Wednesday, December 21, 2011

¡Feliz Navidad!


What Natalie saw Christmas morning

Hi everyone,

After another two day journey from Australia I finally arrived in Mexico!  I don't know if it is a good thing that these long trips are starting to become common place in my life... honestly, I think I look forward to them.  I get to have lots of alone time and catch up on the latest movies.  These are luxuries that are not often found while traveling.  Well, I digress.  I am having a blast with my sisters and my little niece, Natalie.  It kills me how large the gaps of time are between each visit.  Natalie is a completely different little person now.  She is speaking so much and running and jumping and getting into just about everything she can get her hands on.  I still can't get over the fashion melt downs Laura referred to in her last post.  I have never seen anything like it.  Something as little as the wrong shoes with her dress will send her world into utter chaos.  And don't even try to put pants on her.  Princesses don't wear pants!  In her defence, while she is a bit of a diva sometimes she is one of the sweetest children I have ever met.  She gives everyone and everything kisses and hugs and tells us all constantly that she loves us.  I find it funny that I have taught her to kiss and hug trees to her fathers dismay.  He says I am turning her into a tree hugging dirty hippie!  Ha ha!

It seems that every one of my visits to Mexico is centered around food.  This time is no exception.  As Laura said she has already been feasting on many Mexican delights!  I slipped right in to the routine with no complaints!  Well, there were a few complaints from my stomach, but I ignored them.  Can't let a little thing like that get in the way of good food!  Ha!  Oh, delicious, fresh corn tortillas filled with every sort of yummy thing topped with fresh home made sauces and cilantro!  Need I say more?  Oh but I will.  How about the quesadillas oozing with yummy cheese and squash blossoms, or tamales, or huevos rancheros, or all the sweet pastries and desserts, and not to mention all the amazing fresh fruits!  Ok, I'll stop.  There is still so much to tell you about.  I could go on and on about the food!  Apart from all the amazing Mexican food we have been eating we have also been baking nonstop.  Christmas cookies, pies, breads, cakes, more cookies, and many other Christmas treats.  Natalie gets so excited to help us make cookies.  She gets sad on the days that we aren't making them and starts demanding them.  That's when a bit of the diva comes out... but it is still so cute.  How does she manage that?  Its a good thing we have been doing a lot of swimming and yoga or else we would be rolling home.
So suave in his pink socks

Us at the bull fights

One interesting experience we had... and I emphasise the word interesting here, was a trip to the bull fights.  My sister's husband took me and Laura with a bunch of his friends.  I can't say I would ever go again.  Maybe if it was some world renowned bull fighter... maybe.  Lets just say I found myself rooting for the bull.  It didn't help that in the first fight we watched the bull was very vocal and he sounded like he was suffering so much.  John's friends tried to make me feel better by telling me that the bulls were so ampted up on adrenaline they didn't feel any pain.  I don't know if I buy that but still does it make it ok?  Oh well, it was a unique experience and I am glad that I went.  It was a cool old stadium with cement seats with worn metal back rests.  The stairs had been so worn from countless steps that they now took on more of an organic free flowing form.  There were vendors scampering about offering everything from donuts to mini pizzas to colorful pastries and some stranger fair of boiled pig fat that looked oddly translucent and gelatinous.  I felt like playing with it more than eating it... don't worry I did neither.  We peered over cowboy hats to see a wring enclosed by red wood paneling where the fighters strutted around like peacocks in there sparkly spandex tights, fancy jackets and little hats.  Laura and I where trying to figure out why they all wore pink socks.  The only answer we managed to get was that it was an old tradition but nobody knew how the tradition started.  I have to look further into this rosy obsession.
The fancy place settings we made and filled with cookies!

The magician working his "magic"

Well, Christmas is around the corner and that means I get to finally give people my presents and I get to receive a few too!  Plus more food that I love.  I feel it is a bit much but we are having three Christmas dinners this year!  We had one here in Mexico City with my parents and sister and some of Jeannette's close friends.  We all laughed when John told us he had hired a magician to perform for us at the dinner... but the guy was actually really good and we all had a great time watching him.  I am definitely going to have to hire a magician for my next party!  The next morning we exchanged presents.  Its not exactly Christmas but I didn't complain that I got to open and give presents a few days earlier.  Seeing Natalie's reaction to all the gifts was probably the best part.  She didn't really know what was going on at first but when she finally realized that the pretty colorful boxes under the Christmas tree had toys hiding in them she got really excited.  She is a lucky little girl because in two days she gets to have another Christmas at at her other grandparents' home in Puebla.  As well we have two more dinners there with John's family.  Again, thank God for yoga and swimming!  Then I get to take more presents to all my good friends in Australia!  If you have ever been around me at Christmas time you know how excited I get about giving presents.  I am the worst at keeping the presents secret and usually end up giving them early.
Natalie a little confused on Christmas morning

Natalie running to the tree after she realized what was happening

Lula opening a princess barbie for Natalie

She had to put this on right away

She makes a great mommy for her doll

Everyone loves a naked pianist

I hope everyone has a great holiday!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's from Mexico!

Kiki 

Monday, December 5, 2011

¡Viva Mexico!

Natalie at the club
Kiki,

Mexico has been a relaxing yet exhausting break from my travels. Well, I guess Mexico is still traveling, but being with family makes it different. More like living here than traveling. I go swimming every other day at the country club and now I am taking golf lessons two days a week. I spend all the rest of the time playing with Natalie or watching Barbie princess movies. She is super cute but really sassy and learns new words every day. She has fashion melt downs every day. By this I mean that if you try and put a sweater on her (ruins the look of the dress) or pants (not a dress) she cries for about 20 minutes. She picks out her dress and her shoes every morning. When you get here she is going to go crazy. There will be too many people to play with.

The other day John took JM and me to a soccer game. It was an interesting experience. You walk in past riot police to a crowded stadium of screaming fans. They never stop yelling and when someone scores they start throwing beer in the air. I had to wash my jacket because it was soaked. During half time some sad looking dancers came out and then audience members did this dangerous obstacle course. They started by walking across a balance beam ten feet in the air while guys on the ground threw balls at them. Then they got in a cart and were pushed up a giant see-saw and rolled down the other side (if they were lucky). The last one before the goal attempt was to use a trampoline to dive through a hole in a plywood wall. It looked like a lawsuit waiting to happen, but then again this is Mexico and things are different here. I am glad because it was hilarious when a man ran full speed into the plywood wall.
At the soccer match
I have not even mentioned the food. That is just too complicated a topic. Fresh tacos and the best tamale I have ever had and don't forget the hot sauces. The tamale is famous and they only serve it on the weekends at the country club. It is a chicken tamale covered with a green salsa. I know it does not sound special but believe me it is. The flavor is just too hard to describe. For most Americans please discard anything you think you know about Mexican food. It is nothing like that cheese drenched stuff you get at American Mexican restaurants. Think fresh, smokey, and spicy.
Me and the princess
Apart from all the Mexican food that I have been eating, I have also been cooking lots of Cuban food. JM and I are trying to master some of our Cuban favorites. When you get here you have to help us. As of now we have made arroz con pollo, ropa vieja, and rabo encendido. I have to say that our arroz con pollo and ropa vieja are pretty tasty. Next we need to work on black beans and rice. I made it in Ireland and it was just not right.

Swimsuit hat and soap necklace style
Last weekend we went to Coyoacan and ate dinner. After a mediocre meal at a random restaurant we walked around the square. Natalie saw a woman with balloons and started screaming globo! globo! and running toward the woman. Yes we bought her one and she proceeded to swing it around hitting everyone within a two foot radius. Then we got ice cream. I got passion fruit and JM got coconut. Unfortunately or fortunately, Natalie loved my ice cream and practically ate all of it.  This square we went to had a small town vibe with locals strolling through the square and little old ladies going to church. When you get here I think we are going to do a lot more of the touristy things, but I like not being a tourist for a while. I have yet to really feel the size of Mexico City. I guess it is like every big city where every neighborhood is like it's own little city.
Natalie in the sweater I made for her
The one thing I have noticed here that other countries did not have is the super long lunches. I went to a lunch the other day at 2 p.m. and left at 3 a.m. Yeah and this is not out of the norm either. The other times it has been more of a reasonable hour like 11pm or 12 am when we leave the restaurant. I don't know how anything gets done in Mexico when the whole day is spent at lunch. Though I am usually eating good food, a 12 hour lunch is bit too much for me.
JM

Lula
P.S. Sorry for the lack of relevant pictures. I left my camera at a friends house for a big chunk of the trip.

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Aussie Land


Sofi at the Fremantle harbour
Dear Lulu,

I feel like I start every letter to you apologizing for how long it has taken me to write.  Well, again I am saying sorry for taking so long.  I have been busy settling into life here in Australia.  It has been a mix of emotions and a little hard work and a lot of patience, but I am finally snug and happy in my new house with a good job and a lot of great new friends.  Let me start from the beginning though, it has been over a month since I last wrote you and a lot has happened.

Well last you heard I was saying sorrowful farewells to my New Zealand crew and boarding a plane for Sydney.  It was a hard goodbye but seeing Sofi again at the Sydney airport cheered me up instantly.  It was so nice to see her again.  We were both traveling much heavier this time around, since we were both anticipating staying and working in a city.  However,  after our first few days in Sydney with all our extra clothes and shoes we were longing for our lighter and simpler backpacking ways.  Oh well, I am going to be bringing most of the extra clothes I brought back when I come for Christmas.  Sydney was fun.  It was a nice city with some cool little neighborhoods, but you know how I feel about cities...just another large bunching of buildings, shops, and eateries.  I did enjoy the eateries though!  Sofi and I spent most of our time there wandering around the city and cooking together and researching where we wanted to live for the next 6 months of our lives.  When we finally decided on Perth our researching then shifted to trying to find a job and a place to live.
Sofi at the Sydney Opera House

Well, to make a long story short, we couldn't really accomplish too much until we got to Perth.   We managed to couch surf for the first couple of days and find a house to rent within two days of arriving!  It is in a great location just outside of Fremantle(our favorite part of Perth) has a great outside patio and grill, a nice size kitchen (big plus!) and Sofi and I have our own rooms!  It was pretty perfect for us and our other flatmate is really nice as well.  We were moved in within our first week of arriving!  Now we just needed to find a job.  We both had pretty set ideas of what we wanted to do for work.  I was determined to stay out of retail, while Sofi was determined to get into retail.  We both were against a restaurant job, but when our other options fell through and we were both feeling a bit defeated, our flatmate got us a trail at his friend's beach front restaurant.  We both went having huge reservations about the place but after the first day we were both happy and knew we had found where we were suppose to be.  It is really laid back while still being fast paced so the days go by fast.  Plus everyone that works there is really nice. 
The Crew behind the bar at Salt

So Salt on the Beach has become our second home.  We seem to always be there.  If we aren't working then we are hanging out at the beach just in front of the restaurant or we are there teaching yoga in the mornings and if we aren't there then we are probably hanging out with people from work.  I guess you could say we like it there.  I can't believe Sofi and I are teaching yoga for the staff there.  It started out as a joke but the owner of the restaurant caught wind of the idea and got excited about it.  He made fliers and posted them on the employee boards in the restaurant.  So Sofi and I each teach a class once a week.  It is great getting the experience teaching.  I am learning a lot and gaining confidence as a teacher.  Our little classes have started growing too.  Last class I think there were around 10 people and each time new people join.  Even the owners are coming.  Crazy... who would have thought.
Fremantle Market

Walking through the streets of fremantle

Walking along the coast in Fremantle

Lots and lots of beer to taste in Margaret River!!

Apart from work we have done a little exploring around the city and love hanging around in Fremantle and going to the weekend markets.  Fremantle is the perfect blend of hippy meets surfer beach bum with a cool artsy flair.  Sofi and I fell in love with it the second we stepped off the train.  We have also gone on a mini road trip down to the wine region of Margaret River.  We had a day of tasting!  We tried everything from cheeses to olive oils to wine and beer!  It was a great day driving and tasting through amazingly beautiful countryside.  I think one of my highlights though was getting to see kangaroo on the side of the road just hanging out and eating.  One of my first authentic aussie experiences... or one of my first stereotypical and cliche aussie moments... whichever, I still thought it was really cool.

Well, that is all for now.  I have a little more than a week left before I head to Mexico to see you and Jeannette and Natalie!  Hope all is well and I can't wait to see you!

Love,
Kiki
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Thursday, October 6, 2011

Home and Away


Sailing on Pontchartrian

Kiki

I have been home for a few weeks now, but before that I was in the Italian region of Switzerland. I went to visit another friend who works as a canyoning guide. He was a great host and took me out with a friend of his to explore a canyon and to see the night life in the area. The canyon was beautiful, but it had some interesting abseiling. I had a crash course in it as they were roping me up. I think the lesson consisted of NEVER let go of the rope. As I was abseiling down one water fall my rope got stuck and I had to climb back up to untangle it from the rocks. This would mean that I had to let go of the rope. I remember that when I got down to the bottom I was so relieved to feel that freezing cold water.  The next day I went on a hike to a near by mountain. It was about four hours up a steep incline to the top. When I got up there I hiked across the ridge for a little while. If I hiked longer along the top I would not be able to make it back before dark. I was going to take the gondola down to save my poor knees the 1,000 meters worth of torture, but when I got to the gondola they told me I would have to wait for two hours. There was no way I was waiting, so I left on foot. After two minutes I got a call from my friend that he was in the area and he could pick me up if I got down before he finished getting the groceries. The race was on. I took off at a run down the mountain.  Running down a mountain path is pretty exhilarating. I made it down in 40 minutes. I did not fall once, but I did feel like I was going to die at the bottom and my knee was screaming at me.
Exploring the local castles
Hazelnut tree along the trail

Horses in the backyard

Lunch by a stream

Monastery half way up the mountain

Before I got to the 12 meter jump

I am the red dot at the top


For dinner we were going to go to a grotto and get a traditional meal, but when we arrived they were closed. Then we were going to go to a local pizza place. They were closed too. It was a bit disappointing but we had leftovers and it was fun to just pull everything out of the fridge and have a smorgasbord. It was also okay because I went the next day to the grotto and had a great lunch of fresh bread and sliced local meat with fresh cheese made in house. Delicious. I wish I had taken a picture but I am always too excited about eating the food. I always think about taking the photo when the plate is empty. I should tell you that the grotto was made completely of granite nestled in the side of a canyon overlooking a waterfall. Beautiful view and amazing food. I could not have asked for more.
Dad and the half Cuban at Versailles in Miami

As for being in the States, I am having a great time. Lots of cooking and reading and cycling. I went to the coast and saw one of my best friends and went sailing. I went to Chattanooga with my parents and had some of the best fried chicken ever at Champy's. A great veggie burger at Urban Stack, and the biggest breakfast at Aretha Frankenstein's. Plus my parents and I went on a hike that halfway through it started to down pour and we got soaked. It has all been great. Though there has been all that down time in Corinth that I just don't know how to fill. I go to Oxford to see Salty the best geologist ever and to knit at a great knit shop there called Knit 1 Oxford. They have been so helpful and nice. I feel welcome every time I go. I also saw Mammy in her new house. We went out to get pizza and then had a glass of wine back at her place. It was nice to see her again even if it was just for one day.
learning how to sail

Fried jalapenos, tamales, and fried chicken (I felt like I was going to die after) 

hiding from the rain and the camera in Chattanooga

Dolly and me on the way to the vet


Then it was off to New York. I saw a friend outside the city and one in the city. I went to Scranton to see Carter and had so much fun I want to move there. Plus I met some great people. I had coffee four times at Northern Light a coffee shop on the square. Last night I had a great time there. I don't think I have laughed so much in the past 8 months, and I love to laugh. Actually, the last month or so has been filled with laughter and that is how I like it. I am excited to hear about how Australia is treating you. I am also excited to find out what I will be doing in the next 6 months. I am hoping for some job to come up in my search that will make the decision easy. At the moment it is a bit complicated, well, not really I'm just making it complicated. One day I will have to learn how to make a decision.
A bag full of fresh baked bread and bagels from Rockland Bakery in New York

Trying to Zumba

After the class with Bernie

After a night out in Scranton

Good Time Laura (new nickname from Scranton)

Natalie out by the pool


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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

A Big Farewell!!!


WWWOOOOOHHHHH!!!!! (the exact word coming out of my mouth)
Dear Lula,

Man what a last week in New Zealand!  I am officially done with work!  While I enjoyed learning a bit about the vineyards, I am not at all sad to say goodbye.  I guess when you go so long without working its hard to go back.  It was a bit repetitious to say the least.  All the wine tasting made up for it though.  I also made a lot of really good friends out of it too.  I have been out to dinner at a different friend's house every night saying my farewells.  It is hard to say goodbye but I am ready for my next move!  I think this is the most excited I have been for a move in a while.  Maybe staying in one place for a while recharged my batteries, or maybe it's because I get to meet up with Sofi again, or maybe I am just ready for a change after so long in one place... well, whatever the reason, I can't wait for Aussie!
I was a bit excited... can you tell?

I promise they do this for everyone not just me!!

I am really about to jump out of this thing?!

Today I gave New Zealand my big farewell by jumping out of a plane at 16,500ft!!!! All I can say for the experience is.... AMAZING!!!!!  I think I had a stupid grin on my face and was screaming waaaahhhhhhooooo! all the way down.  Actually, I know I did because they took a video of it.  I will try to post it but no promises.  I highly recommend sky diving to anyone who can get the nerve up to do it.  My next goal is to do the training course so I can jump on my own.  I wish you could have jumped with me!  After many failed attempts to talk my friends into jumping with me I just ended up going by myself.  Can't let that stop me!  It was amazing and I felt like I was flying.  Unfortunately, I was actually falling and before I knew it my instructor was pulling the shoot.  I was free falling for 75 seconds going a 120 mph!  I wasn't ready for it to end.  It was beautiful up there.  On the parachute ride down I took in all of the amazing views of the snow covered mountain ranges around me and the golden beaches along the coastline.  We even went through a cloud!  I have always wanted to fly through a could.  I guess it has always been a little childish dream of mine.  When we were going toward the cloud a circular rainbow took shape.  They call it a glory apparently.  It was really cool!  A perfectly round rainbow.  And then we flew straight through it.  As we were approaching it I could see our shadows in the center of it.  I know I have already said this, but what an amazing experience!
There is that silly grin I was talking about!!

Amazing view!!

Look Mom! I Can Fly! I Can Fly!

Holy Shit! I can't believe how high we were!

Apart from that, the Rugby World Cup is going on now.  I think I already told you that in my last message.  I have been having fun watching the games with friends.  I think I am finally getting the hang of this game, at least the basics anyway.  The American team is playing here in Nelson.  I was going to go see them play, but unfortunately they play the day I leave for Australia.
Sadly we did finally have to pull the shoot

Safe and sound and ready to go again!

I have a few more dinners planned for a few more goodbyes and then I am off.  Australia here I come!! 

How are things with you?  I imagine you are back home by now.  It has been a while since your last update!  Let me know what you have been up to.

Love,
Tita
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