Getting lost

When I arrived in Mexico City a friend of mine told me the only way to get to know your way around is to get lost alot and find your way home. I'm doing a very good job getting to know my way around Mexico City - and it works!

Notification

Interesting fact about Mexico City: The only thing required for a driver's license here is that you pay a fee. There is no written, oral, driving competency, vision screening, or literacy exam. You simply pay the fee and they give you a driver's license - which explains alot!

Feed The Women

The third monday of each month a handful of women in Mexico City get together at Ora Hernandez's home to cook a hot meal for 200 poor elderly women. The volunteers represent as many as ten different countries, including Greece, The Netherlands, India, Thailand, The Phillipines, and of course, those of us from the good old US. After cooking the meal, we take it over to a Catholic church and serve the hungry women. Ora has been organizing this effort for the past twelve years.

After the meal, every woman who has had a birthday during the month is honored with a small gift and cake. Everyone sings "Las mananitas", the official birthday song of Mexico. (Ora is the lady in the white apron.)

Meet Perla. Although she speaks only a Phillipino dialect with very little English and no Spanish, she comes every month and can out-work any of us. She also crochets six coasters for every single woman in our church unit (ward) for their birthday. And she is the first to volunteer her famous Phillipine noodle dish when somebody needs a meal brought in. She is my hero!

VALENTINES

Yesterday was Valentines and my husband told me he was giving me a "hair appointment" for Valentines. Which I already had planned myself. So I was a little disappointed - until he came home with a lovely box filled with foot care items - fragrant salts, lotions, and soaps. And he gave me a foot massage with them. That was the best Valentines ever!

More car trouble!

The other night I was sure my car had either developed a seizure disorder, or had had a spell put on it by one of the witches in Tepoztlan. I tried to drive home after being out with a friend and my car wouldn´t let me in. Each time I tried to enter, it started honking at me, lights blinking - then sirens would go off. The entire street was peering out their windows wondering whose car this American lady was trying to steal. The unlock button on my remote did nothing. My husband couldn´t figure it out either. Well not at first.

Turns out I had an extra remote in the deep abyss of my purse which I had inadvertently set off when I tripped and fell on my purse. It was to a "second alarm system" the car had that I didn´t know about. Oops!

Top ten things I learned in Cuernavaca

10. Although I may be a good guesser on exams, I am not an advanced spanish student.
9. There are two kinds of students in Cuernavaca; young college students and nearly dead. And
then there was me.
8. You have to be careful explaining medical terms in spanish.
7. Las mañanitas (the birthday song of Mexico)
6. That they call Cuernavaca "The city of eternal spring" but it actually means cow´s horn.
5. How to make mole (a mixture of chicken, chocolate, and picante sauce, with other extraneous spices; in my opinion a shameful waste of chocolate calories.)
4. How to spread your food around your plate so it looks like you´ve eaten more than you have.
3. That even though the large freeway sign says "Periferico Norte" with an arrow pointing in that direction, doesn´t necessarily mean that periferico norte is in that direction. Sometimes they take 4 or 5 years (or longer) to take signs down after they´ve put them up for a detour.
2. That there are lots of brujas (witches) in Tepoztlan.
1. The meaning of the word golpe (dent) - Always pay for parking in Tepoztlan.




Me and Vanessa (my favorite classmate) in front of the "alternative medicine" display

Me making mole at our cooking class

My friends from University of Utah - Dan, Jessica, Jake and Jordan.

Beautiful view of Tepoztlan from atop the pyramids.

Mi familia mexicana - Roberto ( they gave him beer with his meals), rebecca, me and Perla (my mexican "mama")

Funny Story

Yesterday I drove with some students from the University of Utah to Tepoztlan to view the pyramids, which happen to be on top of a mountain. I parked my car at the bottom along a cobblestone street and we hiked up the mountain. (It´s beautiful, by the way) We returned a couple of hours later and there was a note on my windshield as follows:

Si no tiene para el estacionamiento, espero que tenga
para arreglar el golpe.
Gracias.

¿Que pasó?

The first person to figure out what happened will receive an Amazon.com gift certificate or a free souvenier from Tepoztlan, whichever you prefer. (It does help if you know spanish, but a dictionary would do.)

Regalos

Yesterday in Tepoztlan I purchased some jewelry for my daughters/daughter-in-law - necklaces, bracelets, and earrings (dangly) - all red/orange chunky. Each daughter may choose one. Please post on this blog (if you are a daughter or daughter-in-law)which item you prefer and I will distribute them on a first-come, first-served basis.