IN YOUR FACE FRANCE! Also, some thoughts from the Mexico City Airport

Hello Blogworld friends!

Here I am, sitting in the Mexico City airport, seriously enjoying the Wifi, which I can access because I have an account with Telmex (ie my home phone and internet account in Zihua). THANK YOU TELMEX! Now the 2 more hours in this airport (drastically reduced from the 5 that I expected, more on that in a moment) can be easily wasted on facebook, gmail and here, writing to you!

Today's trip has been rather eventful, but not so much that it makes me want to stop traveling forever, but rather in the way that just makes me tired and crave diet coke. It all started last night when I ate too much food and thus was unable to sleep well (normal travel anxiety could have played a role here too). I was up early checking everything and making sure I was all set to go. I even had time to make breakfast (which I didn't do because I'm never hungry before flying). Pako and I got to the airport before the airport worked did. We were the 2nd or 3rd party to arrive. About 20 minutes later the Aeromex workers showed up and I check in. So far, so good: didn't need the extra carry-on I had packed JUST in case my luggage was WAY over the weight limit (to be truthful, I think it was and the workers just neglected to weigh it - again, thanks guys!). Uh-oh, I need a special form that allows me to leave the country because I have this fancy FM-3 visa that allows me to work. The form was nowhere to be found in the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International airport, but they assured me that was fine, I could procure one at the Mexico City airport.

I say a mildly teary goodbye with Pako (I'm a crybaby, I'm only gone for 5 weeks and I'm REALLY excited to go home all being factors of the only 'mildly' teariness) and passed through security without a hitch. The plane we'd later take to MC arrived and deplaned, everything seemed to be in order. Something was not. Who knows what. I do know that I sat at the gate for an extra hour and a half battling with myself over whether it was worth it to buy a People magazine for $72 pesos (it was not). Fine, whatev, I have a long lay-over in MC, no freaking out necessary. Got on the plane, got an aisle seat in the emergency exit row, pretty comfortable. Flight was mildly bumpy, but not so bad.

Got off the plane, got on a bus, got off a bus, waited in line, turned around, waited in another line, walked through some doors, went through more security, rode a tram (saw an absurd McDonald's sign that said "Premium food, tourist prices" - really McD's? Slightly delusional, are we?), and finally arrived at Terminal 1. Entering terminal 1, I followed a bunch of signs that read 'international departures' then some more signs that said 'immigration.' Finally I saw a man wearing an immigration shirt and he took me up some more stairs and around some more corners wear someone else helped me and I finally got my special form for my special visa. Phew. Now if only I knew where the heck my plane would leave from, I could go there and wait patiently for my plane to board. Alas, the screens with arrival and departure information are currently 'fuera de servicio' and the guy at the information desk can't confirm any gate information until 2pm, which is... in exactly 2 minutes from now.

So now that we're all caught up, I'll speak to the past week. Nothing crazy happened. I finished teaching at Montessori on Tuesday the 15th, (HALLELUJAH) and tutoring on Thursday the 17th. Nothing crazy went down, the kids watched (and LOVED) The Lost Land (or whatever the name of the Will Ferrell movie about dinosaurs is - here it's called 'Tierra Perdida) and I graded exams and cleaned out my area in the English office. There was nothing bittersweet about this parting, it was all sweet. My 7th graders did ask why I wasn't teaching them again next year, to which I wanted to reply 'what, you really want to go through this again next year??!?', but in fact only said, 'I'm sticking with 1st years and you're all moving on to 2nd year. I'll wave at you as you go into your class.'

Wednesday, Pako and I went surfing with Chandra, Angel and Chandra's brother, Korvus, who was in town for the week. By that, of course, I mean that Pako and Angel surfed whilst Chandra, Korvus and I enjoyed coffee and conversation. Good enough for me. Pako was only able to surf for a little while because he had pulled his hamstring earlier in the week playing soccer. So he also enjoyed the conversation and coffee.

Finally, yesterday we hung out with Lorena in the afternoon and then had dinner with her and Tito at Lety's (Chendo's cousin). Coconut shrimp. Nuff said. YUM! Hence the eating too much. Pako had the stuffed fish fillet (cheese, shrimp and octupus) and Lorena had Shrimp with chipotle cream sauce over spaghetti. Seriously, yum yum YUM!

And now, I'm going to figure out where I should be waiting, find a place to plug this baby in and charge my battery up so that I can watch Julie and Julia on the plane! See you soon Midwest! See you later, Mexico Lindo!

xoxoxo,
Leyah

PS. The Mexico - France game was AWESOME! I love me some Chicharito and Cuatemoc! The Mexican national team had NEVER beaten France in any sort of game - world cup or otherwise, so it was a big deal! PONTE LA VERDE!