Hola!

So my first week flew by and I’m starting to get used to the Mexican way of life. I get up pretty early in order to avoid the crowds in subway station and busstops, but still, huge crowds are inevitable!

 After making my way through the crowds, my day continues with a walk through the beautiful and grand avenues of Polanco Area. The area is green and has fountains, professional dogwalkers, hasty businesspeople and fashionistas…  The other big avenue in Polanco is Avenida Massaryk, which is kinda like Rodeo Drive, with fancy stores, fancy cars, fancy people, fancy everything!

I’m actually quite surprised at how much green spaces there are. Next to all the little parks and green avenidas, Mexico City also has the largest ‘green urban area’ in Latin America, called Bosque Chapultepec. It’s such a nice place to just sit and read a book after a nice day of work while enjoying the last rays of sunlight! 

After work, the masses move back home again! I usually take the bus back and it’s really a great ride! When its crowded, you often literally hang out of the bus while loud rythmic salsa music is blasting through the bus speakers. When your lucky, and its NOT raining, traffic moves relatively fast, but I’ve been told already many times that in case of rain, always opt for the metro and indeed… heavy torrential rains, lightening storms and hailstones stop traffic all together, roads are blocked, broken or even closed and nothing moves anymore! Usually the weather’s pretty nice here: sunny and not too hot, but everyday for the last few days, between 4.30 to 6pm… the weathergods do not like Mexico City! Rain, rain, lightening, hailstones and lots and lots of rain again!

After a week, I can honestly say I’m starting to get used to my intern-life and Mexico City. And yes, the news is filled with negative stories about drug trafficking, killings, gangs and kidnappings. All of this is true, Mexico has a lot of problems: bad educational system, no diversification of energy resources, poverty, ongoing crime… you  name it. But let’s not forget that all big cities have problems and all big cities should be viewed from another side as well. This is the side I have gotten to know so far (and hopefully I will never have to encounter the negative side): the Mexico City of green areas, trendy bars, fancy restaurants, modern shopping malls and an efficient altough overly crowded transportation system.

So far, the city has threated me well, the people are  friendly and the food is ricissimo – read ‘extremely fatty’! So, I’ve decided to go to the gym, which is conveniently located right next to my appartement. No excuses for me, I will, I must and I shall go to the gym everyday.