Love, Novela [Completed]

Re: Going to Mexico City

From: novela-harmon@bethel.edu
Date: Tues, Oct 24, 2017 at 5:10 PM
Subject: Going to Mexico City
To: grace-k-nelson@bethel.edu

I went to talk to Ruby about the class trip. I wanted to try to get an objective perspective on the trip to help me finalize my decision. I was also hoping to casually pick up whether Alex was going as a chaperone, so I could factor that in.

Ruby was nice, as usual. I felt such camaraderie with her I think it makes me feel more keenly that I haven't made more effort to make friends with her. She isn't even my age group, let alone culture or anything in common, but I seem to have good chemistry with her. Maybe chemistry is a real thing (don't want to think about that too much now), or maybe it's precisely because she's not my age and culture - maybe I've never fit much with mainstream American culture my age and certainly haven't tried, and maybe that makes me fit more easily with others.

I feel even worse now for judging her for things like her lipstick and manicured nails. It's just my own stupid insecurities of feeling like I've never quite fit in. Maybe I should see if she'd give me some style pointers. I could probably learn some things from her.  

I didn't want to ask her directly if Alex was going, raising questions as to what issues I might have with him. So I just asked about the trip, what kinds of things would happen, who had signed up already. I was really hoping with that last question she'd tell me about the chaperones, but she didn't take the bait.

But during all the banter she pretty much convinced me to go. Honestly, I probably would have gone regardless. It's Mexico City! If I couldn't spend the semester there, it's kind of a no-brainer that I'd at least do the weekend trip there, Alex or no Alex. What would be the worst-case scenario? Say he does go. It's not like I'd be with him the whole time, anyway. There is a whole city to explore. He won't follow me around, anyway.

If I don't go, I'm pretty sure I'd regret it. I'll just have to be careful. At this point in the semester a lot of people are doing their own thing so there is enough space for me to go. Yes, I'll be missing church AGAIN. But if I pass this up, I feel like I'll be missing a major opportunity and not getting the most out of my semester here. My hope all along was to go to Mexico City, so it would be almost silly not to.

And yeah, I could go on my own later or with others, but 1) I don't have any others, and 2) on my own my might not be the best idea. Plus, it would be interesting to see this Day of the Dead stuff they've got set up. Apparently they are also hitting some other major tourist attractions, so it will be hard to replace this trip - especially for the price!

So that's it. I'm going. (Don't try to stop me, Smee.)

Love, Novela