36 Hours in Mexico City

I’m not ashamed to admit that I was a little hesitant to visit Mexico City, which houses an estimated 8.9 million people.  However, I knew I would regret it if I didn’t visit at least once, so a week before I headed back home, I took a trip with some fellow volunteers to get the smallest taste of the city.  Was it huge and a little overwhelming? Yes.  Was it a place that you absolutely should visit? You betcha.  I had less than 48 hours to explore so here’s a suggested itinerary for a super quick trip to the city.

Day 1: My fellow volunteers and I arrived in the city around 3:30 PM on a Friday.  We stayed at Hotel Casa Gonzalez which offers clean, affordable rooms with a lovely outdoor courtyard and great location right by the British Embassy and the big golden angel.  FYI – the British Embassy in Mexico City is really beautiful while the US Embassy is, well.... an example of how beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  We headed out to dine at PF Changs, primarily because one of our group members really wanted to go there.  Sitting on the second floor of the restaurant eating lettuce wraps, and watching glitzy electronic billboards and people in suits walk by, it felt like we could have been in New York City.  

Just a snippet of street art installations in Mexico City. 

Street scenes in Mexico City. 

Day 2: Natalie, Kyle and I woke up at the crack of dawn and were out the door to make our way to the famous National Anthropologie museum.  We walked through the Bosque de Chapultepec and the botanical gardens which had amazing cinder block planters for succulents, cactus gardens, feral cats, and giant wicker ants.  Just as hunger was starting to set in, we found a Starbucks and then got in line for the 9:00 AM door opening at the museum.  We spent about 2 hours in the museum and got to see most (maybe all) of the rooms, although I will admit we did not stop to read everything – only the most interesting parts ;)  We really wanted to see the famous stone calendar which was cool, but my favorite part was the outdoor garden where you could walk through stone replicas of famous sites and feel like you were in a jungle in the middle of Mexico City.

Early morning museum visit! 

I loved these plants in the botanical garden. 

Hobbit swings in Mexico City! 

After the museum we stopped to watch the Danza de los Voladores, and then headed to the Chapultepec Castle.  Yup, you read that correctly: there’s a castle in Mexico City!  While the opulence of the castle furnishings and stained glass windows is certainly impressive, it’s worth the 70 peso entry fee for the 360 degrees city views alone.  If all you’ve ever heard about Mexico City is how populated and developed it is, then you’ll be surprised to see how much greenery was visible from the top of the castle, per the photos below.

Castle pics. 

View from the top of the castle, over the Chapultepec forest. 

Our next stop was the Zocalo (the main square in Mexico City), which required a ride on the Metro subway.  I think the metro would have been a little confusing if I wasn’t with people who had visited several times before, but I also think I would have figured it out on my second trip because there was good signage underground.  We found the one-street-long Chinatown which was right by our lunch spot where we each drank a liter of water and feasted on tacos, gringas, pozole and tortas.  There are several spots in the City where streets are closed to vehicular traffic and we strolled along pedestrian walkways, stopping to check out a Salvador Dali sculpture garden, visit the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Opera House), and the oh-so-tempting artisan market called La Ciudadela where some final purchases were made to complete my life.  

Views of the Zocalo from the rooftop bar at the Gran Hotel. 

Glass ceiling in the Gran Hotel. 

Dali sculpture garden.

Palacio de Bellas Artes. 

Our last stop in the centro included a visit to the Gran Hotel Mexico City to see one of the most beautiful stained glass windows in the world and enjoy a beverage on the rooftop bar.  That night we headed out for some amazing cuban food and live music at La Boedguita Del Medio.  Let's just say that it was so good that the following night when I was in Puerto Vallarta, I ate there again.  Our final morning together we had a few hours to enjoy a lovely breakfast, walk down a street that was closed to cars for the morning, watch people boxing in the middle of a closed intersection, and to wander through an artist's market where I purchased one final piece of cool art. 

So there you have it - a tiny taste of Mexico City.  There were so many neighborhoods and museums that we didn't get to explore, but you can do a lot in a day in a half if you have good walking shoes.  I encourage you to hop on a plane and spend a few days there (or longer) and enjoy life in the big, big city!  

A super happy and delicious group dinner!

Adiós Mexico!

My last full week in Mexico I was sick as a dog, which is not the ideal way to spend your last week anywhere, especially when you’re ending your Peace Corps service and moving to another country.  Luckily, I’ve got lots of experience getting rid of everything I own and clearing out apartments, so everything got done in time.  I was forced to wear a mask for the first time in my life due to la gripa, but I did my best to say goodbye to all the people who made Mascota such a special place.

Views from my last walk in Mascota.

I started the goodbyes with my English class, followed by visits to the woman who sold me lots of beautiful Mexican shirts, the guy who sold me breakfast street tacos, the cashiers and manager at Pepe’s grocery store, the woman at the small tienda across the street from my apartment, my landlord/laundry service provider, and everyone else I could find on the streets and in the plaza. 

Last English class.

Earlier in the week my friend Sonia asked me if she could reserve time with me on Friday, and I said of course.  If you’ve been reading my blog, then you know Sonia is my peep.  She is a beautiful, intelligent and genuine person with a big personality, so I was touched that she wanted to do something with me before I left.  I met her in the plaza at 10:00 AM and we headed out for a delicious breakfast of chilaquiles, followed by a trip to the local lake and dam.  We sat in the shade and chatted while enjoying the view and talking about next life steps for both of us. 

Then she took me to her favorite spot in the countryside, a place she grew up spending time in with her family and where she now goes for time alone when she’s really happy or sad.  She brought along a picnic lunch of lots of fruits, cheese, meats, whiskey and tequila.  We laughed and shared stories, including how she never thought she would have an American friend before meeting me.  When it was time to go, we stood up, closed our eyes and held hands while passing positive energy to each other and listening to the wind and the birds.  And then we hugged and cried and said goodbye.  I know that might sound a little hippy-dippy but really, it was such a lovely moment, and such a testament to what a beautiful person Sonia is.  When people ask me about my Peace Corps service, I will always tell them about Sonia.

 With the oh so beautiful Sonia! 

One of the many stops on our morning adventure.

On the road to our picnic spot. 

I’ll also tell them about all my other friendships formed in my lovely pueblo mágico, because relationships are the core of your service.  My coworkers and English class students threw me a great surprise party on Friday night, which included a formal dinner with pozole.  My friend Marcel, who is originally from Belgium, brought along fancy cheeses and bread, along with several bottles of wine.  We got to destroy two piñatas, play a couple of rounds of the game lotería, eat two “birthday” cakes for me, and enjoy a purple sky sunset before I returned home with some really beautiful parting gifts and memories. 

One final office fiesta. 

My last day in town, I worked to engineer a solution to get all of my stuff into two suitcases and a backpack without exceeding airline baggage weight limits.  I also went to say goodbye to my host family and to take a final walk around town, where three things happened that led me to believe that I was a wee bit emotional and stressed and should thus return to the sanctity of my apartment. 

1. I ran into this guy who I talk to all the time on the street and when he heard I was leaving he was insistent that I give him my sunglasses because he can’t find them in Mexico and I’ll see them all the time in the US.  After about 10 minutes of him continually interjecting into the conversation “come on, give me your sunglasses” - not in a joking way so much as in a demanding way - I finally said ok, it was nice to know you, have a great life – I’m out. 
2. During that same conversation, I was introduced to a very eager teenage boy who wanted to become my new best friend.  Later that day I was sitting in the plaza, soaking in the sounds and tranquility one last time and thinking how lovely it was to be alone listening to the music from the gazebo, when he plopped down next to me and started asking me a ton of questions.  I thought, nope.  Autumn out.
3. I ran into another friend who was talking with an expat who started telling me about all the things I should come back to Mexico to work on and how I was crazy for leaving Mascota where life was perfect.  Perhaps all true, but not the conversation you want to have as you are saying your goodbyes.

I’m gonna say I was not my most patience and receiving self on my last day in town.  I could attribute that to being sick, emotionally exhausted, not wanting to make new friends the day I leave, etc.  I could also say that I just wanted to bask in one last day of normalcy before everything gets totally upended and I’m living out of suitcases for the next month.  

Sometimes you just really need those moments of tranquility. 

On Sunday, my boss drove me to the airport in Puerto Vallarta and I flew to Queretaro to start closing out my service with Peace Corps staff.  That night, the cab driver asked me if I was married and then why not, and I just sighed.  Then I went to a local restaurant for a small dinner and just as I was about to leave, the people at the next table started talking to me.  Turns out the woman was from Britain but lives in Puerto Vallarta and had visited Mascota in the past.  She was reeling from a recent breakup and was one of those people you meet who has the ability to accurately guess everyone’s astrological sign and gives you a hug and tons of words of encouragement and well-wishes after knowing you for 15 minutes, and it all feels totally normal.  Leaving Mexico felt a little more surreal. 

Wrapping Up My Service

In the words of the immortal John Lennon, “now I am older, the more that I see the less that I know for sure.”  Here’s what I know to be true: I took a risk to be a volunteer for two years and – as promised by Peace Corps – it was the hardest job I’ll ever love.  It was awesome and awful, beautiful and difficult, life-changing and life-affirming, the best two years of my life and the hardest two years of my life.   When you’re leaving a place, it’s easier to focus on all the things you won’t miss, and all the things you will gain with your move (hello walking barefoot inside!).  However, Mexico has been good to me; so although I am stoked to start the next phase of life, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was going to hugely miss Mexico.  

I will definitely miss the beauty of the landscape during the rainy season. 

When your'e shopping for a whole chicken and can buy so much more. 

These streets create the loveliest sounds when horses ride by.

Things I won’t miss so much:

• Cockroaches
• Speakers on top of cars making very loud announcements
• Church cannons
• 5-hour bus rides with only one bathroom stop
• Scorpions

Things I will miss: EVERYTHING ELSE.

Specifically:

• My coworkers
• My fellow-volunteers
• My local friends
• My host families
• Street tacos - ALL the street tacos
• Sunsets – from the mountains and the beach
• Ice cream from Michoacán
• Fresh, cheap avocados and mangos
• 1-3 hour lunch breaks
• Mexican Cheetos and Doritos 
• Free cucumbers and tomatoes in the office 
• People playing music in the plaza
• Kids dancing and skating in the plaza
• Running into people I know on the street every day
• Community events almost every week 
• The sound of horse hooves on rock streets
• Grilled corn for sale on the corner
• Kids playing in the street
• Mariachi music
• Opportunities to attend a party every month
• Random conversations at the cheese shop
• Random conversations at the Mercado
• Random conversations while waiting for the bus
• Random conversations with everyone you meet everywhere you go
• Access to Puerto Vallarta for only $16 roundtrip
• A 2-bedroom apartment for ~$100/month
• Sunny, warm weather pretty much all year round
• Endless transportation options without a car
• Food. ALL THE FOOD.

This doesn't look as delicious as it tastes: churros with juice in a bag for breakfast! 

As you can see, the loss of Mexican food is going to hit me hard.  I will also miss all the funny stories and adventures that come with living in another country.  I will miss telling you about how almost all of the stores in town were closed one Saturday simply because it was raining, how I found myself writing things like "it started raining on my toilet again," or how I frequently had to navigate horse traffic in the streets.  I won't actually miss having a ceiling that leaks, but it's been a fun adventure getting to rough it occasionally in the Posh Corps.  If you haven't had a chance to visit Mexico, I strongly encourage you to book a trip and I happily offer my planning services to assist you (especially regarding what food you need to eat)!  I made it to 10 states in my two years here and I'd still like to hit up Chiapas, San Luis Potosi, Campeche, Baja and Veracruz so maybe I'll even come with you ;) 

States I visited during my time in Mexico. 

Saying Goodbye to Peace Corps Mexico Group 18

Each group of Peace Corps volunteers gets together four times during their two years of service: for pre-serving training, early in-service training, mid-service training and close of service.  My Close of Service Conference took place the last week of February and although there are some people that I will definitely see again, there are some others that I probably won't.  The official close of service date for my group is May 26th but a lot of us will be leaving at different points before then, so last week was a little emotional and a lot of fun!  

Peace Corps Mexico Group 18!

And a pic with the office staff.  That's our super awesome country director laying on the ground on the left. Jaime is the best!!!

Despite having to run the gauntlet of medical appointment, including daily lab visits with specimens in paper bags, we had a great last week together.  I started with a visit to my host family who always fills my heart with love and my stomach with delicious chilaquiles.  The next night a group of us went to see the Black Panther – my first ever visit to a movie theater in Mexico!  The movie was highly entertaining and the theater was the most comfortable one I have ever visited with reclining seats and two arm rests with two cup holders.  So fancy!

We each shared a 5-minute summary of our service which yielded a full day of laughter and heart-warming stories.  Sometimes as a volunteer it doesn’t feel like you really do much, but hearing a short snippet of everyone’s story really helped put the collective effort into perspective. The following night we had a group dinner with all 18 remaining volunteers and a surprise visit from Tess!  We went to a fancy restaurant where the plates cost around 200 pesos and talked and laughed and reminisced about our time together.  

Fun times at our group dinner!

How could you not love these people?!!

Several volunteers found love, in the form of a human partner or a new pet (or both), and everyone experienced at least one horrific illness.  Some people got zika, mono, E. Coli AND poisonous spider bites over the last two years.  Some of us got some really weird results from our final medical tests, like unexpectedly testing positive for tuberculosis or having a deviated septum with no history of a traumatic nose event.  Some people thought about going home during their service but received support from their Mexican family, friends and fellow volunteers and are now planning to stay in Mexico post-service.  Some people are planning to go to grad school when their service ends, while others are planning to travel around the world, retire or start looking for a job. 

Had it not been for Jaime serving us, I might have been one of the few people super excited to eat more Costco pizza at a Peace Corps training event.  

Eating tacos al pastor in the plaza. 

One final gathering of the Natural Resource Management volunteer group :) 

Every person has a different Peace Corps service, but we all have this shared experience that forms a bond as strong as family.  If you had told me two years ago that my new best friends would be 23-30 year olds, and a lovely retired woman from Chicago, and that they would bring me some of the best laughs and memories of my life, I might have been dubious.  However, I cannot sufficiently put into words how much I love my fellow volunteers and how grateful I am for their support and companionship and how much I look forward to reconnecting with them again in the future.  Our service may be coming to an end, but the memories will last a lifetime.  Ok, that is uber cheesy, but really, I've got all the feels these days!    

Looking for a job during your Peace Corps service

I love the movies “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” and “Signs.”  I love the idea that there’s an interconnectedness in the universe and that the signs are there if you just look for them.  Thus, I took it as a sign that I needed to start looking for a job when I saw my US bank account balance back in December and started hyperventilating. 

Although I would say that I’m an adventurous person, and a calculated risk taker, the last time I existed with no income source was the summer of 1995 and I’d like to keep it that way.  Thus, I decided to get a jump on my job search and start looking for my future home back in the US a little earlier than originally planned.  I was fortunate to receive invitations for interviews and thought I would share what it’s like interviewing for a job in the US while you’re still living in your country of service.

It's probably not hard to believe that there could be complications with communications while living in another country. 

Lesson #1 – It’s hard to participate in those in-person interviews and some organizations will insist upon them.  My interview for potential job #1 took place via Skype and all went well!  Until they asked me to participate in a second, in-person interview.  For starters, my Google Voice number kept dropping the call to discuss next steps every 5 seconds, and I eventually had to revert to communication via email.  And secondly, the only way I could participate in the next round was if I bought my own ticket and flew out in 3 days which sadly was not physically or financially possible.   

Lesson #2 – Technology will fail you, so do some pre-communication with your interviewers.  My interview for potential job #2 was scheduled on the phone at 10:30 AM one morning.  A little after 10:00 AM, I started to get things set up only to discover that the town had no internet or phone service.  That sometimes happens and there’s simply no way to communicate for 4-12 hours.  You know what causes major anxiety?  Knowing that you are missing a job interview and not being able to communicate with people to tell them why for 10 hours.  Luckily, they were very understanding and rescheduled for the next day.  I messaged the people organizing my interview for potential job #3 as soon as connectivity was restored to give them a heads up that if I didn’t turn up for our Skype discussion later that week, it was because we were again without communication powers.

This picture has nothing at all to do with this post.  But is a reminder that you can eat some tasty tamales in Mexico! 

Lesson #3 – Be prepared for anything because you never know when a clock will be counting down your 60 second response time to a question. My interview for potential job #4 was conducted via Spark Hire.  If you’ve never used this service before, let me tell you, it is awkward.  You essentially get a list of questions on the screen, one at a time.  You get 30-60 seconds to read and think about how you want to answer each question.  Then your computer automatically starts videotaping you and you have 60 seconds to answer.  While you’re answering, you can both see yourself onscreen and a timer that is rapidly counting down how much time you have left.  Then you have to watch the video you just recorded, which I’m guessing is a pretty uncomfortable event for most of us.  There's no interaction with anyone, just your computer camera, and it's definitely weird to be engaged in a one-way interview. 

Lesson #4 – If you do travel for an in-person interview, bring extra clothes and money just in case you encounter delays.  I was also invited to participate in some in-person interviews which I completed with my remaining vacation days.  Each trip took about 15 hours from the time I left my apartment till the time I landed in my final destination, although one return trip took 32 hours from the time I left my hotel till I walked back into my apartment.  It should have been closer to 16 hours but the pilot for our flight back to Mexico simply did not show up and the airline had to call in an off-duty pilot from home, so our 2.5-hour flight was delayed 5 hours.  By the time we arrived back in Mexico, the last bus to my pueblo was long gone, so I headed off to the closest hotel before waking up early for a 3-hour bus ride back to site.  

There was a mad dash for the free snacks and beverages wheeled out to our waiting area. 

 

I would have missed out on these early morning views had our flight not been delayed. 

PS. It is officially hot again in western Mexico. 

Lesson #5 – Make sure you bring some interview worthy clothes with you to your country of service.  I took all of my winter clothing home to Arkansas last year.  So when I saw that the forecast for one of my in-person interviews indicated a high in the 30s with snow, and I realized that my only interview-appropriate clothes in Mexico included capri pants and flats, I thought, ok, I am going to look super weird.  And I'm gonna be super cold.  Thankfully, I had a light jacket from a previous coworker, I found a scarf in my closet, and I wore high socks with field boots to a cafe and then switched to my flats for the shorter walk to the interview and it was indeed snowing!  I was at least smart enough to keep my suit jacket with me and ask my stepmom for a new interview bag at Christmas.  If you think that you might want to interview before you leave your country of service, make sure you have one complete outfit that is interview appropriate!

Most of my current wardrobe is appropriate for walking, and riddled with holes. Seriously, like 40% of my clothes here have holes. 

I am fortunate to serve in a country where internet is usually available and it only takes one day to get back to the US, but interviewing while serving yields some extra challenges.  If you’re a planner like me, you’ll try to reduce those potential challenges by creating a living document of all your interview questions and writing responses and example scenarios that support those responses so that you are ready to put your best foot forward.  

And, if you’ve served in Mexico like me, you’ll also be the mellowest person on the plane when the airline tells you that you have to disembark because the pilot still hasn’t arrived 30 minutes after you were supposed to take off, and then again when you finally see the replacement pilot arrive 3 hours later and they announce on the loudspeaker that you still can’t re-board the plane because now you are missing a flight attendant.  Listen, I was just stoked that we were getting free food and drinks, had access to nice bathrooms, we didn't have to stay seated on that plane all 5 hours, and that when we finally re-boarded, I got to watch "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" for free.  And when that movie was over, I was just happy that a flight delay was my biggest problem that day.  Perspective and patience - the hallmarks of service!