New Mexico City Blog - Heading back to DF soon

One of the girls in my program, Alejandra Palestino, has a new blog. She started last semester full-time like me, and she also works full-time at Profeco, the Mexican consumer protection organization.

Here's the link:

http://alejandrapalestino.blogspot.com/

I'm heading back to Mexico City on Saturday. Assuming I stay full-time, I'll graduate from my master's in economics and public policy program in three semesters, so this is the start of my second semester (my final semester would be this fall). This semester starts Monday the 11th. I still hope to find something this semester to keep me busy during the daytimes.

I've had an amazing time in Naperville, lots of fun with friends and families, parties, meals, eating out, watching lots of sports, some shopping and going and playing lots of basketball with the old gang of idiots at Edward's. I've also been doing some volunteering Alexi Giannoulias. He is the treasurer for the State of Illinois, and is running for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he left for some other job (I can't remember what that job was). The primaries are on February 2nd, and as of now have a lead in the polls for the Democratic primary. If we win that primary, the general election is November 2nd against the winner of the Republican primary. The Republican candidate is very likely to be Mark Kirk, a U.S. Congressman from the northern suburbs with a very distinguished record in the Naval reserves; additionally, he is very popular in the conservative movement. The Democrats currently hold this seat, but Roland Burris, the man who was nominated to to temporarily replace Obama and currently holds that seat, is not seeking election. I expect this will be a very close race in the fall. Anyways, this is the first political campaign I've worked on, and it's been a good experience. I'll continue to help this week before I head back, and hope to be able to continue to help the campaign moving forward, even while I'm in Mexico.

Being home has made me really appreciate the great relationships I have here in Chicagoland. It's really cool to be somewhere new and experience new things and new cultures, and grow as a person and gain new skills. But I was really lonely at times in Mexico and definitely realized how long it takes in places to make new relationships, especially when moving somewhere entirely on your own. One of my good friends is teaching English in Korea and he's gone through a lot of the same things I have. I'm open to staying in Mexico for a while if I get a good job, and if I feel more comfortable in terms of friendships and my overall happiness. And, I truly love living in a warm weather place, and I hope to be able to do it for the rest of my life. But that also means being away from so many great people here in Chicago. Hopefully some balance can work out in Mexico, or anywhere warm, where I can be happy and have a good job. And if not, there's always home. I'm more than blessed with what I have in Chicago, -16 wind chills notwithstanding.