New Amiga

Yesterday I met my new Amiga Amistad. After meeting my original partner, Guillermo, and then never seeing or hearing from him again, I decided to get a new partner. This time I made sure it was a girl so that it wouldn’t feel like a blind date.

I met her yesterday outside of CEPE at 5 and she was very nice. Her name is Alejandra (or Ali) and she is so adorable. She seems like the typical Mexican girl, all done up with the make-up and the nails and the matching clothes, but she looks very classy and vibrant. Like, she has the fake nails, but they are just French nails with one rhinestone on each nail, not some obnoxious, flashy design. It is a little weird because she’s 19 years old and pregnant. I don’t want to pass judgment because there’s no way I can understand all the cultural influences that have lead her to being pregnant. She seems very happy about it.

We talked a lot about her boyfriend and her plans with the baby. She told me she plans on moving to LA in May so that she can have her baby in the US in July and then fly back with it in August. I’m not sure if that’s legal but it’s what I would do if I had a boyfriend from LA, and she said it’s very common. I just smile and nod. We also talked about baby names. If it’s a girl, she likes the name Maria Jose (that’s the Catholic part shining through). Her boyfriend wants the baby to have an American name so she said if it’s a girl she likes the name Zoe and if it’s a boy, Paris. I hope it’s not a boy for the baby’s sake. After she has the baby she’s going to come back to Guadalajara and start university. I think it’s very brave and a little naïve of her to be so cheerful about this plan, but I was raised in a different culture, that’s for sure.

Yesterday Alice came into my room and told me some really sad news. I’ve known for a while that my 4 year old host nephew, Haciel, is really sick. He has some sort of blood disease like Leukemia and he’s been sick pretty much his whole life, but it’s taken a bad turn. He was sent home from the hospital yesterday and the doctor said there was nothing else they could do but wait to see if he responds to the medication he’s on now. It’s so sad. The whole family has been at the house for the last few days, and I could feel that something was happening while they were gathered in the kitchen, or the living room, or the upstairs patio. It was just in the tone of voice they used. Alice thinks it’s a good thing that we’re here as a means of income for them during all this difficulty. I agree with her, but I’m also selfish and I just want an uncomplicated family who will talk to me and treat me like one of them, more or less.

I’m so excited for this weekend! It’s the end of term tomorrow, so we have a three day weekend. A bunch of people are going to the beach, but I want to see something other than the beach for once. Mexico isn’t all beach. I believe there’s other stuff in between the east and west coasts. So, I originally wanted to go to Zacatecas or Mexico City (D.F.) but the weather is going to be pretty gross there this weekend. Instead, Linda, Kristen, and I are going to go to San Juan Cosalá where there are a number of thermal water pockets on the banks of Lake Chapala.

Tomorrow night we are going out with Camila (who is going home to Brazil on Sunday) to one of two clubs (Classic or Suite) that we have discounts at thanks to Cassandra. Then on Saturday morning we’re meeting up with Alejandra to go to the tienges (a kind of cultural flea market). After that, sometime in the afternoon we’ll take the bus to San Juan Cosalá and maybe stay there until Monday. Obviously a few things need to be figured out before then. Like where we’re staying. Speaking of, it’s time to do some research and maybe study for my finals…