It's All Gonna Break

Maybe it's just because I just had my last day of real classes, but it's finally hitting me - in just over a week I'll leave Mexico, maybe to never return (yeah, right). All the same, the immense anticipation I feel towards going to Spain is colored with a twinge of melancholy for my impending flight. As a perpetually over-anxious person, the slower pace of life here has done plenty to teach me the plethora of benefits that come with chilling the Hell out. On almost zen-like understanding permeates this country: things will happen when they happen, regardless of whether you lose sleep over them or not. Not to mention that after the somewhat chilly atmosphere of UC Berkeley, the sheer openness and hospitality of the culture still catches me off-guard sometimes. Despite the obvious fact that I'm in no real need of charity and certain people here are, I've been given more free stuff here (beer, dictionaries, rides to the movie theater) from random strangers than some of my best friends at home (that's no knock on you guys, either - I'm trying to make a point).

But it's not just the culture I'm going to miss. As someone frighteningly close to full-fledged, get-a-job-already adulthood, my situation here is probably the last in my life that I'll have so much security and freedom at the same time. I get meals whenever I want until I'm full, and haven't washed a single dish. My host-family provides me with any knowledge I may need, and never asks anything of me other than not bringing girls into my room (I could probably get away with that, too, if I was more morally-weak). After living in an apartment for a year, it's almost infantilizing. There are probably middle school kids with more responsibilities than me.



With this in mind, I'm trying to take advantage of the time I have as much as possible. Even though Ashley, Evan and I had to give a group presentation today on Mexico's 2006 presidential election (somehow, even more dirty and complicated than ours was in 2000), we all went to XO last night, which was thankfully better than my last experience. There was a big group of us, including a bunch of the giddy, flirty Mexicanas from out university's language club and two half-Persian guys (there's more of us!) that were visiting Zander. We all had fun dancing together, and I met some sweet, pretty Mexican girls whose names I can't remember (it was loud, OK?) that fed me drinks all night (what did I say about the generosity here?).

Just like in Guanajuato, someone just *had* to grab Eliza's butt (Zander's budy, naturally) and just like in the gay bar last Saturday, Eliza (pictured above) danced and kissed up a storm with Ugo, who she is in love with and is apparently gay except when it comes to her (too bad "Chasing Ugo" doesn't have much of a ring to it; I made the joke anyway). Eliza is also half-Persian, giving us something not far from solidarity, strengthened by the fact that we probably get made fun of (in a good-natured way) the most out of anyone in our circle of friends here. Eliza's quite the flirt, but in a genuinely friendly way that never feels forced or awkward, and she's probably the easiest girl to get along with out of the Americans here, and by far the most fun to party with.

I've been lucky in that most of my good friends here are also going to Spain (Evan, Zander, Ashley, John) but Eliza is not, which is why I'm glad we're going to Mexico City together this weekend. Janeth (Eliza's host sister) skipped out on coming (to spend time with Evan, who she's deeply in love with), which bummed me out a little (I kind of wish I'd met her first) but it'll give Eliza and I more time to bond. Unfortunately, I have finals on Monday, but my teachers have basically guaranteed me passage onto Spain, and they say that everyone has to go to Mexico City once (and never again). Not to mention that my old bud Alejandro (where you at, Chilango?) has told me so much about the place that I can't resist seeing it with my own eyes. After all, it's probably the last chance I'll get this decade, and, as they love to say here, you only live once.