In Mexico - first impressions

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First impressions about country is - it looks similar as I was expecting and as we see it in the movies.
City is very colorful and old. It has a lot of old small houses and all of them have different color.

In the first day I already went to my office. Office is very close to house and building is very beautiful. In the office building we have dinning room, where every day we getting lunch for free. Ladies, who is working there, has a lot of respect and everyone loves them, because of their attitude and quality of food. They make great sup, second dish, fruits and desert. From the first day I’m started to make contact with them with my poor Spanish and seems I’m managed to do it well.

At second evening I was talking with girl from last MC about relations and next day she took me to meeting with her friend (girl) and told that they are going to talk about relations and boys (perfect topic). We went to meeting by taxi (35-40 min. for 4 USD) and then went to some garage, what was used like restaurants where you can eat traditional food. I took 1 plate of soup and I was full from it. In restaurant we started to talk about relations topic and in the friend’s car continuing it. I got to know differences in relations in Mexico and shared my thought with them (all of us learned a lot).

Next day, finally, I tried tacos (traditional food with a lot of meet). It is pretty good, but I guess as more you eat them, as more you like. 1 taco cost 1 USD.

Today I had first free day, what I wanted to spend without anything related with AIESEC and I managed very well.

This night I slept 10 hours. After breakfast we with trainee from Peru and my teammate Dante went to Zocalo. We visited castle, where were leaving some important people in the history of Mexico. There I could see picture of history of Mexico - it was impressing. Mexican history is very interesting.
Then we went to church, what is not staying straight, because it was build on the lake in the past. This church is most important in country. Zocalo is very interesting place, because many centuries ago at that place were pyramids and place, where ancient cultures lived, but when came Spanish, they build Zocalo as we see it not on the top of that buildings!!! And in some places you could see tops of the pyramids.
After that we went to very interesting place - market place. It was so impressing. There are a lot of people, a lot of sellers, people are screaming and prices are very cheap. I bought there slippers and socks. Such marketplace I could see only on TV, but today I experienced it. It was very interesting.

After that we went home, because I arranged meeting with friend (one of SN in AIESEC Mexico - Mariana). She with her friend(Adriana) came 1 hour later, because was hard to find my home and we went with her car to watch castle.
That place was very green in very beautiful. Museum was not very interesting, but beautiful and place around is as well. During all the time I was talking in Spanish and English, and they were talking mostly in Spanish with me. When we wanted to go back, as every evening here, started to rain. Rains here are very hard. We were totally wet, when we got the car. On proposal going to have lunch, we made decisions to go to Mariana´s house and order pizza.

Marina had family in her house (mother, father and 2 more sisters). I asked to not introduce myself, because I can make it by myself in Spanish. When I came, I introduced myself and then they were very hospitable and gave me towel, dry t-shirt to feel more better after rain. While we were waiting for pizza, I started to talk with her sisters a bit in spanish and in english and later I was communicating with Mariana´s father ... in spanish only. I needed help with translation of what he was saying, because he was talking fast, but I was talking with him in spanish. We had interesting conversation with whole family and it was good challenge for my Spanish. They told that for 4 days being in Mexico, my Spanish is very good and improving very fast.
I felt that during second part of the day (going to castle and then going to Mariana´s house) I improved my spanish so much. I was able already to talk with her father in spanish. We spend nice time, then went to shopping mol to buy a coffee. Each of us (Mariana, her sisters, Adriana and me) took 1 glass of coffee and we went home.
That evening was wonderful and for my friendliness, they told, that I can concern them as my second family - it was so nice to here. And I got invitations for Mariana´s father’s and sister’s birthday.

This day was really good, full of impression, I saw city, met very nice people and improved my Spanish very much.

Next week we are finishing transition and starting planning.

Interesting facts and shocks:
1) People all around talk in spanish
2) They have palms
3) It is not so hot as we think
4) Building are small, old and colorful
5) Many different shops on the streets and in the metro people sell many stuffs
6) All people are brown (I´m very white here)
7) Don´t trust the cars - cars driving like crazy here
8) Transport is cheap. Metro cost 0.20 USD
9) People don´t talk with me to much in english
10) Very many people all around
11) In pick time they separate metro train to women and child part and men part
12) Buses don´t close front door during they way
13) Milk products is more expensive then in Latvia
14) In smaller cities, people live like ¨no sex before marriage¨ and when boy want to start relationship, he has to ask ¨Do you want to be my girlfriend¨
15) Big lines to the buses
16) Taxi is cheap (for 10 minutes ride can cost only 1 USD)
17) On the streets they have places where people clean shoes for rich people
18) Raining really hard
19) They you lemon everywhere - sup, tacos, desert, ... - everywhere
20) When you start relations and have this feeling you have, when everything starting, they call it ¨butterfly in your stomach¨
21) They use taxi a lot
22) When you buy fresh juice on the street (0.60 Ls) they put it in plastic bag and put there straw
22) On the streets you can see many transvestites
22) People are friendly and share everything they have with you

To be continued...