We decided to go out for the first time in days today. I've been sick with a bad cold and spending my days alternating between the couch and the bed. I woke up in the afternoon today after a night of uncomfortable sleep from the cold medicine I took. I tried to take the first shower in the apartment now that we finally have a gas tank for the water heater, and I got about 50 seconds of hot water. It wasn't great to start the day with a cold shower and leftover grogginess from the medicine.
The Zocalo downtown is set up with winter activities and lights at night, and Jose has been dying to visit so we finally went today. It probably wasn't a great idea for me to go, but he was starting to go crazy in the house and I thought it would be a nice experience. Apparently the Zocalo "winter wonderland" is a very popular Christmas event in the city. There are stations for kids like snowball fights, snowmobiling, snowslides, and snow man making. The main attraction is an ice skating rink. Anyone can ice skate and it is totally free, so the lines get really long. We sat and watched for awhile, but it was mostly a line of people dragging themselves along the railing. Jose had never seen an ice rink before, so it was a good experience for him. He didn't want to skate because there were so many people, but it is definitely something we will have to try in the future. We had planned to stay until it got dark and the lights on the surrounding buildings turned on, but I was worn out and we left early. It was still nice to see something that is so popular and important here during the holidays.
The biggest bummer of the day was that Jose left our camera on the bus. We bought it on our honeymoon and it was our big splurge after the wedding, so its unfortunate that we only had it for a year. Jose realized he had left it on the bus less than a minute after we got off at the metro station. We started running to try to catch up with the bus, but it had already gone out of sight. We knew where the bus would go to start the next run, so we ran over there and tried to find it. We knew that the windshield had swatstikas, and we checked each bus. I talked to a young bus driver and told him what we were doing. He took us all around the station until we actually found the bus. We looked inside, but the camera was gone from the seat. We think the driver had it, because there were only two other passengers on the bus who wouldn't have passed our seats when they left. The young driver who came with us talked to the assisant of the swatstika bus and asked him to just give us back the camera, but he claimed he didn't have it. The young driver later told us that he would have asked any other driver to give us back the camera, but the driver we had was known for not caring about other people. We tried to get it back, and it feels better to know we tried to find the camera, but it is still annoying to have lost it. At least we had it for September and October when we got all our good travel pictures and pictures of Cholula as a puppy.
While going to the Zocalo wasn't worth losing the camera or even really getting out of bed, it was nice to see the Christmas festivities. I realize that Christmas Eve is tomorrow, but it could easily be 3 months away because I have no holiday spirit. I'd usually be thrilled about tomorrow and all the cooking I'd do, but I can't even get myself to make eggnog this year. Its going to be a very different Christmas than usual, but at least I can blame it on being sick.
I hope everyone enjoys a great Christmas.
-Emma
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Comfort
We cooked our first dinner last night at the apartment. Our kitchen has lots of counter space, a six burner stove, and endless storage. It is easy for both of us to cook without getting in each others way. It is also really pretty.
We had chicken tacos with manchego cheese and avacado. It was fun to cook, and it was really fun to eat with just the two of us. We don't have a kitchen table yet, so we ate in the living room. We had just gotten cable a few hours earlier, so I'm guessing we would have eaten there even with a table.
I was hesitant to get the TV so early, but it was definitely a good idea. Its nice to be able to just relax at night on the couch and watch some TV. We've been having lots of quality family time in the evenings on the couch playing with Cholula and watching movies.
Living here is more comfortable and we are much happier. It is amazing to be alone and not have to worry about being around other people or being in someone else's house. I haven't fallen out of bed again, and Jose is sleeping more each night, so we are finally getting rested. I'm even starting to look forward to Christmas, which until yesterday I thought was about a month away. I'm going to make some eggnog to get into the holiday spirit.
I hope the holidays are going well for everyone, and that you are all looking forward to a great Christmas!
-Emma
We had chicken tacos with manchego cheese and avacado. It was fun to cook, and it was really fun to eat with just the two of us. We don't have a kitchen table yet, so we ate in the living room. We had just gotten cable a few hours earlier, so I'm guessing we would have eaten there even with a table.
I was hesitant to get the TV so early, but it was definitely a good idea. Its nice to be able to just relax at night on the couch and watch some TV. We've been having lots of quality family time in the evenings on the couch playing with Cholula and watching movies.
Living here is more comfortable and we are much happier. It is amazing to be alone and not have to worry about being around other people or being in someone else's house. I haven't fallen out of bed again, and Jose is sleeping more each night, so we are finally getting rested. I'm even starting to look forward to Christmas, which until yesterday I thought was about a month away. I'm going to make some eggnog to get into the holiday spirit.
I hope the holidays are going well for everyone, and that you are all looking forward to a great Christmas!
-Emma
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Moved In
Jose and I spent our first night in the apartment last night. It was stressful, and honestly probably a mistake. We spent the entire day shopping, moving our stuff, and cleaning up. We bought a TV for Jose, and we are going to split cable with Sergio and Maribel, so Jose can watch the rest of the football season. Sergio and Maribel took us on another 4 hour department store shopping excursion yesterday evening. By the time we got back from that, we were worn out and cranky, but we did have a beautiful comforter for our bed. We washed dishes, put things away, and made the bed before finally going to sleep late. We were too tired to enjoy that we were finally in the apartment, and too cranky to ignore the piles of boxes and clothes everywhere.
To further celebrate the greatness of last night, I fell out of bed in the middle of the night. I don't remember falling at all, but for the rest of the night I could barely sleep because my foot hurt so badly. I thought I had broken it, but luckily it isn't that bad. It still hurts a lot today, and wasn't the best first night experience to be had, but I'm sure it will get better soon.
Right now I am sitting on the couch in the living room with Cholula playing at my feet, making couch covers from pretty sheets, and listening to rain and Jose setting up the range in the kitchen. It is the first time in a long time that I have really felt comfortable. I think I might even feel at home.
Hopefully our second night here goes better. Today feels much better than yesterday, and I think that we are going to do well here.
-Emma
To further celebrate the greatness of last night, I fell out of bed in the middle of the night. I don't remember falling at all, but for the rest of the night I could barely sleep because my foot hurt so badly. I thought I had broken it, but luckily it isn't that bad. It still hurts a lot today, and wasn't the best first night experience to be had, but I'm sure it will get better soon.
Right now I am sitting on the couch in the living room with Cholula playing at my feet, making couch covers from pretty sheets, and listening to rain and Jose setting up the range in the kitchen. It is the first time in a long time that I have really felt comfortable. I think I might even feel at home.
Hopefully our second night here goes better. Today feels much better than yesterday, and I think that we are going to do well here.
-Emma
Monday, December 14, 2009
Company!
Exciting news! My lovely sister Anna has decided to give up school and work to live with us for about 6 months. She is excited to live in Mexico and use her Spanish more, and we are thrilled that she will be here to keep us company.
She thinks she will be coming around January 15th. By then the apartment should be done, so she can start living in a nice place. Since our apartment is only one bedroom, she is going to rent one room in an apartment across the patio from our apartment. It will only cost her 23 dollars a month. She will have her bedroom there, and we will share our kitchen and living room. Her bedroom is in almost perfect condition now. It is painted a vivid blue that would probably only look good in Mexico, and we are going to leave that so her room can look traditional.
It will be really nice for Jose and me to have her living with us. Since Anna loves to travel, speak Spanish, and learn about new cultures, I am sure she will make us do things we wouldn't usually do. I wouldn't be surprised if she makes us look at Mexico totally differently. We are getting used to life here, but it will be helpful to have someone who is actually excited about it.
-Emma
She thinks she will be coming around January 15th. By then the apartment should be done, so she can start living in a nice place. Since our apartment is only one bedroom, she is going to rent one room in an apartment across the patio from our apartment. It will only cost her 23 dollars a month. She will have her bedroom there, and we will share our kitchen and living room. Her bedroom is in almost perfect condition now. It is painted a vivid blue that would probably only look good in Mexico, and we are going to leave that so her room can look traditional.
It will be really nice for Jose and me to have her living with us. Since Anna loves to travel, speak Spanish, and learn about new cultures, I am sure she will make us do things we wouldn't usually do. I wouldn't be surprised if she makes us look at Mexico totally differently. We are getting used to life here, but it will be helpful to have someone who is actually excited about it.
-Emma
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Almost Done!
The apartment is almost done, and it is already spectacular. We the floor was put in a few days ago and all the painting is done. We have bought more furniture at the tiangis and bought the refrigerator and stove. It is a totally different space than we started with and we will be very comfortable there.
We have cockroaches, but Jose sprayed tonight and hopefully they won't come back. I think they were coming out of the drain in the bathroom, and we are going to keep that covered. I didn't know what they were and didn't think they were that bad, but everyone in Jose's family freaked out when they saw them. I guess because I haven't lived with them I don't know how bad they can be.
The floor is linoleum tile that looks kind of like fake oak. It was inexpensive and covered up the dirty floor. It was installed directly over the old cement floor, and there are a few cracks in the edges because the cement was even, but they aren't noticeable. Along with the paint, to apartment looks new and clean, and that is really all I ask for.
We were going to paint the bedroom purple, but changed plans immediately when we saw the paint on the wall. Jose described it as "Barbie purple," and I can't think of a better description. If we had been decorating a girlie girl's room it would have worked, but we would have hated seeing it. Instead, we bought a creamy yellow and painted the bottom half of the wall with that and the top half with the creamy white that is in the rest of the house. The room is bright and airy now. It will be a refreshing room to end the day and wake up in.
The tiangis has continued to provide us with great furniture. Today we bought two small wooden butcher blocks to put on both sides of the stove. It was less than 30 dollars for both handmade tables. They need some sanding, but they are exactly what we were looking for. One of our most exciting buys is a stainless steel counter with a shelf at the bottom. It is at least 6 feet long and looks like it was from a restaurant. From the tiangis we have bought a kitchen hutch, counter, two butcher block tables, a coffee table, and a bedframe for 90 dollars.
We had a hard time buying the stove because my bank wouldn't approve the charges. I called three times and everyone I talked to did the same thing and said it was fixed. I am about to give up on my credit card because almost every time I make a charge, I have to call the bank to confirm. I have a travel approval on the card, but it doesn't seem to work. It slowed us down a lot, but my godfather gave us an early Christmas present at just the right time, and we got to go back to the store today and easily buy the stove with cash. I am probably more excited about the stove than anything else, because I want to spend a lot of time cooking in my new kitchen.
Our refrigerator and stove will arrive in the next few days, and we are going to move furniture in tomorrow. We are also going to buy kitchen supplies and bedding tomorrow. If everything goes well, we may have our first night in the apartment tomorrow.
-Emma
We have cockroaches, but Jose sprayed tonight and hopefully they won't come back. I think they were coming out of the drain in the bathroom, and we are going to keep that covered. I didn't know what they were and didn't think they were that bad, but everyone in Jose's family freaked out when they saw them. I guess because I haven't lived with them I don't know how bad they can be.
The floor is linoleum tile that looks kind of like fake oak. It was inexpensive and covered up the dirty floor. It was installed directly over the old cement floor, and there are a few cracks in the edges because the cement was even, but they aren't noticeable. Along with the paint, to apartment looks new and clean, and that is really all I ask for.
We were going to paint the bedroom purple, but changed plans immediately when we saw the paint on the wall. Jose described it as "Barbie purple," and I can't think of a better description. If we had been decorating a girlie girl's room it would have worked, but we would have hated seeing it. Instead, we bought a creamy yellow and painted the bottom half of the wall with that and the top half with the creamy white that is in the rest of the house. The room is bright and airy now. It will be a refreshing room to end the day and wake up in.
The tiangis has continued to provide us with great furniture. Today we bought two small wooden butcher blocks to put on both sides of the stove. It was less than 30 dollars for both handmade tables. They need some sanding, but they are exactly what we were looking for. One of our most exciting buys is a stainless steel counter with a shelf at the bottom. It is at least 6 feet long and looks like it was from a restaurant. From the tiangis we have bought a kitchen hutch, counter, two butcher block tables, a coffee table, and a bedframe for 90 dollars.
We had a hard time buying the stove because my bank wouldn't approve the charges. I called three times and everyone I talked to did the same thing and said it was fixed. I am about to give up on my credit card because almost every time I make a charge, I have to call the bank to confirm. I have a travel approval on the card, but it doesn't seem to work. It slowed us down a lot, but my godfather gave us an early Christmas present at just the right time, and we got to go back to the store today and easily buy the stove with cash. I am probably more excited about the stove than anything else, because I want to spend a lot of time cooking in my new kitchen.
Our refrigerator and stove will arrive in the next few days, and we are going to move furniture in tomorrow. We are also going to buy kitchen supplies and bedding tomorrow. If everything goes well, we may have our first night in the apartment tomorrow.
-Emma
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Getting Busy
Working on the apartment has been really good for us. We are going to bed earlier and actually tired, getting up hours earlier, and working hard during the day. We have spent at least 6 hours painting each day. The first day was virtually a waste of time, material, and money, because the cheap white paint that we bought still hadn't covered the walls after 3 coats. We should have known that 8 dollars for 5 gallons of paint wouldn't work. This morning we bought quality paint and had all the walls completely white by the end of the day. Tomorrow we get to start painting the color and really see the apartment turn into what we are imagining. It already looks bigger and brighter and more comfortable.
I was really discouraged about decorating the apartment, because I couldn't figure out how to buy used furniture. I have loved thrift stores since I was young and spent hours searching different ones all over Sonoma County with my grandfather, but everyone I asked didn't even get the concept. We went to about 100 department stores will Maribel and Sergio, and it made me want to buy furniture less and less. Then, we walked through the flea market near our house and found a metal hutch for the kitchen for 11 dollars. The next day we found a painted black wood coffee table with flowers carved on the sides. If we are patient, we will find nice used furniture bit by bit and have a beautiful apartment. Not only do I now feel better about decorating, I am obsessed with the flea market and visit every day it is open. It is nice to have a low cost obsession that gets me out of the house and the apartment.
Our life has just been the apartment lately. It is making me feel really good, because I am doing something that is quickly showing the results of my productivity. And that productivity is going to benefit us so much in so little time that it is making everything seem more manageable. I hope it continues to get better as we get closer to having a home!
-Emma
I was really discouraged about decorating the apartment, because I couldn't figure out how to buy used furniture. I have loved thrift stores since I was young and spent hours searching different ones all over Sonoma County with my grandfather, but everyone I asked didn't even get the concept. We went to about 100 department stores will Maribel and Sergio, and it made me want to buy furniture less and less. Then, we walked through the flea market near our house and found a metal hutch for the kitchen for 11 dollars. The next day we found a painted black wood coffee table with flowers carved on the sides. If we are patient, we will find nice used furniture bit by bit and have a beautiful apartment. Not only do I now feel better about decorating, I am obsessed with the flea market and visit every day it is open. It is nice to have a low cost obsession that gets me out of the house and the apartment.
Our life has just been the apartment lately. It is making me feel really good, because I am doing something that is quickly showing the results of my productivity. And that productivity is going to benefit us so much in so little time that it is making everything seem more manageable. I hope it continues to get better as we get closer to having a home!
-Emma
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Starting the Apartment
We got up early this morning and started working on the apartment, after what felt like weeks of waiting. It was overwhelming when we first got there, and saw the large holes at the bottom of the wall that were previously hidden by Maribel and Sergio's stuff. All I could think about for the first half hour was how much I wished my parent's were there to help us. I wanted to get right to cleaning and then painting, but I had to be patient and get the holes patched.
We went to the paint store to get the wall cement, and were told to come back in an hour. We went back an hour later, and were told to come back in half an hour. We went back in half an hour, and no surprise, were told to come back in half an hour. By this time we had gotten the walls cleaned and we had nothing else to do but patch the holes, so we walked until we found an open hardware store. We got the cement and were quickly filling holes like professionals. We're lucky to have my dad who has taught us enough about construction that we can get right o fixing up the apartment on our own.
On the way back from the hardware store, we walked through the tiangis, which is like a flea market on the main street. Finally, I found used furniture. There was a beautiful wooden shelf, but by the time I had convinced myself to get it it was gone. I did find a metal hutch for the kitchen for only 12 dollars that will look nice in the kitchen when painted. Tomorrow we are going to go back and walk the entire 1.5 mile tiangis and see what else there is.
Our only major confusion today came from the primer we bought. We were expecting white primer like we use in the United States, but what we have is kind of like a putty. It turns out it needs to be mixed with a lot of water, and then it turns into white water. We painted it on anyways, and the walls now look like they have a coat of oil on them. It is more of a sealant, but that is what we need because the walls were so dirty.
Tomorrow we just need to put "primer" on a few big patches and then we are ready to paint. We are also going to order the floor tomorrow, and hopefully it will be installed a few days after. Its all starting to come together!
-Emma
We went to the paint store to get the wall cement, and were told to come back in an hour. We went back an hour later, and were told to come back in half an hour. We went back in half an hour, and no surprise, were told to come back in half an hour. By this time we had gotten the walls cleaned and we had nothing else to do but patch the holes, so we walked until we found an open hardware store. We got the cement and were quickly filling holes like professionals. We're lucky to have my dad who has taught us enough about construction that we can get right o fixing up the apartment on our own.
On the way back from the hardware store, we walked through the tiangis, which is like a flea market on the main street. Finally, I found used furniture. There was a beautiful wooden shelf, but by the time I had convinced myself to get it it was gone. I did find a metal hutch for the kitchen for only 12 dollars that will look nice in the kitchen when painted. Tomorrow we are going to go back and walk the entire 1.5 mile tiangis and see what else there is.
Our only major confusion today came from the primer we bought. We were expecting white primer like we use in the United States, but what we have is kind of like a putty. It turns out it needs to be mixed with a lot of water, and then it turns into white water. We painted it on anyways, and the walls now look like they have a coat of oil on them. It is more of a sealant, but that is what we need because the walls were so dirty.
Tomorrow we just need to put "primer" on a few big patches and then we are ready to paint. We are also going to order the floor tomorrow, and hopefully it will be installed a few days after. Its all starting to come together!
-Emma
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