Starbucks

I am off of school this week, which means lots of free time. I learned a long time ago that if Dave is working but I'm not that I need to use that time to do all the things I never seem to have time to do - lesson plans, scrapbooking, cleaning the house, etc. and reserve vacations and fun stuff for the times when we're both off. I also learned a long time ago that if I am in my pjs when Dave leaves for work, I'm still in my pjs when he gets home. :) So, this week I woke up and got ready for "work" with Dave and instead went to Starbucks for a few hours to work on lesson plans for 4th quarter.

Well, lesson plans and next week's chapel message.
Well, lesson plans and chapel and blog writing and internet searching and daydreaming and people watching.

What can I say? people watching is even more fun in a foreign country!

I know that North Americans love their coffee, and their coffee shops. But this is a new fun trend in Mexico, too. The coffees cost about the same, so there are only Starbucks in "rich" areas of Mexico. In central Mexico, that means most of the people here are pretty "white" looking. At the Starbucks in Santa Fe - THE upscale DF suburb - I can often hear more English than Spanish.

8am - 10am is mainly "business breakfasts" with people who work together meeting for coffee before work. They normally do not get their coffee to go, but it does happen occasionally, esp. if someone is buying for a large group.

10am - 12pm is a lot of prepa (high school) and university students, "studying" together. It's not uncommon for teens here to go to school only in the afternoon or to have a flexible schedule that's more like what we would have for community college.

12pm - 2pm is a slow time. Too late for breakfast, too early for lunch. The staff is cleaning and prepping for a busy afternoon. A few people like me, with laptops, "working" might be around.

2pm - 4pm is full of teens. These folks are already done with school for the day but don't want to go home and are rich enough to meet their friends at starbucks for a latte and a sandwich.

4pm - 6pm is a lot of babies in strollers with their moms and grandmas. Presumably visiting before Dad gets off of work. Also older teens/ university students (it's hard for me to tell the difference) on a date. Dinner dates are kind of rare for this age group who might be expected to be home by dinnertime (8pm).

6pm+ I'm normally not at Starbucks, so I can't be sure, but I have been there at this time and it's a common meeting place for families and friends and co-workers of all ages and sizes to meet for a snack after work. They'll go home for dinner at 8pm or so.

I've heard that U.S. starbucks are full of unemployed/self-employed people during the day (using free internet) and college students during the night (using free internet) with a wide spattering of rich and bored SAHMs. Can't be sure, but we seem to have a different vibe here.