I’m a lucky girl. This year I got to hop from one beautiful place to another, from two months in Hawaii to a month in Monterrey, Mexico, where I’m writing from my one bedroom apartment in the suburb of San Pedro.
I'm in a great neighborhood. I’m surrounded by really sweet, lovely people, who try their best to speak some English to me. It’s been a lot of cooking, eating, drinking, learning; a lot of trying to understand what the hell is going on around me. I’m getting used to the soldiers that ride in trucks with their rifles drawn. I’m getting used to kissing everyone on the cheek when I meet them.
I'm learning that it’s kind of nice to only use my cell phone when there’s a WiFi connection. I’ve learned that stop signs are merely suggestions. That it’s customary to be 2 hours late (that one was tough for me). I’m learning that “language barriers” really are a barrier — I’m learning how difficult it is to live somewhere that functions entirely in a different language. How much of a comfort zone it is to know you can communicate. And I’m learning that language is much more than translation; that it’s a culture and a context, a collection of grammar and semantics and idioms that sometimes don’t translate at all. But I’ve also learned that there are universal languages, like dancing, like laughing, and like eating, which I’ve fallen even more in love with for the hundredth time.
The tortillas are magical here. The campechanos, greasy street tacos with beef, pork, cheese and avocado. The aguas frescas, with fresh coconut and mango and jamaica flowers. The dulce de leche paletas. The salsa… I don’t have words for. On one of my first days here, my friend taught me to make "Salsa Borracha," which means "drunk salsa" because it's cooked down with Mexican beer. It’s rich and layered, spicy and balanced -
To make it, take 1 peeled onion, 2 cloves peeled garlic, 2 tomatoes, and 6 serrano chiles and char them on a grill until soft and roasty. Place in a blender with about 1/2 cup of cilantro and salt to taste. Place the blended mix into a pan and add 1/2 bottle of good Mexican beer. Cook on medium-ish heat until the alcohol evaporates and it tastes amazing. Add lime juice and more salt to taste.