K of Del Valle

I have a friend, TC, with whom I went to Buenos Aires many years ago in architecture school. TC’s best friend has a sister who lives in Mexico CIty, and seeing pictures of all of them together in Mexico City, I sent a note to TC who put me in contact with his friend’s sister, K.

I’ve been searching for housing on and off since I here (the city is really distracting- its hard to focus on an afternoon of apartment hunting when there’s Aztec pyramids calling me), and K offered to split her place with me which was incredibly generous of her.

I met her for coffee early this afternoon at Starbucks. It’s my first time at the Starbucks here, and looking at the menu, I was thinking, ok, for the price of a small frappuchino, I can get a full comida corrida meal with two dishes, rice and beans, and an agua del fruita. At any rate, we talked and drank coffee, and afterwards, we walked around the neighborhood before K showed me the apartment.

K’s lived in Mexico for ten years, in different neighborhoods, and she’s only been living in this apartment for less than a year. It was fascinating to get a perspective of a long-term American resident, and for her, its equally fascinating to see the city with fresh eyes.

For one, she was astounded by my daily commute. It sounds like most people avoid public transit if they have any alternative. She said she takes the metro once a month. She drives everywhere she can’t get to by walking, which astounded me, given the traffic, the anarchic road rules, and the fact that the most generous, warmest people turn into assholes when they get behind the wheel.

Anyway, the rent is dirt cheap, I get my own bedroom and bathroom, and it’s much, much closer to my office. It will also be a great opportunity to take advantage of K’s experience with the city, where to go, what to see, where to eat, etc. The neighborhood is called La Ville, and its next door to the expat, hipster, and old money enclave of Condesa (Countess) with a 15 minutes walk to the metro.

So at this point, I’m planning on moving over there next weekend. I’ll probably cab it since apparently taking large suitcases on the metro is kind of taboo.

I’m excited for the opportunities that this move will bring- a huge chunk of my day back, an ability to stay out after 8 pm, local restaurants and bars (which I, ironically, now that I’ll be paying rent, will probably not be able to afford).

But I will miss this house and the family who have been incredibly kind and hospitable to me.

I’d met some members of the family once before, at Sal’s graduation party in Rio Rico. Now imagine you have a family and a house, and your nephew calls you up and says, hey a friend of mine, who has a sketchy grasp of the local language and who will have trouble communicating with you is coming to Mexico, can he live with you for a while until he gets settled? This family said “of course, he is welcome to stay as long as he likes.” It’s humbling.

I can’t tell you the relief of arriving into Mexico into a family, who showed me how the city works, held my hand to show me how to get to work, how to take the combis, things to avoid, dangers and annoyances.
Their son Alejandro who bought me a metro card and took me around the city, the husband who drives Alejandro and I to the metro so we don’t have to take a combi, his wife, who leaves out food when I get back late and makes homemade jamaica and horchata, and who even does my laundry. I will miss them and the sheer comfort of their home, and I owe them so much.