Holy Potatoes

Some of my favourite Mexican quirks so far:

This silly little dog has his very own silly little chair, too...

• Silly little dogs in silly little jackets.

-Often in fleeces which match their owners. Because with an average of 26 degrees C, it is winter after all.

• Spanish language surprises.

-For instance, the word for the Pope is the same as 'potato'. Possibly one of my favourite things ever.

• Bus journey surprises.

-The other day in Guadalajara, there was a traffic jam, so the bus just went a totally different route instead. In Puerto Vallerta, the bus driver couldn't fit through the road past the bucking bronco,so reversed all the way back up the hill. Another driver actually stopped the bus and got out for a while to watch the party.

and finally (for now):

• Mexican phone surprises.

-When I hang up from a phone call, a panicked message pops up to say "No Reason!", as if it is insulted by my decision.


I'm in a really good mood today. I think it began with lunch: I had the best lunch... Husband cooked it. We had a roast chicken in a bowl of juices and spices (but not hot spices), a side plate with beans and what I think was goat's cheese. On the table was a basket of warm tortillas and freshly made guacamole, onions, limes and alfalfa. I was in my element.

Rosie continues on her quest to fatten me up, though: I've started getting chocolate milkshake instead of fruit juice, which is tasty but less agreeable. Ariel asks when I am going to get a tan and when I am going to start putting on weight- I told him that I am a freak of nature and he needs to get over it.

In the afternoon, I had a meeting with the editor from the newspaper, who was American- hurrah! I can look forward to understanding what I'm asked to do (hopefully) and will begin with some proof-reading this week.

I've also been emailing a couple of other online magazines and local newspapers who are quite interested in me doing some writing for them, which is exciting :-)