Chronicles of an Expat Family

Wrapping Up Our Lives - Part Two

2008-11-20T15:45:00.005-05:00

It was 20 months ago – almost to the day – when we started this blog to account for our first expat experience. And it was 20 months ago that the movers were packing up my house as I sat in my den blogging and pondering what it meant to wrap up our lives in NJ and move away from everything I know and love.

Well, I guess the old saying is true - the more things change, the more they stay the same – because here we are again, nearly two years later doing almost the exact same thing. My movers are packing up my apartment as I sit here pondering what it means to return home after one of the most worthwhile experiences of my life in another country and culture, away from family and friends and everything I love.

After months of uncertainty, we are finally on our way home to the U.S.

And while I am excited to be home for Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays, as well as the birth of the baby, I cannot ignore the moments of sadness that nearly overwhelm me at times. Pregnancy hormones aside, I am truly going to miss my life here, because I really did have a life here. This experience wasn’t just some long vacation or time-pass until we went home again. I was determined to make the most of my stay here and to feel at home, and that is just what I did.

Me - who hates change, finds it difficult to meet people and make friends, has a million food restrictions and isn’t always a glass-half-full kind of gal. I was able to create a good life here for myself – to make great friends, try new foods, experience and appreciate new customs and cultures, learn the roads, become President of a 300 member expat club and even (sometimes) handle the frustrations that come with Mexican life. It is not so easy to leave all that behind.

Not to mention the fact that we will never – and I mean never – live this well again. Even if we go expat again, I highly doubt that my apartment will be this big, that I will have a live-in maid who does everything from clean to cook to be a nanny, that I will be able to afford personal trainers and in-home masseuses, that I will be able to walk everywhere and live in a city atmosphere but still have the luxury of a car for when I am running late or need to go someplace far, that I will have a driver who does handy work around the house, goes to pay our bills, buys the groceries, runs all our errands, etc., etc. etc. Such is life in Latin America, and I doubt it can be duplicated anywhere else – perhaps not even Asia.

So why exactly are we leaving all this behind? Clearly, it is not the smartest lifestyle decision, and it is probably among the dumber financial decisions we could make.

But this is why we need to be home for now: Because when my Thanksgiving plans fell through at the last minute I emailed Sonny’s cousin to tell him – not ask him – that we would be coming to their house, increasing the guest count from 22 to 24. And within 45 seconds I got an email back, saying “do you really have to ask – just show up.”

Because my mom is rearranging her entire house for a room for Asha and giving Sonny and me the master bedroom until we find our own place. Because my in-laws are counting down the days until Asha gets home so they can drive her to and from school every day in order to help me out. Because Asha needs to know her cousins, and have steady friends and ride her bike outside. Because the baby needs to feel the same love and attention from her grandparents that Asha did from the day she was born, and to go to story time at the library and playgroup once a week, and be raised by a mother who cannot get away with letting the maid give her a bottle. Because our brothers miss us and our parents are healthy and we never know what the future holds.

Me First

2008-11-17T01:20:00.003-05:00

After having lived in Mexico City for a year and a half, there is one thing that I can no longer deny about the culture here in general: people tend to have a “me first” attitude. Now before anyone gets all crazy about how this is a generalization and that there are people in every culture throughout the world who behave similarly, I will admit that this is all true. I am generalizing from my own experience, and there are a number of Mexicans who are kind and considerate of others, and moreover there are a number of Americans who also fall into “me first” tendencies (anyone who has ever driven at rush hour in northern New Jersey will know what I mean). Still, some of the actions and attitudes here confound me because it often feels like inconsiderate behavior is the norm and accepted by society in general.

For instance, if you are a pedestrian trying to cross the street, it is your job to avoid being hit by any oncoming traffic. Even in crosswalks. Often there are no traffic lights or stop signs where they ought to be (i.e., in major intersections), but even where they do exist, cars come barreling down the road, turning corners at 35 miles per hour, and one often has to jump back to avoid being hit. Twice I narrowly escaped injury (once when crossing the street with Asha in her stroller, requiring me to push it out of the way to avoid her being hit by the car that screeched to a halt a mere 3 inches away from my knees; the other when I was 6 months pregnant and the driver literally drove into me face first to try and secure a parking spot, forcing me to jump back and nearly trip on the curb). Both times the pedestrian had the right of way, and both times the driver showed absolutely no remorse, and probably thought that I was in the wrong for daring to step onto the road at all. I would have thought these incidents were simply flukes, had our driver not reprimanded me time and again for slowing the car down in order to permit pedestrians to cross the street. Apparently it is very dangerous to slow down for pedestrians because we could be hit by cars behind us who are not accustomed to such courtesies (or what we in the US would consider the law).

A violation of traffic laws is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to courtesy. Inconsiderate behavior abounds when it comes to people thinking about their needs and either not realizing or, I think, more commonly not caring about how their needs and wants may affect others around them. For instance, a few months back, someone living in the apartment building next to ours had a roof party on a Saturday night – that started around 11:00pm and lasted until 4:00 a.m. This would have been fine, if they had not hired a DJ who blasted music from the roof – the sound of which rose up to our bedroom window - all night long. Given how commonplace such parties are here, and the fact that they often occur on weeknights as well as weekends, I suppose I should consider myself lucky that even though there was no one to whom we could complain – police are of no help in that there are no laws to prevent such inconsiderate behavior – I only had to deal with such a party once in 18 months of living here. A good friend of mine lives in a house whose next door neighbors have such parties twice a month – typically on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, and she has to resort to using a very loud air purifier in her baby’s room to partially drown out the noise.

Still, I figure all the construction above our heads that we have had to put up with for the past six months (8 hours a day, 6 days a week), is even worse than the semi-monthly party. Since apartments here are more like condos, where each unit is owned by an individual, there are no building landlords who are responsible to all the tenants/residents. This leaves the owner of the penthouse upstairs from us free from any legal obligation to prevent or reduce noise from the constant banging, drilling, sawing, and hammering, as well as falling dust, cracking walls or leaking ceilings. Sure they may have to ultimately pay the owner of apartment for any physical damage as a result of their construction, but they feel no duty or even consideration to those of us living here in reducing the aggravation such problems are causing in the interim. Nor do they feel any remorse (at least they did not exhibit any on the few occasions we spoke to them). Since there are no laws (at least not any that are being enforced) regarding nuisances, such as those we have in the U.S., there is little we as the aggrieved party can do. This ultimately perpetuates such behavior in this society.

It probably seems like these are extraordinary events, but in fact nearly everyone I know who has lived here has faced similar issues at some point. And if they have not had not been subjected to these exact ones, they have had people cut in front of them on lines at the bank, cafes, valet parking and even waiting for the bathroom at the gym (while obviously very pregnant and in dire need of the facilities).

This is not at all to say that all Mexicans are inconsiderate or bear the "me first" mindset. In fact, many of the ones we have met have been generous, courteous and kind. Unfortunately, they get overshadowed by those who exhibit such strong discourtesy to others – and I think it is because most of the time they face no consequences for their actions, so to the aggrieved party it feels like this is a society where such rudeness and selfishness is acceptable. And this gives all Mexicans a bad name.

The Ghost of Halloween Past

2008-11-08T18:38:00.018-05:00

Since we finally got around to posting this year's Halloween pictures, we thought it might be fun to revisit my Halloween looks from years past. Each year I was lucky enough to go trick-or-treating with a different group of friends.

Here I am on very first Halloween - I was only 3 weeks old, so M&D didn't dress me up (nothing much fit anyway) or go out for candy. It was ok - clearly I didn't care about much besides the nap I was taking.

The following year I dressed up as a bumble bee for my first trick-or-treat. Mommy figured it was her one chance to dress me the way she wanted, and I went out with my Morristown playgroup to just enough houses to get the feel for trick-or-treating.

You could say that last year was my first appreciation for this amazing holiday. I figured out what all the fuss was about when I got a bucket full of candy with my pals Johnny & Dylan. Here we are about to go out - and then just loving the adventure.

And of course you have all seen my Cinderella costume. This was the first time I went trick-or-treating in Mexico, and I have to admit it was not as fun as it in the US. It is just not the same going up and down elevators or stairwells in buildings, only to have half the residents have no candy, while the bigger kids helped themselves to so many handfuls of candy that there was often none left for the rest of us littler ones. I was lucky enough that my Brynn (who happens to be 5 and better at grabbing) shared some with me. Still, chile flavored candy is not something I will miss next year.

I did forget to mention in my last post that I have adopted the method acting school of Halloween dress-up - I am so into being Cinderella that I constantly take off one shoe in attempt to "lose" it - just like Cinderella loses her shoe at the ball. It makes for a very annoyed Mommy, who has to stop every few minutes when we go out to ensure that I have not thrown my shoe out of my stroller.

The Longest Halloween

2008-11-06T00:52:00.011-05:00

You may be wondering why we are posting our Halloween pictures so late – 7 days late to be exact. It has nothing to do with Mommy’s laziness, or the fact that she has been quite stressed out with the move (the months of uncertainty regarding if/when we are returning, of (not) having a house upon return, and timing the arrival of the household goods before the arrival of the baby), or her exhaustion from trying to sort out the ridiculous US Embassy websites to interpret labor and immigration laws in an effort to bring Yaneth back to the States with us, or even her ~~hormonal~~ emotional fluctuations about leaving behind her pampered life here in Mexico.

No, our tardiness has only to do with the fact that in our house we still have not completed our Halloween celebrations. While the candy is almost gone, the sugar skulls were packed in boxes and mental preparations for Thanksgiving are underway, I have yet to retire my Halloween costume. I actually started wearing it two weeks before Halloween, when Nani bought me my Cinderella dress and slippers from the Disney Store during my visit to New Jersey. And I have barely removed it since – insisting on wearing it nearly every day, starting with the Diwali party Dadi had at her house in mid October.

I then wore it to the Newcomers Halloween Party, which was Mommy’s last big event as President. I’m really glad that we made it back from the US in time for it because all the kids and parents who attended had a real blast. There were probably 150 people there, dressed in all kinds of costumes from princesses to witches to monsters and more. They also had all kinds of Mexican goodies to eat, like papas en espiral and quesadillas, plus tons and tons of American Halloween candy (which Mommy and Daddy pilfered from me for themselves when they thought I wasn’t looking). It was a packed three hours filled with craft making – from popcorn hands to mask decorating to cupcake garnishing – as well as a modified version of trick-or-treating, a magician and even a bouncy house (something that is apparently a must-have at any Mexican fiesta)!

A few days later I got to wear my Cinderella costume to school. Mommy tried for weeks to convince me to wear my Tinkerbell costume from last year, but I refused to give up my Cinderella dress. At first she wanted to use last year’s costume because she was trying to be ~~cheap~~ economically practical (in preparation for our new life in NJ) by not buying something new, since no one in Mexico had seen the Tinkerbell costume, and it fits much better this year than last year anyway. But even after Nani bought me the new costume as a birthday present, I realized that deep down Mommy just wanted me to look like the toddler/little girl from last year. She and Daddy are having a hard time accepting the fact that I look like – and actually am – a big girl princess now. And everyone knows that big girl princesses don’t wear last year’s outfits.

We do, however, have no qualms about wearing the same Cinderella dress every single day around the house, to the park, to the supermarket and even to bed.

It's My Party . . . .

2008-10-16T22:18:00.017-05:00

But I certainly wasn't crying. In fact, I was so happy and excited that I didn't quite know what to do with myself. Not that I wanted an actual party this year - as I repeatedly told Mommy, all I wanted for my birthday was for Cinderella to come to my house and hang out with me. It did not really matter if I had any friends over, or a cake or anything else, as long as I had Cinderella.

This worked out nicely for Mommy because somehow during our potty training phase I got it into my head that once I started using the potty, and after my birthday, I would be going to Disney World. It started out innocently enough with Mommy saying something about Cinderella and other princesses wearing big girl underwear, and escalated into Mommy promising me a trip to Disney. So Mommy was feeling like a terrible parent about to dash the dreams of a young child - not to mention any trust I would ever have in her - in realizing that there was no way we could swing a trip to Florida any time before the baby comes. So she told me that Cinderella could come to our house instead of us going to her house right now. (In my defense, I bought this trade-off because I am just turning three - give me 6 months and it won't be such an easy sell.)

Anyway, that is how I got a birthday party at my house (which probably cost more in money and aggravation than a fiesta at El Arca) with 10 buddies, a face painter, a pinata and an hour long visit from (a very Mexican looking) Cinderella who performed a little show, danced with me, sang me "Happy Birthday," played in my room and carried me until my heart's content.

By the way, I have 100% overcome my fear of hitting the pinata. It is not even the candy and toys falling out of it that caused this change of heart - somehow I have just come to love beating objects with a stick and singing the pinata song. Mommy thinks that if she jumps on the chance, she may get me to start playing sports like softball, or at the very least T-Ball - so long as someone is singing in the background, "Dale, dale dale."

They Say It's My Birthday

2008-10-12T00:15:00.011-05:00

Birthdays have always been a really big deal in Mommy’s house growing up, so now they are a big deal in our house too. And even though Daddy is a pretty laid back and relaxed guy when it comes to things like this, self preservation has taught him to go along with Mommy when she gets all hyped up about birthdays and cake and presents. So I have to give both my parents a lot of credit in making my birthday on Thursday a fantastic day.

I started out helping Mommy bake and decorate cupcakes on the eve of my birthday, to take to school the next day. Here I am in my apron (or “bata” as they call it in espanol), in the kitchen stirring the ingredients together, and then ~~licking~~ spreading frosting and sprinkles on the cupcakes. The next morning I was off to school, and then just a few hours later Mommy came with the cupcakes so the class could sing “Happy Birthday” to me. Now that I am in the big kid class, we do a really cool little birthday ceremony first: I show all my classmates pictures of me when I was born, then at the age of 1 and at the age of 2. And for each year that has passed, I hold a globe in my hand and circle around a blanket with a candle, representing that another year has passed. Then we get to have cake.

When Daddy got home that afternoon, I opened my presents which included all my favorite things like a box of musical instruments (b/c as Daddy pointed out so practically, we don’t have enough noise in our house from the non-stop construction upstairs, 8 hours a day, 6 days a week); puzzles; a color wonder glitter paint set; a stamp set; and more painting accessories. (I am told that my special keepsake present will arrive in NJ in a few days – a crystal butterfly – but I have a feeling I am not going to be allowed to touch or play with it so I am not holding my breath for that present.) Then we ended the day by going to California pizza kitchen for pizza and ice cream.

I wish it could be my birthday every day!

Hormones

2008-10-03T22:31:00.003-05:00

One of the many joys of being pregnant (aside from weight gain, stretch marks, heartburn, not-just-morning sickness, leg cramps, achy feet and - did I mention weight gain?) are the hormones causing what feels like a 9.5 month emotional roller coaster. Even when you think you are safely in the honeymoon period of the 2nd trimester, the hormones can ambush you like a Wells Fargo acquisition bid. I am sure that the stress of moving - or not moving - back to the U.S. is just adding on to the typical hormonal fluctuations, but knowing that still did not ease the embarrassment of my near bout of hysteria in Starbucks this morning.

I mean there I was lounging in one of the arm chairs overlooking the busy avenue behind our apartment, reading a novel of dubious literary value and sipping my coffee when it all started. I got teary-eyed and sniffley-nosed at the very thought that if we move back to suburban NJ, all my views - if any - out of a Starbucks window would be at parking lots filled with SUVs and mini-vans rather than a busy avenue of pollution-emitting VW bugs, old ladies with baskets full of fruits from the market, fast paced executives walking down the sidewalk and moms pushing their Bugaboo strollers. That's it. That was the deep, emotionally moving thought that got me nearly weeping in the midst of 25 other coffee addicts who, like me, had nothing better to do with their time at 10:00 on a weekday morning than sit in a cafe.

And here is the kicker: in the three seconds it took me to close my book, get up, and leave the cafe before making a total fool of myself, the tears were gone and I was absolutely fine. As if I had never even had the unsettling thought about suburban parking lots to begin with. And that, folks, is how pregnancy hormones work.

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On the flip side, I recently read an article in one of those fit pregnancy/your pregnancy/healthy pregnancy magazines that I really liked and decided to pirate the idea. It was about the joys and wonders of pregnancy and why it is the time of your life. Sappy, I know, but then refer to the above passage about hormones. Anyway, even though this is my second pregnancy (or maybe because it is likely my last pregnancy), I am trying to appreciate all of the things I love about it:

- In the 1st trimester, having a secret from the world that only Sonny and I were sharing;
- Feeling amazed that God created a human body capable of making another human body out of just a little cell that looks like a dot on the screen;
- The cute bulge of my belly in the right fitting maternity clothes;
- Realizing that no, it's not indigestion but rather that the baby is moving;
- The constant companionship of another being for every minute for nine months - reminding me with a little kick or punch or somersault that I am never alone;
- Glowing skin (whether from the vitamins or happiness - who cares?);
- Attention from friends and family and discreet smiles from passers-by as they notice my growing belly;
- Predictions of the baby's gender from everyone who sees me based on old wives tales (and realizing that my grandmother predicted a boy based on the same old wives tale that had my mother-in-law predict a girl);
- Hearing the galloping sound of the heartbeat at on the doppler;
- Being able to go back to bed after Asha is in school and not feel (too) guilty;
- Eating 2 scones for breakfast without the (outward or visible) judgment of those watching;
- Being pampered by Sonny;
- Itty bitty baby clothes;
- Surprise showers from great friends;
- Having Sonny sit with his hand on belly waiting for the baby to move.

I could go on and on - but I'd love to hear about some of your favorites.

Fun in the Sun

2008-09-28T23:58:00.013-05:00

Two weeks ago was the independence long weekend here in Mexico City, and the perfect excuse to take a mini vacation. The “threat” of returning home to the US has spurred Mommy to get out of the city and squeeze in as much more traveling in Mexico as possible. (To be honest, we did not heed the advice of all those friends who have left Mexico warning us not to wait to travel because we could be booted out at any moment.) So we decided to spend five days in Huatulco, a mostly undeveloped resort area on the southern Pacific coast of Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca. While Mommy was not looking to go to any more beach resorts - but rather to visit more colonial towns, cities and villages - there was no way we were passing up the untouched beauty of the Oaxacan coastline – its pristine beaches, clear blue skies, uncrowded resorts and amazing scenery.

So along with friends of ours (who also happen to be Daddy’s boss, his wife and their kids, Isabel and Lucia), we rented a four bedroom villa on a cliff overlooking one of Huatulco’s nine beautiful bays. The house came complete with beautiful Mexican décor, an infinity pool, a pond with fish and turtles, a live parrot, a maid to cook for us (although Daddy was in heaven barbeque-ing nearly every day), and anything else we could ever want, including views of the bay and Pacific Ocean from our shower – but NOT internet and cell phone access (which made Mommy & Dana quite happy). We even brought our housekeeper, Yaneth, with us to help out with me, Isabel & Lucy. So as you can imagine, we had very little reason to leave the villa, and only did so to go on a snorkeling & boat excursion with another mutual friend, Paul, and his family.

Even though I am still going through my weird phase of refusing to touch sand, and refusing to get in the ocean, we managed to have a great time on the boat. I fell asleep within 30 minutes, but not before catching sight of a huge sea turtle swimming in the Pacific, and watching Mommy freak out as Daddy & Paul jumped from the boat into one of the not-so-calm bays just to test out the water. Later, while Yaneth remained on the boat while I napped, Mommy, Daddy and the rest of our friends swam in one of the calmer bays and enjoyed the tranquility of its virgin beach. Even though I missed out on these events, perhaps it was in everyone’s best interest since I was pretty tired and cranky from all the previous days in the sun and heat. Still, M&D are hoping that I very quickly outgrow this fearful phase I have been going through and start enjoying the pool and beach again.

What's Next

2008-09-22T00:54:00.004-05:00

One of the things we have to get used to as expats is the fact that even during the rare periods of stability, there is always underlying uncertainty. No one ever knows when a new friend will be made by virtue of an expat family moving into the building, or when a good friend may suddenly announce her departure because of a sudden restructuring. Contracts mean very little in terms of length of stay, as they can always be extended, or a layoff or promotion may be just around the corner - as I have seen with at least 5 friends in the past year and a half.

We have now been here for 18 months and as Sonny mentioned in his post back in June, we have considered many possibilities about where we will go once our current two-year contract is up. It turns out that we still don’t know for sure. When you live on the company’s dime, you live by the company’s ~~whimsy~~ time line – a small price to pay for the fabulous perks of living here. Still, we understand how this could be mildly annoying for many of our friends back home who have inquired about our more short-term plans in the hopes of getting together or planning for the holidays; and how nerve wracking it is for our families and especially our parents who are anxious to see Asha and get life back to “normal” (which would, for us, mean the “Everybody Loves Raymond” atmosphere of life in NJ). It has taken every bone of my type-A, anal-retentive, control freak body to not worry about what was going to happen at what time, to simply live life as though we are staying here until next summer, at least, and just soak up as much of Mexico as I possibly could.

Until now.

It has been five months since I found I am pregnant. It has been 4.5 months since we told The Powers That Be (TPTB) at the company – even before our own parents – that we were pregnant and due the first week of February. We discussed with them that since I am due exactly one month before our contract expires, we either need to move by mid November, or need to stay until the end of April next year because of my and the baby’s travel restrictions.

And it has now been exactly one week since I have started freaking out. The “Ignorance is bliss” phase – where I was just enjoying either prospect of moving back to New Jersey or extending our contract in Mexico – ended in an abrupt moment at 3 am last week. Somehow until then it did not phase me that within the span of 2 months I was going to have to wrap up my life in here, including my obligations with the Newcomers Club, finish visiting all of the places I have wanted to see in Mexico, become conversant in Spanish (a personal goal to attain before leaving), make a trip to NJ to buy a house, actually find a house we like and can afford, close on the house, schedule movers, sell our cars and say goodbye to all my friends. All of this while being 6-7 months pregnant, trying to maintain some semblance of stability for Asha, and having Sonny traveling 15 days (that we know of) out of the next 60.

This is all assuming that we move back to New Jersey.

If we stay, I suppose life is a bit easier in that all I have to do is find a new apartment in Mexico City, schedule movers, actually move, make a trip to New Jersey to purchase new baby essentials and coordinate all our old baby items for shipment here, and finish visiting all of the places I have wanted to see in Mexico (because going on long road trips ain’t happening after my 7^th month or with a newborn).

There is also the remote possibility that we could move someplace else across the globe. And while I hope that these are not the last of our expat days, right now, for the sake of sanity, I cannot even entertain the option of a third, unknown destination. New Jersey and Mexico City have been the only two serious contenders from a job perspective over the last few months, so I am mentally banking on one of those two working out. But as Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”

The Newest, Littlest Dalal

2008-09-11T16:12:00.011-05:00

No, it is not my baby sister - she doesn't get here until the end of January. But I now have another brand new little cousin brother, Jaiden! He is a little peanut weighing 6 pounds 2 ounces, but he sure does have a lot more hair as newborn
than I did even at 10 months.

Mommy & Daddy think he is pretty darn cute and are a bit bummed about not getting to see him in person for another couple of months. Personally, though, I am not all that into small babies so I am just looking forward to the day that I can dress him up in princess outfits. I figure this has to be less embarassing than the Eagles/Phillies outfits Sagar Kaka will make him wear (much like the ones I was forced to wear by Daddy when I was little). Maybe the men in my family will rethink grooming us little ones into Philadelphia sports fans - it is just way too much heartache!

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

2008-09-08T11:59:00.008-05:00

Now that the summer is over, I thought I might recap what I did the past few months while we took a hiatus from our blog. It should come as no surprise that Mommy and I were in New Jersey for effectively the entire summer, and spent a whole lot of time with family and friends. We spent most of our weekends traveling, and during the week did very typical suburban things like go to music classes, swim lessons and playdates.

I also spent four days at the Jersey shore with Nani & Mommy. The fact that I have acquired a severe aversion to sand didn't stop me from having a fantastic time on the rides at the boardwalk, the aquarium and even the pool at the hotel. Mommy's favorite part of the trip was getting to eat all the junk food she grew up on at the shore - ice cream, pizza and funnel cakes - which she justified as pregnancy cravings.

The following weekend Mommy and I took a trip to Washington, DC, to spend some quality time with Archan Mama & Aurelie Mami. This was the first time that Mommy & I ventured a drive to Washington all on our own without Nani, who is usually a huge help in distracting me when I get restless in Beltway traffic. But we managed to do ok - even though I did not sleep a wink on the way down - and had a great time eating out, riding the Metro and visiting museums.

Lest anyone think that the vacation was completely relaxing, I went ahead and contracted some crazy virus that spiked a fever as high as 106.1. Nani & Mom rushed me to the hospital, and after 6 hours of tests and waiting, the doctors kindly told us that it was some kind of virus and we just had to wait it out with Tylenol and Motrin. As if Mommy didn't have enough to keep her awake at night (though up until then it was just bouts of morning sickness that struck religiously at 3am).

The good news was that Daddy came into town the next day and within two days I was all better and even able to join my aunts, uncles and cousins in the Hamptons for a long weekend. Mommy describes the weekend as a cross between a wholesome family reunion -slash- college frat party (whatever that means) once the kids were in bed. We celebrated Daddy's birthday with all his cousins, which I think was extra special for him, swam, soaked in the hot tub (except for Mommy), and even managed to survive bathing in ice cold water until the last day when someone figured out how to turn on the hot water heater.

I wish we had more photos to share, but Mommy managed to lose our camera cables that allow us to upload pics, so for now we are relying on the generosity of others who have shared some pictures.

Around the World in 80 Days

2008-06-24T01:02:00.001-05:00

One interesting aspect of living the expat life is deciding what to do when the time in your current country has expired. We had originally signed on for a two year contract and though not really sure of what to expect, we figured we would spend two years and then probably head back home. This way, when we looked back on our lives, we could say we did something interesting, and I could check off that all important ´´international´´ assignment box on my resume.

About 9 months into our time here, Novartis, like all big multinationals, went through restructuring. Since then life has been a bit of a whirlwind in trying to figure out what happens with us. There was a chance that we would end up staying in Mexico longer because I would get some expanded job responsibilities, so mentally we prepared for that. But alas, I did not get the promotion, so then it looked like we would be heading back to NJ (where I still would not have a job) around March of this past year. So we mentally prepared ourselves for the possibility of returning home just when we finally felt completely settled, and with no house and possibly no job. . . .

Before that plan was finalized, a number of POTENTIAL opportunities arose. It felt like everyday was a new prospect: first in Brazil, then in New Jersey, and for a little while it even looked like there might be something in Australia (yes all the way over there). Finally, I was told that we would be staying in Mexico at least until the end of this year and that I did not need to worry about what was next because something would “surely” open up for me, and that discussions would start in October or so. Again we prepared ourselves to stay for a bit and make the most of our time here, and to simply let fate play itself out. That lasted for about a week.

Out of the blue, I received a call from a senior finance head in another one of our divisions, discussing a potential opportunity to stay in Mexico for an additional two to three years. When I expressed a lack of interest in remaining here, in order to move to Europe, I fully expected the conversation to come to a screeching halt. Instead he replied, “Sounds good, let’s get you over to Europe,” and promised to call soon in order to discuss.

Alas, we are now we are back to where we were six months ago: no concrete plans for the future, mentally traipsing all over the world looking for jobs, but physically living here in Mexico.

So for anyone asking where do we go next or when do we come back to New Jersey, let me just say this, I wish I knew what was next. This is one of those times I am just hoping that destiny takes care of my family and me. I just wouldn’t mind destiny moving things along right about now.

And for anyone thinking about going overseas with a large company: just be mentally prepared for this part of the adventure. I think we were prepared for a lot of contingencies, so things have gone smoothly overall. I just did not expect the uncertainty of our future to be such a big part of the adventure.

A Bit of This and That

2008-06-04T17:14:00.011-05:00

Since it has been some time since most of you have seen me, I thought I would update you with my recent goings-on. Aside from going to school each morning, we really have not been doing anything too exciting from a toddler perspective. A few weekends ago I went with M&D to a going away party for one of Mommy’s friends/colleagues on the Newcomers Board. She had been living here in Mexico for something like 4 years, and is now returning to Palo Alto. So we went to a despedida for her family, where we ate tacos & tamales, got to see a lot of Mommy’s friends, meet a huge and fun German Shepard dog (even though she was locked upstairs for most f the party, and even though I did wonder aloud, “Is she going to eat me?” I did enjoy meeting her), and meet a few pre-teen girls whom I tried to follow around but who were not very interested in entertaining me.

Actually, now that I think about it, the day after Melissa’s despedida, we did go to a birthday party at my pal Isabel’s house. It was her sister Lucia’s first birthday and they celebrated in a uniquely Mexican-American way. There was pizza and cupcakes for the kids, lots of cool toys (Isabel has an exceptional collection of toys and fun activities at her house, I must say) and a piñata. I am a bit embarrassed at having to admit that I absolutely hate piñatas. I know, I know – how can I possibly live here and not like the idea of candy falling out of a large object, followed by a free-for-all collection spree? How can I possibly call myself a toddler? Truth is, it is the hitting of the object (in this case, Winnie the Pooh) that I hate, making my eyes well up with tears and ask in a shaky voice, “Why are they hitting Winnie? He’s gonna get hurt.” This fear of the piñata is a relatively new phenomenon – back in October I went to 4 parties with piñatas and loved them – so I think we are going to steer clear of them for the time being.

Really there is not much else to report, so here are some of my likes & dislikes these days (which are sure to change by the time I come home next month).

Favorites:

--Color: blue. Or pink. Or green. Or light yellow. Anything that I deem “pretty” in a particular moment

--Food: pretzels; M&M’s (who do you think started that habit?) Cake of any kind (so I take after my Mommy); Broccoli; Peaches

--Song: Alphabet song, Wheels on the Bus

--TV show: One, Two, Three, Count with Me (Sesame Street)

--Phrases: “This is for yooouuu, Mommy” (when handing over a flower or a piece of garbage); “Where we gonna go? What we gonna do?”; “I’m not a baby anymore;” (except when refusing to brush my teeth when I am known to say, “I’m a baby more.” )

--Toys: anything princess; beads for making necklaces; feathers; pots & pans and real uncooked pasta for

cooking; water; bubbles, tricycle; colorful pens; toilet paper.

--Hobbies: climbing things; picking up trash; making beaded necklaces; coloring or drawing; running into

corners and pretending to hide; picking out fresh flowers; playing dress-up.

--Clothes: tank tops, flowing skirts, flowery dresses; colorful t-shirts.

Dislikes:

--Eating most things

--Going to bed

--Brushing my teeth

--Dirty hands and clothes

-- The dark

--The Lion King movie (something about the first 5 seconds scares me so badly that I scream and cry in terror)

--Being ignored

--Wearing anything with long sleeves.

Tango & Milonga

2008-05-25T00:06:00.010-05:00

There isn't much that I can say about Buenos Aires that hasn't already been said by someone else, and probably a lot more eloquently than I could manage. So I figured I would simply post some pictures of our trip, and state only that we really loved the city. It reminded us a lot of Manhattan, but with more European architecture. We enjoyed walking around the different neighborhoods, watching the street tango performances, attending a tango dinner show and even visting a couple of milongas (dance halls) the locals visit.

Nature's Call

2008-05-14T22:12:00.019-05:00

I don’t like nature. For as long as I can remember, I have longed to live in a city, vacation at resorts and, at all costs, avoid the great outdoors. I don’t hike, mountain bike or white water raft. I even recall being bored at Yosemite National Park (and cringing at the port-a-potties, to say nothing of the bugs, rodents and other inconvenient species out there) during a family vacation when I was 11. As a teen, I rebuffed my parents’ several attempts to take a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park, wondering why on earth anyone would want to see bison roaming around in the middle of nowhere.

So you can imagine my surprise when over the past year a strange whisper began beckoning me to the wilderness of southern Patagonia, Argentina. I suddenly had this overwhelming urge to ride horseback across the Argentine pampas looking out at nothing but earth as far as the eye can see; to climb mountains of ice to get a glimpse of what the ice age might have been like; to look above and out at an epic sky, feeling a sense of isolation from civilization in knowing that the distance to the end of the world – Antarctica – was close within reach.

Finally last month, after spending a relaxing few days in Buenos Aires, Sonny and I did go to Patagonia – El Calafate – for a few days of quality time with nature. The first thought I had when we landed was that this is what Alaska must look like – the beauty being the raw and wild landscape, with little civilization for thousands of miles on end.

The main attraction of El Calafate is its close proximity (1.5 hours) to the Perito Moreno glacier, a mass of ice that is 200 feet high, stretching out 20 miles in jagged peaks. It is located in Los Glaciers National Park, and a trip to see it requires a boat ride across Lake Argentina through floating seracs of ice that have broken off the glacier, and a hike through the beautiful park national park to and from the actual glacier.

The highlight was the two hour ice-trek on the glacier, climbing up and down and around its peaks, valleys and ponds as the winds whipped across our faces and nearly knocked us over at times. That day we were lucky to witness huge blocks of ice breaking off the glacier with the sound of thunder, and then peacefully floating away in the frigid lake. There really is no way to fully capture what it was like trekking on that glacier - surreal and scary, awe inspiring and amazing, to say the least.

The day after, we visited a Patagonian ranch (estancia) where we saw a demonstration of sheep herding as well as sheep shearing, and ate an authentic barbequed lamb dinner (well, at least Sonny did – I stuck to the salad bar consisting of canned vegetables and white bread). Perhaps my favorite part of the visit was the sunset horseback riding expedition that brought to life my fantasy of riding through the wilderness under a vast sky and looking out at nothing but the snow capped Andes jutting up from the earth in the distance.

Our last day in El Calafate we took a 4x4 off roading trip up the side of a mountain, 3400 feet up, for breathtaking views of the Lake Argentina region and Chilean Andes, as well as a glimpse into the wildlife residing in the mountains.

Since I have never been a real nature buff, we did not plan to spend a lot of time in Patagonia, hiking to Mt. Fitz Roy and El Chalten, and visiting Chile like most people do on such a trip. But somehow I managed to fall inlove with the Great Outdoors in just the few days we were there - and regretted a bit not planning more time there than in Buenos Aires. On the other hand, I suppose it is an incentive to return to southern South America one day, hiking boots and all.

Our Photo Archive

2008-05-08T15:19:00.013-05:00

We have been doing a bit of local traveling over the past several months, trying to soak up some sights in Mexico. Since M&D haven't gotten around to posting any pictures, I have taken it upon myself to pick up the slack, starting with our trip to Los Cabos way back in December. While the town is beautiful and the resort lovely (the pool, naturally being my favorite part), our trip was overshadowed by Daddy catching bronchitis and missing the entire wedding for which we took the trip. Mommy & I managed to attend the wedding just before she followed suit and caught a really bad throat infection, leaving both my parents practically immobile for 3 days. Luckily we had managed one good day before the illnesses set in when we took a boat trip through the Sea of Cortes and got to see lots and lots of sea lions. The rest of the time I spent being a very good girl for M&D, and hanging out with Daddy's cousins, to whom M&D were ever-so-grateful for helping take care of me.

Then, when we returned from our looong trip to the U.S. over Christmas we began taking a few road trips as well: to Puebla with my pal Isabel and her family and to San Miguel de Allende with M&D for a long weekend. Puebla and San Miguel are both colonial towns, the former famous for Mexican Talavera and more churches than any other town in Mexico, and the latter for its views and cobblestone streets, language and arts courses, and what seemed like more Americans per square block than New York City. We also went to Tepotzlan, a bohemian little town about an hour and half away, for a day trip (or more accurately, a long leisurely lunch and stroll through the markets).

M&D still have a number of places left on their “list” that are must-sees before we leave Mexico, so I keep telling them that we had better get moving.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2008-05-07T23:45:00.004-05:00

Lest Mommy & Daddy have all the fun on vacation, my grandparents saw to it that I got to have a lot of excitement of my own. I got to see my great grandma, my cousins and even an aunt who was visiting all the way from India. I also went shopping – a lot, to the carousels and to the pool at Nani’s house.

I must confess, though, that my absolute, by-far, most favorite thing in the whole wide world was my trip to Disney World with Dada & Dadi. Of course we went to Animal Kingdom, to Sea World (where I got soaked from Shamu – something I truly did not appreciate) and to Epcot Center, but obviously what I loved the most was visiting the Magic Kingdom. While I enjoyed meeting Mickey & Minnie, I was a bit miffed that they only spent a few minutes with me (a fact that I am quick to tell anyone who asks) and was much happier visiting the Cinderella castle and meeting princesses.

I had so much fun in the U.S. that I didn’t miss M&D at all – and didn’t even care to talk to them on the phone whenever they called from South America. But who could blame me given my surroundings?

A Busy Body

2008-05-07T22:43:00.011-05:00

I realize that I have been really behind on my blogging these days – and it is because Mommy, Daddy (M&D) & I have just been so busy with houseguests and vacations.

April was quite a hectic month, starting with a visit from Archan Mama and Aurelie Mami. Even though they were only visiting us for a few days, we packed in a whole lot of fun. Aside from going out to eat (a lot), I took them to the playground I frequent, to parts of Chapuletepec Park and to the market where we regularly shop on Saturdays (which I think was their favorite site in the city – I have never seen anyone get so excited over avocados, tomatoes and imported cheeses). Mommy also went with them on a sightseeing bus tour of the city, including the Zocalo and the National Palace where they were able to see the famous murals painted by Diego Riviera. When we weren’t all busy eating gelato or going to restaurants, we spent our time just hanging out and blowing bubbles, dancing and playing with balloons.

The day after Archan Mama & Aurelie Mami left, Nani came for a visit with her friend, Miss Barbara. Even though Mommy wanted her to do a lot of sightseeing, Nani seemed a lot more interested in spending time with me, so we did a lot of kid friendly things. I took her and Miss Barbara to the Castle at Chaupltepec Park (now that we finally know where it is – and this time we actually visited inside the castle); we went to Puebla for a day to walk around and shop for talavera, and one afternoon I took Nani to a children's farm, where I had a blast holding bunnies and baby chicks, feeding ducks, rabbits and goats and riding on a donkey (which I adamantly insisted was a baby horse).

In the middle of this fun filled visit, Mommy’s best friend, Nipa Masi, came to our house all the way from Philadelphia. She was in town on business and came two days early to stay with us. Even though she and I have not had much bonding time over the past two years, I took to her like a duck to water. I followed her around all day, and tried to get her to play with me, feed me and change my diaper (Mommy swears she didn’t put me to it).

After about a week with a house full of women, Daddy finally got a reprieve from all the estrogen. Nipa Masi went to work, and Nani and Miss Barbara went back to NJ - and I went with them for a little holiday of my own while M&D went on vacation!

Woe Is Me

2008-04-01T00:06:00.007-05:00

Right away I can imagine the types of responses I am going to get to this post, yet it must be said: life around Casa Dalal has been quite difficult over the last several weeks without a live-in maid. Our former housekeeper, Aurora, has left us due to a combination of health problems and numerous family tragedies over the past few months. While we didn’t find her to be the best cook, cleaner, conversationalist, or even direction follower regarding household matters, we loved her because she was extremely trustworthy and she was GREAT with Asha. After nine months of having her in our home, she became a second mom/best friend to Asha – and Asha was truly the love of her life. I could always see the joy on Aurora’s face when after a weekend away she would return to find Asha running into her arms.

So we have now been left with the tasks of cleaning our own house, cooking our own food and – heaven forbid – taking complete care of our own child (for whom we probably had less responsibility in NJ where we had no housekeeper but instead have a family to be rivaled only by the likes of the Barones from Everybody Loves Raymond).

Perhaps what has exacerbated the loss of Aurora was the fact that Asha has been on Easter Break for two and a half weeks now. Luckily Sonny had a few days off as well so we were able to get away on some weekend and day trips. Still, that first week – even with Sonny around to help so much – I was with her for a minumim of 22.5 hours a day (on the days I actually went to the gym) – not that I am counting, mind you - and my patience began to wane as she jumped on furniture, threw things on the floor just to get a reaction and limited her vocabulary to “No” and “I want this” to anything in her line of vision.

And then began week two – during which we tackled potty training. Thus came the experiences of running to the potty every fifteen minutes, waiting in the bathroom for something to happen, often having that “something” happen before we made it to the potty and then washing loads of pee-soaked clothes, combined with being trapped in the house all week and missing our friends (her and me), having Sonny away for two days on a business trip, and trying to survive a disaster of a house.

While I am fully aware at how ridiculous I sound agonizing over the loss of a live-in maid, especially to my friends back home, where we all take care of our own kids and clean our own homes (aside from the weekly cleaning lady, perhaps), the only justification I have for my self pity is: This is one of the reasons I moved to Mexico, dammit! I have given up my tv shows, my vegetarian food, my evenings whiling away at Barnes & Noble – every comfort I knew in NJ. All I want in return is a trustworthy live-in maid. Is it really too much to ask?

Misconceptions

2008-03-13T17:47:00.007-05:00

When we decided to move to Mexico last year, most people had at least one of the following misconceptions: that (1) we would get kidnapped; (2) we would be “rich” here, able to afford anything and everything we wanted because; (3) everything in Mexico was cheap. I could easily look down from my high horse and lament about how ignorant people are, but the truth is that when Sonny mentioned Mexico City as a possible assignment, the first image that came to my mind was the kidnapping scene from the movie Proof of Life. I was also shocked to learn - a few weeks after arriving - that our company paid apartment and car would be mere trinkets for many of the wealthy Mexicans and foreigners who went on weekend retreats to their haciendas, regularly shopped at Louis Vuitton, and vacationed in the Galapagos Islands on their family yachts. I also found out the hard way that nothing in Mexico is cheap, except for labor and maybe produce, and learned to bring back from the U.S. a lot of children’s toys and generic gifts for birthday parties, as the exact same items in Walmart and Costco here cost 40% more than in the U.S.

So I think it is time to clear up any remaining perceptions. Yes, like any other city in the world, there are seedy areas and petty criminals abound, waiting for people who are careless and imprudent about basic safety. Yes, the aiport happens to be in one of those areas (although I'm sure all Jerseyites can relate to the bad rep airport neighborhoods provide; afterall, is Newark airport an accurate depcition of our lovely home state?)

However, there are also fancy areas of Mexico City where people walk around wearing Channel shoes and Seven Jeans, carrying Gucci bags and pushing Bugaboo strollers. We are fortunate enough to live in the wonderfully safe and lively area of Polanco, which, according to Lonely Planet Mexico, is an “affluent residential quarter . . . where the streets are named after writers and scientists, contain[ing] lots of restaurants, art galleries and embassies [as well as] some luxury hotels . . . .” The main avenue and reference point that runs through Polanco is Avenida Presidente Masaryk, which has been called the Rodeo Drive/5th Avenue/Champs Elysees of Mexico City, and is home to nearly every upscale store that I have ever heard of, such as Cartier, Valentino, Bvlgari, Hermes, Ferragamo, Tiffany and more, and many that I haven’t heard of but which I could never afford. I can safely say that since these stores do so much business here, and since no matter how nicely I am (sometimes) dressed when going out, there are always people more affluent and better dressed walking around. In other words, any potential kidnapper would have bigger fish to fry than me!

For us Polanco is a great place to live because we get that city atmosphere plus great parks and lots of restaurants in walking distance, and always feel safe, even when walking around at night. In fact, the only downside to Polanco is that I am constantly confronted with the gaps in my education because, while I am familiar with the names after which streets like Tennyson, Galileo and Lord Byron are named, for the life of me I cannot figure out who Eugenio Sue or Francisco Petrarca were. Still, there are neighborhoods of this city that are far more affluent, charming and trendy than Polanco. I suppose my point is that, while Mexico City has its negatives, it is a vibrant city with various interesting neighborhoods offering world renowned shopping, museums, art galleries, parks, markets, and ancient cultural sites, as well as a number of cultural and social events, from Italian Operas to Cuban Jazz to big name rock concerts like Lenny Kravitz (appearing in April). All this, plus being surrounded by mountains and having great weather year round.

So for those friends and family who are considering visiting, I promise you this: you will not find bargains here, you will not feel rich. But on the flip side, you will not get kidnapped.

(images from: http://mexicocity.ciudadmexico.com.mx/attractions/masarik.htm)

Bunnies & Crafts & Eggs, Oh My!

2008-03-11T16:57:00.010-05:00

Last Saturday we went to the Newcomers Annual Easter Party, which had promised to be a fun-filled family event. Now that Mommy is the president of Newcomers, Daddy and I are obligated to participate in many more of the activities than we did before. In fact, Mommy’s new position has meant more involvement and work even for our driver, Arturo – who, along with other board members’ drivers, helped fill hundreds of plastic Easter eggs with chocolate, and scoured the city to locate helium balloons at the last minute – and our housekeeper, Aurora, who came to the party to help the other maids ensure a steady supply of drinks and to help chaperone the children’s craft tables.

It turned out to be a beautiful – if slightly hot – day and Miss Virginia’s garden, where the event took place, was the perfect setting, overlooking the mountains and valleys of Mexico City. I loved hunting for chocolate filled eggs with my pals (and made lots of new friends), got my picture taken for two different newspapers (which Mommy will upload when we get a copy) and made lots of crafts using cool things like googley-eyes, pipe cleaners and puff balls, not to mention glitter, stickers and crayons.

However, the thing to which I had most looked forward was meeting the Easter Bunny, because Mommy had been talking to me about it for weeks (not wanting a repeat of last year’s Santa picture wherein I was crying and reaching out to Mommy to remove me from the jolly old fellow’s lap). So when the Easter Bunny finally came out, I was really excited, only to find myself taken aback when meeting him. It wasn’t that I was scared of him – quite the contrary – because this guy looked strangely familiar. After a minute or two, I figured out that this guy wasn’t the Easter Bunny at all – it was Arturo dressed up in the Easter Bunny’s clothes! I figure this must have been because, like Santa, the Easter Bunny has so many rounds to make this time of year, so his helpers must dress up like him to visit all the kids. As a good sport, I didn’t spoil the fun and break the news to all my pals – but really, who knew that our driver was one of the Easter Bunny’s personal helpers!

Rhapsodic Rhetoric: A Post on Politics

2008-03-07T00:37:00.005-05:00

I typically don’t write about politics on this blog. Maybe it is because I am not nearly as informed as I ought to be (yes, I was a political science major and a lawyer). Or perhaps it is because I hate offending people, and talking about political views is a surefire way to rub readers the wrong way. I suspect it is a combination of the two. However, I can no longer contain my exhilaration. This is the year for which I have longingly awaited eight years – the year in which Americans can begin to emerge from the cloud of shame and disgust that George Bush has brought upon America, as he leaves office and we select another and surely better – regardless of party affiliation – president. I won’t get into why I find Bush to be a disgrace of a president (although eroding the Constitution to a skeletal version of itself while the Framers likely roll over in their graves, does come to mind), but let’s just say that I have been looking forward to a new administration.

The thing is, though, I have been torn about my allegiance to either of the remaining Democratic candidates. You see, I have never been a fan of Hillary Clinton because something about her always struck me as . . . un-kosher. I can’t pinpoint it and I don’t know why Bill Clinton didn’t strike me the same way, but I just always thought that there is more to her than she lets on, and I wonder how it will come back to haunt her in the general election or even in the White House. Or perhaps it is as simple as – even though her gender has never consciously influenced me – that on a subconscious level I want to be able to relate to her as a woman yet I find her to be a bit distant.

So it would reason that I would immediately favor Barack Obama, the charismatic hope-inspirer, advocate of change in Washington, with a seemingly open-book past. And I have to admit that I am impressed by his discourse, and I do find myself inspired by his speeches. So then why is it that over the past several weeks and months I find myself rooting for Hillary? Why was I so disappointed in her performance on Super Tuesday and ever so grateful that she pulled out ahead in Texas and Ohio this week? In part I think it is because I always favor the “underdog;” in part it is because lately I find her vulnerable – if only politically – and somehow I relate to that.

Most of all, though, I think it has to do with the Obama bandwagon. If I actually look beyond the inspirational speeches, I am not sure whether I am convinced of his abilities or even his alleged liberal views (his health reform plan does not include universal health care; he has little foreign policy experience; and relies on right-leaning economic advisers). And I find myself exasperated that many of those who have jumped on his bandwagon have done so, I suspect, without really assessing his views on the issues and his plans for the future, because they have been taken in by his rhetoric. In fact, Obama’s grandiloquence is strangely reminiscent of Ronald Reagan, who fooled Americans by speaking eloquently while slyly eroding government and social policies.

So maybe the thing I like about Hillary is that I trust her even though I don’t trust her. I like that she is not likeable off the bat, and doesn’t necessarily inspire through words. I like that my guard is already up with her a bit, because she is distant and doesn’t pretend to be otherwise, but that I know her liberal views – they are clear after years of public service. She has the desire to actually help middle-class Americans, and the experience to actually make changes.

And in deciding between the two candidates, I suppose it comes down to this: I like Hillary because of what she stands for, not how eloquently she speaks. And it would be a damn shame for her to lose the presidency, and for the American people to lose her, simply because we were again taken in by empty dissertations and great oratory.

It's Been So Long Since I Last Saw You

2008-02-28T00:01:00.027-05:00

Well it just wouldn’t be a month in Mexico without a visit from one of my grandparents. No matter that I spent six uninterrupted weeks with them around the holidays, or that I will likely be spending two weeks with them in April when Mommy and Daddy go on vacation without me (Mommy having declared that taking me on a trip to South America without any grandparents or Aurora is really no vacation at all). Dada just couldn’t wait to see me, and being retired and spending most of his days on the internet, he was able to find a cheap and last minute deal to come see me.

As are typical of Dada’s visits, Mommy and Daddy didn’t feel the need to entertain him much, figuring he would be content to sit and make beaded necklaces with me, take me to the park and help me ride my bike. Still, having him here was a great excuse to explore more of the city, so last Saturday we took him to Coyoacan. This quarter in the southern part of the city has a bohemian feel, with craft markets, musicians and street performers in the plazas. Despite the various types of live entertainment (during our lunch at a sidewalk café our ears were overwhelmed with three different types of musicians competing for tips: a melodic saxophone player on the street corner; the tribal drums accompanying a native-inspired dance performance in the nearby plaza; and an accordion player and his band serenading café patrons), my favorite entertainment was the 10-cent motorized rides reminiscent of those found in U.S. supermarkets in the 1980’s.

We also took Dada back to Chapultepec Park, to find the Castle we were unable to locate during his first visit. The Castle was once the home to emperors and Mexican presidents, but now houses the National Museum of History. I was thrilled just to ride up the hill on the train, walk around the grounds of the Castle, and take in the beautiful views of the city from atop the hill. So Mommy, being the budget-conscious woman she is, decided that we didn’t really need to spend $5.00 a pop to visit the museum on a day I hadn’t had a nap- though we later discovered that seniors (i.e., anyone over the age of 60) and children under 13 would have been free. That made Dada so happy that he didn’t even mind being called a senior citizen!

Of everything we did, though, I think my favorite moments with Dada were those spent sitting around with him and eating cookies or digging in his shirt pocket for Tic-Tacs.

Museums and Movies

2008-02-24T16:28:00.003-05:00

After living in Mexico City for nearly 10 months (of which I admittedly spent 3 on trips back to the U.S.), I am a bit embarrassed to confess that I had never been to the world renowned Museo Nacional de Antropologia (National Museum of Anthropology), even though it is only six blocks from my apartment. So on Friday I joined some of my fellow Newcomers members and our wonderful tour guide, Lynda, on a tour of the museum. To give you an idea of how big it is, we spent four hours there and covered about one fourth of the museum, stopping to see only those exhibits that would help us understand the history and native culture of the pre-Hispanic people living in what is now known as the Mexico City area. That means that there is still left for future tours the history and culture of the indigenous people of five other areas of Mesoamerica, as well as an entire floor on the culture of indigenous descendants currently living in various parts of Mexico.

To be quite frank, I had never much cared about the history of MesoAmerica, not being of Latin American descent, and only having focused on Egyptian and European history in school. Now that I am living here, though, I find myself a lot more interested in Mexican history and fascinated by the various cultures of different geographical areas of Mexico. I suppose it is only natural - and I have to say that our informative and entertaining tour of a quarter of the museum has left me feeling a lot more connected to this city, and with a better appreciation for the symbols and art I see all around me, from the flag to the currency to the murals throughout the city.

After my knowledge-enhancing morning, I was left pretty exhausted (standing around for four hours without having consumed breakfast or that all-important morning coffee, because I was running late as usual, can do that to a person). So when Sonny returned from his week-long business trip to Puerto Vallarta (probably feeling a bit guilty at having had so much fun without me) and offered to take me to a movie that night, I jumped at the chance.

Anyone who has read his post The Luxuries of Mexico City knows that Sonny will no longer sit in a regular section of the movies in Mexico (hating going to the movies anyway, he’ll be damned if he can’t use that ten bucks to get in a good two hours’ nap). One of the consequences of sitting in the VIP section though - aside from the annoying “waitresses” that are constantly delivering food/beverages during the show - is that there are significantly fewer seats than a normal theater. For us this meant that our first choice was sold out, and we ended up seeing “No Country for Old Men.”

While the critics gave it great reviews, and the MPA nominated it for an Oscar, I have to say that as an average movie viewer who simply likes to be entertained and rarely agrees with critics, I was thoroughly disappointed in this film. I won’t spoil the ending but let me simply say that I was left feeling like someone forgot to finish the ending - there was no closure in the film, no justice for the audience and no point to the ending. There went two hours of my life (which actually felt closer to four) that I will never recover.

Still, I suppose a night out is night out.

And We're Back . . . .

2008-02-19T03:30:00.002-05:00

Well, we are finally rejoining the blogosphere. Sorry for the extended hiatus. Truth is, we had forgotten a bit what it’s like to live in Mexico since we were in the US for so long - from Christmas through the end of January. Mommy, Daddy and I had a terrific holiday with our family, and we actually got to relax a bit, since there were no weddings, housewarming parties or religious events for a change. We got to see all of our family, most of our friends and just hang out (I spent most of my spare time at Chuck-E-Cheese’s and the merry-go-round at the mall with my grandparents).

While the trip itself was wonderful, it started out a bit bumpy, with our flight out of Mexico City getting delayed twice and then canceled, and Mommy getting her purse stolen. That, combined with the fact that Mommy and Daddy were still suffering from a serious flu that had lasted about 5 weeks made for interesting travels. I was on my best behavior to help them out, though, and held up without any tantrums or hysteria after being shuttled on and off the plane and around the airport for a total of 9 hours, without ever having left the ground.

So now that we are back in the Distrito Federal, we are settling back into normalcy - for me that means no more staying up until 10:30 at night, waking up at 9:00 a.m., skipping naps and eating a dinner of chicken nuggets for days at a time. Mommy is convinced that, as great as it was to be in NJ, 6 weeks of this behavior can’t be looked upon too favorably by the likes of Family Services. So for the foreseeable future, we are staying put.

With somewhat of a routine and schedule in our lives, I think you'll also find that we will be blogging a lot more (for those few readers we have left).

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2007-12-11T23:14:00.000-05:00

Despite the passing of Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, it hadn’t much felt like Christmas around here until recently. Normally in the States we see Christmas decorations taking over malls, stores and people’s yards as early as Halloween. And starting Thanksgiving weekend, I would start planning my own holiday festivities – at least in my head. This year, however, I had not realized that it is Christmastime – my absolute favorite time of year – because we will be away from our home. Therefore, I have not been planning to decorate my apartment, bake Christmas cookies, or even go Christmas shopping at the malls here.

So it is with a mixture of pleasure and sadness that I have come to realize that despite my own self absorption, the rest of the world has begun to prepare for Christmas. I mention that this makes me a bit sad only because I am not preparing for the holiday in the way I am so used to, by obsessing over personalized Christmas cards (we will return to the States too late to be able to mail them), putting up my fresh pine tree (it would die in the heat while we are away anyway) and sipping hot chocolate to warm my insides while my outside freezes its butt off (here I typically settle for an iced cappuccino because most days are too warm for hot chocolate).

Suddenly, though, I am starting to get really excited about the holiday. Everywhere you look Christmas is in the air – the lobby of our apartment has been decorated with poinsettias, there are beautifully decorated Christmas trees in all the shop windows, and even at my gym, and Christmas lights in trees and lamp posts have livened the streets here in Polanco.

Despite not decorating the house, we started getting into the Christmas spirit by taking Asha to the mall to see the trees and have her picture taken with Santa. After several attempts to get her to sit on Santa’s lap, we had to resort to bribing her with her a lollipop – smiles not guaranteed. (Maybe we'll post that photo next time). A few days later, we went to a Christmas cookie decorating party at my friend Tracey’s house, where Asha had tons of fun eating the sprinkles, jimmies and other decorations straight from the box and off anyone’s cookies she could get her hands on. Next week, we may even go ice skating at the Zocalo.

Still, there is something weird about listening to “Let it Snow,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Sleigh Ride” in 70 degree weather.

The Luxuries of Mexico City

2007-12-10T16:02:00.000-05:00

So I am back to posting on the blog (disclaimer being that while I am the only one who feels I am the better looking of the two, everyone knows that my wife is the better writer, so please forgive me if this drags, or is otherwise on a level below the other posts).

My weekend here will help explain why I love the luxuries we have in Mexico…

HAIRCUT: Friday afternoon I went for a haircut to my usual place, where now know me, and welcome me as a king. I sit in a nice comfortable chair, where first a guy comes around with a stack of magazines for me to pick from, I chose the Latin version of GQ, so I can see all the things I can not afford. Next a different guy comes around with a drink cart filled with coffees, waters, drinks (scotch, tequila, beer, etc). Of course, I chose a beer, although they already know which one I want and are bringing it to me, while someone else was showing me the drink cart. Next comes someone to offer me a manicure and pedicure; I politely decline (because one, I am a man and men don´t do these things, but more importantly, then I would not be able to yell at Rupal when she gets them, not that it ever deters her). Next comes the guy to shine my shoes - sometimes I avail myself to this service - though today I am in sandals so I politely decline (I do reconsider the pedicure, but then decline that as well). Finally, a guy comes around offering me a portable Play Station, but I decline this as well, as I have my Spanish magazine and my blackberry.

Now onto the haircut (in case you forgot why I was here): I fall back into the lounge chair and get my usual haircut AND then the best part of the whole experience when the barber proceeds to give me a neck and back massage. Then as I am leaving, a guy comes up and helps wipe all the hair off of my shirt, while asking if I had my car valet parked (I walk to this place, but it is nice to know they have valet service).

PARTY: That evening, we went to party (maybe Rupal will post about it) at an apartment complex a few blocks from our place. All I can say about this party is that the apartment was huge, modern and one of the nicest (with an incredible view) that I have seen nearly anywhere. The complex offered valet parking, a door man to open the door, hold the elevator open and push the button to the floor to which we were headed. The only thing more he could have done was carry us inside.

MOVIES: Saturday night we went to a movie with our good friends Eliseo and his wife Marisol. One of the theaters in Polanco offers VIP seating, which means, for one thing, we reserve our seat location when purchasing tickets. The theaters are filled not with the traditional seats in stadium seating, but rather with leather armchairs which lean all the way back and have a leg rest that pops up - basically like sitting in first class on a nice airline carrier. The chairs are in pairs of two, so each set has its own area to place purses, food, etc. Each set of seats also comes with a thick blanket (Rupal did not share with me - but it was nice to know it was there). Before the movie starts, a waitress comes around takes your order for not only the usual movie stuff like popcorn, soda, candy, but also like food like pizzas, hot dogs and ice cream, and most importantly, drinks (beer anyone?) I am not sure how good the movie was, but the accommodations were so good that I fell asleep for about an hour, and let me tell you, this was the best money I have spent in a while.

So this is my life here in Mexico - it is tough, I know, but I have learned to deal with it. I did not get into the live in maid or the driver we have who runs all my errands (like paying bills, picking up dry cleaning, etc), but I suppose this is enough for one day.

Antics

2007-12-07T00:22:00.001-05:00

It could be that I am completely ready for potty training, or I could just be going through some really weird phase that Mommy & Daddy pray I outgrow before my teenage years, but lately I get overtaken by this urge to remove my pants. It happens at random moments of the day(though luckily always at home - so far): I could just be playing in the living room or having quiet time in my crib when I feel this sudden urge to remove my pants and hang out in my diaper.

Well today Mommy walked into my room after naptime to find me again without any pants on. I had strewn them, as well as my diaper, across the room, and was standing up, dancing in my crib, buck nacked from the waist down.

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

2007-11-30T13:20:00.000-05:00

It seems that the older I am getting, the more of an opinion I have about my appearance. At first I was only picky about my clothes, insisting on wearing certain shirts, or refusing to change my pants. But lately I have discovered the beauty of accessories: boots and purses and sunglasses, oh my!!

To that end, I have become obsessed with wearing my sunglasses all the time (and this has nothing to do with Mommy losing hers (Another Loss of An Inanimate Object). I wear them during the day – at the park, to school, while eating meals, drinking milk and generally just hanging around the house – and even at night, when it is so dark with them on that I sometimes bump into things. But I still refuse to take them off (and heaven forbid they fall off – it is a tragedy of gigantic proportions). Daddy says I remind him of that 1980's song by Corey Hart (whover that is).

Last night Mommy did manage to convince me to remove them when I went to sleep – I didn’t really want to, but she’s sick so I thought I’d throw her a bone by complying.

I am turning into quite the little fashionista, wouldn’t you say? At the very least, you can say I have a bold sense of style . . . .

Giving Thanks

2007-11-27T17:08:00.000-05:00

I had expected (and at some level hoped) that Thanksgiving this year would pass without much thought or attention. It’s not that I don’t love the holiday and all that it represents, rather it was being away from home during this time, knowing that family would be gathering and we would be missing out, that made me want the day to go by like any other ordinary Thursday.

But even here in Mexico there were many references to the holiday – with the American television station broadcasting Macy’s Parade preparations, Mexican radio stations acknowledging the day for all Americans living here, and even emails on the Newcomers website by Americans about where to buy turkeys and canned pumpkin.

So I was especially grateful that my friend Christine and her husband Kip invited us over for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at their house. It was wonderful to be able to think about and appreciate the holiday and have good friends to share it with. And this year was a treat for both Sonny and me – he got to eat turkey on thanksgiving for the first time in years, and I got to experience my very first turkey dinner. Even though I didn’t eat any turkey, there were a number of delicious side dishes that Christine had prepared, as well as the traditional pumpkin pie for dessert.

Asha had a great time as well, playing with Christine’s dog Sacha (and feeding her cookies), and hanging out with her pal, baby Charlotte.

Another Loss of an Inanimate Object

2007-11-21T16:42:00.000-05:00

While we had a nice time in Cuernavaca last weekend and desperately needed some fresh air and time away from the city, the experience was marred by a major loss: that of my Fendi sunglasses. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I never, ever buy expensive accessories like sunglasses, wallets and key chains because I have a propensity for losing them. So this splurge on a pair of sunglasses that cost more than the combined cost of every other pair of sunglasses, wallets and key chains I have ever owned was momentous. And it's not just that they were expensive - it's that they made me feel gorgeous and glamorous no matter what else I was wearing. Therefore, I am typically vigilant over them. I suppose, then, that it only takes a second of being careless that your life – and accessory collection – changes forever.

It all starts out innocently enough. You go into the restroom of a fast food café to change your daughter’s diaper, take off the sunglasses and place them on the sink. You become preoccupied by the fact that you must change the diaper while she is standing up (ever so-grateful that it is only wet and not dirty), because there is no changing table, and focus on pulling up her tights and cowboy boots afterwards, all the while guarding the door to avoid getting hit in the arse when it flies open. You forget to grab the glasses on the way out, and three minutes later when you return to get them, they are gone. Just disappeared off the face of the earth (or into someone’s pocket book), and no amount of badgering the cafe employees about whether anyone has turned them in is going to bring them back.

For anyone who has read Asha’s post Lost Manju: Reward If Found, this occurrence is likely to sound familiar. We forget something in a public place, realize it, return within minutes to find it, and it has vanished. Of course it is our own fault for forgetting the item in the first place, but I can’t help but feel annoyed. There have been numerous times I have lost or forgotten items (anyone sensing a theme here?) at stores and restaurants in the U.S., but upon my return to find them, someone has always turned them in to a cashier or manager. So far in Mexico, I have only found people who seemingly pounce on someone else’s forgetfulness and pocket the item in question.

The thing is that I know all Mexicans are not this way, and I am determined not to let these experiences mar my opinion of an entire population. And if I think about it carefully, I can recall a couple of instances in the U.S. where I have actually had my wallet stolen, not because I forgot it somewhere, but because someone actually pick pocketed me – and I don’t let those instances affect my opinion of Americans in general.

As for how I am recovering over this devastating loss: let’s just say that I am following in my daughter’s footsteps when she lost Manju. I wake up at night crying, “Fendi lost, Fendi gone . . . I love Fendi.”

A Lovely Weekend

2007-11-20T01:16:00.000-05:00

We are just finishing off a long weekend here in Mexico because of a holiday called “Day of the Revolution.” I have no idea what revolution we are commemorating (I play the ignorant foreigner on this one), but what I do know is that this was a great chance to get out of the city and get to a colonial town I have been dying to visit called San Miguel de Allende. As usual I waited until the last minute to book a hotel, which on any ordinary weekend would not have mattered, but on this major holiday resulted in every single hotel and bed and breakfast being booked solid. So we had no plans for three days, and I was dying to do something a bit different than just go to Lincoln Park yet again.

So we decided to take a day trip to Cuernavaca on Sunday (on Saturday we did our usual breakfast/market/Lincoln Park during the day, and then went to the movies at night). Cuernavaca is about an hour and 15 minutes from Mexico City and is known for its eternal good weather. It is a popular spot for weddings, and boasts wonderful Spanish courses for foreigners, but mostly it offers Chilangos (Mexico City dwellers) an escape from the city, some fresh air and great hotels with swimming pools. Since we were there only for the day, we walked around the zocalo (town square), ate at a charming outdoor restaurant, and took Asha to 1975-style Chuck-e-Cheese type of place where she rode mechanical horses and boats for $1 a pop. Truly a great way to spend a Sunday.

Today we returned to Chapultepec Park and went boating. It was a lovely day to be outdoors – about 68 degrees, not too sunny – with leaves crunching under our feet along the way. The manmade lake at the park is lovely with great views of some of the cities’ tallest buildings that tower behind the trees that flank the lake. (Chapultepec Park reminds me of Central Park in every way, except that it lacks an ice-skating rink.)

We had the option of renting a peddle-boat or a row boat (they have kayaks as well, but with Asha that wasn’t exactly an option). Given our physical state, Sonny and I opted for the peddle-boat, thinking it would be the easier of the two to maneuver. I’m not sure if we were correct in our assumption, but I certainly haven’t felt so out of shape in a very long time. Unfortunately we forgot our camera both in Cuernavaca and this morning at the park, so I have no pictures of us to upload (this one is from http://community.iexplore.com/, just to give an idea of how pretty the park is), which is really a shame because Asha looked adorable peeking out from under the huge orange life-vest she had to wear when boating.

Diwali

2007-11-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

While I was a bit disappointed to have missed our first Day of the Dead here in Mexico, I was fortunate enough to have been in the States during Diwali this year. Diwali is the four day festival of lights that marks the end of the Hindu calendar year and start of the new year. Of course there is a rich religious history behind the holiday that I cannot get into, in part because I don't recall all the details. What I do know, though, is that some of my most memorable childhood and even adult memories are of this holiday, when my parents and I would do a puja on the first day, and my mom would cook special foods. On the day of Diwali itself, we would hold a puja at my dad's office, with all of our extended family and close friends participating, followed by an elaborate dinner at one of the relatives' homes which was always decorated with lights and candles. It has always been a very special holiday in our home, and I cannot imagine not being around my family to celebrate it.

So I was particularly thrilled to be there this year, when being away from family and friends has been difficult sometimes on the most ordinary of days. And I was glad to have Asha participate in the celebration as well, because the older she gets, the more important I feel it is that she understand and appreciate at least this one religious event. While our family gets together on Thanksgiving and Christmas and has big celebrations, Diwali is the one event that is at its heart Indian and Hindu, and that is something I want to make sure my daughter understands is part of her culture and heritage, no matter where in the world we live.

* Image obtained from http://virtual4redemption.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/diwali.jpg

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

2007-11-02T00:18:00.000-05:00

(Image obtained from http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/data/507/419kskold_dia-de-los-muertos.jpg)

When I am Mexico, I am accustomed to remembering holidays or other important days in the U.S and feeling nostalgic about being away from home. But today I experienced nostalgia about being away from Mexico on an important day. Today marks one of Mexico's most important holidays - Dia de los Muertos. Sounds a bit morbid from the name (and even some of the pictures you might see online, as the Mexicans have this fascination with skeletons), but the sentiment behind this holiday is actually quite beautiful: remembering and honoring loved ones who have passed away.

My understanding is that Mexicans believe that the souls of the deceased come back to visit once a year, and in honor of this visit, they create altars in their homes and at gravesites with pictures and sentimental memorabilia of the deceased. They also cook some traditional Day of the Dead foods, as well as foods that their deceased loved ones used to like. One of these traditional items (and one of my favorites) is called Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead), and it is a cross between a donut and a huge kaiser roll, but softer and coated in sugar. Sounds gross, I know, but it is delicious and unfortunately only available at bakeries in the days leading up to the holiday.

I feel a bit regretful that we are missing our first Dia de los Muertos in Mexico (even the children at Asha's school are creating altars in their class to place photos of lost loved ones) - I really hope to be in Mexico for this holiday next year.

* Image of altar obtained from http://www.pitzer.edu/offices/cccsi/ontario/tj_trip.asp

Trick-or-Treat

2007-11-01T16:05:00.000-05:00

Mommy is really thrilled that we are in New Jersey right now, for more than the obvious reasons of shopping, eating and seeing everyone. She loves the fall weather and the leaves turning colors and drinking pumpkin spice coffee. Most of all, though, she was really excited to take me trick-or-treating. While we went last year, I was still pretty young and naive and didn't have a clue what all the fuss was about. But now I think I'm starting to figure it out - you dress up in fun clothes and go around to people's houses to collect candy in your little Halloween basket - and boy did I have a blast doing that!

We went to Aunt Jackie and Uncle Scott's house, where their son Dylan was Blue's Clues, and Aunt Melanie and Uncle John came too, along with little Johnny who was a skeleton. I dressed up as a fairy - don't we all look precious? I'm not sure what my favorite part of the night was: ringing the doorbells, walking around in the dark outside, or collecting candy in my basket (though I do know that the whole experience was so much more fun because I got to go with my two boyfriends). Or maybe the best part was the HUGE tub of candy Uncle Scott had for the trick-or-treaters, next to which I felt absolutely no shame in parking myself and helping myself to about seven lollipops.

Dancing Queen

2007-10-22T14:47:00.000-05:00

As of late I have acquired a bit of an independent streak: I get strong urges to help Mommy and Daddy around the house with chores as mundane as wiping down the sink after brushing my teeth, to cleaning up the toys in my room, by announcing, “Asha do it.” I also have very strong opinions about what I want to wear each day, and often dress in layers of clothes that do not match because, even though I want to wear a new item of clothing, I cannot bear to remove what I was already wearing. So there are days I walk around the house wearing a bathing suit over my pajamas, go to the park wearing a pink Dora shirt over a blue princess shirt and blindingly bright pink socks. Or, I go to school wearing the same princess shirt I wore to the park the previous day and slept in the night before. I figure cleanliness is overrated, though I suspect it is torturing the obsessive-compulsive side of Mommy's nature to allow me to be seen in public this way, so I think my dirty shirt days are numbered . . . .
I have also acquired some new hobbies: I absolutely love coloring and drawing – on paper, on the dining table and all over the hardwood floors. (Mommy is counting on this addiction to help get us through a five hour flight back home with our sanity intact.) I also love to dance, a skill I am practicing every time I hear any bit of music anywhere. As you can see, I love to shake my little tushy . . . .

My Inner Competitiveness

2007-10-16T15:48:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has crossed my path over the past couple of months knows that I am taking Spanish classes at UNAM (Universidad Autonoma de Mexico). After having tried out Berlitz and International House, this is my third attempt at learning Spanish since we decided to move to Mexico. And I have to admit that I absolutely love my class over at UNAM – for one thing, this satellite “campus” (i.e., building) where I take the classes is a mere four blocks from my apartment (with Starbucks on the way). Plus, my instructor is wonderful, and the material is interesting and easy to follow. The biggest draw for me, though, was the ability to meet a bunch of other English speakers in my class. Of course nothing ever goes according to the image in my head, so the first day of class I walk in to find 5 Koreans, 6 Japanese women and 4 Haitian musicians – none of whom speak any English.

Despite this little glitch, I really like the people in my class, and am forced to practice my Spanish (and my ever-so-quickly-fading French with the Haitian guys) since I can't communicate in English. I also really love being in a classroom again and learning something that requires more brain power than “The Wheels on the Bus.” So I am really into this class, and despite having to endure Sonny’s teasing about how I need to get a life and am taking this class way too seriously, I want to do really well. No, I don’t mean really well. I mean better than everyone else.

All of a sudden I find myself taken over by this overwhelming need to kick everyone else’s butt in the class. I didn’t know that after being out of school for seven years I still had this petty competitiveness in me, but apparently I do. Must be from all those years of law school and private practice alongside some very serious and aggressive individuals. And the fact that I have not had any intellectual stimulation since I stopped working a year and a half ago. But I refuse to hide this shameful, petty part of me any longer, even though I know that someday soon I will need to reign in this unsightly part of my personality for Asha's sake.

But in the meantime, I’m off to work on my oral presentation, because I must make sure that mine is the absolute best one in the class . . . .

*Brother Can You Spare a Dime?

2007-10-11T12:10:00.000-05:00

It probably comes as no surprise that Sonny and I eat out pretty often, even here in Mexico City, where finding vegetarian food – let alone good vegetarian food – is difficult. The weather here is temperate year round so most of the restaurants in Polanco offer sidewalk, café-like seating. One thing that comes along with that, though, is the barrage of vendors who walk past the sidewalk tables every few minutes trying to sell everything from Mexican shawls to plants to lottery tickets. At first this was really annoying – ok, it is still really annoying – but lately it makes me more sad than irritated.

Last weekend we went out to breakfast and throughout the meal robotically replied “Gracias, no” to the various merchants trying to sell us tacky cell phone accessories. As Sonny was checking the bill, I noticed a shawl vendor looking over in our direction. I’m not sure if he was looking at us or was just lost in thought, but I suddenly felt curious about him and others like him. What must he think as, day in and day out as he watches customers eating overpriced meals at trendy restaurants, putting down 500 pesos for a meal without thinking twice? What are the lives like of these men and women who travel from shanty towns to the more affluent neighborhoods of Mexico City calculating how much bargaining they can afford with customers? And how can these people possibly make ends meet by selling relatively inexpensive items which, during the course of our 45-minute meal, it seemed no one was interested in buying?

Poverty is not a new sight to me – after all, I have visited India enough to have many vivid memories of emaciated beggars in tattered clothing, some carrying clearly famished children in their arms. In fact, the impoverished people I see every day in my little area of Mexico City could probably be classified as middle class compared with the abjectly poor people I have encountered in Mumbai, not to mention in rural parts of India. Still, it breaks my heart to see these peddlers, and even children no older than 6 or 7, with dirty hands and faces, trying to sell a pack of gum to restaurant patrons for 4 pesos (40 U.S. cents) while we feed Asha spoonfuls of imported ice-cream. (I won’t even get into the panhandlers sitting outside Lincoln Park, hands outstretched, while their children nap under a bench.)

One of these days I am going to come home from a restaurant not just with leftover food, but with an ugly plant, a gaudy shawl, or a fake leather cell phone case just to ease my conscience for saying “Gracias, no” all those times with a mouth full of $8 pancakes.

*E.Y. Harper

They Say It's My Birthday

2007-10-10T17:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I officially turned two years old, although the celebrations began on Monday when Mommy brought a birthday cake to school for me. After lunch all the children in my class sang “Happy Birthday” and “Las Mañanitas” (the Mexican Birthday Song). Unfortunately Mommy was too enamored with me and all my classmates sitting at our lunch tables and looking so cute that she forgot to videotape the singing, but she did manage to get a few pictures.

Yesterday, on my actual birthday, I awoke to a house decorated with balloons and Dora. Mommy being Mommy, obsessed a bit about not finding any Dora decorations, so she bought a huge Dora drawing book, colored some pictures and hung them around the apartment. (Yes, she knows she needs to get a life, as Daddy has repeatedly told her). It was well worth her and Daddy’s efforts, though, because when I saw everything I was so excited I couldn’t stop squealing in delight.

Then in the afternoon, we had a little birthday party at home. It was very low key by Mexican standards (which usually includes huge piñatas, inflatable castles and/or live animals) – just 7 of my buddies ranging from the ages of 2 ½ to 10 weeks over for cake, ice cream and toys. There were no toddler meltdowns but I think all the excitement of the past two days got to me, because I was feeling a bit cranky and whiny. Luckily I didn’t totally lose it until just after everyone left.

Although I didn’t get to see my grandparents on my birthday, I did talk to them, and I got a bunch of birthday messages from my Mama, Kaka, Mommy’s cousins, aunts and uncles, and even from Daddy’s relatives all the way in India! Plus I got some really cool birthday presents from my amigos, like books and art supplies. Too bad this birthday thing only comes around once a year . . . .

Weekend Getaway

2007-09-26T12:01:00.000-05:00

Having visitors lately has given us the great excuse of doing some sightseeing in and out of Mexico City. We took Dada and Dadi to Xochimilco to ride the garish gondolas (and buy plants for the apartment) and to the the Zocalo (which at night is all lit up in the national colors, as this is independence month). But best of all was our long weekend to Acapulco.

Since Mommy and Daddy are not huge fans of the Jersey shore, this was my first ever excursion to the beach, and I have to say that I just loved it. We stayed in a lovely hotel on the Puerto Marques Bay, in the more serene area of Acapulco. The ocean was warm as bath water and the waves were very gentle, so after my initial caution at trying something new, it was nearly impossible to get me off the beach.

The hotel also had three swimming pools to choose from (while Mommy preferred the infinity pool for her swimming, I stuck to the main pool which had an adjoining kiddie section). I spent an awful lot of time in there, and even made a friend, Lucca. It turns out that he and his parents live not too far from us in Mexico City, so hopefully we’ll be having some play dates in our future.

We also managed to venture out of the hotel to go see a dolphin show at the acquatic park, and then on to the famous cliff divers at La Quebrada (the divers jump into that narrow strait between the cliffs that you can see in the picture below). After such a fun beach vacation, I’m counting down to our trip to Cabo in December!

Abuelos! Abuelos!

2007-09-25T17:06:00.000-05:00

Despite having moved 3000 miles away from home, I sure do see my grandparents a lot – not that I am complaining, mind you.

Last weekend Dada returned, and for the first time brought Dadi with him. We have been having tons of fun together – we went to the park where we rented a remote controlled boat, then boarded the Lincoln Park Express (that’s what I like to call the tractor powered train that runs around the park). I also tried my “feet” at a trampoline – I don’t know if you can tell from the video below, but while I loved the idea of being able to jump on something that I wouldn't get yelled at, I had a hard time actually doing it. In the end I just ended up bouncing all over the place by virtue of the older kids around me jumping.

Mommy and Daddy are enjoying having Dada and Dadi around almost as much as I am – Dadi has been cooking for us a bit, and she and Dada come to pick me up from school with Arturo so that gives Mommy a lot of free time to read, study Spanish, and finally get her hair cut. Plus Daddy has taken a few days off from work, so the house is so lively and full of people.

Viva Mexico!

2007-09-18T20:55:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was the celebration of Mexican independence, and since Mexicans love to party, even their independence celebration lasts two days. It begins on the evening of September 15 when the Mexican president stands atop the National Palace overlooking the Zocalo and addresses the crowds that have congregated below. The celebration reaches a climax when, in a commemoration of Father Hidalgo’s call for independence and liberty back in 1810, the president closes his remarks by ringing the same bell originally rung by Father Hidalgo, and shouting, “VIVA MEXICO!”

And thus begins the independence holiday, which lasts into September 16, the actual day of independence.

Anticipation of El Grito de Indpendencia (The Shout of Independence), however, starts weeks before when streets, houses and buildings are decorated throughout the city in the national colors of green, white and red. Buildings are swathed in the biggest Mexican flags you have ever seen, and vendors set up shop on every street corner selling flags, balloons, sombreros and other memorabilia.

While we thought it would be a fantastic experience to stand amongst the crowds at the Zocalo and experience Mexican nationalism in its highest form, we ended up celebrating the holiday from our apartment, listening to the fireworks in the distance and the blaring car horns below. I was a bit disappointed as I was told that the atmosphere at the Zolaco is like Times Square on New Year’s Eve, only warmer and a bit more dangerous. However, too many people cautioned us against going. After all, the party-going people that they are, the Zolaco was sure to be filled by way too many Mexicans, many having consumed way too many shots of tequila . . . .

An Eclectic Group

2007-09-15T22:20:00.000-05:00

One of things I had envisioned about life as an expat (aside from sipping cappuccinos at sidewalk cafes in different cities each weekend) was meeting people of different nationalities and backgrounds. I imagined going to dinner parties and making friends with Europeans, South Americans, Asians who spoke various languages, had lived all over the world and could share their different perspectives on life overseas.

Well, the other night I was invited to a ladies night at a friend’s house where, in addition to fantastic food, I met a number of really interesting and nice women from all over the world. One thing that amazed me about them was that every single one of them was fluent in at least one language aside from her native tongue. In fact one woman, a Brazilian national, was fluent in four languages: English (after having met her French husband in London), French, and Spanish aside from her native Portuguese. Another thing that was incredible was that most of the women were raising trilingual children – with success – which gave me hope for Asha.

After a few bottles of wine, we moved on to the boisterous portion of the evening with a bilingual game of Pictionary. Imagine eighteen less-than-sober women yelling out guesses to bad drawings in broken Spanish and English . . . .

Get a Room

2007-09-12T15:02:00.000-05:00

I have never really considered myself a prude or anything, but the amount of PDA I see here in Mexico City takes some getting used to (perhaps there is a conservative Indian side of me after all). Everywhere I go – from parks to the movies to fast food restaurants to street corners – I see couples engaging in amorous behavior. I am not just talking about hand holding or the occasional kiss. It is more along the lines of sitting on each other’s laps while embracing and whispering into each other’s ears, long periods of kissing and even the occasional sprawl on the grass with one person laying on top of the other doing God-knows-what. No wonder this is the one of the most populous cities in the world. . . .

(Photo courtesy of http://www.bygonebyways.com)

Starting School

2007-09-11T16:04:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday I started school for the very first time! (We don’t really count those three months in day care when Mommy attempted to go back to the firm because I was so young and it was for such a short time). My new school is a Montessori that I will be attending every day for three and a half hours, although last week I only went for a couple of hours each day. Mommy was a lot more worried about me starting school than I was, especially in light of losing my Manju just a few days before. At the risk of touting my own horn, though, I must admit that I did quite well – I only cried for a minute on my first day, but was quickly distracted by the gentle golden retriever in my classroom, and the other children. I even got to draw with a pen (something Mommy rarely lets me do after the time I drew all over my pants in ink).

Thursday and Friday were a bit rougher because, the smart cookie that I am, realized that this school thing is going to be a daily occurrence. But my teachers, Miss Melissa and Miss Nicky, have told Mommy that once I am inside the classroom I have fun dancing to music, painting and doing crafts (in the picture below you can see the beaded necklace that I made in school today). There are lots of other fun things, too, like a playground outside, puzzles, books, blocks and little pottery and china just the right size for me. I also have my own plant, (which Mommy and I bought especially for school) that I get to water and take care of.

Even though I do miss Mommy while I am in school, I am having a lot of fun. For one thing, I really enjoy learning even more Spanish - so much so that Mommy worries a bit that I will forget English and Gujarati. Plus, I get to put a family picture of Mommy, Daddy and me on the cork board in the story corner, where all the other children have posted photos of their families, so I can feel like they are always with me.

I am also consoled by the fact that two days per week while I am at Montessori, Mommy is in Spanish class, and the other two days she claims to go to the gym – if that is true, I definitely got the better end of the deal than she did!

Lost Manju: Reward if Found

2007-09-04T14:46:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has ever met me has likely met my blanket Manju as well – because I never go anywhere without it. In fact, Manju is world renowned, as my relatives and friends in the US, India and Mexico know it. While Mommy had tried for a long time to get me to use one of my many beautiful and soft baby blankets, there is something about rough, flammable material that is inherent to a dollar store blanket that I find comforting. So she gave up that battle a long time ago.

Well, the other day Nani, Mommy and I took a walk to the grocery store and I accidentally knocked it out of my stroller just before leaving (Mommy is sure of this as she recalls specifically handing it to me as we approached the checkout line). A block and a half later, Mommy realized that it was missing and ran back to Superama to find it, to no avail. In the days since, no one has turned it in to the lost and found. It seems that in the seven minutes between us leaving the store and Mommy returning to find it, someone with really bad taste and even worse karma has taken Manju.

In the meantime, I have been in serious mourning. Manju has been my security blanket, my best friend and constant companion for half my life, and I find it difficult to sleep, drink milk, or even sit in my car seat without it. Even Mommy misses Manju, but she has tried to explain to me that Manju has been lost. Still, it breaks Mommy and Daddy’s hearts when I repeat over and over again, “Manju lost, Manju gone,” or wake up crying, “I love Manju.” So they have tried to find the roughest, cheapest quality blankets to replace Manju, but they are all either too pretty or too soft to be the real thing. After all, as anyone who has ever seen it can attest, there is only one original Manju.

Just Like Old Times

2007-09-04T00:15:00.000-05:00

When I lived in NJ, I used to see my Nani at least a few times a week (not counting the month and a half I lived with her). These were some of my favorite times as we would play games and sing songs and just be silly together. I’m relieved to discover that nothing has changed, even though I haven’t seen her in almost two months. We spent these past few days visiting some fun places together, like the San Angel market, as well as some ordinary ones, like the grocery store. My favorite moments, though, were when she would play her version of “Ring around the Rosy” with me, and rock me to sleep while singing a lullaby. No matter what we do, though, we always have a blast!

Home Cooking

2007-09-03T23:49:00.000-05:00

My mom came to visit this past Thursday for what has been a wonderful but too short trip – at least for me. While I realize that this is her vacation, and she probably wants and needs to relax a bit, not to mention spend every waking moment with Asha, she has spent half of her time cooking for me. We have taught Aurora how to make some basic Indian food (I say basic, but most of this proves even too complicated for me), my mom has made chutneys and dals and dough for rotis – enough to freeze and use at a later date – and home cooked some of my favorite foods (which amazingly taste just as good as at home, despite the restricted ingredients available to her here) nearly every day.

Around the strict cooking schedule I had devised, we did manage to get in some sight seeing and spend a lot of time with Asha. On Friday we went to Teotihuacan to see the Aztec pyramids – as you can see, the Mexican rainy season was true to form, because it began to pour about five minutes after we arrived. That didn’t stop us from climbing as much of the Moon Pyramid as was permitted, and to the top of the Sun Pyramid (the third highest pyramid in the world, according to Lonely Planet). For once I didn’t feel guilty about not going to the gym.

Over the weekend, my mom, Sonny, Asha and I went to the arts market at the Sabado Bazaar in San Angel, a charming district in the city with cobblestone streets and historic buildings. It was a lovely morning and after some shopping we stopped for lunch at a restaurant that had better atmosphere than food. It was worth the mediocre food, however, to sit outdoors on the patio while a mariachi band serenaded us. The shopping didn’t stop there – earlier today we went to a local market for souvenirs, and then to a toy store, as my mom insisted on buying Asha another toy (because as we all know, she is so deprived). Now that my mom’s visit is coming to an end, I realize just how much I miss her, and all of my family. While it is one thing to talk about what’s new on the phone, it is so much better to talk about “nothing” in person. And of course, this visit has just reinforced how much I rely on my mom – not just for cooking but for everything from decorating my apartment, to parenting issues to just chatting about nothing in particular.

Adding Injury to Insult

2007-09-01T23:17:00.000-05:00

For the past few months Mommy and Daddy have been engaging in negotiations on the scale of world peace on the subject of . . . cutting my hair. I have finally started to look like a girl, in part because my hair is very long and can support adorable little hair pins. Unfortunately, I tend to pull out the hair pins after a few moments (Mommy looks so happy when I let her put them in my hair that I don’t have the heart to stop her - but they are quite annoying after a while) and ultimately put them in my mouth. This results in Mommy scolding me while I try to look at her through the hair in my eyes.

So last weekend Mommy finally capitulated and agreed to get me a haircut. Daddy compromised and said that it can remain long in the back and on the sides, but must be short enough in the front to not get in my eyes. Somebody should tell these people that only one parent should be in charge of my grooming, because the end result between such a compromise is that I now look like Jim Carey’s character in the movie “Dumb and Dumber.” (All I am missing is the chipped front tooth.)

As if a bad haircut wasn’t enough to be upset about, yesterday I got so excited to see Aurora after being out all afternoon (combined with being overtired at an hour past naptime) that I ran directly into the wall and slammed my face into the door frame. The end result: a lot of weeping and a little bruise. I think I just wasn’t used to being able to see so clearly without any hair in my eyes.

Living La Vida Ordinary

2007-08-27T11:51:00.000-05:00

I must confess that when Sonny and I began the discussion of moving overseas, my head filled with images of a glamorous and exciting life, akin to that of Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law in “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” Of course they were rich, still, I pictured living in Europe and spending our weekends traveling to various cities throughout the continent, sitting in cafes along the banks of the Seine or the Rhine, visiting museums and churches and monuments.

Well, it has been three months since we have been living in Mexico and this is how we spend our weekends: Sonny takes Asha for a walk to the bakery for fresh croissants and bread early in the morning, then we walk to the market to buy fresh produce and DVDs, take Asha to the park for a bit, go out for breakfast or lunch. Sometimes we go to the mall, or furniture shopping, and once in a while we will drive around Mexico City trying to explore some sights (usually getting lost in the car), but mostly we just spend our time walking around the city and buying flowers or some trinket from a local shop, hanging out at the park watching the remote controlled boats and children riding ATVs, or taking Asha to the zoo or children’s museum.

Clearly, we are not living La Vida Loca. I think this has to do with a combination of the fact that travel within Mexico is not nearly as easy as it is in Europe (there is very limited rail travel within the country), and the fact that Sonny and I are not the most adventurous people in the world, who love to constantly try new things. For a while I have been beating myself up about this fact, thinking that I am not the kind of person who should be an expat, who deserves this type of opportunity, because I do not want to jump in the car every weekend and discover every little and big sight in and around Mexico City.

What I have come to realize is that our current experience of just hanging out on the weekends without any agenda is a very new experience for us. In New Jersey we were fortunate enough to have all of our family and friends, and every weekend there was something to do with someone – a party, a puja, a scheduled event with friends. While it was wonderful and we enjoyed spending so much time with everyone we cared about, we missed out on a lot of family time, just the three of us. Our town offered so many family activities on the weekends – from a Halloween parade to caroling in the town square on Christmas Eve to ordinary fairs throughout the year – that we had to skip because we had extended family events going on at those times.

Well here we are with no family and very few friends so far. We have nothing stopping us from just spending time together as a family, without having to worry about hopping in a car, getting to a particular destination and trying to learn everything “notable” about that sight. Instead, for the first time we are able to just “be” and enjoy the everyday little things about life in a city. And I have to say that while we have plans to travel and visit a number of sights throughout Mexico over the next few months, right now we are just enjoying our every day, ordinary life – which in itself is a new experience for us.

Baby's Day Out

2007-08-14T22:26:00.000-05:00

Since Pearl is here from NJ along with Dada, Mommy figured it was the perfect time to check out all the fun things for children to do in Mexico City – basically all of the things she keeps saying she is going to do with me, but has never gotten around to. So this past Saturday Mommy, Daddy, Pearl, Dada and I piled into the car and went to the Papalote Children’s Museum, which has been described by the NY Times as one of the most technologically sophisticated “touch and do” museums in the world. Both Pearl and I got to try our hands at lots of different exhibits, though to be honest, we couldn’t figure out some of them because none of us are fluent enough in Spanish yet. Still, it was fun to climb, color and put together giant puzzles. Plus, I had my very first movie theater experience at the Imax theater, and I have to say that I am now officially a movie buff. It was so much fun to sit in those huge chairs and watch the room grow dark, and then to see meteors and comets hurtling towards us from the ceiling.

And as if that wasn’t enough excitement for one weekend, on Sunday Mommy took us to La Ciudad de los Ninos (City of Children). The entire event was adventurous because for starters, Mommy drove us all the way to Santa Fe all by herself, since Arturo had the day off and Daddy was sick. Then of course we went into the “city”, which is basically a miniature version of a real city, with all of the inhabitants of a real city, such as banks, supermarkets, newspaper offices, cooking schools, hospitals and more. Children can participate in the regular workings of all the business by performing such activities as sewing and altering clothes on child-sized sewing machines at the mini-tailor, or taking a culinary class in child-sized kitchens at the cooking school. Pearl decided to make chocolate bars at the Nestle factory, and while I was too young for most of the activities, I did ride on a train – all by myself for the first time. Below you can see a picture of me holding on for dear life. I can’t wait until I am just a little bit older and really able to enjoy this place!

Surprise!

2007-08-11T23:48:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I had the best surprise of my life – Dada and my friend Pearl Didi came to visit me in Mexico! I had no idea that they were going to come because everyone kept it a big secret from me - and while they succeeded at surprising me, I didn’t quite have the excited and frenzied reaction everyone had hoped for. In fact, you could say that I freaked out a bit at seeing them standing in my foyer, and started crying for Mommy and Aurora. So much so that Mommy had to stop videotaping so she could pick me up. I don’t quite know what came over me, but after a few minutes, I was okay and really started having a blast with them. Of course it didn’t hurt that Pearl brought me lots of presents.

After all the excitement of the morning, Thursday afternoon we went to Granja de los Americas (Farm of the Americas) where they had lots of baby animals we could touch and pet – calfs, kids, ponies, and even bunnies. I think Pearl liked the bunnies the best because we could pick them up, feed them and uddle with them. I even went on my first-ever (pseudo) pony ride. Mommy was quite surprised that I enthusiastically climbed up on the pony all ready to ride – it was only when the pony started walking away from Mommy, Dada and Pearl that I started to scream “Downie! Want Downie!” Still, it was a great photo op, and otherwise I had a blast with the animals.

To add to the surprises, on Friday Daddy came home from work early bringing with him our brand new car! We got a VW Bora, which is a model we don’t see in the US, but can best be described as in between a Jetta and a Passat. Mommy and Daddy decided on this car because we can’t have anything too big – if you saw our garage and parking spots you would understand why. They had placed the order for the car a few weeks ago, but being on Mexican Standard Time, we figured we wouldn’t get it until at least September. Instead, here it is!

Defeated

2007-08-08T21:55:00.000-05:00

The amount of time I waste here in Mexico is astounding. Countless hours sitting in Starbucks surfing the Web notwithstanding (as those squandered hours are of my own choice and making), in the past two weeks I must have spent an average of six hours making wasted trips to the bank, the cell phone store, Office Max, and even the doctor’s office. Ultimately I leave these places feeling frustrated at having spent so much time sitting in traffic to get to there and waiting for help once I am there, and then defeated at not having accomplished the necessary task.

Here is some insight into some of my recent frustrations with life in Mexico:

I arrive at 5:25 for a 5:30 doctor’s appointment for Asha; I wait thirty minutes, then ask the receptionist how much longer she thinks it will be until we are seen; she replies that she has no idea, but that there are still two patients ahead of Asha, and that the doctor has been in with the same patient since I arrived half an hour ago . . . .

I go to Office Max to purchase a cheap desk; I attempt to pay for the desk but am told that all desks of that model are out of stock in this store; I am informed that if I wish to buy it today (Tuesday), it can be ordered and delivered to my house on Thursday and assembled for free; not trusting that delivery on Thursday means two days from now versus some random Thursday in 2008, I decide to check at Office Depot instead. Finding nothing but overpriced and unsightly looking desks, I return to Office Max, deciding to take a risk on the delivery. I am then told, by the exact same employee who assured me of delivery Thursday that the desk was not in stock, in any Office Max in all of Mexico City, and that I could not purchase it. He did, however, have a lovely floor model with scratches that I could buy for the same price as a new one, and then hire someone to take it apart from the store and deliver it to my house, for an additional cost.

I try to obtain a credit card from HSBC, where it took us three months and four trips to simply get a joint checking account; I am told to return several times with additional pieces of information, each time only to be told that I forgot something that I was never before told to bring. To add insult to injury, I am finally informed that I cannot obtain a credit card without my husband’s signature on the application form because, even though I am a joint owner of the account, I do not earn my own money.

So at this point I have no money of my own (according to the Mexicans), no credit card (and accordingly no cell phone because after three trips to the cell phone store, I was finally told that I would not be able to purchase a phone or a plan without a Mexican credit card), and no desk at which I could sit to do any work, if hypothetically I had a job.

What I do have, however, is a slightly battered spirit still determined to face more frustrating but hopefully fruitful trips to the bank, doctor, cell phone and office supply stores this upcoming week.

Split Personality

2007-08-05T01:44:00.000-05:00

Since I have been back in Mexico, I have resorted to what I like to dub my “adjustment period behavior” which in layman’s terms is basic Terrible Two’s toddler-hood. I just like to call it that because it gives me more leeway with Mommy and Daddy, as they think my behavior is due to missing everyone back in NJ. To give you an idea of what’s been going on around here (and to help you thank your lucky stars that you are in the US and not here), here is the rundown: I was waking up about 2-3 times per night (I just recently started sleeping through the night again), and I spend about 50% of my waking time either: (a) whining incessantly for milk, water, candy, books, my blankie, or anything else that comes to mind; (b) getting frustrated and throwing pens, block, books and puzzles when they don’t perform exactly how I want them to, at the exact moment I want them to; and (c) crying hysterically when something gets wet or dirty, whether it is on me, or someone else.
But all is forgiven because I spend the remainder of my time giving lots of hugs and kisses to Mommy and Daddy without even being asked, just because I love them; running away and squealing in delight when I think someone is looking for me; hiding behind doors; counting to ten in Spanish (and sometimes English); and asking very nicely to watch “Put Down the Duckie."

It's a Hard Knock Life . . . For Us

2007-08-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

Living in Latin America has a lot of perks – one of the best being that labor (unlike goods) is cheap. That means that for about double what I used to pay a cleaning lady to come to my house twice a month for a total of six hours, I can have a full-time live-in housekeeper, who cleans, cooks, washes all the day’s dishes, does laundry and irons. And to top it off, she is a de facto babysitter for Asha pretty much whenever we need. Cheap labor also means that we can hire a driver who works 40 hours per week, for about the same amount we pay the housekeeper. Our driver, however, happens to be paid for through Sonny’s company for six months, and costs nearly triple a regular driver because of his security and defensive driving training.

Needless to say, we are not planning on using his services once our six months are up – not because we don’t love his help around the house with hanging pictures and assembling Asha’s toys, his running to various stores and banks to pay our utility bills (Mexicans haven’t quite got the hang of online bill pay just yet), and his help pushing my grocery cart and handing me plastic bags in the produce section at the grocery store. Rather it is because, quite simply, we are cheap. Plus, I need to buy my own car because I am not supposed to drive the company car, and since I plan to drive here, there is really little point in having a driver long-term. Of course, we’ll see in November whether we were actually able to give up the comfort that Arturo provides with never having to worry about directions to get somewhere or parking once we arrive.

While all this help around the house has been really nice – I mean really nice – there are some real adjustments that come with having people in the house all day, every day. Even a spacious apartment can start to feel cramped because there are always people around, seeing me in my pajamas if I am having a late morning, observing all my interactions with Asha, and probably even wondering if I am actually going to go to the gym that day. It is also odd not being the one who decides what we eat for dinner (or if we order take in yet again), what brand of cheese to buy or what color eggs are better.

And then there is the matter of driving. While I am learning the roads and have been driving, I constantly have Arturo with me to help me with directions. Somehow he also sees as his job to remind me that my hands should be at the ten and two o’clock position on the steering wheel, notify me of red lights up ahead that I can see as well as he, and inform me that truck drivers cannot see me through their right side mirrors (all of this in case I never took a driver’s ed course, and have no common sense).

I would never have thought having such great help – and for such a reasonable price – could have it’s downside as well. Still, unless I am prepared to cook dinner every day, pick up a toilet brush and clean, and lug my own groceries up from the car, I should probably just keep my mouth shut and enjoy the perks.

Playing Catch-Up

2007-07-27T21:05:00.001-05:00

Mommy is pretty sure that most people who read our blog do so to see pictures of me and to find out my latest happenings, so I realize that I have a lot of catching up to do, beginning with my trip to New Jersey. While we there and Mommy was busy eating, shopping and swimming every day, I was having a blast with my grandparents. I stayed at Nani’s house, where one of my favorite things to do was water her outdoor plants and shrubs each morning. I also had a blast at the mall with her, Ba (my great-grandma) and Mommy, where I got to ride a little train and sit on a carousel. Of course, since I love hanging out with Dada and Dadi too, I was at their house nearly every day as well.

We also saw a lot of extended family because of Sonal Masi’s wedding, in which I attempted to play the part of flower girl. Unfortunately for anyone within earshot, I somehow got stage fright at the last minute, and about 3 steps down the aisle, started screaming and running towards Dada. A shame, really,given all my practice with Dadi. But I figure that I'll be an old pro at it by the time Rachana Masi or Sonu Fia get married.

As Mommy had mentioned, we also had a chance to see a bunch of my pals, and even go to Sesame Place. What a terrific summer vacation!