Goodbye, Mexico

Tomorrow I am leaving Mexico City, where I have been staying with my parents for the last month. It has been quite a fruitful experience-- I came to practice Spanish, and I sure did. Here is a list of things and experiences that I will so dearly miss when I am back in Provo.

Shopping with mom. Because when she sees me wearing something new she always says, "Ooh, maybe I should get that." And when I pick something up at the store she will sometimes say, "Are you serious?" But she still buys it for me. What a pro.

Getting calls from dad. He calls me from his office every day to tell me what time we will be seeing a house, tell me when he will be home, or ask if I need something printed out. And he always asks what time I woke up that morning, and he always laughs when I tell him. Hysterically. What is so funny about waking up at 1:30?

Hiding in my room when I wake up. Without fail, our maid or her husband is ALWAYS walking around the apartment when I wake up. So I have to wait in my room until she leaves before I can walk around in my underwear. Yes, I could put some clothes on, but having to do that in your own apartment is just ridiculous. But I guess so is hiding.

Pretty much anything that mom says or does. Asking our driver if he could "coger" us, saying "I'm glad I'm not sitting by you on the plane" after I ate some onions, or telling me to chase down a street vendor because a lady just walked by with lime sherbet, and she really wanted lime sherbet. I will have plenty of stories to tell thanks to her.

Fun-filled weekends. Mexico has so much to offer, and I have gone to Tequisquiapan, the zoo, and the National Museum of Anthropology all this month. In Tequis I befriended a delightfully bossy 10-year-old and sang and danced with Mexicans. At the zoo I got to listen to mom giggle because the sign on the exhibit said that the monkeys were classified by colored protrusions on their butts. At the museum today I felt smart because I was able to explain the characteristics of Mayan art. And dad didn't even get grumpy when we made him be fun.

Looking at houses with mom and dad. The houses aren't actually the fun part, it is listening to my parents and their stubborn ideas of what they want. And hearing my dad talk about fifteen different houses when we all know that my mom has already decided on one. Also, laughing with my mom about my dad's obsession with getting more square meters for the price. Because my parents obviously need a 5,500 square foot house.

Oh, Mexico. I will miss you.

Things I hate

Computer viruses. Especially when they come on a computer you have only had for 3 months. Even more when you then have to use your moms computer which has a spanish keyboard, so you dont know how to punctuate. But you can write ñ, ¿, and ¡.

How to one-up Poodle

1. Tell her that mom has offered you the pilot when you graduate since she stole the 4-runner.
2. Tell her that it has 3 rows of seats and is therefore cooler.
3. Brag about it all day long. Don't stop until you start annoying even yourself.

Question

What is the best way to have cute hair while it's growing out? I have been battling this dilemma my entire life. A few weeks ago I cut my hair short, and it looked really cute. Now it's already at a longish-awkward length. I don't have the patience to get a haircut every few weeks. What's a girl to do?

It doesn't help, either, that the lady who cut my hair cut too many layers in the front. Now it looks like I'm growing out a mullet. And when I try to put my hair up, all these pieces fall out and into my face. Maybe I should shave my head.

Things that make me laugh...

Hearing little Brandon sing a song over Skype, except when it was supposed to say "Mandy" he inserted "Lindsey."

Hearing him sing another song in a high, falsetto voice.

Seeing him dance to "eat it" on a web cam