one. monterrey.

Recently I've been motivated to write.

I've always found a certain therapy in writing, and the recent events in my life could use some therapy. So far, I've decided to keep those posts to myself, but as I grow bolder I'm sure it's inevitable that I'll share them.

So, you may be curious, what kind of blog will this be?
I believe it will evolve, but, initially this blog will be about my passions. These include (and are not limited to): travel, photography, teaching & learning, cooking, and most importantly life.

As I'm currently living away from my home and family I hope for this to be a way to connect with them and also share my experiences living in a different culture.

On that topic, I'd like to share a little about where I am.

I'm living in Monterrey, Mexico. If you're not acquainted to this Mexican city, it's probably because tourists never come here. Really it's true, I've been looking for Spanish classes and all I can get is a tutor because there aren't enough non-Spanish speakers to form a class!
Despite this fact, I happen to really like Monterrey. To get a feel for this expanding valley city, here's an image:

This mountain, Cerro de la Silla (Sadle Mountain), is the most famous view in all of  Monterrey. You'll see the outline of it on everything from taco stands to road signs.
The stadium in the left of the photo is where one of Monterrey's two teams (soccer, obviously) call home. Well... at least I'm 80% sure about that, but I may need a regio (slang for someone who is from Monterrey) to fact check for me. Interestingly enough, I call it home too, as my apartment here is just a short walk from the stadium.

This image is showing roughly 1/6 of the city... and, with a humble upbringing in Winnipeg Manitoba, this feels gigantic to me. I think the biggest indicator of its size has been the shopping malls. If you know anything about Winnipeg's shopping, you know we have 2 major malls, and about 2 smaller malls. Here there is something I'll call a "food mall". Don't think of a food court. Think of family style dining, think of formal ethnic foods, think of lounges, think of fast food. Put them all together in a three story mall and you'll have a pretty good picture of what I'm talking about. It continues to astound me.

How can Monterrey be so big without a tourist base? Originally Monterrey was a trade city between the US, Tampico (a Mexican coastal city), and Saltillo (an inland Mexican city). Continuing with its history Monterrey has become a trade and business capital of Mexico.

Living here has been a very fascinating challenge for me. I'm looking forward to sharing some of the lessons I've learned and terrible translations I've made.

Until next time,
Car