Vagando por la vida...

Since 2006 I have begun to all but completely phase out my life on Long Island, in New York, and in the U.S. in general.

In a not-so-subtle attempt to escape, I fled to Mexico City under the auspices of a study abroad program at an extravagant university centered in the coldest appendage of an over-extended monstrosity of a city. Sante Fe, the former garbage dump of the D.F., shines with all its sharp steel and soul-less skyscrapers.

I have been here for less than four weeks and already I feel consumed like each little town that once lay in this city's shadow but has since been swallowed up by it.

For the record I am enjoying myself here. I have a room and a mattress. A neighborhood, a house-mate, and a cat. The cat is never satisfied and I struggle every day not to give it a little kick to shut it up. I have waged chemical warfare against the mosquitoes at night. I have met good people. Cute people.

I ride the public bus every morning into school for two pesos even though for maybe two or three more I could get there faster and more comfortably. I make up for my lack of language skills by trying my best to live like a local. I eat on the street and dump salsa picante all over my food at the risk of ruining my meal. My heart skips a beat when locals mistake me for Mexican, though I'm instantly reminded that I am but another gringo down south when I stutter to respond or stare blankly, lost in my own incomprehension...

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So, for now, this blog will be a sort of outlet for my wandering mind while my feet remain planted here in Mexico City.

I hope I can get over myself enough to make some mistakes.

I want to come out of this scarred and scathed.