So at the end of my second week I thought it was about time to update you all on what’s been happening since leaving the hotel and starting life on my own in Mexico City..which feels about a year ago already!
On Thursday feeling very nervous I was picked up by my host brother Chris and taken to my new house where I met my host mum and Dad, Maricarmen and Armando. I didn’t need to feel worried though, they are absolutely lovely and even gave me this welcome:
I have my own little attic room with a bathroom and a ‘roof terrace’ (I use this term loosely, it’s really just a roof I can sit out on): 
The house is near to a lovely hippy (and very touristy) area called Coyoacán where there are tons of markets I still need to explore more:
They have been incredibly welcoming and taken me everywhere though getting used to the Spanish has been difficult and there have been many minutes of silence while I struggle to think of a word.. (trying to explain what apple crumble is was a particularly interesting one). Getting used to living with a family that isn’t mine has been difficult at times, as understanding the rules in a new house always will be. My host mum won’t let me do anything and even told me that ‘en esta casa eres como la reina’ (in this house you’re like the queen)!! She thought it was particularly odd when I don’t wear shoes in the house – though yesterday when I got back she was walking round with bare feet and said she felt so free haha.
At the weekend Maricarmen practised my commute to work with me twice and then still came with me on my first day which was very sweet. However the commute is incredibly stressful, it takes at least an hour and I have to go on a microbus and then the metrobus which is an experience to say the least! Microbuses are basically just tiny minivans that they cram about 50 people into so you can hardly breathe – they have no bus stops, you just have to hail them from the street and they won’t stop if they’re already full. Then when you’re sitting in them people just pass you money to give to the driver and he works out the change WHILE STILL DRIVING which is definitely incredibly dangerous (though to be fair everything to do with traffic in Mexico City makes me feel like I’m going to die about 15 times a day). The metrobus is pretty easy to navigate, though sometimes so busy you can’t breathe and it’s like being in Jesters on a Monday night (with less drinking and tops being taken off). The doors open inwards for some reason I can’t understand, meaning if you’re standing in the wrong place you can get sliced in half. Also the fact they have special areas for women to avoid groping is a little scary – the other day me and Laura made the mistake of going in a male area and I have never been stared at so much in my life..won’t be doing that again. I have had many new transportation experiences in the last few days as Chris also took me out on his motorbike which was a bit terrifying though there are millions of speedbumps around here so he couldn’t scare me too much! The other day I saw a road marked out for 3 lanes of traffic which the cars had somehow made 4 lanes out of… (transportation rant over)
On Saturday I was taken to a big shopping centre (called Liverpool…don’t know what the obsession with English city names is here!) which was nice though a little like a 1970s department store!
I’ve also been in a few Sanborns which are very popular here and I will keep going just to see the outfits the waitresses have to wear which are absolutely hilarious:
Then my host sister Jenny took me and Maricarmen out for dinner which was very nice, to a posh restaurant in a gym which had amazing salads and smoothies – I actually managed to follow the conversation for the first time which I was proud of. I even feel like my r-rolling skills are improving, something I’ve struggled with since starting to learn Spanish! (Though the fact I still can’t pronounce some people’s names may contradict this…)
In the evening my host brother Chris took me to a house party – being in a house full of people I didn’t know speaking Spanish was pretty crazy! Everyone was really nice and interested in what I was doing there – and most of them wanted to speak English with me so I barely spoke Spanish anyway. If they do speak Spanish they mostly want to teach you swear words anyway (which I couldn’t possibly repeat here…) Being blonde in Mexico is definitely a novelty..one guy even told me that he doesn’t normally like blondes but I am guapisima – not sure if that’s a compliment or not 😉 I drank a little too much and had my first attempt at dancing salsa and reggaeton very badly..people here look INCREDIBLE when they dance, better than anything I’ve ever seen in England – and Chris is the best of all of them which is amazing/intimidating!
On Sunday we went into the centre, to Reforma which is a massive road they close on Sundays and hundreds of people cycle, run and rollerskate up and down it, definitely something I want to go back and try!
Then Maricarmen took me to the Castillo de Chapultepec which was very beautiful, though ridiculously crowded – tourist sites are free for Mexicans on Sundays so I probably wouldn’t go on that day again. It was less like strolling around a lovely National Trust property and more like being in the mosh pit at a concert…
Then we went to watch a parade of old cars along Reforma, a Guinness world record attempt. This was quite interesting but very badly organised – one thing I noticed was that Mexicans definitely don’t hold back when they have an opinion! Being English I obviously would just sit quietly and wait for the officials to sort things out..but people were constantly going up to traffic conductors to make suggestions, shouting at each other to move back because ‘todos queremos ver!!!’ – and every time a policeman passed Maricarmen would shout ‘Qué mala organización’ (what terrible organisation)! Her response to me laughing was simply to say ‘why not? It’s true’. That phrase does pretty much sum up my experience here though..organisation does not seem to be a strong point. However I love people’s enthusiasm..when they liked cars that went past they would cheer more than I would if I went to see my favourite band..they definitely don’t hold back. I couldn’t help but think, they are just cars…
I started work this week which was a bit confusing and overwhelming – my centre’s quite small and they haven’t had a language assistant before so I feel a little like the teachers aren’t entirely sure why I’m there. I feel a bit awkward going into lessons just to help with pronunciation – the other day I said ‘four’ over and over for about 5 minutes to demonstrate the difference between American and British pronunciation! The students I’ve met are lovely though and even told me my accent is ‘sexy’. I think once I get into a routine and start doing my own clubs this will be easier but at the moment I feel a little bit confused about my role! They also want me to help with the kids though the first time I met some of them one hid behind a piece of paper..and the other day I was in their lesson and they told me I’m the tallest girl they’ve ever seen and asked why I don’t have a beard…so not off to the best start.
This week after working in the mornings some days I’ve been meeting up with Laura for lunch (involving navigating the metro on my own for the first time which I was very proud of – though I did have to walk very quickly away from a guy who came up to ask if I was from the Netherlands and then kissed my hand and told me I was a very beautiful lady…) On Monday we went to Polanco which is a very posh area and had an extremely non-Mexican lunch of pizza, beer and Caesar salad.
We then walked around Bosque de Chapultepec (although they close half the park on Mondays for no reason, what?!) and went to the Auditorio Nacional where Lana Del Rey was playing – Laura wanted to buy tickets from the dodgy guys outside but I wimped out because of the signs everywhere saying never buy resale!
The rest of the week has mostly been settling in and trying not to get too homesick (and mostly failing). There have been many times when I’ve felt very very far away from home – though being able to catch up on Great British Bakeoff and Don’t Tell The Bride, as well as the discovery of white chocolate coated oreos (aka the best thing ever invented) has made this a little easier. The other day I was feeling sad and Maricarmen gave me a big hug and for the rest of the day they seemed to only play English music which I think may have been in my honour (The Beatles was great, ‘I believe in miracles less so…). I’ve found a running route which is good although involves crossing a massive road, like everywhere here, so that’s a bit scary. I’ve also been to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and starred in my first ever Mexican advert there. These teenagers asked me to walk across in front of the camera looking around in awe – they may have regretted this after witnessing my acting skills.
This weekend Juley came to stay from Toluca and despite a nightmare start involving not being able to travel north to meet her at the bus station (there were queues of hundreds people just to get on the platform), we had a nice time yesterday going to Chapultepec zoo, which was FREE! We saw a hippopotamus which made Laura possibly the happiest I’ve ever seen her:
I found it pretty hilarious that they had swans and crows in their own exhibits too:
Supposedly there was a giant panda there but they’d blacked out the glass so all you could see was the area where its feet may possibly be. Disappointing.
Last night we went to a party with some teachers from Laura’s centre, where I tried my first taste of mezcal (like tequila but 10 times worse) and attempted salsa for the second time. Getting back was a bit of a nightmare since I live so far away – we tried to phone for a taxi and were told they need the ‘entrecalle’ (streets on either side) as well as the area to be able to find us, which obviously we didn’t know. We ended up hailing one from the street (which apparently you’re not really meant to do) and the bus driver explained they need this extra information in case you’re just ringing ‘for a joke’. Crazy. All 3 of us squeezed into my little room was fun and kind of like a sleepover (though opening the door was a bit of a problem):
Today we had ‘huevos mexicanos a la Chris’ for breakfast which were delicious (I’m not only saying that because I now know he’s intermediate 3 at English and can probably understand this… :P) – he then borrowed his friend’s car to drive Juley to the bus station and Laura home which was very lovely. And meant he had to lend him his beloved motorbike Atene in return which was a big ask. This evening we went to the cinema (to see the Equaliser, the most violent film ever). It had the most luxurious seats ever and even little tables to put your food on – someone came round to take our order for popcorn (with salsa, what?!)..and it all cost about half the price of a ticket in Britain. I will never be able to enjoy going to Odeon in the same way again.
So here are 12 things I’ve learnt so far…
1. Mexicans love to look after you and won’t let you pay for anything
2. However for services you have to pay for absolutely everything – even if someone pushes your trolley from the shop entrance to a taxi they expect money..
3. There are lots of dogs in Mexico City, and they like to bark. A lot. The noise pollution is added to by the people walking around selling stuff for ‘cinco pessooooooos’ – I find it hard to believe anyone has ever actually run out to buy their vegetables after being woken up by this at 8am on Sunday morning…
4. Thunderstorms here are like 10 times what they’re like in England, they’re terrifying..though I’ve been assured the hurricane season is ending so they’ll stop soon!
5. In a lot of places you can’t flush toilet paper down the toilet which is still pretty weird, and you can’t drink tap water ANYWHERE.
6. Don’t try and call home on a Mexican sim. I did this and somehow used £5 of credit in about 1 minute.
7. Basically doing anything in a foreign country is impossibly hard. My phone keeps messing up and not calling everyone but I don’t understand any technology vocab, and I still don’t fully understand where the supermarket is.. I imagine living with a host family does make these things a lot easier than for most of my friends though!
8. I could write a whole section on this but safe to say Mexican men are a lot more forward than British ones. When I went to get my phone repaired the other day in a scary electronics marketplace and they had to ring it to check if it worked all the men were joking about having my number now – which might happen in Britain. The fact that one of them has already texted me twice probably wouldn’t… I’m now wondering if I may already have to change my new Mexican number…
9. Time differences suck. This wasn’t really something I thought about before I came but only being able to talk to my family when I’ve just woken up and want to have a shower and sort myself out, and then everyone being asleep when I get home after a bad day is really hard. Also Juley and Laura only just pointed out to me the easier way to work out the difference is to imagine a clock and the hands pointing in the opposite direction. Now my constant counting on my fingers seems a bit silly…
10. Bus stops don’t exist here, you just have to tell them to stop. I learnt this the hard way when I just stayed on the bus and sailed right past my house..then had to walk back along a massive road in the dark for about 15 minutes. Lesson learnt – whatever you do in Mexico City, don’t do this.
11. Don’t wear clothes on the metro that could easily get attached to something else. The other day I was wearing a rather lovely kimono (from Primark, classy) and it got caught on a woman’s bag as she was getting off. After panicking that I would be trapped in the door I managed to pull it free. Only then to realise I was holding the zip from her bag in my hand and all I saw was her shocked face as the metro pulled away and she realised this random foreign girl had just broken her bag…
12. On a more serious note, being in a country where there’s a lot of poverty and people don’t always have the freedom to speak against the government has shocked me. The discovery of mass graves in Guerrero believed to belong to student protestors was terrible, and seeing children working on the streets on a daily basis is really heartbreaking, and something I don’t think I could ever get used to.
Oh, and number 13:
Milky ways look and taste weird here.
Mexican vocab so far…
qué padre (they say this all the time and I’m still not entirely sure what it means)
fijate (ditto..it’s something like ‘listen’)
jitomate, not tomate for some reason
chiquito, abuelito, basically anything with ‘ito’ at the end.
alberca, not piscina
chaqueta does NOT mean ‘jacket’ here, that’s chamarra – I won’t go into the details but saying you’re going to your room for a chaqueta has a very different meaning here…
and many many names of fruits and vegetables which my host family keep tellling me and I keep forgetting every time…
I guess it can only get easier from here..by the next time I update you I’ll have been to my first ever Mexican wedding which Chris very kindly invited me to. By then maybe I’ll be starting to become a fully fledged mexicana instead of a guera (what the security guard on our road always calls me).
Though I will still never ever understand how to safely cross the road here.