Campion Celebrity 2012

There's some kind of expo going on in the park by my house -- selling shoes and purses maybe? I understand having music to attract attention. Same with have a dancing mascot. But seeing Barney the Dinosaur dancing to reggaeton is just weird....

A couple weeks ago I saw a man walking along the sidewalk near my house, carrying a duck. In all honesty, I wasn't sure if he was taking his pet on an outing or taking it to a nearby restaurant or butcher shop. I feel better now though because I saw him again a few days ago, hanging out with his duck in the park.

Just a quick update -- internet hasn't been working at my house this weekend so I'm chilling in Starbucks for a bit to take advantage of wifi. (Unfortunately no fun fall flavors here like the pumpkin spice latte)


--This week I had a history midterm. I was pretty worried about it, but I think it went well -- we shall see when I get it back. I was touched by the kindness of some of my classmates. I was studying with two friends the day before -- both of whom studied history for their undergrad. At one point, one of them turned to me and said -- "Becca, repeat back what we were just talking about. I want to make sure you're understanding everything." They weren't just studying for them, but really wanted to make sure I understood -- language and concepts.  Very much appreciated. 


--My friends and I have discovered an awesome place to dance. It's called Mama Rumba and it's a Cuban place for salsa dancing, with live music. Thursdays are free for ladies, so we've gone the past 2 weeks (though it makes 8:30am philosophy classes that much earlier on Fridays!). This weekend we also went to a place called El Conuco Caribeño, which plays a mix of salsa, merengue and bachata. 


-- I commented to a friend the other day that I still didn't have "my favorite place" in the city -- the bar or cafe or whatever that's always the favorite/fallback plan. I think I'm starting to develop one now though! There's a cute little coffee shop in Coyoacan that has lots of funky pop art on the tables, walls, etc; live music; and tasty drinks and food. I've gone twice so far with friends. 


-- Today's observations during a jog in the park: the regular basketball league, an ambulance and lots of police, a group doing tai chi, and some sort of ceremony involving people wearing white and candles.


--Jeff comes to visit on Friday and I'm so excited to see him and show him "my" city!! 

Saturday afternoon I went to a park to do a little (academic) reading outside.

I love that this park has mini carnival/amusement park rides for the kiddos, in addition to the obligatory playground, soccer field, etc.

There was a group of boy/girl scouts there today doing some type of activity.

My other observation I really don't understand -- so if anyone can offer further insight, please do so. There was a group of middle/high school age boys under the direction of a coach. It was some type of sport/game where a block of ice was placed on the asphalt and then the boy all piled on top. It wasn't clear if there were teams or every man for himself, but they would pull other boys by the leg/arm/shirt/pants to get them off the pile, dive on top of the pile, and generally try to get to the middle/bottom with the ice. Eventually the coach would countdown and then it would be over -- but it wasn't clear who "won" (if anyone) or what the objective was. It was pretty rough -- ripped clothes, bleeding, etc. I asked a woman who was watching and she said she had never seen it and shortly after a man asked me if I knew what was going on. So it's not common...but quite a sight to see.

Just an afternoon in the park =)