February-Gone!

Ok, I know that February is a short month and all, but the past four weeks seriously flew by! I have been so incredibly busy with work, this blog, trying to see friends and keep my sanity that it really does feel like February went in the blink of an eye. I definitely think that this will be the case for the rest of my time in Mexico as well, trying to get enough done while still attempting to enjoy myself.

I started the month by going fully vegetarian. Many of the healers I work with recommend a fully vegetarian diet to their patients as the first step in regaining health, and one of the best ways to maintain health over time. As a good anthropologist (sometimes) who follows the research method of participant observation, I decided to give it a go and see how it felt and whether I noticed a difference in my health. A month in, and I’m still going strong. I never ate loads of meat to begin with, but had been eating more here since it is a huge part of the diet in Mexico (one of the struggles the healers have is getting people to change their diets). So although I felt myself craving it a bit the first week, after that it was easy, and I find myself more and more disliking the idea of eating, what my informants call, ‘los muertos’ or ‘the dead’. I have decided to stick with the vegetarian lifestyle, although if at some point I feel the desire to have some meat, I will. I think my skin is doing better though, which is nice. Maybe I’ll see more long-term effects as time goes on, but I can tell you that the two healers I work with are 65 and 71 years old, and I would definitely have thought they were both at least 8-10 years younger.

February was bookended with two theme parties. At the beginning of the month, my friend Renée threw herself an amazing ‘English Garden’ party, complete with croquet, gin and tonics, the Union flag, and fish and chips. It was held in the rooftop bar of a hotel in the centre of Mexico City, and it was a LOT of fun!

 

Me and the birthday girl Renée

Ammal and Renée-English Hunter and 1940's glam!

Getting our Croquet on! 

There was also a Great Gatsby themed event for Internations to send February off. Internations is a group of expats and ‘internationally minded people’, and most major cities around the world have communities. We get together to meet, mingle and have fun a few times a month. The Gatsby party was held in a great bar in Polanco, one of the nicest parts of town. We loved getting dressed up and seeing how dapper and dandy everyone else looked!

 

As Gatsby as can be!

I also went on a day trip with my two girls Ammal and Renée to the town of Tepoztlan. It’s a well known city for the ‘healing energy’ and ancient pyramid high up a mountain beside the town. There was a great street market on, and we wandered around, getting some tasty, fresh-made tlacoyos (blue maize dough filled with beans, topped with whatever you want. I got nopales (cactus) and cheese) and quesadillas (squash blossom filling-yum!). We also got our tarot cards read, me by an old Mexican man who happened to speak English, which made it a lot easier for me! There’s nothing really esoteric or magical about tarot cards, it’s more you using your subconscious to sort out your own feelings, and interpret the cards you choose in whatever way you want. But it’s fun, nonetheless.

Excited to be here! And by the wall colour behind us! 

Market stalls, tarot and aural readings on offer

Mexican Tarot Cards

One of the small towns many churches

The three of us also planned a trip for my birthday-we’ll be heading to lovely Playa del Carmen for four days to help celebrate my fabulousness and as a sort of send-off, since I’ll be leaving Mexico shortly after. I really, really want to go NOW though. The beach is calling me...

So all that, plus other random nights out, work interviews and going to natural medicine conferences and generally just being too busy…no wonder I’m exhausted and surprised about how fast time is flying!

Hope you've enjoyed your weekend!

Kim x