Garañona in Metepec, Wedding in a Hacienda, and Friends in Malinalco

Another one of the few Toluca-based weekends but it was a great one because fellow Fulbrighters Preston, Jordan and Clara came to visit! Once everyone arrived we did some good ‘ol home cookin’. We feasted on spaghetti with homemade meatballs, broccoli sautéed in garlic, double baked potatoes, and for dessert: a sweet Mexican cookie pudding dish. We talked for hours and had to push ourselves out the door to discover the magical drink of Metepec: garañona! We went to a little bar to try it and sat at a corner table where the music couldn't have been any louder. The bar didn't even need a sound system it was so small. We set out to find another bar and went to a new one in Metepec that overlooked a plaza. We met up with some of our Mexican friends after and I learned how Mexican Jordan is with his Spanish.

Jess and our guests set out early Saturday morning to hike the volcano Nevado de Toluca that I hiked in January. I told them not to be intimidated because there are trails everywhere and the worst is uphill walking. Too bad, I forgot they were going with Jess! They ended up summiting. Meanwhile Bruno and I had a wedding at noon. One of the teachers I work with at the teacher training school invited me to her daughter’s wedding. It was one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve been to. The bride looked flawless. And the couple was young! They were 24 and had been dating for 8 years. The mass was in a church in a little pueblo then everyone drove over to the Hacienda Serratón where the reception was. The place was stunning. When we arrived, there was an ice cream man in the garden! After a while, they had the civil ceremony in the gazebo (super common to do it right after the wedding) then we headed inside the reception building. We sat at a table with friends of the bride who were all super friendly. The entertainment and the giveaways were on point! They had an entertainment company with a DJ for most of the afternoon\night but then after about 2 hours there was a man on the stage practically giving a fitness class. I swear he was a Zumba instructor. A few hours later there was a Cuban man and a band performing salsa. A few hours after that there was banda. In between all these, the DJ was playing and handing out things like blow up guitars, light-up Minnie Mouse ears, sunglasses, foam hats, aprons, etc. The bride’s family walked around with baskets filled with slippers, flip flops, fans and towels. There was even a candy table! I can’t express how much I love this kind of Mexican weddings. The mother of the bride looked beautiful, as well. The whole event was perfect. I was thinking that 12PM is pretty early for a wedding so it must end early. WRONG. We were there until about 11PM. I had no problem with that. When I walked into my apartment, our guests were cuddled on the couch watching Pitch Perfect. They even bought us cookies & cream ice cream!

Preston had to leave early Sunday morning but Clara, Jordan, Bruno and I went to Malinalco for the day. When we arrived, we had to get ice cream because it’s one of the things Malinalco is known for. Then we hiked up to the pyramid and the ceremonial site that was in the mountains. Part of the archaeological site was restored and we were discussing if it’s better to restore the ruins or to leave them how they were found. I’m on team restoration. We climbed back down and went to the ex-convent with the beautifully painted black and white walls. For lunch we had the famous trout. I couldn’t handle my food looking at me like last time so I enjoyed some quesadillas. Jordan got the spiciest one on the menu. They had updated the place since Bruno and I went in January. It’s always the perfect temperature in Malinalco which was nice. After that the crew all headed their separate ways.