Well, this post is three months late, but I wanted to put a final "end" to this chapter of my blog adventure :)
After a hectic summer balancing two internships in two different countries, moving every two to three weeks, and working hard to both create and maintain community, I have been so grateful for the past week to just be at home. Tomorrow, the chaos begins again as I start my senior year of college at two universities (isn't life fun?).
My time in Xalapa was truly enjoyable. It was hard, sure -- from loneliness to the expected struggles of living in a new culture and learning another language, I struggled. But it was worth it, and I think that coming away from the experience I have absolutely learned much about myself, about what it means to live alone, about just what life can be like in Mexico... The list could go on and on.
I hope to some day be able to return to Xalapa, or have the opportunity to live in another country for an extended time. I won't do things the same way, but then, that's what this was: a learning experience. I certainly don't regret how things turned out! :D
To all of my friends from this spring semester, both at home and abroad: muchísimas gracias. You helped keep me sane, and made life fun and exhilarating and chaotic and sometimes stressful. I love you guys.
Until next time,
Meg
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Monday, June 1, 2015
Transiciones
After more than a month of no posts, I'm back! Sorry for the break -- things got chaotic and are just now settling down (though only for a day or so!).
If I have time this week I'll write about the end of my spectacular semester in Xalapa, Veracruz. But if not, keep an eye out for more posts this summer! I'll be very busy: at the moment I am working at a resettlement agency to help parents of children in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras bring their children here to the US. It's a wonderful job so far, and I look forward to continuing! Also, I leave in a few days to go back to Mexico (this time only for a month) to work on the US-Mexico border with a mission I know and love.
I may not update frequently, but I hope to give an occasional update here as I have time!
If I have time this week I'll write about the end of my spectacular semester in Xalapa, Veracruz. But if not, keep an eye out for more posts this summer! I'll be very busy: at the moment I am working at a resettlement agency to help parents of children in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras bring their children here to the US. It's a wonderful job so far, and I look forward to continuing! Also, I leave in a few days to go back to Mexico (this time only for a month) to work on the US-Mexico border with a mission I know and love.
I may not update frequently, but I hope to give an occasional update here as I have time!
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Vacaciones de Semana Santa
Hello again! As we all know, this past Sunday was Easter, and I was fortunate enough to be able to celebrate Christ's resurrection in a foreign country, but still with a part of my (biological) family :)
The week leading up to Easter I had spring break - a glorious week of no class, no work, no worries. And to top it all off, my mom was able to come visit for the week! We had a wonderful time, and while I won't go into everything that we did (and trust me, we crammed a LOT into one short week!), I would like to mention a few highlights.
My mom flew down on Palm Sunday, and I took a shuttle from Xalapa to the Veracruz airport to meet her. I knew I'd be excited to see her, but when I finally saw her I was sooo happy! :) Her luggage arrived without problems, and we grabbed a cab and then a bus to Puebla. It was a long trip -- and I know it felt even longer for Mom!! But we finally made it to our hotel, cobbled together dinner from the neighborhood Oxxo, and went to sleep.
In Puebla, we explored the historic district all day. We took a double-decker bus tour, and I got a lot of practicing translating quickly for Mom! Of course we visited the main cathedral, which has the tallest towers of any cathedral in Mexico. Just before lunch we took a brief walk down Calle Dulce, where they sell all manners of sweets and also have a talavera workship, and managed to escape with just a few talavera coasters and two small bags of chocolate-covered candy-coated almonds. The talavera shop was great -- we walked around looking at all of the beautiful handmade pieces, and when we reached the back room we saw the actual workshop off to the side! I enjoyed taking a few minutes to watch the artists painting the pottery pieces, bringing beautiful designs into full color out of thin air. If you ever get the chance to go to Puebla, make sure you see at least one talavera workshop! Later on in the afternoon we visited Museo Amparo, which houses a beautiful collection of art, but also has a rooftop terrace with some of the most beautiful panoramas I have ever seen.
The next day we took the bus back to Veracruz, which was significantly hotter than Puebla! After cooling off in our hotel for a few minutes, we took a taxi to the Acuario of Veracruz. It was a lot of fun, and the perfect way to be entertained without exhausting ourselves. We saw tropical birds, sharks, lots and lots of fish, jellyfish, otters(!), manatees, dolphins, and penguins! Although many of the tanks were kind of hard to see into -- particularly the manatees and dolphins -- the aquarium was still fun. After we finished, we walked around the "beach" of Veracruz and enjoyed people watching. It seemed like there were more people on the beach than sand!
On Wednesday, we had breakfast at the famous Gran Café de la Parroquía, where I ordered the famous lechero. The waiter serves you a glass cup with just a bit of coffee in the bottom, and when you are ready for your drink, you tap your spoon on the side of your glass. A "milk boy" then comes and pours the milk into your glass from quite a height -- probably two to three feet! While the lechero was certainly delicious, I don't think it was drastically better than others I've had (I know, I shouldn't say that!). After breakfast, we took a tranvía tour of Veracruz, and then went to San Juan de Ulúa. San Juan started off as a castle, quickly became a military fort (and defended Veracruz against pirates and even the United States). Over the years, both the French and the Americans occupied the fort at various times, but the city of Veracruz was ultimately victorious in expelling the invaders. For each successful expulsion, the city gained the title of "heroic" -- today, Heróica Veracruz is four times heroic! After the Mexican Revolution, the fort was largely converted into a prison for political prisoners. As you can see in one of the pictures below, the cells would have been a miserable place to stay: cramped, wet, dark, and sticky-hot.
Thursday we took an easier trip to the archeological site of Cempoala. Though the bus we took to reach the ruins dropped us at what seemed like a normal neighborhood, a short walk brought us to the site. Meaning "place of twenty waters" in Nahuatl, this city of the Totonac people was incredibly important, and one of the first places in America which Hernan Cortés encountered. Formerly home to an estimated 30000 people, the Totonacs allied with Cortés against the Aztec Empire, which ultimately led to their downfall due to widespread death from European diseases. The area we explored was the former religious and political center of Cempoala. Several pyramid-shaped temples are pretty well-preserved, and there is a tower for voladores which is still used for some special occasions. Amazingly, the temples were built with river stone held together by a form of concrete made from crushed seashells. According to historic accounts, during the time of the Totonacs the buildings shone like silver (which of course also served as an attractant for the Spanish conquistadores). One other thing from Thursday that should be mentioned -- we had some incredible shrimp at a little restaurant called RESTAURANT NAME in Cardel. Definitely worth a visit!!
Friday saw us back on the road for a bit, this time heading to my Xalapa. We grabbed lunch at a restaurant downtown before checking in at our hotel across the street from my house. Though it was cloudy out, it wasn't raining, so we decided to risk it and went to Macuiltepetl. I found out from the taxista that it hadn't rained too much in Xalapa the past week, so we walked down into the crater of the volcano. I know now why the mountain was known as the home of the flower god! With wildflowers blooming all around, the crater was awash in the wonderful smell of flowers and dotted with the color of their blossoms. We also climbed up to the Mirador, though it was too cloudy for good views of the area (we couldn't even see Pico Orizaba, sadly!), and admired the eagles and the mausoleum before heading back into town.
On Saturday, we took the tranvía tour of Xalapa (which I had never done before) and visited the Museo de Antropología. The English guide wasn't available, so I was really glad I had been before and remembered a fair bit to share with Mom! After a great lunch at a steak house, we shopped a bit around historic downtown. That evening we decided to go see Cinderella, since the other movie I saw at the theater here was in English. La Cenicienta, however, was not... Lots of points to Mom for putting up with a movie in a foreign language! I really enjoyed the movie, though, and the experience was even better because the little girl sitting next to me was loving it so much! If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and go, and take a little girl with you :)
Sunday was Mom's last full day here in Mexico. We went to the 12:00 Easter service at my church, where Mom got to meet some of my church family here. Mimi, another one of my friends here, is leaving on Wednesday to go to university, so I had another bittersweet "hasta luego". I'm really thankful that I met her and that she did so much to encourage me to get involved at church, even though I still haven't managed to make it to youth group!! After church, we went back to my house, and my host family here took us to lunch and to the Cascadas de Texolo. Mom and I walked around the waterfalls, exploring the trails for a bit, and then we all went to Merendero el Chinini, the BEST place I've eaten while I've been here in Mexico (and trust me, that's saying a lot!). I loved spending time with all of them! After lunch, we went back into El Xico to buy bread and cookies from a panadería, since Xico makes the best cookies around. Back in Xalapa, we started packing up Mom's stuff before going to bed.
We left for the airport Monday morning, and I'll freely admit I had a hard time saying bye to Mom, even though I barely have a month left here. In contrast with my normal super-chill weeks here, spring break was a nice burst of business. And sharing this beautiful country with my mom was even better! No, Mexico isn't perfect. But neither is any place in this world, and honestly, I think Mexico has a lot of wonderful and beautiful people, places, foods, and ideas to offer the world. Sure, I miss being home with all of my friends and family, but if I'm going to spend a semester abroad, Xalapa is a pretty amazing place to be! Earlier today I read a list of "ways to know you're a true xalapeño," and I laughed when I realized that I knew most of the things on the list, and had done a good number of them myself! If you are ever offered a trip to Xalapa, or really most any part of Mexico, TAKE IT. You'll learn a lot, and see a beautiful and largely unknown/misrepresented/misunderstood part of the world!
The week leading up to Easter I had spring break - a glorious week of no class, no work, no worries. And to top it all off, my mom was able to come visit for the week! We had a wonderful time, and while I won't go into everything that we did (and trust me, we crammed a LOT into one short week!), I would like to mention a few highlights.
My mom flew down on Palm Sunday, and I took a shuttle from Xalapa to the Veracruz airport to meet her. I knew I'd be excited to see her, but when I finally saw her I was sooo happy! :) Her luggage arrived without problems, and we grabbed a cab and then a bus to Puebla. It was a long trip -- and I know it felt even longer for Mom!! But we finally made it to our hotel, cobbled together dinner from the neighborhood Oxxo, and went to sleep.
In Puebla, we explored the historic district all day. We took a double-decker bus tour, and I got a lot of practicing translating quickly for Mom! Of course we visited the main cathedral, which has the tallest towers of any cathedral in Mexico. Just before lunch we took a brief walk down Calle Dulce, where they sell all manners of sweets and also have a talavera workship, and managed to escape with just a few talavera coasters and two small bags of chocolate-covered candy-coated almonds. The talavera shop was great -- we walked around looking at all of the beautiful handmade pieces, and when we reached the back room we saw the actual workshop off to the side! I enjoyed taking a few minutes to watch the artists painting the pottery pieces, bringing beautiful designs into full color out of thin air. If you ever get the chance to go to Puebla, make sure you see at least one talavera workshop! Later on in the afternoon we visited Museo Amparo, which houses a beautiful collection of art, but also has a rooftop terrace with some of the most beautiful panoramas I have ever seen.
The next day we took the bus back to Veracruz, which was significantly hotter than Puebla! After cooling off in our hotel for a few minutes, we took a taxi to the Acuario of Veracruz. It was a lot of fun, and the perfect way to be entertained without exhausting ourselves. We saw tropical birds, sharks, lots and lots of fish, jellyfish, otters(!), manatees, dolphins, and penguins! Although many of the tanks were kind of hard to see into -- particularly the manatees and dolphins -- the aquarium was still fun. After we finished, we walked around the "beach" of Veracruz and enjoyed people watching. It seemed like there were more people on the beach than sand!
On Wednesday, we had breakfast at the famous Gran Café de la Parroquía, where I ordered the famous lechero. The waiter serves you a glass cup with just a bit of coffee in the bottom, and when you are ready for your drink, you tap your spoon on the side of your glass. A "milk boy" then comes and pours the milk into your glass from quite a height -- probably two to three feet! While the lechero was certainly delicious, I don't think it was drastically better than others I've had (I know, I shouldn't say that!). After breakfast, we took a tranvía tour of Veracruz, and then went to San Juan de Ulúa. San Juan started off as a castle, quickly became a military fort (and defended Veracruz against pirates and even the United States). Over the years, both the French and the Americans occupied the fort at various times, but the city of Veracruz was ultimately victorious in expelling the invaders. For each successful expulsion, the city gained the title of "heroic" -- today, Heróica Veracruz is four times heroic! After the Mexican Revolution, the fort was largely converted into a prison for political prisoners. As you can see in one of the pictures below, the cells would have been a miserable place to stay: cramped, wet, dark, and sticky-hot.
Thursday we took an easier trip to the archeological site of Cempoala. Though the bus we took to reach the ruins dropped us at what seemed like a normal neighborhood, a short walk brought us to the site. Meaning "place of twenty waters" in Nahuatl, this city of the Totonac people was incredibly important, and one of the first places in America which Hernan Cortés encountered. Formerly home to an estimated 30000 people, the Totonacs allied with Cortés against the Aztec Empire, which ultimately led to their downfall due to widespread death from European diseases. The area we explored was the former religious and political center of Cempoala. Several pyramid-shaped temples are pretty well-preserved, and there is a tower for voladores which is still used for some special occasions. Amazingly, the temples were built with river stone held together by a form of concrete made from crushed seashells. According to historic accounts, during the time of the Totonacs the buildings shone like silver (which of course also served as an attractant for the Spanish conquistadores). One other thing from Thursday that should be mentioned -- we had some incredible shrimp at a little restaurant called RESTAURANT NAME in Cardel. Definitely worth a visit!!
Friday saw us back on the road for a bit, this time heading to my Xalapa. We grabbed lunch at a restaurant downtown before checking in at our hotel across the street from my house. Though it was cloudy out, it wasn't raining, so we decided to risk it and went to Macuiltepetl. I found out from the taxista that it hadn't rained too much in Xalapa the past week, so we walked down into the crater of the volcano. I know now why the mountain was known as the home of the flower god! With wildflowers blooming all around, the crater was awash in the wonderful smell of flowers and dotted with the color of their blossoms. We also climbed up to the Mirador, though it was too cloudy for good views of the area (we couldn't even see Pico Orizaba, sadly!), and admired the eagles and the mausoleum before heading back into town.
On Saturday, we took the tranvía tour of Xalapa (which I had never done before) and visited the Museo de Antropología. The English guide wasn't available, so I was really glad I had been before and remembered a fair bit to share with Mom! After a great lunch at a steak house, we shopped a bit around historic downtown. That evening we decided to go see Cinderella, since the other movie I saw at the theater here was in English. La Cenicienta, however, was not... Lots of points to Mom for putting up with a movie in a foreign language! I really enjoyed the movie, though, and the experience was even better because the little girl sitting next to me was loving it so much! If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and go, and take a little girl with you :)
Sunday was Mom's last full day here in Mexico. We went to the 12:00 Easter service at my church, where Mom got to meet some of my church family here. Mimi, another one of my friends here, is leaving on Wednesday to go to university, so I had another bittersweet "hasta luego". I'm really thankful that I met her and that she did so much to encourage me to get involved at church, even though I still haven't managed to make it to youth group!! After church, we went back to my house, and my host family here took us to lunch and to the Cascadas de Texolo. Mom and I walked around the waterfalls, exploring the trails for a bit, and then we all went to Merendero el Chinini, the BEST place I've eaten while I've been here in Mexico (and trust me, that's saying a lot!). I loved spending time with all of them! After lunch, we went back into El Xico to buy bread and cookies from a panadería, since Xico makes the best cookies around. Back in Xalapa, we started packing up Mom's stuff before going to bed.
We left for the airport Monday morning, and I'll freely admit I had a hard time saying bye to Mom, even though I barely have a month left here. In contrast with my normal super-chill weeks here, spring break was a nice burst of business. And sharing this beautiful country with my mom was even better! No, Mexico isn't perfect. But neither is any place in this world, and honestly, I think Mexico has a lot of wonderful and beautiful people, places, foods, and ideas to offer the world. Sure, I miss being home with all of my friends and family, but if I'm going to spend a semester abroad, Xalapa is a pretty amazing place to be! Earlier today I read a list of "ways to know you're a true xalapeño," and I laughed when I realized that I knew most of the things on the list, and had done a good number of them myself! If you are ever offered a trip to Xalapa, or really most any part of Mexico, TAKE IT. You'll learn a lot, and see a beautiful and largely unknown/misrepresented/misunderstood part of the world!
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Viajitos y comida... ¡Otra vez!
And just like that, it's been two weeks without a post! Whoops! The past two weeks have varied from super-boring to amazingly fun, so I'll just hop over a few highlights :)
Since my last post, I have
- tried to figure out the Mexican postal system
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| Pop-up mountains! |
- read a few books
- learned about local music and its history
- found the perfect café (for coffee, dessert, studying, chatting, etc.)
- avoided going out in the rain
- revisited el Museo de Antropología and learned sooo much more
- made a mistake and ordered a chamoyada
- tried not to gain too much weight eating all of this amazing food
- spent a day at the beach with friends
- went to a great concert by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa
- and said, "See you later!" to one of my best friends here in Xalapa.
I promise I won't go into too much detail on all of these points, but there are a few which deserve some space! First of all, the weather. Though I have found Xalapa to be generally pleasant, the almost constant rain of the past few weeks has gotten old. Fortunately there have been scattered days of full sunshine, so I really can't complain.
The Mexican postal system, on the other hand, is kind of a funny story! When I went to Puebla, I finally found some postcards to send home to friends and family. However, when I went to mail them, the post office was out of normal-sized stamps. So I bought the big ones, and mailed what I could. Unfortunately, for some of the postcards the big stamps wouldn't work, as they covered up the address! After waiting for a week, I went back to get some small stamps... But there still weren't any! Confused (I work in a law firm stateside, so I go to the PO a fair bit), I asked when I could come back and find normal stamps. "Oh, I don't know, maybe next week, maybe in two weeks, or three... We don't really know when we'll get more," was the response. Oh. Okay. (Three weeks later and I still haven't gotten smaller stamps!)
I'll try to keep this food section short - I just can't resist. I think I could go up three sizes while I'm here if I'm not careful! However, I have found a drink that, while not the worst thing I've ever had, is not something I want to repeat. The chamoyada. Made of a strawberry smoothie based in vinegar, with added tamarind and chile powder, this drink is not for the faint at heart. If only I had known... I mindlessly ordered the drink, and off-handedly turned down the waiter's concern and offer to replace it with something else after I tried it.
I'm not going to lie: it was bad. However, I did figure out how to drink it and make it palatable, so I managed to finish it! With that experience behind me, though, I don't think I'll be going back. I will, however, be going back to that café! It's called Cafe Lagos, and is located on a street corner in a charmingly decorated apartment, complete with tall windows, eclectic art, cozy armchairs, great service, incredible brownies, and fantastic coffee! It feels very old-world European style, and the prices can't be beat, either.
I have now spent a few afternoons in this restaurant, with friends or alone, and have found it to be a perfect place for anything. I read most of my book for literature there last week, and I enjoy journaling there, too. Speaking of school work, in my México Contemporáneo class we spent a few periods studying traditional music local to the Veracruz region of Mexico, specifically a son jarrocho. We will be returning to the topic later this week, so be on the lookout for a blog about the son and dance soon (har-de-harr-harr) :)
Last Wednesday we had a random day off of school, so a few of my school friends and I decided to go to the beach! Villarica is a tiny little pueblo about an hour and a half from Xalapa, and it was the perfect quick trip. The water was freezing in my opinion, but with the sun out and a nice breeze, the day was perfect for relaxing on the beach with a good book. We had lunch at a hidden little restaurant which served delicious empanadas, and ended our afternoon hiking up a little mountain/big hill to look out over the ocean on one side and this amazing country on the other. I am constantly surprised by the geography here! As I hope you can see in these pictures, mountains here have a tendency to just appear out of nowhere... Once you get past the weirdness of it, it's quite beautiful!
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| Isn't it absolutely beautiful? |
These past two months here would not have been the same if not for my dear friend, Lindita. I met her the first week I was here, and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her and spending time exploring Xalapa with her! As her time in Xalapa came to a close, we went to the Museo de Antropología and Parque Natura together last weekend. As the only ones who came to the Museo around tour time (11-11:30ish), we basically got a free private tour of the museum, which was fantastic! I got so much more out of the trip, and it felt much more relaxed than the time before. We didn't get to spend a ton of time in Parque Natura, but I enjoyed "hiking" a bit and checking out the coffee plants :) For our last big event, this past Friday Lindita, Jared (Lindi's novio), and I went to a concert by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa, which presented Vivaldi's Las Cuatro Estaciones.
It was a wonderful concert, and the lead violinist, Mikhail Medvid, was fabulous. If you are ever in Xalapa with the chance to go to an OSX concert, don't miss out! I will always treasure these memories of fun times with friends here in Xalapa. Saying goodbye is never fun, but thanks to today's technology it doesn't really have to mean goodbye ;) Safe travels, and Dios te bendiga, Lindita! Nos vemos :)
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Macuiltepetl y Puebla -- Aventuras hacía la magia
I'm still here, I promise! After a busy week and a half, I have been coerced into writing another entry ;)
Macuiltepetl is a park here in Xalapa. Though several travel guides erroneously state that it is a ten minute walk from the city center, it's more like a fifteen minute taxi ride (which is still pretty close!). The park is actually an ecological zone, and includes a dormant volcano, a trail into the center of the volcano, a museum, a reptile exhibit, a mausoleum, and lots of eagles, among other things! When I went with two friends the other Saturday, we saw about half the park -- saving some things for later on purpose, and others because they were inaccessible at the time.
The entrance to the park is easy to miss, as it's small and hidden behind foliage. At first, we started to walk up the maintenance trail, but the presence of about ten armed men made me think we should try somewhere else... And then we found the walking path, parallel but a bit lower. For those of you inclined to freak out, please don't - the policemen and soldiers are typically very nice guys, and they just ride their four wheelers around the park all day and chat with people.
The walk was beautiful, and I enjoyed taking in the increasingly panoramic views of Xalapa while conversing with friends. Several people were out running, and several kids were having a blast dragging their parents from play station to "secret tunnel" and up and down everything they could find!
Towards the volcano's summit, we climbed up the lighthouse-like Mirador. At the top, one of the park employees had one of the eagles, and was trying to get him to fly around. I guess the eagle wasn't feeling active, though, as he would just take a short glide into a nearby tree and wait to be called back. After watching the eagle and taking pictures of the landscape for a few minutes, we climbed back down to continue exploring the park. The only other "big" thing we stopped by on this trip was the mausoleum: a giant green pyramid which houses the remains of famous Veracruzanos. I know, I should have taken pictures of all of their plaques so I could list them for you... Suffice it to say there was a good mix of scholars, soldiers, artists, and politicians. Maybe next time I go I'll remember to get some of their names!
This past Friday, another friend from school and I took a quick day trip to Puebla, mostly to scout out the nearby ruins to see if my mom and I would like to further explore them over Spring Break.
Before we went into the city proper, we took a quick taxi ride to Cholula. Once a separate city and now basically a suburb, Cholula is home to an ancient Aztec pyramid, as well as a colonial cathedral. The cathedral was built right on top of the pyramid, which may actually have been an honest mistake - years before the arrival of the Spanish, the temple had been abandoned, and was soon taken over by vegetation. It really does seem like a steep mountain, and it wasn't until after we descended that I realized just how huge the pyramid is! It's base is actually larger than any of the pyramids at Giza, if you can believe it! The cathedral at the top was nice, and I assume the inside was gorgeous. However, when we dropped by they were in the middle of Mass, so I didn't want to interrupt the service just to stare at the interior decoration.
Moving on to Puebla. Puebla was the first city in Nueva España built specifically for Spaniards. This means that the central part of town -- which is well-preserved, if a bit touristy -- feels incredibly European. If it weren't for the trees and the warm breeze, I could have been transported back to Spain! The local cathedral has the tallest spires of any church in Mexico, and took 74 years to build. The city was known in its heyday for its intricate tile work. Called talavera, the tile was made from the rich local clay and painted and glazed by artisans. Many of the buildings are still covered in talavera, and they are gorgeous!
We spent the afternoon wandering through the cathedral, visiting the Casa de Cultura to learn about the cathedral's construction, tasting local sweets, visiting an art museum, and enjoying the colonial atmosphere. Although the conquistadores undoubtedly destroyed a lot of traditional Mexican culture and messed up a lot through their colonization, they did leave behind some beautiful works of art by way of buildings and even entire cities.
After a very full but fun day, I arrived at my house and just wanted to eat a light dinner and crash into bed. But no! Our neighbors had invited us over to dinner, so I walked up the street and tried to be awake and conversational for another hour and a half. I really do like our neighbors, it's just that I was exhausted :) I got to play with their grandson, a precious one-year-old who was fascinated with me and my hair but too shy to say "hola." He finally caved and gave me a kiss goodnight before he went to bed, though!
As I near the halfway point of my stay here, I feel more and more comfortable with this amazing country. I'm excited to travel a bit more with friends, and incredibly thankful for the friendships I've made and continue to make. Living alone in a foreign country isn't easy, but when that country is as magnificent, friendly, and hospitable as Mexico, it's hard to pity yourself! ;)
Part I: Macuiltepetl
Macuiltepetl is a park here in Xalapa. Though several travel guides erroneously state that it is a ten minute walk from the city center, it's more like a fifteen minute taxi ride (which is still pretty close!). The park is actually an ecological zone, and includes a dormant volcano, a trail into the center of the volcano, a museum, a reptile exhibit, a mausoleum, and lots of eagles, among other things! When I went with two friends the other Saturday, we saw about half the park -- saving some things for later on purpose, and others because they were inaccessible at the time.
The entrance to the park is easy to miss, as it's small and hidden behind foliage. At first, we started to walk up the maintenance trail, but the presence of about ten armed men made me think we should try somewhere else... And then we found the walking path, parallel but a bit lower. For those of you inclined to freak out, please don't - the policemen and soldiers are typically very nice guys, and they just ride their four wheelers around the park all day and chat with people.
The walk was beautiful, and I enjoyed taking in the increasingly panoramic views of Xalapa while conversing with friends. Several people were out running, and several kids were having a blast dragging their parents from play station to "secret tunnel" and up and down everything they could find!
Towards the volcano's summit, we climbed up the lighthouse-like Mirador. At the top, one of the park employees had one of the eagles, and was trying to get him to fly around. I guess the eagle wasn't feeling active, though, as he would just take a short glide into a nearby tree and wait to be called back. After watching the eagle and taking pictures of the landscape for a few minutes, we climbed back down to continue exploring the park. The only other "big" thing we stopped by on this trip was the mausoleum: a giant green pyramid which houses the remains of famous Veracruzanos. I know, I should have taken pictures of all of their plaques so I could list them for you... Suffice it to say there was a good mix of scholars, soldiers, artists, and politicians. Maybe next time I go I'll remember to get some of their names!
Part II: Puebla
This past Friday, another friend from school and I took a quick day trip to Puebla, mostly to scout out the nearby ruins to see if my mom and I would like to further explore them over Spring Break.
Before we went into the city proper, we took a quick taxi ride to Cholula. Once a separate city and now basically a suburb, Cholula is home to an ancient Aztec pyramid, as well as a colonial cathedral. The cathedral was built right on top of the pyramid, which may actually have been an honest mistake - years before the arrival of the Spanish, the temple had been abandoned, and was soon taken over by vegetation. It really does seem like a steep mountain, and it wasn't until after we descended that I realized just how huge the pyramid is! It's base is actually larger than any of the pyramids at Giza, if you can believe it! The cathedral at the top was nice, and I assume the inside was gorgeous. However, when we dropped by they were in the middle of Mass, so I didn't want to interrupt the service just to stare at the interior decoration.
The courtyard provided stunning views of Puebla, and a clear view of Malintzin, the local volcano which is generally snow-covered and always spewing out smoke.
Me and the five volcanoes! Guest appearance by Señora Mariposa. Thanks Deb for the photo
We spent the afternoon wandering through the cathedral, visiting the Casa de Cultura to learn about the cathedral's construction, tasting local sweets, visiting an art museum, and enjoying the colonial atmosphere. Although the conquistadores undoubtedly destroyed a lot of traditional Mexican culture and messed up a lot through their colonization, they did leave behind some beautiful works of art by way of buildings and even entire cities.
Our afternoon snack: apple covered in something-I-don't-remember, with strawberries, cranberries, strawberry sauce, and tamarindo powder! It was a suprisingly excellent flavor combination.
Side note on food: in Puebla, I had a cemita -- a fantastic sandwich! When I get back home, I'm going to do what I can to replicate it... but I know it won't be the same. Also, here in Mexico pineapple is a common topping for hotdogs. I haven't tried it yet (I had the opportunity, but I don't think my brain had enough energy to process the thought of adding new things to my hotdog), but if the opportunity presents itself again, I think it may be a tasty condiment.
As I near the halfway point of my stay here, I feel more and more comfortable with this amazing country. I'm excited to travel a bit more with friends, and incredibly thankful for the friendships I've made and continue to make. Living alone in a foreign country isn't easy, but when that country is as magnificent, friendly, and hospitable as Mexico, it's hard to pity yourself! ;)
Monday, February 23, 2015
Sobre la comida... Y la gripa
Hello, people of the internet! Sorry again for the delay -- I meant to write a food-post this weekend, but ended up stuck in bed with a box of tissues and lots of water! I don't know if I had/have a nasty version of a cold, some kind of virus, or the flu, but it is not fun. However, thanks to lots of rest, water, and some "antigripal" meds (anti-cold), I'm definitely feeling better.
What marked the turning point in my down-time this weekend was actually my delicious comida (lunch) on Sunday. After skipping church because I barely had the energy to stand up, I did not think that any kind of food would be appealing. When I learned that lunch was rice with a fried egg and fried bananas, I was even more skeptical. Fortunately, I decided to go with the flow and try the meal... And oh. my. gosh. It was so good!! Here's the moment when I wish I was a bit more of a typical exchange student and took pictures of my food... But alas, I find that ideology a bit strange, so no pics for you. GoogleImágenes to the rescue! (image from here)
I don't know what it is, but combining these three flavors was the best idea anyone has had in a while. (To my friends back home: yeah, I'll probably be attempting to recreate this for you.) And you, too, can enjoy this tasty dish! Just cook some rice, add in some finely chopped potatoes, fry an egg, and then lightly fry sliced bananas in vegetable oil. Ugh, SO GOOD.
Lest you think this is the only food I have enjoyed so far, let me list my top five actual Mexican dishes (trust me, I could go on for hours -- the food here is spectacular!). In no particular order, I present:
What authentic Mexican food do you like? Did you think of something that didn't show up in my list? Please comment and let me know what I should be eating while I'm here! :)
*Disclaimer: most of the time I eat with my host family. But I'm building a list of foods to try when I do eat out, so feel free to suggest entire meals, snacks, drinks... whatever comes to mind!
What marked the turning point in my down-time this weekend was actually my delicious comida (lunch) on Sunday. After skipping church because I barely had the energy to stand up, I did not think that any kind of food would be appealing. When I learned that lunch was rice with a fried egg and fried bananas, I was even more skeptical. Fortunately, I decided to go with the flow and try the meal... And oh. my. gosh. It was so good!! Here's the moment when I wish I was a bit more of a typical exchange student and took pictures of my food... But alas, I find that ideology a bit strange, so no pics for you. GoogleImágenes to the rescue! (image from here)
I don't know what it is, but combining these three flavors was the best idea anyone has had in a while. (To my friends back home: yeah, I'll probably be attempting to recreate this for you.) And you, too, can enjoy this tasty dish! Just cook some rice, add in some finely chopped potatoes, fry an egg, and then lightly fry sliced bananas in vegetable oil. Ugh, SO GOOD.
Lest you think this is the only food I have enjoyed so far, let me list my top five actual Mexican dishes (trust me, I could go on for hours -- the food here is spectacular!). In no particular order, I present:
- Café. I know, I know, everywhere supposedly has the world's best coffee. But Veracruzana coffee is pretty amazing! Best part: it comes with EVERY meal :D
- Panbajo. This might seem weird to you Americans: it's basically a bun sliced in half and filled with beans (and a bit of mayo). It's a typical dinner item, and is really quite delicious and satisfying!
- Gorditos. Another dinner favorite: little fat tortillas spread with spicy salsa and topped with a bit of cheese and beans. It's kind of like an open-face sandwich, only smaller and probably way more tasty.
- Crema de zanahorias. ¡Con tocino! Okay, second favorite soup so far! This is "carrot soup," and it reminds me of our American potato soup, except that it's orange and more savory. The best part? Huge pieces of bacon! Because why not take something awesome to the next level by adding bacon?!
- Champignones en chipotle. I'm not entirely sure how to make this, but I need to learn! These mushrooms are served in a slightly spicy sauce, and are perfect alongside chicken and rice, or really any dish. Heck, they can make a meal of themselves!
- Sopa de lentijas. This is my favorite soup this far! Full of lentils egg, bacon, and fried bananas, every bite is a moutful of new flavor combinations. And none of them are bad ideas! I don't know what it is about plátanos, but they really do fit into everything.
- Hot chocolate. When it got really cold last week, my host-mom made us a big pot of warm, creamy, frothy hot chocolate. I know what you're imagining. Trust me, this was ten times more magical! It was the perfect end-note on a freezing day, and the next morning it set the tone off to a cheery start.
- Tamales - especially de piña. To clarify: you can have almost any kind of tamale. I have yet to try many, but am looking forward to sampling more soon! But the pineapple tamales I enjoyed about a week ago were my favorite so far! They were sweet, but too sweet -- a marvelous complement to your lunch, and equally gratifying as dessert. Here's to more tamales!!
- Calabaza con arroz y queso. Another simple meal, but putting sauteed squash with Mexican rice, and then crumbling a bit of cheese over it... Mmmmm. Absolutely delicious.
- Spicy pork. Yeah, probably not what the locals call it. Sadly, I either forgot to ask or forgot to write down the answer -- either way, I enjoyed these thinly sliced pork fillets about two weeks ago, but their spicy amazingness has stuck with me. Hopefully I will have them again soon, and can ask for the name of the dish!
What authentic Mexican food do you like? Did you think of something that didn't show up in my list? Please comment and let me know what I should be eating while I'm here! :)
*Disclaimer: most of the time I eat with my host family. But I'm building a list of foods to try when I do eat out, so feel free to suggest entire meals, snacks, drinks... whatever comes to mind!
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Baby Shower - Mateo
Sorry for the delay between blog posts! However, I think this one was worth the wait :)
Earlier this week, a friend of mine from church invited me to come to her sister-in-law's baby shower, which was yesterday. Intrigued by the idea of a baby shower in another culture, I happily accepted her invitation and honestly forgot about it for a few days (I was frantically reading about 132 pages of a Spanish novel, Pedro Páramo, in all of my free time). After classes on Thursday, it sunk in that I was going to a shower in two days... And hadn't bought a gift! You would think that I went immediately to the store, but that would show how little you know me -- a professional procrastinator. It was cloudy and cold Thursday, so I didn't go. On Friday, I felt really down and tired, and I didn't want to go to the mall alone. Two of my friends from school were out of town, and another friend from church was busy, so again, I decided to cozy up at home (it was still a bit chilly) and wait. On Saturday, I realized I had no choice. I had to go alone.
Coward that I am, I bailed on the mall idea. In my defense, I went there once, and I'm pretty confident the mall here is bigger than my college campus... Anyhow. I tossed out the mall, and decided to explore Chedraui, a big WalMart type store that has a location about fifteen minute's walk from my house. Fortunately, they had a large baby section, so I was able to find some cute socks, a little monkey toy, and ever-useful wipes. I also bought a bag, but there was no tissue paper. I wondered what to do about that, but on my walk home I passed a gift-store, where I easily found some super cheap, buy-by-the-sheet tissue paper!
After a quick Skype with my wonderful family (plus grandparents!!), I grabbed my purse and my gift and headed to the shower. Hailing a taxi was, as always here, easy. The driver knew exactly where I wanted to go, and after a decently uneventful trip, we arrived. I wasn't quite sure which house it was, but the kind driver told me he would wait until he saw me go inside to make sure I was at the right spot. (Side note: he was my favorite driver yet, especially since he didn't text and drive like almost everyone else!! Also, he was very polite and helpful, which is always worth bonus points)
The shower started at 5, and I thought I arrived at a decent time (around 5:10 by the time I found the house), but almost no one was there! Welcome to Mexican time, I reminded myself with a laugh. I met several more women from the church, and enjoyed playing "don't let the balloon touch the ground" (a universal game!) with six year-old big-brother-to-be Elias. Here's a photo of him "helping" me with one of the games!
Once the majority of the guests had arrived, the party began (this was around 6pm). We played several games, which I found really fun, but very different from what we do at American showers! First, we played lotería (bingo) with items a baby would use. I won the second round! Next, we divided into teams and had our hands tied together so we made one long, inseparable line. Each team received an empty puzzle board, and we were given our instructions. The pieces to the puzzles were scrambled, and some from each puzzle were in three different baskets: one inside the house, the other two in the front yard. It was a race to see which team could find their pieces and complete the puzzle first! After lots of crashing around and mountains of laughter, my team was the first to finish the puzzle. Back in the house (and untied), we raced individually to unscramble baby-shower related words (yeah, I definitely lost that one ;) ) and then divided into new teams. This time, each team received crepe paper, and we had to dress one team member as a baby! Our team was the blue team, and here's a picture of our finished work. Fortunately, each team ended up with a small-ish kid, so no adults had to be babies (this time!). For the next game, four teams of two raced to feed each other a jar of baby food. This sounds easy, but the "feeder" was blindfolded! I enjoyed watching this game, but passed on participating. Finally, we passed around a roll of toilet paper. Each person estimated how wide around Marisol, the mother-to-be, was, and tore off the paper to make a "belt." Then we each tried on our belts, and the closest guessers won. Mine was a bit too big... Whoops! Now that the games were over, Marisol opened her gifts, and then we all enjoyed snack food and a wonderfully delicious dinner of pudding, pan bajo (floury bread with a bit of mayo and a chili-like mix spread inside), and a fabulous slice of chocolate cake.
One funny difference between Mexican and American showers was the traditions. In Mexico, the big "superstition" is that no one can cross their legs - not even at the ankle! I struggled to comply for a while, then gave up. Since this was a church shower, I'm pretty sure no one believed in the superstition, especially since I never heard why we couldn't cross our legs, and the only penalty was that you lost your nametag until the end of the shower.
By the time all of this ended, it was 9:15! I was absolutely exhausted, but I had really enjoyed it. I asked if anyone knew a number for a taxi, and was pleasantly surprised (again!) by the wonderful community of my church here. One of the women, Gini, insisted on driving me home. On the ride, (and earlier in the evening) we talked about her daughter-in-law, who is actually an American! She met Gini's son while she was studying in Xalapa, and after a year of dating in Mexico and a year of long-distance dating, they got married. It was a really sweet story, and I got to see a few pictures from their wedding, which looked beautiful.
Back at home a bit before 10:00, I popped my head in to say hi to my host-mom and then wearily went to my room and slept like a log until my alarm went off this morning for church. Yesterday was a very long and tiring day, but I don't regret it for a minute. I am so happy to be forming new friendships here, even though it's exhausting and difficult, and I am so thankful that God helped me find El Divino Salvador, my church here in Xalapa. Though my weeks are sometimes chaotic and exhausting, church is a wonderful refuge from it all, and even though everything is still Spanish, I truly appreciate the love and care I feel within that family.
Earlier this week, a friend of mine from church invited me to come to her sister-in-law's baby shower, which was yesterday. Intrigued by the idea of a baby shower in another culture, I happily accepted her invitation and honestly forgot about it for a few days (I was frantically reading about 132 pages of a Spanish novel, Pedro Páramo, in all of my free time). After classes on Thursday, it sunk in that I was going to a shower in two days... And hadn't bought a gift! You would think that I went immediately to the store, but that would show how little you know me -- a professional procrastinator. It was cloudy and cold Thursday, so I didn't go. On Friday, I felt really down and tired, and I didn't want to go to the mall alone. Two of my friends from school were out of town, and another friend from church was busy, so again, I decided to cozy up at home (it was still a bit chilly) and wait. On Saturday, I realized I had no choice. I had to go alone.
This intense aversion to doing things alone isn't necessarily normal for me, but I've discovered that I really, really, really, HATE being alone. Also, I've learned that I can deal with being alone if the sun is out and my destination is within walking distance (or if my destination involves people!), but that I don't deal with it so well if it's cold or I need to take a taxi. There's not really a logic, this is just part of what I'm learning about myself!
Coward that I am, I bailed on the mall idea. In my defense, I went there once, and I'm pretty confident the mall here is bigger than my college campus... Anyhow. I tossed out the mall, and decided to explore Chedraui, a big WalMart type store that has a location about fifteen minute's walk from my house. Fortunately, they had a large baby section, so I was able to find some cute socks, a little monkey toy, and ever-useful wipes. I also bought a bag, but there was no tissue paper. I wondered what to do about that, but on my walk home I passed a gift-store, where I easily found some super cheap, buy-by-the-sheet tissue paper!
The shower started at 5, and I thought I arrived at a decent time (around 5:10 by the time I found the house), but almost no one was there! Welcome to Mexican time, I reminded myself with a laugh. I met several more women from the church, and enjoyed playing "don't let the balloon touch the ground" (a universal game!) with six year-old big-brother-to-be Elias. Here's a photo of him "helping" me with one of the games!
Once the majority of the guests had arrived, the party began (this was around 6pm). We played several games, which I found really fun, but very different from what we do at American showers! First, we played lotería (bingo) with items a baby would use. I won the second round! Next, we divided into teams and had our hands tied together so we made one long, inseparable line. Each team received an empty puzzle board, and we were given our instructions. The pieces to the puzzles were scrambled, and some from each puzzle were in three different baskets: one inside the house, the other two in the front yard. It was a race to see which team could find their pieces and complete the puzzle first! After lots of crashing around and mountains of laughter, my team was the first to finish the puzzle. Back in the house (and untied), we raced individually to unscramble baby-shower related words (yeah, I definitely lost that one ;) ) and then divided into new teams. This time, each team received crepe paper, and we had to dress one team member as a baby! Our team was the blue team, and here's a picture of our finished work. Fortunately, each team ended up with a small-ish kid, so no adults had to be babies (this time!). For the next game, four teams of two raced to feed each other a jar of baby food. This sounds easy, but the "feeder" was blindfolded! I enjoyed watching this game, but passed on participating. Finally, we passed around a roll of toilet paper. Each person estimated how wide around Marisol, the mother-to-be, was, and tore off the paper to make a "belt." Then we each tried on our belts, and the closest guessers won. Mine was a bit too big... Whoops! Now that the games were over, Marisol opened her gifts, and then we all enjoyed snack food and a wonderfully delicious dinner of pudding, pan bajo (floury bread with a bit of mayo and a chili-like mix spread inside), and a fabulous slice of chocolate cake.
One funny difference between Mexican and American showers was the traditions. In Mexico, the big "superstition" is that no one can cross their legs - not even at the ankle! I struggled to comply for a while, then gave up. Since this was a church shower, I'm pretty sure no one believed in the superstition, especially since I never heard why we couldn't cross our legs, and the only penalty was that you lost your nametag until the end of the shower.
By the time all of this ended, it was 9:15! I was absolutely exhausted, but I had really enjoyed it. I asked if anyone knew a number for a taxi, and was pleasantly surprised (again!) by the wonderful community of my church here. One of the women, Gini, insisted on driving me home. On the ride, (and earlier in the evening) we talked about her daughter-in-law, who is actually an American! She met Gini's son while she was studying in Xalapa, and after a year of dating in Mexico and a year of long-distance dating, they got married. It was a really sweet story, and I got to see a few pictures from their wedding, which looked beautiful.
Back at home a bit before 10:00, I popped my head in to say hi to my host-mom and then wearily went to my room and slept like a log until my alarm went off this morning for church. Yesterday was a very long and tiring day, but I don't regret it for a minute. I am so happy to be forming new friendships here, even though it's exhausting and difficult, and I am so thankful that God helped me find El Divino Salvador, my church here in Xalapa. Though my weeks are sometimes chaotic and exhausting, church is a wonderful refuge from it all, and even though everything is still Spanish, I truly appreciate the love and care I feel within that family.
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