In Mexico they serve mezcal at cultural events.

Absurdities in the plaza of Bellas Artes.

Hey friends.

First off, a big thanks and a hug of gratitude to all of you who have responded in really tangible, caring ways to the distress you perceived in these entries and other communications. I really appreciate it, and I don't want you all to worry too much. The struggles of being here are nothing to those that plagued Spring 2011, and they are much healthier, really productive struggles. And I'm reaching out for reassurance here in the Casa, too. So today ended up being just a really great day. I felt a lot better when I woke up, though still aware of how I had felt yesterday and the day before. I treated myself to donuts for breakfast (definitely a healthy move), and went to the Medio Ambiente meeting. It was cool to just hang out in a green space (one of the Casa's patios that I haven't spent much time in yet) with Sasha and Hayley.

Searching through literal mountains of furniture.

Anyway, so then Hayley told me that she and Jill (Nico's partner slash the recently ex-co-director of the Casa) were going to this furniture market thing and I was welcome to come. I had the day off essentially today, so I was looking to fill it up with Casa-y things such as this. Perfect. This place was ridiculous. Like Goodwill exploded all over the place. But it was really cool hanging out with Hayley and Jill. And on our way home from finding cool old dressers and chairs and plaid shirts, Jill asked me how Barrio was going. A few people had asked me that in the 24 hours or so since I started feeling really overwhelmed by it, and for once I hadn't said much. I said something about, well, I think Nico really loves it, and is living vicariously through me, so he's not totally in touch with how much I can do. Hayley said my job wasn't to do anything, but just to absorb stuff. And I said, well okay, he's overestimating how much I can absorb at one time. Jill asked me to talk about that more, so I basically told them both about my totally overwhelmed-ness, and being super hard on myself about Spanish, and how Nico just keeps raising the bar about how awesome I have to be at Barrio because it's so awesome and the interns last year were so awesome. Basically Hayley and Jill made me a feel a lot better. They both said, listen, Nico is really good at talking about how awesome people are, but he never tells them to their face. Jill was super sweet, and said that Nico has said that he thinks I'm really awesome, and really perfect for Barrio Activo. Hayley said they all thought I would be perfect there, and that Nico is just trying to get me excited about how awesome Barrio is, and doesn't realize that he's totally intimidating me. Whatever, they kept saying really nice and reassuring things about my Spanish and my awesomeness, so by the time we got home I just wanted to give them the biggest abrazos ever. I hadn't meant to start this whole flattering-Annie-festival, and I just was really appreciative of all the stuff they said. So we got home with me feeling just a lot better, though still pretty tired.

The important activist is on the left.

We got home and hung out with Lydia (who is awesome) in reception for a little while, until I suddenly realized that I had the room to myself and essentially ran upstairs for really a great hour of tocar-ing la guitarra. I am so so so so so happy that there are not one, but TWO guitars here for me to play with, and my notebook and everything. So glad I brought it. So whatever, it was totally great. And I put on a dress for the first time really here, because I was feeling defiant about the heat, and I went out in it later and felt a little funny but didn't get any unwanted attention or anything, so YAY MEXICO. Pretty soon Liselot got me to come with her to this event where apparently the most important human rights activist in Mexico was speaking. It was cool to get to meet him in everything, slash Hayley told me afterwards (she met us there) that she totally could not understand anything people were saying and that she was super bored. So I felt okay about having the exact same experience. Ha.

Hayley and Liselot being the cutest.

And the most ridiculous.

THEN we were served bocadillos (!!!) and vino and mezcal (tequila but not). I really couldn't believe it. Right, there's usually wine at art shows or whatever, but there were just these little shot-sized plastic cups of mezcal going around. I enjoyed my vino tinto though, and we lolled around talking for a bit before we heading out to the plaza enfrente de Bellas Artes to wait for Hector, of friend of the Casa and of Hayley and Liselot. After a while we changed tactics and walked to our final destination (he met us there), and it was sooooo great. Just had great conversations with Hayley, then she and Liselot left to make me talk to Hector, and he was just super great. We talked about traveling and the thrill of being able to communicate in a different language, and all this really cool stuff. He's just such a solid guy, and I could totally understand him and I pulled off my Spanish pretty well, and it was just a really great night. Hurray hurray metro ride back home, popcorn and girl time with Molly and Linet, harassing Copeland on facebook, nerding out with Jon William Sweitzer Lamme, making myself go to sleep so I can do breakfast with Linet tomorrow. Huzzah huzzah. Back to my world-conquering slash -loving self, at least for the moment. What an experience. Thanks to all for the love and concern, really. Also, I hope you can all enjoy this, because it totally just made me laugh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU

Lots of love,
me