March 4, 2010

A Museum, the Ambassador and Some Bagels

Museo de Arte Popular

Hello my dear friends! First of all, I would like to thank everyone for all the support you have given me. It has helped me tremendously :-). Now, let me take you on a few little random trips around Mexico City.

A few weeks ago, my awesome friends Claudia and Renee came for a visit. We decided to check out the Museo de Arte Popular-MAP (Museum of Popular Art) one afternoon. I certainly enjoyed the bright, fun colors that characterized a lot of the art. From the embroidered huipiles (blouses) to the beautifully crafted alebrijes (little wooden animals), Mexico’s artesanías (crafts) are truly stunning.

So Cool!

Last week, our Fulbright group had the honor of meeting Mr. U.S.-Mexico Ambassador, Carlos Pascual. We were invited to his fantastic house in Lomas de Chapultepec for drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Oh yeah! How about some flaming pineapple shrimp or some mini Mexican-style hamburgers?

Checking out the Ambassador's House

The Ambassador gave a little speech about how great he thinks the Fulbright program is, which it is ;-) Since 1991, more than 3,500 people have benefitted from the Fulbright García-Robles scholarship which is specific to Mexico and the United States. But, the best part of the night was eating off “United States of America” napkins (how often do you get to do that?!) and trying out the amazing quilted toilet paper in the bathroom. The mariachi that played on the back lawn also put on quite a show. All in all, it was quite an adventure (one that involved burnt evening dresses), but we certainly enjoyed the night.

Yum...Comida at Villa Maria in Polanco

The next day our fabulous Fulbright ETA group went out for lunch in Polanco with Renee’s mom. Not only was the lunch delicious, but Mrs. A brought us bagels all the way from New York. Just let me just tell you how wonderful it was to eat a cinnamon-raisin bagel…these are certainly something I have missed after 6 months in Mexico.

Things are looking sunny and bright here. I am moving into a new house tomorrow (more on that later), and I’m making a return visit this weekend to see my awesome students in Cuernavaca. Have a terrific weekend and we’ll talk soon!

Abrazos, Nicole

Click for more pictures!

Click for more pictures!

5 comments:

Adam Mal said...

When it's been a long time since your last bagel...there is no better one to start with than a New York bagel, such a difference!

Bethany Paden said...

Thanks for posting all the extra pictures! I had a great time going through them! And I also saw your vera bradley bag made it to Mexico! YAY!! :)
Things are going ok for us, its actually supossed to be almost 50 this weekend. I'm so excited to be able to go outside and soak up some sunshine. Hopefully most of the snow will melt.
Can't wait to hear about your new housing situation. :)
Also, when are you coming home? I assume it would be sometime this spring. I can't wait to see you in person!

Nicole said...

Yay! My Vera Bradley bag sure did make it all the way to Mexico. I love it! It is such a great size and I use it all the time. Oh my gosh! Can't believe it's going to be in the 50s this weekend! You guys deserve some sunshine after all that snow! I won't be home until the first week in June. But, I may take a mini trip to good ol' Pittsburgh the week before Easter. I'll let you know. As always, thanks for the comments!

Renee said...

I'm SO excited for you about the house! Can't wait to hear more about that ;)

Unknown said...

haha I love that you mentioned the soft TP and burnt dresses... always an adventure!!

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