Viva Aguascalientes!

I can't believe I forgot to write about our trip in April to Aguascalientes! Here's a very belated post and my scrambled thoughts since. This trip was especially special because I was able to see where Jaime spent some of his childhood. His mother took him to Mexico where he went to school for a year while she was helping take care of family. We were able to go back to the exact house he stayed in and he had a fun time reminiscing and sharing more of his childhood past times. 

 

We met Ma and Pa at the airport and were Picked up by Oli, Maria and Alisia who are Ma's cousins. We went out to dinner for some authentic and tasty tacos. I engulfed my meal but regret to inform you that Jaime and Pa made me try cabeza (cow brain). Just say no if you are ever offered some, the texture and taste was too much for me, but hey...it's considered a delicacy. 

Jaime's family lived on the same block in Aguas for years. He said his mother's family owned most of the property but slowly started selling pieces of land to other families. It was so cool how all the aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. are so comfortable going between houses to say hi, gather for meals and visit. I would love it if my family lived that close and could see each other all the time. We stayed with Maria and she showed us her chickens in the back yard. She also had a parrot that loved to talk and say Oli's name. Oli, Maria and Alisia shared some funny stories about Jaime. They said he refused to eat anything other than beans, cheese and tortillas. Maria also showed me how to do laundry and I had to learn the old school way...like I'm talking super old school including hang drying everything. Jaime kept teasing me about how domesticated I looked and had to get photo documentation. Ma of course brought presents for the entire city and everyone was so excited and grateful. It was really humbling how kind and generous everyone was during the week. It didn't matter whether families had a lot or a little, they wanted to be hospitable, offer what they could and make sure we felt welcome. I just love warm culture that embraces us whenever we travel to visit our families. It's always refreshing and something we miss when we come home. 

  
 

While we were there it was fun to visit and share about our lives. One morning I decided to sleep in and Jaime cooked me breakfast. Oli, Alisia and Maria were shocked that Jaime knew how to cook. When he explained that he helps clean the house they about passed out. When they asked where I was and he said I was sleeping, they about dropped dead. Lets just say...they are very traditional. I'm just happy Jaime sees eye to eye on the fact that we both share the load of work, bills and household duties.

  

One aspect of the Latin culture that is huge is honoring the dead. While we were visiting we went to go see Ma's grandmother (so Jaime's great grandmother's) grave. The cemeteries in Mexico are beautiful. Just look at the sculptures that surround the graves. It makes the cemeteries back home look dull. I especially love how they are all white. We bought some flowers to lay on great grandma's grave and paid our respects. 

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My most favorite part of being in Aguas was getting to know Moni. It was like she was my long lost twin. It was crazy how fast we connected. She felt like a sister within minutes. She was so cheerful and curious to learn about our life and how Jaime and I met. It was really impressive how well her English improved in a matter of days. I suppose my Spanish improved a bit too. We bonded over hours of talking at Maria's, dress shopping, eating at the Feria, late nights at the best taquerias I have ever been too and late night dancing. I told Moni that she has to come to our wedding celebration and she promised she will get right on applying for her visa! My plan is to find a winery here for her to interview at so she can stay! She has a biochemistry degree from a prestigious university in Mexico and manages a local company in Aguas! I told her she would fit right in here! We still catch up via text while we are apart but I really do miss her. Jaime said he has never seen me connect so fast with someone before and loved seeing us get so close. 

    

It was fun to meet her boyfriend Fermin while we were there. We enjoyed going to to eat together and we were also able to go out dancing at a salsa club that had an incredible live band. They took requests and made fun of me for requesting a Selena song. The manager of the salsa club loved Moni so much he said we could all get in free the next day when we told him we wanted to come back with our family. I had a blast dancing with Jaime as I always do. One of my favorite things to do is dance with him because I just feel like I'm floating. Moni mentioned that Fermin didn't like to dance but Jaime gave him a pep talk. He told Fermin to look at how big Moni and I were smiling while we tried to salsa together on the dance floor. He said "It's worth doing anything to make the one you love smile like that." It didn't take long before Fermin danced with Moni and I thought that was so cute. Jaime always knows how to give a short and sweet pep talk.


    

One of the other highlights of our trip was going on a hike to Cerro del Muerto because the mountain resembles a dead or sleeping man. We hiked about three miles up to a beautiful view of Aguas. Jaime and I were shocked that Fermin hiked up the mountain like it was no big deal in his jeans and walking shoes. We joked that we had eaten too many tortillas and were struggling.

    

We came to Aguas at an exceptional time because the Feria Nacional de San Marcos (San Marcos Fair) also known as "La Feria" was going on. This is a three to four week celebration and a major tourist attraction that over seven million people visit each year. Common attractions are the bullfighting and cockfighting along with the delicious food, rides etc. We spent a lot of time taking advantage of all the street vendors sampling anything from tacos, gorditas, pop corn, cotton candy, frijoles, elote (Mexican grilled street corn), carne  (meat), pan (bread)...I can't even remember it all. We also listened to a lot of local music and got to experience the lively energy of parades that seemed to be going on at all hours. Pa enjoyed hiring our own personal Mariachi band anywhere we went to dinner and I think I learned about 8 new songs!




  



 

 

    

I know people have different opinions about bull fights but we were in the heart of one of the most world renown locations and had to take advantage of seeing one live in the arena. Plaza de Toros Monumental in Aguascalientes is the 4th largest ring in Mexico. Some of the most famous matadors travel from around the world to compete in the Fiesta de San Marcos. Moni was so awesome and found us tickets to the sold out event. Pa said I was going to cry and have a hard time seeing the bull's get killed but I reminded him that I am an ICU trauma nurse and see a lot on any given day at work. The best part about going to this event was the energy of the crowd. People get dressed up to go to these events and love to cheer, sing local chants, dance and enjoy the culture of the festival. It was mind baffling how heavy some of the bulls were weighing anywhere from 1,000-2,000 pounds. It was really cool to see the matador's in their festive costume and watch how close they got to the bulls in attempts to tame and control them. If they were able to do so properly, they were awarded a token of recognition. After one rising matador's fight (that almost left him without a leg), the horns sounded for the judges final decision. The crowed roared and cheered so loud the stadium was shaking. The young matador was awarded the ear for his performance. Even though it was hard to know many of the bulls died, it was admirable to see how the matadors knelt before them in honor before their final strike. If a bull was struggling they were stabbed right in the brain to prevent them from long term pain and suffering. We were told that all aspects of the bull are utilized for either food or memorabilia. Moni's father was actually sitting down in the the same section with the Matadors. He waved to us and we were able to meet him after the event. After some prying Moni admitted that he was a famous surgeon and all the prestigious competitors wanted him to be the presiding doctor for their events. Apparently he saved a famous matador from a life threatening injury who actually returned to the ring and continued to have a successful career. How cool is that!? I asked him about it and he admitted he was a cardiac surgeon by background but had broadened his area of expertise.



 
  

While we were in Aguas Ma threw a surprise party for Pa. She hired a Mariachi band (of course) had the party catered at a local hall. She was really excited about having us dress up in a traditional outfits for his celebration. Oli bough me a really cute dress and I think she was a little surprised I was so willing to rock it! Pa loved our outfits and we had a wonderful time. We had Molé which is a traditional celebratory dish of chicken with a chocolate like sauce, some elote and a delicious guava flavored cake.



 

   
 
  
 
   

Later in the week we drove quite a way out to visit Miguel and went to a seafood restaurant he highly recommended called Restaurante La Fragua Restaurant in Calvillo, Mexico. I ordered a local fish which was absolutely delicious and Jaime ordered his traditional coconut shrimp. After eating we walked around the restaurant and found a hammock. I think I took one of the best naps of my life in that hammock. It was one of those moments were the sun was shining, the air was so crip and fresh, you could hear birds chirping around you...I really can't explain how relaxing and peaceful it was. We had such a great time and would have laid there forever. We eventually had to wake up and walked down to one of the lakes where Jaime taught Miguel's kids how to skip rocks. Those little boys were so cute and well behaved. I got to play a little bit of soccer with the little one and ended up giving him a soccer ball we bought at the Feria.

 
  
 
  
        

On another day we drove out to the Templo de San Marcos which is a famous catholic church. We walked through a lot of the local street vendors, who I'll admit, were very aggressive due to the high level of tourists they normally see. When we entered the main building of the church Pa got emotional and said that his mother promised to walk on her knees from door to the front of the altar if God would make sure her son would come home from the army safe. Pa said "I feel impressed to walk on my knees like she did because I feel like my boys have come home to me." He wiped some of the tears of his face and proceeded to do as his mother once did. While we were walking around the church Ma showed us a wall where people post photos of their loved ones who are ill or facing challenges and explained that the priests *** come to pray for them. She posted a photo for Cam and prayed that he would be a healthy baby.

 

I will admit we only worked out a few times during the week. We managed to find a metal bar that we used for thrusters from Maria's garden and used Moni's yoga mats in the car port for some burpees. We also did some sit ups, hand stand holds and other exercises to keep busy. We also did some sprints around the block and every time I ran by the taqueria I had about 15 Mexican men starting at me with a blank stare baffled and confused that I was running in the heat. It was actually hilarious. While we were working out I also ran into the sister missionaries who were so startled that I was so excited to see them. I told them my sister was in Honduras and one mentioned she had been there in the MTC and may have known my little sister Iz. They invited us to come to church but it was such a crazy week we had a lot of family events going on. It was funny seeing their reaction to us working out in the heat as well.

I figured I might as well try and look for some wedding dresses in Mexico since I wasn't having much luck in Seattle. Moni mentioned that there was a new place that opened so we went to check it out. The dresses looked beautiful but I wanted something really fitted so the woman referred us to their other store at a mall that had more options from the look book. We went to the mall the next day and I was in shock. I loved just about every dress I tried on and finally had found the perfect fit, fabric and style. The women at the shop were pretty snooty and clarified multiple times what the prices ranges of the dresses were...but we would be paying with US dollars anyway and were getting a steal compared to what we would have been paying in the states! The lady that helped me try on the dresses made me take off all of my rings and insisted on doing everything. She wouldn't even let me take a picture of my favorites! These women were crazy but they said they had just received a new shipment for the upcoming season and wanted to keep the dresses in pristine condition. I narrowed it down to two dresses and literally could not decide on which one to pick. Jaime came to the mall with us but patiently kept himself busy while I tried on all the dresses. I went out to talk to him and found him waiting at food court eating some ice cream. I tried to be vague about the type of dresses I was deliberating between and wanted some direction about what he would like. He kept saying "I love you're style and anything you pick will look amazing on you. Take your time, no rush." Of course that helped ZERO. Ma kept changing her mind on what she liked and that didn't help either because I was getting all hot and flustered trying to decide. She was like "I think Jaime would like this one but this is sexy and well actually you look great in them all just pick what you like." Moni was the only one that was particular about which one she liked and stayed consistent. I tried the dresses on once more and finally made my decision. It was actually incredible that the sample fit like a glove and I was able to walk out with the dress that was 1/3 of the price in Mexico for the same designer. My advice: if you're ever thinking of buying a wedding dress, consider going to Mexico + buying your dress for the same price as you would spend on the dress alone back home. Did I mentioned how excited I was about that!? I ended up getting a few other pieces and ordering a matching veil which Moni went to pick up a few months later. I cannot wait to see everything come together and thanked Ma, Moni and Jaime for being so patient with me. Jaime joked that I had looked at over ten different boutiques in three different countries over the span of six months and I finally found my dress in Mexico...which seems appropriate since I married a Mexican man. I really couldn't believe I had finally made a decision and to this day I'm really happy with the one I chose. The flight attendants were so nice on the flights home and guarded my dress in the first class cabin closet.

On one of our last nights Jaime found out through a neighbor that his best friend Jugo had just returned from a wedding out of town. We walked around the corner to see if Jugo was home and instead of a quick hello we were given no choice but to come in eat, drink and dance which turned into hours of laughing and catching up. It was really cool to see Jaime with one of his older childhood friends. They talked about all the trouble they used to get in growing up in the neighborhood. They laughed about how they used to use a basket for a basketball hoop which they would attach to the side of the wall on the street.

 

It was a very special week in Aguas and the family made us promise that we would be back. It was so much fun to spend some R&R with Ma and Pa and they were so happy that we were able to experience the authenticity of Aguas with our family.