“Okay, sure”

It seems like this answer is often the one I go with. Most of the time, I don’t know what I am getting myself into, so giving a confident “si!” is difficult; but out of curiosity and not wanting to say no, I say “okay, sure.”

So far, this has led me to some unexpected, sometimes frustrating, but altogether enjoyable adventures and experiences. Here are a few:

• One Friday while eating lunch, my host sister asked me if I wanted to go with her to Huamantla, a nearby Pueblo Magico, to attend the opening of an art exhibit. Truthfully, I didn’t want to go as I was exhausted at the end of a draining week of teaching. But I said Okay, sure. At 6 o’clock I piled into a 5 person car with 7 other people (sorry madam director) and headed off to Huamantla, getting to see beautiful views of the nearby volcanoes, La Malinche, Popocatepetl, and Iztaccíhuatl on the drive. We arrived in Huamantla eventually. Jenny and I hopped across the street from where the exhibit was opening to see what remained of the artisans carpets made of colored sawdust from “The Night When No One Sleeps” (recommend looking this up). Then, we attended the art exhibit, drank bubbly wine, and ate fancy snacks. Afterwards, as we were headed out, another exhibit-goer asked us if we wanted to go see a torta eating contest. A few minutes of discussion ultimately led to an “Okay, sure” and we were off. When we arrived at the restaurant, it turns out that if there was going to be a torta eating contest, one of us was going to have to do it. Thusly, a brave member of our group took on the challenge of eating a torta that weighed almost 1 kilogram and was the size of his head; HE ATE THE WHOLE THING IN 4.5 MINUTES. He is the new record holder at this restaurant.
• One Saturday night, we were supposed to go see Coco. But as we were sitting in a presentation for new pans that seemed to take forever, my sister asked me “do you want to go camping tonight?” I love camping, so of course my gut reaction was “Heck yeah I do!” but then all of the doubts and hesitations ran through my mind that dwindled my enthusiasm to an “okay, sure!” We packed warm layers and headed out to meet up with her friends in the town center (to be honest the longer we waited for her friends and the colder I felt, the more nervous I was and was tempted to walk home. but I didn’t). From there, we drove about an hour to the base of the local mountain to her friends’ family’s ranch where we stayed. We built a campfire, I tried my best to understand jokes and stories, and also ended up falling asleep for a bit in a wheelbarrow. We slept inside the ranch’s office type thing, and while my feet were quite cold, I slept happily. The next morning, we returned by transport (having been dropped off by a parent) and went to find something good to eat. Overall, it was nice to meet and get to know people my age!
• That same Sunday, in the afternoon, my host mom said we are going to go eat mole in a town at the skirts of La Malinche. With Monday lingering over the horizon and much of my stress coming on Sundays, I said “okay, sure!” as all of the things on my to do list ran through my mind. She went ahead, and my sister and I (being quite wiped out and smelling of campfire), left afterwards. We hopped on a bus to Apizaco, then grabbed a combi, then switched combis, and eventually landed in the town where we’d be eating. Context: families in this town honors their patron saint by throwing mole parties, at least this is what I gathered. Now I’m no expert at Mexican food yet, but as far as I can tell this was some goooooood mole. They even served us ice cream!

 

There are a lot more of these “okay, sure” moments, and without a doubt more will happen. While I hope that by the end of my time here I will be giving a confident “yes” more frequently, as of right now I’m okay with where I’m at. 🙂

Peace!

Carls