How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

It had to happen sooner or later & yesterday was the day. I totally freaked out. Between issues with my school, my apartment and adjusting in general to a foreign land, I briefly lost my shit (which explains the lack of a post). No need to bore anyone with all the details but I'm feeling much better today. Here's why:

My issues with the school are shared by one of my classmates (the Russian/Israeli I mentioned). We were both stuck into the same class with 4 other students who had been together for 4 weeks (& are enrolled for between 2 months & two years more) and we both feel like we're being taught things we don't need / aren't ready for, plus there has been way less conversation than we expected based on the school's literature. We plan to meet tomorrow morning with the guy in charge so hopefully we can find a quick solution. It really lifted my spirits to know there was someone else in my position who has the same complaint & (as of now) unfulfilled expectations.

My issues with the apartment may be coming to close, or at least reduced, thanks to long delayed but much needed action by my landlord & the promise of a restful weekend in Cuernavaca where I've been told to expect to spend my time lounging by the pool, drinking beer & grilling anything we can get our hands on.

As far as my issues with the overall adjustment, I simply have better perspective now that I'm passed the panic. I knew it would be hard, especially in the first week, and nothing has happened that I didn't expect going in to this experience. To continue with the movie theme & quote the film "Reservoir Dogs," "You know what you do in that situation? You shit your pants, then dive in and swim."

In food news, I had my first run-in with esquites today. For the uninitiated, it's superb fresh corn cut off the cob & gently cooked in a buttery (or lard-y) brine with the herb epazote, then doled out into styrofoam cups with hefty doses of cotija cheese, fresh squeezed lime juice, chile powder & mayonnaise (hold the mayo for me, please). It's another of my favorite street snacks & I was thoroughly pleased with my dose today.

I also "discovered" a new treat which I will have to study at length while here: tiny chiles rellenos served taco-style. The peppers are smaller & spicier than the customarily-used poblano but not as small or spicy as a jalapeño. They're stuffed with the usual cheese & fried in the puffy batter like the ones I'm accustomed to (fried to order, in fact) and then put on top of a spoonful of rice inside a small tortilla. All this for approximately 50¢ (the esquites are a comparative rip-off at around $1).

But wait, there's more! Despite my well-deserved reputation as a beer snob, I do love a good light lager or pilsner when the weather is warm (or whenever I'm awake) and one of my favorite Mexican versions- Bohemia- has a lovely amber lager called "Obscura" which I had never heard of until this trip. It reminds me of the German Oktoberfest lagers so it's even seasonally appropriate. The only problem is that it comes in 325 mL bottles which makes it even smaller than the tiny bottles of fine Belgian brews which are 330 mL. Check my math but I'm pretty sure I'll have to drink twice as many to make up the difference. ¡Besos!