Life in Mexico City

I arrived in Mexico about 2 weeks ago and have been having an amazing time so far.  I stayed at the same hostel I was at last year which is right on the Zocalo.  The tour guide from last year, Fernando, is still working there, and he remembered me which was nice.  I met my roommates who were also really cool, a Venezuelan guy, and a Spanish guy named Rodrigo.  The following day I went on a tour of the Chapultepec Castle with Fernando, Rodrigo, our new roommate Joe, and some other people from the hostel.  I had already been there last year, but it was still fun to go again and meet new people.  I met a ton of people at the hostel bar that night, including this Chilean girl named Ignacia who wants to live here as well, so we decided to apartment hunt together.  Also, 2 of the 3 bartenders are Canadian, so we’ve decided we’re taking over.  That weekend I went to the Museum of Anthropology with one of our new roomies Gareth (another Canadian!), and then Sunday I went to Cuernavaca, where I was born, to get a copy of my birth certificate.  We have some family friends that live there, so I stayed with them, and they helped me get my CURP, which is like a SIN and makes me eligible to work here.  I came back to DF on Monday night, back to my roomies in 409, and we celebrated our reunion!

Tuesday I walked around a few different neighbourhoods handing out my CV to various language schools, and I got an interview Wednesday morning!  I ended up getting the job, but I turned it down because it was 6 weeks of unpaid training...if I’m not getting paid for 6 weeks, I’d rather go travelling than work.  I got back from my interview earlier than expected and decided to go to the pyramids with the boys from my room.  I had gone last year, but it was a Sunday, so it was packed.  It was almost empty when we when which was really nice.  The following morning Gareth left, but we didn’t get anyone to replace him.  I spent the day up at the rooftop bar looking for apartments online.  Thursday was Joe and Rodrigo’s last night in DF as well…all my friends leaving me!  I had to switch rooms Friday because I hadn’t reserved, and some big group was coming in.  I got switched to an all-girls dorm, and no one there was any fun.

I made a few new friends, this British guy named Steve, and an Aus girl named Sam, but I didn’t do much this week other than sit at the bar all day job-hunting and apartment-hunting.  The boys at the bar are all really nice and friendly, so they’re nice to hang out with while I’m on my tablet all day long.  I had a few more interviews and offers this week, but none that I really wanted, until Thursday when I got a job teaching English at an elementary school!!  I’ll be teaching a grade 4 and grade 3 class J  I’m so stoked!  It’s perfect, because I finish at 2:30 every day, so I can go to museums of whatever in the afternoon, I get weekends off (and since I finish so early Fridays, it’s easy to go somewhere for the weekend), and I’m salaried instead of paid hourly, meaning I still get paid at  Christmas and Santa Semana.  And I get to be with kids all day!  It’s perfect!

Right after the job interview I headed to the bus terminal.  I had planned on going to Oaxaca for Day of Dead this weekend, staying there until about Thursday, and then heading own to Puerto Escondido for a surf festival the following weekend, but since they want me to start on Monday, I’ll just be going to Oaxaca for the weekend and then coming back Sunday night.  But Gareth, and Joe, and Sam, and Iganacia are all down here so I’m excited to celebrate day of the dead with them!

Also, Jorge, the hostel manager is moving in a couple of weeks and has a 2 bedroom apartment, so Ignacia and I may be taking his lease over, which would be perfect.  Now that I have a job, I really need to get my own place.  Everything seems to be falling into place for me though, so I’m sure the apartment will be no different (I hope).