Ok loyal readers! Thanks to some motivation from my sister, here I go! I haven’t written much about leaving Cuernavaca and life back in Puebla, so that’s where I’m going tonight. I actually went back to Cuernavaca last weekend to visit because my good friend there, Memo, is going to the states for the next 4 months or so. I love visiting Memo’s family, they are really kind and make me feel like part of the family. Between Memo’s mom and my house mom, Isabel, I have two women who have claimed me as their child since I’ve been in Mexico J It’s a good feeling to know that I have people here in Mexico who worry about me and who would be happy to help me if I needed it! Anyway, I had a nice trip back to Cuernavaca and a good night out with friends!
Since I returned to Puebla after language school, I’ve been readjusting to life here and getting comfortable! I miss the home cooking that I got in Cuernavaca. I don’t think Isabel ever made anything that I didn’t like. It might have made me sweat and cry, and maybe even made my nose run, but I always liked it! One of my favorite things that she made and one of my favorite foods here is nopales. Nopales are the flat leaves of cacti and they are really tasty! Usually people slice them into strips and cook them with cheese, onions, etc for tacos. Isabel made a salad of nopales, tomatoes, cilantro, and onion that I loved. I am going to try to make it one of these days. Also, at Isabel and Victor’s there were always at least two types of homemade salsa on the table. People put salsa on almost everything here. Oh, and lime, people put lime on everything too. So salsa and lime in soups, on rice, on meat, on sandwiches, everything. Since I returned to Puebla and I cook for myself, I eat a lot of beans, cheese, and avocado in some combination! Usually I eat beans and cheese on bread in the toaster oven with pico de gallo on top, and some avocado somewhere in there.
My days are pretty long here in Puebla. Usually I leave my apartment at about 8:30, take the bus to wherever I’m working, and arrive to work around 9. Depending on where I am that day, I get home between 6 and 6:30, or if I stop in the market a little later. Yesterday, I went with the three ladies I like to call the traveling therapists, and despite driving way out into the suburbs and going to people’s homes, we had 2 no shows! That allowed us to have an amazing lunch and still return home by about 3:30. Since I got home so early, I walked to the center of the city and did some exploring there.
Due to my work schedule and traveling on the weekends I haven’t had a ton of time to explore Puebla yet, but one of my favorite places is the market (el mercado). I have to walk through it on Mondays and Wednesdays to get to and from work. Last week I decided to stop at a stand to buy some avocadoes and tomatoes. I asked the teenage girl working there if it was possible just to buy a few of each, rather than a kilo. The girl realized right away that I wasn’t a local and asked me to help her with her English homework! I helped her translate a few things and after we finished she refused to take any money for the produce. Turns out she and her family have been a part of the organization that I’m working for for a few years. Now, I usually go back to their stand when I need avocados. Fruit and vegetables are much cheaper in the market than in the grocery store. I won’t talk too much about the market, because one of these days I’ll take pictures and write a whole blog about it! As far as food goes in Mexico, I think I get along well here because this country loves sweets almost as much as I do! One of my favorite things looked kind of scary to me at first. I had seen it in the grocery store here, before going to Cuernavaca, but never tried it because it looked nasty. One day, Victor brought some out after lunch and it was delicious. I don’t know what it is called, but it is like a big solid block of fruit rollup. Not the usual kind, but the organic kind that is more fruity and more delicious than the regular version. Anyway, I love it. Mmmm.
Here in Mexico, everyone is preparing for Day of the Dead which occurs right after our Halloween. American commercialism concerning Halloween has caught on somewhat here and some of our traditions are being adopted. With that being said, Dia de los Muertos is still the major holiday here, and there are lots of little candy skulls hanging around. Ok, after writing this blog I realize I am not taking enough pictures. That's my goal until I write again!! Hope you all are well!
Em
