Ok so I have to start with last night because it was just so damn awesome!!! Red Hot Chilli Peppers concert in Mexico City!!! Actually it didn’t start off so great. There were 11 of us (7 french, 1 dutch, 1 swedish, 1 peruvian, 1 mexican and me). The weather was a bit dreary when we left and it took us 2 hours to get to the stadium from our house – and as usual we were running late. As soon as we arrived at the station for the stadium it started raining…suddenly it was pissing down and we find out it is actually an open-air concert!!! So we are soaking wet, cold and it is time for the support acts to start. Lets just say we were not really in the mood.
So we decided, that instead of watching the support bands we would go to a nearby bar and consume a litre of beer each and a bottle of tequila between us :) We were now in much better spirits and by this time the rain had all but stopped. The Peppers were awesome and it was almost completely a stand-up concert with a mosh of thousands of people. Luckily we had some guys to lift us onto their shoulders to get a fantastic view of the band and the crowd.
I think that the photos in my journal pretty much show the places Ive been visiting and its probably boring to hear a big long spiel describing places that you’ve never been so I’ll just skip that and give you guys a bit of an idea of what life generally is like for me.
Really I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging but it is amazing. I mean its not all great – last weekend my bag was stolen with my camera, phone, keys, jumper etc. That really sucked and was a massive hassle. Also it is incredibly hard to be a vegetarian here when eating out or at people’s houses. They literally just do not understand. Mexicans’ first reaction is usually to laugh to ask if I’m serious. When they finally realize that I am actually not going to eat meat I usually end up with a meal consisting largely of cheese:) (which here is generally completely tasteless – I haven’t yet figured out the point of adding the extra fat to your meal with no actual flavor) I have eaten more cheese in the past 2 months than in a year in Australia. Also everything here has so much sugar in it (well not sugar but sugar-replacement usually) – the milk, bread, yoghurt, cereal – its frustrating. That being said, I have tried so many new meals and had some really great food. In fact, I have been eating out so often – its fantastic.
Uni life here is very easy for me. I do not study except for the homework that is required for marks and about 2 or 3 hours before the exam (I know many of you probably do not believe me but it is absolutely true). In spite of this I am still getting really good grades. So, as I am not working either I have lots of spare time. Its great.
The people in Mexico are really amazing. Generally, they are all so friendly, helpful and generous. Despite the fact that most of the international students are only staying one semester the Mexicans at uni are all keen to make friends, invite you (and usually drive you too) to parties and take you places.
Speaking of parties – there is still so much of that. Usually it is every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Its really crazy – Mexicans do not believe in sleep. Most of the time you pay $15-$25 to enter a bar and it is open bar all night. Also, women usually pay less than men which is awesome for me:)
Now mum, I know you think all the drinking is very bad but there is one positive side to it – my Spanish is so much better when I’m drunk ;) But really, my Spanish has improved A LOT in the past month. At first it was really difficult because a lot of Mexicans do not speak English and if they do it is often very basic and they don’t like to speak it a lot. I really didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere for the first few weeks and I was a little frustrated. But now, I am starting to learn a lot faster. I actually do learn a lot more from going to parties and speaking with Mexican friends than going to class every day – but I guess class is necessary for the grammar.
Well I don’t know how many of you are still reading so I’ll stop here and add some pics which I’m sure is much more interesting.
Xxoo.
