Day trips! What fun!

On Thursday (09/24) I went to the D.F. with two friends who are also exchange students in la BUAP, but not foreign exchange students. They're from Ciudad Juarez. In fact, I think I introduced them in my last post. The objective of our trip was the presentation of a book. Last year Miguel and Eduardo worked with Dr. Consuelo Pequeño, who was editing a book about the border between Mexico and the US. Thursday was the presentation of that book. Before the presentation, we went to el Castillo de Chapultepec because Miguel had never been there before and he loves museums, and we're all history geeks-I mean, history majors. I've already seen el Castillo because I went with the program, but when I visited in August I was tired, hot, and bored at the end of a long day, so I enjoyed my visit much more last Thursday! 

The Castillo has served several purposes over the years. It was constructed in 1785, and abandoned during the Mexican War of Independence. 

The Castle became a military academy in 1833. In 1837, los niños heroes (boy heroes) died defending the Castle during the War of the North American Invasion. This mural honoring los niños heroes is my favorite thing in the Castle. Miguel's favorite thing? The prosthetic wooden leg of Santa Anna. Why do the weird ones always find me?

El Castillo de Chapultepec was the home of Emperor Maximilian, and later Porfirio Díaz. In 1939 President Lázaro Cardenas delcared it to be the National History Museum, and the museum opened in 1944.

This is a view of Mexico City from the balcony of the Castle. It just goes on forever!

After visiting the museum, we walked around in El Bosque de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Forest) which kind of reminds me of Central Park, in that both are enormous, and both have lakes and monuments, and ice cream for sale. Then we ate, and took a taxi to the bookstore. At the presentation I met Dr. Pequeño and she gave me her book! It's called Cultura e Identidad en la Frontera México-Estados Unidos (Culture and Identity on the MX-US Border). I've started it and it's really interesting. Also, it will help with my International Relations class, which has a large focus on the border because I'm studying the history of relations between MX and the US. 

Today we went to Tlaxcala, the capital of the smallest state in Mexico. 

Me in front of a chicken statue en el zócalo in Tlaxcala.

It rained in the early afternoon, but later on the rain stopped and we had a good time walking around the streets in el centro. We went to a small history museum with some interesting exhibits about the colonial era, and an art museum which was exhibiting the work of Columbian painter Fernando Botero. They were well done, and moving, but also tough to look at. Very violent and sad. The paintings dealt with violence related to drug trafficking in Columbia. While walking around the museum I had this strong sense of deja vu, then just now I remembered that I've seen his work before. He did a very interesting series of paintings about torture at Abu Ghraib. Here's a link:

http://www1.american.edu/cas/katzen/museum/2007nov_botero.cfm

 Right before we got on the bus to return to Puebla, we climbed these stairs to see what was at the top. The guy in the red sweatshirt is Eduardo. Also, this picture is deceptive; in real life there are way more stairs!

View of Tlaxcala from the top of the stairs! 

The Word of the Day is mofles. I've seen this word so many times and today I figured out that it means mufflers!

A long-overdue update.

I'd like to begin by informing you that my host family has more Tupperware than any family needs, ever. I'm not sure why. This evening Mari was valiantly searching for lids and discarding the lidless containers, and there are more than 50 and less than 200. That is my best estimate.

In non-kitchen related news, Mexican independence day was last week! To celebrate, I went to el zócalo with a friend from the program, and met her friends. They are exchange students from Ciudad Juarez, and they're history majors. I ate chalupas, which are a traditional fiesta food because they are covered in white cream, red salsa, and green salsa, the colors of the Mexican flag. We watched some performances on a stage set up in the zócalo even though it was raining, and at 10:30 PM-ish there were fireworks, and el grito, which is when the governor of Puebla comes out on the balcony of the Palacio de Gobierno Municipal and yells, "Viva México!" among other phrases regarding the heroes of the republic. I found Mexican independence day to be very different than fourth of July. For one thing, el 16 de Sepiembre is a Very Big Deal here. Many, many people go to the zócalo of their city/town to celebrate, and those who don't probably watch el grito on television. There are parties, big and small. In the US most people have small parties with their family and friends, and maybe go to a parade or to see fireworks. Fourth of July just doesn't have the overwhelmingly nationalistic feel of Mexican independence day. Some other time I'll share my thoughts regarding Mexican nationalism. For now, here re some pictures!

Miguel, Me, Sarah

Some blurry pictures of the fireworks

Friday, September 18 was the welcome festival for my program. I thought it was a bit late for a welcome festival because we arrived August 6, but who really needs to justify a fiesta? A good time was had by all, especially my host mom because she loves to dance, and the band was a lot of fun. Everyone wore a traditional Mexican dress, and I wore a yarn snake in my hair! And I wanted to keep my huipil (the tip); it was so comfortable and pretty. Alas, I had to return the outfit. I was not sad to let the yarn snake go. 

My host mom's sister Gabi, Me and my yarn snake, my host mom

Saturday the 19th I went to a wedding in a very small town with my host mom and her sister. The bride was the daughter of my mom's close friend. The pueblo San Nicholas is more like a large neighborhood than a small town, and it's about an hour outside of Puebla. We arrived just in time for the party after the ceremony. The family set up a tent in the vacant lot next to their house, and decorated it with cut paper chains and beautiful flowers. The food was so good! The abuelas made the best molé ever, and fresh hot tortillas and tamales. There was so much food left over, so we took some home with us and we're still eating it. What stands out most in my memories of the wedding? First, an image of the bride in her white dress with lace, posing for a picture in front of the family's pig enclosure. Second, everyone was so welcoming! The groom and bride made the rounds (bride while wearing heels!) and personally greeted every single person at the fiesta, asking us if we needed more food or anything else. At an American wedding the bride and groom stand still and everyone else walks past them in the receiving line. On the way back from the wedding we stopped at a roadside stand for elotes asadas, which are grilled ears of corn. I ate mine covered in lime, salt, and very spicy ground chiles, and my host mom and her sister added mayonaise and grated cheese to the mix. I still don't understand the Mexican culinary fascination with mayonaise. 

Stay tuned for updates on exciting things, like my trip to the DF tomorrow, my volunteer job, and the upcoming program excursion to Cuetzalan!

Word of the Day: Cohetes! It means fireworks.

What did I expect?

Thursday my International Relations professor asked us exchange students about our preconceived notions of Mexico: what did we expect to see here? 

I thought really hard. I studied the history of Mexico a bit at Smith, and I read La Jornada and the Huffington Post for news of Mexico for months before I got here, so of course I must have had some expectations. But I really can't think of very many. I guess I expected Mexico City to look more like New York, in terms of skyscrapers and subways, and then I discovered that Mexico City looks like the end of the world. Yet mostly I was surprised by things I never considered, like children on the street with no parents in sight, and the men and boys who will wash your windshield for a few pesos. I continue to be surprised by the rampant poverty. My IR professor told us that almost half the population of Mexico has a yearly income below the official poverty level. I also discounted the importance of colonialism in shaping the nation, which is a very silly thing for a history major to do. I guess I've always been interested in the history of indigenous peoples, and how Mexico's indigenous past shaped the country's present. But now I think that Mexico today was shaped just as much by New Spain as it was by the Maya and Aztecs, etc. I think one reason I continue to be surprised by Mexico is my lack of preconceived notions. Mostly I just expected Mexico to be different from the United States. Different how? I didn't know. When I imagine other countries, I end up with similar results. I read the news, read books, and so on, but when I try to imagine what it must be like to live in another country, I draw a blank. Sometimes I think this means I suffer from lack of a vivid imagination, and sometimes I think it's a good thing. I show up in a new country (which for me is any country outside of America del Norte), and I am a blank page, waiting for the story. 

On another topic, yesterday I went to see a pop/rock concert with a chica from PMCSP. I can't for the life of me remember the group's name, but they played, "Somebody to Love" by Queen and it reminded me of a Luna lover I miss sooooooo much. Después del concierto, we went to eat churros. They're kind of like fried dough, only better. She had a churro with maple honey, clearly a good choice. I opted for chocolate. When in doubt, always opt for chocolate. Next weekend me and aforementioned chica are going to Tlaxcala, the capital of the smallest state in Mexico. I'm excited! 

Classes are going well. I have a lot less academic stress here. That's one thing I do not miss about Smith: the academic panic that happens at least twice a week and a lot more before finals. My Temática de Colonia class will be taking a lot of field trips in September and October. Expect pictures! I don't think I ever went of a field trip with a Smith class, except for hiking in geology labs. 

Word of the Day: colchón. It means mattress. My host mom had to buy a new colchón for a woman who rents a room here because the old one finally died. 

It goes without saying that I miss all of you, too too much. Also, I am forgetting how to spell simple English words. For instance, I just spent about 2 minutes considering the word, "Goes." You mean it isn't spelled "Gos?"

¡Buenas noches!

My first dance class in years!

Today I had my first folkloric dance class! I couldn't stay for the whole class because I have a schedule conflict, but so far danza folklórica seems more like jogging, jumping, and shuffling. It's a workout! I was definitely panting and sweating. It was fun, though. I think I'm going to enjoy having mandatory physical activity. 

Other updates...My mom has been making me this really tasty orange juice, but the oranges are green! Also, I had mole for lunch and dinner! It wasn't very spicy and it was delicious. I need the recipe. And Mari made green salsa again. I love green salsa. Mari and I watch my new favorite novela on weeknights. It's called, "Mujer Comprada," which means "Bought Woman." It's about a woman named Angelica who agreed to be a surrogate mother for Laura because Laura can't have children. Angelica needs the money because her mom has some sort of illness. I don't know what, but Angelica's mom has been in the hospital since the first episode. So Laura is paying all of the hospital bills for Angelica's mom, and all of Angelica's baby-related medical expenses too, and on top of that she's also just giving Angelica some money. But Angelica's having second thoughts. And of course because it's a novela, there's a lot more drama and scandal. I like it best because it began a couple of weeks ago, so I've seen almost every episode and I know what's going on. When you start watching a novela in the middle it can be tough to keep the characters straight. I am always bothering Mari with questions about who is doing what, and why. 

Tomorrow I have only one class (danza folklórica), so I think I will buy some dance clothes, and do homework of course. 

Word of the Day: anaranjada. It's the color orange. Naranja is the fruit orange. 

Fruitfruitfruit.

Today I had fresh squeezed orange juice and it was so good! I think there was another type of fruit mixed in there because there were small brown seeds in the bottom of my glass. It was so citrus-y! I also had little guavas (guabaya en español), seeds and all. Yesterday I ate tuna, not the raw fish that I love so much, but a cactus fruit. It's very sweet. I think I prefer agua de tuna more than just plain tuna. Mexico is a good place to be for those who enjoy fresh fruit. Every day I eat papaya, mango, cantaloupe (this is a tricky word to spell), and avocados, and sometimes I eat tuna, mamey, and guavas. And there's fruit I haven't tried yet! New favorite food group? I think so. 

I wrote postcards yesterday. Now I just need to mail them. I'm going to ask my host mom about the mail at supper.

Today I had my International Relations class, but the professor didn't show up. However, she emailed the lesson plan to a girl in my class, so we broke up into two groups and discussed La Guerra de la Invasión Norteamericana (the War of the North American Invasion in Mexico, AKA the Mexican-American War in Estados Unidos). I was impressed that the students participated in discussion even when the professor was absent. I guess it's common at Smith too. It never fails to impress me when people take responsibility for their education. 

After class I walked around with some students, and had a conversation with a political science major. Brief moment of language jealousy: he speaks Spanish, decent English, and a little bit of French and German. He's a nice kid, a lot like me. We talked about books and movies mostly, though we also had a lively discussion about Cuba (his question, "Why doesn't the US permit its citizens to travel to Cuba?"). It's good to socialize, especially in Spanish. We walked to a bar with lots of students waiting to get in, but then I went back to my house because I didn't bring any ID with my age. Here I'm old enough to hang out in a bar. Lesson learned: always bring driver's license so that I can prove I am 20. 

Now it's raining pretty hard. It rains almost every evening, but that hasn't affected any of my plans yet so I don't mind. I know all this rain is good for the FRUIT! 

Tomorrow I have International Relations again. Every Friday I have to hand in an essay for IR. Today I wrote about the Civil War and its effects on US-MX relations. Interesting stuff. I think it's my hardest class, but also my favorite. 

My sister went to Hampshire today, and Smithies who are in the US have check in Sunday and Monday, I think. Good luck to everyone!

Word of the day: Mamey. 

Definition from Wikipedia: "The fruit is eaten raw out of hand or made into milkshakes, smoothies, ice cream and fruit bars. The fruit's flavor is variously described as a combination of pumpkin, sweet potato, and maraschino cherries with the texture of an avocado. Some consider the fruit to be an aphrodisiac."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamey_sapote