Vacation!

22 hours from now I will be on an airplane and bound for Mexico City, Mexico- well actually after I get to Mexico City I will have another hour's drive to the town of Chiautla de Tapia which is the hometown of my friend and co-worker Irma.

It's been 10 years sinec I've been to Chiautla; seems like yesterday. It was the first time I was in a non-english speaking country and the first and only time I was away from home at Christmas. I was only a year into learning Spanish and for the most part I was clueless as to what people were saying to me.

This time, I'm super excited to be going. My spanish is almost fluent, I get to see Irma's parent's whom I haven't seen since they moved back to Mexico 8 years ago along with her younger brother and sister.
I've got better drugs to help me combat Montezuma's revenge, and my digital camera is armed with a 4GB chip so I don't have to carry 15 rolls of film around with me like last time.

There's a running joke about me down there though. Last time, while I was there and shortly after I left, every animal I had come in contact with died; all the chickens at Irma's in-laws house, her family's pet bird Chachalaca, her grandmother's donkey.......... and I didn't even tough the bird.

So I've been asked what animals I'm going to mark for death this time.
Hopefully none.

The one thing I'm not looking forward to on this trip is drinking tequila. I can drink with the best of them- if it's been a shit day and I'm angry, but lately I haven't been able to tolerate more than 1 alcoholic beverage at a time. However, Irma's husband, Joaquin, is determiined to see me drink and have a good time..........
The last time I got drunk, someone had to carry me over their shoulder to bed because I lost all feeling in my body from the waist down.

I'm still working out a plan to avoid this scenario. I might have to pull a Coyote Ugly.

Anyway, for the next 8 days I'll be in the warm sun and out of the city smog.

Life is good. :)