My New Purse

Which D says marks me as a tourist from a block away. Also unfortunately it bleeds when wet. Easily avoidable in Oaxaca, but when I get home - ??

It's a Man Thing

E was really excited to get his shoes "painted."

Take That, Crocs

After D got his sandals, E wanted a pair. He remembered fondly the sandals made out of tires that he saw the day I got my sandals, at Mercado Abastos. Today we headed there again to do all of our final shopping in one fell swoop. While we didn't quite achieve that goal, we did find a number of gifts, food for the last days, and these beauties. Maybe not made out of airplane tires, but the name stuck. For the record, handmade for $4.

At Last!

I know you have all been waiting on pins and needles to find out if I would ever find a pair of huaraches in my size. Well, after several dozen times of me asking vendors at sandal stalls at different mercados "Tiene 11? Tiene gigante?" -- and almost always being met with laughter and shaking heads -- we finally had success at the Sunday Market in Tlacoloula today. Note that the soles are made out of tires. And no, I dont know what the white thing in the middle of the strap is.

Ready for School

It doesn't look like uniforms are going to come in time for us to feel like its worth spending the money for them. In the meantime, 3/4 of E's pants now have holes in the knees. At the Soriana last night, we picked up some clothes that resemble the uniforms. The other kids wear white or gray polos with navy blue pants. Confirming people's comments, he wears a size 6 here. E was excited about new clothes - a fashionisto through and through - so agreed to a photo shoot before school. Can you believe what a little man he is?

My new hairstyle

As the curls are growing in, I'm testing out this look - up off the forehead instead of the pixie I was attempting before.

My new shoes

Huaraches from Señor Adrian in the Central de Abastos market. Sole is made of rubber from an airplane tire. $15.

Observations

Starting work and getting sick (from food I cooked myself!) has cut down my blogging time in the last few days. This week is an interim week, before E starts at a preschool here (have to find one next week), but it's starting to settle more into life than vacation.

A few thoughts on what I'm seeing around DF and Oaxaca:

• I swear that I never saw people using modern babycarriers before this trip. Almost everybody carries babies and even older children. Indigenous people use traditional rebozos to help with this - either as a sling, or they have a way of wrapping that is just to kind of support the arm. This trip, I've seen at least one Baby Bjorn-style carrier every day we've been out. What is most surprising to me is the men wearing them! It takes a special Mexican man to wear his baby in a contraption like that.
• I've also seen more elaborate, Maclaren-style strollers than I noticed before. When we were in Michoacan two years ago, we would see a few umbrella strollers carrying children smaller than, but about the same age as E. I had the notion that people thought we were odd for pushing such a big child around. This time, E also looks so much older than the other kids. By his size and height, he easily passes for six. Anyway, Michoacan is maybe not as cosmopolitan as DF and Oaxaca. I've even seen a twin Maclaren-style!
• Lots of women wear traditional-style tops. It's not surprising to see all the lady-expatriates wearing huipiles and broomstick-skirts, but I've noticed quite a lot of middle-class Mexican women, of all ages, wearing woven and embroidered shirts. Usually, they're just worn as tops with jeans, slacks, or a non-traditional skirt. I'm inspired by this and thinking of picking up a few tops, to make up for the lack of lightweight shirts I brought. For some reason, we expected it to be colder. It can be chilly in the evenings, but we don't go out that much, and I don't need as many sweaters and jackets as I brought. I'm pretty comfortable in shorts and a short-sleeve shirt all day, even as the Mexicans around me are wearing jeans and boots, bundling their kids up in coats.