The Friday Morning that Never Ends

Friday morning was our date with Maribel, Ana Luisa, Diana and Alma and her mom if they could make it. I wasn't banking on it. Maribel picked us up at 8:30 and was SO excited to see and meet Mom since she had spent so much time in Kentucky.

We got in the car with her and she had a birthday present for me. My goody bag was full of a Mary Kay spritzer, a Culiacán t-shirt, makeup brushes, and these candies called borrachitos because they have alcohol in them. They're tiny little sweets that are just good. I was so grateful at her thoughtfulness.

We got to El Gallitto and got a table and waited on Ana Luisa and Diana. Ana Luisa got there first and Mom knew who she was immediately because of the pictures she had seen of Diana. Shortly after, Diana got there and we began the process of attempting to figure out what to eat! The food there is so good and it comes with so much. We decided and continued our conversation. It was all in English and it was really fun. Diana talked some about a scholarship she wants for this summer for a month in the US. Maribel and Ana Luisa talked about their time in the US. We talked about how Ana Luisa had skipped out early on the TV day at my school because she didn't want to be interviewed and how Maribel had begged the camera man to stop filming. She was hilarious telling her story because she had gotten to nervous that she was sweating and not answering the questions well.

We spent at least a good hour there until Ana Luisa needed to leave to meet up with Rocio, the coordinator of the English program for the whole state of Sinaloa. She asked for the bill and luckily, when it came, the guy gave it to me (I had asked for it too, not realizing she already had). I passed some Girl Scout cookies to Ana Luisa and apparently it distracted the whole table from the bill. They had wanted to pay, which is crazy. It was only 375 pesos for five people, but I had done the inviting to thank them for all they do for me! So we paid.

From there, since Ana Luisa was going to meet with Rocio, she said she would see if she could make time to meet with us.

We went with Maribel to La Lomita (the church with the view) to see the city and then she got the call that Rocio could see us. We drove out to the Board of Education (more or less) and met with her for about 20 minutes. She was very sweet and complimentary of me to Mom. We had a nice time with her, but it always feels a bit pressured and forced when I'm with her, since she's the big boss! So I was glad when it was time to go. I wish I had gotten a picture because she is absolutely stunning. She's your typical Culichi woman who is always done up without a hair out of place, but she looks more like a model than your "typical Culichi woman."

From there, Maribel dropped us by Alma's house so I could get her thank you gift of bagels, cream cheeses and Excedrin Migraine. She was overly gracious. She took us back to the hotel where we changed and tried to think empty thoughts for our stomachs because we had a lunch date with Alma and Mamá Alma around 1:30.