Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues . . . Or if you want to get online sometimes.
But tonight, my host family's wi-fi is working superbly and I can let all 3 of my fans (you're still there, right?) know what's happening.
Being cheap, I decided to find a different way to get here this time. No $1,400 ticket on American Airlines for me. So I rode Megabus to Chicago ($10.50), took a taxi from Union Station to Midway Airport ($30 with tip) and Volaris ($501 round trip!) from Midway to Mexico City. At the airport, I was met by a guide from the school and we took an Estrella Roja (Red Star) executive bus to Puebla, where Olga, my hostess, awaited.(I'd have taken the bus by myself if I hadn't been arriving at night. That made it worth $85 including bus fares.)
Having taken flights on Vasp in Brasil, and felt like I was in a '50s movie, I didn't know what to expect, though I knew that Volaris is a fairly new airline and that it's affiliated with Southwest Airlines.
It was second only to Singapore Airlines' service, in my fairly limited experience of international flight. No, no hot towels and gourmet meals, but the seats were leather, beverages and snacks were free, the flight was smooth and there was enough legroom to please someone a good bit taller than me.
Getting back to Puebla has been like coming back to see old friends. I had been a bit worried that a second visit would be a disappointment. No way! This time, the experience is even better. Several people at the school have said my Spanish is much better now. I didn't really prep this time, so my only theory is that I'm more relaxed now, more at home.
There are three other students in my class -- all well matched in ability and all friendly. Gabriela, our instructor, is enthusiastic and animated, and keeps the class fun. We've spent this week reviewing various things, including reflexive verbs and direct and indirect objects. I'm pleased at how much I either remembered or understand now. Class is from 9 to 1 with a break about 11. Each day, we write three sentences on our experiences and read them aloud. (I can truthfully say that I get the fewest corrections on my accent and pronunciations. Gracias a Señor McGlothlin, my high school Spanish teacher). We also read aloud our tarea (homework) from the workbook and discuss items of interest.
Then it's off to Pepe Grillo, one of our two "included" restaurants, for lunch. There's a buffet of comidas tipicas (typical foods of the region) that changes daily. Today, we had pollo rollados en salsa de mole -- shredded chicken rolled in a tortilla and baked in the rich, flavorful sauce invented here in Puebla when some nuns had to feed the bishop unexpectedly.
Mole (MOH lay) means milled or ground. The nuns ground several spice and herbs, added chocolate and liquid and cooked meat in it. Voila! A dish fit for VIPs. I hope to visit the ex-convent here, including the kitchen where mole was invented. It was closed for restoration when I was here before.
There also was a soup with tomatoey liquid, bits of green chiles and shrimp about the circumference of a quarter. I decided to skip the soup when I found that the little buggers were still wearing their shells. I had some ziti in tomato sauce and a green salad, too, but skipped the ham and beans. There's no way one can go hungry at Pepe Grillo. Today, a server noticed that one student wasn't eating and brought her some other food instead without even being asked. Another brought coffee because we'd asked for it on Wednesday.
Next time: off to the Zocalo
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