A Mad Mad World

This one's for you too, Mexico!

Let me close my eyes for this moment.. transport myself back to exactly an year ago, on board Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Mexico City. I can remember every detail, right from the Romanian co-passenger who resembled Ryan from 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' replete with his designer shoes, to flying over Mexico City for 30 minutes and witnessing this HUGE city sprawling in all directions endlessly.. I vividly recall the butterflies in my stomach for getting myself to a place about which almost everyone back home had warned me against going.. Oh yes, I also do remember finally meeting Paulina (with a great sigh of relief) at the airport, my first tacos and a horchata at Restaurante Los Arcos and the drive to Queretaro with the beautiful family who already made me fall in love with this country..

While approaching Queretaro at midnight of 31st July 2006, completely ignoring my fatigue and barely containing my excitement I approached this city shimmering bright in the dark.. driving through the alien roads and experiencing the feeling of being new to a city. I remember seeing streets in perspective, sequences of buildings with no meaning.. everything looked unknown, virgin.. and later when I would have lived in the city, walked through its streets, until the end of the perspective, seen all the buildings and lived my stories with the people, everything would soon belong to me because I had been there.. would have walked through these streets a number of times, would have eaten in those cafès everyday.. Exactly this was going to happen very soon and I hadn't realized that fully. The so called fastest growing city of Latin America, Querètaro, did indeed grow very fast on me.

Its been exactly an year since that, and Mexico, I think am going to thank you for the rest of my life for giving me life's finest moments, greatest adventures, most amazing friends and the fondest of memories, in brief, two words I allegedly use a lot, BEST EVER!

Most Mexican Memories are as fresh as the rum-mint-sugar-lemon Mojitos we made ourselves at home, while some have been lost somewhere in my mind.. they do pop up once in a while, giving me goosebumps, making me close my eyes for the moment and try to run through that memory, attempt to live it up once again..

I can very well just bring myself back to "#27, Morelos, Centro, Santiago de Querètaro".. through the big broken brown door, the wide courtyard, our dining table with an assortment of chairs and stools, the Super5 board, the awesomest kitchen which gave us some of the most memorable times. I can somehow still hear Mathieu inside, repeatedly playing 'Its the Time to Disco' or 'Maria se fue' while chopping vegetables or cutting fish with unimaginable ease..
I can walk up the spiral staircase to the roof offering a taste of the colonial Queretaro, with a clear view of Iglesias del Carmen.. where we had some of the most enjoyable parties, barbeques or at times, just me and Josè smoking weed. The walk through our row of refrigerators with newly pasted paper by Allison asking everyone to stop stealing her eggs and cheese, or the living room with Sarah enjoying her daily hot tea while watching TV.
I remember the posters in Josè's room, everyone playing Lotto on the coldest of afternoons in Mathieu's cosy room, lazy afternoons in my room watching YouTube, watching 24 season 5 and drinking a shot everytime someone said President, partying almost every week in la casa de los Super5, cleaning everything up the next morning, most exotic of dinners.. the Chilean Choriban with Pisco or the Spanish Paella with Champagne or the Indian Tandoori Chicken with Lassi or the French Crepes with Wine or the Mexican Torta Cubana with Fresca..
I shudder to imagine the cold mornings when I woke up at 545 for my 7 am classes, turning on the water heater daily, one that sometimes had to be turned on with a matchstick or a gas lighter.. At those unfortunate times, waking up late.. hence, taking the coldest of showers and then walking almost 5 blocks to catch a bus to the Tech.

I miss the feeling of living in downtown Queretaro. The church with its pigeons, the small shop that made excellent tortas, the numerous bookshops, the store we bought our water regularly from, or the Laundry in Allende or the School right opposite our door.

I then bring myself to Pinche Tec. Tec de Monterrey. the 7 am classes with Profesor Vega. the 4 hour long lab sessions on wednesdays with defaulters from the last week bringing free breakfast for everyone. the daily 40 peso lunch with Andreas after my English Lesson at 2 pm- where we prayed for Lasagne, lined up at the salad bar while discussing dressings like mil islas or rancho, gorged on the cheesecake, wasted all the corn and frijoles and hated the horchata. I loved 'studying' in the library 3rd floor ruido with Sandra and Susanne where they discussed their presentations, german news or forthcoming weekend plans while eating the salads, or sitting and surfing net under the umbrellas while Alexia had these sudden desires to lie down on the grass and doze in the sun.

And whoosh, now suddenly I am at the back of a pick up truck on 9th September 2006, while it races at 100 kmph and I sit behind sipping Indio beer and singing 'nothing else matters' with Andreas or making weird shapes with our mouths as we face the strong wind with Johannes on our way to a beach famous for wind surfing. These most drunk 2 days also included a 'private' beach in Puerto Vallarta with the very delicious barbequed fish and prawns, 14 of us crammed up behind the pickup truck returning from the club while singing the evergreen 'pasame la botella' and the super synchronized dance me and Andreas performed for ourselves at the club, not forgetting lip syncing along with Mexican friends some spanish songs that I had no clue about.

I return to Club Foreplay, partying away to glory at the balloon hat party on 11th August (breaking Singapore's record for the maximum number of people inside a club wearing balloon hats).. Andreas and Johannes are piss drunk even before entering the club, while we get drunk on free tequila for being international students. Andreas gets allegedly caught for groping a woman at the entrance and Johannes plays pranks on two strange girls, repeatedly exchanging their balloon hats much to their amusement.. This is exactly where I started to fall in love with songs like 'Pasame la botella', 'Dile- otra noche otra', 'World, hold on' and so on.

Now I open my eyes and I see throngs of people, drunk since the previous evening, wearing trademark white shirts and red scarves and running in front of mad bulls. and voila, we too find ourselves in front of the barriers right on ground zero where me and Alexia are trying our best to hide ourselves from this enraged bull who is being constantly teased and irritated. Welcome to San Miguelada! From being chased by bulls on streets, to drinking ALL day on the streets, at private rooftop parties, city center or clubs, peeing on the street, followed by rub-your-bare-ass-on-every-goddamn-passing-car antics led by Josè and finally almost sleeping on the roadside pavement while waiting for a cab, we certainly had the best of the wild side of Mexico within a day!

Back to Queretaro.. eating the BEST tacos by the railway station or dancing on banda at el Columpio with the Sarah especial 'run-and-hop' dance with strange men, or walking through the downtown- Corregidora, Juarez or Plaza de Armas, exploring the Museums with Moritz or eating breakfast of Sopes and Gringas with Susanne at Mercado de la Cruz, witnessing the Aztec dances on the eve of Independence Day or driving past Los Arcos while standing up through Dulce's car's top opening. The various parties we attended all over the city, right from Javier's House or Fernando's to various clubs, and random private parties where we barely knew anyone, we quite possibly painted the WHOLE town red!

Where do I find myself now? The greatest birthday of my life, the most thrilling of times and the unforgettable night. The very happening party on 9th November at our house.. to the trip next day to Real de Catorce, welcoming my birthday on 11th with lots of Tequila and Confessions. THE DAY started with riding the loco horse through the ghost town and its silver mines marveling at the beauty present even on a desertified mountain valley, followed by the ride sitting on top of the Jeep with Hippies dangling by the side.. down the mountain slopes into the desert in search of a spiritual experience- To try the cactus Peyote that keeps you high for 10-14 hours including shared hallucinations, euphoria and few scary hours where you face the worst fears. I was camping in the middle of nowhere as I turned 21, with no transport, no communication while people all over were trying to reach my cell to wish me a happy birthday..It was just me, Josè and Patrick collecting the Cactus and pledging brotherhood before setting out on this bizarre spiritual experience. I vividly remember digging out the cactus, consuming it dipped in caramel, the freaky period where we imagined faces on the walls of the creased tent, or how under the Hallucinogenic effect of the Cactus I imagined I could control the strong winds and the clouds. I cannot even set out to explain the feeling of plain Euphoria. Totally submitted myself to the effect of Peyote while having the most mindblowing time in the wilderness. The night only got wilder as it rained cats and dogs in a DESERT where it barely rained once a year! How the cacti around our tent poked holes in its walls and we ended up with a leaking tent for the night, with no change of clothes, umbrella or a way of returning. The ground below started to get wet and and we ran out of towels to absorb all the water inside the tent. If you try and imagine the scenario, Desert for miles and miles around you.. mountains in the backdrop.. pitch dark, 9 o clock at night (I was expecting a birthday with cake cutting at this hour).. Raining as heavy as you can imagine.. A tent in the middle of nowhere with three lunatics laughing under the influence of the cactus and a little game they invented to survive the stormy night.. only a torchlight offering some warmth. Finally waking up the next morning to the most beautiful view of my life as the clouds descended below the mountains. Finally, ending the adventure by hitchhiking on the long straight road to get back to civilization. Indeed the greatest of my experiences, that too on my 21st birthday.. couldn't have been better!

The final backpacking trip to South Mexico just before returning back home which I described in my previous entry was truly the most enjoyable 2 weeks of my life. There were also the weekend trips to Guadalajara, Guanajuato or Acapulco dancing to live Cuban tunes or playing stoned musical chairs or enjoying a whole roasted chicken like beasts by the roadside. There was the amazing Royal Family with Joh, Boh, Loh and Toh who were also wannabe CTU agents protecting Jack Bauer while indulging in some serious splashing at Tobolandia water slides. There was rolling joints on the beach and enjoying the biggest of waves. There was making rhymes about Dean Dien Green and taking a LOT of pictures, so much so that the last words Sarah uttered before hugging Goodbye were my most used ones "Let's take a picture!". There was dancing to Bollywood tunes at Queretaro's first ever Diwali party. There was Jorge's Ranch with the most amazing new born calves. There was the most exciting Lucha Libre Wrestling match featuring Mistico! Of course, there was the muy muy loco Super5 who I truly love more than anything out of these 5 months!

I met the most amazing of people and I truly thank them all for sharing such amazing memories with me! Paulina, Sandrita, Suse, Andru, Johnny Daddy, Sexi Lexi, Dean Dien Green, Josie, Marty, Sarita, Ana Paola, Taashu, Moritz, Samanta, Allison, Sergio, Burelo, Lisa, Dulchi, Jorjy, Javier, Dennise, Patrick, Tommi, Alex, Annalene, Manuela, Hector, Jay, Lizeth, Mafer, Liliana, Rodolfo, Pedro, Hector, Ilse, Hugo and many many more who've created an everlasting impression on my mind.

This above isnt even half of what I experienced during my stay in Mexico. May be, exactly an year later I'll let you in to some more details of inarguably the best days of my life. Fall of 2006.

I'll be back someday.

¡¡Viva Mexico Cabrones!!

of backpackers and memories

Guess who is all surprised?
You? for expecting a BIG mexico round up?
Or you again for just the fact that i am blogging after so long?
I know I owe u all a big mexican tribute. something I just havent been able to make myself do. Why?
I am really really jobless, with no work whatsoever. so i cud have done it!
But no! I am sick. sick of thinking of suitable adjectives and not being able to find even one o describe the experience in brief.
Am sick of those clueless, what-the-fuck-is-this-guy-blabbering-about expressions people give me when I start to tell them about those 4 and a half months of my mexican dream.
During my stay in India, or my last one month here, it's been terrible. terrible for the fact that NO BODY understand even 20% of what am talking. even if they understand, they are either not interested.
do I pity them? should I understand? that they have no fucking clue as to what really happened.

while talking to sandra a couple of weeks back, I realized. its only us. us, the crazy exchange students from generacion diciembre dos mil seis (i like saying that instead of 2006).
only us who can look back at the pictures and remember those times.
its only us who'll understand the jokes, the fun, the nicknames and the situations we've been.
its only us, who'll look back at one particular incident and have a permanent smile on the face the whole day.
its only us who'll have those dreams about mexico.
and only us, who'll understand just how exactly it felt to be right there, right then, at that moment!

My last twelve days were sheer delight. a well deserved finale to the greatest few months of my very eventful life. A backpacking trip through the real mexico down south. eating in mercados, camping in jungles, riding crazy horses in the hills, watching horrendous C grade steven seagal flicks in those long overnight bus rides, sleeping in hammocks, peeing in natural locales, checking out awesome natural wonders like the waterfalls at chiflon, the tree at Tule and the lakes in monte bello, or reliving the mayan past with the ruins and pedestals (not pyramids!) at monte alban and Palenque, or the exciting, colorful and vibrant cities like Oaxaca or San Cristobal de las Casas. or lastly, the bluest waters and the whitest, softest sands of the caribbean coast. I was with the people I grew to love the most in Mexico. right from Mathieu, Josè and Sarah, the best housemates I could have ever gotten. to Sandra, Susanne.. my two favorite girls who actually took all my jokes really well!! and lastly, Johnny Daddy, Andreas and Sexi Lexi. who'll always be the first people I actually befriended in Mexico! These people definitely came to learn some facts about me the hard way. from my sheer laziness to my internet addiction. I am really sorry for that!! Right from our crazy drunk photo sessions with me shouting a new expression for the next photo.. went like.. ok, angry! happy! kiss! smile! sad! drunk! loco! look up! surprised! to making fun of each other..
Susanne/Selina's German-English influenced Spanish Accent. No me Gusta, po favo!
Sandra/Señorita's realization of her ultimate dream of writing a book about the best places to pee in mexico. right from expensive hotels, to rainforests to buses. she can review them all!
Mathieu/Marco Antonio's obsession with the French Routard Mexican GuideBook and his phobia of not sleeping in the bus and only staring at the road ahead coz he could never get himself to trust the driver!
Josè/Jean Claude's getting drunk in Tulum, shouting ALEXIA in top of his voice while the poor girl was sleeping, bursting firecrackers on the beach, and lastly ending up like a homeless freak in front of the door of our cabaña.
Rohan/Raul's funny way of riding his horse, his obsession with internet, and his laziness to get up in the morning.

I choose to not talk about the final goodbyes at Cancun in detail. I'll just always remember how Sarah's last words to me were, "Lets take a picture!" a befitting tribute to my stay in mexico. I'll always remember how much loved Susanne and Sandra made me feel on my last 3 days. I'll always remember the final hugs to Marty and Josie.

Now back in Singapore, after a 3 week stint in New Delhi. My Delhi stay had a lot of special moments in store for me this time. right from the party my family hosted for me. to the awesome new years eve and getting drunk with my Dad for the first time, to anupam's hoax farewell drama, to the usual phone calls and hanging outs with school friends. and of course. to spending time with pri. was very special indeed.

Singapore is the same. although, all my friends are on attachment, deserting me on campus on my own. Thankgod for the divine presence of Aakanksha, Shantanu and Nikhil who havent let me feel bored mostly. Aakanksha's uncanny resembelence to my sis Heena is really strange. these people have been angels!!
My usual bhoot gang has been the same. Dramas Galore. I feel at home. only my resistance to dramas has really weakened. but nevertheless, we've already had some memorable times in these 5 weeks! despite their busy schedule.. bus stop binging, random movies and dinners in the city. sheesha of course. laughing at tulsi, making vyas feel bad, teasing goli golini, and feeling scared of ganjoo (especially with the bruises).. life's back to normal.

Its almost like living three lives in a period of 6 months. Three very different Rohans for you to experience.

All seems like a distant dream now, Mexico. yet so alive, every memory so vivid in my mind.
Super 5, Tequila, Indio, Weed, Tacos de la Calle, Torta Cubana, Mercados and Cantinas. i miss ya all.

of smiles and tears

My most memorable moments in a day are usually smiles on the faces of strangers. Sometimes when I help a stranger in someway, the moment that person smiles back in gratitude or appreciation, I feel this wave of happiness that suddenly encompasses me.. leaves me feeling happy almost the whole day! the feeling is soo much worth the small effort done to help/assist someone.

Recently, while walking down to home from the bus stop, I helped an old lady get out of a cab, she was a bit too big and weak at the same time to do it herself. A very small gesture indeed. All I had to do was hold out my hand for her to grab. As she was busy trying to accumulate all energy in her to get out, she suddenly saw that hand. and she looked up with an expression which i just cannot put to words. a gentle smile. it just conveyed all the gratitude she wanted to express, in one moment. I helped her out and closed the door behind her. Thats all I had to do. and I found myself smiling all day, with an imprint of that one gentle smile in my mind. A very random thought struck me, given her condition, she must had been gathering energy all through the taxi ride, may be telling herself that she could muster it up and get out. and right when she was doing it, she sees a helping hand, that too by a stranger. The grabbing of her hand somehow transferred that feeling to me! this might seem trivial to some, but somehow to me, making someone happy for a moment, became a life time memory for me.

ever felt yourself blushing when u notice a really good looking girl/guy and if she/he sees u noticing her/him, and gives back a smile? I dun really know how to describe that smile. But it just makes u go red in a way, blood gushing through your ears, sometimes a shiver down your spine.. sometimes when u pass by a girl on the street, and your eyes meet.. this time its not the lips that spread themselves to smile, its the eyes.. the most beautiful and memorable smile for me is always the one where if the lips are conveying they are smiling, but the eyes are screaming that they are too! they twinkle, they shine, they shrink.. and you just know.. the way that stare continues until u pass by each other.. at times stolen glances, while others its a stare u just cannot break! and how, when finally you cant see the face anymore, u break into a smile.. for me sometimes, not smiling the whole time while staring builds up this pressure inside, and I end up giving this funny giggle in the end. memorable nevertheless.

enough of strangers.. what about our loved ones? nothing gives us more happiness when we see our people smile. but most of these times we do things, knowing it will bring a smile on their faces, unlike the case of strangers, where a small gesture or eye contact can bring upon a smile on their faces, unexpectedly!!

The smile of my mom, when she sees me at the airport after months of missing my absence.. nothing makes me feel more loved than that one simple non physical gesture. Nothing.

The smile that automatically spreads on our faces when we see our friends after months of separation, the moment right before the hug, right before u notice the appearance changes that person has been through, there is a split second time when your eyes meet and a smile appears on your face by itself!

The smile that comes when u suddenly hear a song on the radio/music player, that has memories attached to it.. that reminds of this special someone, that reminds you a special ocassion.. I wait for such moments in life..

so now you know what to do to make my day.. SMILE whenever u see me! and make it a genuine smile, when your eyes convey the smile, the lips just play along.. and of course, a hug just makes ME smile even more!!

spread smiles, laughter and make others happy. you'll see how happy you feel from the inside, the glow on your face will not be unnoticable. That is how I function!

U must be wondering, I titled this 'of smiles and tears'. so where are the tears? thats my whole point. tears are just mentioned. they shud never be seen! nothing hurts me more than to see my people in tears. except when they are tears of joy and love! or of course, being a reactive audience like me, you cry in a sad movie! not otherwise!

would just like to finish with something about tears..

No point in crying,
coz the ones you're crying for
never deserve your tears.
and the ones who deserve them,
will never let you cry..

As our lives change..

"The most beautiful discovery that true friends can make is
that they can grow separately without growing apart..."

I always thought I could never define something as precious as best friends. but I realised now what it is..

I had the best of friends in school back in India. and then I left for Singapore. for a long long time. its been 5 years now, and still counting. and lucky for me, they still remain my best friends. where will I find people like these?
Our friendship has stood against the hardest tests of time and distance. there have been periods as long as 11 months without us seeing each other or talking much. but whenever I return, things always seem to be like they were before. like we just met yesterday. like nothing has changed. like we've grown up along each other.
and am not talking of just 1 or 2 friends here. its the whole gang! I think thats how best friends are. I know they are always there for me, no matter what I ask of them. sometimes i dun even have to ask. they just sense it that I need them.. even sitting thousands of miles away. we dun speak for months at times, and then when am suddenly back, we can carry a 4 hour long phone conversation with such ease, well may be not in tushar's case.. whose saturation point reaches much earlier than the rest, and before its long, the phone is slammed while u're talking, after some maa-behans of course.
When we meet over coffee, or some sheesha, or even at someone's house over spring rolls and coke, Life just suddenly stands still.. we dun realize where we are.. talking of old times, of new updates.. like we always wanna live in those times. that pure innocent unadulterated fun. I mean life seems so complex talking to new people. Those are the people i know ever since i was 9 or 10, and no matter what, we stuck together, and i am sure we will in the future. These people have seen me in every way possible, they've grown up with me. I dun have to be all pretentious around them, I dun have to show off anything, I dun have to act happy when am sad.. I am myself. and that is how comfortable they make me. no matter what, I would never exchange these friends for anything. and am sure, they know am there for them, to do whatever i can, even beyong my powers.

This is a tribute to you Tushar, who has taught me how to act all tough from outside, but be the mellowest from the inside. to you Anupam, who has taught me how to complain, yet always keep smiling to keep others around u cheered up. to you Rachita, who has taught me how to express our love and affection towards our friends from time to time so that they know how much they are loved, so that we never regret later about not expressing our feelings. to you Esha, who has taught me about being there for our friends without them asking, to love life and spread smiles. to you Shweta, who has taught me how to express our love in the cutest of ways, in the most adorable gestures, and being there for friends no matter what. to you Bunty, who has taught me how to never change and be the same old person we all fell in love with. to you Gunjan, who has taught me how o always complain about life being unfair yet never to compromise on life's principles. to you Priya, for just existing and being that source of inspiration and the spring of love.

We are now at the point in our lives where people are gonna move around, looking for jobs and such. I just pray to the almighty, that no matter what, this bond remains as it always has been. Even though lives are gonna change, and new people are gonna enter them, I hope between us, what we share, remains alive forever.

You guys make life so much worth living. cheers to friendship!

extreme makeover

Someone got a haircut after 1 year!!
so how does it feel to be back to original.. hehe.. feel so light.. like something major is missing, like when i shake my head, nothing shakes along.. its just the head.. but feel neater now! and cuter of course..
I was soooo nervous sitting on that chair. what if she messes it up and i end up hiding my face the rest of the semester here.. but i think she's done a good job!
was an instantaneous decision to just go for it.. dun think mexican water was suiting them much, I was losing lots of them everyday, so finally had enough.. and decided to go back to my original self.. as u all knew me!!

BEFORE

AFTER

more of the new me..

POSER

MMHMMM.. AAHHAA.. MMHMM

of Mann in Mexico..

hmmm.. its almost like I forgot I had a blog.. I chose to write about whats happening in mexico.. but only to a selected few people through emails.. Anyways, am back.. may be people expect me to put up pics and tell them whats been happening here.. haa! I shall choose to take another path.. i mean obviously i'll show u my pics soon.. and the pics will show you what I've been upto for the past 2 months now in this country!
I shall talk about here the experience.. the people, the inside scoop..

Seriously, I've never encountered a more friendly and warm bunch of local people anywhere. Mexicans have surely taught me a lot.. taught me how to be welcoming and inviting.. to be hospitable and helpful.. but I've also learnt a few things the hard way.. how never to say No at first, as that may seem rude. and only say No at the last moment!! ouch that hurts! Mexicans everywhere i have gone uptil now have treated me nicely! very nice to be precise. The moment they realise am from the faraway exotic land called India, i've seen expressions changing.

My best interactions here have been with the taxi drivers. especially bargaining with them.. the moment i use the magic line, discuenta por extranjeros, somehow thats challenging their hospitality.. and instantly they agree to my quoted price. But at the cost of talking to them the whole way in spanish.. about my country. I've talked about topics from Indian names, to currency, to the Gandhi family, to weather and even the education system. enlightening indeed!

Mexico has challenged my limits in a lot of ways.. I mean, the guy who usually ends up sleeping at 5 am in singapore or even India, now has to wake up at 545 for his almost daily 7 am classes. its a torture. the guy who had never cooked for the last 5 years in singapore in suddenly making exotic indian curries and enjoying it! the guy who never attended a single class of theory in singapore is now attending all of them, including engineering classes in spanish. I must say, these engineering classes in spanish should be the greatest challenge that I've undertaken in my life. I only hope to come out stronger from this experience. as they say, no sacrifice is ever left waste. and finally, the guy who used to party rarely like once a month, is now doing it extensively, so much so, that he confesses to himself deep inside, that he is tired of partying sooo hard!!

Mexicans have this unique capability of studying super hard, and partying even harder.. and the lazy me is used to having some time for wasting, some time for just doing nothing, watching random stuff on tv, or just sleep.. thats a luxury here!!

I've been an international student before, but the last 5 years, I've been at a place where u cud find a lot of indians, and mostly asians. the experience of living among no asians, indians whatever has seriously been a lot of fun. Before coming here, I only hoped to know Mexicans at the end of the semester. But I must say, I came to know a lot about the Europeans as well. But I shall choose not to say much about them now.. the fact that my closest friends here are Europeans shud sum it all. but one thing's for sure, a lot of myths i had about them have been shattered.

As u people know, making friends has been never too hard for me.. I instantly attach myself to people whereever i go and make sure I love them a lot! but the same old story continues here i guess, whereby my feelings have been misinterpreted.. only the people u get attached to have the power to hurt you. and for me, I've given this power to a lot of people, owing to my very friendly self! and that has hurt me time and again, so much so that I've surprised myself that I could let myself be soo vulnerable.. but alas. some things are never meant to be!! But isnt that the point of this whole experience here.. to get to know what kind of pepople you get along with, and what kind you dun! To look at the brighter side, I've made some excellent friendships that i hope, last for as long as they can! I am already so much in love with so many people here, that it will be really hard saying goodbye. there will be chances i might not see most of them again, but for sure, the memories these people have given me, or will give me, shall always be with me!

So yes, Mexico has taught me one most important thing. Dealing with a Loss. 4 days in Mexico and my laptop and ipod got stolen. priceless pictures, songs i collected individually after soo much effort. all gone in a jiffy. i remember that phase. I hadnt eaten for 23 hours, before Paulina realized that and rushed me for some quesadillas. I remember how much i cried, coz this had to be the greatest monetary loss i have incurred, that too a loan taken by me. but i got over it. just took some time and a new laptop! soon later i lost a friendship too, someone i cared for a lot. but miscommunication and misinterpretations led to the downfall. I cried, sulked, affected myself adversely, coz I had never lost friends like that. but i got over it finally. just took some time and new people in my life! Mexico taught me lessons the hard way, but i guess i had to learn these sooner or later.

Living in a house for the first time with other people has been a lot of fun. I love everyone in my house sooo much.. and to think of it, my decision to live here was at the spur of a moment. and thankgod i made it. super cinco rock!!

Lastly, travelling around Mexico has been a wonderful experience. as much as i have seen, a lot of misconceptions i had before coming here have been cleared.. Mexico is a place that instantly makes you its own. it does this magic on you. I've always lived at places (delhi or singapore) where i know, that even when i go somewhere I'll only return back again. Mexico is one place that am sooo much in love with. and i know a fact. that once i leave, i might not ever come again. at least for so long.

So let me live my life once here. Just once, enough to have memories and friends for a lifetime..