Off to Mexico City and then on to Costa Rica!
I was excited and hesitant to leave the comfort of my fluent Spanish speaking cousin and her lovely boss. On my way to Mexico it was a nice crutch knowing I wasn’t going to have to be the sole translator for the whole week but now the tables have turned. I should really change the name of this blog to ” How to learn Spanish in a taxi cab.” Most of my best translations come when I have a quiet space and time to understand, conjugate and respond. Too bad most of the important conversations I have about which seats are boarding and were to catch the right buss are not in taxis. I had a good send off in Acapulco, my taxi driver has three kids and his oldest daughter is his “queen.” Turns out her name is Wendy and because no one can say Whitney I have also become Wendy. As he helped me into my backpack he asked me to wait before I leave because he wanted to show me something. He has named his taxi after his daughter and our name is printer on the back of the taxi, we both laugh pretty hard.
The flight to Mexico City was just fine yet it is so surprising to me how many people live in Mexico City, ITS HUGE!!! It is also very pollute. I thought Redlands was bad but Mexico City makes Redlands look like a fluffy bunny. I returned to the hostel I stayed at when I first arrived. The area is so much more beautiful and active and welcoming in the daytime!
I had about 6 hours of daylight to explore so I dropped my bags at the hostel and got started. The hostel is located in the historical district of Mexico City. Across the way sits the Plaza de la Constatucion surrounded by Placio Naciona and Templo Mejor. I was in serious need of some quiet space so The Templo Mejor or cathedral was my first stop. A mass was just finishing as I walked in and I joined in for the Padre Nuestro (shout out to señor Ponccini and St. Francis ). The cathedral was made of cement and cinder block walls with extremely slick marble floors. Beautiful wood panelling kept the depictions of the Passion safe from the loads of tourists. I sat in a pue to meditate and felt a bit weird about meditating on my chakras while in a Catholic Cathedral… At the end of my meditation I opened my eyes to Mary staring me right in the face and had an overwhelming feeling that my prayers and meditation were not finished. I haven’t recited the Hail Mary since high school but it flooded into my brain as if I had been practicing it everyday. I was reminded of the 108 sun salutations and of the rosary. I decided to mix the lot and whisper 108 Ave Maria’s. About ten deep I realized I was instinctively praying for strength, feminine power. Instinctively I was filling up for my future endeavors, thank goodness I did.
Exiting the Cathedral I took the main walking street through the historical district. I couldn’t help but beam as I walked down the street packed with people and vendors alike. The streets where like cement tunnels and the smells that emanated from the lower street sides where a mix of deep fried tostones and fuel emissions.
I stopped into a book store thinking I would pick something out to help my Spanish speaking. I was handed a three inch thick book by an employee after inquiring what I should read as a beginner. I graciously set the book down and headed for the children’s section, ah now that’s more like it. I picked a book about a group of people moving to a new planet, hahah. Checking out was interesting. There was a long line and the man behind the counter was in a rush and spoke incredibly fast. I tried my best to keep up and reply but I guess my accent is thick and we had trouble understanding one another. In the end I got the book and ended with a smile.
Back on the street I lapped around the blocks scoping out the best looking tocorias and plotting my attack. Then I attacked and it was glorious! I tried bean tacos, chicken tacos, chicken tacos with cheese, and covered them all in ample home made salsas and hot sauces. It was no easy task though, I ordered just fine but had a hard time understanding the spit fire responses. I believe I sat down in one restaurant after ordering a street taco, that was an ordeal. By the end of my taco cruise my belly was saticfied but my mind was distressed. I so badly want to be a sufficient Spanish speaker but I keep running into miss communications.
And so begins my war with language barrier… I spent the rest of the evening reading through an old Spanish note book and series of study guides I brought. To top off the night I started my book, it didn’t go so well. As a matter of fact I didn’t fall asleep until midnight even though I went to be at nine, I couldn’t turn my brain off
The Limber Lotus 