Band-Aids 101: Oaxaca, Mexico

Tuesday, May 20

Egg Breakfast Burrito with Sliced Apples and fake Orange Juice.

Today was the busiest day so far. In the morning I cooked myself breakfast. I made my version of a breakfast burrito…scrambled eggs with garlic wrapped in a tortilla… with a cut up apple on the side. I am really starting to crave Orange Juice because these mock SunnyD juice boxes are not hitting the spot.

The teachers are taking it to the streets.

Then I went to Spanish where I butchered the language, as usual, but I’m starting to feel more comfortable with speaking to the other students and we all are learning so it’s much easier to make mistakes and not feel so embarrassed. After class, Rocky (my roommate) and I went to grab lunch and on the way ran in to our first Strike. The teachers in Oaxaca are on Strike and want more money. Later in the day there was another Strike of women who wanted a raise. Apparently many people in Oaxaca aren’t paid well.

Enjoying our first meal out in Oaxaca.

Rocky and I wandered around the Zocalo and picked a restaurant that had outdoor seating. It was our first time eating out in Oaxaca! I ordered Chicken Fajitas and Rocky ordered Enchiladas. Within 2 minutes of getting our drinks, Rocky spilt her beer all over the table and 3 waiters came running over to help. Not much spilled, but they quickly took everything off the table, changed the table cloth, and got us more napkins….just like a well oiled machine. I wonder if this happens a lot because they really knew how to do it fast… Our only complication was asking for to-go boxes and figuring out what an appropriate tip would be for the waiters. After all the chaos, we just sat back and enjoyed the view.

It was the perfect view for People Watching.

Chicken Fajitas- a safe first choice of non-spicy food.

Unfortunately our leisurely lunch was interrupted when we saw the time, 1:55pm. We had a cooking class scheduled for 2pm! We ran all the way back to Solexico, just in time to watch the demonstration. We fried tortilla chips and let them cool while we let our tomato-garlic puree simmer. After 5-10mintues, we added the tortilla chips to the pot and let them soak up the sauce and become flavorful. Our plates were topped with cheese and onion slices. It wasn’t spicy, but it wasn’t my favorite either.

The finished product. More to come next Tuesday.

Our lovely cooking instructor frying tortillas.

New haircut and new nail color, perfect for
a new country.

At 3pm, I had a nail and hair appointment at a salon located right across from our Spanish school. They never heard of gel nail polish, so it took a long time before they were able to get it off my nails and then I had to settle for regular nail polish. All in all, they came out very pretty. At the same time, a man named Paco was cutting my hair. He spoke a little English, but trying to explain how I wanted my hair cut wasn’t easy, in the end I settled for “I want to be able to put it in a ponytail, I trust you”. I realize now I shouldn’t put that much trust in a stranger from another country, but he did a great job and the horrible red colored dead hair at the bottom is gone.

While my nails were drying, Paco started a conversation and asked me to go grab a coffee (I thought that was what he said). There was a major language barrier, but he wants to grab lunch tomorrow, I think…. Note to self: ask about friendliness vs, dating in Oaxaca. I really hope he is just friendly because he’s almost 50 and I’m pretty sure he said something about wanting 12 kids in his future.

I think this a double shot....

I met back up with Rocky and we decided to go explore the Zocalo at night. On our walk over we heard Thrift Shop playing from one of the bars so we went in and took a double shot of vodka to loosen up. Cheers to Tuesday Night in Oaxaca!