Blog Debut!

Howdy everybody!

So...we have only been here for a few days and yet we already feel so far behind in story-telling. Hmmm... where to begin. Let us start with the Phoenix airport. So... yeah. For those of you who know us well, it shouldn´t be too much of a shocker to find that we were really pushing the limits when it came time to catch our flight. It took us a while to check in because, well, we ran into some complications for having too much stuff! We both had 2 checked bags and 2 carry-on bags. And you know that whole 50-pound-per-bag weight limit thing? Um...that didn´t really work for us. We actually both had to pay an extra fee for packing too much crap (mostly WAAAYY too many clothes--who cares about bringing essentials like alarm clocks when you can have 15 pairs of shoes and about 16,578 shirts...each?). So yeah.... Billy´s big suitcase weighed 73 pounds and my biggest checked in at 58. Let me repeat that: BILLY´s bag was SEVENTY-THREE pounds. MINE? Heavy.... yes.... but not like that of my boy. And NO-- I did not have my stuff crammed into his suitcase (granted I did have a few things in another of his suitcases that was under the weight limit...but no big deal =). Anyway, we had to rearrange and shuffle some stuff out of Billy´s 73-pounder just to get them to check it at all, as their maximum weight limit is 70 pounds. We also found out that due to the fact we are returning during holiday season (Dec 23), we will have to meet a very strict, no exceptions, no-extra-fee-for-extra-weight option, 50-pound-per-bag weight limit when we come back. Taking into consideration that we are likely to buy many souvenirs, etc, during our stay here, me thinks we may be in a bit of trouble. Perhaps a few of you would like to visit with an extra suitcase, and foster a few dozen outfits for us until we return ;) ?

Wow, this blog is going to be long!! So.... we check in and wait forever and ever and ever to get through security, just in time to hear our names being called via intercom to board our flight for immediate departure. So we did...and we made it. No real bumps in the road yet. We had a quick layover in Houston which was also interesting due to the fact that we had to take a bus from terminal A to terminal B so we could switch planes. This almost made us late for our connection to Mexico City, and I also almost left one of our bags at the "bus stop". Nice one, Allison.

Ok... I need to cut back a bit on the details--- for your sake and mine. Anyhow, all went well and good once in Mexico, except for one tiny little detail. Once we were all checked into our hotel and about to go out for our first dinner in Mexico, I all of a sudden realized that I was missing a bag. Yup....7 bags with us in the hotel room instead of 8. I really kinda freaked... thinking about all the stuff that was in the missing suitcase and not having any idea whatsoever where it got lost in the transition. We called our Mexico contacts/bosses and they told us they would try and call the airport to help track the bag down. The really convenient thing was that I just so happened to have lost the carry-on suitcase that was NOT marked with my name-address-etc!! Sweet. So I lamented the loss of my bag, knowing the chances of finding it were very very very small. But this is what makes it an adventure, no? So we went out to dinner and laughed at the fact that our first dining experience was "eating Mexican food in a Chinese restaurant in Mexico". But seriously, the tacos I ordered were really really really good, and the Chinese-ish thing Billy got (which he thought was going to be a Mexican-ish thing) was OK good. So the moral of the story is: when in Mexico, always order Mexican, even from a Chinese restaurant. After some good laughs and such at dinner, I made one final desperate call to Continental Airlines-- and, as luck would have it, my bag appeared to be safe and sound at the Continental baggage claim desk. Ahhhh... and all was well with the world again. (Oh yeah, while making the phone call about my luggage, we saw a group of obvious prostitutes on the street corner, and shortly thereafter we saw a pair of Mormon missionaries walk by. Welcome to Mexico City, my friends).

The next day, after such an interesting roller-coaster introduction, we began training in the Mexico City branch of InterAct. The owners of the company are a married couple, Rosa and Fernando. They are both extremely nice, hospitable, funny, and supportive. We are very excited to be working with/for them. They bought us breakfast and lunch, and both were really very yummy. This country is definitely made for Billy. I, on the other hand, am already a bit "over" the whole tacos-for-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner thing. We went to this one famous breakfast place on our way from Mexico City to Queretaro where they serve Barbacoa (a very very fatty, as in chunks-of-visible-fat-everywhere-fatty, lamb fajita thing). It was not the easiest thing for me to eat at 10 am, but I did it with the help of a yummy, thick hot-chocolate drink called Champurrado. In later conversations with students at our school, they adamantly insist Barbacoa and Menudo (tripe/intestine soup) are absolutely, no-questions-asked, breakfast foods. Ummm, ok then. I miss my smoothie ;) Billy, as I said, has been in heaven. He ate like 4 or 5 of those lamb taco things, and is trying to imagine ever getting sick of the idea of having many many more meals like those.

We have been taking a lot of taxis, and for the time being we are staying in our bosses´ empty house. They recently moved from Queretaro to Mexico City and so we have free reign of their 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house--- mattress on the floor included. It has been interesting for us to go without a car, phone, Internet, etc etc for the past few days. We are searching for a place of our own, but it may take us a week or two before we find something appealing close to work. We definitely DO want a place close to work--hopefully close enough so we can always walk. If not, we may end up spending all our earnings on transportation! Rosa was wondering why we didn´t just drive here since we were from Phoenix (which, by the way, came as a surprise to her because for some reason she had it in her head we were Canadian). But seriously, even though a car would be WAY more convenient, I cannot imagine driving here. There does not seem to be any laws regarding Right of Way. It translates mostly into "he who is most aggressive wins". Drivers here are crazy. Crazy. I don´t really know how else to describe it. As an example, a bus we took an experimental ride on actually ran into the bus next to us!

As far as work goes, we are very excited to begin teaching. We have been observing classes and we have both already taught a class. Funny thing though-- we got here right in time for Semana Santa (Holy Week), which means that we have all of next week off! I know, I know... it´s about time for a vacation! So that´s exactly what we´re going to do. We are planning to take a bus from Queretaro to Oaxaca tomorrow, and will return sometime next week. Oaxaca is an awesome city south of us, famous for its chocolate =). Oaxaca also reportedly has some amazing ruins that we will go see. Neither of us have ever been there, so it should be interesting. We will take lots of pictures and try to get them uploaded ASAP. Sorry we don´t have any pics up yet, but they will come, believe us. Lots of love until next week!