Modern House, Vintage Personality

Here's my only challenge with my big, gorgeous house: the modern architecture.

Monterrey is obsessed with modernity. In the center of the city is a huge, flat, red brick tower sculpture, that projects a beam of light into the sky, meant to represent the economic prosperity of the city. A beautiful, modern suspension bridge spans the dry river bed that runs through the center of town. The majority of the housing communities in my area are gridded white blocks of gridded white blocks. Cubes of white-on-white with gray or black trimmed windows.

While I am fortunate enough to live in a colonia with some variety (the houses are different colors and vary in adornments), the interior of my home is rental house beige with neutral brown couches and beige-y tile floors.

For someone who loves living with color (and in homes that are, themselves, antiques), this has been a challenge: how do I marry the look of vintage / antiques and pops of color I love with the "paint them and it will cost you dearly" square beige walls and black trim?

Here is what my roommate and I have come up with:

First, today's purchases - an antique wooden cabinet (with iron nails and painted leather sides) on a stand assembled of pieces of antiques. It stood out awkwardly when first placed in the modern, tiled dining room, but when we hung a blown-glass flower I bought a few week ago over the cabinet, it somehow brought the room together. It also helped that we hung the orange Turkish tapestry in the dining room across from the cabinet, and moved the green Tt to the living room to go with the new 'ethnic pattern' (according to the tag) patch-work turquoise throw pillows purchased at, of all places, Home Depot, to liven up the couch. (note: I sewed ribbon/yarn to the tapestries, and the batik I bought last week, and hung them from patterned chair rails bought at the Home Depot for about $2ea).




Next, a painted metal mirror in muted oranges and greens (bought at the same place as the antique cabinet) was hung over the very modern staircase to, again, help the wooden cabinet not stand out so much.

Finally, little bits and pieces - a painting I bought in Turkey; drink coasters and tiles from Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Mexico (the ones from Italy are still in Florida, awaiting transport to Mexico); magnets from both me and my roommate's travels; flowers and pottery acquired in Mexico; a Balinese (but bought in MD) windchime; the day of the dead batik (see last post); my roommate's Zabaleen cushions from Cairo; and lots of photos from home and away have made the house finally seem a bit more home-y and a bit less rental-property.

The final purchase was a "well, they are kind of too expensive" pass today, but I think I'll go back and get them now that I've seen how the dining room is coming together: 'rusted' iron barstools with orange leather seats! Photos to come...I hope...if they are still there when I go back in two weeks!

Coffee Sippin' Reminiscin'

8:43 am.

The detritus of last night's birthday celebration lingers: mi casa's hangover. Brightly colored flowers in pinks, yellows, oranges, reds, greens, and purples, and the echo of last night's chatter, are draped over every surface; a nice distraction from the mountains of sticky, crumby dishes and dirt-smeared floors.

Contentment and coffee.

It's been a productive hour since I woke (a productivity that MUST persist if I am to get all my grading done today!). I have created a web-page (see tabs at the top of the page) of my favorite restaurants all over the world - with links my original posts on the restaurants if they exist. I am enjoying my second cup of coffee. I moved a single dirty dish closer to the sink. I feel accomplished.

Since the topic came up often last night, I thought this morning is a good time to reflect on last weekend's trip to Merida (beyond the food and the awesome hotel).

Merida seems to be a jumping off point for tourists wanting to visit the archaeological sites in Quintana Roo. While its proximity makes Merida great for pyramid hunters, on its own it is a lovely town to visit - the town has personality and "personality goes a long way."

My visit to Merida coincided with Mexican Independence Day celebrations. This meant fireworks (which I missed as I fell asleep hours before they went off), parades, performances, street fairs, and a generally festive atmosphere. It was a great time to be introduced to the liveliness of the city.

There are several museums in Merida (all were closed when I went) and great craft shopping. On Saturday, at a little shop called Minaturas, I bought mermaids (a La Sirena-meets-Day of the Dead one, and a chubby angel mermaid), a Day of the Dead photo frame, and some great hand-painted cards. At the Sunday market (every Sunday in the main square) I purchased an AMAZING batik from the artist that made it. The Yucatan textiles were also amazing, but virtually all my money went to the batik, so the textiles will have to wait until my next trip.

Merida has an odd mix of Art Deco and colonial architecture, all painted the sherbet colors you expect of a Mexican town. The grid-patterned streets, flat topography, and healthy police presence make walking around Merida pleasant, easy, and safe - even in the dark hours.

In the Winter / Spring, there is a flamingo migration that winters near Merida that is said to be an amazing sight! There are also many other great restaurants to try, and cooking classes at Los Dos that I am eager to take. Needless to say, I'm already planning my next trip!

Reflections on turning 35

My roots suddenly went gray a few weeks ago, after just finding my first gray hair in the first few months after I turned 34.

I am living in my third country; living abroad makes me very happy.

I have been teaching for 9 years, and each year I think I learn more than I teach - I hope this never stops.

I have visited 21 countries - I feel like I've barely begun to travel. There are so many more places to visit, and cuisines to sample.

When I go to America now, I only want 'American' food - American Chinese food, American Mexican food, and local produce. Thai food in America doesn't taste Thai; Egyptian, Italian, French...none of it tastes as good as the real thing. (But American Chinese food, too, is unique. Just thinking of Paul Chen Hong Kong Restaurant (pickupcarryout) on Charles Street still makes me salivate.)

I'm nearly old enough to have a 'mid-life' crisis; but I don't plan to have one. Life is too good to go about creating drama and buying things I can't actually afford (unless it's travel - that's what a good credit rating is for).

Collecting real art has become a 'thing' that I think makes me more 'adult' like.

Happy. Content. Adventurous. Cat lady. Thirty-Five. Mexico (a long way from Blankeny Rd. in Catonsville).

Here's to half-way through my thirties!

Merida Post 1: The Food

Two days in Merida for Mexican Independence Day felt like a full week of vacation. The trip is going to need 3 posts: 1 in "Hotels I Like," 1 about the town, and this one: one about the food.

Out of three meals purchased in Merida, two were at the same restaurant: Amaro in the Centro Historico. Billed as a vegetarian restaurant (and with delicious veggie options like Zucchini Cream Soup), they also had many Yucatan regional meat dishes. The restaurant is in a lovely open courtyard  shaded by a large tree.  There is local art on display, there are live performances most nights, the service was amazing, and they are open all day (many of the restaurants closed for a few hours in late afternoon and re-opened for dinner at 6. I personally like a nice late lunch/early dinner combo around 4ish when I'm traveling, so Amaro was a perfect choice for me).

One of the best dishes was an appetizer called Paunchas. Each pauncha was two corn tortillas stuffed with black beans, fried, and topped with lettuce, shredded chicken, pickled onions, cucumber and avacado. 

This is a super-duper delicious close-up.

I also really enjoyed the cochinita pibil - juicy/spicy pork cooked in a banana leaf. It reminded me of the food in Bali (shredded pork on banana leaf) but with a completely different flavor profile: spicy and sour notes that hit the center of your palate as you eat them wrapped in warm flour tortillas with pickled onions, beans, jalepeno, and lettuce.

For dessert - Crepes with Dolce de Leche made with local goat's milk and sprinkled with toasted oats for texture. 

Almost too sweet, but with just the right touch of sour to balance the caramelliness.

Other than meals at Amaro, I also had:

MORE CHILEQUILES!

Since it was a weekend filled with Mexican Independence celebrations, there was a large street fair with tons of street food.

Beautiful, sugary Churros...

 weird chopped-up hot-dogs with lime and french fries...

and men carrying baskets of chips and popcorn on their shoulders...

I could say many things about Merida, but to sum it up in one word:

tummy-wonderful!

Settling In

It's hard to believe that I have already lived in Monterrey for forty days. In some ways I feel as if I've just arrived - the house is still a bit bare and I am still using 'Retournos' like crazy when I get lost or over-shoot my destination as I explore the city; however, I have established my routines and some new friendships and feel very much rooted to the spaces of my daily life.

Life in Monterrey is vastly different from life in Cairo. Most notably, transportation is different. Maadi, where I lived in Cairo for most of my four years there, was a very walkable neighborhood that, for Cairo anyway, was very green. I did not have a car most years, so that meant taking a 20 - 90 minute bus ride to and from school each day and relying on taxis and Said's family of drivers to get around. Friday morning always meant a coffee date with T down Road 9, followed by grocery shopping - which required visits to no less than four different specialty shops within the same block, and a $1 cab ride each way. Adventures downtown either meant a 20 cent metro ride to Tahrir or the Opera House (in the years before the revolution), or a $8 - $12 dollar cab ride that could last from 30 minutes to an hour; both of which relied on an open window for air-con.

In Monterrey I have a car. While the central rules of the road are the same as in Cairo (lanes are mostly arbitrary, aggressive driving IS defensive driving, etc), here there are traffic lights and stop signs that are more-or-less obeyed, and fewer cars in general. Yesterday, I met friends for brunch 20 km away and it took only 20 minutes to get there.  Last night, I went to a play near downtown (which had an amazing cast!), and again the drive time was short and it was easy to find. My morning commute is less than 10 minutes.

view of Monterrey from a neighborhood 1/2 way up a mountain

Of course, I've traded the quaint, walkable Maadi for highways and strip malls; my adorable little veg man, the cute pork guy, and the Massoud's lady for large, western-style, one-stop, well-stocked grocery stores; and coffee with T is now over skype instead of in-person. Some of these adjustments are as much welcome as un-welcome (though I think it goes without saying that coffee-chats over skype lack a little something and in-person meetings with hugs and sunshine would be the ideal.)

One amazing thing I have reclaimed in the transition to Mexico is brunch. I almost never brunched in Cairo and I can tell that brunch in Mexico is going to be a regular thing. Especially when it is as good as the chilaquiles I had yesterday that cost about $5 and kept my belly full for the rest of the day:

mmmm...chilaquiles!

Food here in general is pretty amazing. At a birthday party the other night, there was a taco stand set-up in the street next to the home (the host had hired a guy to come and make tacos for the party); after-school last week, I met some colleagues and we walked to a taco stand nearby and had amazing, enormous tacos. Near school is a place called Todos Empanadas, where you can pick up a big box of assorted empanadas with chimichurri to dip in, and all the empanadas have a little stamp branded into them that tells you what's inside that particular empanada (I like the steak & cheese and the chicken best).

I guess it goes without saying that I've put on a little weight here. I walk less, I sweat less, and I eat more; but other than needing a bit more exercise, I would say that life is pretty good.