whether Roma or Condesa would be my preferred 'hood if i were to live here. Roma is sort of like the Lower East Side to Condesa's West Village, but it really is beautiful in areas, with a ton of gorgeous old buildings and interesting cultural institutions (Casa LAMM, the UNAM library building thing, the Centro Gallego and even an old Spanish meetingroom/restaurant where old-timers come to play 'dominó').

This particular spot, on Álvaro Obregón and Orizaba (or thereabouts, si no me equivoco), is fabulous because one of the best ice cream spots in all of D.F. (I tried the avellana/hazelnut and it was ridiculous) is right next to this gym, where, insanely, people dancercise in front of a huge picture window, which happens to have a big old seating area in front of it. So people seriously plop themselves down and hang out for a bit, enjoying the guys' and gals' moves. And it's not like they pretend to read their book or whatever; they sit there and watch.

I was tempted to join them ... with my ice cream. But I opted to take a quick photo from afar and take off for further exploration of this charming neighborhood.

Mi Sala
Originally uploaded by tjdee

I am digging my new teacher here at International House. She cracks me up. Today I showed her a video of her boyfriend, Gael García Bernal, singing a cheesy song from his new Mexican movie and she seriously said, "Órale ... óoooorale ... óraleeeeeeee." This was after completing a reading about gender roles in Mexico and saying, "Gracias a Dios, nunca he tenido un novio mexicano y no lo quiero."

So, I've been here for three weeks. I'm definitely feeling more comfortable with certain things -- getting around all of Condesa finally is a breeze (as is Chapultepec, most of Polanco and parts of Roma and the Centro). The Metro is all good, I can deal with laundry, I know to tip everyone for everything. I have regular spots and know where all the nearby free wifi is. But I still feel hopelessly lost sometimes, and I completely misunderstand someone every single day, which is really aggravating. But ... I guess that's fine. I mean, that's the point, sort of.

While I seem to move forward in a certain way, linguistically, every day, like I said, I make some big blunder every day, too. But the way I look at it, the steps forward rank far more heavily than the steps back, since the mistakes or faux pas always lead to some sort of new, beneficial realization. So suck on that, cabrón.

1. I have an upsetting blister on my left foot that won't go away.

2. There's now a hole in my left shoe and I can't bear the thought of having to learn all the freaking shoe-buying vocabulary and dealing with attendants at shoe stores, which I refuse to deal with in the U.S.

3. I've met as many gay San Franciscans in the two weeks I've been here at the house than I do in the same time period in S.F.

4. Right. So, the goal is to "pass" as a native, or at least as a native Spanish speaker. But sometimes it's better to be obviously gringo from the initial "hola," so you don't feel like such a fool when you're stumped, your cover is blown and you wind up saying "no entiendo" when it turns out the person was simply saying NOVENTA Y SIETE CON CINCUENTA, as in the total price of your purchase. As in a number.

5. I could totally spend a few years living here in Condesa. Relaxing but stimulating. Qué padre.

Día de San Valentín
Originally uploaded by tjdee

Well, I'm here by myself on Valentine's Day, working 12 hours no less, but despite this, the trip has been great so far. There are frustrating moments, for sure, but overall it's been wonderful -- challenging without being overwhelming.

Balancing classes and work this week has been a bit tough, but that's only really a problem toward the end of the week. Classes in general have been really helpful. Because I was the only advanced student around this week, I had one-on-one time with my teacher, who was able to really home in on my -- gasp -- weaknesses. They're really any advanced-learner's weaknesses: the subjunctive, the conditional and, to a lesser degree, ser vs. estar.

It was definitely a little crazy not having anyone else in the classroom to take the pressure off, but the time has really helped me come to a better understanding about some fundamentals and it also has forced me to become better at making mistakes and moving on without getting too bent out of shape. I'm excited to continue next week and then to switch it up with another teacher for the third and fourth weeks (a great idea of theirs).

As for tomorrow: work, of course, but I think I'm going to make it my pre-Digg Sunday tradition to walk through Condesa to Chapultepec and then meander over to Polanco for some of that ridiculous gelato. No tengan celos, cabrones.

I may have had a bit of a tomato breakthrough today.

After a couple of hours of wandering through Condesa and Chapultepec Park, I made my way back to an Italian/Argentine café in Polanco and ordered the margerita pizza, expecting the few bits of tomato that usually come in such pizzas. But this thing was cut up into squares, with whole slices of tomato. Fail. Or was it?

I don't know if the tomatoes here are slightly different or if it was how the tomatoes were cooked, but they were totally edible, even tasty (not tangy, but slightly sweet and really soft). Sure, I picked out a little bit, but for the most part I just savored the flavor of this super tasty pizza. Qué locura.

I then headed toward Alto Tango, which has probably the best gelato I've ever had. And free wifi. Heaven.

Overall, the food here has been pretty good. Amazing french toast at El Péndulo. Cheap, fresh fruit juice everywhere. A great combination of quick, cheap street food and cute sit-down options. It helps that I've basically stayed within Condesa, Roma and Polanco. But my solo-ness has definitely hindered my efforts to check out the myriad restaurants in the immediate area. Classes start tomorrow, so hopefully I'll make myself some amiguitos and maybe have a few more food breakthroughs.

I whipped out my iPhone a few seconds too late to catch this, but I was struck by the scene and how typically Mexican it was: a vendedor selling nuts or something and an acordeonista crossing paths and chatting, perhaps checking in re: how business had been that afternoon.

And me? I was sitting outside Frutos Prohibidos, enjoying a freshly squeezed orange juice on a cool -- but not cold -- day, eavesdropping. Oh, and the juice was about $1 (15 pesos). The U.S. economy may be as depressing as a Noah Baumbach film, but the dollar reached a record high against the peso this week (about 14.6, compared with the 11.2 or so when I was here in 2007).

Good news para mí, who spent $2.50 on toast, coffee and juice the other day. Although, to my utter shame, I did have some trouble with the money conversion and somehow thought my 1 peso tip was appropriate. My first, but not last, faux pas while here, I'm sure. I guess I was confusing dollars and pesos. Must go back to that little spot soon and leave the waitress a more appropriate propina.

I'll no doubt be blogging a lot more frequently while I'm here, working and studying, in Mexico City. My instinct is to try to jot down everything I've done and have been thinking about, but instead, how about some vignettes? Crazy idea, no? Those will be coming, but for now, some links:

Photos will be in this new Flickr set (the one from my 2007 trip, with all 197 photos, is here). Tweets are over there on the right, as always. The lovely house I'm staying in for the next 9 weeks has an online presence aquí. Classes begin Monday at International House. And you can read some other people's thoughts about this interesting/crazy/chaotic/lovely city.