The Bloody Thumb

Dear Blog,

On New Year's Day, Juan accidentally cut his thumb with a blade from our food processor. He was reaching in one of our drawers, and the next thing I knew, he was screaming out profanities. I went to check on him, and his thumb was gushing blood, lots and lots of blood. We don't really have a first aid kit, but I remembered reading somewhere that superglue was invented for closing small wounds in Viet Nam, so we decided to try it. Juan applied pressure, and I applied the glue. He was fine, but I kept feeling faint from all the blood. Blood has never grossed me out that much, but I couldn't take it this time. Once the glue dried, we wrapped his thumb in a paper towel, although it was still bleeding a little bit. Two days have passed, but I took some pictures of the wound anyway.

Everything else has been going well. We are going to have sushi for lunch with one of Juan's assistants.

Much love,

Jenny en la ciudad

Another week, another year

Dear Blog,

I have to update you on so much, so let me start with Christmas Eve. Juan and I decided to make a turkey for Christmas Eve, since we didn't get to have one for Thanksgiving. It was our first time cooking a turkey, and it turned out okay. We had to buy a turkey that had already been smoked, so I think that ended up making it a little dry. We also made mashed potatoes and asparagus. After we ate dinner, we went to mass at the cathedral in the Zocalo, which was cool. Everyone brought their baby Jesuses to be blessed by the Cardinal.

On Christmas Day, I got up around 8 and packed for my trip. Juanty took me to the airport, and my flight and everythin went smoothly and landed on time. I flew into Charlotte cause it was cheaper and my dad came to pick me up, but his car was having problems. We got a couple of miles from the airport and the transmission died, so we had to call AAA. They came pretty quickly, and our driver shared a wonderful Christmas story with us. He told us about how there was a human skull discovered right by where we were stranded. After he picked us up, he drove the car to a shop and dropped us off at a nearby Hilton. Poppy (my dad's new name as a grandfather) really wanted to buy a movie on pay-per-view, so he settled on "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl," which I thought was a strange choice for a 59 year old man, but it was a good movie.

The day after Christmas was spent dealing with the car mostly. We got it towed to Columbia, so my dad and I rode in the tow truck down to South Carolina. Our driver was an interesting character named Gary, a true Texan. He enlightened us about the wonderful world of the rodeo, everything from calf-roping to bull-riding to bronco-riding. When we got to Columbia, we finally got a rental car and headed further south to Ridgeland and got there around 6 p.m., a full day after my arrival. Marc, Perri, Mar, Lil' Bro, Manning, Bailey, Ernie, and Big Nasty all greeted us. It was like walking into an animal shelter. I was excited to meet Lil' Bro, who reminded me of a little piglet. He has a tiny little head and skinny legs, but he has a little piggy body--he was so cute.

When I got there, Marc and Perri gave me and the Mar a framed picture of Bailey and Manning, which I thought was a little strange, until I read the dogs' thought bubbles, which indicated that Marc and Perri are having a girl. I love how Marc and Perri like to break news to people--instead of just telling people their news, they give little clues and hints.

The day after the day after Christmas, we saw two movies in the theatre, 'Marley and Me' and 'Doubt.' I read the book 'Marley and Me' and knew what to expect, but my family of dog lovers was a little traumatized by the ending. My entire family wept, and there was a child in the audience that is probably still weeping--it's just that kind of movie. We watched 'Doubt' right after, which was really good. I had seen the play with Gretchen, and I think I like it better as a play, but it was still a great movie with great acting. After all the movie madness, we went to Target, and I bought gifts and dog treats and movies--oh my! Then, we ate at Outback and went home. When we got home, we opened gifts. It was good to hang out with the family, although we missed Erin and Ambie and Makayla...oh yeah, and Juan.

The day after the day after the day after Christmas, we bummed around the house and watched movies. It took us still 6 o'clock in the evening to decide to do something. We ended up eating at the local Mexican restaurant. It may seem surprising that I wanted Mexican food, but you really don't get good chips and salsa down here in Mexico.

The next day--I'm not really sure what day it was--Marc and Perri left early in the morning. Lil' Bro, my bedmate, woke me up when they left, so I got to say goodbye. My dad came down with some sort of flu/bad cold/constipation sickness, so he stayed in bed all day. The Mar and I went to Savannah to go shopping. I finally got to eat Chick-Fil-A...mmm. I also got to use up some of my giftcards, and my mom bought me some clothes for Christmas. We had a good time chatting and shopping, and we walked more than ten thousand steps, which I was able to track using my new pedometer.

The next day was Tuesday, December 30, the day before my departure. My dad's appetite returned, which meant he was feeling a lot better. I packed up my bags, and me and the folks and Lil' Bro headed to Columbia, SC. I got a little tour of downtown Columbia, and we ate a restaurant in the old train station. I know I give Columbia a hard time, but it wasn't so bad. After dinner, we went to Barnes and Noble, and I bought a bunch of books to read.

Yesterday morning, we got up at 5 a.m. and headed back up to Charlotte International Airport. My flight left about an hour and a half late, so I got to Mexico City around 2 p.m. Juan was there to greet me and Monty was waiting in the car. It was good to see my little men. After spending so much time with neutered dogs, Monty's balls looked weird to me. I can't wait to have them cut off.

I was pleasently surprised when I got home. Juan had cleaned the entire apartment, and he had taken down our second tree, which was super dry (something about Mexico kills trees after about a week). We went out to dinner around 7, but we had to search for a restaurant that was open. Apparently, in Mexico, people don't begin eating dinner till 11 on New Year's Eve, so none of the restaurants were even open yet. We finally found a restaurant in the J.W. Marriott and ate there. After dinner, we went home and celebrated when the east coast celebrated. I went to bed at about 11:30, Mexico time. Hopefully, 2009 will be a good year.

Happy New Year, Blog!

Love,
Jenny en la ciudad

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