JYA Puebla

Actualización final

2010-05-19T02:03:00.003-04:00

This will be my last post from Mexico. A little later today I will get into the car that will take me to the bus which will take me to the plane which will take me to the other plane which will take me to the car which will take me to the house where I will spend the first night of what will be at least a year of nights in the United States of America. Whew. Sorry, when I'm tired I tend to rant.

That said, this is pretty much the official end of my JYA in Puebla. Whoa. Just whoa.

Maybe it's because it's pushing 2 in the morning, or maybe it's because I've just come home from my final goodbye party (which may or may not have included several kick-ass mojitos with the foodies), or maybe it's simply because it's too much to express rationally, but I am having a very hard time putting into logical words what I need to say. So I'll put it in emotions:

I feel so full of love for everyone that I have met here and who have shaped my time here in Mexico. I feel sad that I will probably never see some of them again, but happy that I know I will see at least a few of them many more times, both in this life and in those yet to come. I feel excitement to come "home" but immense trepidation at the thought of re-integrating into a culture/society that I'm not so sure I still belong to. I am so grateful to everyone in the USA who made this year possible, and to those who tried to stop me from coming; without them I never would have found my own voice. I feel great love for people on both sides of what I perceive as a rather large gap, and great disappointment that there are differences which simply may never be reconciled (between these two "sides" and within myself). I have spoken of this to many of my friends here, and most of the cooler ones have assured me that none of us can belong fully to any society and so trying to fit ourselves into categories like "Mexican" or "Gringo" are a waste of time. I would honestly love to believe them, but I'm a little dubious about it. Only time will tell, I suppose.

Anyway, life is beautiful. My bags are packed, I have said goodbye to everyone, and whether I like it or not my plane leaves tomorrow to bring me back to the life that I knew so well before coming here. I brought things with me, left some things here, and picked up some new things. The current of life streams onward and I plan to keep my head well above water, because there's too much to do and see to let yourself get pulled under.

Desfile de fotos

2010-05-13T16:56:00.008-04:00

In almost exactly five and a half days from this moment, I will be arriving safely at home in upstate New York. It seems like a small event, the same bus ride, the same flight, the same car, the same bed. It will, really, be a return to my normal little life. Or that's the idea, anyway. When I look back at my life, it will be this past year that stands out as something out-of-the-ordinary, but right now it is the return to the "normal" that seems so unusual. I will return to my mother tongue, to the country and the culture which was my home for the first 20 years of my life. I will welcome it with open arms, and surely it will do the same for me. But are we still compatible? I know that I am a very different person from the timid little creature that got on a plane last autumn, and the person I am now will most certainly not fit into exactly the same niche as the one left vacant by Sara Hope Sirois. The question, however, is whether or not Sara Esperanza Suárez will be able to find her own niche in a world that may no longer be hers. To tell the truth, I thought I was "a little nervous" about leaving "the familiar, comfortable northeastern United States for our neighbor to the south, Mexico" but that was nothing compared to how nervous I am about heading back up north. So admist all this whining and complaining and worrying lies the moral of the story: if I seem a little out of sorts upon my return, please be compassionate; I will probably feel rather like a stranger in my own home.

Whew! Okay, so this blog post was supposed to be an exaltation of all my favorite people here in Mexico, but apparently I had something I needed to get off my chest. Sooooo anyway... a photo tribute to all the Mexicans and almost-Mexicans who have made my time here so special:

Phoebe, myself, Cat, and Hugo in Acapulco. Cat and Phoebe are two of the sweetest, bravest, most talented women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I passed some wonderful times with them (even if they couldn't eat street food) but I don't think I ever made clear to them just how much I admire them and how grateful I am that I had the opportunity to spend last semester with them. Even though Hugo and I may no longer really be speaking (He de-friended me on facebook! Que mala onda!!) he will forever go down in the books as a very important person to me and my time in Mexico. With him I learned how to tune a guitar, I learned where to go for the best milkshakes in Puebla, and I learned that I have a passion for movies and for people who love to talk about movies.

Stephanie and Toby, my most-favoritest after-class-coffee-date friends! Women who will take the world by storm, one well-argued point after another. Both of strong convictions and unafraid to break the rules for a just cause. We damn well better see each other soon, ladies!

Gabriel and Jaime, being... well... themselves. I can only say that we have had some pretty interesting times together. Cholulandia would never have had the same charm without them, and I would never have embraced my drinking-swearing-spitting alterego. Seriously, though, aside from helping turn me into Bonnie Parker these guys have helped me perfect my Spanish (both profane and polite), have celebrated several important holidays with me, and will be sorely missed.

LA FRIJOLAAAAAAAAAA (Can we keep her? Please? Can we? Pleasepleaseplease?)

Andrea and Dofus at the base of Popocatépetl. No words can properly describe how important they are to me, so I won't even try.

The biology gang!! They are the smelliest, dirtiest, crudest, smartest, most forward-thinking group of people I've ever met. You can't beat bonding over a week-long spell in the desert!

Cristina, whose picture you will find under the dictionary entry for the phrase "salt of the earth."

Jonatan. Big boy, big heart. The truth is that I wish we'd spent more time together. Plus you know he's awesome because in this photo he's making lasagna. HOME-MADE LASAGNA.

Meet Erika, a new addition to the program this semester. Some people should have been Smithies but just never got the message. She is crazy, fun, irreverent, mischievous, and resourceful.

TRIO DE GRINGAAAAAAAAS. We have spent countless hours doing all those non-specific but essential things that girlfriends do. We may all be pretty different, but that's what makes for good friends, right? Jackie has taught me how to kick ass and take names, and Joelle has taught me how to sugar-coat an unpleasant truth. They both have taught me lots of verbs, nouns, and adjectives. But despite their best efforts, I still don't have a hold on the pinche subjuntivo.

Misa and Roy, the daring duo in their traditional Mexican party-sombreros. I love these two like my own brothers, and they think of me as their little sister (which, I assure you, is awesome at certain times and infuriating at others). They truly have been guiding forces for me, and their influence will not soon be forgot.

My host parents!! Alba is a sweet older lady who never thinks that anyone, ever, has had enough to eat. She believes that there is no such thing as too much jewelry, and that Renoir is the coolest thing since sliced bread. Gabriel (known as el Doctor) suffers from dementia and as such seems to bounce between two poles: the friendly jokester who loves to sing along with the old Mexican movies, make silly faces at the dinner table, and gently poke fun at everyone around him... and the angry child who wants everything his own way and needs to know exactly where everyone is. Anyway, they have welcomed me into their home, not just as an exchange student, but as a friend and family member.

This lovely specimen is my dear friend Noel, better known as Fachas. He is the younger brother of Dofus, and we had a class together all of last semester... and never spoke once. Until this semester, that is. And the minute we opened up to each other, we both realized that we share one of those crazy cosmic bonds where you know you met in some earlier life. My first official act was to knock out his four front teeth (his bridge, that is) and his was to laugh hysterically, bear-hug me, and go off on a rant about how it's easier to smoke a cigarette without those pesky incisors. We both recognize that our relationship this semester was a flash in the pan, but we get the sense that it was just one flash in a long series that we have shared. Maybe next time we'll meet in Africa or Antarctica...

And last but certainly not least we have Martha and Rebeca, my sisters. I do not say "host-sisters" because I consider them my true sisters, and that's all one really needs to say

P.S. I stole a bunch of these photos from my friends.

México en la Piel

2010-05-08T14:12:00.003-04:00

There is a rather famous song here called "México en la Piel" written by José Manuel Fernández and made famous by Luis Miguel. The song repeats "Así se lleva México en la piel" which basically suggests that 'Mexico is carried in the skin', that it is part of everyone who has ever experienced it, inescapable.

If you would like to hear the song, this video (which was most definitely NOT made by yours truly) has good audio quality and while the quality of the video is poor, this was the only one whose images actually look like the Mexico I know and love.

Anyway, I am here to tell you that while the metaphor may be true, I am not literally carrying Mexico in my skin. Rather, I am carrying it the adipose tissue which lies just underneath my skin. That is, I'm carrying about 20 pounds of Mexico, specifically in my thighs, belly, and love-handles. All this "Mexico" comes not without hard work and dedication, however! Do you know how much street food you have to eat to do this to yourself???

While I consider that my progress in the gastronomic experimentation sector of life has been pretty strong throughout this entire year, since I only have less than 2 weeks here in Mexico I've been really kicking it into high gear and going for it! This is the last 500m of a 5k race, the last 5 questions on a timed test, the last... calf-brain taco in a series of strange foods? It is, as Karen Klinger would say, time to empty the tank (though little does she realize that in this particular case it's really more a question of filling the tank- with delicious food).

Let me say here that Mexican food has a tendency to use all of the animal, so the opportunities for "weird" foods abound. Last night, for example, our late-night taco binge included the very standard tacos arabes (spicy meat- much more than that no one seems to know), the rather unusual but delicious tacos de lengua (cow tongue), the mysterious tacos de cabeza (simply means "head"- I can't visualize it, but it tastes great!), and the texturally unique tacos de ojo (made of some poor creature's eyes- incidentally, actually "taco de ojo" is also the Mexican expression for "eye candy" and echarse un taco de ojo can either mean to eat an actual taco made of eyes or to check out a particularly nice piece of eye candy). On the menu were also tacos made of tripe, cheeks, genitals, lips, brains, and a few things which even my Mexican companions could not identify. To be perfectly honest, however, once each of these tacos is topped with onion and cilantro, drenched in lime juice, and smothered in either red or green salsa (or both, if you're a rebel), they all begin to taste pretty similar.

Other 'odd' foods which I have recently included in my diet are mole de panza (a sort of soup which includes chunks of cow stomach), tostadas de pata (fried tortillas layered with lettuce, tomato, cheese, radishes, salsa, and strips of gelatinous hoof meat), flautas de sesos (brains mixed with spices, rolled into a tortilla and fried), tacos filled with a spicy congealed blood sausage (whose name I don't remember), and mole flavored ice cream (which actually tastes like the spicy, savory mole sauce).

The moral of the story is that if you don't eat meat, in Mexico you miss a big part of the culture. And if you don't eat "weird" animal parts, you're just plain missing out! And if you don't eat street food, you will probably avoid 'carrying Mexico in your skin' but what fun would that be?

Los Ahuehuetes (again)

2010-04-30T19:17:00.006-04:00

So in case you haven't memorized EVERY WORD of my blog, you can refer back to my first visit to Los Ahuehuetes here.

You will notice that I predicted my return to this magical spot, and last Tuesday that prediction was fulfilled! And this time I brought the camera, so I can share with you what may very well be my favorite place in the world.

Myself, Dofus, Andrea, and my new friend Cristina all piled in to Cristina's old VW bug (called bochos) and made our way to the most special of places. Along the way we stocked up on vittles, chatted, and generally got really silly!

We arrived to the relatively crowded park (nice weather brings everybody out, even on a Tuesday before lunch), set up camp in a sunny spot, broke out the chelas, and sat talking until the heat got the better of us and we all went for a swim!

Important realizations of the day:
• a single piece of trident gum can be stretched to the width of the backseat of a VW bug
• wasp stings hurt
• potato chips a la diabla are the best food EVER
• the city harms your soul
• sometimes things are so beautiful you get teary
• and sometimes they're so beautiful that you have to sob like a baby, indecently and conspicuously, until you can do nothing but laugh (I believe there's a line from the Regina Spektor song On the Radio that pretty much sums up this realization: "You laugh until you cry/ You cry until you laugh/ And everyone must breathe/ Until their dying breath")
• my friends are my life, los quiero un chingo

Guanajuato

2010-04-30T16:49:00.005-04:00

Last weekend was filled with a program-sponsored trip to Guanajuato, a small city some 230 miles north of Mexico City. It is famous for its picturesque streets, extensive subterranean tunnel system, a large collection of mummies, silver mines, an obsession with Don Quixote, for the home of Diego Rivera, and for being the cradle of Independence. It is also the home to the University of Guanajuato, which was recently featured in a film called El Estudiante, and also appears on the 1000 peso banknote.

Our trip basically consisted of a very long bus ride on Thursday afternoon, checking in to a very gaudy (and very expensive) hotel, and then the cool kids and I went out to explore the town and have a quiet drink somewhere. What we found was La Diabla, a small dark tavern with beer at 90 pesos the pitcher and a very personable staff (of two chilangos) who kept the fun going until well into the wee hours. That Thursday night was probably the most fun I've ever had on a group excursion!

Jackie and her new sunglasses (she is VERY proud of them) at La Diabla.

The next day we awoke early but still satisfied from the previous night's adventures and went on a forced tour of the city's attractions. The truth is actually that it was a pretty cool tour which included mummies (AWESOME), a silver mine (a real one this time, unlike in Taxco), a museum of the Inquisition's methods (I couldn't handle it; I had to go outside), and several smallish monuments. Then there we had free time to eat and explore, so the cool kids and I went for a fabulously inexpensive lunch, wandered around at such places as the Don Quixote museum, took naps, and finished our day with bagels and another night of fun which began at La Diabla, meandered through Bar Fly, and ended at Los Lobos. Guanajuato is a city with a very young, hip population so the nightlife is one of its main attractions (because seriously, how many monuments can you look at?).

A case of mummies at the museum in Guanajuato. They are all apparently the result of natural mummification which is observed in the bodies disinterred between 1865 and 1958. They range from elderly people to fetuses, from criminals to campesinos, and include at least one stabbing victim, one pregnant woman, and one person who was buried alive.

BABYMUMMY

Inquisition dummy!! He's probably busy sanctioning the torture and murder of countless people just because they're DIFFERENT. (but he does have a pretty sweet Hamlet skull on his desk, so we can cut him a little slack)

One of many, many representations of Don Quixote in the city of Guanajuato. Dashing as ever.

Erika with Diego Rivera's statue. It was love at first sight!

Saturday dawned early once again, and after yet another merely par omelet from the hotel restaurant, we set off as a group to visit two small towns: to Dolores Hidalgo where we visited the home of Miguel Hidalgo and ate overpriced (and delicious) sorbet, and to San Miguel de Allende where we only had time for lunch. My favorite group of hedonists and I, in search of cheap gourmet, stumbled upon Bruno's restaurant, a small place run by a very chatty Italian man who has been living there for several decades. He has not lost either his ability to make amazing pesto or to chat up a group of young ladies. He introduced us to the wonders of "chocolate salami" (a cold dessert which makes your heart melt), the merits of oldies music, the subtleties of espresso with sambuca, the origins of square dance, and the time-honored tradition of looooooong conversations over a meal (okay, so we already knew that one, but it's always good to reinforce concepts, right?). Upon our return to Guanajuato there was shopping and galavanting, followed by our traditional Foodie-Night at a local fusion restaurant. There are a select few of us who take every opportunity to use the money the program gives us for meals on program excursions, eat as cheaply as possible for the whole trip (think lots of tacos de canasta), and use the money we've saved for an extravagant meal. This particular trip brought grilled salmon in a chili sauce, Asian tuna steak, garlic shrimp pizza, a bottle of wine, and a slice of chocolate cake. We soooo know how to live! We spent the rest of our food comas in a calm evening of GloZell's translations and a relatively early bedtime.

Sunday consisted of sleeping in, tamales and horchata for breakfast, checking out the local food market, packing our bags, and the very long trip back to Puebla. All in all, a great success!

Tulancinging in the rain

2010-04-12T15:52:00.005-04:00

This weekend was spent in Tulancingo, Hidalgo with my friend Gibran and his family. Friday we arrived at their house just in time for dinner (squash casserole, rice, tortillas, and avocados) then went on a slightly rainy tour of this smallish city.
Mode of transportation: red four-wheeler (with matching helmets).
Level of excitement: high.
Probability that a girl from upstate New York would drive a four-wheeler for the first time in urban Mexico: low, but obviously not impossible.
Final touch: guajolotes for dinner (a typical food of Tulancingo, a sandwich consisting of a fried bun stuffed with fried tortillas, salsa, refried beans, meat, onions, and cheese -> like a heart attack, but tastier).

Saturday was spent making pozole and wandering around the center of the city. Pozole is officially my favorite Mexican food, a stew consisting of very large kernels of corn and pieces of meat in a spicy broth. It is then topped with chopped radish, lettuce, lemon juice, and chile, and traditionally eaten with fried tortillas. According to wikipedia, it was made in prehispanic times using human flesh, but except in the sketchiest establishments, that particular foodstuff has been replaced with chicken and pork.

After a very late start (Saturday night consisted of a get-together with a group of very fun people), Sunday we visited a waterfall which flows over a series of large mineral prismatic formations known as basalt columns, which result from the very slow cooling of lava.** You can check it out here. Then on to Real del Monte, a town which is known for its silver mines, the influence of the English, and a delicious little potato, meat, and bean hotpocket known as a paste.

Los prismas

** The information here has been made more accurate thanks to Amie, who has kindly forced me to learn one more thing related to geology.

una epifanía no entendida

2010-04-07T21:44:00.009-04:00

I returned to Mexico from my trip to Nicaragua last Friday night (well, very early Saturday morning), but it has taken me until now to write about it here, in this relatively public forum. And even now, I find it hard to put into words what went on, but something very powerful happened to me while on this incredible, perspective-expanding, blew-me-out-of-the-water adventure. I have this nagging suspicion that I discovered something very fundamental about myself, the world, or both. What that epiphany might be, however, I still haven't figured out. Surely, the real import will become clear to me only later in life. Until then, I present you with the facts, mostly in photograph form.

Where did we go?
Ciara picked me up from the Managua airport (1) and we went in taxi to a bus station where we caught a rapi-bus to Chinandega (2), where we caught a local bus to our groovy little hostel, Rancho Esperanza, in Jiquilillo (3). Here I would like to note that Managua is where more than a quarter of the country's population lives (in real life), Chinandega is the hottest place in the world (in my very accurate opinion), buses in Nicaragua are generally used school buses from the USA, repainted with fangs, flags, and religious figures. Jiquilillo is a secluded beach area which is home exclusively to fishermen and English-speaking tourists. From Jiquilillo we took about a million different forms of land transport over the course of an entire day (which sounds awful, but which was very cool, complaining cuñados aside) to arrive in San Ramon (4), the small town where Dylan and Ciara are living. There I stayed with them and their host family, Doña Aracely, Don Agustin, and their god-daughter Rosa. At the end of my stay, I made the journey back to Managua for my flight back to Mexico.

The view from the main "lodge" at our hostel in Jiquilillo. Guests stay in the cabins, which feature sand floors, bamboo walls, thatched roofs, and plenty of beach-kitsch.

This is my room in San Ramon, simply equipped with the essential: a bare lightbulb, a table, a mosquito net, and the most comfortable bed I've slept in for years. I had always imagined sleeping under a mosquito net to be confining and unpleasant, but quite the opposite is true; it feels very safe and comforting.

The view of the house in San Ramon from the street. We spent countless hours seated here chatting, playing games, reading, and saying Adio' to anyone who happened to walk by. (The other gringos and I also spent hours getting stared at relentlessly by all passers-by.)

The house, from the Doña's very impressive garden.

Rosita, my Nicaraguan sister. I promised her that I would come back to San Ramon, a promise I fully intend to fulfill.

The Nicaraguan version of a tamal, called nacatamales. They consist of corn masa, rice, tomato, potato, meat, and some sort of mildly spicy sauce, all wrapped up in banana leaves (and tin foil), then boiled.

Doña Aracely, Dylan, and Ciara with makeshift mustaches! I haven't laughed so hard in a very, very long time (and I'm not sure if the Doña has EVER laughed so hard. This was the only photo, out of at least a dozen, where she has contained her laughter enough to keep her mustache in place.)

A sampling of beautiful woven fabrics

One of the women who weaves said fabrics. She is part of the El Chile women's weaving cooperative, which is empowering women, reviving a traditional indigenous art, and creating a whole host of geniously constructed bags, wallets, cases, purses, and scarves.

No hay pedo, güey!

2010-03-23T21:42:00.003-04:00

Among my many discoveries about this frequently magical and completely awesome (in both good and bad senses of the word) country is that vacations are taken very seriously. No one messes with your vacation, but it's totally okay if you want to mess with their productivity. SO, in the spirit of Mexican lengthening of vacations, I set out tonight for my spring break. So what if spring break (semana santa) doesn't start until Saturday? This is Mexico, for crying out loud! And, as if any proof were needed, my Fridays are always class-free as I am trying to assimilate as best I can and NOTHING says Mexican college student like perpetual 3-day weekends, plus my usual Thursday class has been canceled this week because the professor is also leaving early for break. Add that all up and you are left with the perfect reason to leave early: I may be missing a day of classes, but I'm making up for it with nearly a whole week more of vacation. A result which is completely acceptable in the mind of the typical college student (well, really, the typical anyone) here.

So where am I going to spend this luxurious 3 (THREE) weeks? Tonight I leave for Nicaragua where I will be visiting my friends Ciara and Dylan for 10 days. Once I get back I will probably feel guilty, do homework for a few days, get sick of it (this is called hueva), then set off on some other adventure for the next week and a half. So far I've talked with people about going to Chiapas, Pahuatlan, and Acapulco. Decisions, decisions... Life here sure is tough! ;)

Until next time (which may or may not be coming to you straight from Nicaragua), be safe, have fun, and keep it chill because, as I've repeatedly been told, No hay pedo, güey!

Asociación de palabras

2010-03-21T21:23:00.008-04:00

So for this blog post, we're going to play a word association game: I'll say a phrase and you think of a list of words that you immediately associate with said phrase. Then I'll share my list (which has been affected by my recent experiences here in Mexico).

1. A "traditional" Saint Patrick's Day

Your list here:
-
-
-
-
-

My list:
- wrong bus, Jackie
- Guiness
- green t-shirts
- potatoes
- ginger carrots
- a bunch of smoked hamsss
- po-po popo Popo Poe poema
- Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys
- sleeeeepy

2. Mesoamerican archeological site

Your list:
-
-
-
-
-

My list:
- re-mota places
- new friends
- sunshine
- breeze
- temple-top contemplations
- seated siestas

3. Clubbing on a Friday night
Your list:
-
-
-
-
-

My list:
- boars
- boring
- borrachos
- blurry

4. Escape from the club!
Your list:
-
-
-
-
-

My list:
- Friends beat strangers 100%
- Chiapas casual-wear
- warm
- fuzzy
- Greased lightenin'!!!!
- laid-back Beatles
- pillow talk
- sleepy sunrise
- chilaquiles and coffee

La guitarra

2010-03-17T00:22:00.003-04:00

So as you may remember, I have been taking guitar lessons this semester. I would like to present to you a video of the first "real" song I have learned: "Waltz" by Italian classical guitar composer Ferdinando Carulli (full name Ferdinando Maria Meinrado Francesco Pascale Rosario Carulli). My version of it is not perfect, but gives you an idea of what I've been up to!

hipopótama hambrienta

2010-03-10T16:06:00.002-05:00

As I write this, I am seated at my desk in my sunny upstairs room (which has a full view across the courtyard into the kitchen below). I am ostensibly doing homework, but unless my homework is downloading "The Lost Boys" on megavideo and listening to Carol King music (and writing a blog post), how much homework I am currently doing is debatable. Up until about 20 minutes ago, I was studiously reading, underlining, researching, and writing. What is it, then, that causes this change in my productivity by which I am afflicted every afternoon at around 3 PM? HUNGER.

Not that I ever go hungry here, as there is more food than I know what to do with and it is (often forcibly) readily available. The problem is that even if I wasn't hungry before, around 2:30 my host mom gets down to the preparation of the midday meal and the delicious smell begins to waft up through my open window until I am simply ravenous.

(Side note: Have I mentioned that my room is equipped with jalousie windows which never really close and have an inch-wide gap at both the top and the bottom? They're great for keeping a room fresh because they let in lots of air, along with lots of smells, both good and bad.)

The 45-minute wait between when the smells start and when we get to eat the deliciousness is excruciating. My host mom has to be the VERY BEST COOK in all of Puebla, and every meal is outstanding. While I'm sure that if I went downstairs and was like, "hey, I'm hungry" I would get a ton of snacks thrown at me, but I maintain this puritanical guilt about "ruining my appetite." Therefore, I suffer in non-productive silence.

Another interesting tidbit of information is that, while I said that we get cookin' around 2:30, that's just the actual assembly and frying (it's almost ALWAYS frying) of the food. Do not be deceived! My host mom has been preparing food since around 10 this morning, shopping for, washing, peeling, chopping, marinating, and doing various other delicious things to what invariably becomes another amazing culinary wonder from the kitchen of Alba Escudero y Uribe de Vallejo (who besides being an awesome cook has an awesome name).

Oh! I just got called to eat, so here I will leave you. Buen provecho!

Güeyes, magueyes, y pulque-es

2010-03-05T00:44:00.006-05:00

Today was a class-free gift from the anthropology gods, which my little group of friends (known affectionately as la banda) decided was a clear sign that some cultural education was seriously in order for yours truly. Aaaand because my friends are awesome, the form that cultural education took was a trip to a pulqueria. What is this, you ask? Well, take a seat on the hearth rug, children, and I will spin you a yarn.

It all begins with an agave plant (a maguey) whose sugary sap has been collected and fermented in a process which dates from prehispanic times here in Mexico. The result is a milky, viscous (read: just shy of snotty), mildly alcoholic beverage known as pulque. This unique beverage held a sacred status before the arrival of the conquistadors, but has since become very much a drink of all social classes in rural Mexico.

These are magueyes, which take 12 years to reach harvest maturity, and only produce sap for a year at most.

Pulque is relatively high in vitamins, minerals, and calories, which has helped maintain its status as a highly popular beverage, even among children and pregnant women. And, of course, among college students on a Thursday afternoon. It can be "cured" or "uncured," though I am still not completely clear on the difference. It sometimes comes in flavors (note 3/7/10: I tried strawberry-flavored pulque for the first time last night, and it is GROSS. It tastes like fruit at first, followed by a vomit-like aftertaste. I highly recommend sticking with unflavored), or can be served mixed with a little bit of soda.

So my day begins with a fun group of people waiting for somebody to get there (this is a constant in ANY group event here), followed by that same group shoving itself into an ancient, tiny Porsche convertible. There are then 8-peso gorditas at a roadside stand, a walk along an old railroad track, and the arrival at the pulqueria (the bars which specialize in this lovely little beverage) which is marked only by a sign saying "Good pulque sold here".

We pass through the curtain which serves as a door, past the table of men discussing livestock, and enter into the window-less concrete back-room which is inhabited only by an abused bicycle, a large wire spool which serves as the table, Corona lawn chairs, and several calender cut-outs of women in very skimpy outfits. It is immediately clear that this is going to be VERY GOOD pulque.*

*I have found that the smaller, dingier, and sketchier an establishment is, the better whatever their specialty is. This theory very rarely fails.

This is a photo of pulque that I stole from here. Note what looks like a stream of liquid running off the back of the serving cup. That is not a stream of liquid, rather it is a string of the mucus-like beverage.

So we purchase our 15-peso tupperware jug of pulque (decidedly as uncured, unflavored, and unadulterated as is possible), fill our glasses, propose a toast, and get down to our cultural education. After our second jug, when we have all dabbled our ways into good spirits, we are joined by an older gentleman known as "Don Gabi", who regales us for the next hour with off-color jokes, bits of wisdom, filter-less cigarettes, and brings out a bottle of some sort of fruit-based and vile-tasting liquor sure to cause blindness. (We were all definitely more keen on his jokes than on his brew.) He also invited us to his granddaughter's first communion party in two weeks. Will we go? Of course! It would be a serious offense to accept an invitation and then not show up. Plus, there will be plentiful food and music.

So the verdict? Pulque is delicious, friends are awesome, and conversations with strangers are so much better than your parents told you.

No estoy muerta/ A what? A duck.

2010-03-02T00:10:00.005-05:00

So despite the significant lapse since my last post, I assure you all that I am not dead. Since my last post, I have experienced my first serious Mexico-related stomach upset (dubbed "Montezuma's Revenge" for a reason), laughed hysterically at ducks' tails and at a friend whose front-tooth bridge fell out (on separate occasions), taken my first exam of the semester, learned to dance Danzón and the Cha-cha-chá, and been given a new nickname: Alubia.

Here's the review:

-Bacteria are fun until they're not. Luckily God invented antibiotics.

-Ducks wag their tails ridiculously. They also get all pissy when you laugh at them. Wanna buy a duck?

-Friends with their front teeth missing are amazing, and do NOT get all pissy when you laugh at them. They laugh too, which is how you know they're your friends.

-Exams have always been and will always be a necessary evil.

-¡Danzón es la neta! (Danzón is a type of salon dance popular among the older crowd. It is of Cuban origin, but arose originally from English contradance. It was once considered scandalous but is now a fixture of the Puebla Lion's Club Sunday evening dances.)

-Alubias are a type of small, white bean. You do the math.

Photo montage!!

2010-02-17T21:48:00.003-05:00

So in the interest of laziness and how I have homework to do tonight (I know, yuck!), I present to you fine folks a photo montage of last weekend.

On Friday we went to Cuernavaca, where we went first to the Palacio de Cortes museum, which does not merit a photo (read: sucked), and then to the house/museum of the late Robert Brady, an Iowa-born art collector who made his home in Mexico and then filled it with a ton of art from around the world. He also made sure to place his carefully hoarded pretties in arrangements which highlighted cool aspects of them. This, for example, is on the left: Josephine Baker, an entertainer from the 1930's who never gave birth to any children, but who adopted 12. On the right: an African goddess of fertility. You can't say he didn't have impeccable taste.

On Saturday we went to Taxco, a relatively nearby town. There is nothing to do there aside from buy silver jewelry (which apparently no longer even comes from Taxco, all the mines have been exhausted and they now have to import it). BUT thanks to my amazing friends Jackie and Erika, we managed to find something way better to do, we climbed all the way up to the Jesus statue which overlooks the town. It was basically a case study in different types of men: the nice old men who invite you in for conversation, the unpleasant men (young and old) who catcall you incessantly, boys like Edgar who give you directions and take your picture, and carpenters who died thousands of years ago but still get their statues put on hills.

That night Jackie and Erika and I decided that we deserved an awesome dinner, and we were not going to settle for anything less than extraordinary. How do you say "extraordinary" in Spanish? Italian Food. There was bread and oil, various pasta creations, a slice of chocolate-almond cake, and this bottle of wine. For all of that we spent less than $50 US and had a kick-ass time. Mexico I love thee. (plus it was really nice to NOT eat another Mexican dish for a change)

On Sunday we went to Tepoztlan, a very small town with a very big hill. Sitting like a small and insignificant bump on this hill/mountain is an ancient pyramid, which was ostensibly what we wanted to see. You will note that it did not merit a photo, but these cute little guys, called coatis, did. There are bunches of them at the summit, and if you are not careful they will steal any food you might have with you. Also, if you are not careful they will charm you so thoroughly with their adorableness that you will go temporarily insane, kidnap one, carry it down the mountain and back to your hotel room, feed it Valentine's candy, and be arrested by the Mexican police for poaching. So watch out!

Lo bonito, lo esencial

2010-02-08T00:16:00.008-05:00

There are four things in my room that were not there before. I am very fond of each of them.

1. The first addition to my room is this guitar, shown here in its natural state. It is on loan from my exchange program, which is also providing me with lessons. I am quickly becoming obsessed with it; I now understand my father's love of the guitar, and can only hope that I have inherited his talent. I have definitely inherited his affinity for bluesy folk music. But despite any visions of grandeur, so far I'm still finding my way around the fingerboard and struggling to hear the difference between a string which is in tune and one which is not.

2. The second addition to my room is this drawing, sent to me from the USA, along with some much-needed supplies (i.e. chocolate and other valuables). Turns out that packages CAN indeed arrive here from across the border, safe and sound, albeit thoroughly inspected for any signs of value/ease of theft. The catch, however, is that the customs fees cost far more than the market value of what is contained in the package. Sentimental value, however, wins in the end, and I am very thankful to my dear friends back home! Los quiero mucho!

3. The third addition to my room is a print of this photo, which shows myself and Hugo (remember him from Acapulco?) at the program welcome party on Friday night. It was a very nice evening of socializing, eating, and DANCING. Hugo is an excellent dancer and a very patient teacher, and I can now say that I have a pretty good handle on cumbia, salsa, and a variety of banda styles. I am sure that I will go through dancing withdrawal once back home.

4. The final addition to my room is this Gerber daisy. Do you remember when I said that traditionally in Mexico if a man wants to date a woman there is a specific process involved, which usually includes flowers? If not, you can review it here, item #6. As with all things, to understand one needs only be told, but to comprehend one must experience. Let's just say that up until Friday night I merely understood this specific process of courtship, of which this flower is part. ¿Comprendes?

Veracruz

2010-02-04T17:22:00.005-05:00

Last Sunday I met 7 other members of my Ethnomusicology class (plus our teacher and his girlfriend) at 7 AM in the cloudy, deserted cold of early-morning Puebla. We all loaded into a large red van and drove to the town of Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, the coastal state just to the east of Puebla. The town was holding its annual festival of the local Son Jarocho music, which has been named Patrimonio Mundial (world patrimony)!

We arrived in the afternoon and wandered around to all the town parks, which were littered (well jam-packed would be a better description) with tents in which people who had come from all over the place were camping. We were unable to find a spot for our 10-person tent in any of the parks, so we knocked on the door of a big house with a big walled-in yard and basically asked if we could set up our tent in the yard and stay for a few days. We were warmly received and made our temporary home!

Once the parks filled up, people pitched their tents in whatever space they could find. The whole town was one big, happy, musical, well-fed Hooverville.

Later that day we watched a parade through town of tons of people in traditional costume on horseback, we ate tamales de elote (like a regular tamal, but with whole-ish corn kernels in the masa), listened to hours of traditional Son, and topped off the night with toritos, a creamy alcoholic drink which comes in flavors like coconut, peanut (my favorite, of course!), caramel, chocolate, and several different fruit flavors.

The forum in which Jaranero music is played is called a fandango, which seems to be a large group of people who get together and jam. These sessions include instruments, singing, dancing, and of course drinking, and last well into the night/morning. Groups can perform on stage or can wander around. The tent cities were pretty well stocked with dueling jaranas!

This was my favorite group, La Familia Utrera. They were amazing. Sometimes Son Jarocho (that's what the genre is called) tends to be sort of yelled more than sung, but this group had its shit together. Not only that, but the songs they sang were not just the same traditional ones you heard over and over, but new and different. There's one sad one that translates loosely along the lines of "I won't sing of my sadness at the fandango, because the fandango is happiness. Call me llorona (a woman who cries too much) but just let me cry."

Sisters, two of many young performers at the Jaranero festival with their jaranas, resembles a guitar but has a sound all its own. There seems to be a big emphasis in continuing this art form by instilling it in the youth of the society. Seems to be working; people of all ages performed together!

The next day we basically did the whole thing over again, with more exploration of the festival. There were also several temporary markets, plenty of men on horseback, vociferous shrimp vendors, carnival games and rides, dancing, hippies from all over the world (seriously I have never seen so many white people with dreds wearing sandals and baja hoodies in my whole life; it was like Ithaca in Spanish), and all manner of delicious food! There were also rows of really ripe portable toilets, or you could pay 5 pesos in almost any restaurant or store to use their bathroom. Showers cost 20 pesos, but after so much humidity and dirt it's SO WORTH IT.

So their were games for the kids and for the -ahem- kid in each of us. This is my classmate Rodrigo, letting his inner child beat the socks off of me and Camille.

Tlacotalpan is not a huge city, so after the first two days we were all a little cabin-feverish. The cure? Impromptu road trip. On Tuesday we hit the road to Catemaco (which in Nahuatl means "the place of burnt houses"), a pueblo about an hour's drive from Tlacotalpan. Along the way we stopped at some incredible water falls called the Salto de Eyipantla, got soaked in the spray, which felt amazing in the humid heat of the coast. Then in Catemaco we went for a boat tour of the lagoon there, at 300-some-odd meters above sea level, the lagoon is a relatively pristine nature preserve. There are, however, various businesses thriving on its shores. We all got mineral facials, for example, then all got to pay a few pesos for the privilege to wash the mud off our faces in a mineral spring. There is also an island with monkeys on it! It's a small piece of land (like the size of a small house) with 5 or 6 macaques, but it was still cool! After our boat tour, we hit a fondita for some awesome food! I ate estofado, which is basically chicken cooked with tomatoes, onions, peppers, olives, and spices. It was very delicious!

The waterfall, view from the top. BREATHTAKING.

The lagoon of Catemaco. The picture really doesn't do it justice; it was incredibly beautiful! I recommend to anyone planning to visit Mexico that they swing through here and enjoy this rare gem.

Getting mud masks in the jungle! It felt nice to be pampered after a weekend of porta-potties and sleeping on the hard, wet ground, but I'm not sure it made any of the magical changes in my complexion that the lady promised.

We returned Wednesday, sunburnt, exhausted, and completely (at least in my case) sick of listening to Jarocho music. All in all a seriously awesome field trip!

This is my classmate Camille, from Quebec, while we were at the waterfall. This is my favorite picture of this whole trip (and possibly my whole time in Mexico) because her facial expression basically sums up my feelings about my experience here.

fotografiassss (improved)

2010-01-26T09:43:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday we had a barbecue at Roy's house (the boyfriend of my host sister, Rebeca). This is the photographic evidence:

My host cousin, Alan, with Boris the golden retriever.

My host father, Enrique, on the left, and Martha on the right. We're cookin' now, baby!!

Look! Can I be officially Mexican now? I am, after all, heating tortillas on an open grill with my bare hands; any señora would be proud...

And then there was meat.

from left to right: Martha (my younger host sister), myself, Rebeca, and Roy. It was lots of fun!

el guanábana

2010-01-23T20:52:00.004-05:00

Well, the unparalleled mango still holds the place of highest honor in my heart/mouth. That said, about five minutes ago I was introduced to a new tropical fruit competitor. The guanábana, or soursop in English (doesn't THAT just sound tasty...), is a fruit about the size of a grapefruit with a lightly sweet flesh that has a soft, creamy texture. While the leathery green skin sports spiky protrusions, the delicate flesh inside is studded with black seeds the size and shape of almonds. To be eaten, the fruit is cut in half and eaten with a spoon, scraping the guts lovingly away from the skin, much as with an avocado.

The guanábana, along with the following tropical fruits, have made my stay here in Mexico especially sweeeeet and should definitely be eaten if you have the chance:

mango
guayaba (a.k.a. guava)
zapote negro
oranges (classic, never boring)
tamarind
maracuya
tuna (tropical in the cancer sense)
pineapple
kiwi

actualización breve

2010-01-19T17:05:00.004-05:00

So brief update:

Friday: Went to the city of Santa Ana in the state of Tlaxcala (a very VERY small state neighboring Puebla) with my friends. We basically wandered around, browsed local artesanías, ate a TON of food (more on that in a moment), looked at some churches, and started conversations with strangers. Favorite foods of the trip: muéganos (a typical sweet which consists of a sort of fried cookie covered in a very sticky coating of a honey-like cinnamon/brown sugar concoction) and ponche (basically home-made fruit punch, served hot with pieces of cooked fruit and sugar cane). Least favorite food: tortitas de camarón (patties consisting of dried shrimp powder mixed with egg and fried), which taste like rotten fish and have the consistency of sand. I made the mistake of ordering this distasteful little dish, and upon being unable to eat more than a single bite, I hit the street for some good ol' molotes de tinga (tortillas filled with a chicken/tomato mixture and deep-fried). Street food to the rescue once again!

Saturday: Went with the group to Cholula, a small city that runs together with Puebla. We were forced to spend several hours looking at and learning in great nuance about churches, and then were finally released to eat and wander around. My friend Joelle and I were both in a bad mood because of the rather tedious beginning to the trip, but we cheered up with some fried food and some freedom! Later that evening I went with my friend Roberto to see Avatar for a second time. Despite the bad social messages it apparently sends, it has to be the best movie I've seen in quite a while.

Sunday: I was awakened at 5 AM by a knock on my door and the family's housekeeper (Clemen, a girl about my age who I get along with really well) asking me if I wanted to come listen to "la serenata de Rebeca." In my half-asleep state and with no idea what was going on, I agreed. Turns out Rebeca's boyfriend, Roy, had arranged a serenata for her, a time-honored tradition in which the suitor hires a mariachi band to come sing outside the bedroom window of his beloved very early in the morning. We basically all piled into the kitchen and listened to a full hour of romantic music, then all retreated back to our beds for some more sleep!

Monday: Very full day of classes, from 8 AM to 6 PM. I have since changed my schedule to avoid that sort of madness. In the evening I went with my biology friends to the Lucha libre in Puebla. A friend has a friend who works there, so we got in for free, then sat in the stands and yelled, cheered, winced, drank beer, and ate cemitas (served special at the luchas: the usual mixture of quesillo, avocado, fried meat, ham, chiles, and tomatoes is layered with fried potatoes) until we could manage no more.

Today: Awesome classes today, with awesome classmates. I think I have my final schedule figured out: Ethnomusicology, Ethnography of Mexico, Social Thought in Latin America, and Theory of Rituals. Awesome? Definitely. I'm excited because these are all classes in which I am sure I will actually learn, but I'm also scared that I will have a ton of work. Why? See the note about actually learning... :P

Subaruuuu

2010-01-14T23:44:00.002-05:00

Big news: I saw my first Subaru in Mexico today. I had long ago come to the conclusion that this, my pet car manufacturer, was completely absent in this city dominated by Volkswagens of all shapes and sizes (but, you know, being VW they're mostly small, and being Mexico, they're mostly very old).

In other news, the cold abated slightly today, which was a nice surprise. After a morning full of classes I came home to a house full of about 15 family members and friends. Long live spontaneous Mexican get-togethers! After that I went with my friend from the university, Hugo, to wander around the Centro. We wound up deciding to check out the schedule of free public movie showings at the Casa de Cultura, and as it turned out we arrived just as a movie was starting. We entered (acting as though this fortuitous alignment of our schedules was completely pre-meditated) and spent the next two hours watching "Lost Highway," a psychological thriller which we both decided made absolutely no sense to either of us. We then went for a hot chocolate at my favorite cafe, and talked about movies (definitely our favorite discussion topic) until the place closed. Productive evening? Yesss.

So classes so far are good. I'm both worried and excited, because I seem to have managed a set of classes that are all intense but super interesting (note: this is in stark contrast with my classes last semester). We shall see. I have decided to definitely take Etnomusicologia, Etnografia de Mexico, and Pensamiento Social de America Latina. My fourth class is still up in the air, but there's a biology course in Agroecologia that sounds cool. The only set-back is that it still has not been scheduled yet. It appears in the course catalog as being 7 days a week from 11 to midnight. Luckily, one of my friends is officially enrolled in the course and will find out soon what the actual schedule is.

So life here continues at its usual relaxed pace, which suits me just fine!

malas noticias

2010-01-13T23:56:00.005-05:00

Since arriving back in Mexico I have been going running every morning with my host sisters at Parque Juarez, a small park relatively close to my house. We leave the house at 8 AM, run until we're winded, then return to shower before our 11 o'clock classes. Today, however, I wanted to check out a class at 8 AM and had absolutely no urge to get up earlier and run before the sunrise. We decided, therefore, to skip running today.

My host sister Martha just came back from visiting a neighbor and gave me the following news: this morning in the park a woman apparently committed suicide by hanging herself from a tree. Morning joggers found her body, images of which have been pasted over the television all day. Had we arrived at our normal hour we would certainly have been among those to witness the gruesome scene.

I feel unusually overwhelmed by this news. I'm very full of two very distinct emotions: complete comfort that by the strange workings of the universe I avoided what would surely have been a traumatic experience, and also profound sadness for the woman and for those who discovered her body.

UNRELATED TO MEXICO

2010-01-13T23:20:00.003-05:00

but still amazing:

There was an old lady called Wright
who could travel much faster than light.
She departed one day
in a relative way
and returned on the previous night.

Johnny was a chemist's son,
but Johnny is no more.
What Johnny thought was H2O
was H2SO4.

Thank you to Susy, upon whom I can always rely for nerdy poetry.

Back in Puebla

2010-01-11T21:45:00.003-05:00

So not much new to share. Just hangin' with my family and friends here in Puebla.

It's very VERY cold. While the temperature may just be hovering between 35-45 degrees Fahrenheit (admittedly not very cold by New England standards) the houses here are made of stone, without insulation or heat, and most windows only nominally close. The result is that I and everyone else are all constantly cold and do everything with gloves, a scarf, and a hat. Well, except shower, but let me inform you that since the water here is only very rarely actually hot, if there were a graceful way to shower fully clothed I would be more than willing to take advantage of it.

My tentative class schedule includes ecology, ethnomusicology, Mexican anthropology, and an economics class called "agriculture and sustainability." I will also be auditing the folkloric dance class. Have only gone to the ethnomusicology class, and it was very abbreviated, but so far it seems really cool. We even have field trips!

el primer día (otra vez)

2010-01-05T18:39:00.003-05:00

So I arrived back in the Mexico City airport yesterday afternoon, was processed through immigration and customs without any hang-ups, and arrived safely to the hotel, all by my own self! After my very independent, grown-up feeling morning I shaved my legs, ate a whole package of chocolate chip cookies, and fell asleep until dinner time. Classy? Totally.

It feels good to be back.

Today we woke up relatively early (especially by Mexican standards) and went to the Museo Nacional de Antropología. Since we had already been last semester, Joelle and I wandered around a part of the museum we hadn't seen before, then sat outside in the very pleasant 60° F. Once again we watched the voladores and bought overpriced bottled water, an unpleasant and omnipresent side-effect of being in touristy areas.

These amazing creations we found in the museum. They were carved from wood and then covered with intricate beadwork. So beautiful!

Later we went to Xochimilco, famous for its canal system which basically functions as a floating market. We rented a covered barge for the group (named "La Margarita"), one of many being steered around by men, young and old, with long wooden push poles. We then spent the next hour watching the other boaters, observing the many nurseries and florist shops along the banks, and getting hollered at by vendors selling flowers, foods, and any number of artesanias and knick-knacks from their tiny boats.

Religion is impossible to escape here, and even the most watery of roads has several of these seemingly obligatory shrines to the Virgen.

A party on a boat very similar to ours. The brightly colored fronts distinguish one from the other. Many of the boats have two names (note: everything here has way more names than is necessary), which our ferryman told us is the result of Capitalism; people want to rent boats with certain names, and having two names doubles the ferryman's chances of being hired. He also confessed that frequently the ferrymen keep several of these facades handy with different names so that if a client requests a boat named "Lupita" or "Elizabeth" or "Maria" or "Adelaida", the ferryman can oblige.

Back in Black

2009-12-11T23:27:00.002-05:00

I've been too long
I'm glad to be back
Yes, I'm let loose
From the noose
That's kept me hanging about
I've been looking at the sky
'Cause it's gettin' me high

-"Back in Black" by AC/DC

Got home yesterday after only minor snags in my travel plans. Was met at the gate by cold wind, snow, Christmas mus-ack, and a dear friend with my coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. Yay!! Went immediately to Dinosaur Barbecue for take-out, home to chow down (on the barbecue and on a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting -> I love my family) and then off to bed for tired children!

Today slept in, played with kids, ate a big breakfast (OMG farm eggs), then picked out a Christmas tree! Hung out and relaxed, caught up with old friends, then went to the farm for milk and picked up a pizza for dinner. Packed my overnight bag because tomorrow is Christmas in Boston. Will be back on Sunday evening.

Great start to what I am sure will be an excellent spell at home!!

Los Ahuehuetes

2009-12-10T00:15:00.002-05:00

Okay folks, so this will be my last post from Mexico (for about a month, anyway). I've pretty much finished packing and am now awaiting the arrival of 1:40 AM, when I will call the taxi, thus beginning my 15-hour journey home. I am starting to feel sort of sad to think about leaving my friends, but I'm also sooooo ready to go home. I can't wait to see everybody!! I've actually been making a list of things I can't wait to enjoy while back home/in the States.

The list includes, but is not limited to:
friends and family
reliably hot water
cats
no mosquitoes
SNOW
drinking from the tap
chocolate desserts
pizza/wings/rootbeer
driving
three-pronged outlets
Hulu and Pandora
windows that close all the way
punctuality
sneakers/sweatpants/no makeup in public

But I will also miss the amazing Mexican street food, the openness of the people, that all the boys can dance, learning street slang, and of course my wonderful friends and family. Only a month before I return to this magical place; not sure whether that's good or bad. I want to be in both places at once!! I guess that to quote a dear friend, it is what it is.

Anyway, today as my last blast with my friends, we went to a place called Los Ahuehuetes, which means "The Montezuma Cypress Trees" (Taxodium mucronatum). This is another one of those amazing places to which I will most definitely return. It is a very small spot with a natural spring-fed swimming hole, surrounded by the giant cypress trees. The water is completely clear and blue, and you can see all the way down the 3 or 4 meters to the sandy bottom. When you open your eyes underwater, you can see everything! Also, the warm water doesn't even mildly irritate the eyes, in fact it felt soothing after an hour on very dusty roads. Anyway, the bottom is white sand, but is not a normal solid bottom. It is more like a layer of suspended sand swirling around. I don't know where the actual bottom is because I couldn't find it, no matter how deep I went. Maybe there is no bottom... (cue Twilight Zone music)

There is also a cypress log which spans the entirety of the swimming hole and makes an excellent perch/diving platform. Above the water, the log is sun-bleached and completely smooth from years of use. Under the water, the log is covered in slippery moss that schools of tiny fish feed on continuously. I was absolutely enchanted watching them! I didn't get any pictures because my camera battery was still dead, but I promise that when I return there (which, of course, I will do many times) I will get lots of pictures.

After swimming for several hours (once the sun went down and we got cold), we changed into dry clothes and sat on the banks talking and enjoying some boxed sangria (my birthday present!) and unas caguamas, which are basically family-sized bottles of beer. Like 2-liter bottles of soda, they're more economical. Plus it adds to the feeling of camaraderie when you all share a single bottle!

By that time we had worked up a healthy hunger and decided to drive into the pueblito nearby. There we discovered the most amazing tacos and tortas I've ever eaten. Simple fried beef and red salsa served on a tortilla (taco) or on a bun (torta), they were amazing. I ate 2 of each, and then we moved on to elotes al carbon (grilled ears of corn) served on a stick and covered in lime and chile. Next on the menu was caña, chunks of sugar cane which I think had been boiled. You chew the hard fibrous pieces, sucking out all the sweet juice and spitting out the spent fibers. It's a very refreshing treat! We finished off our eating tour of the neighborhood with something I had never tried before: champurrado, a hot drink which is composed of corn masa, chocolate, and dark brown sugar all dissolved in boiling water. It was delicious, and apparently put me to sleep because I remember getting back into the car and closing the door, but nothing more until we pulled up to my door. I didn't even put on my seat-belt!
So in conclusion, swimming+food+friends=(sleepy/happy)!

My bags are packed, I am ready to return to the good 'ol U.S. of A., having wished goodbye to all my new-found friends and family here in Mexico. I guess that since we have officially come to the end of my first semester of study abroad I should do a bit of reflection. That said, I think that all I can really say is that this has been one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. I say that without exaggeration. I have learned, done, and (of course!) eaten more than I could ever have imagined. Therefore, I encourage anyone and everyone to take every opportunity they can to experience something similar, and I would like to thank each and every person who has made this possible. You are responsible for a huge amount of personal growth on my part, as well as a huge amount of fun! I hope you all realize how much you all mean to me and how immense has been this gift which you've given me.
Los quiero mucho (I love you guys so much!).

El volcan de Popocatépetl

2009-12-08T11:12:00.007-05:00

No, this one's not a tongue twister...

On Saturday night I went camping on Popocatépetl, a volcano an hour's drive from Puebla. It's a very classic-looking volcano: conical, snow-capped, and still active, so it continuously spits ash and smoke. The base of the volcano is pine forest, which is littered with kitschy little cabins owned by very wealthy folks.

Popocatépetl, affectionately known as Popo. This is a photo from this summer showing the view from the highway, quite a while before actually arriving in Puebla.

This is the view of the volcano from the cabin. Note that by this time of year there is significantly more snow on the peak, and the smoke and steam are especially visible.

It was in one of these cabins that we stayed, as it was owned by the family of a friend of a friend of a friend. Slightly sketchy: we had to enter through a window the whole trip because no one had the keys. My guess is that it truly was owned by that friend's family, it was just that the family had no idea we were there. Woot!

But seriously, apart from what might have been breaking and entering, we had a great time! There was neither heat nor electricity nor running water in the cabin, so apart from the fireplace the cabin served as little more than a shelter from the wind. I should note here that it is COLD there, as in below freezing. All of us, that is myself and my friends from biology classes, huddled together while sleeping to keep from freezing.

Our visit was relatively short, consisting of an after-dark arrival, a nice long hike through the woods, a few glasses of wine, sleeping in, quick breakfast, and off to a program obligation at noon.

The program obligation? Our goodbye party.
As part of our folkloric dance class, several of the program girls had to do a final dance presentation at the party. We were, to put it delicately, rather skeptical about our ability to perform well. We had never really managed to dance any of the three numbers well, we were dancing in heels for only the second time, and we were wearing costumes we had never even tried on before. Luckily, however, the party involved an open bar, so we worked up a little tequila-related courage beforehand. As it turned out, we beat the odds and did really well. Everyone was impressed, even our harshest critics: ourselves.

After the little performance, we ate a nice meal (impressive considering the program's record when it comes to feeding people) with our families and then hit the dance floor for the obligatory Village People + cumbia mix that pervades every party.

This is us getting reading for picotas. We were also skeptical about the outfit, but it works, doesn't it?

The Boda, an interpretation of a wedding. I got to be the bride! This is me with my "family." The group in white and red is the family of my groom. Funny, I didn't catch his name...

Finally, the dance from Sinaloa. Big skirts!!

note: all the pictures from the party are stolen from my friends on Facebook. My camera battery died on the volcano so I didn't get any shots of my own.

Cumpleaños, cumbia, y... the Dixie Chicks?

2009-12-05T15:42:00.004-05:00

So yesterday was my very first birthday in Mexico! I have to say that the folks here sure know how to throw a birthday bash...

So the preparation for the birthday meal began at around 9 AM, with plenty of cooking, cake decorating, table-setting, and piñata filling! I requested enchiladas verdes, but we also had soup, bread, calabaza, frijoles, and berry punch. Some friends of the family also came on a well-timed surprise visit and brought with them a salad, sodas, flautas (fried tacos), and.... (wait for it....) Kentucky Fried Chicken and biscuits!! Best unintentional birthday present ever. Then we topped it all off with a carrot/pineapple/pecan cake, for which I promise to get the recipe so the joy of that particular confection can be spread around the world; its containment within Mexico would be unjust.

All together, we sat at least 15 people at the table and ate until we no longer could. It made me so happy to see all these people together enjoying themselves. There really is no better present than a fully-laden and fully-surrounded table.

In addition, it should be understood that my family here is very food-oriented, and my Mama Poblana is not shy about making sure that you have eaten plenty. As a result, we all left the table roly-poly and completely unexcited about having to move. Nonetheless, I braved my way to an informal, impromptu, and largely unhelpful dance review session. From there we went to Bernadette's house (our director) for a very suspiciously timed meeting about end-of-semester bureaucratic stuff. Much to my complete and utter and all-consuming shock and surprise, there was a surprise birthday celebration for me, involving pizza, balloons, and what was honestly the best cake I have had in Mexico: a pyramid of bite-size brownies covered in melted chocolate. Clearly they have been paying attention to my habits/addiction to brownies. Also received some gifts from various members of the program (who rock my socks!!):

A dancing figurine made of corn husks, given to me by Bernadette/the program. She's so awesome, but I'm worried about how I'll get her back safely to the USA; she's rather fragile.

Sparkly pear and a box of sangria (inside joke) from some dear friends. You know who you are, and you better know how awesome you are.

Earrings!! Thanks to Joelle and her awesome taste!

And to top off a fabulous day, I went with Joelle and her Mexican boyfriend, Mauricio, as well as our friend Nhi to a public dance in Puebla. This was definitely a dance of the people, which sure beats the fresa (1:snooty, stuck-up, preppie. 2: strawberry)clubs I've been going to. This was normal people attending a free dance with live music on a Friday night. We basically danced the Cumbia with random people until we were half-dead asleep and with aching feet. SO MUCH FUN. I really like that the system of politely asking a stranger to dance with you is still alive and well. Plus, it was really affirming to realize that I have a pretty good handle on this particular dance! Not so affirming was that I felt more conspicuous than I usually do. Nhi and I can generally pull off looking Mexican (albeit with plenty of Spanish blood) until we start speaking, but my dear friend Joelle has a classic fair-skinned, golden-ringlet look about her that pretty much alerts anyone here to her status as a gringa. It therefore became clear to everyone that we were all gringas. Pro: lots of offers to dance. Con: lots of getting stared at. Honestly, though, I was so happy to be dancing such a FUN dance that I was not terribly concerned.

Okay, so on an unrelated note, I want to share with you a video I stumbled over. This both expresses my wish to be home, as well as gives an excellent presentation of images that I consider classically Mexican: unforgettable and integral aspects of my time here. This is in a border town, which adds a border-crossing theme. So minus that, here is Mexico + Dixie Chicks=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4NTn3Pn05A&feature=PlayList&p=529F15A30380B591&index=12

trabalenguas

2009-11-30T18:22:00.002-05:00

Trabalenguas is the Spanish word for 'tongue-twister.' Apparently it's adorable when foreigners stumble over these tricky turns of phrase, so I am frequently asked to repeat one or another. The one my dear friends have me working on now goes as follows:

El volcán de Parangaricutirimícuaro se parangaricutirimicuarizó. Él que lo desparangaricutirimicuarizaré un buen desparangaricutirimicuarizador será.

No, it doesn't make any sense, so don't even try...

Metepec, Zapotitlan II, y Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T11:49:00.005-05:00

So the last week can be broken into three events which stand out from the run-of-the-mill drudgery of paper writing: a group trip to Metepec, a non-group trip to Zapotitlan, and the Mexican try at a Thanksgiving dinner.

Metepec:
A pueblo with a vacation resort where you can do all sorts of sports and other fun things, including eat, rent ridiculous bicycles, and hang out on Smith-campus-beautiful lawns. We went there on Saturday as a group-o-gringas (actually literally only half of the group went; the rest either already had plans or simply didn't show up. Their loss, however, because it was totally kickin'. Plus the remaining group was super positive and fun!).

The day started out with teamwork activities led by a group of three young men. I was feeling pretty negative about the whole thing at the beginning, but quickly got over myself and started to enjoy the fun! After we had established our ability to trust each other, we moved on to the high ropes course. I've always wanted to do one, but until now have never had the chance. Two words: Awe. Some. There were four set-ups:
The first consisted of a single wire which two people had to walk along, from opposite ends, crossing each other in the middle, using suspended ropes as supports. Toby and I did this one, which was not exactly difficult but which (being the first one) was really scary.
The second consisted of two wires at about shoulder-width apart, with small wooden platforms at intervals. Again, two people had to cross from opposite ends, this time without the hanging ropes. Asaki and I did this one together, and had fun!
The third consisted of a pole that you climb, stand up on, then jump off of trying to touch a hanging globe or grab onto a trapeze. I tried for the trapeze but didn't quite reach it.
The fourth is basically a hanging bunch of ropes and logs and wires with a tires at the top. Two people climb it, using each other as support. This one requires not only guts but also a fair amount of strength. Also by far the coolest. Toby and I did this one together, and it was a definite bonding experience.

Who's strong? We're strong! Me, Toby, and Stephanie rockin' the climbing look.

See how tall it is? Ay, que miedo!

Toby and I at the top of the fourth one! We were so proud of ourselves! I couldn't stop giggling.

Then after all this excitement, we went to eat lunch. Per usual on these group outings lately, the food was bad; however, to be quite frank, this meal was an all-time low of unappetizing food. As you may already know, I am not a picky eater yet could not bring myself to eat more than a few bites of ANYTHING that was served to us as part of this 4-course meal. Couldn't even eat the cake we had for Asaki's birthday. Too baaad...

But after said disappointing lunch we returned to the fun stuff! Stephanie and I rented a crazy bicycle which has the basic shape of a golf cart, but powered by two sets of bicycle gears and steered by a tiller connected to the front wheels. It was fun to bop around in for a little while, but it was surprisingly difficult to pedal. No probs, however, we recruited a few more friends and all took turns riding and pushing the cart from behind. Wheeee!! Then we chilled on the lawn until it was time to go. Returned to Puebla very satisfied, very proud, and very, very tired.

Zapotitlan II:
So I returned for a one-night camping trip to Zapotitlan Salinas, the same place I camped with my biology class. This time, however, we went just myself, Dofus, and Roberto. Their ecology class was there doing a field-trip, but the group camped at a different spot while we stayed with the same senora as before. We pretty much got treated like family. Our time consisted of two data collections that the boys had to do for class (I helped) which took about an hour each, several hikes to cool places, and plenty of hanging out and talking. Oh yeah, and I bought a baby cactus (Ferrocactus latispinus)which I will now have to smuggle back into the USA. Allow me to explain in photos:

Beautiful landscape!! I feel so happy here.

Roberto on the left, Dofus on the right. Yeah, guys, whatever...

Do you remember la Frijola? She's so big now! I want to bring her home with me, but for several reasons that's out of the question. I guess I'll just have to visit her frequently!

BMF arachnid, about the size of my palm. This was one of two that we saw. We got to watch it catch, disable, and devour a bee. This is why biology is awesome.

Before we could climb the mountain up to some ancient ruins and tomb, we had to ask permission from the gods. This is our guide, with the conch shell he played to the four corners of the earth, as well as a few other spiritual articles, including corn and water. The ceremony was basically that we all stood in a circle around him and faced east, he prayed, we repeated a word in (I think) Nahautl, then he played the shell and we all held our hands up to receive the energy. Then we repeated that facing the other three cardinal points, always turning to our left.

Thanksgiving:
Well, let's just say that there's no place like home. The Thanksgiving dinner organized for us by the program was not exactly a shining success. Though I must say that I think I enjoyed it pretty thoroughly anyway. Sure, the turkey was unappetizing (they said it was smoked but I say turkey shouldn't be pink and gelatinous) and there were no mashed potatoes, but everything else was pretty good. There was stuffing and cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes, so my favorite parts were present (minus the mashed potatoes, of course). Shout out to some amazing chocolate chip cookies!! And although there were some complaints from the group, no one can deny that they had a fun time!

Tres semanas

2009-11-20T14:03:00.005-05:00

Time, per usual, has flown by. There are fewer than 3 weeks until I return to the good ol' U.S. of A. Today was the last session of my anthropology class (though I still have to write a final paper), my history class is finished save for a paper, all my grades are in for biology, and I've finished the final paper(11-pages of Spanish, bitchezzzz!!) for my dance class. By the beginning of next week I'll be able to sit back and enjoy the remaining week and half of my time here, then I can return home with my ridiculous tan and my new-found Spanish street slang.

I'm very excited to see everyone for the holidays! I'm torn because on the one hand I want to go home RIGHT NOW, but on the other hand I want to be able to stop time and stay in Mexico, perhaps not forever, but for a sizable chunk of time. I'm definitely glad that I will be coming back for the next semester but I would love to be able to spend more than a few weeks at home.

(sigh) So much love, so many people, so many places, and so little time. Guess it could be worse.

So on a less sentimental note, I've been continuing eating everything in sight. So far there are only two foods which I have discovered I do not really like: the tropical fruit papaya (it looks so good yet tastes like poo, what's up with that?) and mole de panza (basically consists of a spicy tomato-y broth with chunks of cow stomach floating in it. Sounds yummy, huh?). Interestingly enough, this particular dish (also known as menudo) is considered to be THE cure for a hangover, yet has some of the least nausea-quelling properties I've encountered in a food. Overall it tastes pretty good, but it has a sort of cow pat smell that my instincts have a difficult time telling me is okay to eat. Additionally, stomach has a unique consistency something like eating your own tongue. All that aside, I feel strangely drawn to it and will probably try it several more times. Maybe I'll learn to like it: even Wikipedia calls it "un platillo de gusto adquirido"; an acquired taste.

But aside from these particular foods everything else I've eaten has been wonderful. Greatest recent discoveries: esquites (basically cooked corn cut off the cob and mixed with broth, mayo, lime, and chile), barbacoa (a preparation of meat. goat? perhaps. sheep? maybe. delicious? definitely), molotes (a thick tortilla doubled over some sort of filling, traditionally cheese, chicken, or calf brains, then deep-fried and served with salsa), tortas (sandwiches that can include basically anything + cheese + pickled chiles) and, my all-time favorite, pozole (a soup which involves hunks of mystery meat and kernels of cooked corn the size of a playing die; don't ask questions, just eat).

Oh Mexico... you are, in a word, indescribable.

Safety precautions in vehicular travel are, to say the least, not common (aside from religious figurines). This means that seat-belts are practically unheard of, speed-limits do not exist, and children are held on the parents lap. Today I saw the very first child car-seat since arriving. The seat was strapped into the car, but the child was not strapped into the seat.

Another oddity (speaking of food, clearly I'm hungry): You can buy a kilo of carrots, which is more than two pounds and enough to serve as a dish for several people, for 2 pesos. A meat-topped gordita which will fill up one person for half the day goes for 7 pesos. If you want a soda to go with it, however, that'll cost you an additional 10 pesos. A cup of coffee? An extra 15 pesos.

Final comment: It is socially acceptable for anyone to wear lucha wrestling masks anywhere, at any time. This is not me.

Hiiiijole!

2009-11-18T20:21:00.003-05:00

When studying abroad (or doing anything else, ever, anywhere in this world), some of the constants of life are perpetually having to adapt to situations imposed upon you without your consent, dealing with people whose opinions and tastes differ strongly from your own, using creative thinking to make the best of a sticky situation, keeping a cool demeanor in the face of adversity, and trusting that in the end everything will work out for the best.

Somewhere along my travels I encountered a fine example of this. It reads:

Here's a prime example of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From
Venus" offered by an English professor from the University of Phoenix:

The professor told his class one day: "Today we will
experiment with a new form called the tandem story. The process is
simple. Each person will pair off with the person sitting to his or
her immediate right. As homework tonight, one of you will write the
first paragraph of a short story. You will e-mail your partner that
paragraph and send another copy to me. The partner will read the first
paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story and send it
back, also sending another copy to me. The first person will then add
a third paragraph and so on back-and-forth.

Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order
to keep the story coherent. There is to be absolutely NO talking
outside of the e-mails and anything you wish to say must be written in
the e-mail. The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been
reached."

The following was actually turned in by two of his English
students:

Rebecca and Gary. THE STORY:

(first paragraph by Rebecca) At first, Laurie couldn't
decide which kind of tea she wanted. The chamomile, which used to be
her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her too much of
Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he liked chamomile. But
she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off Carl. His
possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him too much
her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out of the
question.

(second paragraph by Gary) Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant
Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4,
had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an
air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one
sweaty night over a year ago. "A.S. Harris to Geostation 17," he said
into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar orbit established. No sign
of resistance so far..." But before he could sign off a bluish
particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a hole through his
ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of
his seat and across the cockpit.

(Rebecca) He bumped his head and died almost
immediately, but not before he felt one last pang of regret for
psychically brutalizing the one woman who had ever had feelings for
him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its pointless hostilities towards
the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. "Congress Passes Law Permanently
Abolishing War and Space Travel," Laurie read in her newspaper one
morning. The news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared
out the window, dreaming of her youth, when the days had passed
unhurriedly and carefree, with no newspaper to read, no television to
distract her from her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful
things around her. "Why must one lose one's innocence to become a
woman?" she pondered wistfully.

(Gary) Little did she know, but she had less than 10
seconds to live. Thousands of miles above the city, the Anu'udrian
mothership launched the first of its lithium fusion missiles. The
dimwitted, wimpy peaceniks who pushed the Unilateral Aerospace disarmament
Treaty through the Congress had left Earth a defenseless target for
the hostile alien empires who were determined to destroy the human
race. Within two hours after the passage of the treaty, the
Anu'udrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying enough firepower
to pulverize the entire planet. With no one to stop them, they swiftly
initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion missile entered
the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his top-secret mobile
submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the coast of Guam, felt
the inconceivably massive explosion, which vaporized poor, stupid
Laurie.

(Rebecca) This is absurd. I refuse to continue this
mockery of literature. My writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic
semiliterate adolescent.

(Gary) Yeah? Well, my writing partner is a
self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at writing are the
literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh, shall I have chamomile tea? Or
shall I have some other sort of F--KING TEA??? Oh no, what am I to do?
I'm such an air-headed bimbo who reads too many Danielle Steele
novels!"

(Rebecca) A**hole.

(Gary) B*tch

(Rebecca) F__K YOU - YOU NEANDERTHAL!

(Gary) Go drink some tea - whore.

(TEACHER) A+ - I really liked this one.

Oh! The Places You'll Go...

2009-11-12T23:15:00.006-05:00

"And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't."

~Dr. Seuss, Oh! The Places You'll Go!

So the last two weekends have been spent in faraway lands filled with new and exciting things. Allow me to summarize.

Oaxaca: A group-sponsored excursion to the city of Oaxaca, smaller and more charming than Puebla, and FILLED with tourists. The highlights here are mole, prehispanic ruins, chocolate, markets, chapulines, artesanias, embroidered dresses, green-stone buildings, unsafe/kick-ass modes of transportation, petrified waterfalls, and the celebration of the Day of the Dead. I loved it and would love to go back without the group-o-gringos.

Our moto-taxi to the celebration of the Day of the Dead. It seemed only fitting that it would take us to the cemetery.

The ruins at Monte Alban. Some view, no?

A helpless chapulin about to lose its life. Chapulines are a Oaxacan delicacy which basically involves crickets toasted with lime and salt (and sometimes chile). They are delicious, but even I get a little weirded out by them because their appearance doesn't change much between hopping around joyously and being eaten.

A typical Day of the Dead ofrenda, which involves flowers, candles, decorations, religious icons, and all the favorite food/drink/items of the deceased. The idea is that the dead person will come back, drawn by the offering and whatever special quality this day has that makes it easier to visit their loved ones. Tombstones are also decorated and a vigil/party is kept over them the whole night by the family.

The petrified waterfalls at Hierve el Agua, near Oaxaca. The water at the top of the mountain is so rich in minerals that these stone waterfalls result. Breathtaking. Simply breathtaking.

Acapulco: A spontaneous weekend trip with two other chicas from the program to visit our friend Hugo's home. We hopped on a bus, went to Hugo's grandma's house (on Calle 13!!) in a VW bug taxi, went for a spin around the city, then fell dead asleep at 4 AM. Awoke at 7 to the sun and the sounds of what turns out to be a ridiculously noisy section of town. The next two days were spent almost exclusively at the beach soaking up the sun, the surf, and the 85 degree weather. We then capped off our trip with a red-eye bus ride back to the incredibly cold Puebla-at-six-in-the-morning. One hour of sleep and off to class Monday morning!

The view from the roof of Hugo's house. Every time I look at this I can't believe I was actually there; it seems like a dream!

I'm gonna soak up the sun, I'm gonna tell everyone to lighten up!

Us on the bus from the bus station back to our houses at 6 am. This was not staged, we were actually that tired and cold. :-( But I guess as hard as we had fun, the exhaustion was inevitable...

Unas cositas

2009-10-28T23:50:00.003-04:00

Quirky little things about life in Mexico that you might not know:

1. You tip the grocery bagger
2. You cannot flush toilet paper
3. There is no such thing as vegetable shortening
4. The "Twilight" series is so popular it's frightening
5. No one puts peanut butter on fruit
6. Oxxo convenience stores have everything you need (except shortening)
7. All men wear gallons of cologne
8. Word play with sexual connotation ("albur") is a national sport
9. Paper products are scented like chamomile (tissues, pads, TP, paper towels)
10. Wal-mart is more omnipresent here than in the USA

Hey hey good-lookin'!

2009-10-16T17:23:00.004-04:00

Weeeee've been cookin'!

So this week was the first of what will be many informal cooking classes at our program director's house, taught by Delfi, one of the lovely ladies who help keep the program running smoothly.

The menu:
chilaquiles rojos
chalupas
salsa roja
salsa verde

My friend Toby, frying frying frying!

Fried tortilla triangles for the chilaquiles!

My friend Stephanie, taste-testing the chilaquiles.

Chilaquiles!!!!

I will return to the USA with a ton of recipes/instructions for traditional Mexican foods. If you are nice to me I will give you the recipe. If you are SUPER nice to me I will cook it for you. (or if you ask, really...)

Provecho!! (enjoy)

La influenza

2009-10-11T02:00:00.003-04:00

So guess who's being quarantined in her room for 5 days? Actually I plan to break out on Monday because I've been fever-free for almost 24 hours already, and with another day I can be certain of my lack of contagiousness.

On Thursday evening I felt really crappy, and on Friday morning I couldn't move. With classic flu symptoms and everybody VERY cautious, they took me, somewhat against my will though I felt too ill to argue, to the hospital. Everybody got really jumpy about the combination headache, body aches, fever thing (I wasn't concerned about 40 degrees, but I googled it later and it turns out that's 104!!); they did a rapid flu test which was negative (everyone tells me they're useless, though) and sent a culture to Mexico City. I should find out whether I had swine flu or not in about a week. They wrote me a prescription for Tamiflu and tylenol, gave me a cute little mask, and told me not to leave my room for 5 days.

Oh yeah, turns out that even with a prescription, influential doctor friends, and an ATM card, Tamiflu cannot be purchased in Puebla because there simply isn't any. Fine for me, since I'm all better, but bad for anyone who really needs it.

Saturday dawned, me with no fever and plenty of energy; I have been climbing the walls ever since. As my mother always assured me, as long as I was once again hungry and bored, I must be on the mend!

Oh yeah, the caterpillars!

2009-10-06T15:08:00.003-04:00

So something pivotal that I forgot to mention about my trip to Zapotitlan. One day we walked to the nearby pueblo and ate at a little restaurant. Our appetizer? Fried caterpillars, called cuchama, that are harvested in the area during the rainy season. They're crispy and spicy and really really really tasty with chile and lime.

This is a photo of the dish (I stole this from Dario Lopez-Mills, of the Associated Press). Fried with chiles, doused in lime and a little salt, and wrapped tightly in a tortilla-cocoon, I highly recommend them.

After we had set up camp the first day, there was actually a live specimen of the bright green, spiny critters on my sleeping bag. I removed it with my baseball cap and placed it on a nearby bush. Lucky I chose the cap, because I was talking with the Señora later, and she told me that the little spines of the caterpillar sting, leaving dark red welts (at this point she showed me her own recent caterpillar-related wounds). Turns out that once they're cooked the spines don't sting anymore, but they do add to the texture!

Zapotítlan Salinas

2009-10-05T12:51:00.005-04:00

So I returned yesterday evening from this camping adventure. I will begin with three words: It. Was. Amazing.

The view from our campsite. You can see the cacti, but unfortunately I didn't get a photo that really captures the amazingness of this place.

So the bare bones are as follows: we all showed up to our normal class time on Monday morning with our tents, sleeping bags, food, lots of water, and sunscreen. We loaded ourselves and all our gear into a hired bus and drove the 2.5 hours to Zapotitlan Salinas, a pueblo in the state of Puebla where there is a botanical garden famous for its wide variety of habitats and its incredible array of cacti (yes, it's a semi-desert). We camped behind the neighboring masonry shop which provided us with a bathroom and a bunker with 2 outlets, as well as a señora who provides the main meal of the day in an outdoor cooking/dining space (which has inspired me to put one of these in my future home). We worked in teams of four students and one profe/grad-student to plan and complete a research project. This basically involved the first half of the week working outdoors collecting data and the second half giving presentations and writing lab reports. We then returned to Puebla very tired, very dirty, and (for me at least) VERY content with the whole experience. Seriously, to the point that I'm pretty sure that I want to live there for at least a few years of my life.

Our study system, of the family Solanaceae. Note that these two flowers are opposite morphs, with mirrored carpels (the really thin structure) and anthers (the big dark structure). The light-colored ones in the middle are also anthers, but they're symmetrical (they are also fully functional, we discovered).

Our project dealt with a plant in the tomato family and its flowers that have a property called enantiostilia (that's the Spanish word because I don't know the English word; I suspect it's very similar) which is basically that there are two morphs of the flower, one with the carpel (female reproductive organ) to the left and the anthers to the right, and the other with the carpel to the right and the anthers to the left. The effect of this is that the pollen only gets on one side of the bee's body, so a bee has to visit a flower of the opposite morph in order to result in pollination. Our project was basically a determination of the proportion of the morphs, their arrangement within the plant, determination of any differences between the morphs, and a trace of pollination with fluorescent powders. Basically it was awesome and has re-affirmed my love of biology/ecology. (Sorry for this news, geologists, but if it helps I took pictures of mountains and soils, stole a rock, and want to know why the top layer of dried-out mud is a different color than its equally-dry lower layers.)

Tell me why, Bob, tell me why.

When we gave our final presentations of our research projects, only one person from the team could actually give the presentation, and I was that person. I was super nervous to give a 20-minute presentation in Spanish to a large group, but afterward I felt really proud of myself. Several people congratulated me, saying that it was one of the better presentations, which is good because I was so nervous I literally remember standing in front and taking a deep breath before beginning, and I remember sitting back down afterward, but I remember nothing else about the presentation.

It was so great to be out of the city and so great to be camping. I love Puebla but I had forgotten how amazing rural places are. Nature is my church and it had been way too long since I'd attended. Also this is a pretty breath-taking area; it's the middle of the rainy season so lots of things were flowering and the landscape was relatively green. That said, I need to come back during the dry season because this was most definitely the most arid place I've ever seen. Everything I brought with me is now saturated with dust and sand, including my skin. I basically drenched myself in moisturizer after taking a much-needed shower upon my return.

My skin afterward. Oh no wait, that's a cactus. Same difference, really, except the cactus seems less sunburnt.

We were 6 people in the tent, which was great because we could both feel a sense of community and keep warm during the cold cold cold desert nights, but which was bad because invariably some wanted to stay up until the early morning and others wanted to wake up in the early morning, which resulted in none of us ever sleeping more than a few hours a night. But it was the BEST sleep deprivation! (As a note for those at home: the previous statement was a "Sara Joke"; I'm laughing hysterically right now and everyone thinks I'm crazy. Clearly nothing has changed much.)

2009-09-25T17:14:00.004-04:00

Sure, everybody knows that in Mexico people eat tacos, chiles, and flan (true story) but did you know that alphabet soup is also a common food here? Neither did I. I guess I should mention, however, that the Mexican version involves chayote, a type of squash that works its way into a wide variety of dishes.

(While I put no faith in the truth of the following statements, I still find what Wikipedia had to say about the chayote fun/interesting:

" * In Australia, where it is called choko, a persistent rumour has existed that McDonald's Apple Pies were made of chokos, not apples. This eventually led McDonald's to emphasise the fact that real apples are used in their pies. This legend was based on an earlier belief that tinned pears were often disguised chokos. A possible explanation for the rumour is that there are a number of recipes extant in Australia, that advise chokos can be used in part replacement of canned apples to make the fruit go farther, in making apple pies. This likely arose because of shortages of canned fruit in the years following World War Two, coupled with the fact apples do not grow in many tropical and sub-tropical parts of Australia and were therefore diffcult to obtain.

* Due to its purported cell-regenerative properties, it is believed as a contemporary legend that this fruit caused the mummification of people from the Colombian town of San Bernardo who extensively consumed it. The very well preserved skin and flesh can be seen in the mummies today."

So that was a little random, but anyway...

On Monday I will be going on a 7-day field trip with my biology class to Zapotitlan, a semi-desert in the state of Puebla. True to the typical style of Mexican academics (and anything else, really) we have been given hardly any information so I can't really say what to expect. All I know is that the trip is worth something like 50% of my grade for the course. I will take lots of pictures and hopefully not get bitten by a snake. Luckily, however, I will be with my good friend Dofus who has plenty of experience with the biology department field trips. (His other interests include playing futbol, taking me on food-related tours of the city, and not showing up to class on time.)

Dofus the perpetually tardy.

Fiestaaaaas

2009-09-20T11:03:00.003-04:00

Since a lot has happened this week, I'm going to break this into three main events:

El quince de septiembre (September 15th)

This is the Mexican Independence Day, and this year was the year before the bicentennial so it was extra-big and extra-important, even though it's the year BEFORE the bicentennial. This I find strange in general but in the context of everything I've learned about Mexico it makes complete sense. For example, if a one-day holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday the holiday is semi-officially "bridged" to include the Monday or Friday as well. As a note, since the actual day we had off from school was Wednesday (the 16th) there were very few students in classes all week long, due to the unofficial bridging on either side of the holiday.

Anyway, my quince was pretty tranquil. I actually went to the church of my host family (they're protestants- practically the only ones in Puebla) which was having a party that included games (super boring and dorky, but I was told by several people that usually they're really good; someone new was in charge), a potluck supper (words cannot describe the amazingness that is Mexican potluck), and performances by talented (and a few less talented) members of the church of traditional dances and songs.

Me with a group of young performers in the traditional dress of Chiapas.

After this I went to the house of my friend Cesar with Misa, Roy, Rebeca, and Jonatan (the posse) where Cesar's family was having a party with a mariachi band, more food, and various games (these were considerably more fun) in the style of scattergories and pictionary. I had a nice time but left relatively early (that is, around 2 AM ---> even the young children were still up partying) because I had developed a cold and needed to sleep. Another cultural lesson: nothing causes more people to fuss over you constantly than a nagging cough. I've learned to keep cough drops with me at all times just to keep from being attacked by concerned friends/mothers/aunts/children/pets.

la fiesta de bienvenidos

On Friday night was the big Welcome party the exchange program throws every semester. It's a semi-formal event where all of the students come dressed in traditional costume from various regions of Mexico. There is then socializing, wining, dining, and a performance by the "danza folklorica" troupe which also lends us the dresses and gives us dance classes throughout the semester. Then they break out the DJ and the rest of the night is spent dancing and drinking to a mixture of traditional tunes, modern melodies, and of course the Village People, an omnipresent force in Mexican music. I don't understand this phenomenon, but I'm certainly not complaining!

My dress, in the style of Jalisco, which literally weighs about 15 pounds because the skirt is so full.

After changing back into street clothes and on the dance floor with Rebeca and Misa.

Slowly but surely I'm learning how to dance and have found an excellent partner/teacher in the person of Misa. So far I can manage cumbia-esque songs and banda music. We attempted a duranguense number the other night (oh wait! This goes in the next section!) which needs some work; I don't think my hips/knees are physically capable of doing that. Salsa is next on the list, but I would honestly be happy just dancing to banda music for the rest of my life. I've written and erased about ten different descriptions of the steps and have decided that I'll just have to post a video.

la fiesta en la casa de Roy

And finally the parents of Roy (my host sister's novio) had a party yesterday at their ranch in Atlixco. A party which involved both the midday meal and supper (which occurred at about 10 PM). It was pretty low-key, with plenty of socializing, playing fetch with their two gigantic golden retrievers, music, dancing, relaxing, etc.

Misa relaxing before the majority of the guests arrived.

Me with Boris, one of the Goldens.

Whoa. Seriously whoa.

2009-09-16T12:49:00.003-04:00

So I have, like, so much to talk about.

This past Friday I was eating the midday meal (which occurs at around 3:30 pm) with my family, quietly preparing myself for an uneventful weekend, when I received a phone call from my host sister Rebeca. "Hola Sara, Quieres ir a la playa conmigo?" Do you want to go to the beach with me?

Today? Yeah, we'll leave around 6 this evening. Sure, why not? I envisioned us piling into her boyfriend Roy's car with a few friends, driving a few hours to a nearby beach, spending the evening, and driving back late but at some fairly reasonable hour.

Then she tells me "pack your suitcase and make sure you tell your program director, because we'll be going in an airplane. Okay, bye!" WHAT? Wait, details please?!?

So turns out (and honestly many of the details were only revealed to me as they happened; I was definitely along for the ride) we had been invited by a friend of Roy to a full weekend in Playa del Carmen, very close to Cancun and considered by many to be the prettiest beach in the world. We were flown there in a private jet (complete with sushi and champagne) and stayed for two nights in a very nice, very big house with the parents of one of the friends and a group of about 15 young people (all very nice!). We wined, we dined, we danced, we spent hours on the beach and hours at the pool, we watched the sun set and rise again, and generally just tired ourselves out. I have been in some very luxurious surroundings in my life (thanks Uncle Joe) but this was really rather outlandish.

Rebeca and me with the Lear Jet that flew us to and from Cancun

Actually, turns out that the airplane belongs to the government and much of our trip was funded by the governor of Puebla because it was his son who invited us. This was all revealed to me through the course of the weekend, but no one was too explicit about it. Now that I'm back within reach of Google I feel a little uncomfortable about it, but at least I know that if I get in trouble in Mexico I can call on some powerful friends.

But aside from political nuances, the trip was AMAZING. Friday when we arrived we went out dancing in the town of Playa del Carmen then watched the sun rise over the beach. Saturday we went to the beach just after brunch. The beaches are nothing but fine white sand and water that's about five different shades of blue. And of course tiny swimsuits, coconut tanning oil, and free-flowing Corona. We also drove into Cancun Saturday night and after dining at an incredible restaurant (I had the grilled octopus- oh yeah!) we went to the CoCo Bongo, a famous club and danced until closing time. Sunday we recovered floating in the pool and doing some light wandering around the town. Needless to say, the flight back was considerably more subdued than the the flight there.

Giovanna, myself, and Rebeca at the beach!!

I was sad to leave, but trying to keep up that pace for more than a weekend would kill me. Sigh.

Gooooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-10T22:47:00.006-04:00

So yesterday evening was a key futbol game between Mexico and Honduras, and I went with a bunch of friends (all people I have met through my host sister, either directly or indirectly) to a bar/grill and we watched the game! Luckily for anyone interested in crowd control Mexico won 1-0. The party continued long after the game was over, so this definitely fell into the category of homework for my favorite class, "Socializing in Spanish 302." It was really pretty epic to be part of the energy involved in this sort of event, and really great to be with such a fun group!

From left to right, Roy, Rebeca, and Jonatan; Roy and Rebeca (my host sister) are novios, and Jonny went to med school with Roy (his interests include staring contests, chelas, and bad English pick-up lines... oh and performing surgeries).

Me and Misael, the dynamic duo! It should also be noted that these photos are deceptive; they make it seem as though we were a small group, but our table was at least a dozen.

This morning came abruptly with biology class at 8:30 AM, but I survived the day gracefully, if a little sleepily (man, that Socializing class is hard work!). The day involved another food adventure, a dance class, and shoe shopping, so it pretty much is required to qualify as at LEAST an 8.0 or 8.5.

Gorditas (contrary to what Taco Bell would have you believe) are oblong puffy tortillas with a layer of frijoles inside, fried, laid flat, and topped with salsa, cheese, and pretty much any type of meat/topping you want. I ordered mine with "picadillo," a spicy ground beef mixture. It was also "bandera" style, which means that it is given the appearance of the Mexican flag by using both red and green salsa, with white cheese. I suppose there's no wrong way to eat a gordita, but the most popular (and practical) method is to fold it in half lengthwise and chow down!

The gorditas were, fashionably, accompanied by the omnipresent fruity sodas (orange, apply, mango, or tamarind) and followed with a block of peanut brittle and pig-shaped cookies which were reminiscent of over-baked sugar cookies, which sounds bad but was delicious.

So apart from parties and food, I have some news. If everyone could please become serious and furrow his or her brow...
I am now the proud owner of a brand new pair of Converse low-top Chuck Taylors. Yes, this does mean what you think: I will be disposing of the, erm, over-ripe pair that I've been wearing until now. RIP deja-shoes.

This blog post in loving memory of mis zapatos viejos.

Piñatas

2009-09-05T19:07:00.002-04:00

Official news:

"The Backyardigans" have reached Mexico, and are polluting the piñata supply. If you don't understand this reference, please do not Google it; you will only be adding to the problem.

zombies? Por supuesto!

2009-09-04T18:44:00.003-04:00

This week has pretty much been a "normal" one, with classes, food, and family. I have now officially tried empanadas, pelonas, guava, popcorn with chile sauce (I may never go back to butter), sangria, and torta de tamal with mole. All amazing.

My host sister's "amigo" officially became her "novio" earlier this week. I'm really happy for her, he's a really nice guy and she seems really REALLY happy. They went out to a fancy dinner and he asked her to officially become his girlfriend. I think I like this system; it's way more straightforward than the awkward "are we dating or are we friends or are we friends who go on dates?" thing that we do in the U.S.

That same night I hung out with some friends (actually friends of Roy who have become my friends) and we watched a horror film called "Rec" that's set in Barcelona (or maybe Madrid?) and is about zombies. It was brilliant; I highly recommend it. Blood, suspense, cute firefighters, Catholic dogma, violence, creepy children, emaciated monsters, government conspiracy, and Spanish all rolled into two hours. Yesssss.

Roy and his friends are all soon-to-be-doctors, and are studying for the culminating exam of their general medical training. (Which is why they were taking a movie study-break.) Apparently if they pass the exam, they can then go on to specialize. Because of the way the university system works here, a person becomes a doctor at a much younger age. The result of this is that when someone has a zombie-related heart attack, there will be help immediately available.

Classes:

I have finalized my class schedule, and will be taking History of the Mexican Revolution, Danza Folklorica, Methods of Biological Field Research, and Anthropology of Rural Societies. I like all my classes, but I really like the dance class. I'm so excited about the prospect of dancing in a big skirt and heels!!! ...Oh yeah, and learning stuff about other cultures and stuff...

torta de tamal

2009-08-31T23:10:00.000-04:00

Generally I am finding that I appreciate the music here, but I discovered this weekend that if you are ever somewhere with banda music you should either have an escape plan or a very strong drink (make that SEVERAL very strong drinks). There is such thing as enjoyable banda music, but you won't know what you've got until the accordion gets warmed up.

Latest food find: torta de tamal. It's pretty much a tamal stuffed into a bun, but what it lacks in elegance it makes up for in deliciousness. They come in several different types, including sweet (which are hot pink; further investigation required), mole, frijole, and various others. Mine involved chicken and something tomato-looking, but a friend ordered for me, so I missed the name. There was also a beverage consisting of warm milk, rice, and a big chunk of cinnamon stick. I would like to point out that this occurred during a short break from bio class, because our professor was using the pigeons that eat the crumbs left when the torta de tamal vendor pulls out some of the bread to make room for the tamal as an example of a study population. I love Mexico.

Lo que he aprendido

2009-08-30T15:08:00.002-04:00

1. There is a second Ulysses Anthony in the world; he lives in Puebla and is in my history class.

2. Mezcal is an alcoholic beverage made from the agave plant. While made from the same plant as tequila, it is far more delicious; muchas gracias to our new friends in Atlixco.

3. Even in southern-ish Mexico in August, it can be very cold.

4. The bagels here are better than those in Massachusetts. Far, far better. Hang your head in shame, puritans!

5. Even though I have worked very hard to avoid taking biology classes here, I am finding that they are the ones to which I am most strongly drawn.

6. If someone wants to date you (so I have been told) they ask you officially, publicly, and generally with flowers.

7. Chuck Taylors are more common here than in the USA. They are also more affordable.

8. The more time my host sisters and I spend together, the more I realize that we are very similar. This makes me very happy, and my new goal is to be able to convince at least one person that we are ACTUALLY sisters before I finish studying here. (I also look a lot like the older sister, so that helps.)

9. Key to an intense cardio workout: dance at high altitude.

10. The traditional formula for the typical gringo name = first name + middle name + paternal last name. The traditional formula for the typical Mexican name = first name + second name + paternal last name + maternal last name. People look at you funny when they ask you for your last name and you only give them one.

11. I miss pizza. When I return, I would like a lunchtime combo from "A Pizza and More" in Homer, with one slice of plain cheese pizza, one slice of that chicken pizza with the mustard-y sauce, and a large root beer.

Comida y compañeros

2009-08-25T14:30:00.007-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I was wandering around in the biology building searching for my classroom, and I ran into a guy who I had met earlier, as he is the best friend of the daughter of the General Director. We were chatting, and I mentioned that I live in el Carmen, a neighborhood near the central campus. He asked me (as has everyone to whom I've ever mentioned el Carmen) whether or not I've tried the famous cemitas del Carmen, a sandwich sold in the market. I replied that I had not, and he informed me that we needed to change that. So we and a few others (a mixture of US and Mexican students) met up after our classes and went on something of an eating tour of the neighborhood.

We began with paletas, popsicles, in various flavours. Lime, chocolate, and tuna (the fruit, not the fish) were among the mix, but my favorite was mango with chile. At first I was skeptical, but it's an amazingly complex, super-refreshing flavour.

After this, as well as plenty of wandering around the Centro, we hit the market. First on our list were aguas, drinks made of fruit and water, sold by the liter, which are somehow not quite juice and not quite smoothie, but which are undeniably delicious. And because we now had something to put out the fire of a spicy cemita, we went for it. While there are multiple cemita stands in the market, there is only one which attracts a crowd, and that is of course the one we visited (it was dinnertime, the wait was at least 15 minutes). The cemitas are made assembly-line style to accommodate the many customers, and you can watch them being made as you wait in line. Each gigantic sandwich costs 20 pesos, less than $2 US; It's no wonder they're popular.

This is the actual stand we went to. I stole the picture from the "Rancho Gordo" blog, which clearly did not visit at mealtime, since the line is fewer than 15 people.

The sandwiches (we got Milanesa style, but there are several others) consist of slice ham, a very thin piece of breaded and fried meat (I think beef, but I'm not completely certain), avocado, cheese (VAST amounts of cheese), chipotles, and a mixture of pickled jalapeños, carrots, and onions, all layered into an egg-y bun at least 8 inches in diameter. As a show of mercy, my new friends ordered my cemita with only half the jalapeño mixture, but it was still pretty darn picante.

After stuffing ourselves to the point of labored breathing, we wandered around the city for several hours, pausing to chill in a grassy park here, a fountain there, admiring the city as the street lights came on, and generally just getting an informal tour with a very cool group of people. We finished our evening at a coffee shop in the artist's barrio, with a live band, Modelo Negro (a Mexican beer), and rompope (sort of like eggnog).

See? Biology really is the coolest subject.

outrage/despair/confusion

2009-08-23T22:38:00.004-04:00

NEITHER HULU NOR PANDORA WORK IN MEXICO!!!!!!!!!

what will I do?

Chiles en Nogada

2009-08-22T23:29:00.005-04:00

Chiles en nogada, invented by nuns in Puebla, is a dish which consists of a poblano pepper stuffed with a mixture of pulled pork, fruit, almonds, and spices. This is then breaded and fried, and topped with nogada, a white sauce of cream, walnuts, almonds, and sugar. This is then garnished with pomegranate and cilantro, giving it the appearance of the Mexican flag (red, green, and white). It is considered by many to be the height of Poblano cuisine, and as I have discovered over the past two days (two whole DAYS!) it is also the height of complicated food. Thanksgiving move over, cuz there's a new boss in town.

Chiles en nogada: not a photo taken by me, because I was too busy stuffing my very happy face to deal with photography!

The saga began yesterday at noon with the preparation of the peppers themselves (which must be charred, the skin removed, and the innards scraped out) as well as the preparation of the filling. At least five different types of fruit must be diced and pre-cooked, pork must be slow-cooked and shredded, almonds must be blanched, skinned, and sliced, and countless other ingredients must be acquired and have stuff done to them. With five women in the kitchen for a straight 9 hours, we got the filling made and the peppers skinned. 25 peppers, that is, and a pan of filling big enough that I could LITERALLY curl up inside it if I wanted to.

This morning the peppers were stuffed, dredged in flour, and fried in a sort of indescribable meringue-type omelet thing which yields perfectly encased, golden peppers. Then the nogada: at least three blender-loads full of nuts, cream, spices, sugar, and cheese? were whirred together. Pomegranate kernels were carefully harvested, cilantro was washed and chopped (please bear in mind that washing a Mexican vegetable involves several changes of water, dishsoap, and disinfectant), and the good china was washed and laid out.

By this time it was 3 o'clock and the guests were due to arrive at any moment. After epic kitchen scrubbing we all dispersed to bathe and dress. I wore makeup and earrings; they were impressed. I realized that without a good dose of eyeliner I will never truly be Poblana.

(Side note: apparently no self-respecting Poblana woman would leave the house without makeup, hair-do, and very stylish outfit. Makeup is not generally subtle.)

So about 15 people show up, each with some other edible item (cakes the size of a small child) and we feast!!! Never had I imagined that any church potluck which I've ever attended could be so thoroughly out-done.

I recognize that the whole chiles en nogada thing sounds kinda strange, but it may be one of the better things I've eaten. I'm still not sure why we had this party, and truly was not aware until yesterday that it was going to occur, but I am definitely certain that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As I write it is nearly 11:00 PM, and the party just ended.

Classes begin!

2009-08-18T15:15:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was my first day of classes, and so far everything has gone far more smoothly than I expected. I managed to get to and from the C.U. on the camion without either getting lost or dying, then managed to find my building, my classroom, and my way back to the bus stop, all on time! So far I've only had 2 of my 4 classes, and I like them both. Economics/Politics of Latin America has a really great professor and a really sharp group of students. We'll see how it goes, because it's an upper-level class and I don't really have much experience in econ/gov, but so far I'm completely following everything he's taught us. The other class I've had so far is history of the Mexican Revolution, which was fine, but we basically just went over the syllabus.

Ah, syllabi! These are apparently very VERY rare in the Mexican university system, which tends to present a serious obstacle to us anal-retentive New England-bred college kids. So needless to say, I appreciated the organizational skills of my history professor, but I also don't feel freaked out by the other prof's lack of a syllabus. (Lucky, because I wasn't quite sure how I'd take it.)

In other news, I went to the cinema with my host brother, sisters, and a bunch of their friends. We saw "The Hangover" (subtitled in Spanish) and had a great time! I think we were all a little surprised by how vulgar the movie is, because apparently its Mexican rating was approximately equivalent to PG-13, and it is definitely NOT a PG-13 movie. Other than some shocking scenes, we enjoyed the movie and really enjoyed each other's company.

I also had a meeting today with the Director of the Biology facultad, who basically suggested that in place of a class I should work with a professor on a project. This basically rocks my socks! It will be a great opportunity to make connections, as well as tackle a local issue. I meet with the possible professors some time this week.

Fotos!

2009-08-15T20:38:00.009-04:00

For sale at a stoneworker's co-op. Muy padres y muy caros!

On top of the Pyramid of the Sun!

Chocolate cake. Need I say more?

Peacock at the Dolores Olmeda museum; he was giving a show.

Me at Frida Kahlo's house, "la Casa Azul"

A cathedral in Cholula, notable for its exterior of Talavera and for its interior of Indigenous handiwork

El aguacero torrencial

2009-08-15T19:36:00.004-04:00

So for my entire time in Puebla, everyone has been talking about this torrential rain that occurs nearly everyday this time of year. This rain, which had been completely absent, came this afternoon in a magnificent tour de force. My (American) neighbor and I had planned to meet at my house, walk the 10 minutes to the Zocalo, and see a performance by the Ballet Folklorico. I could see that it was raining in the courtyard, but it seemed a gentle sprinkle. Upon stepping onto the street, I discovered that what is a gentle sprinkle in the protection of a courtyard can be more like a hurricane on the open street. We made it about 50 feet before we decided that, despite our raincoats and umbrellas, we would rather be home and dry than soaking wet and cold at a dance performance (which is really saying something since we saw the Ballet Folklorico in Mexico City, and it was honestly one of the best performances I've ever seen). We turned tail and headed back to our respective houses. Upon stepping back into the kitchen, my host brother Enrique took one look at me, began laughing, and assured me that he knew this would happen, but that he wanted me to find out for myself. In summary, after less than a full minute outside, even with a huge umbrella, I was soaked to the skin. No lie, and it's still raining.

So about the courtyard: every building in the city has a courtyard, some very modest and others very impressive. The aesthetic result of this is that the streets are narrow, lined by drab walls on both sides, and nearly devoid of any decoration, because all of the vegetation, ornamentation, and life is encapsulated in the courtyards. It's like stepping into a different world, from one which can only be described as stark, to one which is composed of fountains and talavera and tropical plants and color and birds. For this reason, never believe that what you see is necessarily what there is.

Speaking of delicious fillings, today in the neighboring city of Cholula, I discovered tlatloyos. These are like fat masa pockets filled with beans and cheese, and topped with salsa and more cheese. They're soft and super-delicioso! Also, for breakfast my host mom made me a dish called "migas" which means "crumbs." It seemed to consist of scrambled eggs with pieces of ham and tortilla, and probably cheese. She informed me that it's a dish from Chihuahua, in northern Mexico, and was always considered a poor-man's dish. It has, however, apparently become very gourmet. It is indisputably delicious.

Also worth mentioning is that today is the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, so there has been massive partying going on all day in this almost entirely Catholic region. As I write, there are firecrackers going off and church bells tolling. Apparently these firecrackers (I call them that, but they're really more like a small bomb that shoots into the sky like a firework, but gives off no light) are a tradition of the indigenous peoples in Mexico that has become a very important part of religious celebrations. Good for them, but all day we've been ducking to avoid what invariably seems like very nearby gunfire. Additionally, we visited a church in Cholula, and it was decorated super-fancy for the festival. Observe: the picture on the floor is made of sand and there was a life-size Mary corpse on a pyre sort of thing of fruits and vegetables and flowers.

As a final note, I'm getting into the whole telenovela scene, and am currently watching "Sortilegio" which I like because it's dramatic enough that I like to make fun of it, but also believable enough that I want to find out what happens to the characters.

Hasta luego!

El C.U, y los camiones

2009-08-13T23:55:00.004-04:00

Today I discovered exactly why there are dashboard Jesus figurines and posters of the Virgin Mary all over the public buses, "camiones," of Puebla. Never have I experienced such speed, lane changes, and prayer all in one place. Despite being rather adrenaline-laced, it turns out that the bus system is really easy to use. The buses are color-coded, come so frequently that no schedule is needed, will pick you up on any corner, and will give you change even for large bills (which I also discovered today). I will be using this system to get to and from the larger of the two main campus areas, the C.U. and el Centro. I can walk to the Centro, but the C.U., where I will have half my classes, requires vehicular transport.

Classes begin on Monday and I'm totally psyched! Today we toured the C.U., yesterday we toured the Centro, and tomorrow we will tour el Zocalo, the town square. I can also walk to the Zocalo, where there is plenty of shopping, festivities, and couples making out. (Note: the frequency and passion of such public make-out sessions has completely surprised me; from what I've heard, that sort of thing qualifies as a major no-no, but apparently I have either been misled, or the youth of Puebla are flipping taboos a big fat bird.)

Fruit: Mangoes rock my socks. They rocked my socks before I got here, but I now know that the U.S. public is being lied to; the mangoes we eat in the U.S. are hard, bitter, and fibrous in comparison with the supremely delicate and sinfully delicious Mexican mango. I also have now discovered that "tuna" in its best form is not in fact a large marine fish, but instead the fruit of a cactus which is something like cucumber meets apple. They are also symbolic of virgins, delicious but cloaked in thorns. In either green or red, the little fruit deserves mention. In conclusion, if someone offers you a tuna popsicle, please accept.

P.S. I'm still having picture uploading problems to this blog, but Facebook now ACTUALLY has photos. Also, check out my friend Joelle's blog for more detailed info/another point of view at www.bellajoella.blogspot.com and please know that I didn't ask Joelle's permission to send you there. If you ARE Joelle, please let me know if this bothers you, and I'll remove any reference to your blog. (Joelle has also informed me that the spelling is jitomate, not ghitomate, so if you and Rick Bayless were having a failure to communicate, now you know why!)

Mi Familia Poblana

2009-08-12T23:53:00.002-04:00

I’m finally moved in with my family in Puebla, and I can’t imagine a better match! After all the waiting (and sightseeing) it’s great to be able to dispel any worries I had. My family is so sweet and caring, and made me to feel immediately at home. The rather large family begins with my “mamá,” Alba, and her husband, mi papacito. Both are retired; papacito is 85 years old, but he tells everyone that he’s 90. He always is pulling someone’s leg. Alba just rolls her eyes and asks if he wants more coffee.

Alba also has a daughter, Genie, who lives here with her husband (very knowledgeable about EVERYTHING), three kids, and three poodles. Genie is a French teacher, but is at home until the school year starts. The eldest of her children is a daughter of 21, the middle a daughter of 18, and the youngest a son of 16. We get along really well, and I’m really glad to have family members my age. Rebecca, the eldest, attends the BUAP as well, and Marta, the middle child, finds out in a few days whether she passed the BUAP entrance exams. The three of us might all be there together!

I chose my classes today, but plan on changing a few of them once I find out what other classes are available to me. They couldn’t provide us with any info concerning science classes, but I have a meeting on Monday to discuss biology classes with a bio major at the BUAP. As it stands, I have a folkloric dance class, history of the Mexican Revolution, migration and new conceptions of “rural”, and a survey of Mexican and Latin American politics and economics. I think the survey class will probably be replaced with some good local ecology class, but I can’t say for sure. I *might* even find a good geology course, but we’ll see.

Oh, and most importantly: food. As I suspected it would, Mexican food has turned out to be rather different than the American conception of it. Carrot soup, followed by tortillas filled with potato fried, topped with salsa verde and sour cream made up our dinner/lunch/big meal thing at mid-afternoon today. (Of note here, is that in Mexico City the word for tomato is “tomate” and the word for tomatillo is “ghitomate.” Here in Puebla, the exact reverse is true; tomates are green and ghitomates are red.

So, between writing this paragraph and the last I have been fed again. This time a ham and cheese melt on a croissant twice the size of my hand. Just a little snack, you see! In keeping with this sort of behavior on the part of my mamá, I’m going to be seriously gordita by the time I return home.

In conclusion, I love it here!

el D.F.

2009-08-07T23:15:00.002-04:00

The internet isn't being cooperative, so while I have plenty of wonderful videos and photographs to upload, they'll just have to wait.

Dinner last night was fantastic! We went to a restaurant called "El Lugar de las Mariachis" (the place with the mariachis), which involved a mariachi band, various vocalists, a trick roper, and a group of folkloric dancers. So impressive!

Today was something like a forced march through the history of Mexico, guided by the lovely Ivan. We started out at 10 AM, and visited the Palacio Nacional, the main governmental seat, replete with murals by Diego Rivera which all seemed to require a very long explanation and nowhere to sit down. Actually, they were all really awesome, and it was sort of surreal to see them in person. Apparently, however, I am more affected by high altitude than my peers, so I was a little on the grouchy side and wanted nothing more than to sit somewhere and rest my eyes.

Also at the Palacio were exhibits about Benito Juarez, including the bedroom in which he died.

After the Palacio Nacional, we visited the Templo Mayor, which is an Aztec ruins right in the middle of the city, surrounded on all sides by vociferous venders selling anything you might ever want. That has to be one of my favorite things about Mexico so far; old and new are intertwined completely and inescapably.

Lunch was at a very nice restaurant (we're SO pampered here), and I managed to revive myself a little and improve my mood.

After lunch we went to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and saw a bunch of murals, some by Diego Rivera, and others by people whose names I don't really remember, but whose murals contained exclusively violent imagery. I actually would like to go back and take more time to look. There's so much detail in each of Rivera's murals that it seems impossible to take it all in at once.

El primer día

2009-08-06T18:50:00.006-04:00

We made it to Mexico City! No travel problems other than feeling terminally confused (get it? airport pun?), but luckily I had Cat, a fellow JYA Smithie who flew down with me, to make sure I got into the country. We were met just past customs by the program directors and assistants, who helped us feel really welcomed. That is, less terrified...

We all ate a late lunch together at a Friendly's-type place near our hotel, which was pretty darn good! First meal in Mexico = chilaquiles con salsa roja + bottled water.

This is the view from our hotel room. I'm rooming with Sarah from Wheaton College, and so far we're getting along well. It should be noted, however, that we've only spoken in Spanish, so our conversation hasn't really been that intense. I am sure, however, that in a few days' time we will have gotten more into the swing of things. It's all really overwhelming right now, but so far I'm pretty convinced that studying abroad was one of the better choices I've made. Mexico for the win!

One more day

2009-08-05T00:30:00.002-04:00

Only one more day in New York before I leave. I'm tying up loose ends and getting the packing process started. I think I've gotten a pretty good idea of what I'll be bringing, and it's all laid out on my bed, just waiting to be crammed into a suitcase. I've tried to take a minimalist approach, so hopefully I won't get there and wind up only having clothes for three days or having to wear sneakers with EVERYTHING!

I'm still nervous, but the whole thing seems more and more real. Saying goodbye to so many people has helped make it seem more concrete.

The Saga Begins

2009-08-01T02:14:00.005-04:00

In only a few days I will set out from the familiar, comfortable northeastern United States for our neighbor to the south, Mexico. I will live with a host family in Puebla, a city of approximately 3 million outside of Mexico City. I will attend classes at the BUAP (think big public university) and soak up a new culture for the next two semesters.

I was informed today that I need to keep a careful record of this little adventure, and that a blog would be the best way to reach everyone who might be interested in what I'm up to. Therefore, I hereby christen this blog "JYA Puebla," and make a solemn pledge to try really, really hard to keep it updated with photos, anecdotes, and the occasional emotion.

Today was my last day of work, and I have spent the evening packing up to head back home for a few days before I fly to Mexico City. I'm a little nervous about this whole Mexico thing, but my excitement far outweighs any trepidation I might be experiencing. I can't wait to meet my host family!

We were each sent a photograph of our host mothers; mine is named Alba. She seems nice, don't you think?