The Arrival

08 Jan 2010 – 1930

The ARRIVAL!

The trip was completely uneventful. I got on the plane, the plane flew from San Antonio to Mexico City, I got off the plane, I got my stuff, my professor met me at the airport, and we got on the bus to Toluca.

Mexico City is amazing. It's hard to describe a place like this to someone who has never experienced anything like it. It's also hard for me to explain what is so awesome about it. Objectively I suppose I have to admit it's really a pretty crappy place. It's crowded and dirty and run down and full of crime and poverty. I absolutely love it. I loved riding by in the bus and looking out the window at LIFE really happening. The dirtiness, the crowds, the vandalism and graffiti... I love it all. It really reminded me of every other third world country experience that I have had. There is just so much to look at and so much going on it is impossible to not just go dumb from wonder. I could have driven around staring out the window for hours.

It sounds crazy but America really has a 'look' to it. Even though Mexico City and Toluca are both full of American companies and Americanized elements they don't look like AMERICA. It's another thing I am aware of but unable to explain. I am not saying one or the other is correct or right... just observing.

Kristan and I made it to the house and that's when things got... interesting. I have been told for months now that I would be living alone in a 3 bedroom house. The house is owned by the university and is used to house students who come in for study abroad. I am the only student in my program who is in this semester so I should have been alone.

We get to the house and Katie, my other teacher, is slightly panicking. When she arrived at the house (hours before) things were not as they should have been. The dining room and third bedroom are being used for storage, CRAMMED full of books, and the other two bedrooms were.... well... OCCUPIED. Welcome to Mexico!

She spoke to a guy who was apparently a house worker of some sort and was told that there were 4 people living in the house. She then made some frantic calls and was told that Tizbe was living in the house and that he was really nice. The other room was full of squatters. INTERESTING. Katie was reassured that things would be taken care of. She went to the grocery store and while gone someone came in, ejected the squatters, and cleaned up.

When Kristan and I arrived Katie hasn't seem the other/s living in the house, she only knew that someone's stuff was piled up in the living room and that our room was ready. The mystery Tizbe was still.. mysterious.

I try not the be prejudice but being told that some mysterious foreign guy that I hadn't even been informed about is living across the hall from me made me... I'll say... a bit nervous. Horror stories of lesbians in foreign countries being raped by macho men who think they can turn them straight started going through my head. I considered inventing an imaginary boyfriend or husband (I'm looking at you Noah) to protect my irresistible flower. I imagined every awkward roommate situation ever. I tried to think positively... maybe this would be good, maybe he would be a nice guy, helpful, cool to talk to, handy around the house!

Kristan assured me that she would take care of things and could get my other accommodations if I felt uncomfortable being alone in the house with a strange man. Thing is, the house is an a fabulous location. It's in downtown, a 10 min walk away from the University, surrounded by neat shops and restaurants that Kristan can recommend. Moving is a crap shoot... could be good... could be bad. I decided to withhold judgment until I actually came face to face with this strange Tizbe.

Next, we went around the neighborhood. Kristan took us to eat her favorite tortilla soup (omg so good), showed me the best lady for laundry service (there is no washer/dryer in the house and they don't have public laundry mats. You either wash your own in a tub or pay someone else to do it.), pointed out some of her favorite spots in the neighborhood, and eventually took us to a tea shop/hookah bar.

Kristan headed back to Mexico City and Katie and I went back to the house to chill. We talked for hours, just waiting for the roommate mystery to resolve itself. Katie had a little peek into Tizbe's room and... to our surprise... it was FULL of... girl stuff. Panties, lotions, girlie décor! I was pretty relieved. This could only mean one of two things... either Tizbe was living with his girlfriend OR Tizbe was a big old queen. Either way my paranoid raped narrative was becoming less and less likely. Every noise that creaked the house was surely TIZBE coming back.

Then the door definitely opened. Katie and I immediately dropped our gossiping voices to a whisper and stared at each other with wide eyes.

“HOLA?” I asked loudly.

“Hello?” a female accented voiced called back. Then Spanish... really fast Spanish. Incomprehensibly fast Spanish.

In broken Spanish I called back down the stairs that my Spanish was terrible and asked if she spoke English.

She yelled back in Spanish that she has to go to the LOO. Yes. The loo. I was very confused now and suddenly lots of voices were echoing through the house.

All revealed itself soon. The voice belonged to... Tizbe! Tizbe was not a boy at all. Tizbe is a GIRL. Whoever told Katie that Tizbe was a HE just mixed up HE and SHE. Tizbe lives in the room across the hall from me and the squatters were her friends (from all over the world) who came to visit for the week. (Luckily for all today was their last day anyway.) Tizbe works for the university (UAEM) and has been living here in the house for 6 months. She has a PhD in some kind of environmental sciences stuff. Usually her boss tells her when new people are going to be coming in but this time Katie and I slipped through the cracks.

Tizbe is the kind of person who makes a VERY good first impression. She has a very easy laugh and a bright smile. The second I saw her I felt at ease. I am actually REALLY excited to have Tizbe as a roommate! She spent some time in York, England working on school and that's where she met her friends. They all looked and seemed super cool, friendly, and laid back. She was super friendly and offered to take me all around the city and show me things when I have time. She'll be here for at least one more month.

OMGHOWFREAKINGAWESOME!!! =D SO! Things are looking great! Not only do I have my awesome students to hang with but now I have a roomie who seems like a cool, fun, nice girl who can help me out. WOO!

I can't be for sure how all this will turn out but right now I am super optimistic. =D

And that was my first day in Mexico. THE END.