I am in New York. My overwhelming thought is this. It’s big.

It’s very cool and have been running around pinching myself because it feels fake. But itus expensive and don’t have much internet time.  But people are mega friendly. The mega friendliest

Another uncanny Gabby thing is that she just so happens to have this quote on her wall which seems to sum up all the lessons I feel in some way I supposed to learn this year.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
- Nelson Mandela

“And the best thing you’ve ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously,
It’s only life after all”

- Indigo Girls

In taking this thought on board this week I found the results to be quite positive. It’s much more freeing, much more content making. Much less concerned with getting things right all the time. Much less concerned with what someone might think of me. Much less scared to ask for help. And asking for help is a great thing to get better at. And I would say this song is well titled, I am definitely feeling Closer to Fine.

We went and saw Ninas Mal yesterday, a Mexican film. It was fun fun, because I understood most of it. This made me extremely happy. I seem to be finding language much easier now. Still difficult sometimes to say things, but I’m finding I understand most conversations. We had some tea round the table last night and chatted, Luis told us about El Tajin cause he just got back, and I felt almost normal. Understanding. Oh how happy happy. Tomorrow could be different. Things are so random like this, like I can understand most of a movie, and then we bought some ‘Coronitas’ (mini Corona’s, so cute) and the woman in the shop said 1 sentence and I didn’t understand a word. And I go straight back to feeling like I know nothing.

Jade and Ursh have finally moved into their new house. Went round for tea yesterday arvo. It’s lovely. And so fun to have a friends house to go to for tea. Tonight we are going for a party.

Wow diddly wow eh. Cara and I were in the DF to apply for our US visas and so Tuesday we went to the Embassy to apply. We had an appointment at 7.30am. The sheet had told us to go 15 minutes early and that there other people scheduled at the same time and that we might not be interviewed immediately. And so I suppose this was not a lie. But the day that we faced was not what what we expected.

We arose early to get there in time and took the good ol Metro to Insurgentes. Then we walked to find the US flag above a door and we were feeling pretty happy with ourselves. We went to walk in the gate but alas no it was locked. So we asked we were supposed to go for our appointment. The man with a gun told us to go to the corner. We turned and looked and it appeared like a riot or something because there was so many people and police. Anyway, the closer we got, we saw it was actually a whole street that was blocked off with gates, rather permanently looking. There was a big queue to get into the gates and an even bigger queue inside the gates. And we of course thought we had been mistaken and asked were we supposed to go. Again, they told us to go to the end of the line. And we gradually began to realise that all these people too had forms.

We get inside the gates, and this entire street is just filled with a queue of Mexicans. There was about 600 people in front of us, and I’d say by the end of the day another 600 behind us. It took us an hour before we actually started to believe that we were going to have to wait in this queue and just wait for every single person in front of us to be interviewed. Every single person also had an appointment.

I was surprised by my thoughts throughout the day that expected that they would let me go to the front of the queue because I was an Australian…they can’t treat me like this. And really they shouldn’t treat anyone like that, but it’s much easier to sympathise with someone saying they shouldn’t treat you like that than to actually be treated like that. I realise I say I know that I am lucky to be Australian, and that I am blessed, but in reality, I don’t see it as a blessing, I think I see it as a right. So in some ways it was good to be treated with little rights if not to realise this.

The difference between me and the others was that I knew, that once I got in there I would be given a visa. For the Mexicans it was pretty up in the air. And the rotten thing was that one has to pay $100 US before going for the visa, and whether you get it or not, it’s not refundable. I don’t really understand how any Mexicans could afford to go to the US. But as I have said, there are a lot of Mexicans, one starts to realise this when you wait with 1000 people simply to apply for a visa.

I suppose one positive thing was they didn’t discriminate against people, plebs and business people alike all had to do the 5 hour wait, helpless to change the situation. There was nothing we could do but wait. 5 hours I tell you, we waited in the street for 4 and only got into the building at 11am. From there there another 1 hour wait. The great part was, the guy interviewing me tells me that I’m Australian and am on the waiver program. To this I say, I know. I know, but I live in Mexico and want to return and the waiver will void my FM3. Oh…so who knows…but risking things isn’t really worth it.

I finally left the building…jigging away, I felt I’d passed a whole lifetime in that place. I left traumatised by the thought that people can be herded and treated like that.

But waiting is funny. Cara and I were pretty good at not complaining, but after about 4 hours we were struggling. But it seems so part of daily life here that no one batted an eyelid. I think that patience is an admirable trait. Waiting is something I do not like. 5 hours!

As I walked around el DF I did think, there really are a lot of people in Mexico City. Always, just people everywhere.

Mexico City is cool, as I have said. But they have these cool pedestrian lights that have time counters on them. They count down from 60secs and tell you how much time you have left to cross. This is just so ingenious.

Another ultra weird modern thing here is the toilets at the Plaza in Xalapa. They flush themselves. They must have a sensor in them and when you stand up it flushes all on its own. Wow.

Weird, weird weird. We went to Casitas for the weekend with Basia and some friends of her’s and some friends of there’s. It was a very different world. It was the world of the rich which made me feel awkward. Although, I think that hanging in rich circles in many ways is more challenging and thought provoking than the areas I’d normally hang. It reminds me, or makes me think about the person I want to be.

We stayed at this beach house with a pool and I visited the biggest and richest house ever. We were hanging out with these guys who were the most guy like guys ever and thought that drinking all weekend was the funnest thing to do. I missed my cups of tea and chilling out with yummy food.

But it was an experience. And I was challenged.

We went to a bar on Saturday night and found a pet Otta in the bar. Which I didn’t know even existed until then. It was very cool. And we learnt a cool party trick where you drink your drink upside down on your hand De Reversa.

We left on Sunday, earlier than planned to run to the D.F and had the most beautiful bus trip through the mountains. The sun set and it was so enjoyable. I also managed to score the only double free seat on the bus and laid down to sleepies.

 Mexico is about expanding my world view, and I do feel like this weekend added to that at least.

I am so in love. We’ve come to the D.F and it’s a public holiday and nothing is really open but I’m still completely in love with this city. It is my favourite city in the universe. When I first came here I didn’t feel unsafe. Anyway, since this, the only thing anyone has said to me about the D.F. is ‘take care, it’s really dangerous’. And it kind of imbued me with fear, that I’m going to be kid-napped and robbed and …

Anyway, I love kicking fear in the butt, because although it may be dangerous, it’s not as dangerous as people make out. And it’s the most amazing place.

The Coolest Part

My goodness does Sydney’s Public Transport system have something to learn from the Metro here. It is so mega fun, efficient, cheap and fast. It appears totally chaotic, but it cost 2 pesos (20 cents) and they just have lines and you change at these interchanges to other lines. There are trains all the time and they go really fast. I love conquering new things. I was all scared of the metro here but it it really the coolest.

The rest of the city is the most beautiful thing ever. Colonial buildings everywhere and cool sidewalk cafes and it has the nicest feel. It’s stolen my heart this city. We’ve just been wandering about all day and popping into whatever looks fun. We went to this exhibition of nativity scenes which was really bizarre and cool all at the same time. And they had indigenous Jesus nativity scenes which was cool.

This city has everything. Wow wow wow. Cool cool cool. Yes yes yes.