About three weeks ago we moved into a new place here in Mexico City.  With another little boy on the way we wanted to upgrade to three bedrooms and something with some outdoor space for Eli to get out and play.  After lots of calls and going to see a few places we found just what we were looking for about a five minute drive from our previous apartment.  We have settled in easily and so far we are loving the extra space and Eli is loving the shared yard in front of our house and playground right inside our complex.  Also, our five minute move away from the main roads has made us feel like we are in more "real" Mexican neighborhood.  We are now in walking distance from the main square of our little area of the city, there are cobblestone streets, and lots of little family owned places to explore.  We have really enjoyed walking around and getting to know our new neighborhood.

Within that main square area is the local Catholic parish and they have been in all out party mode for the last week in celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.  The fair starts just a block from our house and wraps around down to the church.  I have nothing against fairs and we have taken the opportunity to go over and explore, enjoy the food, and let Eli get a pony ride, however it's the fireworks/firecrackers that get to be a bit much.  For the last week there has been an incessant "bang, bang" (as Eli calls it) going on at random times anywhere between 6am and 10pm.  At times there has been constant noise for up to 45 minutes straight and the majority of the time we just get the noise without any of the pretty lights in the sky.

Somehow Eli has developed an immunity to them and manages to sleep right through all the noise.  What a blessing!  However, our dog has been on edge constantly and none of us can manage to sleep through his barking when he really gets going.  Sorry neighbors...maybe he'll get used it at some point.

All of this to say, the fair ended last night and I will be perfectly happy if I do not hear any more fireworks for quite some time!

In doing a little internet research on the celebration and the local church I came across this You Tube video that someone took of the church and a bit of our neighborhood.  I thought you might enjoy getting a little picture of where we live:

P.S. Still no new baby.  We're still waiting, and yes, getting a bit impatient.  Maybe he'll be timely and arrive tomorrow on his due date!

Per our usual Tuesday morning routine, this morning I got myself up and ready for the day, got  Eli up at 7:30am, got him breakfast and dressed, prepared his lunch, and then walked the block and half to drop him off at preschool.  This morning I even got to say hello to my niece who was being dropped off at school by her nanny at the same time.

I followed this with a three block walk in the opposite direction to the local medical lab to get some standard pregnancy lab work done.  Who doesn’t love getting lab work done early in the morning?

As a side note: Of all the Spanish words I have learned so far, for an English speaker, molestar (to disturb or irritate) is definitely the most disturbing, especially when used by a lab technician.

From there I walked to the local fruit stand to pick up some mangoes and bananas.  Then I headed off to the bakery to pick up a fresh loaf of bread to go with dinner this evening and a danish for me, because it is my opinion that anyone who allows themselves to be poked and prodded in a lab by a stranger before 8:30am deserves a treat. 

Anyway, I completed all these tasks and was back in my apartment by 9am.   I don’t think I will ever again live in a place where it is possible to so easily get all of these tasks done on foot.  Mexico treated me well this morning.

Unfortunately, this is where things went downhill and I can no way blame it on Mexico, instead I’m going to go with the pregnancy brain excuse.  When I got home from my morning errands I took our dog out and managed to leave my keys on the kitchen counter.   The front door to our apartment automatically locks behind you. 

Nonetheless, all was not lost.  We gave my brother-in-law a copy of our keys for just such a time.   I called him up, found out where the keys were stored (this included a list of 3 places they “might” possibly be) and walked the two blocks to their house praying that their nanny was still there to let me in to search for them.  Success!  I was still back in my apartment by 9:30am ready to start the day.

We’ll see what the rest of the day has in store for me…

Just a 15 minute drive from our apartment are the Xochimilco canals.  While Dave's parents and sisters were in town over spring break we finally took the opportunity to go visit this beautiful and relaxing historic site of Mexico City.  I have no idea why it took us so long.  Now that we have been I fully intend to return and take anyone who might like to visit with me.

The canals are the remnants of what was once a rather extensive lake and canal system that extended over most of the Valley of Mexico.  Today they are explored aboard trajineras, colorful gondola-like boats.  The boats may be rented out by the hour along with a "captain" and are various sizes, generally designed for between 6 and 12 people.

The island and land areas along the canals are lusciously green (at least if you go during a time of year where there has been rain) and colorful flowers decorate the waterway.  You can also purchase plants from the many floating garden stores along the way.

Floating garden store

We brought along a picnic lunch, but if you happened to get hungry along the way there are plenty of stands in the area where the boats begin and end their journey, and various boats out on the canals on which Mexican men and women will cook you fresh tacos and quesadillas.  They simply tie their boats onto to yours while they make your food.  There was also a small bar/cafe along the canal where you could purchase a meal, cerveza (beer),  oversized pina colada in a carved out pineapple (I might have to test one of these out when I'm not so pregnant), or michelada (a traditional Mexican drink preparation made with beer, lime juice, salt, and sometimes hotsauce, the glass is then rimmed in salt - and in this particular case a chamoy jelly).

Float up mariachi service

These are not the only float up services.  There are also boats carrying complete mariachi bands who will happily play you a tune for a nominal fee per song  They too tie their boats alongside yours while they serenade.

Eli enjoying the view with Grandpa

Overall, it was a wonderful way to spend a beautiful spring afternoon with family and friends.  The kids loved it as well.  They spent their time checking out the water, plants, and various animals along the way.  If you're ever in  Mexico City I highly recommend that you make the trip down south to Xochimilco for your own relaxing afternoon on the water.

We’ve spent the last couple of weekends exploring our new favorite neighborhood in Mexico City, Coyoacan.  It has a little more of the city feel we came to love while living in Brooklyn – beautiful parks, fun architecture, and lots of little shops and cafes.  It’s a pleasant place to spend a Saturday walking around and enjoying a bowl of pozole (a traditional Mexican soup).  Pozole is our new found love, specifically when purchased from a certain stand in Coyoacan.  If you happen to have the opportunity to try it I recommend you go for the rojo (red) variety with shredded pork..  Come for a visit and we’ll be happy to take you to our favorite spot so that you can try it for yourself!

This past Saturday we also visted the Frida Kahlo Museum, which is housed inside what was actually Frida’s home in Coyoacan.  The bright blue building is rather inviting and houses works by both Frida and Diego Rivera.  Unfortunately, we picked a day when the museum was particularly busy and not particularly kid friendly.  We’ll definitely make a trip back to explore a bit more sometime soon. 

We did, however, manage to snap these gems while we were there:

Immediately after we took the picture of the kids (which drew a bit of a crowd) the guard removed the photo booth.  Perhaps the crazy Americans didn’t use the Diego and Frida cutout properly?

Dave and I had a great life in Reno.  We were surrounded by friends.  My parents lived right around the corner and were available to help all the time (thanks for all that free baby-sitting, Mom and Dad).  We both had great jobs and amazingly supportive bosses and co-workers.  Lake Tahoe and the gorgeous Sierra Nevadas were right there for us to enjoy any time we wanted.

Life was good, but it was full.  It was abounding with commitments – all of them good things, and all of them things we enjoyed doing, but we were busy practically every night of the week.  It was overwhelming at times.

Life in Mexico is simpler – more relaxed.  I’m no longer working outside the home.  Dave is home from school much earlier.  We spend more time just being a family.  We learn and grow together every day as we create our life in a new culture.

Life is also simpler because we don’t have as much.  Our apartment is comfortable, but much less full.  We’ve come to like it that way.  Sure, there are a few more appliances I’d like to have.  For instance, we have a washer, but no dryer.  Somehow I’ve even come to love going up to our cage on the roof of the apartment building to hang clothes to dry.  There’s something nice about standing outside, feeling the sun on my face, looking over the city and pinning my clothes on a line.  Where else can I look out over Estadio Azteca (the only stadium in the world to host two World Cups, as Dave and James often remind me) while I do such a basic chore as laundry?  Hanging clothes to dry is not something I thought I would ever appreciate. I won’t turn down a dryer when the time comes. But in this moment I’m happy with what I have.

I’m enjoying my simpler life.

This weekend we decided it was time to get out and explore some more of the city.  On Saturday we visited La Plaza De Tres Culturas (The Square of Three Cultures).  It's a pretty amazing representation of all that Mexico City has to offer.  In the foreground you see the remains of an Aztec Temple.  Directly behind that is the Santiago de Tlateloco Catholic Church which was built in the 16th century.  And in the background you see a housing complex built in 1964.  Three cultures and three different periods of Mexican civilization in one view.

Now don't get me wrong, Mexico is bursting with color.  Colorful produce and crafts line the streets. Homes, underpasses, and sculptural designs throughout the city are emblazoned with color.  What I'm missing are fall colors - the yellows, oranges, and reds of leaves gradually changing and then making their way to the ground.  Mexico City has a Utopian temperate climate right now, the 60s and 70s weather that people in Arizona and Alaska dream about this time of year, but I'm missing the nip in the air that autumn brings.  This is the first time I've lived in a climate without four distinct seasons, and I can't help but daydream about the days of this:

Here's a shot of our corner store.
Ironically, it is named FarMart.

Dave and I first came to love having a corner store when we lived in Brooklyn, NY right after getting married.  If you know Dave well, you have probably heard him sing it’s praises at some point.  In New York we came to love the corner store because it was, in fact, right there on the corner - a brilliant realization, right? But seriously, it was great to walk home from the subway after work and be able to grab those last couple of ingredients you needed for dinner on the way.  Or, let’s say you’re making cookies for a get together right after work the next day and realize you’re one egg short and it’s 10pm.  No problem!  The corner is just a 2 minute walk away. Added bonus: in New York, most corner stores make killer sandwiches.

Now, the Mexican corner store doesn’t make sandwiches, but let me tell you about its many wonderful attributes:

1)      Once again, it’s on the corner, just a two minute walk away.  Who doesn’t love convenience?

2)      They deliver! I don’t even have to walk those 2 minutes. I can just call them up and order just what I want (if I can manage to clearly get it across in Spanish).

3)      Not only can I get eggs there, but I can get exactly the number I need.  I’m no longer required to buy them in multiples of 6.  What freedom!

4)      It’s a pharmacy too.  As long as I know exactly what drug I need and the strength I can just order it over the counter for human or animal alike.  (I assure you I’m not doing this without first actually seeing a doctor or veterinarian.)

5)      Directly next door to our corner store is a fabulous little taco stand with 2 for 1 tacos al pastor on Wednesdays.  Perfecto!

So, I’m still not sure I’m a big city girl, but I love some of the conveniences big city life has to offer.  If you have a corner store and haven’t yet taken full advantage of all it has to offer…it’s time.