The Metro

The mass of people was overwhelming. The green taxis were everywhere. We had been on the bus for over 4 hours and the smell of smoke was gagging us. Sweat was dripping down my back, my front, my legs. I had a death grip on Sierra´s hand and another one on my bag containing our important documents. My heartrate was at least 200 bpm and I must have looked like I was on uppers with my eyes shifting to and fro like a maniac.

You guessed it - we were on the Metro in Mexico City.

Now, all I´ve ever heard about ¨The City¨ is that it´s dangerous and dirty. We could certainly smell it as we approached, so I can affirm that it is dirty. As for dangerous - thankfully that is not something to which I can attest at this time. I know that angels were surrounding us thanks to the prayers of many saints.

We woke up on Saturday and were leisurely getting ready to leave San Miguel, thinking we had plenty of time. I thought I´d check the internet quickly to see when the bus left, only to find out we had only 40 minutes until the first class bus left, and there would be no other first class buses until 4:30 that afternoon. I ran upstairs shouting to Sierra - ¨get up, get up - we gotta go!¨

We madly packed, all the while Sierra saying ït´s ok mama, we are a good team, we´ll make it¨

We didn´t make it. We missed it by 10 minutes and ended up taking the 2nd class bus. The differences are many. Firstly, the 2nd class bus has no bathrooms. Secondly, it stops every few minutes to pick up passengers along the road, so it takes a lot longer. Thirdly, they pack the people on. Oh, did I mention they don´t have bathrooms? Yeah, they don´t. Take this into consideration when drinking your agua, refrescos and cafe in the morning.

However, there are some really cool things on the 2nd class bus. First off, they pick up vendors along the way. We had people get on selling everything from drinks and food to herbal remedies for bad teeth. We bought some fruit, and it was pretty darn juicy! We ate it with some trepidation, but it turned out to be fine.

There was a man who got on to serenade us and it was so beautiful that I started to cry. It was just amazing that this is how he makes his living...getting on 2nd class buses to play his guitar and sing for tips. We gave him 10 pesos. I´ll post the picture when I get the chance.

We finally got to Mexico City and had to take the Metro from the North bus station to the South bus station, which is about a 1/2 hour away. Taking a taxi costs over $10 USD, but taking the metro is only 8 pesos (about $0.80 cents). Being brave, we decided to take the Metro.

We had to switch trains 3 times. First we were on the yellow train, then the green train and finally the blue train. I had my fanny-pack in one hand and Sierra in another. I explained to her that we were in the 2nd largest city in the world, and there are lots of people who will try to steal from you, pick pockets, so we had to hold on to our stuff really tight and keep an eye out for anyone trying to bump into us. I explained how crafty people can be and they bump into you and say "oh, I'm so sorry" while their other hand goes into your pocket or your purse to steal your money. I was pretty nervous, and had a really tight hold on her. I also decided to put my backpack on the front of me and keep her right in front of me so I could keep an eye on her and her backpack.

We´d heard there were certain cars on the train for women and children - the ones in the front - so we went there, however, this wasn´t the case and we shared our car with all sorts of people. Now, I know you aren´t supposed to have eye contact with people in big cities, and especially with men in Mexico, but I wanted people to know I was on the lookout and wasn´t an easy target so I put on my most sophisticated "I know what Í'm doing" face and looked all around and directly into the eyes of anyone who looked a little "shady". I'm so tough! Ha!!!

The first train wasn´t so crowded, and we positioned ourselves next to an old man and his 2 granddaughters. We had to get off after one stop and walk a ways to the green train. We took the wrong exit and ended up outside of the subway station and had to ask for help. When we turned around to go back into the station, Sierra tripped over some uneven pavement and fell down, skinning her knee and ripping a hole in her favorite pants. She was upset, but I told her that we had to keep going and be tough, so that´s what she did. She is a trooper!!!

We got on the right train and it was really crowded. She got on and there wasn´t room for me. The bell was ringing that the doors were closing. I was getting scared! We had made a plan earlier - if we got separated, to get off on the next stop and WAIT. I wasn´t about to let that happen if I could help it. Now, you have to remember. We both have on backpacks. Big ones...all our lives needs for 10 weeks. Her backpack was sticking halfway out the door. Mine was on my front. I´m a mom and I was NOT going to let her get away from me for one second. I took my (front) pack and pushed hard. I pushed her into all those people and I kept pushing until my behind was clear of those doors. I just said "perdoname" and just kept on pushing til I knew we were both on that train. After a few stops, we were able to push our way to get her a seat and then a man with one hand that was made out of a metal hook let me in his seat so we could sit together. Finally, I felt safe. We sat there until our stop and in the mean time, Sierra counted 127 green taxis - the kind you never take when you are in Mexico City.

So, thankfully, we made it through that (somewhat) harrowing experience and were not the victims of any pickpockets. Phew! We got off and had to catch another bus to Cuernavaca, which was not too hard. We decided that after all our effort we´d take the 1st class bus. They showed some gross movie - I think it was Alexander the Great - in Spanish. The Mexicans love gory, bloody movies!! We finally made it to Cuernavaca and I realized that I hadn´t written down the address for our host family. D'OH!!! How lame is that???? We quickly went to an Internet Cafe to get it and then we went to meet our host family.

The lady of the house is Paulina and she lives with her daughter Maricela and her grandson Brandon. Brandon is 11 years old. Her son and his family live behind her, and you get to their house through her kitchen. They have a 5 year old son and he is usually at the house, too. The house is super tiny and we all share a little tiny bathroom. The shower puts out about 3 drops per second and the sink is in the hallway. The boy likes to watch MTV a lot, which I do not really approve of. So far, Cuernavaca has been rainy and overcast and I am not so sure how we like it. I guess we will give it a few days and then decide.

We start language classes at Chac-Mool on Monday and that should be fun.