Border Tour

This week I am part of a group going on a tour of several Mexican and US Government agencies.  Part of our tour includes a tour of the border with CBP.  That tour was tonight.  I took some pictures during the tour.  Hope you enjoy!

Border fence

Border fence and border patrole

Me and the border fence

Change in border fence, they have to have special
fencing to do down hills.
Also, part of the legislation that began this fence
stated that any existing fences could not
be replaced, so there is a normal chain-link
fence that I think was built in the 70s.
Also, border patrole agents are stationed along
this fence to catch anyone who may try jumping
over the fence.

The fence ends at this mountain range.
Several border patrole agents are stationed nearby
to be able to catch anyone that tries entering
around the fence.  If you go straight up from the fence
line, you will see a white marker in the mountain
that marks the U.S.-Mexico border.

House of a wealthy family from Mexico.  They started
making their money by helping people cross the border
illegally into the U.S.  They have since branched out
into other lucrative businesses.

Marker number one on the U.S.-Mexico Border

Old adobe house replica - This is where Pancho Villa lived.
It is located near the Texas/New Mexico/Mexico border.
He lived here so that he had 3 separate places to
escape to, depending on who was chasing him at
the time.  The Mexican authorities couldn't follow
him into the U.S., the Texas marshalls couldn't
follow him into New Mexico, etc.

My right foot "Entered Without Inspection" into Mexico

Me and the border marker

Mexico flag

The historic site. We couldn't actually go see the house
because it is on the Mexican side of the border.
You would think some kind of understanding could be
reached to about this area so that people could walk around
without technically doing anything illegal.  But the
CBP officers were adamant that we could not cross
the border, even though we technically have the
documents required to enter Mexico.

Flowers: sorry from Ulises

Exhaustion Begins to Set In

This week has been crazy busy at work.  I've been doing over 100 interview a day this week.  In case you were wondering, that is a lot and very tiring.  And that's not even including the non-interview cases that I adjudicated.  At the end of the day, the way to SEE the amount of work you've done, is by the number of visas stacked on your desk:

Visas after a long day

Training in Tucson

Greek Restaurant

Today concluded our second day of training here in Tucson.  I have to say that although it is nice to get away from Juarez and do something different for a couple of days, I actually miss my home.  Maybe part of that is worrying about Gizmo being all alone.  But I don't think that is all of it.
Anyway, today for lunch I went with a few of my colleagues to a Greek restaurant.  I got a kick out of the name, so I had to take a picture.

Service Project

Triceratops toy at the park

The Consulate was part of a service project this morning. I went to help out. The service project is part of a greater project called Somos Juarez (I think that's what it is called) which is a project to get the community involved in cleaning up the town one location at a time. There were actually several locations being worked at yesterday. We were at a park to clean up trash, weeds, and cover-up graffiti.  There were a couple other organizations involved at this location.  It was quite a morning.
I started picking up trash, but the up and down motion was making me light-headed, so I stopped and started helping with the white-washing. At first, I just had a roller sponge without the handle. It was difficult to use, but I made it work. Then, as more people came, we got more supplies and I was able to get a roller handle. That made things much easier.

Some of the graffiti (see the wall along the base of the
basketball court)

We had a short break about half-way through the project. There was a group of local artists who played some trashcans for us. They were really good. I was especially impressed by the little kids and their ability to keep time and remember a very long song. After the show, we got back to work. By that time, we were out of white-wash, so I started helping with picking up trash again. Since I was still having a problem with getting dizzy, my main job was to hold the trash bag open for the two people I was working with. Then we got brooms and I was able to help with that.
We finished around 12:30, cleaned up and headed out. It was really starting to get hot at that time. At least for me, I think it would have been better to finish by noon. Tonight I'm going to a talent show in El Paso. It should be fun.

Covering up graffiti with my roller
After I took this picture, we stopped covering
up this graffiti because the kids told us
this is where the drug dealers so their
business.

Covering up the graffiti

Covered up graffiti

The drummers

Remember the graffiti from the picture above?  Now it's
covered up

All the trash/weeds we picked up

We cleaned out this area and covered up the graffiti
there as well

Can you tell I spent the morning painting?

Fort Bliss and SENTRI

Waiting to cross Zaragoza bridge.  I haven't even gotten
on the bridge at this point.

I went to El Paso this morning for some administrative things.  It took me an hour to get across the bridge.  It was pretty frustrating.  But once I got through the Mexican side, paid my 24 pesos, and got to where the lanes split off, it was pretty fast.  Since I already have my SENTRI card, I was able to go through the ready lanes which are on the far right of the bridge, on the U.S. side.
From there, I drove to Fort Bliss.  I was able to find the main entrance, but from there, my directions weren't very helpful in finding the ID Office.  I ended up stopping at a gas station and asking there.  With help from the manager, I was able to find the ID office.  There I went through the process of getting a military ID.  I was impressed by how well the picture turned out.  Too bad that lady didn't take the picture for my SENTRI card, which is horrible.

This is hard to see, but all along the drive to the bridge,
there are vendors selling food, drinks, and pretty much
anything else you can imagine.  There are also people
begging along this route.

Half-way across!  This is the border between the U.S. and
Mexico.

I also got a little lost on my way out of the base.  My GPS tried to take me through a locked gate.  But I eventually made it out.  By that time, it was just around 10:40.  I needed to get gas and I also wanted to stop at PetSmart while I was in El Paso to get some litter for Gizmo.  I'm going out of town this weekend, and I don't want to run out before I can get back to El Paso.  It took me about 15 minutes to run into PetSmart, get some litter (and a scratching post for Gizmo), pay, and get out to my car.  Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.
Next I went straight to the bridge.  I made it just after 11:00.  I stood in line waiting to talk to someone about having my vehicle inspected.  About 20 minutes or so later, I was able to talk to someone at the window.  They were very quick to help me, but I ended up waiting another half-hour before someone was able to go out to my car.  From there, the inspection was just a minute, the officer put a sticker on my windshield, gave me a paper to show on the Mexican side and sent me on my way.  I wanted to prepay for the trip in to Mexico, so I was allowed to park in the employee parking lot.  Then I walked across the road to the office where you can buy an AVI pass.  That makes it so you don't have to carry cash to cross the bridge in to Mexico.  It doesn't affect the crossing from Mexico in to the U.S.

From El Paso, you can see Juarez.  The writing on the mountain
says Ciudad Juarez, The Bible is the truth, read it.  Down
below you can see houses and communities in Juarez.

After I got my AVI, I walked back, and quickly crossed back in to Mexico.  It is quite amazing the huge difference in crossing from the U.S. to Mexico and vice versa.  The afternoon crossing was a piece of cake.  However, after I passed my Mexican Customs, without being stopped, the military pulled me over.  I told them I was a diplomat, and that was the end of it.  But, if that continues to happen in the future, it may be worth the hassle and the headache of getting diplomatic plates.
Next I stopped at the Mexican office for the express lane (the equivalent of the SENTRI, but for the Mexican side of the bridge).  That didn't take too long, but I have to go tomorrow for them to actually put the pass on my car.  Still, tomorrow isn't too long to wait.
I made it to work in time to do some interviews.  Despite the fact that I didn't do many interviews, today was exhausting.  Running around El Paso and Juarez was very tiring.

Driving back along the fence between the U.S. and Mexico.

On a happy note, Gizmo already loves his scratching post.  As soon as I showed it to him, he started scratching it.  He also likes the tunnel, and the toy, though I think the toy won't last for long.  He's already pulled two feathers out of it.
Also, I've been doing some more experimentation based on the limited supply of food I have in my house.  I've been eating pasta and putting a little mustard in it (since that is the only sauce I have), but it wasn't really good.  I figured there MUST be a pasta sauce that uses mustard, so I did a little research.  I found a few recipes online, but all of them use ingredients that I don't have, so I improvised my own.  I used equal parts extra-virgin olive oil, prepared mustard, and sugar.  Add to that salt, pepper, and basil, and I really liked it!  In fact, thinking about it right now is making me wish that I had some more.  Maybe I should make some of that sauce and cook some pasta for lunch tomorrow.  Of course, I hate reheated pasta . . . but I could always eat it cold.  I'll have to think about it some more.

My mustard-sauce pasta dish.  I added tuna (the only meat I
have in my house right now), broccoli (YUM!), and
colby-jack cheese to the pasta and sauce.

Gizmo enjoying his new play thing.

Threat on the Consulate

As some of you have probably heard, there is some information indicating a potential threat on the Consulate in Ciudad Juarez as well as the ports of entry to the U.S.  I don't have any more information other than that our security forces are doing all they can to ensure that it doesn't become anything more than a threat.  So, there is no need to worry.  And you can rest assured that I am not doing anything stupid to increase my own personal risk.

Interviews

Today was my second day interviewing for non-immigrant visas.  It was very exhausting.  It's amazing how it can feel like you talked to so many more people than you actually did.  For example, I did around 30 interviews today and it felt like I did double that.  That may have been because I branched out of the normal NIV cases.  The normal cases are the tourist visas.  The majority of our cases are for tourist visas, generally for a border crossing card, since we are on the border.  But we also get students and temporary workers.  I did a few of each of those two today.
I never thought it would be difficult to refuse a visa to someone, especially when that person has broken the law, but it is.  I mean, I didn't have to go through this process because I was lucky to be born in the U.S. 
Anyway, no one ever said this job would be easy, and honestly I hope it never gets easier.  I don't want to become hardened to the plight of others, even though people lie.  Still doesn't mean I have to become like Dr. House, right?

Happy Birthday to Me!

What a day.  I started my training at work today, which was interesting.  It took me through the process of applying for a visa.  I think the point was to make me more aware of the process that the applicants have to go through.  The guards thought it was hilarious that I was sitting in the waiting area.

Birthday Flowers

I did not realize before that there were so many places to wait.  There is an area in a shopping center near the consulate where people go for their initial interview.  That is called the Applicant Service Center.  There are two waiting rooms in that shopping center for the applicants.  They have been set up so that there are no vendors and no coyotes, to try and keep the applicants from being exploited.  The only problem is that there is another shopping center with an area where people usually wait because they can see the exit while they're waiting for their relatives, and that area is not specifically protected against applicant exploitation.  At least we try, though.
I got a lot of other admin stuff done.  My garage door openers weren't working.  They would open my garage door, but they wouldn't close my garage doors.  That has now been fixed.  I have my internet scheduled for connection, so I should have internet by this weekend (I hope), I got my SENTRI card and added my car online (by the way, if you are applying for a SENTRI, double check that your car is added to begin with because it is a big hassle if it isn't on the original application), and I started the process to get a Fort Bliss Card.  As an FSO, I can go on the base, use the facilities, and shop at the commisary.  I also got my inventory submitted so hopefully I can get my HHE soon and I submitted my travel voucher to get reimbursed my travel expenses here.  It has been a long day.
Oh, one of my friends also brought me flowers for my birthday.  My one and only present.  I can't really complain, though.  I didn't expect ANYTHING for my birthday here since I just arrived. :)

By the way, I THOUGHT Gizmo had learned his lesson about the couch, but I was wrong.  When I got home from work today, he was hiding under the couch.  This time I didn't help him at all, but I videoed him squirming his way out:

Fourth of July Party

I am so exhausted right now.  I can hardly think.  I can hardly get my fingers to move across these keys.  I think my brain may be shutting down.  Today was the Fourth of July Party at the Consulate.  But let me start at the beginning of the day.
So, my second day at work was more meetings.  I met with shipping to talk about a few things.  They already have my HHE in El Paso.  Of course, I still won't get it for 3 weeks or more.  I have to wait to get my id from Mexico City before they can attempt to get it.  That's ok because I realized today that I did NOT put my inventory list with my important papers.  Note to self: In the future make sure to have the HHE inventory with you even if shipped from storage because they cannot import it without that list!

Gizmo stuck under the couch

Because today was the Fourth of July Party, the day was really relaxed (for me anyway).  I had a meeting in the afternoon about my job at the party, but other than that, my afternoon was wide open for me to work on the things I need to work on.  The charge d'affairs also spoke to us before we went home.  It was interesting because he kept switching between English and Spanish.  I think that was the for the benefit of the local staff (though I haven't met one yet who didn't speak excellent English).
When I got home from work (by the way, I drove my car today) I only had about an hour to get changed for the party because I was carpooling with a colleague (as suggested to make sure there was enough parking for our invited guests) and he needed to be at the consulate early to escort a VIP.  I couldn't find Gizmo again, and I thought to myself, "Is he that dumb to try to go under the couch again?"  Sure enough, he was under the couch.  I tried to get him to come out.  He inched towards me, but stopped.  I decided to leave him.  If he could get himself in, he could get himself out, right?
I went upstairs to get changed.  After barely a minute, I hear this loud yowl.  I go downstairs only to see Gizmo stuck half under the couch.  He kicked his little legs trying to maneuver his way out, but he was stuck.  It still makes me laugh when I think about it.  Finally, after taking pictures of course, I helped him to get out.  I hope he learned his lesson this time.

Gizmo stuck trying to get out from under the couch

I finished getting ready, and was leaving my house just as my ride was there.  We didn't get very far.  We were turning left on to the main road out of my housing complex when a man on a motorcycle (driving WAY too fast, by the way) hit the back of my friend's car.  I heard the skid of his tires as he tried to stop, but neither of us saw him until he was about 20 feet from the car.  if he hadn't been going so fast, we would have made it across the street, or he would have been able to slow down.  There was no one in the other two lanes, so I don't know why he didn't move over, unless he was hoping for some money.  Who really knows.  He may also just not have that fast of reflexes.
When you get into an accident in Mexico, you cannot move the vehicles.  If you do, you will be considered to be trying to flee the scene of the accident . . . aka hit and run.  I suppose that also brings a presumption of guilt.  In any event, we weren't going anywhere.  The police were there very quickly.  I think they must have seen us stopped or something, because I don't think anyone even had a chance to call.
I mainly stayed in the car because I was wearing heels and didn't want to be on my feet any longer than I had to (especially knowing I would be standing at the party, if we ever made it).  At one point I looked and there were four police cars!  Who knows why they needed so many police officers at the scene.  They all had their AK-47s (or that's what I assume they were), too.  My friend tried using his Consulate issued cell phone to call for help, but could not get through.  He asked me to try.  I was able to get through to the 24 hour consulate number and asked the duty officer to send someone to where we were located.  They showed up within a few minutes, but after that one call, we were not able to make another call, from either of our phones.
After awhile, the municipal police trickled away.  I think they left after the transit police arrived.  The transit police are the ones who normally respond to an accident.  They also have AK-47s.  It was interesting to see.  By that time, one of the local staff from the Consulate had arrived, too.  He had just seen us there as he was driving to the Consulate and he stayed to help.

After the Fourth of July party with my fan gift.

Next, we had to wait for the insurance company to arrive.  In Mexico, when you have an accident, you can't leave until the insurance company comes, either.  It made for a long wait.  The chances of us getting into an accident are pretty high.  I'm hoping that this one counts as my accident so I don't have to get into another one later.
Another thing, when you get a ticket in Mexico, they take your driver's license.  You can still drive in Mexico as long as you have the ticket to show if you get pulled over.  You have thirty days to pay the ticket and get your license back.  I think also, if you get pulled over again, they take your front license plate.  If you get pulled over a third time (all without having redeemed your previously confiscated items), they take your back license plate.  I guess that is to ensure that you pay your tickets.  I wonder what they would take if you got pulled over a fourth time!
After the insurance companies came, we finally left for the Consulate.  The first guys who came to our aid drove along with us.  It felt like VIP treatment.  I guess if you're going to arrive late to a party, that's the way to do it.
When we got in to the party, everyone was relieved to see us.  It was nice to see that everyone cared and was worried about us.  I made it with about 15 minutes before my job was to begin.  My job was to give people a gift as they left the party.  For the first hour, it was pretty slow (so it's not like we missed the entire party).  Still, my feet started to kill me in those shoes.  After being at FSI for so long, my feet are not used to wearing heels.  I need to look into those cushions specifically designed for heels.
It has been quite a day.  It has been quite a week.

Welcome Dinner and First Day

I am exhausted.  In fact, I feel like I could fall asleep as I am sitting here typing this.  Maybe that's a signal that I should just go to bed.  Especially since I don't have internet access to post this tonight, but I want to get my actual feelings down before turning in.

Welcome basket from my sponsor.  It had this
amazing smoked garlic mozzarella cheese
dip.  Just thinking about it is making we want
some more.

Today was a very long day.  But it started with a long night.  I want to return to yesterday.  Yesterday, after my last post, I went to my sponsor's house for dinner.  There were a few other FSOs there.  We talked and then ate and then talked somemore.  It was nice to get out rather than being stuck in my house all night alone, but we stayed later than I probably should have.
When I got home, I went through the process of unlocking the first gate, and the second gate, and finally the front door.  To my surprise and dismay, I could not find a key to match the bottom lock of my front door.  There was no other way for me to get in.  I didn't have the garage door opener.  I couldn't get into the back yard because my house is connected to both of my neighbors.  I didn't know what to do because I also didn't have a phone.  Even if I did have a phone, I had no numbers to call.
Luckily, I know my next door neighbor back from A-100 and I knew he was up because we had driven together to the dinner.  I went over there, and he tried to help me.  He couldn't find a key either, but his backyard connects to my backyard.  The walls separating our yards are covered in razor wire and barbed wire.  It didn't look promising.  If we had a ladder, we could have climbed over safely.  But there was no ladder.  Instead, my neighbor used a portable table that he had to climb on and  very careful hoist himself over the barbed wire and into my backyard.  From there he tried my back door (after opening the metal gate covering it), but the sliding door was locked from the inside.  He went around, and thankfully was able to get in to the garage.  From there I was able to get in to my house.  Though I was a little worried there because I had locked the bottom lock there, too, and there was no key hole.  But I was able to get it unlocked, and from there in to my house.  I learned my lesson well, though.  I am not locking at handles of doors anymore.

Gizmo was adventurous and went out into the
backyard, but quickly decided he wanted
back in when he saw that I had left.

When I got in, I started getting ready for bed.  I hadn't seen Gizmo, so I called out to him.  I heard him faintly meowing, but I couldn't figure out where the sound was coming from.  I started searching in cupboards and behind every closed door to make sure he didn't get himself into somewhere he shouldn't have.  Nothing.  I started to worry that he was buried under the mountain of stuff I had brought in from my car.  Nothing.  After about 25 minutes of searching and researching, worrying that there was some hole that I couldn't find that he had fallen into, or crawled into without being able to get out.  Finally, I thought, "He did NOT try to go under the couch, did he?"  Sure enough, I saw his little blue leash sticking out from under the living room couch.  He had crawled under there and gotten stuck.  I pulled him out, laughing, and we went to bed.
This morning, I woke up at 5am.  I must still be on DC time.  It was annoying because I was exhausted (still am).  I got breakfast, and other than that kept going up and down the stairs.  I guess there is one major benefit to having a large house with a second story . . . I think it will help Gizmo to lose weight running up and down those stairs after me.
My first day at work was long.  It was mainly administrative things, meeting with people and getting some things taken care of.  I needed to go down to Mexican immigration to check in as a diplomat in the country.  One of my colleagues who arrived last week came along.  We took an armored vehicle with a driver.  That was fairly easy and painless for me.  I just filled out a card, they stamped my passport and gave it back to me.  Next I needed to get some pictures taken for my id card.  Now, an up-armored SUV is much taller than a normal SUV which is still generally too tall for me, so it was quite a chore getting in and out of that vehicle.  At the photo studio, the ground was grooved.  Because of that and the long jump from the vehicle, I ended up twisting my foot.  I didn't think it did anything at the time, but now my ankle is a little sore.  It's not swollen or anything, so I don't think it is a sprain, but it is tender.  The driver was so worried about me.  When we got back to the consulate, he checked to make sure everything was alright with me.  It was nice.
It was also interesting to watch how the driver drove.  He was ready at a moments notice to put the car in reverse and get us out of a bad situation.  He also made sure there was a way out, even when stopped at a light.  I felt really safe in that car, and not just because it was bullet proof.
After work, I did a little unpacking.  And that brings us up to now.  I would like to get the rest of my stuff unpacked, but I got the most important things unpacked, aka my clothes.  The rest is all stuff that I don't need for tomorrow.
As you can probably tell, the adventure has truly begun!  I wonder what tomorrow will bring!

Ciudad Juarez! Por fin!

Traffic crossing the border

A sign posted, unnecessarily in this case, telling crossers
to slow down

I am in Ciudad Juarez!  Today was such an incredibly long day.  I got up and took Gizmo to the vet.  While I was there, I was talking to my friend who was meeting me in El Paso and mentioned that I was worried about Gizmo overheating in the car.  The vet's office was so nice, they offered to let me leave Gizmo there, without charging me.  So I did that.
Then I went back to my hotel to wait to meet up before going to my SENTRI appointment.  That is an appointment with DHS to get the pass to cross more quickly in to the U.S.  We were supposed to meet at noon, but she got delayed, so we ended up meeting just after 1:00.  We grabbed something to eat before heading off to the border.
There we parked and went in to the building to wait for my interview.  I grabbed my folder where I had all the important things I needed for the interview and we went inside.  Two things happened in that moment that was to affect me in a negative way.  Number one, I did not realize that I was leaving the U.S. when I walked in to that building to go wait for my appointment.  Second, I forgot my passports in my car.  When I realized that I forgot my passports, I tried to go out to get them.  Now, you would think that a fellow employee of the US Government would be understanding about someone like me, just arrived, getting ready to serve my country by living in Ciudad Juarez, who forgot her passports in her car where he had just seen me come from.  And, you would think that he would be nice, even if by law he could not let me pass, right?  Well that was not the case.  He was extremely rude.  When my friend came over to help, he was rude to her, too.  Finally he let me go, but it was not a nice welcome to the border, or to CBP.  But I guess DHS doesn't hire CPB agents based on their customer service skills.
The only redeeming thing was that once I got in to my interview, the man who interviewed me was very nice.  He was also very helpful even though there was a mix up in my SENTRI pass application that made it so my car was not registered with them.  I have to wait to get my SENTRI pass in the mail, go online to add my car, and go back to have them inspect my car.  He could do nothing to help me in that regard, but at least he was nice about it.
From there I had to pick Gizmo up from the vet.  When I arrived, I was told that they were going to need me to go back to get him.  Apparently they had set him up all nicely, but could not get him to come out of his carrier.  He also started hissing at anyone that came near him.  He was NOT happy.  When I went in there, he kept hissing at the woman who was with me.  But I was able to get his carrier zipped up.  As soon as I had picked up his carrier, he stopped hissing.  He didn't realize, but he would not have liked waiting in the car while I was having my SENTRI interview.

All my stuff unloaded from my car . . . yay for unpacking! :(

Next we went to get some groceries.  I had NO idea food was so expensive in El Paso!  Yikes!  I think maybe all the extra money I get for living in a dangerous city will make up for the extra cost of food! :)  Ok maybe it's not that bad, but I haven't done real grocery shopping yet.  I just got a few things to tide me by.  I didn't want to get too much since Gizmo had to wait in the car, and plus I didn't have much room in my car to put much more than I got.
 We finally headed to the border and went through the lanes.  It was crazy busy.  It took about 30 minutes to go less than a mile.  On the other side . . . in Mexico, it was fast going.  We came straight to my house.  One of my other A-100 classmates is my new neighbor, so we stopped by to see him.  Now I need to unpack my car before my welcome dinner tonight.  Looks like today will be even longer!

Farewell Cruel World! er.. Washington DC!

Messy apartment as I was sorting, packing, and taking
out my stuff.  It's amazing how much stuff just sneaks
out of cupboards, closets, and drawers to take up more
space then you thought they would.

I am heading out soon.  The packers are here to pack and take my air shipment.  The rest of my stuff is already piled into my car.  It feels reminiscent of my university days, so many years ago:)  Except I have more stuff . . . and thankfully a larger vehicle to fit it all in to.  I was feeling a little worried until I piled my three big suitcases into my car and saw how much room I still had.  Still, it's pretty full, and if it wasn't for this air shipment, I would have had to get rid of a lot of stuff.  Maybe that wouldn't have been a bad thing.  It is easy to do without something if you are forced into getting rid of it.  But, maybe after I get to Mexico I'll just thin out my belongings.  I really don't have much comparatively.  I don't have all the stuff that comes along with having kids, and I only have enough clothes for one person . . . well, depending on who you ask. :)
Anyway, it will be good to get on the road.  I still need to drop some stuff off at Goodwill that I really don't want to take.  Then I have to pile the last little bit (stuff I needed for Gizmo) into my car, check out of my apartment, and hit the road.  I have a long 5 days ahead of me.  But it'll be good.  I will not be posting on my journey, just for safety concerns, but I plan on writing and I will post after I arrive at my destination.

The Stressful Test-translated from the original Spanish

Manicure and pedicure.

Ok.  I have my test in 4 hours.  For me, that is way too much time.  The waiting makes me nervous.  I don't know why.  Maybe it's what I said many years ago.  I said, I like the suspense, I just hate not knowing!  In this case, it is the same.  I don't like not knowing the result of the test.  Especially when so much depends on the result.
Yesterday I went to a spa to get a massage, and also a manicure and pedicure in order to relax.  The problem was that afterward, I still had 19 hours before the test.  I went to bed early to get some sleep, but woke up early, too.  Then I took a bath while listening to music.  Next I made breakfast, ate, took a shower, and got ready for the day.  Right now I'm relaxed.  I go to work in 30 minutes.  However, I have to wait 3 hours before the test.  It seems that everything is against me.  When I went to the clinic to have my Lasik, I had to wait a lot, 3 hours there, too, and every minute made me more and more nervous.  Everything went well in that case, but I don't know what will happen today.
In any event, I have to take and pass the test.  I leave next week for Mexico.  There is no time to not pass.  I will pass.  I'm sure of it . . .

A big breakfast: eggs with tomatoes and cheese,
applesauce, pumpkin cobbler, and water.
I couldn't eat it all.

With a little time, I don't look too bad :)

El examen estresante

Manicura y pedicura.

 Bueno. Tengo mi examen en 4 horas. Para mí, es demasiado tiempo. La espera me hace nerviosa. No sé por qué. Tal vez es lo que dije hace muchos años. Dije, me gusta el suspense, ¡sólo no me gusta no saber! En esto caso, lo mismo. No me gusta no saber el resultado del examen. Especialmente cuando mucho depende del resultado.
Ayer, fui a un balneario para recibir un masaje, y también una manicura y pedicura para relejarme. El problema fue que después, todavía tenía 19 horas antes del examen. Yo me acosté temprano para estar descansada, pero me desperté temprano también. Entonces, me bañé durante escuchaba música. Luego preparé desayuno, comí, me duché, y me preparé para el día. Ahora, estoy relejada. Voy a trabajo en 30 minutos. No obstante, tengo que esperar 3 horas antes del examen. Me parece que todo está en contra de mí. Cuando fui a la clínica para tener mi cirugía de ojos, tenía que esperar mucho, 3 horas ahí también, y cada minuto me hacía más y más nerviosa. Todo fue bien en este caso, pero no sé qué va a pasar hoy.
De todos modos, tengo que tomar y pasar el examen. Salgo en la próxima semana para México. No hay tiempo para no pasar. Y pasaré. Estoy segura. . .

Desayuno fuerte: huevos con tomates y queso,
salsa de manzanas, postre de calabaza,
y agua.  No pude comer todo.

Con tiempo, me veo bien. :)

Mexican Cultural Institute

Mexican Cultural Institute

Today I went with my area studies class to the Mexican Cultural Institute.  Technically the Mexican Cultural Institute is part of the Mexican Embassy, which means it is part of Mexico's soil.  That also means that I went to Mexico today!  Whew, that was a quick trip!
Anyway, it was really interesting.  The house was built in the beginning of the 20th century.  It is huge!  4 stories with different building techniques, French, Italian, British, and now with Mexican murals painted in the stairway.  It is quite an impressive building.  The Mexican embassy used to be there, and the ambassador also used to live there (not sure if that was at the same time, or not) but has since been converted into the cultural center.  It is basically all original, but they made minor modifications to the main floor for the gallery.

Stairwell with beginning of the mural

It was really interesting to hear about the murals.  The painter, a student of Diego Riviera, painted himself into the mural along with a woman (who was the ambassador's ? secretary) with whom he fell in love.  Even though they never married, her face appears through out the murals.  It seems like her face is on the body of every woman in the mural.  He also painted Carlos Fuentes (a Mexican author who was the son of the ambassador at the time), Frida Kahla (Diego's wife) and Diego Riviera himself.  They speculate that all the faces are of people that he knew, but they don't know all of those people.
Anyway, the mural depicts Mexico of that era (30s-40s), as well as some important historical and cultural events, including Christopher Columbus and Quetzalcoatl.  The part I really liked showed North and South America joined by a handshake.  It has great American (as in North and South American) leaders around it, such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benito Juarez, and 3 others who I can't remember.
They also have Mexican art on exhibit, including a painting by Frida Kahla, and another by Diego Riviera.  I didn't recognize the names of anyone else, but there were a couple that were very interesting to me.

Estados Unidos Mexicanos - these seals are not the
real seals of these states, they were made up by the artist,
who is not the same artist who painted the mural.

Americas joined by grasped hands,
see if you can figure out who the leaders are!

This is a really old organ that was built into
the house.  It has a thousand some pipes,
that all work.  There are also some pipes
on the floor above, but those don't
work, due to some children who thought
it would be fun if the organs blew bubbles...

The kid on the far left is Carlos Fuentes.

Frida and Diego are seen in the background here.

The artist and his love.

Quetzalcoatl pointing to Columbus as an indication of the
ancient prophecy.

The Spanish Conquistadors.  There were
only two escape routes, the cross (aka
conversion to Catholicism) or the sword.

A painting by Remedios Varo.  This was
probably my favorite from the exhibit.
It is called Papulla estelar, painted in 1958 with
oil on masonite.  The woman here is
feeding the captive moon bits of stars.