Tour Guide

It's been a long time coming, but we finally have the place cleaned up enough for an visual tour!! Feliz Navidad to everyone, I hope you enjoy our pad. Remember it's an open invite, just let us know if you're ever interested in coming down.

Tour

As a special treat, I'm attaching a Top 10 'Things to Get Used To in Mexico' List:

#10 - Expecting any banking operation to take a minimum of one hour and all results to be disappointing.

#9 - 8:00 a.m. weekend wake up call to some guy screaming "GASSSSSSSS" outside the window

#8 - No toilet seats/toilet paper (or having to pay for them) in some public bathrooms!! Nice and cozy when you need to drop a deuce...

#7 - Cramming into a beat up 1970's 'Pesero' VW bus with no doors, with 10 other Mexicans and 2+ million vehicle traffic

#6- Montezuma's revenge.

#5 - Cold showers when not listening to #9 above and refilling the tank

#4 - No pepper at restaurants, even upon request

#3 - People telling you the wrong directions to a location even if they're not sure just to be 'nice' and not look like they don't know.

#2 - Having to hunt mosquitoes in the middle of winter

#1 - Delicious tacos any hour of the day!!!!!!

Mucho Amor!

Feliz Navidad!

Thank you to those of you followers who are dear enough to check our site after nearly a two-month absence!

Our home computer has bit the dust and we're looking forward to the delivery of a new laptop tomorrow that will arrive with an even better package - Josh's sister, Christina, who will spend the holidays with us. We will be happy to have more convenient home access and the ability to post photos again!

Feliz Navidad a todos! We miss our family and friends more than ever right now and in all honesty, as excited as we are to be here, it just doesn't seem like Christmas without the snow from all the stories we've been hearing about from home! We're also anxiously awaiting the arrival of one of my besties, Nicki, who will join us the day after Christmas.

In the last month we've experienced incredible travels to San Miguel de Allende, Dolores Hidalgo, Oaxaca City and the beaches of Oaxaca state. We've enjoyed every minute of our time exploring and highlights include visiting the birthplace of independence, our charming bungalow in San Agustinillo, the breathtaking views from the Monte Alban pyramids, and strolling the narrow streets of San Miguel. And oh, I almost forgot to include sampling fried grasshoppers with chile and lime to the list!

We also celebrated Josh's 29th birthday in grand form with a gathering of friends at an antro before boarding a party bus and combining with another friend's birthday fiesta!

We're looking forward to playing host over the next 10 days and showing off the country we hold so close to our hearts. We'll celebrate Christmas day with Christina and a couple of good friends we've met here in the city. A shout out to Dad, Cath, Bob and Molly for hooking us up with a little Christmas tree and decorations-a-plenty, including the awesome ginger bread men tattoos I shared with the kiddios at school! We'll do plenty of local site seeing, as well as bus it to the beach for a few days of relaxing with the gals.

Most of all, we give special thanks during this time for our families and friends who continue to remind us how much they love and miss us, which makes the feeling of distance seem to shrink. We miss each of you too! We're also grateful for new friends, opportunities and this unforgettable time to discover a part of the world and its people who are beautiful, intriguing and generous, yet so many face difficult adversitites. Thank you for sharing your country with us!

Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season and a healthy, joyous new year. Cheers to 2010 for renewed hope, peace and goodwill!

Our love,

Olivia and Josh

Hittin' the beach and Dia de los Muertos

Hi all, we figured "hey, we took off a few weeks, why not give you all a twofer this Sunday?"

Josh returned to Mexico in fine form and got right back into the swing of his tutoring schedule. He likes the students well and does a stellar job of schooling them in math and science (glad that I stick to Social Studies and Language!)

We couldn't resist another beach getaway, so last week we ventured to Pie de la Cuesta with friends again (unfortunately we forgot the camera so we won't be enlightening you with photos of paradise). Anyhow, we stayed at the same laid-back beach resort and spent the weekend sunning, swimming, reading, relaxing and noshing on seafood. This time, we tried a regional specialty called Huanchinango en ajo. I think it will definitely be a new beach favorite for us!

This weekend we started early with our celebration of Dia de los Muertos, which is tomorrow. I whipped up some Margarita flavored Jell-O shots and we headed to a school staff costume party. Josh masqueraded as a devil and I put on my best impersonation of a giraffe.

Tomorrow I hope to visit Ciudad Universtario where the city's most famous Dia de los Muertos altar will be on display. Every year organizers pick a famous person's life to celebrate and this year Mexico will pay tribute to Edgar Alan Poe. It's been neat to watch Mexico prepare for the holiday with flowers and ornaments.

We booked Thanksgiving plans today and it looks like we'll be celebrating with fish instead of turkey this year. We have the entire week of so we'll bus to Oaxaca City for a couple of days and then on to a couple of Oaxaca beach towns, including Huatulco and Mazunte. Saying that we're "pumped" is an understatement!

We hope each of you has a great week and thanks for keeping up with us in Mexico. We miss you mucho and think of you all often!

Paz,
Olivia

And...We're Back!

Wow! Apologies for abandoning our blog for a few weeks while we traveled to the U.S. and around Mexico. Thanks so much for checking back in with us!

We had a wonderful time in the U.S. where we celebrated the marriage of Josh's mom Donna and her husband Randy. It was a lovely wedding and we were thrilled to see family while we were home. It was a short three-day trip for me, though Josh was able to stay for 10 days and made it to Des Moines to visit friends. A HUGE thank you to our families for making our trip home so special. It was a whirlwind for me, but I don't remember ever being so happy to be home! We were also beyond excited to see the few friends that we could meet up with while we were back.



While Josh was gone, I took off for a weekend trip with a friend, Tina, to visit Malinalco, a small colonial village about two or three hours from the city. We arrived and settled into a little hotel and headed for Tina's favorite restaurant, which was serving a seasonal and regional specialty called Chile en Nogada -- a beef and dried fruit stuffed green chile smothered in a ground walnut cream sauce topped with pomegranate seeds (the colors of la bandera de Mexico - que rico!). The Chile in Nogada was all that Tina said it would be! We had a great evening of visiting outside in the lush courtyard in the ambiance of candle light, since we were without power for the night!

We spent Saturday venturing up the mountains to visit Aztec ruins and then passed through another nearby village that is known for its automobile blessing ceremonies (yep, car blessings -- who knew?!) complete with flower wreaths, buckets of holy water to wash the cars, dancing and music. We walked terrific markets and filled up on our fair share of Micheladas. Yum!



It was an awesome road trip, but nevertheless, I was extremely glad to have Josh home the next week after flying solo in Mexico!

Check our next post to read about our celebration of Dia de Los Muertos and our excitement about looking forward to Thanksgiving plans!

Again, sorry to leave you all (er, I mean our three readers) hanging for a few weeks. Hope you're all well and had a super Halloween!

Homecoming

Hello everyone, Josh here on Tuesday morning here in the City. We had another enjoyable weekend, although it doesn't quite compare to two weeks ago in Pie de la Cuesta.

We're into our routines during the week with Olivia up and at em' bright and early, out the door by 7:00 a.m. M-Thur I'm at the school by 2:15 for tutoring and get home anywhere from 6 - 8 p.m. I'm looking to bump up the tutoring from 11 to 15 hours a week, and am talking to the school about a work visa to potentially substitute during the days.

This weekend was relaxing, Olivia got her hair all done up on Saturday and we watched some college football at the local Chili's. We ate at a cool Brazilian steakhouse that night, it was quite an experience. They brought out at least 15 cuts of various meats to try, with the strangest one being little chicken hearts on a skewer. I tried it but would prefer a nice steak anyday of the week. We left stuffed and Sunday Olivia worked on some schoolwork and I caught a few NFL games. It's been great since some friends from school that live a few blocks away recently got cable, so I was able to catch the MNF at their place with som other people. My Rams are awful this year but the Colts are looking good.

What's most exciting is that we'll be back in the States for my Mom's wedding this Sunday. Randy Wilshusen will be joinging our ranks and I'm looking forward to walking my mom down the aisle. Should be good times all around.

Hope everyone has been enjoying the updates thus far. More to come.

The Fashion Before Paradise

We just wrapped up one of our best weeks yet! Last month I met an awesome friend, Abigail, who is from nearby Toluca, but now lives and works here in the city. She is an event planner at the Italian Embassy and scores all kinds of sweet perks that go along with job, like tickets to Fashion Week in Mexico City. So, my friend, Tricia, and I rushed home from school, put on Fashion Week-worthy dress and headed out. We had a blast and caught shows from two different Mexican designer. I ripped off a few photos from Abigail's Facebook page to share. Check 'em out!


Mexico City Fashion Week

The anticipation of a weekend at the beach was about to explode by the time we boarded a bus bound for Acapulco on Friday night. We were beach ready! We arrived in Acapulco with another couple, who we've met through the school, around midnight and took a cab to our nearby destination -- Pie de la Cuesta, which means "Foot of the hill." Pie de la Cuesta, which is said to be the location where author Gabriel Garcia Marquez took inspiration for "One Hundred Years of Solitude," is a quaint, sleepy village about 45 minutes from Acapulco, away from towering hotels and bustling nightlife. We relished every moment of our relaxing weekend with time under the sun, walks on the beach, horse back rides, massages, drinks at the swim-up bar and fresh sea food. It was paradise! Check out photos from our charming eco-resort and beach below.



Pie de la Cuesta

It's time for me to hit the bed before a busy day at school tomorrow (which is actually a "pajama themed" day - yippee!). We'll post more soon about what we're up to this week, including some noticeable improvement with the Espanol (finally!).

A special shout out to our friends in Omaha, the Grahams, who just welcomed their first son Niles into the world this week. We're looking forward to a quick trip home to Omaha/Greenfield in a couple of weeks when we'll help Josh's mom and her fiancee Randy celebrate their wedding day. Can't wait!

Miss you all and, again, thanks for keeping up with what we've been up to!

Besos,
Olivia

Holy Mexico!

I’m happy to report that my appetite for Mexican food has healthfully returned. My distaste for Mexican food was most definitely a byproduct of being sick a couple of weeks ago. But late, late last night after a girls' night out with friends from school, I couldn’t help but order a taco al pastor when we made a stop at a taqueria on the way home.

That brings up a great point -- I don’t think we’ve written about the heavenly tacos al pastor that go for about $.45 here. Tacos al pastor would be perfect after-hours food in a college town, or, actually anywhere.

Last Sunday we finally visited La Villa de Guadalupe, or the area on the outskirts of the city that is revered by Catholics (and others) from all over the world. This is the site where the apparition of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (the Virgin Mary) is said to have appeared before an indigenous Mexican peasant named Juan Diego. While I have always been intrigued by the story of Juan Diego and his visions and message from La Virgen, I realize you might not share the same interest. To read more about the story and how the image of La Virgen permanently became to exist on the tilma (cloak) or Juan Diego, click here.

Anyhow, visiting La Villa been something that I've wanted to experience for years. Several years ago I visited a Basilica in San Antonio, TX with my dear grandmother to catch a tiny glimpse of a small piece of Juan Diego’s tilma that was miraculously imprinted with the image of La Virgen – it was a relic the size of my pinky fingernail enclosed in glass – and we were among hundreds of others who waited for hours to see and pray before the small piece of fabric. So, for me, to view the entire tilma with the image of La Virgen was an experience I will cherish forever.

Thousands of other visitors were also visiting La Villa, which includes a Basilica built in the 1700s and a newer Basilica that was built in 1976 after the older one began to sink (how many of you remember from history class that the Aztects built Mexico City on top of drained lake??). We walked the entire grounds, including the gardens, chapels and up to the hill of Tepeyac where the La Virgen is said to have appeared before Juan Diego. It was incredibly humbling and moving to witness the few visitors who made the pilgrimage to La Valle and up the hill slowly crawling on their knees.

At the Basilica, masses are held every hour and the atmosphere was filled with song, prayer and art. We even took a peek at the “Pope Mobile” that Pope John Paul II paraded through Mexico City in. Even though the validity of the apparition is controversial, there is no denying that Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe and her famous imagage are iconic and unifying sybols of Mexico.




On Wednesday we enjoyed our first holiday with the celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day. Talk about patriotic – these people know how to celebrate their cultura and history! We had a blast downtown and toasted the occasion at a cantina where a friend played DJ for the night.

Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

Josh is pleased with his tutoring schedule and has enjoyed working with students, most of whom are at an elementary or middle school age. Spanish is slowly progressing for me and I'll likely start exchanging English services for Spanish tutoring in the next weeks. So far, I'm making decent progress.

We’re working for the weekend this week as we count down the days to a trip to Pie de la Cuesta, a relaxing beach town on the Pacific not far from Acapulco!

We hope each of you are doing well at home - we miss you and love hearing from you!

Hasta Luego,
Olivia

TGIF!

Hola todos, how's it going? I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday. This guy is very excited abbout two great college football matchups in Notre Dame vs . Michigan and Iowa State vs. Iowa tomorrow.

Olivia and I are headed out for a bite to eat w/ some friends from school, but I thought I'd give a quick update on the job situation. Starting next week I'll have 5 different kids I'm tutoring Monday thru Thursday from 2:30 to as late as 7:30. So my afternoons are getting booked up, and I'm still looking for something in the a.m.'s to keep me busy.

I've also found a workout partner with Olivia's boss, assistant principal Robert Walton, and week 1 is officially over with the M-W-F routine. I'm looking forward to getting back in in shape for my mom's wedding come October 10th. That's right, Donna lola will be tying the knot in less than a month, so it's exciting times in Omaha!

Not too much else on this end, looking forward to some ultimate frisbee tomorrow morning and hopefully watching the ND vs. Michigan game. Olivia and I are debating on the Basilica de Guadalupe for Sunday. Adios por ahora!

There is no place like Nebraska!

Hello all, I thought I would put in a quick plug for Nebraska, who enjoyed a 49-3 football win this Saturday, albeit against a mediocre opponent. Unfortunately I wasn't able to watch the game as it was a PPV showing, but I was anxiously keeping an eye on the ticker as I watched Notre Dame pummel Nevada in their opener 35-0. Let's go Huskers and Notre Dame!

On another note, I was suprised to see Iowa struggle against UNI in a game they had every right to lose. They play Olivia's alma mater ISU this weekend which should be an interesting matchup. Gotta love that college football!!

Jobby Job!

And here you all were thinking I was a domesticated man now!
Josh has a Job!! 3 to be more precise. That's right, 3 paying jobs. You want to hear about them? Do you???

Job #1 - 3 guaranteed hours/week tutoring an 8th grade boy at his home in Math and Physics, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-6:30.
Job #2 - 6 guaranteed hours/week tutoring a 7th grade boy at ASF (Olivia's school) in Organizational Skills, Math and Social Studies right after school from 2:30 - 3:40 M-F.
Job #3 - however many guaranteed hours I can handle writing for my good friend Tyler Forret and his websites about NCAA D-1 football, a subject very near and dear to my heart. Like Olivia.

So, there's a start on the Josh job front, and I'm still looking to get something for the mornings teaching English to business people/working for the embassy/working for various 3rd parties/playing online poker/playing spades for money/etc. The possibilities are truly endless :0)

What else do you loyal followers want to know?? I'll continue to get on Olivia about taking some Spanish classes or getting tutored and I need to get on it myself. 5 weeks in and I still don't know the word for grapefruit!

Flu anyone??

5 weeks into our stay already!! Craziness...

Well it wasn't the swine flu, but Olivia and I were two sick puppies recently. Olivia had signs of it last Sunday night with Liz still here, but went to school Monday and tried to fight through it. I started feeling it on Monday, and by "it" I mean fever, cold chills, nausea and extreme diahhrea. Yeah, I said it, the d-word, and it was bad, but I'll spare you all anymore ugly details. Definitely worse than any flu I've had stateside. Our theory is that the gringas that we ate in Taxco came back to haunt us. Verganza de Montezuma!

So Tuesday we were both out for the count, and on Wednesday, our 2-year wedding anniversary, we were still sick and laying in bed all day. What a way to celebrate!! I did want to give a special THANK YOU to Ester (Grammy)/Anita & Michael/Randy and Mom for our nice anniversary and b-day cards!! We got them all and they're in our foyer reminding us of all your well wishes. Thanks for all the love and support! We've found that it takes anywhere from 11 to 15 days for the regular mail to come through...we're all on Mexican time now

Olivia ended up going to the hospital (school requirement anytime a teacher is sick) and we found out that it wasn't the swine flu or an amoeba, but a bacteria. We got the required medicine and Olivia was back to school on Thursday for her birthday! She got multiple cakes from her students which was very nice, I think she was excited about that. I got her a jewelry box as a gift, but we're thinking about taking it back for a bigger one or to have one custom made at a local artisan market.

For now the sickness has passed, but it was definitely something we expected to encounter as our bodies got accustomed to the new food down here and the different bacterias that it contains. We attempted a Friday night anniversary sushi celebration at a place a few blocks from our place but were a bit disappointed, but we're still planning on finding a good spot for it now that we know where not to go!! So for now all's well on the Southern Front.

Ciao

Road Trip!

Hi all!

We know you've been in absolute suspense about what we've been up to since our "Weekend with Liz!" We'll try to update you quickly in a couple of posts.

Liz and I kept busy during the week with nights out for tapas and wine and even a night at an oyster bar in the nearby Condesa neighborhood (man, they're missing out with no horseradish and shrimp sauce!) We had wonderful conversations and had a great time mingling with the locals. We stopped by the Palacio de Bellas Artes where Diego Rivera painted one of his most famous murals that was originally planned for NYC's Rockefeller Center. The half-completed mural was destroyed in NYC when Rivera refused to reconstruct the mural (by removing an image of Vladimir Lenin) at the Rockefellers' demand. Thus, he recreated the mural here in 1934. Anyhow, it wasn't to be the evening we stopped by - the upper floors of the museum had closed. Hopefully I'll post a photo soon when we finally catch a glimpse.

The weekend brought another night of salsa dancing (Josh was a trooper until 4 a.m.!) and our first ROAD TRIP!!!! We took a nice (and very affordable) 2.5 hour bus trip to Taxco, which is known as the Silver Capital of Mexico. Folks around there say they boast the world's second largest silver mine. This charming colonial town hosts a giant silver market every Saturday. Silver everything - jewelry, tableware, frames and even word of hand-carved silver caskets. We skipped over the caskets and left with a couple of rings and a bracelet. We spent the night in a cute little hotel that was wonderful. We met a new friend on our walk to dinner who is a wholesale jewelry buyer from Long Island. Her fulltime job is visiting Taxco a few times a year to stock up and work with local artisans who craft custom goods for her business, Brook Silver Designs. Hello dream job!

The next morning we enjoyed a delectable breakfast on the rooftop of our hotel and even caught a glimpse of a Mexican volleyball tournament. Oh how we miss our Six Pack & a Pound and B Team friends in Des Moines. Tear. We boarded a bus in the afternoon and headed back to the city for our last days with Liz.

I attempted to create a movie with recent photos, but the picture quality is disappointing. If only I could remember how I made the slide show from our debut post.



Check back soon to find out about our first major experiences with the negative aspects of culture shock and how we celebrated our anniversary and my birthday.

Peace,
Olivia

Weekend with Liz

What's up fellow followers? I hope everyone is doing well wherever they are. Thanks for all the comments so far -- we've enjoyed the feedback! We've had a great weekend here with Liz. Here's the rundown:

Friday night- went to 'El Centro Historico' and hung out with our friend Ulises downtown and visited a few different bars before picking up Liz at the airport. Spanish word of the day - tarro=mug, which is what we had a few of before 'el aeropuerto.' Upon her arrival, Olivia and Liz stayed up drinking Liz's gift of Flor de Cana Rum and chatting like girls do until 6 a.m.!

Saturday was a game of Ultimate Frisbee at the school for me - or networking for potential tutoring jobs - (I'm always working here). When I got home we went to Xochimilco for a nice afternoon on the lake in the south of the city with lakeboats 'embarcaderos', food, drink and friends.

Sunday we went to the church of Espinosa and then met our friend Ulises again at UNAM, which stands for Universidad Nacional Autonomia de Mexico, which boasts attendance of more than a quarter milliion students! We took in an afternoon symphony (our fathers would be proud) on campus and had a nice lunch afterwards in Coyoacan, an area with an outdoor market and cafes. I bought a hat and Olivia a bracelet. We're looking more and more Mexican everyday. Ulises has been a great tour guide and friend in the city.

Today Liz and I toured a local panaderia and mercado, and she ended up making a very nice fish dinner w/ rice, asparagus, peppers and squash. I think Olivia may have even eaten an onion without knowing it....Whoops!

Time to hit the hay, let us know how you're doing as you have time!!! Ciao por ahora

Love,

Josh and Olivia

Hola buenos dias como estas

Hard to imagine it's already been 2 1/2 weeks in the city! We've been to pry 10+ good restaurants around our place, it seems like there's food around every corner, and some of it seems cheaper than if you would make it yourself at home. Even after a few weeks I still feel like I'm seeing new things around our 6 block radius, this place is huge!

We're looking forward to our first visitor this Friday, Liz Parker (Dinnen). She'll be arriving Friday night so we'll be picking her up at the airport and going from there, should be good times all around.

Now, you're pry all wondering what the heck it is I've been doing to keep myself busy. Since Olivia has been taking care of the working, I want to set the record straight and say I've been doing my part, including washing windows, scrubbing floors, dusting, cleaning toilets, making dinner, tasting various beers, grocery shopping, updating 2 fantasy baseball teams, running various errands, walking around and getting to know the neighborhood to be the best tour guide possible for visitors, watching pirated $1 movies, playing hack a shaq basketball and of course, looking for employment. Ok, maybe not all of those things listed, but definitely some of them.

In addition, I would like the world to know that I did my first load of mexican laundry start to finish last night, so it's not just all fun and games over here obviously. It has been a rough transition going from being the primary bread winner to domestic man, I'm already feeling the self imposed american pressure to start earning! But I knew coming down here it would take some time, and somebody has to live this life, so I'm glad I can shoulder this burden for a while :0)

What else can I entertain the masses with? A few things I've noticed that is different here in Mexico:

Food - service is typically slow, you may wait 5 minutes before being served or noticed. They have salt but not pepper at most tables, and no ketchup/mustard but instead a salsa verde/salsa roja and limes. All the limes u can shake a stick at over here. You can buy a big sandwich (torta) for 20-30 pesos (1.60-2.50) on the street and they use beans and guacamole like we would mayonaise. I've been shopping at a fresh market about 7 blocks away and at a few different grocery stores (sumesa and bodega something). They do have a Walmart and a Sam's club but we haven't been to either. When you're eating at a restaurant it's typical to have people coming around selling stuff, have a guy set up an amp and play the guitar or have a random dog walk through the establishment. One lady we said no to buying gum to, but she asked about my box of leftovers and was eating it as she walked away. So there's a few things to get used to.

Transportation - I've been walking everywhere, and despite what they say about the crazy driving, I have yet to see an accident. I would liken it to downtown Chicago traffic, they're just as bad. Subway (metro) is cheap and takes you to the airport, the school, downtown, the stadium (estadio azteca) and just about everywhere you would want to go in the city, although u usually walk a few blocks to and from each station. We talked about taking the 'Turibus' which is one of those double decker buses just to see the city and get to know it a little better.

Friday night there were a few teachers from the school that hosted a party at their place, and Saturday night we went out with another couple from the school for some Argentinian steak and salsa dancing. Both nights ended around 2 or 3 in the morning and with hitting a late night taco stand.

Olivia started school with kids on Monday, and it sounds like it's been going well for her in the classroom. They seem to be well behaved and respectful for the most part, although I keep telling her it's only been 2 days. She was a little nervous Sunday night but I think she's already adjusting well...she went from a total of about 25 last year to over 110 this year, so she's got a few more names to memorize. And she took on another class so she got herself a raise! I'm so proud...why do I need a job again?

I'm still happily unemployed, and am looking into some tutoring possibilities with the school. I've checked with the U.S. Embassy but I believe they require a work visa, which I don't have. A few other possiblities are teaching english, Iron Mountain (a vendor I worked with at Wells Fargo Financial) and checking out the chamber of commerce. The trick will be to have a schedule that is flexible with Olivia's while we're down here, so we'll see.

I'm off to go run a few errands and get back to scrubbing the floors. Keep on keeping on!

Gooooaaaal!

After nearly giving up our search on Craigslist and message boards, we somehow scored a pair of last-minute tickets to the USA v. Mexico World Cup qualifier game here in Mexico City today. The sold out crowd, el partido y Estadio Azteca more than lived up to its hype around here.

We tangled through massive crowds on the metro (subway) and surrounding area to get inside the stadium, which holds 110,000+ and was originally built for the 1968 Olympics. It was a gigantic sea of El Tri green! Josh cheered for the U.S., and while I was admittedly frustrated by their uncontrolled play, I was actually rooting for Mexico because I want to see them move up in the World Cup standings. So, Josh's allegiance left us sitting among the 200 or so U.S. fans at the game. The U.S. scored the first goal of the game early on and that's when our section was first on the receiving end of flying beer cups, garbage and heckling. We had a clue this might happen when we noticed the human walls of police and shields before we took our seats. We were definitely lucky that it was a low-scoring game and that we can pull off blending in with the natives here! Some of the U.S. section was even blocked off by barbed wire! Although it was a close game, it wasn't a surprise that Mexico won since they have never lost to the U.S. at Estadio Azteca. The Mexicans' love for the game and passionate fan antics were infectious and a blast to be a part of. Insane. I'm definitely looking forward to our next game!

Bonus photo: we took a trip to El Museo de Arte Moderno over the weekend where we saw this Frida Kahlo original that many of you likely recognize.

Hope all is well with each of you and, again, thanks for keeping up with us. We're always happy to hear from you! Enjoy our first video post!

- Olivia

Streetball

Hey folks, me again. I'm sure I won't be doing the majority of posting on this thing, and hopefully when we get settled in it will be more like weekly or monthly updates instead of every 2 days...but seeing as I'm currently unemployed I've got some time on my hands...

So there's this guy in charge of student activities at the school that told me about some pickup b-ball games at a nearby park close to our place. He did warn me that it was a little different than the states, but I decided to check it out last night and had to walk around for 1/2 hour before I could even find it. This city is flippin' huge.

Anyways, I was excited to play, but when I got to the park and saw these janky hoops w/ no nets, and a few mothers and kids playing, I was a little skeptical. But I waited around and eventually a few guys showed up looking to play, so we started up some 3-3.

I should say that I was feeling pretty good before the games got started because I was pry the tallest guy on the court. However, I quickly lost any good feelings when the game got started, because Mexican streetball is a flippin' slugfest where noone calls a foul! You had guys falling down, catching elbows, pushing, etc. They later explained to me that because I was the biggest, they had to push and shove me to make it more even. What!?!?

On top of that, they play that if you rebound a ball, you can go straight back up with it instead of taking it back past the 3 point line. So here I am getting pummeled everytime I get a rebound. It got to a point where I'd start shooting outside just for a break in the melee under the hoop. These guys wouldn't call a foul on themselves, it was the whole 'machismo' thing in how hard they could hit or get hit. And, none of these guys can dribble a basketball or shoot with one hand. It's like they just throw it at the hoop and then the carnival under the basket starts! Everytime I would try to set a pick they would pass me the ball!?! I'd say one of the hardest things to do is keeping your temper throughout the course of the game.

Needless to say, I walked home much slower than I walked there, and am currently looking through the phone book for places that sell cheap massages.

On another note, I'm exploring a few potential work options but may have to get my visa status changed from dependent to work, otherwise Tutoring would be a doable option. I'm looking for more information from the school, the U.S. Embassy and a few other ideas.

That's it from me for now,

Hasta Luego

Telephones

Wow, Olivia is doing a great job of getting out all the details of our first week. We have been enjoying ourselves as we scratch the surface on the city, and it's even better now that we have our anti mosquito plug ins to keep them away at night!
I'd say we're adjusting well so far, and we've got our new cel phones all charged up and ready to go. If anyone wants to text or call, you're more than welcome, but you may want to check first with your provider to makes sure it's not costing you an arm and a leg. I was told any text messages recieved would be free, and I'm anxious to test that theory:

Josh cel phone - (55)-3661-9341
Olivia cel phone -(55)-2674-6092

It's important to note if you're calling from the U.S. you'll need to dial or text
011-52-and then the entire phone number.

Adios por ahora!

A week already?!?!

Wow -- what a week! I don't even know where to begin.

First, we're doing really well and we've enjoyed every moment of our time here. It's difficult to believe it's already been almost a week! We're settled into our apartment and have gathered all of our necessities. The walls are bare, but minus that, it's quite charming. We're on a sweet street that's busy and has a wonderful boulevard that we've been taking evening walks on. Even on the same few blocks, we discover something new each time we pass.

Neighborhood French/Spanish/Mexican Food and Wine Shop, Our Apartment

School also started with orientations on Tuesday and it’s been great to meet new teachers, many who have lived all over the world.

We have the metro (subway) system pretty well figured out and it’s a steal at $.15 a ride. It’s also been fun to take the “peseros” to and from the school to the metro station. The peseros are funky old Volkswagon bus/vans that are painted green and cram in as many people as possible. Not bad for a $.25 ride!

A few highlights from the week:

We celebrated our first night in our apartment with tapas and a bottle of Mexican wine here at home. It’s quite lovely to open our towering windows that overlook a courtyard and listen to the sounds of the city (yesterday we could hear a group practicing the Halleluiah Chorus at a nearby cultural center and arts university).

There’s an unbelievable Mercado about 10 blocks away that’s filled with plump fruits and vegetables, every kind of butcher station imaginable and tons of wares. It’s a wonderful place to shop and visit with locals, who have been so patient and helpful.

Josh bargaining the price of a T-Bone

We met up with a friend from the states and her husband who lives here on Wednesday night to check out the Zocalo and Centro Historico. The buildings, including the National Palace and Metroplitan Cathedral, are beautiful and the entire area is spills with rich history. We made a night of strolling the streets (where we stumbled upon a video production set) and taking in fantastic piano/drum music and tapas on the rooftop of the El Centro Cultural de Espana – a wonderful way to visit with an old friend and meet a new friend!

El Zocalo

A few other tidbits worth mentioning: devouring tacos al pastor from the taqueria across the street ($.50 a taco, what?!), a rooftop party at the home of the director of the school, huge fresh fruit cocktails topped with chile powder and limon, a Mezcal tasting and even the little things, like setting up a bank account, cell phones and figuring out Skype. Who knew you needed three references to set up bank service and even a Blockbuster store account?!?

Josh's thoughts on the Mezcal tasting, Olivia and Sally's reaction to the Mezcal, Josh enjoying un puro (cigar) on our window ledge

Today we’re heading to Parque Chapultepec (DF’s version of Central Park) and then to a cantinal/club crawl in neighborhood next to ours. A special shout out to all of our friends at my 10-year high school reunion (can it really be?) and the Sweetcorn Festival in Adel. Wish we could be there!

Chao,

Olivia

Safe, Sound and a Little Stuffy

After a relaxing train ride through the Midwest and a stay on the Magnificent Mile (btw, ate at the same sushi spot we fell in love with the day after we married and even had the same server!) we left for Mexico City early this morning. Everything went off without a hitch and school staff picked us up at the airport this afternoon. We checked into our hotel, snagged a power nap, dined at a superb taqueria where we noshed on tacos and Micheladas and then stopped to tour our new digs. We'll move into our charming, French-architecture inspired, historic (and small, says Josh!) apartment tomorrow. The weather was perfectly warm and clear enough to have a magnificent view of the nearby mountain tops. Although the mostly-permanent haze seemed to be quite mild today, it's an adjustment to breath at 7,000 + feet above sea level.

Our welcome has been warm and we're excited to do some exploring and settling in tomorrow.

As soon as I can figure out how to post entire photo albums, I'll put up some great snapshots from our going away festivities.




While we're stoked about being here, it was difficult to bid farewell (temporarily, of course!) to our family and friends at home. Thanks so much to each of you for checking in on us through our blog!

- Olivia

Au revoir, errr, I mean Adios!

Thanks for checking out our debut blog!

We're wrapping up our time in the states this week. It's been a fun, exhausting summer while we've said "farewell" to family and friends and finished up obligations here. So, now that we've packed our house, traveled the country and have yet to fill our suitcases (well, except for one that's filled with shoes only -- eek!), we're almost set to go. Thanks to each of you who have made an effort to spend time with us, dial us up, or even drop an email to say "hi" over the summer. We will most certainly miss you, but look forward to staying in contact through email, Skype, Facebook, blogs or whatever. Extra points for those of you who actually ring us in Mexico - ha!

We'll take off on an Amtrak Chicago-bound train Saturday morning from Creston, IA. Our last night in the U.S. will be spent on Michigan Avenue where we will get our fill of deep-dish pizza or Chicago dogs, which will surely be unmatched in Mexico! From there, we'll fly out bright and early to Mexico City and arrive Sunday afternoon. Our apartment is furnished, rented and set to go for our arrival. We will actually spend night one in a hotel to avoid a moment of staring at each other in shock on the sofa of our city-sized digs. On Monday, we'll gather a few necessities and head to our apartment. Most of next week will be spent at informal orientations at the school, The American School Foundation of Mexico City, and touring the city. We're also looking forward to meeting up with a friend next week who is currently in DF (we met through good friends in Iowa last year) and will help show us around.

I hope to post an update sometime next week. I'm excited to fill you in on settling in! Check back regularly for posts and pictures of our adventure.
- Olivia