Some Things Don't Change

I just spent all day shopping in Leon (read: If you will remember, my personal hell is being stuck in a shopping mall).

It was such a strange experience. When we entered the city on the bus it was kind of like I was back in the United States. I saw Sam's Club, Walmart, Chilis, Applebees, Office Depot, Auto Zone, etc. The shopping mall we went to was super modern with air conditioning, a movie theater, an ice rink, a Starbucks, and a food court. I ate Chinese mall food for lunch which was pretty similar to what there is in America (with the exception of the chili served on the side, like any good Mexican meal). I kept expecting to speak/be spoken to in English because it was so similar to the malls in the US.

There were, however, some aspects of the day that were very unique to Mexico. When we left the bus station, there was a huge outdoor market full of shoes and bags (Leon is famous for their leather products). Everyone was calling to you from their stands to try on shoes, look at their merchandise, etc. I did see some "Lacoste" sneakers for 150 pesos (that's less than 15 USD) and tons of "Coach" and "Louis Vutton" bags. In the mall I had a difficult time figuring out sizes because shoes, pants, and even some tops are labeled very differently from the states. And of course, all conversations were held in Spanish.

This mix of Mexico/US was actually really confusing and exhausting. I did NOT like it and I'm so glad that Guanajuato is not so industrial.

All the shopping (i.e. torture) was necessary because I've been freezing the past two weeks, and so now, hopefully, I'll be a little more comfortable. But I've had my fill of shopping for at LEAST the next 6 months.

So, all this to say, that I hate shopping in Mexico about as much (if not equally) as I do in America. This means that it will probably take an act of God to get me to enter an Old Navy when I get back to the States.