Notice Alice (mom Carla) in the background as well as all the balloons. Maribel is on the left and Rebeca is squeezing my neck.
I managed to get up, get cute, and be happy by 10:30. Maribel came to the door and off we went. I climbed into their brand new Ford Escape. Maribel introduced me to her husband Homero. I sat in the back with the two girls, Maribel (4th grade) and Rebeca (1st grade), that I met the first month or so I was here.
The ride to church was slow because the main streets were all closed for a marathon. The conversation among the adults was fine. The girls weren't sure what to think of me. They stared and then looked away when they thought they'd been caught. By the time we arrived at the church, though Rebeca, seated in the middle, had begun holding my hand.
We sat through the mass, which if you read the other blog entry, you know that it was not my favorite time. After mass, we drove to the outskirts of town to the "weekend home" of the family of the birthday girl. Maribel tells me along the way that Shania had sent her an email this week telling her to take me with her wherever she went. Apparently she'd had a bad few days. I thinks he's just a fun girl stuck in a small town of all married folk. Her family had met her in NYC for Christmas, so I'm sure she was coming down from the family high. I certainly hope it all gets much better for her and soon.
The girls and I chatted in the back seat and played games. I had completely grown on them by the time we got there. The house was about 20 minutes or more outside of town. We were the first to arrive and it was a magnificent site. Maribel told me the reason she chose to ask me to this party is that it would be "muy nice" because the family was so rich. The theme was Alice in Wonderland. There were 20 tables of ten set up and balloons everywhere. There were life size wood characters with lots of glitter. We chose our table, thankfully not in the sun. All the tables were under tents, but the angle of the sun was such that the tables on the edge were hotter than the other seats.
To pass the time until the party arrived and more importantly the food, we went to the vendors for some esquite (a creamed corn concoction that is delicious, yet different). I say vendors, but they weren't selling. They were rented to serve us just as the carnival rides and clown were. We ate. We then went on the hunt for a bathroom. This was the joke of the day. The only single bathroom we could find that was unlocked, was the men's bathroom outside the adjoining gas station, and it looked disgusting. We ended up making about 15 trips back and forth to the main house, first looking for an empty bathroom and then being sent to the "office," then returning to inform it was locked, then returning again to yet another locked bathroom. Luckily, I have a great bladder. Maribel took matters into her own hands (kind of literally). Eventually the party gets started. The birthday girl, her sister, and her mom (Carla, Maribel's friend) are all dressed extravagantly as Alice. Except for the black hair, they look just like her! The food has been set up, so we go grab some. It's a seafood buffet. I load up mostly on fish nuggets (they were incredible!) and ceviche. I get a few shrimp and some shrimp salad. The fried fish was so much more amazing than I expected though. Being this close to the ocean may not lend itself to beach trips all the time, but it certainly does ensure incredible seafood!
Unfortunately, the only drink choices were regular sodas. I probably drank a liter of Coke because I was that thirsty (and it just seemed right with fried fish, right?). Again, lucky for me I have a great bladder.
While we're eating, we have really good conversation. I always wonder how these things will go. Will I be bored? Will I be responsible for the conversation? Will I sound like an idiot? Maribel was great at introducing me to people. She would always explain why I was here and make me seem like a big deal. Homero was interested in why I had come here, what living was like, how the money worked itself out, and what the Mexicans were doing in the US (and how those with them were boding). The girls dragged me hither and yon to see the animals (it was like a petting zoo, yet this was always at the house, not rented for the party as well as the pool), check out the clown and games, and to get dessert. I had a crepaleta, which is not a real word. Crepes, are, well, crepes. And paletas are suckers or popsicles, or anything on sticks. So these were...? Crepes on sticks. They had nutella in the middle and sweetened condensed milk (called lehera, its brand name, here) drizzled over the top. It wasn't as thin as a crepe, so I was mildly disappointed. Had no trouble finishing it, though!
After that dessert, Maribel and Homero informed me that the seafood was just appetizers. The carne asada was yet to come! I was too full for that, so I just passed. I tasted one bite of the mean, but knew I couldn't hold tortillas.
Around 5:30, we decided it was time to get out of there (after four hours of bring there and we were the first to leave!). Rebeca, the younger daughter, was filthy from running around and occasionally leaving her shoes behind. The girls got cupcakes and their treat bags and we (carefully) loaded the car. On the ride back to my house, the girls asked if I were going to stay in Mexico forever, and I said no. I told them that I had to go back and that would be in July. Maribel sat up straight with big eyes and asked what day. Her birthday is July 4, and wanted to make sure I'd still be here for that. It made her day that I would.
I'm so glad I ended up going. I missed watching football with some friends (but there wasn't a single team out of the four that I could picture myself cheering for), but it was so much fun. A really great day!
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