(no subject)
Oh, December. This is it. I'm down to my last two weeks here in Mexico. I have yet to sort through all the emotions, but I can tell already I have grown very attached to this place. I have come to love waking up in Mexico City, taking the metro to work, exploring different places, shopping in the Zona Rosa, eating lunch for $2 USD from a neighborhood taqueria, and all of my weekend trips out of the DF.
It's been a while since I've updated, so here's a recap:
Thanksgiving was a hit. We had a pretty good turnout, and there was more than enough food for everyone. Elena, the hostess, prepared the turkey and a delicious side dish of wild rice. She hosts exchange students every semester, mostly from Concordia, so she meets a lot of people from Minnesota. I love how she explained Minnesotan food to all the mexicanos who came: "the food is much sweeter [in MN], because they need the energy to combat the cold northern weather."
Making the food was a bit of a process. Poor Adelina had to turn over her entire kitchen to Tina and I. We proceeded to tear apart the kitchen, using about every pot, pan or bowl we could find. Both our dishes required the oven, and that just happens to be Adelina's only storage space in the kitchen. Frying the onions was the best part, I think. They turned out great, though. I was worried at first. Even better was wandering down the streets of Mexico City with casseroles wrapped up in towels - and hailing a taxi. Definitely noteworthy.
We read a little piece before dinner just to tell the Thanksgiving story and welcome everyone who came. All the food tasted great, and from what I heard, it sounds like everyone had a good time.
Here are just a few pics - all kudos to Jim and Abby.
Representing Concordia College. Left to right: Katie, Abby, Tina, me, Jim, and Kayla.
Dishing up for the big feast. Elena, the hostess, is on the far right.
Our table. We ate dinner in the garage, but it felt like we were in the church basement back at home. That's how much space there was.
It was a great experience, having Thanksgiving in Mexico. I could do this every year. It felt good, knowing I contributed something.
Last week was a little bit busy. I've had to translate a lot more at work, since they're updating the web site and publishing the AmCham Eagle this week. I had my first final last week on Thursday. Which means no more International Marketing class. Whew. That's a sigh of relief. In the past couple weeks, I've done some shopping around. I've gotten to see some of the big malls around here - Coyoacan, Antara in Polanco, and Satelite. I have yet to see Santa Fe, which is supposed to be the biggest shopping mall in Latin America.
Oh, here's something new and different. I got to go to a wedding this weekend. It was Ángel's boss and friend from work. The ceremony took place in a Catholic church, so it was very formal. The reception was nearby, at some sort of event place. I got the impression this place was specifically for parties like this, with large groups of people. There was a huge meal, in about five courses. There was live music, dancing, bouquet, and garter tossing.
Friday was Presidential Inauguration Day here. Felipe Calderon is officially sworn in as the President of Mexico now. And here's something mighty interesting. One of the girls in our group got to translate George Bush Sr.'s speech for the big event. 45 pages, from what I heard.
Well, time to head out. Be back soon for an update!
P.S. It's my last week at the Chamber!
It's been a while since I've updated, so here's a recap:
Thanksgiving was a hit. We had a pretty good turnout, and there was more than enough food for everyone. Elena, the hostess, prepared the turkey and a delicious side dish of wild rice. She hosts exchange students every semester, mostly from Concordia, so she meets a lot of people from Minnesota. I love how she explained Minnesotan food to all the mexicanos who came: "the food is much sweeter [in MN], because they need the energy to combat the cold northern weather."
Making the food was a bit of a process. Poor Adelina had to turn over her entire kitchen to Tina and I. We proceeded to tear apart the kitchen, using about every pot, pan or bowl we could find. Both our dishes required the oven, and that just happens to be Adelina's only storage space in the kitchen. Frying the onions was the best part, I think. They turned out great, though. I was worried at first. Even better was wandering down the streets of Mexico City with casseroles wrapped up in towels - and hailing a taxi. Definitely noteworthy.
We read a little piece before dinner just to tell the Thanksgiving story and welcome everyone who came. All the food tasted great, and from what I heard, it sounds like everyone had a good time.
Here are just a few pics - all kudos to Jim and Abby.
Representing Concordia College. Left to right: Katie, Abby, Tina, me, Jim, and Kayla.
Dishing up for the big feast. Elena, the hostess, is on the far right.
Our table. We ate dinner in the garage, but it felt like we were in the church basement back at home. That's how much space there was.
It was a great experience, having Thanksgiving in Mexico. I could do this every year. It felt good, knowing I contributed something.
Last week was a little bit busy. I've had to translate a lot more at work, since they're updating the web site and publishing the AmCham Eagle this week. I had my first final last week on Thursday. Which means no more International Marketing class. Whew. That's a sigh of relief. In the past couple weeks, I've done some shopping around. I've gotten to see some of the big malls around here - Coyoacan, Antara in Polanco, and Satelite. I have yet to see Santa Fe, which is supposed to be the biggest shopping mall in Latin America.
Oh, here's something new and different. I got to go to a wedding this weekend. It was Ángel's boss and friend from work. The ceremony took place in a Catholic church, so it was very formal. The reception was nearby, at some sort of event place. I got the impression this place was specifically for parties like this, with large groups of people. There was a huge meal, in about five courses. There was live music, dancing, bouquet, and garter tossing.
Friday was Presidential Inauguration Day here. Felipe Calderon is officially sworn in as the President of Mexico now. And here's something mighty interesting. One of the girls in our group got to translate George Bush Sr.'s speech for the big event. 45 pages, from what I heard.
Well, time to head out. Be back soon for an update!
P.S. It's my last week at the Chamber!