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first impressions are one of the greatest parts of seeing new places. the initial feelings you feel towards a place, whether it be a scent or even a fleeting image all greatly impact your travel experiences and the opinions that you leave with. they say a job interview is either won or lost in the first 5 minutes, so perhaps the same goes for love affairs with cities as well.

my initial feelings towards monterrey, mexico have been mixed and full of odd dichotomies. just when i think i have figured out how i will describe it to my friends and family at home, i am struck with an impression that is impossible to properly articulate. considering I have been offered a job to teach in monterrey next year, the pressure was on for me to like it, or at least find it interesting enough to call it home.

here are some of my first impressions of monterrey from my first two days:

1. we’re not in mexico anymore. seriously. my experiences in monterrey thus far have been largely contained to san pedro, a wealthy neighbourhood bordering the city. in theory, san pedro views itself as autonomous from monterrey - it has its own mayor and police officers. while i know that i am in mexico, san pedro does not feel like mexico. yes - spanish is the primary language, you can get tacos on street corners and drivers do not stop at stop signs - but there is also a louis vuitton and a large american-stlye grocery store 10 minutes from our apartment. in fact, it has a reputation for being the beverley hills of monterrey. i have gone whole hours almost forgetting where i am! people have told me that it is very easy to stay in san pedro… but with my adventurous spirit i already know that i will not let that happen to me.

2. the airport was slick and modern. as ridiculous as this may sound, i never expected to arrive to a beautiful spotless airport. the stereotypical view of a small dirty mexican airport was certainly shattered for me. i am sure i am not the only person that is guilty of making generalizations -- but who am I to say that monterrey is not the real mexico? (yet, it is still my hunch that it is not.)

3. the view. the mountain vistas are absolutely spectacular, and you can see them from all over the city. they tower as high as the clouds, and stand there sheltering (or perhaps guarding?) the city all day every day. the saddle and the m shaped mountains are overpowering and always provide a quick orientation if you are lost. i can’t wait to get up there for camping/hiking/climbing!

4. maid quarters. in every apartment or house, there is an extra (very small) room and bathroom that was designed to be a living quarters for the family maid. but this is not a practice solely from the past -- many children still have personal maids who tend to their every need. no wonder they have entitlement issues! a child literally told me that his maid had forgotten to put his homework in his bag… sorry, no sympathy here.

5. constant helicopters overheard. many families live in the mountains, and rather than driving, they have themselves lowered to the city in private helicopters. by the way, one of my kids just got dropped off for tutoring in a gorgeous sports car. by a driver and a maid. classic.

6. mexico time. if you live or travel in mexico, you simply have to accept that nothing happens on time or early. we went out for dinner at 8 o’clock on saturday night and we were practically the only people in the restaurant! time is slow down here, there is little sense of urgency, and it is near impossible to get the children to move quickly. my mom would fit in perfectly - she would never be late again!

7. houses and properties are not visible to the street. the majority of properties in san pedro are hidden by unattractive stucko walls with a door or a garage door built in. however, if you get to take a peak inside, you can see the wealth in the manicured gardens, grandiose architecture and large properties. i guess you can never judge a book by its cover.

8. my students could not believe that i wasn’t married. they saw my large black ring and were convinced that i had a mexican husband. uhhhhh, no. they were shocked that a woman would wear a ring only for decoration!

9. every time i walk down the street, it looks like there will be 800 accidents, but somehow there never are! parking lots are crowded and impossible to navigate, drivers don’t really stop at intersections or stop signs and Mexican drivers definitely don’t value pedestrians. in fact, i think they hate them.

10. i ran in a race through san pedro on sunday morning, and as entertainment they had traditional mariachi bands playing next to louis vuitton and fendi stores. the dichotomy of traditional versus modern/extravagant provides a very interesting mix. billboards for american restaurants such as chili’s and pizza pizza are posted next to local taco stands. very strange!

from my first few days in monterrey, i feel like the city contradicts almost everything i previously believed regarding mexico. however, this only intrigues me more -- i have so much to learn and explore within san pedro, around monterrey and throughout mexico more broadly. good thing i have three weeks!