I love my apartment here in Xalapa. Isabel, my Fulbright Exchange partner, spent a good deal of time looking for an apartment for me that was furnished, was secure, and had two bedrooms. She did a great job!

Here's a photo of me taking a photo of my hallway, at the end of which--obviously--is a mirror. The doorways on either side of the mirror are to my bedroom on left and the guest bedroom on the right. The closer door on the right is the bathroom door. Behind me in the mirror, you can see one of my dining room chairs. I mostly use my dining room table as my desk. I haven't done any entertaining yet.

And here are some photos of my kitchen.

I haven't cooked since I arrived in Xalapa. Mostly, I've been eating the midday meal at various small restaurants near my apartment or the Centro de Idiomas that offer la comida corrida, a daily special. The comida corrida usually includes four courses: a choice of two different soups, a rice or pasta course, the entree, and a dessert. Depending on the restaurant, there might be three, four, or five different entrees of the day to choose from.

Take today as an example. I ate at the Itecate Restaurant a few blocks from my apartment. I had the sopa Mexicana, a vegetable-and-garbanzo-bean soup in a tomato broth, served with lime, of course, and chopped cilantro, onion, and jalapeño. O yum! Then I had spaghetti with butter to go with the chicken in a spicey tomato sauce, and finally, I had a jello-pudding concoction for dessert. Oh, yes, and rolls with the soup and corn tortillas with the entree, but I don't usually eat these. Typically, a fruit drink such as lemonade or horchata (a rice-based drink) comes with the meal as well.

At night, I usually reheat leftovers or take-out food (comida para llevar). I'm not talking about fast-food take-out but about slow-food take-out: soup, arroz rojo, refried beans, tamales, and other food that I can buy at a nearby restaurant and heat up for supper. For breakfast, I keep fresh fruit in the fridge and, of course, I make coffee in the morning. Isabel gave me the gift of some Bola de Oro coffee (scroll down to read about it) that I'm really enjoying.

Tonight is an exception to my no-cooking rule. I made myself a feast of the green beans and new red potatoes that I bought at the mercado on Sunday. I boiled and then seasoned them with garlic, salt, olive oil, and a little butter.