¡I´m in Mexico!
The first thing I noticed as my taxi sped away from the airport was the raw, pervasive smell of fumes. But as we distanced ourselves from there I abruptly came to notice a far better smell, almost like that of pure seaside air.
I hadn´t spoken Spanish for at least two weeks when I jumped in the taxi, and predictably, my conversation with the driver started off pretty poorly. Not only could I barely understand his rapid-fire delivery, but he could hardly understand me! After some time our conversation smoothed, and the awkwardness dissipated.
Of course, throughout the ride I tried to imagine what kind of house my family would have, what that would say about them, and how I should conduct myself upon meeting them. The whole greeting thing turned out to be highly anticlimactic. The son (shit, ¡I already forgot his name!) greeted me at the door and led me inside, where the mom (¡also forgot her name!) happened to be walking up the stairs. We exchanged greetings. In my room, one of the daughters was making my bed.
The mother invited me into the kitchen/dining room for some sushi camarones y cangrejo (shrimp sushi and crab). Both were good, and both were spicy. I foresee a sinfully delicious trend here (my tongue will be happy, but my throat might not be...).
I talked with another sister -- Vedo, I think -- she´s 34 and the oldest of the five siblings in the house (three have already moved out and married). We watched some Wedding Crashers dubbed over in Spanish. I conveniently left right before the scene where Vince Vaughn´s crazy girlfriend gives him a hand job under the dinner table. This is supposedly a conservative area, and I don´t want to cause a stir before I even know anyone. Speaking of that, ¿who´s the man of the house?
¡Big day tomorrow!
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3 comments:
What a zestful account of an adventure that would have had my heart pounding (as just reading about it did). Of course I have a few questions: Did your sense of responsibility for "The Wedding Crashers" come simply from your sense of being a fellow American--or did you bring the video with you? And those sushi camarones y cangrejo (shrimp sushi and crab)--were they raw [aaaccck! No raw fish!] or cooked? Are there 8 siblings altogether--3 out of the house and 5 living there? And finally, are you getting adequate bottled water for all of your needs? AER
Hi Sam, What happens next? Inquiring minds want to know. What is the rest of the family like? Have they taken you out and about? Or are you expected to be pretty independent on that score. Look forward to hearing more.--Susan Chang
Hi Mom, I was just embarrassed to be in the same room as them during that scene. I didn't bring the movie with me; there's a channel the family likes to watch which consists entirely of American movies dubbed over in Spanish. It's pretty entertaining, though hard to follow. Yes the fish was cooked; the mom knows what she's doing. There are eight siblings but three have moved out already. The other five work all the time to support the stay-at-home mom and their relatively nice house. And no I'm not dying of dehydration.
Hi Susan, I'm honored to see that you're reading my blog! The rest of the family is very hospitable, and most importantly patient with my halting Spanish. We went out last night to a small market area full of puestas -- stands selling different types of food. After many assurances of its safety from my host mom, I tasted a yummy dish made up of corn with grated cheese, chili, and salt on top -- maybe some butter also.
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