How many pounds does it take...

How many pounds does it take to get to Mexico?

Last Sunday we had something like a farewell potluck with some friends. We had a great time, we laughed a lot, talked about anything and everything, we had great food, drinks, an ice cream cake which was delicious (I love ice cream), it really was great.

On Monday, Lineth (the first one leaving Boston) asked us to meet at Toscanini's for an ice cream (again, I love ice cream, those invitations I just can't reject), so we met there and spent the last hours together. I had a huge cherry chocolate chip ice cream which was delicious, and remembered me of one of my favorite ice cream flavors back in Mexico. I asked for one scoop and they gave me an infinite one... it was great!

On Friday we went with Claudia R. and Tony R. to Jo Jo Taipei restaurant. It was very good, we ate a lot, great food, a little bit spicy but I liked it. And after that, we went to Claudia and Tony's place to have some great chocolate cake Claudia baked, and some ice cream. We played a card game called Canasta, and we had a great time together... but wow, we really ate a lot!!

And today (Saturday) we met with a couple of neighbors to have some coffee and cheesecake. It was also great! ... I guess in general I like food, specially when sugar is an important ingredient. But really, how many pounds does it take to get back to Mexico? We still have 9 days to go (touring around AZ, NV and TX)... I'll have to seriously exercise as soon as I get there.

NOTE: I'm taking my babies (ice skates) all the way to Mexico, and I want them to have lots of fun there!

HOW MANY POUNDS DOES IT TAKE TO GO TO MEXICO? 50 pounds and only one suitcase (and we have to pay for it)... I'm tired of trying to pack.

The evil rug: when decoration goes wrong

Yes, it's been more than nine months since I arrived to Cambridge, but there's still a ghost hunting me: the evil rug.

We went to Ikea to buy furniture (we arrived to an unfurnished apartment... but that's a sad frustrating and different story), and after selecting the dinning table, chairs, sofa bed, and some other stuff, I saw it: a great big red (now I think it's too red) rug. At that moment I thought it was a great idea, it would make more cosy our little home, and because it was on sale (now I can understand why), I convinced my husband relatively easy to take that great rug home.

OH, BIG MISTAKE! I'm still paying the bill for that decision. The first month (and the second, third, fourth, fifth.... and still now) was a red lint nightmare! I bought a vacuum cleaner for my rug, the least expensive I found, but it has never been enough. Although now is not as bad as the first months (in those times we had also red towels that made us match the red lint apartment), the rug seems to be changing its coat every week.

Why is this story in my mind? We are subletting our apartment. We are cleaning from wall to wall and ceiling to floor, and I'm sure next Sunday, right before leaving to Mexico, the red lint will be start spreading all over everything again... I hope my subtenants and my rug become good friends!

Choco-sushi: O ya Boston

Last night we (my husband and I) were celebrating 10 months of marriage, so we decided to go to this fancy Japanese restaurant in Boston. We received a gift certificate for O ya restaurant when we got married last year, and we wanted to use it for a special occasion.

We took the T, red line, to South Station. The restaurant is two or three blocks away, so the location is quite convenient. The place is kind of hidden in a dark alley, just a small sign outside and the entrance door is an old wood one that actually made me feel I was going to open the restaurant's back door. The place is... let's say different. I knew it was an expensive restaurant, so I wasn't expecting a small place with about 8 tables and a bar. It's kind of dark, but the general ambient is very nice. We actually seated at the bar, which at first I thought it wasn't a great idea (I was wearing a dress), but now I think is good because you can see how the chefs are preparing almost everything with such a perfection....

Well, the food is great.... expensive, and great.... and great. I'm not a fan of tuna, and I can't even think of trying raw fish, but he tried a tuna sashimi (Wild Bluefin Tuna Tataki).... it was really good. Everything was great, but then, it came: the Foie Gras. I have no English (or Spanish) words to say how delicious, superb, great, wow, it was. Short description: a nigiri (means it has a small ball of rice at the bottom) with foie gras, balsamic chocolate kabayaki (I guess this was the sauce), and topped with raisin cocoa pulp, and a sip of sake to close the experience (this wasn't just a dish, this really was an experience)... I saw the dessert menu and I didn't want anything, just as the waitress said, it's difficult to top the Foie Gras. I definitely want to go there again and try the chef''s tasting menu, I've read in some reviews the potato chip (yes, I wouldn't be surprised if they serve you only two potato chips) is very good too.

So, if you have the budget (the chef's testing menu is about $150, but it can work for two), you should try it, I think it's worth every penny.

So, that's a home run...

Although I've been here for almost eight months, last Wednesday I finally had the opportunity to attend a Red Sox game at Fenway. We walked from MIT to the stadium... that's when I realized how close we are, and perhaps how small this city actually is. Coming from Mexico City, I believe that if you can go walking, it's very close. Anyway, the weather was beautiful, and stayed that way for the entire evening (and night). Those are the days when you should go out for a walk, even if you have nowhere to go... and in Boston, you can't know when these days will come.

Anyway, the game was amazing... I don't know if it was because it was my first time there, or Fenway is a good place for watching baseball, or beer makes you feel excited even in a not-so-good game. I don't know, perhaps 4 home runs in one inning is a clear sign you're watching a bad pitcher... but Red Sox won, who cares!! It's great to see the ball flying over the famous Green Monster.

So, going to a Red Sox game is a MUST. You can camp outside Fenway the week prior to the ticket selling day, or you can go to stubhub.com... or better than that, you can find a Bostonian Red Sox fan (which is not very difficult) and ask him/her for help. By the way, thank you very much Chris G. (our Bostonian Red Sox fan, and friend) for inviting us to the game!!

Carla next to Charles (river)

OK, so I got married on July, 2008. Then I moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts (yes, I worked a lot to be able to write that), just a block away from the Charles River... you know, the big artificial river in Boston. Then I met Jennifer R. (perhaps from her came the idea of writing a blog, she suggested it, but the many adventures here made me decide to start this) and Spouses&Partners@MIT, which been very helpful for me in this journey.

It's been about eight months, now I know people, I can speak English (and understand it!!), I have experienced the "American way", I had Thanksgiving with an American family, I've been to a Town Hall meeting (and actually participated on it)... but now comes a difficult time. I'm staying here for one more year (although I'm going back to Mexico for the Summer), but many people is leaving for good, many friends are going back to their countries, or moving somewhere else in the US. But I guess that's how life's supposed to be: people coming and going out of your life. And what matters is what's left: memories and learning that make you the person you are and will become.