I´ve done a little travel in my time, and one would think that I´d be aware of some basics. Alas, this was not case yesterday! There I was in the transit lounge at Mexico City Airport, with about three hours to kill before my flight to Oaxaca. Ate unas quesadillas sabrosos, reviewed the imperfecto and preterite tenses, and learned how to say, "Not if you were the last person on Earth!" in Spanish from my Mexican Spanish phrasebook...which, by the way is,"¡Ni aunque fueras la ultima persona en el mundo! Didn´t even occur to me that I had to go through immigration PRIOR to getting on my connecting flight; the nice lady at the gate was kind enough to inform me of that requirement. Needless to say, by the time scurried to and from the immigration counter at the other end of the terminal, my flight had left without me. Though my backpack was savvy enough to get on! From a security point of view, I am thrilled to know that a bag can get on a flight in Mexico minus its owner. However, at that time some choice words came to mind, like puta madre and chinga! I was able to get in touch with my host family in Oaxaca just before they left for the airport to pick me up, and get them to hold their burros until further notice. Thankfully, I was able to get on the next flight, which allowed me time for an adult beverage or two.
Señora Carmen Garcia is the sweetest lady, I´m guessing in her 50s. Her son Ruben (26) is an incredible artist, and his paintings fill their home. She has two other children: a daughter who lives in Mexico City and a son who is in Tabasco (the city, not the hot sauce). Neither of them speaks much English, which is perfect for a Spanish student. Carmen is a chatterbox, and is proving to be great practice. She is also a great cook, which I´m sure will prove to be great for my waistline!
Today was my first Spanish class in Oaxaca. Had to take a placement test, and managed to scrap through into Intermediate. It seems my month and a half off from Spanish has turned the language portion of my brown brain into a bit of mush. But, I´m sure it will all come back to me in a few days. Trust me to travel all the way to Oaxaca and have a classmate who is originally from Bangalore! What´s that famous saying? "Indians are like sand; they get in everywhere!" Or something along those lines! ;)
Oh, did I mention I was mistaken TWICE for a Mexican! Jejeje! :)
It appears to be time for my siesta...Chau, mis amigos!
