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