June 17th- Coyoacan and Sandwich fixins’

I decided to find the building where I’ll be working starting tomorrow so as not to be stressed about being late. It’s funny because even thought the “daily” has not begun, by the end of today I feel like I already have a routine. We humans are such creatures of habit, its incredible. One of the reasons I want a routine (somewhat) is because I think it will increase my personal interaction. I’ve figured out where to get my tomatoes and aguacate on the route I walk to get home from the metro. I walked by there today what appeared to be the vendor’s daughter was scootering past me singing out loud. Her dad was watching her telling her “use both hands, both hands!” and we both smiled at how cute and carefree she was scootering up and down the sidewalk. The little store was full to the brim with vibrant fruits and vegetables.I also picked up some yummy looking bread in the neigborhood.
I spent the day exploring Coyoacan, an old Colonia that is rather wealthy (old wealth as I’ve been told). It reminds me a little of parts of France with its cobblestone streets and rreally lovely parks. It was Sunday so in the plaza central there was a market with lots of crafts and what seemed to be old Mexican hippies selling them. The crowd seemed comparatively wealthy to other parts of the city I’ve walked through. The menu prices of cafes around confirmed this notion. There were all these performers one of which was three older men performing some sort of Aztec-like dance ceremony. From what I’ve read in lonely planet guidebook (the ultimate source of knowledge..dundundun) this is quite common in marketplaces. I walked away from the market towards IFAI and stopped at a quaint, cheaper, café and bakery for some fresh papaya and orange juice and read some Roberto Bolaño, quite good and appropriate for being in Mexico City near the centro Universitario. Then, I found IFAI (wooohoooo!) and walked around the huge nursery that was across from it that was basically a botanical garden where people were selling the plants. I proceeded to find the metro stop to get home and passed by a huge mall. I was still missing one key ingredient for my beloved sandwich that I had not been able to find in the mercados around la Roma or the places I’d walked in Coyoacan. In search of pesto, that I figured I might be able to find at some gourmet market I took a walk around. If there was any doubt before that I was in an upperclass part of town my mall excursion erased it. It was way overwhelming and maybe because of how tired I was, or maybe something else, I felt sort of nauseas. I found the gourmet store I was looking for and scored some pesto that I will be eating on beautimus sandwich for lunch tomorrow and thinking about all you while I eat it. All the ingredients for this sandwich, and not to mention the excursions taken to find them, were probably more expensive than a few lunches I could buy on the street this week. That said, in the long run I think it will save me a few pesos here and there. Hopefully IFAI has a “bring your lunch” culture…if not I am bound to look a little silly at first. Ooo well.