Yesterday afternoon I hopped in a taxi and headed towards Karina’s (the person in Mexico in charge of the Fulbright teacher exchange program) office in the Zona Rosa. About five minutes into the trip as the cabbie drove, he looked at his cell to read a text message, and then turned to towards me and said, “Can I ask you for a favor?” He needed to return the cab by 6 P.M. and wanted to know if I could get out and take another cab. Once I verified that I didn’t have to pay the 10 pesos displayed on the meter, I more than willingly jumped out and immediately found another cab. This cabbie, Gabriel, was fabulous – he complimented my Spanish, which of course guarantees him a tip while it’s not necessary or that common to tip cab drivers here.
It’s funny that I really take cab drivers’ compliments to heart. After having students laugh at something I say or try to correct something I say and not understanding everything they say or missing parts of the other teachers’ conversations, it’s refreshing and energizing to have someone acknowledge how well I do speak the language.
Gabriel lives right by where I work in Iztapalapa and he reacted as everyone does when they find out that I teach there, “Oh no, why, it’s not a good area at all, I’m sorry.” It was meant to be that I was asked to get out of the first cab and then find Gabriel, as he said it would only cost 60-70 pesos to take me to school, which would be helpful when I’m weighed down by “Kisses.”
More exciting than the cab ride was the fact that Karina and I were going to the Ambassador’s house. The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico hosted a cocktail party for about 150 people at his residence. The guests included past and present recipients of Fulbright grants and employees of COMEXUS (the organization that handles the Fulbright programs in Mexico). Andi and I are the only recipients in Mexico City on the Teacher-Exchange program but there are many others here as part of the Business Program and the Undergraduate and Graduate programs.
Karina passed the car off to valet and handed our invitations to the guard as we passed through the gate that hides the house. Karina had to arrive early to be sure everything was in order so we stood outside of the house for a while, where there is a spacious area to park cars, an elegant fountain and a U.S. flag flying proudly from atop its pole. At 7 P.M. guests were allowed to enter and we gathered inside, mingling, imbibing and nibbling on appetizers and desserts. The house is very modern and accented with enormous works of modern art displayed throughout, making it look like a modern art gallery, and there were several vases filled with Birds of Paradise flowers. There is a small den off to the side of the main entrance, two large open sitting areas in the main area and beyond the sprawling spiral staircase there are two large open dining areas. I had a great time chatting and learning about others’ placements for the business program and research topics for those here as part of academic programs. I finally had the chance to make some new friends and even scored some digits! After the cocktail party, the fun continued as many of us went to the bar Pata Negra (Black Paw) in Condesa.
