Vive la liberte, vive le Mexique!

I know it is suppose to be a French celebration but Mexico feels like real freedom right now. For having been part of an over-ruled world for so long it is good to know that you don’t have to wear the seat belt all the time, and you can talk on you cellular at a traffic light without having to pay 90$ fine, and you can double park for a second or two without paying 130 $ fine. Sorry Bloomberg you will not get my contribution for a year! That is the proof that sometimes, bending the rules makes life easier for everybody.

I spent the morning running errands (it’s beautiful word that my friend Cary originally thought me… I always wanted to lightly translate in Italian with “errare”). You know you are not a tourist when you have to give up few hours under the sun to do stuff.

First, I went to Monex (a kind of upscale Western Union) and the lady in charge is actually my neighbor. Every morning, even before M & O, she is swimming doing laps. I did not recognize her because she is swimming with a cap and goggles, but she recognized me. I have been here not even 3 weeks and I can’t even think about doing something anonymously.

I called my friend Stefania from the Internet Café, I can’t wait to have broadband so I can have my regular evening phone conversations and my daily updates, so it would feel more like we live in a different neighborhood than a different country.

While I was running my errands, Oscar was shopping for another mother at the swimming pool. Apparently Alain said that he fall in love with Jorge’s mother, and he was hugging her and did not want her to go. These men are all the same: anyone’s mother is good enough! (I told you that Oscar has a thing for “older” and “latino”). I guess, after he got reprimanded yesterday, he realized that maybe he did not have such a good deal. He also changed his name to “San Diego”. I fail to see what my son has in common with a Saint but that is what he answered when his newfound mother asked him for his name…!?

Talking about names, I don’t even attempt Veronique anymore: I go straight for Veronica (or Beronica as they pronounce it) and I suddenly realize that my life is so much easier.

In the States I used Veronica for the restaurant or the dry cleaner. Here is for everybody, and it is part of the general rule of relaxation. Why I do want to explain all the time that I am Italian but I have a French name and all that blablabla and now that I am thinking about it, I should have done it long time ago… who knows, maybe I haave some missed opportunities because someone could not remember my name.

Alain tonight felt patriotic (Bastille Day) so went for a stroll (the famous “passeggiata”) on the Quinta. It was very pleasant, there was a little breeze and tourists are starting to fill up the restaurants and bars. The kids had ice-cream but after an entire day of swimming, they were exhausted.