Mexico: On Being a Gringa

This past week I learned what it is like to be tall, pale, red-headed, and blue-eyed in a city where such people are pretty scarce. You certainly get a lot more attention as compared to us short brunettes. Teenage boys will even linger in the metro station to muster up the guts to ask you if they can take a picture with you.

It's times like these that I am thankful for my five-foot-two frame and brown hair. The attention was a fun experience, but I am glad that it is not something that I have to deal with on a regular basis.

One of my friends was here this past week for a short visit, and we spent our time exploring Mexico City and enjoying chilanga life. We climbed to the top of the Torre Latinoamerica on a clear Sunday afternoon (and by climb, I mean we took the elevator to the top of the 42-story building). The views of the city were amazing...

We also walked along one of the main streets of the city, Reforma. There is currently an expo of "alebrijes" along this street. Alebrijes are big, brightly colored, Mexican sculptures of different sorts of creatures. My favorite was this giant fish, because it reminded me of the fish decoys made by my Grandpa.

It was certainly a good time having a Minnesota friend down here for a visit. Although, I am slightly upset that the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese that she tried to bring for me was confiscated at airport security. Nevertheless, I think we gringas were successful at conquering this big city.