A Little More Birthday Fun

Here's another pictorial from this past weekend...we went out with a group of friends to Cafe Infinito, a favorite cozy bar/restaurant that has a cool rooftop terrace. There, we shivered away while sipping on wine and eating tasty chocolate cake (I couldn't resist). The incredible thing was it was just a day after the 100 degree F heat wave! Now the temps have returned to what feels more normal March weather, which is around 75-80 F and everyone is breathing a sigh of relief.

Roberto´s Big Day

Well, this past weekend was the very first time I've ever been here for Roberto's birthday, so I knew I had to do something extra special for the boy who first brought me a moonlit birthday serenade. So, in co-conspiring with his mom, we decided to bring back the same group of "musicos" who would lure Roberto out of his slumber to come listen to their sweet tunes under the porch. As the clock drew closer and closer to midnight, Betty, Roberto´s mom and I got increasingly excited. The mango cake was stashed in the fridge, the friends were called, the moment of truth was to come, all while Roberto laid unknowingly on his bed and fiddled around online.

Finally, the dashing fellows befit with guitars arrived and parked their ride down the street, to avoid arousing suspicions. Meanwhile, I was jumping up and down with nervous energy, wondering how Roberto would react to his trio of troubadours. But once the strumming of "Las Mañanitas", the traditional Mexican birthday song, began, I ran into retrieve a smiling and embarrassed Mr. Garcia and he was pulled outside for his songs. Here´s a snippet of ¨"Tres Regalos" , which declares that the three gifts for the recipient of the song are the "el cielo, la luna y el mar" (the sky, the moon and the sea).

Welcome, Welcome

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, I figured the time has come to do the inevitable--start a blog while here in Monterrey, Mexico. I've avoided doing so up until this point because my experience here has always been extremely personal--I'm not in Ecuador, where I traveled the country with my tight-knit band of American friends and marveled over both the beautiful and bizarre. I have deep ties here in Mexico, the most important one being my boyfriend, Mr. Roberto Garcia. And while I still marvel over the beautiful and bizarre here, I´ve always felt like I had a second home of sorts in Monterrey, a true extension of the cultural phrase "mi casa es tu casa".

While I greatly enjoyed writing down funny and wild tidbits in my blog while in Ecuador, I feel apprehensive about writing in this way about my experiences here. I´m not quite sure if this means that I've moved beyond that initial stage of daily awe and shock that happens when you live in a foreign land. And don't get me wrong--I love that heady first stage when your senses are constantly in stimulation and you crash at the end of the day like a worn-out toddler who spends his waking hours exploring the world inside and out. Perhaps this is indeed what I´m coming to terms with now upon my second return to Monterrey--learning to live in the city like a regular citizen, acquiring a job, a routine and maybe even if I'm lucky, a little pet to call my own.

So...where does this leave me, dear family and friends?! I don't know about you, but I say, "on with the show!" It's a hot Friday in February here, with the thermometer breaking past a sultry 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It´s a curious type of heat that I´m not accustomed to...it feels almost palpable to the touch when you walk outside and it engulfs you instantly. I´m a little nervous about what's in store come April and May, but have already invested in a large bottle of SPF 50 that will hopefully keep me from turning into a tomato. I feel like today was the equivalent of the stir that the first premature frost in October brings in Wisconsin, which sets people fretting over the idea of endless heaps of snow during a never-ending winter. Some people looked truly pleased today, strolling about in shorts and licking away at popsicles at the ice cream shop (and I must admit, I was one of those popsicle-lickers), while others, like the next-door neighbor's Chihuahua, looked notably lackluster from her perch in the shade.

Well, readers, with this brief introduction, I have to say that I'm excited to have this blog and look forward to hearing from you!