Mexico City

A boy, about seven or eight, just appeared before me, stuck his hand out directly under my nose, and demanded some pesos. I probably shouldn’t have given him anything, because he was probably scamming me. He was pretty well dressed and couldn’t help laughing a few times. I speak very little Spanish at this point, but I did manage to understand that he said he was hungry, wanted some money for food, and claimed not to have a mother or father. I gave him ten pesos, then he walked out, knocked on the window, and laughed at me again.

I’m sitting in a Starbucks. Outside I can see a Dominos Pizza. There’s also a McDonald’s, a Subway, a Dunkin Donuts, a KFC and a Wal-Mart. Did I mention I was in Mexico City?

I’m freakin’ exhausted at the moment, but this is first time I’ve had access to the World Wide Web in a while, so I’m gonna post through the pain. Actually, I’ve had a great time so far in Mexico City. The Fulbright people have given Mary Alice and I the red-carpet treatment, and the people we’ve met have been wonderful. We visited the historical district this afternoon and took our first snap-shots with the new camera. Once I figure out how work the thing, I’ll post the highlights.

I feel like I have a bull’s eye on my forehead right now, so I’m going to pack up the lap-top, run back to the hotel, and lose myself in Mexican TV. The Simspons was on earlier, but I didn’t get a chance to see how they translate “D’oh” into Spanish.