Living so close to the heart of the city, there is always something to discover or rediscover, and today I'll share a few of those things.

We fairly often walk back from the Condesa neighborhood. As many Mexicans already know, la Condesa has become a sui generis corner of the city. It has its own style, and we enjoy walking, eating, and nosing around its streets.

We love the diversity you find in that area, because so many other parts of the city have none whatsoever. Regardless of social class, in neighborhoods like Las Lomas, Santa Fe, or Satélite, or in the more working-class zones, everyone walking down the street looks alike in how they dress and carry themselves. That's not something we enjoy. It gives me the impression of cloned human beings, and you need say nothing more about the young people, who out of a desperate need for acceptance do, say, and behave exactly like whoever among them has the strongest personality.

So yesterday we went to la Condesa and took the metrobús, as we usually do. The service is quite good, and the only thing that makes it unpleasant is that Mexicans have very little civic sense. You board the vehicle and it seems like half the passengers are terrified of getting trapped inside, so they clump together right by the doors. That said, the moment a seat opens up, someone always asks me, as a woman, if I'd like to sit down. But when the metrobús fills up in the late afternoon, during the rush out of work, you might as well walk if you're not going far. It's nearly impossible to board because no one will budge from their coveted spot by the exit. And if you do manage to squeeze in, start planning your escape well in advance, because even if you say "excuse me," people seem to have gone completely deaf.

The deafness doesn't surprise me, given the constant back-and-forth of ambulances and police cars with their sirens at volumes that, if anyone ever bothered to measure them, would surely far exceed what the human ear can bear. Expose yourself to that noise continuously and you'll lose your hearing in short order.

Everything descended into chaos during December, and you need real courage and a good sense of humor just to step outside. People rush past with angry, frustrated faces, and street insults fly freely. Since we're not exactly Christmas people, I find myself wondering what the point is of pretending to celebrate when everyone around you is stressed out and in a foul mood. Cars don't yield to pedestrians, and there are crowds everywhere. The Zona Rosa, on the 19th of December, was yesterday packed wall to wall with people. I felt like I was back in Bangkok, except I missed the Thais' sense of courtesy.

When we crossed the Glorieta de Insurgentes, the open plaza at its center was full of the young men and women who call themselves Darks, Goths, or Emos. I genuinely enjoyed the spectacle: all of them in their black clothes, boots, Mohawks, piercings, and elaborate costumes.

A lot of people in this society, and especially the more conservative ones (who in this country are legion), criticize them without understanding the first thing about why they dress and behave as they do. But I'm a curious sort, and I've looked into it a bit, including the philosophy behind it (and yes, there is one), and I find I can identify with them more often than not. They refuse to celebrate what everyone else celebrates, or to perform the forced optimism that society demands of us, and so to make that refusal visible, they dress, behave, and in some cases actually think differently. But since this piece isn't meant to be a deep dive into all of that, I'll just mention that among these kids there was a curious SANTA CLAUS dressed entirely in BLACK. Incredible. I loved it, I savored it, and since I didn't have my camera I couldn't photograph him, but if I see him again, I will.

White beard, black suit, pale face, and an ironic smile. But what caught my attention most was that a child here and there actually wanted to have their picture taken with him, without a trace of the fear that the real Santa Claus sometimes inspires. You have to see things, live them, and then form an opinion, don't you think? Because it's simply not fair to speak and judge the way people generally do, purely to be accepted in a society built on continuous pretense. We finally crossed the Zona Rosa and ran straight into the classic company Christmas dinners, with their generous rations of alcohol and music!!!

Sanuk