Sunday, September 21, 2014

I feel like I have finally settled into my school routine, balancing my internship, two days a week in a private school, balancing my work load, five classes, plus enjoying my new surroundings. I have found that sometimes, you'll just be tired; get over it and enjoy what your world has to offer. I was happy I adventured out to a Cuban bar on a week night to experience live music and salsa dancing. I sat and watched in aw as women twirled, led by men they have never danced with before, yet somehow they spoke the same dancing language. It was a beautiful sight to see and encouraged me to take my dance lessons at the Tec more seriously. They have probably been dancing for many many years, we all start somewhere.        (San Miguel de Allende pictured)

Last weekend we took a day trip to San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful colonial city with the highest Caucasian population in Mexico, the place where gringos go to retire. The churches are plentiful and magnificent. Used in colonial times to convert and teach the natives the story of Christ. The churches are elaborate and Jesus is present in many scenes of suffering, think nativity scenes. The message may be clear to a historian, but I still struggle with how an indigenous person, speaking a completely different language might have interpreted the story of Christ when the Spanish arrived. It has been a truly enlightening experience to learn about Latin American history. I am able to go downtown to the market to mail a letter and see exactly what we talked about in class. Studying abroad is truly the best way to learn a subject, make a connection and experience the content. It is bringing together all of the things I have learned in school while allowing me to question more. I have a unique opportunity in Mexico to learn through my classes: history of education in Mexico, Latin American history, a literature class, spanish communication geared towards Mexican culture plus my internship working in a 5th grade classroom twice a week. I learn, I see. I learn, I do. I learn, I experience. Queretaro is a colonial city like that of San Miguel de Allende but with even more historical and governmental significance, on a grander scale. This morning I am off to the biggest, oldest market in Queretaro to buy a blanket and some produce, maybe walk around downtown a little bit. The country is getting ready for Independence Day next week and the town is turning green and red with pride. I love my city, my country and I wonder what I will learn today.




(Queretaro pictured)

Saturday, September 6, 2014

My first weekend adventure

My past weekend was simply a dream. We took two buses and a taxi deep into the heart of Huasteca, a region in the mountains with a very jungle like climate. We arrived, six foreigners (two from the States, one from Canada, another from Turkey, and lastly, Germany) at los Tipis Friday afternoon and immediately felt relaxed and right at home.
 I woke up that morning and took a bath and read my book on the roof of the main yellow building and enjoyed views of green, dense jungle that covered the mountain side. Later that afternoon we walked up the hill to the surreal statue gardens of Edward James, a man from England who escaped the everyday world to create his own dream land. His property had waterfalls with swimming pools, massive buildings of detailed staircases and floral accents. He created his own world.



Later that evening we hired a tour guide to take us to El Sotano de guayguay's, a huge cave/ sinkhole and a good hike into the jungle. Every night 100,000's of sparrows return home. The first circle above in a group, then by some force of nature, dive into the cave at great speeds. They sounded like whips shooting into the cave. Green parrots crowded the trees around the caves and squawked at the show. Apparently it is good luck if you get pooped on, and all of us were lucky that day. We ate enchiladas huastecas from the local natives that take care of the land. Most of the tiny towns in the mountains are indigenous (I learned in class that Mexico has 69 different spoken languages thanks to the native population, and sadly indigenous languages world wide are rapidly going extinct and unspoken). Our bus ride home the next day transported many going to and from the big Sunday markets to feed their families or sell their products. I feel like we got to experience a whole different culture in Mexico. It was beautiful. It was a small insight on the different social situations in Mexico and the big difference between urban, city living and life on the outside.