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May 15 Mexico City (Part II, Days 07, Day 09, and Day 10)
Photos from Part II are a few days away from being available.
These past three days have been very smooth (knock on wood). Not much has happened that I can talk about. I can't really talk about my work, but I was working on a second presentation and a design document most of the time.
I guess, I can fill some space for this entry by listing some observations that I see around México City that are culturally strange to a gringo like me.
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The cleaning crew where I work seems to employ just about anyone--from the elderly to very young kids (I would say 15, 16 year olds)
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The office I'm in has typical office carpet. I'm not sure what it's called, but it's a close-cut fiber, sort of like indoor/outdoor carpet--basic carpet as seen everywhere in the U.S. However, what I've noticed is that the cleaning folks walk around with a mop and a bucket of mop water, and actually "mop" the carpet! That's a first for me.
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When you arrive at the office, it is customary to greet everyone "Buenos días" and for a guy to shake all the other guys' hands in your immediate area, and to "air kiss" all the women in the immediate area (the ones you know). Air Kiss: performing a cheek-to-cheek touch while making a kissing sound. LOL!
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When you leave for the day, you should repeat the shaking and air-kissing ritual.
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During la comida hours (usually 3-5 pm) if you didn't go out to eat and stay in the office, you'll see people sleeping with their heads on their desks, you'll see folks playing computer games, reading magazines, talking on the phone, and listening to radios (that certainly could have their volume turned down a bit). It's a pretty cool time of day to just kick back.
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Back to the cleaning crew. They are everywhere and most of them wear these blue uniforms. They all almost look like doctors or nurses. They are also cleaning anything in sight--multiple times a day. I think it is more "busy work" than anything.
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Eighties music (American and British) is heard everywhere!
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Méxican folks squirt lime on anything and everything. There is always a small plate of small limes (quartered) somewhere, ready for the squeezing. They squirt it in their soups, their salads, their desserts, even in their martini's (I found that out firsthand). In a vodka martini that I ordered, I asked for it with "a twist". Normally, in the U.S. that means a lemon twist rubbed on the rim of the glass and either hung on the side or dropped in. However, the Méxican bartender reaches into this quartered lime bowl, squeezed the juice into the martini, then dropped the remains into the glass. Yuck! What a good way to ruin good vodka. Actually, it wasn't that bad, but I'll pass next time.
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Fútbol (soccer) is everywhere. On nights where there is a fútbol match, the hotel bar is filled with fans, yelling and screaming. It's fun to watch (the crowd, as well as the game). I think if I come back to México City, I'll try to attend a live match, either professional or a university game. I would love to go to the Estadio Azteca (Aztec Stadium) with 120,000 capacity.
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I'll think of some more later...
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