¿Que onda, guey?

In the past week I got to know Mexico City a little better, and I´m definitely pleasantly surprised. The city is full of different neighborhoods, each of which has its own character and style, and this makes the city feel like a collection of smaller cities instead of one vast metropolis. But also, this weekend I had a lot of opportunities to improve my Spanish.

On Friday I went to the movies and saw The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. I didn´t feel quite ready to see a whole movie in Spanish, so this was a nice compromise, since lots of the movie is in Spanish, and of course not subtitled. It was a strange experience watching this movie in Mexico, especially at the beginning, when there are scenes of Mexican immigrants being beaten up (or shot) by an American Border Patrol officer. Overall I thought the movie was sympathetic towards almost all of its characters, and any stereotyping fell more on the northern side of the border.

Saturday night I went out with Marco, his friend Angelica and some of her friends to a bar in a neighborhood called Coyoacán. Everyone was really friendly and funny (especially with an abundance of $1.50 beers in them) and I had a great time. I was happy that my Spanish proved to be up to the task, especially since usually in loud places and with groups of people I have trouble understanding. Angelina has appointed herself Marco´s slang instructor. I can always tell when she calls him because he answers the phone with "¿Qué onda, guey?" Which basically means, "What´s up, dude?" An argument in the car driving home (in the wee hours of the morning) was nearly incomprehensible, but from what little I picked up, I know that everybody (and their mothers) was being insulted in numerous creative and descriptive ways. My only worry is that I might unknowingly adopt some phrase not knowing that it is very rude, and then use it at an inopportune moment, like at work, or while being introduced to somebody´s sweet little grandmother.

Yesterday we went to dinner with Marco´s friend Jorge, but first we accompanied him to a fancy-schmancy hotel where Jorge was looking for a bar with a trendy terrace. This is a part of his job: he is a location scout for films. This is currently my dream job! This hotel was so trendy and funky, and had about 8 different restaurants and bars, all with different design styles and decor. Afterwards we went to dinner at a significantly less posh place, where I saw a mystery vegetable dish on the menu. Unfortunately I don´t remember what it was, otherwise I would have googled it today. It was described by both Jorge and the waiter as "like a little tree with herbs growing out of it". Not only does that sound like no vegetable I´ve ever seen in my life, but it also sounds highly unappetizing. I ordered it anyway and was glad I did, as it was delicious! Stuffed with herbs and cheese and in a chili sauce that was the perfect amount of spice for me (which is to say, not very much at all). Maybe someday I´ll find out what it was so I can try to make it myself.

This weekend I´m going to join some EF groups in their sightseeing tours of the city and the local Aztec ruins (again reaping the benefits of working for a travel company). If I´m not to afraid of thieves to take out my camera, I´ll get some photos. So don´t worry, guey, by Monday you´ll have some images of Mexico to look at.