My Mexican Snowstorm

I sat through a snow storm last night...in Mexico... with clowns. It was RIDICULOUS!!!! So, here is the story.

A couple days ago, the Consul came up to me and told me we had been given six free tickets to go and see this show, Slava’s Snowshow, at one of the theatres here. So, I agreed to go. Who wouldn’t take advantage of the perks of this job?! Haha! So, I started looking up the show and what it is about and all of that and turns out, I was going to a clown show. Hahahahahaahahahahhaahahaha!!!!

IT WAS SOOOOO AWESOME!!! This wasn’t one of those beat each other over the heads and spray water out of plastic flowers kind of clown shows. It was more of an artsy-fartsy-interpretive work. It was soooooo interesting. We all walked away going, “I have NO idea what that was all about but it was pretty cool!” The music and the costumes and the humour were just all so endearing. Their movements were very slow and subtle but those miniscule movements portrayed so much emotion and such a storyline. It was awesome. Anyways, part of the show was this focus on snow. There was fake, tissue-paper snow EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!! We got front row seats so there were many times where clowns would come up and pour buckets of “snow” all over the front row or sweep snow at us or other random stuff. It was so cool and really, I can tell as I am writing this that my description doesn’t give it even a particle of the justice it deserves. Let’s just say, if you ever get the chance to go and see this show, GO!!!!! cuz it is super awesome.

Anyways, at the end of the show there is this amazing snow storm that was portrayed. They have these HUGGGGGEEEE fans that were blowing at us soooo hard that everyone instinctively threw their hands up to protect their face. And then on top of that there was the fake snow blowing at our face in an excessive quantity and there was this blinding light shining right at us so everyone was looking away, in the same way you do during a huge snow storm. Seriously, it was RIDICULOUS how similar it was to a heavy blizzard. It was a nice little reminder of home – minus the cold! Luckily it is still 25 degrees here. Hallelujah!

After, we were able to meet the main clown who was Canadian and had given us the tickets. We got a group photo with him and then went back stage to talk for awhile. It was an awesome experience. Quite excellent. Then we finished the night off by going out for food and drinks where I had the most delicious nachos I have had in a LONG time. Seriously, awesome ending. And of course, the night wouldn’t be complete without my boss being a goof. He stuffed his pockets full of fake snow before leaving the theatre and continued to throw it at us as the night went on. We were all finding snow for the rest of the evening. I opened my jacket and an entire snowman fell out!

Yup. Still loving it here. I am super sad that the end is drawing near. That being said, it will be SOOOO nice to come home and see family and friends! Yay! Taco Night – December 12^th! Soooo soon!

My Run in with the Law

Alright, cop story.

So, there is this rule in Mexico City that cars with out of state licence plates can’t drive in Mexico City between 5 and 11 to cut down on pollution and the number of cars etc, etc. So, we decided that we would leave Mexico City to head home at 4:30 so we could be outside the city by 5. Well, problem was that the highway exit we were supposed to take was closed. Oops. So, we tried to find another route. As we drove right past the exit, which apparently I was the only one to notice, we passed a cop. At this time it was 4:55 ish and the cop proceeded to follow us until exactly 5:01 at which time the sirens came on and we got pulled over. Joy.

So, from my point of view things went like this. Alex got out of the car, talked to the cop for quite awhile and then got back in the car muttered something about the cop wanting 3600 pesos from us and got back out. He talked some more, got back in and started following the cop. Then the cop signalled us over again. Alex got out and talked a bunch more, got back in and then we followed the cop to the highway where he told us how to get out of the city and then we left. I was sooooo confused. Alex told the whole story at that point, but it was 5 in the morning. My Spanish doesn’t work at 5 in the morning. Or when I am hungry. Or after midnight. Haha. Just ask Alex. He’ll confirm.

So, when he got out the first time, he talked to the cop and turns out he had broke the law in three different ways. A) We were driving after 5am, B) he didn’t have this sticker on his car like he really should have and C) his license had expired. So, needless to say we were kinda screwed. The cop demanded 3600 pesos which is about 2 or 3 times more than what it really should have been. So, Alex refused to pay it. The cop then told him, “Well, the only choice you have is to pay it or I am taking you to the pound.” So, Alex was like, “Okay, take me to the pound.” The cop was then like, “Your car will be there until Friday you know. So, what do you want to do?” Alex, calling his bluff because he knew we would only be stuck one more day was like, “We can handle it. Take me to the pound.” The cop was then like, “No, what do you want to do.” Alex again, “Take us to the pound.” This happened like five times and finally Alex was like, “I can’t be any clearer, just take me to the pound.”

So, he got back into the car and we started to follow the cop to go to the pound. This is when he pulled us over again. Alex got out and the cop was like, “Listen. You can pay me the fine, and then I will give you a get out of Mexico City for free pass and give you an escort to the highway. How much do you want to pay?” Alex looked at him and was like, “The highest I am paying is 500 pesos.” Then they argued some more and finally the cop was like “1000.” Alex said “Nope, 500.” Cop says “1500”. Alex says “Nope. 500 or just take me to the pound.” So, in the end, we paid off the cop with 500 pesos, (or less than 50 bucks) got the escort and the note. It was RIDICULOUS!!!!

Oh also, the whole time I was freaking out cuz I didn’t have my passport with me. And Alex also asked the cop if he realized he had pulled us over at exactly 5:01 and the cop was like, yup, I know. Ohhhh and the icing on the cake!!!!!! This note that we got from the cop…….. It was a yellow post it note with a stamp and a signature. A STINKIN’ POST IT NOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously. I freaking love this country!!!! I tried to get a picture of the note but Alex was too embarrassed about it so instead I will just blog about it to the whole world. Haha!

Mexico City Take Two

Ohhhhh so many stories! Where do I even begin?!

So, I got invited to go on a road trip this weekend which, not gonna lie, I was pretty stoked about. Cuz A) It means I have friends to invite me to go on a trip with them and B) its a trip to Mexico City, who wouldn’t want to go!? So, I talked to my boss, got some time off work and the adventures began!

Oh wait. So, on Thursday night, before I went to DF, a huge group of people all went to a have a little party in a grave yard. At around 11:00 at night when it was pitch dark, we all met up at this grave yard to have a nice, friendly, completely freaky tour of the graveyard. Seriously, it was ridiculous. When we first got there, I was like, pshhhhh this isn’t scary. Grow up and quit screaming... and jumping... Babies. And then we reached the middle of the graveyard and this dude jumped out which kinda scared me but not really and then from the basement of this grave, tower thing they had someone bang on this metal door and ohhhhhhh I was totally done for. Not a chance of calming down after that.  My heart was racing for the rest of the tour. All in all, it was a really cool experience though. Granted, my Spanish wasn’t functioning and I didn’t catch most of what was said but what I did catch was super interesting. For instance, there is this lady down here who practises black magic and has predicted her own death. So, she prepped her grave with the date of June something-ish 2011 on the headstone. Also, all graves have these little window things on the side so that the dead people can breathe. Seriously. It was pretty cool.

So, yes. Graveyard tour on Thursday night. After that, we got up super early (7:00---haha) to head out to DF. Well, in true laid back, awesome Mexican fashion, we didn’t actually end up leaving the city until around 10:30. Hahaha! Awesome, oh so awesome. Friday was mostly spent in the car. Traffic was terrible and the roads were blocked for construction in some places but hey, we had a good time rocking out to some good old Mexican music. Sometimes I just don’t get Mexican music. I was sitting shotgun almost all weekend so I was in charge of the music, which ps... I failed at. Sometimes a song would come on and I would be like, wow, this sounds like something my great grandpa would enjoy but meanwhile, EVERYONE is singing every word and loving it. And then at other times I hear a song that I am like, hmmm this is pretty good, but nope, I was wrong and it actually sucks. Haha!

When we finally got into Mexico City we met up with Alan. This was really the whole reason we were heading down. Nidia, a girl from Guadalajara, is engaged to Alan, so we were going to see him. This guy was hilarious! Seriously, him and his twin brother. They were IDENTICAL in their looks and their actions and the way they talked. It was soooo much fun. So, we met up with Alan and his friends and cousins and sisters and everything and we went out dancing. We had two options. 1) Go to a church dance somewhere in DF which was a ways away and no one really knew exactly where it was or 2) Go to this club... no, sorry, what did they call it?... restaurant where they drink alcohol and dance as if it is a club. I voted church dance. I didn’t win. Hahaha! It was an interesting night. I don’t like clubs. I don’t like how they feel. I don’t like the lighting or the atmosphere or anything about them really. But, we made the best of it that we could. In the middle they had this group come out and perform some salsa and banda. It was RIDICULOUS!!!! Seriously sooooo cool. I love dancing. And I love salsa. Yuppp...

Saturday was super awesome. We slept in, ate, and then went out to play. We were going to head out to the Teotihuacán pyramids but traffic was RIDICULOUS!!! Seriously, you have not experienced traffic until you have driven in Mexico City. This place has something like 20 – 23 million people living in it (depending on who you talk to) and it is nuts. Mexican drivers are nuts, the way the roads are set up is nuts and that many cars on the road is nuts. So, we changed our plans and headed down to Capillo de Chapultapec – it’s a castle, a big awesome castle. I love, love, love the Victorian era style of decorating. I love the patterns and the elegance and everything about it so this was a real treat. We got there a little late so we didn’t get to go on the roof to see the gardens but hey, it was still an awesome afternoon.

After that, we went down to Zócalo to see the light show they were putting on in front of the government buildings. We parked the car and started walking into the center of the city. When we were about 10 or so blocks away Gabriel was like, “Did anyone look to see where we parked?” Of course, no one had. So, logically, we shrugged it off and continued on. Haha! Ohhhhh I love this country. We went out for dinner and walked around the market and watched the light show and had many a good times. Finally, it was time to head back to the car. Do you think we could find it?? Of course not. Hahaha!!! Ohhhh man. It was hilarious. We sat there and discussed and debated over where it could possibly be but didn’t really actually look for it. Then we met this local guy and we sat and discussed with him. By this time it was really, really, really dark and late instead of just a little bit dark and late at which point the local says, yah, I would take a cab to drive you around because it is pretty sketchy and dangerous in this area. But hey, walk this way with me and we will look for your car! Hahahahahah!! Ohhhh man. So, we walked for awhile and didn’t find it. Finally, we jumped in a cab and by some miracle we pieced together where the car was. Such a gong show. And then we got SUPER lost getting back to the house. We didn’t have a map. We didn’t know the city. We didn’t know anything really. So, at every red light we would lean over the next car and say, “Hey, how do you get to this area of town?” At which point we would get a contradicting location or direction from the last person we asked. Finally, I gave up and slept until we got home. But, by the end of it Alex was super stressed out. I felt bad for the guy.

The next morning was Sunday. SUCH a good day. Seriously. We went to this country wide conference that was being broadcast. We were able to hear from Elder Bednar and from President Eyring. It was EXACTLY what I needed that morning. I miss church in English sometimes and the words that were spoken were so poignant and I loved it soooooooo much. After this, we jumped into the car and drove out to Cruz Azul to visit Laura’s parents. I am sooooo grateful for this family. They treated me so, so, so well. They bought us lunch and then took us out to Tula to see an archaeological site with some big tall statue dudes and pyramids. Haha. I suck at history in English. It is worse in Spanish. After we hung out there for awhile we got in the car and drove up to Pachuca. This was a ridiculous coincidence. Seriously! This is the city that Yamili lives in!! Yami is a girl who lived in Canada for a year and a half or so and who I love to death. I had planned to visit her earlier but never got the chance to until this randomly popped up!! It was crazy! We spent a couple hours wandering the city and seeing the light show at the giant clock and some traditional dancing and eating Pastes. It was such a good evening. Super relaxing and laid back but still packed with fun stuff. At the end of it all we drove back to Cruz Azul to spend the night at a hotel there.

Spending the night was completely unexpected which meant that no one was prepared for it. So, the next day when we went to see the Pyramids of Teotihuacán I was still in a skirt and heels. It is quite possible that I am the only person who has ever climbed those pyramids in heels and a skirt... for good reason. It was the most ridiculous thing ever!! Hahaha! But so hilarious and awesome. Seriously, anyone who comes to Mexico HAS to come and see this site. It is GORGEOUS and the view is ridiculous from up top. Totally worth the painful walk. That night we went and hung out and acted like goofs and made the security guards job more interesting (haha!) and ate food and just had a good time. It was a really good end to the trip. Well, I guess the next morning’s adventure was the really, really awesome end. But, I am going to start another post because the next story deserves a post of its own and this is pretty long and awesome story.  

Ode to Bofo

So, I have met some pretty fan-freakin-tastic people down here and I would like to take a moment right now to give a shout out to Bofo. The first time I saw Bofo was in Stake Conference my first weekend in Mexico. He was gave a talk about his soon approaching mission call and his expectations and his thoughts on missionary work. That's all I can really tell you about that cuz I was still trying to figure out the language at that point. But, one thing that really stuck out in his talk was his love for the gospel and his dedication to it.

Then.... I got to know Bofo in a social situation. This guy is your typical social butterfly mashed together with your energetic class clown. He knows everyone, always has a joke to tell and he is hilarious. At least I think he is. Haha! He uses so much slang and talks so fast I only understand about half of what he says to other people and next to nothing when he talks to me directly. But, even in spite of my inability to really have a conversation with him for the first month or so, I grew to love this guy soooooo fast. He is one of those people who makes everyone feel included. He can make you laugh and cry in the same instance. He reaches out to everyone and that has been a HUGE blessing to me during my time here. While he is definitely capable of being a complete goof, he can do a 180 and become a serious, humble, spiritual being with many words of wisdom to depart. Seriously, I wish I could just bring him home so everyone could experience the awesomeness that is Bofo.

Ohhh... side note. I found out today that his name actually isn't Bofo. It's Saul. Haha! I love how nicknames work down here. So awesome.

Anyways, Bofo flies out tomorrow to serve a mission for two years in Guatemala. They had a setting apart for him today and it was very different from anything I have experienced in Canada. They held it at the Stake Center and the chapel was just as full as it is on any other Sunday. They had a whole meeting dedicated to him. There were talks given by the bishop, his mom, Bofo and the stake president. Afterwards, everyone had a chance to hug him and say goodbye for the last time. There was a line up that wrapped around the room and everyone sat quietly while hugs were given and tears were shed. It was amazing to see and the feeling as the spirit enveloped the entire room lifted my spirits so much. After that, the Stake President set him apart and gave him a beautiful blessing of comfort, strength and protect. Finally, the Stake choir preformed and I joined them. We actually sounded alright-ish for once! Haha!

I am the first to admit that I really don't know Bofo very well but I can tell you right now based on what I have observed that this man will work miracles over the next two years. He is going to rock that mission like no one else could with his friendly, charismitic ways combined with his solid testimony. I am super proud of him and quite sad to see him go.

Go get him Elder!

Invitation Accepted

So, you know how when you are abroad and people mention how they are thinking about going to Canada and then you say, "Come! It is sooooo awesome! You could come and stay at my place and I will show you around!!" And you know how you say that to EVERYONE and no one ever takes you up on it?? Well, someone took me up on it. Haha!

Looks like I will be bringing home a Mexican! Hahaha! Well, I guess we still have to wait and see if she can get a visa to come, but as long as that happens, it is kinda a done deal. Woot! Looks like Taco Night will be a little bit more Mexican than I had originally planned! Yay! So, everyone brush up on your Spanglish so we can show Datil a good time!

Brrrr....

I am going to die when I come home. It is 14 degrees out today which is like 10 degrees colder than it has ever been since I got here and I am a little scared to leave the house. I am currently wearing every piece of warm clothing I brought with me and I am still cold. I am fairly certain death will come in 35 days when I get on a plane, fly for six-ish hours, and then get off. Slow painful cold death. Not my idea of fun. You guys better make it worth it!! Haha!

Oh well, I am pretty sure the Mexican that is coming home with me will be even colder so at least I will still have someone worse off than me!! Hahaha!



False alarm. It was super nice and super warm out. I have a sunburn to prove it.