IF IT'S THURSDAY MORNING, IT MUST BE THE TANGO!

When I returned to Mexico City in late June, I was lucky enough to run into the "dancing girls" who had become such good friends during my first few months here.

That very day, Martita invited me to her "saint's day" party on a Thursday morning in late July. Suddenly, the party was upon me. I felt nervous missing a day of Spanish, because it seems that we learn about 100 things in each class, but Martita's party was very important to me. Plus, I would have a chance to practice my Spanish outside of the classroom.

So I bought a new dress, ordered a cab, and arrived on time at Las Delicias, located at Insurgentes Sur 1027. The restaurant is very old, with the traditional look of a cantina. Martita looked as beautiful as always. With the excitement ahead, though, she was almost sparkling as she greeted her guests. Some of my dance friends had already arrived, and we greeted each other with hugs and kisses on the cheek. I watched more and more women arrive....until finally there were over a hundred of us! Yes, over a hundred beautifully dressed women at a restaurant on a Thursday morning! No men were there, except the waiters, entertainers, and Martita's adorable grandson. Women in this country socialize all the time without husbands or dates.

Sure, women in the U.S. go to the movies, dinner, shopping, and even on vacation together, but Mexican women seem to relish their time together in a whole different way. In the U.S., women may not be out with men, but they often spend time talking about the men in their lives. Here, women talk about....themselves! They seem to like themselves more than U.S. women do. I love this self-confidence and strength I see in my friends here.

We were first served the traditional Mexican "cafe de olla", which is served in the brown cups you see in the pictures. I have made it at home, and it is delicious...a mixture of coffee, water, molasses, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sweet, dark, strong, and never served with milk.

When Martita announced that the breakfast buffet was ready, no one was shy...women lined up, chatting as they filled their plates with chicken in mole sauce, scrambled eggs with ham, potatoes fried with chorizzo, molettes, cereal, yogurt, and many kinds of fresh fruit. We were also served freshly squeezed orange juice and mango juice mixed with water. Everything was delicious.

For me, however, the best part of the party was still to come. Martita had made sure to give me a "ring-side seat" next to the raised dance floor, but I had no idea what to expect. As we were drinking our mango water, a very handsome singer, Carlos Laurichella, took the stage. Then he sang...and I was astounded at how absolutely beautiful his voice was. After all, this was just a private party on a Thursday morning!

Carlos sang story songs with emotion and great tenderness. However, my favorite moment came when he sang a special song to Martita, followed by a dance. She was amazing...not that I expected anything less!

Then Carlos introduced the next part of the show...tango dancers! I had never seen anyone tango except on "Dancing with the Stars". So to be just a foot from this incredible couple was mesmerizing.

After the professional entertainers, Martita called for dance songs...and we all joined her on the stage. I have been worrying about an injured knee that won't stop hurting...well, in all the dancing I did Thursday morning, I never once noticed my knee...and I was wearing heels!

I have always been both star-struck and painfully shy around entertainers I admire. Not here! I found the entertainers and asked for information on future shows and even had photos taken with them!

One of my friends tried to explain that this kind of party isn't all that unusual for women in Mexico City. And of course I believe her. This was, after all, the third wonderful breakfast party I had shared with some of these women. But being a part of such a wonderful way of life is unusual for me....it is fun and exciting and still new. And judging from the fun around me, no one in Mexico ever gets bored with this kind of celebration either.

Every day on e-mail and Facebook, I get a few "inspirational messages" about "seizing the day" and "living life to the fullest". I spend a lot of time forwarding these friends myself. But here in Mexico, the women are far too busy to forward such messages...they are living them!