anika in mexico

So yesterday I woke up at 8am as requested by my great-aunt so I could have the first shower (she said that we shouldn’t use the 2 showers at the same time–not enough water pressure) and then join her for breakfast. We had a mix of mexican and german breakfast foods. Broetchen mit frijoles y queso. Also broetchen mit aprichot marmalade, and thankfully cafe con leche.

This morning we had a more typical german breakfast–broetchen mit kaese und schinken, coffee, und kartoffel salad. The potato salad was probably the oddest thing to have for breakfast, but it was really tasty. Sigrid said she thought it was best for breakfast.

After breakfast yesterday I was pretty wiped out. Not only from lack of sleep, but they say that it really takes a while to get used to the altitude. We’re about a mile above sea level here. I finished the Harry Potter book, then took a nap until 2pm–the scheduled time for lunch which is a heavier meal, more like dinner in the US.

After lunch, I joined Sigrid in her favorite small sitting room. I read aloud to her, a bit from the little book that I snagged at the used book store in Gaithersburg. It’s a travel log written by a Japanese fellow who traveled in Mexico in the 70s. So far, I’m highly amused by his perspective. He loves to discuss the history of the country, which is kind of interesting, but when he started to describe in detail the particulars of the ritual of human sacrifice, I felt weird reading that to my aunt, so I stopped and we played cards instead until Siggy came to pick me up.

I met Siggy’s friend Ray and we went for an ice cream. I tried the Mayacuba Nieve. We then walked to meet some of her other friends at a small bar called “Diente de Oro” or “Gold Tooth” It was nice enough and the beers were $2.50-$3.00. So I met: Pollo (chicken), Pancho, Paola, “The Old One” (he’s 28), Jimena and her boyfriend, and Charlie. They are all so cute, and I had such a nice time just watching them be loud and boisterous while making fun of one another. They were all friendly, and most of them spoke really good english. Each of them took a little time to chat with me a bit, or to teach me some Spanish.

After some time I was definitely getting kind of tired and hungry, so some of us went for tacos. I had dos tacos pastor y dos de ribs (forget what it was in Spanish). I love mexican tacos. They are very small and very fresh. Perfect meal for the evening which tends to be lighter, more like lunch. You order them a la carte like sushi so you can really try a lot of varieties.

After tacos we all parted ways and Siggy dropped me off back at home. I went to sleep soon after, and woke up this morning again at 8am. I think I might have let myself sleep if I’d wanted too, but I felt pretty awake, so I got up, showered, and then helped Sigrid prepare the breakfast which was mostly done, but the maid had to leave really early, so we had to make the final preparations.

Now I’m sitting outside on the little terrace overlooking the narrow yard. There’s a wall to separate us from the neighbors, covered with ivy. There are several tall trees, and lots of lovely plants in many varieties. Roses, holly, hibiscus, fuschias (which aren’t just in hanging baskets, but actually grow like a shrub right in the ground), boganvilla, daisies, begonias, orchids, geraniums, and of course, african violets (Sigrid’s favorite), just to name a few.

I like Tante Sigrid very much. It feels odd to compare her to my grandmother, her sister, but I can’t help but notice the difference. While Sigrid is perhaps a bit dramatic and protective (a trait that I think she has passed on to her daughters and their children), she’s very friendly and loves to talk. She’s interested in me and my thoughts and experiences, but also loves to reminisce about memories from her younger days.

She has a lot of interests, plants/flowers and playing cards as I have mentioned, but also she loves music and reading. She was an avid and daring horse rider when she was young, but she was aware that it was pretty dangerous, so she never allowed her kids to try it. Her eye-sight has gotten bad from the Macular Degeneration that it seems all her siblings and cousins also suffer from. To compensate, she’s gotten playing cards with large numbers on them and often listens to books on tape.

She has a small sitting room that has lots of windows where she most often spends her time. There’s also a large dining room filled with african violets, as well as a breakfast nook where she eats most of her meals. My favorite spot seems to be out here on the terrace by the lawn, though I also have a terrace upstairs that is connected to my room. I think I would really like it up there, but right now there is quite a bit of dog poo thanks to Peluches, Karin’s fuzzy droopy white dog. I haven’t been able to bring myself to clean it up, but once I do, I’m sure it’ll be a nice place to sit.

It’s such a strange space in time and place where I find myself right now. I could almost imagine it as a movie if I had a better wardrobe and a better defined story line. Right now I feel totally at peace. I don’t really have any more or fewer responsibilities, but I think perhaps because I’m here in Mexico away from everything I know, I feel less encumbered. I can really do as I please. I can go out for a walk, meet up with Siggy for an adventure, or just sit around and write, draw, sleep or soak up the sun. I’ll be starting my language school on the 6th, so then I’ll have a bit more of a routine, but really, until then, I can just take the time to get used to the altitude and the city.

It’s been raining a lot here, but right now the sun has burned away the clouds, and it’s shining on me.

Sigrid has told me to think of this as my home–I am free to come and go as I please, free to eat whatever whenever I want, free to do laundry, free to sleep. I hope to soon feel as comfortable as I do at home, but having a maid has thrown me for a bit of a loop. Her name is Reyna, and she really does a lot. I can’t help but think of the kitchen as her domain, but she’s so nice and accomodating, that I’ll probably get over that. Still, it’s a different experience to be served breakfast and dinner at your home. I know it’s just part of the culture, and it’s not a big deal here, but I think it’s contributed to me feeling like a guest in this house. It’s the least I can do to clean off the table, and I’m always tempted to do my own dishes, but Reyna shooes me away if I try.

Reyna only speaks Spanish which so far has been fine. I know enough that I can communicate what I need, and she knows that I really need her to speak slowly so I can understand. She has 2 kids: a boy who is 13 named Leonardo and a girl, 9, called Adriana. They both are highly curious about me, I think especially the girl. She seems very sweet and also is very good about speaking slowly and helping me with Spanish.

One of the things I love about Mexico city is the ubiquitous VW Beetle. They are everywhere, and I love them. Luckily the habit of the “punch buggy” game isn’t part of the Mexican culture or likely everyone’s arms would be black and blue.