I am güera, hear me roar

I recently read this thoughtful, considered piece by a couple of travellers noting the things they loved most about Mexico City. And as I was happily wandering along on my walk to school this morning, a few of my own more lighthearted, things that I love about this city came to mind.

1. Solo damas y niños:
Mexico City's innovative approach to public transport makes life a little easier, thanks to metro carriages dedicated to women and children. Previously, I'd like to've dedicated this song to the men of Mexico City's metro, and while my inner feminist would like to believe in carriage equality, my inner feminist also rather likes not having her ass indiscriminately grabbed, so big ups for women only carriages. 

2. Every day is casual Friday:

Pretty straightforward - I'm a student again for the first time in 6 years, and I love that every day is a jeans and tshirt day. The dowdier, the better - see above. Perfection. 

3. You can't stop the music:

One of my favourite things about Mexico is music playing everywhere... from mariachis on the metro to marimba blaring out from random shop windows, it's inescapable. My walk to school sometimes encompasses some weird stuff but it's certainly never boring, and it's always accompanied by a crazy soundtrack including everything from the excellent to the outrageous. But what I love most about it is that anything goes. Yesterday I walked into an Oxxo corner store, to be hit not by the kind of white noise muzak (or at best Top 40) that we might expect in a chain store like this, but by a wall of blasting ("playing" simply is not the right verb in this instance) Rammstein's "Du Hast". And I just love the fact that if the little shop attendant that day wanted to release his inner bogan, he could do so as loud and as hard as he wanted. Because really, what's not to love about an angry German? I actually really like Rammstein - they are phenomenal musicians and have a theatrical quality unmatched by any other band I think I've ever seen. I'll never forget seeing them complete with flaming fireball filled set, sequined onesie-wearing keys player, and outrageously talented musicianship, in early 2010. There's something about that pulsing riff of Du Hast overlaid with those ethereal keys that is pretty damn awesome. And for a little güera navigating the morning commute to school, a touch of Rammstein was exactly what the doctor ordered. I am güera, hear me roar.