Party Planning in a Taxi Cab

Hola amigos (Hello my friends)!

If you haven't already heard (and I hope you have), I am happily and safely settled in my new Mexican home. I apologize for not updating you all sooner; my only excuse is that I've been too busy experiencing Mexico to take time and write about it (a poor excuse, i know). Seeing as how I've been here for almost a month, there's a lot to be shared, but I'm afraid it would be far too time consuming to try and catch you up on all of my adventures, so I'll just have to start with the most recent: party planning in a taxi cab.

This past friday was the twenty first birthday of one of my fellow Eastern traveling companions, Dayna. Seeing as how the drinking age in Mexico is 18, turning 21 isn't quite as big of a deal here as it is in the USA, but that being said, the people take every chance they can to celebrate! So around Wednesday, the two other Eastern girls and I decided why not throw Dayna a genuine mexican fiesta!

None of us had ever thrown a fiesta before, so we sought out the guidance of our good and ever-so helpful mexican friends, all the while trying to keep it a secret from our friend. Because the cakes here are so moist and yummy, I opted to buy one instead of trying to make one myself. We asked our friend about a pastelería in walking distance, and he said he knew the exact place we needed to go and offered to drive us there. Turns out, the place specialized German chocolate cakes, but it was absolutely delicious.

Our friend also gave us the name of a party store where we could buy decorations. So the afternoon before the party, while Chrissy stayed behind to finish making the guacamole and helatina aguada, Laura and I called for a taxi to take us to "Partyland." Only, when I showed our taxi driver, Jose Miguel, the little piece of paper with directions to "Partyland" his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "You are planning a party! I know just the place to go"

I asked Jose if the place sold piñatas, and he went off: "Yes, yes! All kinds of piñatas: Spider-Man, Batman, and Sponge-Bob! What kind do you want?" I explained that the party was for a girl turning 21, and asked if that age was considered too old for a piñata. He assured me that you are never too old for a piñata, and proceeded to explain to us the ins and outs of traditional Mexican fiestas, and the proper way of filling a piñata. Apparently you are supposed to include not just candy, but also an assortment of fruit. We also needed a thick rope to hang the piñata.

We had a little less than two hours to get everything ready before we were supposed to take our friend to dinner, but he enthusiastically ensured us that he could do it. I've never met a taxi driver so excited about his job.

And like everyone I have met here so far, Jose was very friendly and curious about what two gringas like Laura and I were doing in Mexico. When I mentioned that Laura was an excellent writer, he replied "Oh, I am a writer as well! I have written many books of poetry!" Then he proudly started reciting off his poems. I asked him if he dedicated his poems to anyone in particular, and he said that he didn't usually do that, but that his poems always centered around universal themes of family, friendship, loss, beauty, and love. "Estoy enamorada con la vida" (I'm in love with life), he said with a huge smile. I believed him.

Then Jose began questioning us about our friend who's birthday it was, so that he could compose a poem for us to give her. I had only began to describe her, and he was off, the words flowing off his lips like honey. As soon as he finished he said, "What do you think, do you like? No, no, how about this one..." and before we had time to respond he was off again. Finally, we got him to slow down so that we could copy one. And it went like this:

Ayer, estuve sentada en el jardín, (Yesterday I was sitting in the garden)

y ví muchas flores bonitas. (and I saw many beautiful flowers)

Pero, amiga, faltaba un flor, (But, friend, one flower was lacking)

que eras tú. (And that was you)

Ay! Me acordé que tu cumpleaño era mañana (Oh, and then I remembered your birthday)

Y me sentí agobiada pensando en ti. (And I felt overjoyed thinking about you)

Hoy, amiga, te entrego este flor (Today, friend, I give you this flower)

que faltaba ayer. (That I was missing yesterday)

Y eres tú. ( And it is you)

The poem worked out perfectly because Laura had drawn a beautiful picture of a flower, and she was planning on giving it to Dayna as a birthday present. And yes, the poem may be a tad bit cheesy, but, I'm telling you, Jose Miguel's fervor for life was so contagious, I couldn't help but go along with everything he said. And yes, the taxi fee was a little bit more than I had planned on spending, but the piñata was a huge hit (no pun intended) and Laura and I got a little lesson on mexican fiesta giving.