It also reminds me of a wonderful group of girls who I had the distinct honor of traveling with in Mexico. In 2003, they were looking for young, vibrant and smart individuals who could go to Mexico and act as de facto ambassadors for the city and the country. And after a rigorous screening process, they chose the perfect people for the job. Four people, at least.
Together with Beng, Mommy Beth and Ginger, I became the 4th member of "The Mexican Mafia." In the course of more than a month, the mafia hopped from one Mexican state to the next; meeting people, trying different cuisine, integrating with the locals, and making fun of "PC." Every day - from landing in Monterrey to the day we went our separate ways in LAX - was very eventful and loads of fun because of the 3 girls I was traveling with. Since we were assigned different "anfitriones" per state, we had to spend time apart. But whenever the opportunity of getting together arose, we'd always have a blast.
Opportunities like the mini-field trip on the Tampico aduana with Guada, or having lunch at McDonald's and watching little Rosie down a huge burger. There's that time we went to Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende where we tried Helados with flavors ranging from classic (Fresa) to crazy (chicharon). The time we rejoiced when we were living with "the Hiltons" in Nuevo Laredo, and Best Western in Matamoros. (This was a landmark moment for me because I made a joke in Spanish, and they laughed!) And who can forget, the evening we went clubbing at the coolest club in Nuevo Leon.
Even if it's been 5 years since our sojourn, I can still rattle off highlights from that trip. Among my favorites are:
- Mommy Beth not fitting into her dress and Ginger having to remedy it by turning her blouse into a corset.
- Watching the circus and walking to Soriana's after.
- Trekking around the hot environs of El Tajin.
- "Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkaugnay... magkaugnay ang lahat ng bagay..."
- Beng, Ginger and I staying together at Guadalupe's place and doing the laundry at midnight.
- Taking a taxi from the mall to the house and not getting lost.
- All the tortillas and frijoles that we ate during our entire stay.
Despite the difficult circumstances surrounding our trip (more a person and not a circumstance) we had loads of fun and memorable experiences in Mexico. The more I think about it, the more thankful I am to have these 3 extraordinary girls as travel companions. If not for them, the only memory from that trip would probably be how difficult it is to travel with a PC on your back.
It's been a while since the 4 of us got together as a group. Now that Mommy Beth is in the US, getting together won't be as easy as when we were all in QC and just a phone call away. But who knows, one of these days, the Mexican Mafia might get together again. And when we do, we'll be sharing stories while feasting on Dona Tota Gorditas, Cabritos and drinking Tequila. Oh, I'll also throw in my favorite Pinguinos and Choco Lala, of course.
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