El Duende

Dear Blog,

I am watching one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time--Elf (a.k.a. El Duende, in Spanish). I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to watch it this holiday season, since I couldn't find it anywhere and hadn't seen it on t.v. Alas, I just happened to be flipping through the t.v. guide and saw "El Duende," but I didn't know it was "Elf" until I read the synopsis! I'm so happy.

On Friday, my Christmas vacation officially began. After work, Juan and I finished some last minute things before our Christmas party. He invited his staff over on Friday night, and we had a good time. Somehow, we ended up playing the Matchbox 20 c.d., which (as some may recall) is not my favorite. I was reminded of how Gretchen lost her c.d. and it ended up that my sister had it--I think. Anyway, I thought that c.d. was out of my life, but it has resurfaced.

Yesterday, Juan and I watched season 4 of Lost. We haven't finished it yet, but we spent most of the day watching it. I love vacation.

Tonight, we are going to go to the Zocalo. We are going to go to mass, see the ice skating rink, and eat some dinner. I also have to do a little last minute shopping. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Merry Christmas,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

Today was the last day for the kids! Only three more days, and my Christmas break begins--I can't wait! Tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday we have conferences with the parents, which shouldn't be too bad.

Let me see...What else has happened since I last wrote you? On Saturday, Juan and I went out with some of his co-workers from D.C. We ate at a restaurant called Villa Maria, which serves typical Mexican food. I ordered a margarita, and it was the biggest thing I've ever seen, so Juan and I shared it. On Sunday, I went Christmas shopping, but I didn't really get much. Yesterday, the electrician came and fixed our stove. For the first time in Mexico, I have a working stove!

Guess what else? Juan's co-workers brought us season four of Lost, so we are going to begin a Lost marathon on Saturday, when my official break starts! I can't wait...there are so many unanswered questions.

Well, I am gonna smell my nativity scene now. Ahh, that smell always takes me back...

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

My Christmas Posada

Dear Blog,

I have had a busy week this week. I had to write 32 student evaluations, and I had to translate some into English. So I came home every night and wrote evaluations and more evaluations. Yesterday, I stayed late at work and helped set-up for our big Christmas fiesta. I have to say that some of the decorations I put up were tack.

This morning at my school, we had a traditional Mexican Posada, which is a celebration they have here around Christmas. The purpose of a Posada is to knock on people's doors and ask for a place for baby Jesus to be born, just like Mary and Joseph did. Now, people don't actually knock on doors (except in small towns); instead, everyone sings a song and lights candles. The children also performed for their parents by dancing to some Christmas songs. At the end, the children broke a big piñata, and then everyone ate a lot of food. I had a good time.

I also have exciting news--I put up my nativity scene! Juan and I bought a shelf and it is set up right in the middle, sitting on a red placemat. It smells as good as ever, and Gretchen might be disappointed to know that the baby Jesus and the Wise Men are already in place--HA!

Juan and I are going to have some Christmas parties next week, so we are just going to get things ready at our apartment this weekend. I'll write you soon!

LYLAS,
Jenny en la ciudad

Christmas tree--the sequel

Dear Blog,

I have had a good weekend. On Friday, Juanty and I just hung out in our casa. On Saturday, we went with some friends, Eduardo and Sandra, to get our second Christmas tree of the season. That's right, our first tree took a turn for the worse. To be honest, I don't think we got a healthy tree the first time. I didn't notice until we got it home, but it was a dud. It didn't drink any water the first few days, a sure sign that it was on the downward spiral.

Anyway, on Saturday, we drove out of the city to get a new tree. It was so nice to leave the city and get away from all the pollution. We took Monty with us, and he didn't even throw up in the car! Once we got close to the Christmas tree farm, we stopped for a bite to eat. Apparently, it is a tradition to get the tree and eat some rabbit, so we ate some rabbit al pastor (marinated in a chili sauce). I have to say that I had visions of Noel (my deceased pet rabbit) hopping through my head as I ate. I would also like to note that rabbit--wait for it--tastes like chicken. Big surprise, right? I have decided that if it tastes like chicken, you should just eat chicken.

After we ate, we drove about thirty minutes up the mountain to get our tree. Once we got there, however, the farm was closing because it was getting dark. So, we went to the little shop, which was a lot like the Farmer's Market in Asheville. We got a big reindeer made of branches. After we left the store, we picked up an already-cut tree by the side of the road.

When we got home, we redecorated our tree. I had to move all of Juan's ornaments because he doesn't space them properly. Juan made some eggnog and we listened to Christmas songs. Little Monty tried to eat the tree and the reindeer. It is the most wonderful time of the year!

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

I had a good week last week. I didn't do too much, just went to work and hung out with Monty, really. Juan was in Oaxaca for most of the week, so Monty and I went on long walks in the afternoon. I was bummed about missing Thanksgiving, but there aren't any Pilgrims in Mexico. I told the story of Thanksgiving to my kids, so I celebrated in my own way. Next year, I think I will dress up as a Pilgrim and act the story out, Chris Mathews-style.

Over the weekend, we got a coffee table and a rug for our living room. Our apartment is actually starting to look furnished. We didn't really do anything else over the weekend. Next weekend, however, I think we are going to go ice-skating. That's right. There is an ice-skating rink in the Zocalo, and it is made of real ice. Every day is in the seventies, and there is still fake snow and an ice-skating rink. Only in Mexico. I'll let you know how it pans out.

I am going to give Monty a bath, so he is nice and clean before bed. I'll write to you soon.

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

I meant to write to you over the weekend, but I got sick. Before I get into all the details, let me tell you about last week.

On Tuesday morning, I went to the Immigration Office in Mexico City to get my FM-3, or my Mexican work visa. They spelled my middle name "Siewrs," so I had to get some of the paperwork done over again--what a pain. And for some strange reason, they don't make copies at the Immigration Office, so I had to walk across the street several times to get photocopies and stuff. Finally, I got everything done, and I should be about to pick up my FM-3 this week.

Wednesday was pretty normal. I took a taxi home from work, and it appeared that my driver's stereo had been stolen because there was a big hole in the dash. It reminded me of the old Geo Storm. Anyway, the cab driver started whistling. I am not sure what song he was whistling, but it sounded like a cross between "The hills are alive with the sound of music" and "Hey Jude." It was a weird ride home.

Nothing exciting happened on Thursday.

On Friday, I felt fine when I got home from work, but everything started to go downhill from there. Somewhere in between mopping and bathing Monty, my throat started to burn, my nose got stuffy, and I started sneezing all over the place. I barely slept Friday night. I kept waking up because I couldn't breathe.

Saturday was more of the same. All I did was sit on the couch all day, except when I got up to walk little Monty.

I started feeling better yesterday, and I feel much better today. Juan got up early this morning to go to Oaxaca, so it is just me and the little guy. Right now, Monty is digging a pretend hole in his blanket.

Well, I gotta walk the Beag. I'll write you soon!

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

I think Mexican Revolution Day is tops! I love a long weekend, and since I don't get Thanksgiving off, I figure I better enjoy today.

Let me tell you about my weekend. Saturday was Juan's birthday--he turned 30! We celebrated by taking Monty to the park in the morning. He played with his friend Dali, a boy Jack Russel Terrier. It was funny because Dali kept humping Monty. He humped him from behind, he humped his head, he humped him from any angle he could get him. It was really funny, and little Monty just took it.

After the park, we came home and rested for a little while. Then, we went to a Colombian restaurant for dinner with a couple of friends. We ate way too much, but it was celebratory. It's not every day that Juan turns 30. After dinner, we got some dessert at El Globo, a popular Mexican bakery. After that, we just went home and stayed in for the rest of the night.

Yesterday, we went to lunch with some friends. After lunch, we went to a modern art museum. It was cool. There were some interesting paintings and stuff, so I enjoyed it. After the museum, we went to the grocery store. When we got there, we saw that they were selling Christmas trees, so we went ahead and got one. I know it seems early, but they don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so I need Christmas to come a little earlier this year...so sue me. So, we spent the evening decorating the tree (but I am still saving my nativity). It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I think we are just gonna chill today. Monty is lying on the floor in a sunny spot, and Juan is typing something on his computer.

Take Care,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

Let me update you on my week so far:

On Sunday, I wasn't feeling well, so I spent the whole day resting.

On Monday, I didn't do much. I just went to work and hung out with Juanty. I did buy my plane ticket to South Carolina for Christmas. I'm gonna leave on Christmas Day and return on New Year's Eve Day. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

On Tuesday, I went to Lucha Libre, which is Mexico's version of WWF. It was very entertaining. The first fight was three guys in purple spandex versus three guys in white and red. I was going for the guys in purple spandex because there was a little person on the team. Even though he had a size disadvantage, I thought he wrestled well. The third fight was also amusing. There was this Italian guy that the ladies seemed to love. He was tall and built, but I couldn't get past his little spandex briefs. Every time he did something good, he gyrated his hips for all the ladies. The big fight was between Dr. Wagner and Atlantis, but I found it kind of lame. The most amusing part was the crowd. We must have been sitting in Atlantis' fan section because they kept chanting, "Wagner Puto!" I won't translate, but you probably get the idea.

On Wednesday, I was really tired because I stayed out late on Tuesday. After work, I came home and took a long nap with my little Montster.

Today is Thursday, and I think Juan and I are gonna eat some hamburgers.

We have a three-day weekend this weekend. On Saturday, Juan turns thirty--THIRTY--what an old geezer. He has at least five white hairs, too. He wants to go to some jazz bar and eat Colombian food.

Oh, and guess what? They put up a huge Christmas tree on Reforma, and I can see it from my window. It's just like Christmas! I can't wait to put out my nativity scene. If only the weather would take a turn for the worse. I mean sunny and seventy every day is enough to turn me into a real Scrooge. Ba hum bug.

Love ya,
Jenny en la ciudad

Another Week in Mexico

Dear Blog,

Excuse me for not writing you for so long. It has been a busy week. On Monday, I went to work and learned that I missed some drama the previous week. On Halloween, someone stole 800 pesos from a parent. I learned that everyone I work with is a suspect, except for me (since I couldn't possibly have stolen the dough--I was in D.C.). I was very interested to learn this, since I 'lost' 500 pesos a couple of weeks earlier. At the time, I didn't want to think that someone stole it from me, but now I have to wonder.

On Tuesday, I was so into the election. I was sad I didn't get to stand in line and vote, but I got to watch it on t.v. After work, Juan and I went to the American Embassy's election party. They served hamburgers and potato chips. They also had several big screens on CNN and Fox News. The holograms were quite impressive. They even gave out "I voted" stickers. I had a good time. We left right after they announced that Barack Obama had won Virginia.

Yesterday, Juan and I went to his friend's birthday party. It was at a popular Mexican Restaurant/Bar. We had fun, but I was super sleepy, so we left around midnight.

This morning, we took Monty to the park. Juan took him last weekend, and he made a new Beagle friend, Bruna. When we got there this morning, Bruna was already there. She is about a year and a half, but she isn't much bigger than Monty. They spent the morning chasing each other and wrestling. They played so well together; however, Bruna got jealous sometimes and barked at Monty if he went to sniff another dog's hoo-ha.

After the park, we went to an art fair at the American School. There were some cool pieces of art for sale, but the only things we bought were a cheeseburger and a hot dog. Oh well.

Tonight, I am just gonna hang out and watch a movie, maybe eat a taco.

Love ya,
Jenny en la ciudad

Not gonna win any dog shows...

Dear Blog,

Monty just spent 30 minutes burying a rawhide under his blanket, and I can still see it. I feel like I should help him out a bit and cover it up, but I don't want to interfere. He seems to think he's being secretive and sneaky, and I don't want to crush his dreams. I sat here and watced the whole thing go down. He methodically dug and dug at the blanket, dropped his chew down, and then he tried and tried to cover it by nudging his head over and over and over the rawhide.

And so it goes...in Mexico.

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,



Let me just tell you about my day yesterday. We went to Cuernavaca to choose a hacienda for our wedding. So, we were all ready to go to Cuernavaca, but Juan was backing the car up and we got a flat tire. So, he changed the tire and put on the donut. We went to Cuernavaca anyway.



Of course, traffic was horrible. Cuernavaca shouldn't take more than an hour to get to, but it took us about three. We were hungry, so we stopped and ate, and it was my turn to drive. There is one hacienda we have liked, called San Gabriel de las Palmas, and you can see it from the interstate, but there is no way to get to it. It is right off a road that runs parrallel to 95, but there is no exit...nothing. We discovered this last time, and we figured out that the road it is on is 95 without the toll. This time, we did not take the toll road and just took the regular road. Big mistake. I now understand why you have to take the toll roads in Mexico. It added another two hours to our trip. Not only did the road wind through little towns, but there were surprise speedbumps all along the way. When I say surprise, I mean surprise. They were not painted yellow, and there were no signs. You didn't actually see the bumps until you were right there, so we had to slam the breaks, donut and all. By the time we got to the hacienda, it was too late to talk to anyone, but we did get to see a wedding in progress, although we didn't crash it.

Well, we wanted to look at one more hacienda. We weren't exactly sure how to get there, so Juan called the office. They told us to go about 30 minutes further south, toward Acapulco. Well, we got all the way to the state that Acapulco is in, and we didn't see it; we decided to turn around and go back. As it turns out, we were going the wrong direction. We ended up at the hacienda, but we were too late for the salespeople again. What a mess. I guess it will have to wait another week or so.

Twelve hours later, we were back in the chaotic city, which we lovingly (and begrudgingly) call home. Poor Monty.

This morning, we got the tire fixed. After that, we made pancakes and eggs for breakfast and went to the store. Oh yeah, and we got an extra hour to sleep! I love fall back...

Love ya,

Jenny en la ciudad

Hump Day

Dear Blog,

Let me tell you about my week so far. Monty and I have gone on our morning walk every day this week. I am teaching the little fellow to walk beside, not in front of me. He is getting better, but he get's a little distracted. I suppose that it doesn't help that he wants to eat every piece of trash he sees on the street. And let me tell you something about Mexico: there is a lot of trash on the street. From what I can tell, they have a problem with littering. I learned at my work today that they do actually fine people for littering, but it doesn't appear to be much of a deterrent. It doesn't help that Monty will pick up anything, and the more disgusting it is, the more he likes it.

Work has been pretty normal this week. The kids have been learning the parts of body, so we have been doing a lot of songs about the body. We have also been singing about Halloween. I like to add a little drama to all the songs--I guess I get it from my dad--and they seem to enjoy it. Maybe I'll take a page out of the Chris Mathews style of teaching and do the whole "Edgar Allan Poe popping out of a coffin" thing as a special Halloween treat for the kiddies.

I have some bad news: Monty chewed one of my Rainbow flip-flops--the ones little Johnson bought me for my birthday--in half. I'm so upset. I wear them every afternoon when I walk him. I guess I will have to get some new ones.

I'm gonna eat a tortilla now...and some cheese.

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

A Good Weekend

Dear Blog,

I have had a nice, relaxing weekend. On Friday, I got up early and walked Monty. It had rained during the night, so the ground was still saturated. When it rains in Mexico City, everything becomes a wet, smoggy mess. Not to mention the fact that there is not very good drainage in this city. So when we got back, Monty's whole belly was all dirty and wet. This was no job for a few baby wipes, so the little guy had to get a bath. When I got home from work, we watched some t.v. and relaxed. I also got to talk to Gretchen over Skype, which was really fun. Gretchen even got to see Monty hump my leg, via the webcam. Technology is so cool.

Yesterday, Monty and I walked about a mile to the vet's office. Monty had to get another vaccine; plus, he needed to get his nails done. So, I left him at the vet's and walked around for a while.

First, I went to Woolworth's. I would like to note that I haven't been in or seen a Woolworth's since the one in the Asheville Mall. When I walked in, it was like going back in time. It was like a cross between the old Woolworth's, the Roses on Merrimon Ave, and the Brendle's behind the Innsbrook Mall. I was a little giddy about the whole thing, really. Before I left, I ate at the Woolworth's Cafe. I mean, it was no Ikea Cafe (mmm...meatballs) or Sam's Club Cafe (mmm...hot dogs), but it was decent. I had fried eggs and toast.

Next, I went to Liverpool, which is a bid department store down here. I bought some make-up and walked around for a while. I discovered a Krispy Kreme, a Gap, and a Nine West. I didn't buy anything, but I felt reassured just knowing they are there.

Then, I walked back to the vet's office, but Monty wasn't ready, so I got a Starbucks coffee and went and got a pedicure. It was my first pedicure in Mexico, and I was pleased to learn that they are way cheaper here (only about $14).

Finally, I went back to get my pooch, and as I approached, I heard the distinctive howl bark of my little Monty. He has a unique bark, which starts out like a howl but ends like a bark. He's so special. I love when he full-out howls, because it reminds of when the Deesh used to howl. Erin would be glad to know that I howl for Monty the same way we used to howl for the Deesh, in hopes that she would channel her inner-hound. I've even got Juan howling.

Well, Monty and I got to show off our pedicures on the walk home. When we finally got back, we took naps--we were tired. I ate some pizza for dinner and watched "The First Wives Club."

This morning, I woke up around 7:30. Right now, I am watching "Friends," the one where Jon Lovitz lights up a doobie. Ahhh...It's been a good weekend.

Love always,
Jenny en la ciudad

Ugh

Dear Blog,

I have had a long day so far. This morning, I had to take a cab to work, and the cab driver got lost. I explained exactly how to get to my school, and he did not follow my directions. We were close to my school, but I didn't know exactly where we were, so I couldn't even explain where to go. I was so late to work this morning, and I am never late! This was my first tardy all year...so lame.

At work, some of the kids were getting on my nerves. What can I say? It happens when you teach children. I love the little toddlers that I teach--they're so cute! I love singing with them and playing with them. I like the older children too, but a couple of them were trying my patience today. I have one little girl that is always trying to steal stuff from my room. It's just little stuff, like little plastic animals or collage materials, but it's the principle of the matter. The other teachers told me she does the same things in their rooms. She can be very sweet, but she can also be very sneaky. She will just lie to your face, and she doesn't seem to care sometimes. I am glad tomorrow is Friday!

Monty and I went on a long walk around our neighborhood when I got home. We saw some cute little houses that are hidden on the side streets around us. I've always loved looking at houses. It made me want to draw house plans.

I am tired, so I think I'll take a nap. I'll write to you soon, Blog!

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

My Week at a Glance

Dear Blog,

Let me update you on what has been going on since last Tuesday.

Wednesday:
I went to work, as per usual. After work, I went to dinner with Juan and some people he works with. I ate some larvae...mmm.

Thursday:
I went to work. I hung out with little Monty and little Juan.

Friday:
I went to work. I hung out with my boys.

Saturday:
I took Monty on a long walk (approximately 3 miles). I have decided to go on long walks with him every morning. This way, we both get a work out in, and he is tired before he has to go in his crate. I am also establishing my alpha dominance with him. I read that you are never supposed to allow your dogs to walk ahead of you because that makes them think they are the alpha. So, Monty and I pretty much struggled over who would lead our walk, but I won. I did have the leash, afterall. In the evening, Juan and I went to dinner, and then we went to Garibaldi, which is an open plaza where you can listen to mariachis.

Sunday:
Juan had a trainer in town, so we took him to the pyramids. I walked up the Pyramid of the Sun again (all 250+ steps). We actually counted, but as soon as we got in the car, we couldn't remember the exact number. Apparently, the Aztecs had a lot of things, but the wheel was not one of them. We kept talking about how life would've been easier for them if they had had the wheel. They had to carry all the rocks by hand, and they got the rocks from a volcano, which is not exactly close. If only they had thought to roll their calendars...

Monday:
I took Monty on his morning walk. I went to work. Unlike many of my fellow Americans, I had to go to work. They don't celebrate Columbus Day in Mexico. Now, I am watching Gilmore Girls. Later, I am gonna go to the store and get groceries!

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

On Sunday, Juan and I went to Cuernavaca and looked at some more haciendas for our wedding. We liked the haciendas we saw because they all had churches. I think we are probably gonna have the wedding at one of those haciendas, but I will keep you posted.

We took Monty with us, and he was such a drama queen in the car. Here is his routine in the car: he sticks his head out the window, he throws up, he tries to eat his vomit, he sticks his head back out the window, he sniffs, he throws up again, he tries to eat his puke, etc. You see the cycle, right?

Yesterday, I didn't do much. After work, I came home and found a note from Juan, saying he had to go to a funeral in Monterrey. A friend's father died, so he went up for the funeral. So, Monty and I just hung out. I made beans and rice for dinner, we watched some television, and we went to bed.

I am getting ready to watch the big debate! Juan got his absentee ballot in the mail today, but I did not receive mine. He was in charge of faxing in our forms, so I am starting to wonder if he's trying to sabotage me. He swears he's not, but I am not so sure.

TTYL,
Jenny en la ciudad

Yak!

Dear Blog,

Last night, Juan and I went to dinner with his accountant and his girlfriend. They took us to a traditional Mexican restaurant, Casa de Toño. The food was delicious and cheap! I ate pozole, which is a Mexican soup with corn and tomatoes and meat...yum.

After dinner, we went to a casino and played Yak. Yak is basically the Mexican version of Bingo. I know what you are thinking, it was the four of us and a bunch a senior citizens, but it's not like that in Mexico. I mean, when they told us it was popular to play Bingo in Mexico, I immediately thought of my days in GA's, volunteering at St. Ann's and helping the elderly cover their Bingo cards. Plus, they don't yell out Bingo, but they say, "Yak!" At first, I was a little overwhelmed because they were calling the numbers so fast in Spanish, but I caught on. Unfortunately, we didn't win, but it was fun.

When we came home, I took Monty out for a walk and the poor little guy was constipated. He tried to go number two, and he made a pitiful little cry because he couldn't. I felt so sorry for my little guy. So, Juan and I babied him--of course. We just can't help it--he's so cute, not to mention sweet!

Today, we are going to go to Cuernavaca. I will write you about it later!

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Where's the spandex when you need it?

Dear Blog,

Well, I am sorry to report that not much has happened since I wrote to you on Tuesday. My week at work has seemed to fly by. It was my week to "work the door." I know it sounds like I have an exclusive list of names and stand behind a velvet rope, but it's not like that. My job is to simply help the kids out of the car and walk them inside the school. I enjoy this job, but it has been freezing in the mornings (we're talking in the forties)! When I moved to Mexico, I didn't realize that it would get so cold here. I thought that I left the days of layering behind me for a while, but I am now thinking that I might need to send for Elena's spandex again.

Yesterday, Juan and I went to the store and rushed home just in time to watch the vice presidential debate. I thought the debate was more interesting than the presidential debate because they covered more issues. Plus, there sure was a whole lotta winking going on, which was certainly lacking in the first debate.

I think that Juan and I are gonna go to Cuernavaca one day this weekend. Cuernavaca is a little colonial town about an hour south of Mexico City. I think it will be a nice little trip.

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

I am sitting in my apartment on a Tuesday night watching Ghosthunters, a reality show about a crew that investigates hauntings. Juan and I used to love to watch this show in Washington, and I just happened to come across it in Mexico. This was the last show I thought would come on down here, but I'll take it.

Monty is sleeping next to me on the couch, and he keeps farting. He is a pint-size little fellow, but he sure could clear a room with his flatulance. Right now, he is dreaming. His little paws are moving back and forth, as if he is running or something. Whenever my Sadi or Jesse did that, my mom always said they were dreaming about chasing rabbits. Considering the changes he is going through, however, I think he is dreaming about chasing a female dog. At least it gets him off my leg for a minute.

This afternoon, I discovered that I can watch The Hills on mtv.com for free. I had to catch up on my favorite guilty little pleasure, and I am glad to tell you that I have completely caught up! It's good to know what is going on in the world of rich kids in Los Angeles. I can't wait to chat with Elena about all the gossip.

Well, I am gonna take the dog for one last walk before bed. I'll write to you soon!

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,



I am sorry that I didn't write to you yesterday, but I was really tired when we got home from dinner. Yesterday morning, we took Monty to the vet for one of his last vaccines. We talked to our vet about 'the change,' and she suggested that we get him a large soft toy. The idea is that we ween him off my leg, and he gets to hump the toy instead. We are thinking of getting him a life-size female poodle, so he can live out all of his fantasies.

Last night, we ate dinner at Brassielisimo, a little Brazilian restaurant that has the best bread and beans and rice ever. They also have a band that plays, and Juan and I really like them. Every time we go, they have a new drummer. The one thing that remains constant is that the lead singer watches soccer as he sings--it's pretty funny. It was an enjoyable evening out, but I was all tuckered out when we got home, so I went to bed.

Today, I have just been cleaning and watching television. I love a lazy day! Later, I am going to go to the Superama to buy groceries for the week.

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

The Change

Dear Blog,

It seems that Monty is going through some adolescent changes. Last night, he humped my leg for the first time. I have to tell you that even when he humps, he looks cute. Juan and I just laughed at him--he makes us so proud.

After work, I went to dinner with Juan and his co-workers. I ate empanadas and steak, and it was quite delicious. After dinner, we came home and watched the debates. I won't write to you about politics, but I found the debate interesting, especially given the current economic situation.

I really don't have much else to report today, so I will try and do something really interesting tomorrow, so I can write to you about it.

Have a good night,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,



Early this morning, before Juan walked Monty, I kept having dreams that he was peeing on me (Monty, not Juan). As you might have guessed, Monty gets the royal treatment and gets to sleep on the bed. He's never actually peed during the night, but it is still a recurring nightmare that I have. So, that was how my day began this morning.



After I finally got up and got dressed, I headed to work. Juan and I fought traffic and an empty tank of gas, but we made it on time. Every morning, we listen to a radio show called "Hoy por hoy." It is basically a Mexican news channel.



After I got to work, I prepared for my day. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I like to work one-on-one with the children and see how much they know. While I am working with one child, the other children draw or play a game or read a book or something. That is pretty much what I did at work.



Right now, it is raining in Mexico City. I am watching breaking news coverage of the financial crisis in the U.S. It seems like a real mess. Monty lost another tooth. He is starting to remind me of a toothless child that was in my kindergarten class when I was student teaching. I remember vividly when this poor child tried to bite into an apple and his gums just slid right across the surface of the apple. He gave me a pathetic look and said, "I can't." Well, Monty has lost 6 teeth now and has a little difficulty eating his hard food. I am sure that if he could talk, he would say, "I can't."



I think I will flip through all the cable channels now. I gotta get a feel for the programming down here.



Toodles,

Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

Now that I have internet access, I can write to you whenever I want. Right now, I am watching BBC news and listening to them talk about the economic crisis in the U.S. It sounds pretty bad.

I think that Monty is jealous of my computer. Ever since yesterday, I have had my laptop in my lap, instead of my beagle. Today, he even rested his head on my keypad. Poor guy can't compete with the Internet.

I haven't had a very exciting day so far. Juan dropped me off at work around 8:30 this morning. I started my day in the toddler room. It is my week to do circle in the morning, so I greet the children as they come in. I sang some songs with the kiddies, did some fingerplays...you know, the usual. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at my school, one of the children brings lunch for everyone. Today, we enjoyed a well-balanced meal of donuts and fruit. The food pyramid would be proud.

After work, I took the pooch for a walk around the block. Monty is such a drama queen. When I get home, he cries and wiggles around for about 10 minutes. As he is doing this, he retrieves all of his toys (one by one) from his crate and carries them around with him. It's all about the drama.

Well, Juan and I are gonna go get some dinner. He's feeling like chicken fajitas.

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

It's a Miracle!

Dear Blog,

It's a Mexican miracle! I have the Internet! I have cable!

Now, I know that when I wrote you last, I told you that I was supposed to get cable and internet on Saturday. Well, Saturday came and went. Juan spent a good hour on the phone with some supervisor on Saturday morning, and she promised they would be at our apartment by 5. Shocking news: they never showed. After he called them again, they promised they would come 'first thing Monday morning.' Well, Monday came and went, but Cablevision never did. So, Juan talked to the supervisor's supervisor, and he told Juan they would come today. Well, it's a miracle! He didn't lie to us. Granted, they showed up late, but they showed up!!!!!!!

Now, I have over two hundred channels, including E! News. Right now, Juan is watching Fox News. I mean, did Bill O'Reilly really have to follw me to Mexico? As they say in Mexico, "Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay..."

In other exciting news, Monty has lost three teeth in the last two days. I am pretty sure that is normal. If not, he will end up toothless like the Deesh (R.I.P.). He is the cutest guy--I love him.

I am gonna watch t.v. now! I've missed you so much!!! I will write to you TOMORROW!

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

As I am writing to you, I am typing with only one hand because Monty is asleep on my left arm. He is snoring, so I can't bare to wake the little guy--he's too cute. This weekend, we have been working on housetraing him--finally! You may or may not remember, but our vet told us not to walk him in the street till he got all his vaccines, so he has been peeing and pooing on our balcony for the past 4 weeks. Friday, however, he got his last shot for a while, so we have been walking him. He hasn't had an accident yet!

Since I wrote to you last, I haven't done too much. Yesterday, we went grocery shopping and just relaxed. I swept and mopped the entire apartment, cleaned the bathrooms, washed clothes, folded laundry, and cleaned the kitchen. I love cleaning--I always feel like I have accomplished so much when I am finished. We rented two movies from Blockbuster last night and ate a pizza from Domino's. We are so American.

I am so excited because my weekend is only half over! I have two more days to relax! On Monday night, we might try to head up to the Zocalo (the city's center) for the independence celebration.

If I don't write to you this week, then I will write to you on Saturday--fingers crossed--when Cablevision comes!!

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

It's been so long! Guess what? I still don't have Internet, but I should have it on September 20, 2008 (so they say). We are having them come on a Saturday, since weekdays didn't seem to work out so well.

Remember how they cut off our electricity? Well, the power company still hasn't come to turn it back on. We have power, but we had to turn it on illegally. If we hadn't had the doorman in our building turn it on, we would have been without power for over two weeks now--unbelievable! And I thought they moved slow in the Low Country...

Last weekend, we went to Acapulco. We went with Juan's friend and stayed at his place. It was pretty hot and the place did not have air conditioning. It reminded me of the good old days of Asheville--we even had a window fan in our room. It rained a lot, but we were still able to go to the beach. I ate a coconut and got a massage without even leaving my armchair. That's how they do business in Mexico.

When we got back from Acapulco, our furniture was waiting for us in our apartment! I can finally take a nap and watch t.v. at the same time. When I have cable, I will be all set!

This weekend is Mexico's Independence Day, so we get Monday and Tuesday off! I will let you know all about it. I will probably go to Juan's office sometime over the weekend and write to you. I am not sure what we will do yet, but I just wanna rest.

Well, I gotta get going. I've missed you, Blog.

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

It has been so long since I have written to you that I actually typed in the wrong website address. Apparently, there is another Jenny Mathews that is a teacher, and she also has a blogspot. Small world.

So much has happened since I wrote to you last. Well, much of the same really. Cablevision never came on Tuesday, but that was the least of my problems this week. On Wednesday, the power company cut off our electricity. We paid our bill, but they didn't process it in time, so they cut us off. The rest of my week involved a lot of darkness. We didn't have candles until last night.

Things are looking up, however! We got living room furniture this morning at Sears. I just hope that it is Monty-proof. I guess we will find out. We are also going to Acapulco next weekend. Plus, we should (BIG SHOULD) have electricity, cable, and internet this week. I will believe it when I see it.

What's going on in the world? I missed the Democratic Convention. I just heard about some massive hurricane called Gustave, which has delayed the Republican Convention. So much going on out there that I don't know about!

It's late on a Sunday, and I gotta work tomorrow. It is okay that I have to work on Labor Day because I get two days off for Mexican Independence in two weeks, at least that is what I am telling myself.

I'll write as soon as I can!

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

I feel like I haven't written to you in so long! I was supposed to get cable and internet on Tuesday, but Cablevision (Mexico's version of Comcast) didn't show up. I can totally relate to Gretchen and Elena's struggle with Comcast. So, Juan called them Tuesday night and we got another appointment for Thursday. On Thursday, I rushed home from work to be there and--you guessed it--THEY NEVER SHOWED UP! Juan called them again and complained, so someone is supposed to come on Tuesday. I feel like I am living that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer keeps waiting for the cable guy, and then when the guy finally shows up (many days later), Kramer climbs out through the window to make the cable guy wait. If--and that's a big "if"--they come on Tuesday, maybe I will sneak out and give them a taste of their own medicine.

Anyway, the Olympics were great! My feelings about the games:

• I was relieved to learn that Nastia Liukin's coach is her father, so I feel a little better about it, although I still think all the kissing and patting on the butt was a bit much.
• Michael Phelps' seventh gold was unbelievable. Juan and I watched in amazement. TV Azteca kept showing it in slow motion. The Mexicans love Phelps down here--I think they are as excited as we are that he got eight golds.
• What happened to the American relay teams on the track? Did someone grease the batons or something? That was painful to watch.
• I really like the Russian girl that won the pole vault and broke the World record.
• When did the Jamaicans get to be so good in track and field?
• Mexico got a total of three medals. They got two gold medals in Taekwando. Who would've thought Mexicans would be so good at martial arts? Viva Mexico!

At work, the kids started last week. I have my own little classroom that I bring them to for English. I have about 5 or 6 English-speaking children and the rest are Mexican. The kids only attend school from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., so it is a really short day compared to what I am used to. We worked on colors and greetings in English. I like my job so far.

Monty is the cutest guy ever--I love him. He is just like a child. I love him, but he drives me crazy sometimes. Our vet told us not to walk him on the streets until he has finished his vaccines, so he goes to the bathroom on diaper pads on our balcony. He only drives me crazy when he steps in his poop and tracks it in the house. He is so soft and cuddly, though.

Hopefully, Blog, I will write to you on Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed.

Much love,

Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

I have had such a hectic week. Between housetraining Monty and starting a new job, I am exhausted. Monty has been going to the bathroom outside, but he still goes inside. Ay, ay, ay. As you can imagine, I am going crazy with the cleaning. I clean his feet after he goes on a walk...I mop the floor after I get home from work...I clean the bathroom after he makes a mess. Ahh, the joys of having a puppy. He has got to be the cleanest dog in all of Mexico. I love him anyway, though. He is just like the Deesh. He hides his chew toys under mats and in between shoes, he carries his leash in is mouth, and sleeps on his back.

I like my new job. This week, we have just been setting up our classrooms, so it was pretty easy-going. On Thursday, we went to a market in Mexico City, which was not an experience for the chlostrophobic. There were so many people in such a small space. I am such an American--I enjoy my personal space. This market had everything--toys, tupperware, animals, witchraft stuff, etc. It was a memorable experience, to say the least. I have gotten to know some of the people that I work with, which is good. Everyone seems very nice.

Blog, guess what? We are supposed to get Internet and cable in our apartment on Tuesday. I hope that everything goes well, so I can write to you all the time. I am so excited!

A few comments about the Olympics:

Michael Phelps--Wow!

Gymnastics--Two American women with medals--awesome! The relationship between the girl that won and her coach was really weird, but congrats to all.

Where is Bob Costas???? I miss him! All the Mexican anchor people do is make fun of the Chinese. They dress up in costumes and talk with bad accents. If Americans made fun of the Chinese like that, it would be World War 3.

I will write to you soon, Blog! I've missed you!

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Montezuma

Dear Blog,

After we left Oaxaca on Friday, we stopped in Tehuacan and got a little Beagle puppy. He is 3 months old and we named him Montezuma, but his nickname is Monty. After we put him in his little crate in the car, we began our drive back to the city. Monty was a trooper. Toward the end of our trip, however, he started to get a little carsick and threw up. Juan was appalled to learn that dogs eat their own vomit, but I told him it was normal. We had to stop a couple of times to clean up and let the guy get some fresh air.

Once we got home, Monty explored the apartment a little. Luckily, there still isn't too much for him to explore, since our living room is still pretty much unfurnished.

On Saturday, we worked on housetraining the little guy. Unfortunately, he is a puppy and just goes when he feels the urge, which means that we have a lot of little Monty messes to clean. We let him out on our balcony and he went, which one might think would be a good thing since he didn't go in our apartment; however, our balcony does not have a solid floor. We watched in horror as his little droppings fell on our downstairs neighbor's balcony. Juan and I went downstairs to offer to clean up the mess, but luckily, our neighbor has his own dog and was very understanding. Montezuma peed once outside, and he probably thought my excitement was a little over-the-top, but I gave him a little treat as a reward.

I also got to watch the Olympics yesterday! They show all of the Americans down here because the t.v. channel is on an American feed. I watched swimming, gymnastics, volleyball, and soccer. I also got to see the opening ceremonies on Friday. I love that we had a Sudanese-American carry our flag!

Anyway, I am glad that we got a little puppy. He is a lot of work, but he is so cute. Montezuma loves to cuddle up and take naps. He's a very friendly dog and doesn't really like to be alone. He is kind of a wimp, so we are gonna have to work on that. He gets scared whenever we take him out for walks because the cars are so loud. He shakes and doesn't want to move. He has a lot of similar personality traits as "The Deesh" (may she rest in peace), which is probably because she had some Beagle in her. He is really into chewing his rawhides and likes to sleep on his back with his legs spread-eagle, just like the Deesh. I just hope he doesn't share her affinity for manure.

Tomorrow will be my first day of work. I am a little nervous and excited. I will write to you and let you know how it goes.

Love always,

Jenny en la ciudad

My Day

Dear Blog,

Not much to report from Oaxaca today. I walked to the center this morning without getting caught in the rain. In fact, it was quite hot today. There is a pool at our hotel, and I found myself wishing that I had my bathing suit. The last time I was here, it was rainy and cold, so I didn't even think about it. When I got back from my walk, I went to the gym and walked some more. Then, I took a shower and dried my hair. My hair dryer broke as soon as I got to Mexico, so I haven't been able to style my hair for almost a month. After that, I went on a search for toilet paper cause we ran out. Then, I watched some television, including Amor en Custodia (one of my soaps) and Gilmore Girls. Now, I am watching a soccer game between Argentina and Ivory Coast. Tonight, we are going to go to the market--I'll let you know how it goes.

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Oaxaca

Dear Blog,

Today, I had a very good day in Oaxaca. This morning, I got up and enjoyed a delightful Mexican breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express, went to the gym, and watched some television. I was surprised to see that Paula Dean has made her way further south. It is certainly interesting to hear Paula Dean speak in Spanish, although you kind of lose the effect of her charming Southern accent. Gretchen would be glad to know that her favorite show, "The Nanny," has followed me to Mexico. And--no--I didn't even have the desire to watch it here. As I was flipping through channels, I saw that my favorite show "The Hills" comes on down here! I was overcome with joy. They even have"Keeping up with the Kardashians." If only they had TLC, it would be just like home.

After I chilled in the hotel for a while, I decided to walk around Oaxaca. I have to tell you, Blog, that this trip has been much more enjoyable than my last. (As you may recall, the last time I was here, I spent the entire time running from the bed to the bathroom.) Anyway, I enjoyed walking around for a little while, but I had to book it back to the hotel to beat the rain. It is rainy season, after all.

We went to the center for dinner and walked around. Oaxaca has a very beautiful church that is hundreds of years old. I had some sangria with dinner, but in Mexico, it is just red wine mixed with carbonated lemonade. Sound familiar? Like cheap burgundy and sprite zero, maybe? I had some marinated beef and...wait for it...refried beans, my fave. Gotta love the Mexican cuisine.

Have a great night, Blog!

Love,
Jenny

Only in Mexico

Dear Blog,

When I last wrote to you, I was in the middle of an Olympic-sized crisis. With August 8th fast-approaching, Juan and I decided that maybe we should look for a t.v. antenna. We found the mother-of-all-antennas at RadioShack, which does surpisingly better in Mexico than in the U.S., and hooked it up to our t.v. After about thirty minutes of walking around the apartment looking for the right spot, we found it--just to the right of the t.v. on a speaker on top of the cd player facing southeast. We get 5 channels in HD! Finally, I have some sort of connection to the outside world. I have already gotten hooked on four telenovelas. There is one soap opera here called "Pobre Millonaria" (a.k.a. "Poor Milloinaire"), which is completely ridiculous. The show ended with the gardener screaming, "The dead have risen!" As you can tell, we are talking quality television here. I just can't wait to watch gymnastics! If there is a Russian named Svetlana, then all will be right with the world.

Juan has to be in Oaxaca Tuesday to Friday, so I decided to join him. We drove down this afternoon, but we were in a bit of a pickle because our car is not supposed to circulate on Tuesdays in Mexico City. Every car in the city has one day each week that it cannot be driven, and this is all according to the last number of the license plate. This makes about as much sense to me as anything when it comes to driving in Mexico City. We tried to get out of the city without getting stopped, but right as we reached the city's outskirts, we got pulled over--twice! Basically, the cops wanted bribes. The second policeman was nice enough to get in the back seat of our car so no one else would pull us over, and we dropped him off at the metro. Only in Mexico...

On our drive down, we stopped in Tehuacan, a small city in between Mexico City and Oaxaca, because we needed to look for an ATM. As always, we took a wrong turn somewhere in search of the center, but we ended up in front of a little pet store. We saw the cutest little beagle, and I think that we might just get her on the way back. We talked about it on the way down to Oaxaca and, unless something changes between now and Friday, I think that we are going to get a little puppy and call her Montezuma. A Mexican name for a Mexican pooch.

Well, I think that I am going to watch some t.v. now. If I am lucky, I can get sucked into a new telenovela.

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Olympic Trials

Dear Blog,

I am starting to panic that I will not be able to watch the Olympics this year. No cheering on my country. No Bob Costas. No swimming. No track and field. No reminiscing about the glory days of gymnastics--the "Belarussian Swan", Tatyana Gutsu (a.k.a. the "Painted Bird"), Kim Zmeskal, and all gymnasts named Svetlana. Remember the great Paul Hamm controversy of 2004? Remember how an American female finally won the gold all-around medal?

It is August now, and I don't see cable or internet in my near-future. I guess I could go to a sports bar or something, like the time a terrible storm hit Wrightsville Beach during the 2000 Olympics and Erin and I had to watch our favorite event, gymnastics, at the laundromat.

As for everything else, Blog, it is good. I drove again in the city. American drivers better look out when I make my triumphant return. Juan and I are continuing to watch "Lost." We are into season 3 now, but we accidentally started on episode 5 and were a little confused about the season premiere, until I realized that Juan put in the wrong disc. Needless to say, I put the discs in now.

I will write to you when I can, Blog.

Much love from S.O.B,
Jenny en la ciudad

Update from South of the Border

Dear Blog,

The last time I wrote you, I told you that I had been applying for teaching jobs. On Wednesday, I got a call to come in on Thursday and interview for an English teaching position at a private preschool. Well, I went in on Thursday and the interview went very well, and I was offered the position. I start on August 11th, and I will teach English to preschoolers for most of the day, and to toddlers for an hour in the morning. I am basically going to be talking, singing songs, and playing games to familiarize the children with English. I will work from 8:30-2:00, which is my idea of a teaching schedule, and I will get July off and two and a half weeks for Christmas and two weeks for Semana Santa. I am going to go and observe on Wednesday this week, so I will let you know how that goes.

On Thursday, I drove in Mexico City. I didn't stay in my lane...I cut people off...I did it all, Blog. I was just like a Mexican driver, but I still prefer driving in the U.S. I enjoy it when things are orderly, like lanes for example. In Mexico, they don't even paint lines for the lanes half the time, so how am I supposed to know where to go? I guess they leave it to the drivers to use their best judgment, which is lacking most of the time (imho). At least, I know I can drive if I have to.

On Thursday night, Juan and I went to dinner with his friend, Fernando, and his girlfriend. We had a fun evening, and it is nice to get to know other people. The food was really good. If there is one thing they know how to make in Mexico, it is a sauce. They have a sauce for everything, and I love it.

On Friday, we bought season 2 of "Lost" and ate sushi for dinner. On Saturday, we watched a lot of "Lost." We have been completely sucked in, but what else are we gonna watch without cable?

Yesterday, we walked around the city. They close off Paseo de la Reforma (the main street right outside of our apartment) on Sundays, so people can walk around and rent bikes and stuff. We walked around, and then we went to the zocalo, the historic center of the city. Apparently, the Spanish built on top of pyramids, so you can still see some of the ruins. We went to the church in the zocalo, which was beautiful, and took the metro home. I thought the metro was pretty nice.

I will write to you again soon, Blog.

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Whoa...Dolly?

Dear Blog,

I came to work with Juan this morning and just learned that there is a hurricane called Dolly pounding the Gulf coast of Mexico and Texas. Who knew? I immediately went to weather.com to find out more about this breaking news, and I was greeted by a picture of--you guessed it--Jim Cantore, my favorite hurricane tracker, on South Padre Island. I was surprised to see him wearing goggles, but I guess he is getting older and maybe his eyes can't handle the strong winds the way they used to. Watching Jim and reading about the storm reminded me of tracking Hurricane Isabel in the Peabody computer lab in college and eating at Cracker Barrel (bleh) when it finally hit. I should have gone into the weather business--it truly fascinates me.

Anyway, Blog, I suppose that I should tell you what I have been up to the past few days. If you hadn't already guessed it, we still don't have Internet or cable in our apartment, which would be the reason I just found out about Dolly. Over the weekend, Juan and I did some shopping. On Friday, we bought "El Orfanato" (The Orphanage) and season 2 of the show "La Traficante" (aka "Weeds"). I had already seen "El Orfanato" with Sara (Maddox), but I wanted Juan to see it, and it was still scary the second time. We watched "Weeds" and became totally hooked.

On Saturday, we finally bought a fridge for our apartment. (As I type the word fridge, it makes me think of my dad and how he doesn't like abbreviated words like "fridge" and "mayo." I can't stand Ben Franklin impersonators, so I guess we all have our weird pet peaves.) We also went to Wal-Mart, and we didn't really get lost this time! I say "didn't really" because we did get a bit turned around, but I blame that on D.F.'s poor city planning, which is a complete disaster. Saturday evening, we went to dinner at a Brazilian restaurant, which had really great food and a great live band. We liked the band so much that we got their card and may give them a call about playing at our wedding.

On Sunday, we went grocery shopping and looked for season 3 of "Weeds" but couldn't find it anywhere; instead, we bought season 1 of "Lost." We have been watching "Lost" every night this week and have become completely addicted. Before I left D.C., I watched some of this season's episodes of "Lost" with Gretchen and there is so much from season 1 that is addressed in the current season. It is like all the pieces are falling into place, and I can't wait to watch all the seasons in order!

On Monday, I sent out job applications and didn't even have time to write to you, Blog. I'm sorry. Yesterday, I stayed at home and cleaned. In Mexico City, things get very dusty and dirty very fast. When the smog settles, it leaves this gross layer of filth, so we have to sweep all the time. I really wish that I had brought my red slippers with me, but I guess I forgot them or threw them away or something. I miss the shuffling sound they used to make when I walked around on the hardwood floor. I am sure that Elena misses that sound, too. Now, I have to walk around in socks all the time, which I don't like because I can't just slip them off when I put my feet on the chair. Oh, well.

I will write to you as soon as I can, Blog--I promise.

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

What's going on out there?

Dear Blog,

I am sorry that I haven't been able to write to you more often, but I recently learned that it might take a while for us to get internet in our apartment. I am very frustrated about this, Blog, but there is not much that I can do. Apparently, our building is so new that it we can't be hooked up to cable or internet yet. I have already watched You've Got Mail about four times, the first season of Friends twice, and Wings. I have made a lot of jewelry, but I no longer have anyone to give it to. I have walked around our neighborhood and Chapultepec Park. I live in my own little world and have no idea what is going on in the outside world. Is this what it was like before internet and television? How did anyone know anything? What I wouldn't give to go see a movie with Sara (Maddox) or go to Target with Elena or eat at Chili's with Gretchen (and have Anthony wait on us).

Yesterday, I went to the Pyramids at Teotihuacan (about a 30 minute drive from D.F.), which has been the highlight of my week. There are two really huge pyramids, and we walked up the Pyramid of the Sun. The steps were very steep, and I definitely got a good workout. The view from the top was amazing. I kept thinking about Gretchen and her fear of heights, and I wondered if she went there when she went to Mexico. I could just picture her freaking out, just like she used to when she went above the second floor of Hinton James. Ahh...good times. In the picture, we are at the very top of the Pyramid of the Sun, but you can see the Pyramid of the Moon in the background. I think Erin sent me an article about an underground city that is beneath the pyramids, straight up Vicki Buchanan and One Life to Live style. I also kept thinking about that movie Apocolypto and how old the pyramids are. It was a very interesting place, and I can't wait to take people when they come to visit.

Last night, I ate with Juan and some people that he has been working with at an old hacienda. It was a very beautiful location, which is one of our top choices for a wedding reception. I will keep you posted, Blog (pun intended...sorry, if you don't get it, Elena).

This morning after my shower, I took a cab up to Juan's office so I could feel a little more connected to the rest of the world. At least I will know what is going on for a little while.

LYLAS,

Jenny en la ciudad

Back in Mexico

Dear Blog,

The wedding in Napa Valley was really nice. The location (some vineyard) was beautiful, the food was excellent, and I am sure it cost a mint to put on. The wine was good but not as good as burgundy mixed with sprite zero...is anything that good?

On Saturday morning, I got the squitters again, just as we were about to leave for Mexico. I was horrified at the thought of being on plane with the squirts, so we made an emergency stop for some Immodium and headed to the airport. Everything ended up okay in the end, and I haven't had to run to the bathroom since. Let's hope my stomach has settled down from here on out.

Yesterday, Juan and I walked around Chapultepec Park. It is like a mix between a real park (with trees) and an amusement park. It has a castle, museums, lakes, restaurants, and little vendors that sell all kinds of cheap stuff. We even saw some clowns and people dressed as Disney characters, like Winnie-the-Pooh. We didn't spend long in the park, but we are going to go back to ride the paddle boats. We decided that before our wedding, we will have everyone in the wedding party ride paddle boats! Sara (Maddox) is really gonna love Mexico.

We ate dinner at some Italian restaurant in Polanco, and then we went to buy a dvd player. You see, Blog, the people never came to install the internet and cable, so I just had to buy a dvd player, so at least I can watch movies on the television and not my tiny laptop. As it turns out, our paperwork never went through for the cable and internet, so Juan had to call again this morning. I am at his office right now, and I am going to go crazy if I don't get connected to the outside world soon! Keep your fingers crossed.

Oh, I also got a phone. It is a pay-as-you-go phone and my number is: 551728-2443.

I might make the trip back up to the office later this week, so I hope to talk to you soon! I miss everyone up north!

KIT,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

I am sorry that I haven't written you in so long, but I got the Mexican squitters when I went to Oaxaca. I was in the hotel the entire time and afraid to eat anything. I just stayed in bed and watched t.v. I probably would have written to you, but we didn't have internet in our room, and I didn't want to have an attack away from a bathroom.

On Wednesday, we returned to Mexico City. I was feeling much better, so we ordered pizza.

Yesterday, we had to get up early to fly to Napa Valley, CA to go to a wedding. We had to switch planes in Mexico and Phoenix. As soon as we landed, we had to rush to get to the rehearsal dinner, which we were late for. The dinner was excellent, and I am looking forward to the wedding tonight.

Our hotel is a dive, but it has internet!!!!! Hopefully, when we get back home we will have internet in our apartment. Keep your fingers crossed, Blog.

I will write you later!

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

My Mexican Crib

Dear Blog,

I can't believe I get to write to you two days in a row--what luck! Once again, Juan and I came to his office to use the internet. I really owe Al Gore a thank you card for his genius. Last night, we looked at some overpriced furniture (turns out that Italian leather is expensive no matter where you are) and ate sushi (decent but not as good as the stuff in Georgetown). It rained 'gatos y perros' yesterday. The cool part was that at the furniture store a man came out with an umbrella and walked us to the door--that's Mexican service for you. After we went back to our apartment, we cleaned and straightened a little more. Juan read a book about fengshui, and I watched an episode of Wings on my computer.

This morning, we walked (my new hobby too, Gretchen) to 7/11 to buy coffee and cereal. I love that there is a 7/11 on the corner of our street! I also took pictures of our apartment. The picture on the right is our kitchen. The place still needs some work but there's marked improvement. The picture below is of me standing on our sliver-of-a-balcony, which has a really cool view.

Juan also took me to the top of our building. There is a party room with a deck, a hot tub, and a tiny little door--which I believe was made for little people--that leads to the roof. The door is the perfect size for the Roloffs and Elena. I felt like Alice in Wonderland as I contorted my body so I could squeeze through to the roof, but it was worth the effort because the view was awesome.

Later today, we are going to walk around Chapultepec Park, so I will be sure to send you pictures. Tomorrow we are going to Oaxaca, which has a large indigenous population and is located south of Mexico City, so I will take more pictures there.

Hasta luego,

Jenny en la ciudad

Mexico City

Dear Blog,

We continued our roadtrip Thursday morning and headed south on Mexico 57. We made several stops along the way for gas, bathroom, and food. On one such stop, we saw two pathetic little stray dogs, one of which had little growths and scabs on his face. We felt so sorry for the dogs, so we bought them ham sandwiches and Ramen noodles to eat. All of the Mexicans just looked at us, as if to say, "Only Americans." We might have even adopted the little muts if there had been any room to take them in the car. I couldn't help but think of when Marc and Perri found Manning at a Wendy's in South Carolina. I guess that we have to be satisfied with giving them a good meal.

We arrived in Mexico City a little after 5 p.m. Obviously, the city is huge and very overwhelming. On the outskirts of the city, we actually saw a lot of American stores, including about 20 Office Depots, a Chili's, a Wal-Mart, and a TGI Friday's. The historic center of Mexico City is very beautiful. I was very excited to see where I would be living. Our apartment is in a cool location, right near Chapultepec Park, which is also very beautiful. When you walk in our apartment, you enter a long hallway. The 2 bedrooms are on the right and the kitchen/living room is on the left. We are on the fourth floor and have a big window and sliding door that overlooks some of the city. Once our internet is up and working, I will upload photos.

My poor little car went through a lot on our southbound journey, but I think that it did pretty well. Yesterday, I went to the office with Juan and the people in the garage washed the car while we ate lunch. The best part is that it only cost us 5 US dollars, including a 2 dollar tip. That's Mexican service for you. After lunch, we became members of Sam's Club and got some household items, including all the cleaning supplies we'll need for the next two years--yay! We drove around looking for the Wal-Mart--which we never found--and also went to the mall and signed up for internet and cable service, which we should have by next Friday.

Blog, let me tell you something about Mexican drivers: THEY ARE CRAZY! They just run stop signs and traffic lights and no one cares. In some strange way, it all works out because everyone drives the same way. When in Mexico, drive as the Mexicans.

This morning, all of our furniture arrived, which means no more sleeping on the air mattress. The air mattress is now reserved solely for Sara (Maddox) when she visits. We have started unpacking but it is gonna be a process.

I am enjoying Mexico so far, but there are some things I miss about America, including:
1. my friends and family,
2. people that obey traffic laws,
3. clean air (smog=black snot=not cool).

I will write to you again soon, my dear Blog.

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

Texas and Mexico

Dear Blog,

It has been far too long since I´ve written to you. Let me update you on what has been going on. On Tuesday morning, Juan and I left New Orleans. I know that I promised to upload photos for you, but I am at an Internet Cafe right now and not on my personal laptop. We drove throgh Louisiana, which has a lot of bridges because of the swamps. Next, we drove through Texas. We ate at Willy Ray´s Bar-B-Q, which had excellent ribs. Our original plan was to stop in Houston, but we would have hit rush hour, which would have been like trying to go west on 66 at about 5:30, so we took a little detour to avoid the traffic. We went south on US 59 toward Laredo, TX. Southern Texas is about as creepy as it gets. I saw a sign that read "GUNS EXIT NOW." It is so vast and my cell didn´t get reception, and I felt like I was in the perfect set-up for a horror film. Finally, we got to Laredo very late and stayed the night.

Yesterday we crossed the border, which was surprisingly anti-climactic. We paid a toll, but nobody checked our car or asked for our passports or anything. Lame. If we hadn´t had to register the car, I don´t know if they ever would have checked our stuff. After we figured out all the car stuff, we began our drive south. We saw a lot of rural poverty on the side of the road. It was very sad to see how some people have to live in Mexico.

The landscape is beautiful and the highways, especially the tolls, are pretty much like the ones in the U.S. As soon as I can e-mail pictures from my computer, I will. The strange part was that we kept seeing random animals on the side of the highway. We saw horses, goats, sheep, and donkeys. They all just graze right by the interstates. Last night, we stayed in San Luis Potosi, a colonial town about 4 hours north of Mexico City. I ate Aztec soup and some sort of marinated meat--it was really good. We are going to explore the city a little bit more, and then head to D.F. I will write to you soon!

I miss everyone!

Love you,
Jenny (almost) en la ciudad

N'awlins

Dear Blog,

Yesterday, Juan and I had a great time in New Orleans. I don't have a lot of time to write to you because we are trying to get to Laredo, Texas today.

Some highlights from my day yesterday include:
1. Eating (This was the most important part of the day. I had the best lunch EVER yesterday: red fish with craw fish cream sauce, veggies and potatoes. Juan had jambalaya, which was also amazing. I had a shrimp po'boy for dinner.)
2. Walking through an above-ground cemetery
3. Listening to live music on Bourbon St.
4. Driving around New Orleans, just checking out the town

New Orleans is a really cool place, and I wish I had more time here. Unfortunately, I am gonna be stuck in a car for 12 hours, but I will try to upload my pictures tonight.

I love you,
Jenny en la ciudad

Drive to Mexico: Day 1

Dear Blog,

This morning we left Ridgeland for New Orleans, Louisiana. Right away, I busted out the license plate travel game that Elena gave me for my birthday. We drove through Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and we have spotted more than 30 license plates from different states. I never thought I would be so excited to see a car from New Hampshire or Utah or Delaware. I truly got a thrill out of it.

For lunch we stopped at Po' Folks, a country-style restaurant that I used to eat at in Asheville. Blog, our hostess was a little person! I was really excited, but I tried to play it cool. It was kinda funny cause one of the waitresses was one of the tallest women I have ever seen, and she kept going over to talk to the hostess. They were like Danny and Arnold, David and Goliath, Elena and Sara...You get the idea. I got the buffet and accidentally ate fried chicken livers--yuck! I thought that I had gotten fried okra and was unpleasantly surprised after a few bites. At first I just thought that the okra was fried in the same batter that they used for the fried chicken, but then I realized how mistaken I was.

After we got back on the road, the bad weather hit. We drove through some really bad thunderstorms, which I found a little bit exciting. I felt like a storm-chaser cause we kept driving right at these huge storm clouds.

We got to New Orleans around 6. As we drove in, we could still see a lot of the damage left behind from Hurricane Katrina. There are still a ton of abandoned buildings and dilapidated homes. Our hotel is in the French quarter, which is pretty cool. It feels very much like another country. We walked around Bourbon St. a little bit, listened to some bluegrassy jazz music (totally up Chris Mathews' ally), and ate dinner. Tomorrow, we are going to explore N'awlins some more.

I am sleepy...

Goodnight, dear Blog. I love you!

Love,

Jenny en la ciudad

The Beach

Dear Blog,



Since I didn't get a chance to write to you yesterday, I must let you know what I have been up to. Yesterday, I went with my family to Coligny Beach on Hilton Head Island. The beach had pretty good waves, and my dad was even able to body surf. I spent most of my time in the water, since we all know that I can't just lie out on the beach and bake. I also realized that my mustache is back! Actually, in real life it doesn't seem as bad as it could be, but on camera it is especially prominent. Maybe it is my body's way of preparing me for Mexico, like God is trying to make me look more like Frida Khalo or something. I have done all that I can do about the situation, so I will just have to live with it.

After the beach, we went to Barnes and Noble. Can you guess who's idea that was? We hung out for a while and assessed each other's tans/burns. Erin's arms were bright pink. Juan didn't wear any sunscreen--he got brown, but he also got ashy. Amber pulled a Chris Mathews and missed part of her back, leading to a burn. Everyone else

Yesterday was also my mother's birthday, so we celebrated at Kobe, a Japanese steakhouse. I seem to like to celebrate at Japanese restaurants. (You may not remember, but Juan and I ate at Benihana after we got hitched). I think that Mar had a good time.

Well, I must run now, but I will post later about what I did today!

Much love,

Jenny en la ciudad

Tan I am

Dear Blog,

I have a tan line! I have achieved the impossible! I am almost as brown as my sweet man, but I don't know if I can ever get as dark as Sara (Maddox) did at the Outer Banks this summer.

Once again, I spent the morning in the pool with Makayla; however, today we had two kids from the neighborhood join us. I was basically their chaperone. We played Marco Polo, which as it turns out is really hard if you actually play by the rules and don't open your eyes. Who knew? Makayla got a little burnt. She looks like a little tomato, almost with the same coloring as that little Johnson girl last year at Myrtle Beach.

In the afternoon, I went to pick up my sweet man at Savannah International Airport. He looked all skinny and tan, just like when he came back from Venezuela. After I picked him up--literally, I lifted him in my arms like Patrick Swayze did Baby--we went to downtown Savannah. We walked around and got some beverages. I drank 2 diet cokes...one straw.

For dinner, we returned to Ridgeland and enjoyed some pit-smoked barbecue at Duke's. I had hash, grits, fried okra, barbecue, hush puppies, sweet tea, and a side of high cholesterol. Mmmm.

Low Country Weather Update: HOT...HUMID...ugh...

Tomorrow, we are going to the beach. I am going to work on my tan. I will not, however, be lying out for hours on end and baking in the sun like Gretchen. I plan on getting my perfectly even Cortney-tan by walking around and swimming. :)

Love you,
Jenny en la ciudad

Corn, Gators, etc.

Dear Blog,

Makayla and I spent the morning in the pool. We played a game where we pretended to be celebrity sisters, famous for singing and swimming. I was 22 and finished with college. Makayla, a.k.a. Elly, was 18 and almost finished with college. Elly was supposed to be really smart, like Doogie Howser. Note: Makayla had no idea who Doogie Howser was when I mentioned him. In our game, we lived in a mansion without our parents. When I asked Makayla what happened to our parents, she said, "They went on a trip and never came back." I said, "That's sad." She responded, "But we are okay with it."

Around 4:30 eastern standard time, my mother arrived from Columbia. Once she was home, we decided to go out to eat at Jasper's Porch, Ridgeland's version of fine dining. We had to drive in two cars, so we followed my dad and he took us on a scenic route of Ridgeland. We drove by a house that was growing corn in the front yard. I might add that this was not a big yard...at all. If you look closely, you can almost see the children of the corn...spooky.

After dinner we went out onto Jasper's porch, for which I can only assume the restaurant is named, and fed the turtles. It is an interesting set-up at J.P.'s because there is a machine where you can put a quarter in and get turtle food in return. Makayla threw about $2 worth of food into the lake. As we watched the gluttonous turtles fight over the pellets of food, a kindly gentleman came out and told us that there was an alligator on the other side of the lake; indeed, there was! It was kinda creepy, and Makayla thought it would be a good idea to throw turtle food at it. Luckily, the gator didn't seem to care. Erin and I tried to take pictures of ourselves in front of the lake, but she can't keep her eyes open in a picture. She was like Chandler with the smile thing, only she couldn't open her eyes. We took about 12 pictures and her eyes were closed in every one. It was ridiculous!

I spent the better part of the evening on the computer, tweaking a facebook page for a "friend" of my sister's.

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

P.S. I miss everyone! :(

The Routine

Dear Blog,

I start every day with a bowl of cereal--right now, I am into Life--and a cup of coffee. This morning, I watched an episode of "Kate and Allie" while I ate my breakfast. I love a good routine. There's nothing quite like expecting the expected. Ahh, sweet predictability. I am anxious to establish my new Mexican routine, although I am not sure what that will include. Maybe I will start every day with a tortilla or some chili-peppers. I'll probably just stick to cereal and coffee.

I have established my very own Low Country routine: wake up, eat breakfast, watch some t.v., get stuff done for the big move, eat lunch, watch "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" with Makayla, swim in the pool, take a shower, eat dinner, watch t.v. with the family, write my blog, etc. Makayla and I even have our pool routine, which we continued to practice today. We are really, really good now.

Now, I am well into my evening routine. I think I might make a rootbeer float--yum! I am watching Hannah Montana and Makayla is adding candy to water to make...wait for it...FLAVORED WATER! Well, it is something new and different. Life is so exciting in the Low Country.

Love always,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

This morning was kind of hectic. Apparently, moving a car to Mexico is not as easy as just driving across the border, so I spent the morning calling the DMV, different insurance companies, and my lienholder.

After taking care of my adult responsibilities, I spent the afternoon with my ten-year-old BFF, Makayla, in the pool. We spent most of our time making up a "routine," which we will perform later in the week for the rest of my family. Our "routine" involves riding our funoodles like horses--I prefer to sit side-saddle--and some dance moves on the steps. For our big finale, we stand on our foam schlongs and pretend to surf as we sing "Surfin' U.S.A." I think it's gonna be a big hit.

After I took a shower, I joined Amber on a little shopping trip, which included Home Depot and Target. I will let you guess which stop I enjoyed more. We picked up all the necessities on our voyage, including a toilet-paper holder, swatches, roach motels, Life cereal, and Mentos. What else could we possibly need?

I love you, my dear void.

L.Y.L.A.S,
Jenny en la ciudad

Drama Camp

Dear Blog,



Today was not so eventful. This morning, Makayla and I watched Grease. We sang, we danced, and we talked about our favorite songs. Our intention was to watch Grease and Grease 2, but we had to go into Bluffton to help my dad with his drama camp.



Drama camp was interesting. My dad has written a 12 minute version of Twelfth Night for his students to perform at the end of camp, and we had to help make masks for the play. Makayla and I assisted the students by applying vaseline and strips of plaster to their faces. Once the plaster was dry, we took the hardened masks off. I only had one moment of panic where I thought I might also remove a student's eyebrows, but it all turned out okay.



After camp, we went to see Iron Man at Sea Turtle Cinemas. Now, Blog, I have to tell you that I do not usually like superhero films, but I was pleasantly surprised. Half way through the movie, Makayla went to sit several rows behind us. Maybe she got embarrassed when my dad fell asleep and started snoring. Maybe not.



On the way home, my dad realized that he had left the hose running in the pool all day. Oops. Luckily, the pool did not overflow.



Now, sweet Blog, I think it is time to go. I will write to you tomorrow.



Always yours,

Jenny en la ciudad

When in Ridgeland...

Dear Blog,

On Sunday in the Low Country, just about everything shuts down, except the churches. I went to Ridgeland Baptist Church this morning. After church, we went to the hot bar at the Piggly Wiggly for lunch. I had fried chicken, greens, and mashed taters. I love bein' a good ol' country gal. I say things like "reckon" and "over yonder," and I add extra syllables to words just to make them sound bigger and longer. Yesterday at the beach, we saw a couple getting married, just as the storm was about to start. I said to Amber, "I hope they get hitched before the bottom drops out." She just looked at me and said, "I have no idea what that means." How's the saying go? When in Rome? Well, when in Ridgeland...

After lunch, Makayla and I played sports in the pool. We played volleyball, basketball, and baseball. I played more sports today than I have in 27 years, and I lost every single game. I reckon I could say that I let her win cause she's ten, but I can't lie on a Sunday.

This evening, we had a family meeting. My mom made us all decorate envelopes with our names on them, so we can write each other affirmations. Suddenly, I am transported back to the time of church retreats and campfires and singing. When in Ridgeland...

Love always,
Jenny en la ciudad

Dear Blog,

Today, we went to the beach. We walked onto the beach, put out our blanket, put sunscreen on, got in the water and immediately got back out once we saw the lightning. After that, we went to the outlet malls. I found the cutest necklace at the Limited, Too. I think I have channeled my inner-tween.

We played volleyball in the pool this evening. You will be glad to know that I am as good as I was in high school.

Blog, I think it is time for bed. I will write to you tomorrow.

Much love,
Jenny en la ciudad

South of the Border (Mason-Dixon line that is)

Dear Blog,

Yesterday, I drove from northern VA to southern SC. My trip was not so eventful. I ran into traffic around Fredericksburg (a.k.a. the armpit of VA). Nothing good happens in Fredricksburg. Although, Gretchen figured out why people go there...to go shopping. Who knew that next to the battlefield there was the Mecca of all shopping centers, complete with a Ryan's Steakhouse?

Anyway, I made a couple of stops along the way. One gas station even had a copier! I also had to suffer through listening to Delilah in the late-night hours of the night. Nothing like love advice from a woman that has been divorced about five times.

Finally, I arrived in Ridgeland, SC. I was greeted by my dad and my roommate for the week, Makayla. Makayla and I carried my bags up the stairs to our room. We talked about Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers. Luckily, I still have a lot in common with the younger generations.

Today, we are going to the beach. I gotta work on my brownness. The good news is that I bought spf 70 at CVS yesterday!

Blog, I will write to you later. I will miss you!

Love always,
Jenny en la ciudad

Last Night Inside the Iron Gates

Dear Blog,

This morning, I dropped Elena at the airport. We ate at Chic-Fil-A for breakfast, and we discovered that all of the cops in Virginia gave up donuts for chicken biscuits. I had never eaten there for breakfast, but I was delighted.

Tonight is my last night inside the Gates of McLean. Oh, how I will miss "Subway" and Cody and all the friendly* people I have met here.

Gretchen, Sara, and I ate at Maggiano's this evening. Sara told us a story about how she wanders the streets of Tysons Corner Mall, looking for a proper-fitting pair of trowsers. Not too short, not too big... She wanders. Our waiter did an excellent job of refilling our drinks. The first time he refilled, he took our glasses before they were empty. Gretchen did not like this, since she likes the watered-down coke mixture left at the bottom. The second time, she was drinking her coke (which was still half full), and he stared at her until she surrendered her glass. She had the most defeated look on her face. I've never seen Gretchen buckle under pressure like that.

Oh, Blog...I am going to miss my friends and this place. I don't like saying goodbye, so for now I will just say that I am signing off.

Yours truly,
Jenny en la ciudad

*This is to be read in a sarcastic tone, as the people in the Gates of McLean are not friendly...at all.

Don't step on my Blue Iguana

Dear Blog,

Tonight, I ate at the Blue Iguana with Gretchen and Elena. When Gretchen and I went to the car, it was pouring rain. I gave Gretchen a drink umbrella, so she could shelter herself from the rain. All of the Mexicans laughed...and so it goes. Maybe, I will make many more Mexicans laugh. We all had blue drinks, and I think Elena might buy a share of the Blue Iguana cause she loved it so much.

Oh, Blog...It was our last night all together, as roommates. I made a montage with photos from the past four years. We laughed, we cried, we drank, and Elena let a big one in the bathroom.

Blog, we also went to Toys R (backwards, like the state of South Carolina) Us. We met a wonderful gentleman named Leith (pronounced Lay-th). Gretchen bought Shock-to-the-tarts. We laughed, we cried, we drank, and Gretchen let a big one in the store.

Oh, Blog...I will miss my roommies and the Gates of McLean. Well, maybe just my roommies. When I look back over the last four years, I know that they will always be some of my fondest memories. I am so lucky to have lived with two of my besties. We'll always have Tysons...

Sincerely yours,
Jenny en la ciudad