Everyone is talking about Obama’s visit to Mexico City. EVERYONE. Even in my Internet-less and TV news-less world, I’ve talked about it with the cleaning lady, the carpenter coming to fix my kitchen shelves, the architect of our building. The photo above shows today’s front-page of Reforma, where an artisan puts the finishing touches on one of the 5,000 latex Obama masks made especially for the president’s visit.
Yes, MASKS. I love Mexico.
“It’s as if the Pope was arriving, or a movie or rock star,” said Abraham Gómez, president of the mask company Morphix Group. He also offered: “Obama is more popular than Felipe Calderon. You don’t see anyone making reproductions of him.”
I wish I could get my hands on one of these masks, but no one knows how exactly they’ll be used. (A gift to the president? A carnival-style welcome from an exuberant crowd?) A city official in Yehualtepec, Puebla, asked for them to be made.
Here’s a peek at Obama’s itinerary, according to Reforma:
— 1 p.m.: President arrives at the Mexico City airport
— 1:30 p.m.: Official reception at Los Pinos
— 8 p.m.: Dinner honoring the president at the Anthropology Museum (where the president will hopefully take a quick tour and have a cocktail, but that’s not confirmed yet)
— Friday at 8:50 a.m.: President leaves for Trinidad and Tobago.
I’m dying to know if Michelle’s coming too — can’t you just see her in a Maria Pinto dress, walking off Air Force One? — but there’s no mention of her anywhere, so I’m guessing she stayed home. Boo.
Did you see Julie’s blog — she’s attending some soiree tonight con Obama!
JEALOUS.
Masks are RAD. You and Crayton have to get some of them. Halloween. EVERY DAY. Or if they could make masks for y’all. that would be super rad.