El recuento de los daños...
After three and a half weeks, last night I finally slept in my own bed, with my own pillow (and two human-shaped lumps who were too happy to see me to sleep in their own bed!).
Mexico City was AMAZING. I know I say that every time I post about having been there, but it was! I did so many things and my work was so rewarding that there really isn't another way to put it and I feel an organic need to write about it.
After my last post, I did get to work and prepare my presentation for the next day. I was at the office in the morning, then got in touch with wizardelfgirl to drop off my suitcase and get on our way to the theater. It rained and we got a bit wet but it didn't matter because that show we caught was a premiere (we never figured out what the right word was for that in theater, did we, wizardelfgirl?) and so there were some reporters, some cameras, and we got autographs from the actresses and everything. The next day we planned a movie-a-thon and we watched The Lion King 3D, Green Lantern AND Midnight in Paris. We liked all of them a lot, but Midnight in Paris was special because we got to see that in a VIP theater: leather recliners, side tables, everything. At that point I told wizardelfgirl that the danger for me was that I was going to start thinking that was the way one was supposed to live (I actually phrased that as "getting used to the champagne lifestyle while having to live on an orange juice budget" on Facebook a couple of days ago).
The next day I had to take off really early because I was supposed to cross the entire city and get all the way to the north end, which took two and a half hours! The company put me in a hotel that was right next to a mall and a ten minute taxi cab ride from this place. It took a LOT of self control to limit my shopping to four items, but I managed it. I was out there for two days (out there in the area, not out there at the mall!) then I had to come back all the way south for three days to visit more schools. On Wednesday night I had cocktails with a friend, Thursday I went all the way to Santa Fé to see "God of Carnage", in what was the second to last appearance of Ludwika Paleta. On Friday I took my suitcase and went off to Puebla to visit my best friend. On Saturday we went to her niece's birthday party and then to Los Sapos. Browsing the different stalls, but not really meaning to buy anything, I met this guy:
I couldn't help asking to take his picture, the outfit was so glorious in detail. He agreed as long as I was with him in the picture and I ended up buying one of the hats he was selling.
After that, Susu and I met a friend/ex-boyfriend for coffee. You can see me wearing the hat in this picture.
I had to be back in Mexico City at a reasonable hour on Sunday, so I didn't do much that day. For the last part of my gig I had to do a teacher training course in the state of Mexico, so the company found me a decent hotel, but in a rather dodgy part of Mexico City. I ended up having to go to Indios Verdes every day to get to work. I must confess that I was a bit scared at first (okay, A LOT... there's tons of people there, and it can be very confusing to get around there) but i somehow managed it. wizardelfgirl joked the other day that by now I know Mexico City and the surrounding areas better than she does =P
This part of my stay was hard because I was in an area that I did not know at all and so the first few days all I did was get holed up in there and watch TV from 6 p.m. till whenever I fell asleep - which had a negative effect in my state of mind. Eventually I plucked up the courage to venture (and get lost three times!) around and find places I could go on shopping sprees kill time for a bit.
When Saturday rolled around, I was ready to do some exploring and so I went to Teotihuacán - a place I'd never been before.
I climbed the pyramid of the Moon only because, well... I didn't think I could make it up the pyramid of the sun and its 365 steps. As I found out in my previous visit to Mexico City, no matter how good physical condition you are in, physical exertion is not quite the same when you're at 2000 meters above sea level. At any rate, the view from there was glorious and I just sat atop the pyramid and tried to take everything in.
In the afternoon I went downtown and FINALLY got to visit the Museo de la Revolución Mexicana. I took a few pictures of the view as the sun was going down. Beautiful.
That weekend I also went to the theater ("Confesiones de Mujeres de 30") and to the movies (Stupid, crazy, love). The film was a lot better than I expected it to be, and the play was enjoyable but not something I'd go to again. Then there were five more days of work and before I knew it it was time to go home ...
... except it's not just time to go home but time to make the biggest decision of my life. I go home to my children or I go home, pack my bags and move to Mexico City for good.
I've been bouncing ideas since Wednesday, and I just can't make up my mind. It's a HUGE career opportunity, but won't I regret leaving my children behind? Mexico City is awesome, but will it continue to seem awesome if all I see is concrete and traffic day in and day out? I have a lot of friends in the city, but ... will I even get to see them all that much? Won't I just end up holed up in my apartment, much like I did just last week?
Then there's the money issue. Salary is pretty good, but can I live on that in Mexico City? Do I have to rent my apartment in PV or can I live on my salary without having to? I hate the notion of renting it out, because my apartment looks exactly the way I want it to and I don't want anybody messing it up. Then again, I'd need a place to crash the weekends I do come to visit my kids ... which admittedly won't be very many unless I figure out a way to beat the air fare system.
Too much to consider. And I have to give an answer by tomorrow. Oh, dear.
Mexico City was AMAZING. I know I say that every time I post about having been there, but it was! I did so many things and my work was so rewarding that there really isn't another way to put it and I feel an organic need to write about it.
After my last post, I did get to work and prepare my presentation for the next day. I was at the office in the morning, then got in touch with wizardelfgirl to drop off my suitcase and get on our way to the theater. It rained and we got a bit wet but it didn't matter because that show we caught was a premiere (we never figured out what the right word was for that in theater, did we, wizardelfgirl?) and so there were some reporters, some cameras, and we got autographs from the actresses and everything. The next day we planned a movie-a-thon and we watched The Lion King 3D, Green Lantern AND Midnight in Paris. We liked all of them a lot, but Midnight in Paris was special because we got to see that in a VIP theater: leather recliners, side tables, everything. At that point I told wizardelfgirl that the danger for me was that I was going to start thinking that was the way one was supposed to live (I actually phrased that as "getting used to the champagne lifestyle while having to live on an orange juice budget" on Facebook a couple of days ago).
The next day I had to take off really early because I was supposed to cross the entire city and get all the way to the north end, which took two and a half hours! The company put me in a hotel that was right next to a mall and a ten minute taxi cab ride from this place. It took a LOT of self control to limit my shopping to four items, but I managed it. I was out there for two days (out there in the area, not out there at the mall!) then I had to come back all the way south for three days to visit more schools. On Wednesday night I had cocktails with a friend, Thursday I went all the way to Santa Fé to see "God of Carnage", in what was the second to last appearance of Ludwika Paleta. On Friday I took my suitcase and went off to Puebla to visit my best friend. On Saturday we went to her niece's birthday party and then to Los Sapos. Browsing the different stalls, but not really meaning to buy anything, I met this guy:
I couldn't help asking to take his picture, the outfit was so glorious in detail. He agreed as long as I was with him in the picture and I ended up buying one of the hats he was selling.
After that, Susu and I met a friend/ex-boyfriend for coffee. You can see me wearing the hat in this picture.
I had to be back in Mexico City at a reasonable hour on Sunday, so I didn't do much that day. For the last part of my gig I had to do a teacher training course in the state of Mexico, so the company found me a decent hotel, but in a rather dodgy part of Mexico City. I ended up having to go to Indios Verdes every day to get to work. I must confess that I was a bit scared at first (okay, A LOT... there's tons of people there, and it can be very confusing to get around there) but i somehow managed it. wizardelfgirl joked the other day that by now I know Mexico City and the surrounding areas better than she does =P
This part of my stay was hard because I was in an area that I did not know at all and so the first few days all I did was get holed up in there and watch TV from 6 p.m. till whenever I fell asleep - which had a negative effect in my state of mind. Eventually I plucked up the courage to venture (and get lost three times!) around and find places I could go on shopping sprees kill time for a bit.
When Saturday rolled around, I was ready to do some exploring and so I went to Teotihuacán - a place I'd never been before.
I climbed the pyramid of the Moon only because, well... I didn't think I could make it up the pyramid of the sun and its 365 steps. As I found out in my previous visit to Mexico City, no matter how good physical condition you are in, physical exertion is not quite the same when you're at 2000 meters above sea level. At any rate, the view from there was glorious and I just sat atop the pyramid and tried to take everything in.
In the afternoon I went downtown and FINALLY got to visit the Museo de la Revolución Mexicana. I took a few pictures of the view as the sun was going down. Beautiful.
That weekend I also went to the theater ("Confesiones de Mujeres de 30") and to the movies (Stupid, crazy, love). The film was a lot better than I expected it to be, and the play was enjoyable but not something I'd go to again. Then there were five more days of work and before I knew it it was time to go home ...
... except it's not just time to go home but time to make the biggest decision of my life. I go home to my children or I go home, pack my bags and move to Mexico City for good.
I've been bouncing ideas since Wednesday, and I just can't make up my mind. It's a HUGE career opportunity, but won't I regret leaving my children behind? Mexico City is awesome, but will it continue to seem awesome if all I see is concrete and traffic day in and day out? I have a lot of friends in the city, but ... will I even get to see them all that much? Won't I just end up holed up in my apartment, much like I did just last week?
Then there's the money issue. Salary is pretty good, but can I live on that in Mexico City? Do I have to rent my apartment in PV or can I live on my salary without having to? I hate the notion of renting it out, because my apartment looks exactly the way I want it to and I don't want anybody messing it up. Then again, I'd need a place to crash the weekends I do come to visit my kids ... which admittedly won't be very many unless I figure out a way to beat the air fare system.
Too much to consider. And I have to give an answer by tomorrow. Oh, dear.