Adrian's work schedule is really interesting: he goes in at 9 (he can be up to 20 min late), works until 11, goes back from 12-3 and comes home. It is a part-time job, but seems on the one hand very pleasant. On the other hand, it is hard to imagine how he gets much done. I guess it depends on the kind of work one does. Molli works from 8:30 - 6 with a half-hour lunch break, not enough to get out of the office for the most part. I suspect she is paid a lot more than he is. His is a government job.

Anyway, it's great for us. Ray, Adrian and Molli went to the track early yesterday. Then they come home and got dressed and showered and we had breakfast. Molli headed out in the car. Adrian walks a couple blocks to his office. Ray and I and the dog went with him. I am not sure what we did between the time he left and the time he came back, but we had lunch at 11 with him.

When he headed back, the three of us went with him and then took a cab to downtown. Everything is an adventure in a foreign country and most of it is interesting and fun. The first cab we approached at Chedraui (the grocery store near their house) said it would be 30 pesos to town. That is less than $3, for three of us, but Molli had given me instructions not to pay more than 25, so I said no. The next one was 25, plus he spoke a little English. He had lived in California for seven years, but didn't seem to want to talk much. There was a parade so we couldn't get all the way to town.

We walked down a street and stood for a while where we could see bits of acrobats and various sports teams. After a bit, we figured out if we walked a little further we could sit at a cafe and order something (beers and naranjada) and watch more comfortably. It appeared to be the end of the parade, but every time we thought it was over, more military and police groups came by. As Xalapa is the capital of Veracruz, we decided units from all over had come to join. Our favorite were the skidoos (on trailers). Many of the policemen balanced on each other's shoulders or on horses or motorcycles and some made pyramids. There was an announcer, but I didn't really follow him...words like civil, responsibility, strength came through every now and then.

When the parade really was over, we made our way across the street to the Parque Juarez, a very nice park in the middle of Xalapa. There was a clown talking very fast to a large crowd and making jokes that we naturally did not get. Mudge was pretty tired by this point and we walked from bench to bench for a while. Then we made our way down to the street to take a taxi back home. Unfortunately, there were many other people trying to do the same. We felt like we didn't know the secret, but actually, it was kind of a question of being in the right place at the right time. If someone was let out near where you were standing, you could grab the cab. We were pretty happy when we finally got one. There was a woman in the passenger seat and we didn't really know what was going on. I guess she was his friend or wife and this is how they spend time on a holiday. We squeezed the three of us in the back, not easy. The seatbelts in the cabs are never used or usable. When asked, he said 20 pesos, so that was good.

He let us off at the Chedraui and we bought a few more groceries. They didn't have sweet potatoes or butternut squash and so we may not have them for Thanksgiving this year. We walked home and Adrian was already there. He cleaned and I made dinner--pork roast, rice pilaf. Ray prepared the green beans. We had time for a little Mille Bornes, but Ray did not like being on the losing team and quit playing.

Sometime after 6:30, Mara and Franz and their 2-year-old, Leo, arrived. Adrian fit eight places at the table and we had a great time. Dinner was appreciated. I love being the cook and getting the compliments, since it is often the other way around, Molli being so good at cooking. Franz is an English major and is an amazingly good English speaker with a wide knowledge of American and British culture. My Dad especially enjoyed talking with him, although I think the feeling was mutual.

Soon after they left, I went to bed, a little later than I have been staying up, which is good. I was awake for a bit in the night, but went back to sleep until almost 7!