TMNT

11/03/08
Yesterday was the best day so far. It was exactly what I had been hoping for when I moved here. I walked to the Metro, which is a nice 30 minute walk on a pretty busy street. Then I took the Metro back to Macro Plaza, which seems to be the place I always return to. It took another 30 minutes on the Metro to get there. When I got off one of the trains to transfer, I heard someone speaking English behind me. I didn't catch it exactly, but something like, "Hey man..." I turned around and it was this like 15 year old kid with his girlfriend. I asked him in Spanish if he wanted to practice English and he said no. They started out friendly and he asked me questions about where I was from. Then he asked me a bunch of what I consider very difficult questions and his girlfriend was laughing very hard. I assume they were making jokes at my expense. Then this very nice guy named Jose came up and in English explained what they were asking me. So I started talking to him. He was cool and told me about his job and how I can get a job very easily here that will pay nice as well. He helped me find my way to where I was going and went to work. I hung out in the park at Macro Plaza read some Psalms and some stories from my Mexican adventures book. Then I met this chick Gaby who also speaks perfect English. I've noticed that the younger people tend to speak very good English. It's also funny here, when I meet someone and ask if they speak English, very often they will say that they don't or that they speak very little. However, as we talk, I find that they speak what I consider to be very good English - this is very reminiscent of Japan for me. Anyway, so I hung out with Gaby for a while and she showed me a park nearby. She is very fun and has never done drugs, because the Ninja Turtles told her not to in a PSA. That is one of my favorite things I have ever heard. Once it got dark, I headed back to the Metro and returned home. On my way home I passed this old man who was sitting outside of his house playing guitar. I stopped to listen, and told him "me gusta". His name is Fidel and he began speaking English. Of course saying that he only spoke a little, but we had a very nice conversation about music, family, travel, and cockfights all in English. He taught me a few cords on guitar and told me I can come back anytime and he may even take me to a cockfight. I continued on my way home I discovered a street that was entirely packed with people who each had a stand like 5 to 10 feet wide. They were selling all kinds of stuff: food, clothes, junk from there house (garage salesy), and bootlegged movies - I couldn't pass up on Into the Wild and got Sweeney Todd as well. The sale went back like over 5 blocks. It was pretty crazy and there were a lot of people there. I left to return home, pretty hungry, I passed a house with a sign on the front advertising like eylotes and nachos and stuff. I peeked in and asked "esta abierto?" (well I said some other made up word, but it was close and she corrected me). Yeah, she was open, and I got the best nachos I've ever had and this weird mango popcicle for like $1.10. I walked the rest of the way home feeling very content.