This has been my first week at my site, and we've been lucky to have some time to explore the city and surrounding area. Finding housing has been interesting, as there is not much available given our restrictions on budget and lack of transportation. It seems like the places we have found have been at either the very low-end extreme (very low cost, but in very poor condition) or the high-end extreme (furnished, brand-new, and rent costs more than my monthly "salary"). Hopefully the couple of prospects we have will come through within the next month and be livable.
I have been learning the bus system, which is really extensive and will be the way I get around town. I have only gotten lost once so far, but it cost me about an hour and a half of sitting on the bus until it got back to an area that I recognized! This week we've taken the bus to downtown Monterrey, where we've played tourist. There are a lot of public works of art scattered around, including this beautiful fountain in the mail plaza.
One of the famous dishes in Monterrey is
cabrito, or goat kid. It is pretty pricey, but it is an experience to have. The meat doesn't have any sort of exotic flavor like lamb or rabbit, but it is really filling. The restaurant we went to let me go into the kitchen to take some pictures of the process. You don't actually get served the entire goat at your table, but rather you can pick parts of it, i.e. a leg, the breast, the back, etc.
