1st

My friend Camila encouraged me to create a blog before I came to México to document my experiences here. I never got around to it because I honestly thought I was going to go back to the US. My first few weeks here were rough. I can finally say that I'm in a good place. I love it here. I can't believe I'm only here until June. It feels like a good time to start sharing my life with my friends.

I love this city more and more each day. After some trouble with my living situation at first, I feel more settled now. I'm staying with a family very close to UNAM. They're very nice. La mamá y la hija both had gender studies focus in their university studies. Yesterday I learned that the hija wrote her master's thesis on the temezcal when she invited me to join her for one. I hope I get to go eventually since I can't go this week.

Honestly, studying abroad while depressed has been very challenging, but these days I feel the best I have felt in a long time. I feel free in a lot of ways, whereas I felt so constricted and scared at UCLA. I'm exploring new aspects of myself and surprising myself each day. I still have days when I have a hard time getting out of bed, but I am here and I am enjoying everything this city has to offer. There is so much to take in. Before coming here everyone warned me that this city is so dangerous and este y el otro. I'm kind of upset thinking about that now. Actually living here is so different from what anyone told me this city would be like. Navigating this city once you get the hang of it, is so damn easy! Today my friend Fatima and I went to like 10 different places in the city in one day. In the morning we went to Tianguis El Chopo, which is like the punk, goth, ska swap meet of your dreams. Then we went to Biblioteca Vasconcelos, a huge, beautiful library, which is right next door. Nos fuimos al centro y de ahí al Bosque de Chapultepec. Then we walked to Cafebrería El Péndulo in the neighborhood of Polanco. Where we saw the whitest and richest Mexicans ever!

Something that frustrates me so much about México is that the people that I've talked to so far don't really see race as a bigger issue here. Over here the US is seen as having a big race problem, but not México. I think I also have a lot to learn about people's experiences with classism and racism here. It's interesting and unexpected for me coming here that a lot of what is studied in gender studies here is written Western white feminists. I really was not expecting that. I'm being challenged a lot being here. I don't see myself having time to do everything there is to do in this city before I have to leave, but who knows.

Mañana me voy a Xochimilco. Hasta la próxima.