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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Somewhere over the arco iris...


Monday afternoon, I had the urge to play outside, even though it had been thundering and the clouds were threatening heavy rain. I must have been having a premonition of something good to come. David and I climbed up the hill at San Lorenzo, just outside Tehuacan, for a view of the city. And when we got there, what a sight there was waiting for us!





The arco iris (rainbow) was one of the brightest I have ever seen, which caused me to obsess over taking pictures of it. Luckily, this was quite easy to do. My house is probably somewhere in this picture to the left (in the lower right hand corner), but I have no idea where.










My city, my rainbow, and me. It was so pretty -- these pictures hardly capture it.









I also took some pictures from the car on the way back to school. By then, the rainbow was even more incredible, and it arced across the whole sky.








That's all for now. Happy rainbow hunting!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Puebla Party People

This past weekend, I spent one night outside of Tehuacan, but when I came back so much had changed that I felt like I'd been away for 2 weeks. First of all, my host family set up a computer with internet in the previously unused and unfurnished front living room! I am posting from my house, it's fantastic! Secondly, when I ventured out back on the way to my room last night, the dog was unleashed! Yup, our St. Bernard was free to roam the back courtyard, and free to molest me as I attempted to climb the stairs up to my room. (This morning when I awoke, he was back on the leash. No surprise...) I don't know what spurned these sudden changes, but they are generally welcome ones, especially the part about having furniture and internet access in the living room. I am spoiled.

Saturday afternoon, David and I took the 3:20 bus to Puebla. David's old friend, Rudy, lives there and was planning to throw a party Saturday night, so it seemed like the perfect weekend for a visit. Rudy picked us up at the bus station in a taxi -- his taxi. He was off duty, but it's still the thing he drives. I had never been in a taxi diriven by anyone younger than 45 in this country, let alone someone who speaks fluent English. Needless to say, it was the best taxi ever.

We arrived at Rudy's house around 5:30, where I met his sweet little puppy and cracked open an ice cold bottle of Noche Buena, a seasonal beer that is only around for the holiday season. Noche Buena translates directly as "good night," but it's also the phrase that Spanish speakers use to talk about Christmas Eve. Noche Buena is not only delicious, but also a self-fulfilling prophecy. There were about 10 or 11 other people at Rudy's party, but it felt like fifty. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. Among the party people was Rudy's dad, who is the guy caught in a fit of laughter in the picture above (Rudy is the one in black at the top). He was a riot of a man, and great company -- plus, he was incredibly tolerant of the fact that his house was being taken over by a dozen rowdy 20-somethings. You've got to give the man a hand.


David and I were planning to spend the night at a nearby hotel, but Rudy and his dad wouldn't hear of it, so we crashed in spare bedroom upstairs. I have no idea what time it was that I crawled into the cozy, fleece-adorned bed, but it was definitely after eating three servings of cheesy potatoes (deeeelicious!). Miraculously, I awoke hungry the next morning, so while David went through his beauty routine (that spikey hair takes some work), Rudy and I made a batch of pancakes. Our achievement was quickly minimized, however, by the fact that Rudy and David both wanted pizza. As they argued over where to go, I flipped through the channels on the TV and watched part of the Raiders game. It was beginning to feel a lot like home. This feeling would only grow as we ended up driving to Domino's and ordering two large pizzas. For the record, the "large" here, is really like a medium in the States. I don't know why they do that, but I think it's just an attempt to make people think they are getting more for their money. Anyway, my second attempt at Mexican Domino's pizza was more successful than the first. Whereas the first time I got the 4 Cheese, which includes liquid nacho cheese, this time I got mushrooms and it was saboroso to the max (that means really good).

Rudy was kind enough to drive us back to Tehuacan in the taxi, so I arrived at my house last night sometime before 9pm. The ride was incredible, as the moon was doing this really-low-on-the-horizon-looking-like-a-giant-
orange-in-the-sky thing. I had never seen a moon so big except for one amazing night on the ship during Semester at Sea. There was no way I could have captured it through the window of a moving car, so I didn't try. But I had taken pictures from the bus on the way to Puebla, which were also quite nice. Mountains... cactus... palms... entertaining shapes in the clouds.... ah, Mexico.


Now I only have two more weeks of teaching left. My students are learning a couple new things this week, and then next week we will review together for their final. I won't be supervising the administration of their finals, since I'll be trapsing through Central Mexico with my sister, but the school director is going to keep an eye on my students for me, which is nice. Jessica and I will probably head south from Mexico City to explore a bit of Oaxaca. After she returns to the States, I'll be headed all the way to Guatemala, by way of the Oaxaca Coast and Chiapas. I can't believe the time for that is almost here. The last month has gone by so very fast. I am beginning to feel anxious about leaving all the friends I have made here, especially the spikey-haired bartender with whom I tend to pass the days. But ah, the world is calling to me. After New Year's with David, I'm off to Nicaragua for five weeks. I can hardly believe that all this adventure is really happening to me -- I am such a lucky gal.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

International Insomniac

Tonight I find myself writing from under the covers of my glorious bed in Columbia, MD. No, I am not hallucinating, I am in the United States. Thanks to a generous plane ticket of a gift from my mom, I am spending 80 hours at home -- an all too short visit with my beloved friends and family. However, tonight (my third night north of the border), the sandman has refused to come, and so here I sit, the light of my laptop reflecting in my eyes, while the Discovery Channel broadcasts dreamlike images of Earth into my bedroom. (Planet Earth is still the best show ever.)

The voyage to Columbia -- and it does deserve to be called that -- began at 5:45 Friday morning when I arose in my Tehuacan bedroom. After a quick shower and even quicker breakfast, I walked the seven or eight blocks to the bus station, with my Vietnamese day-pack strapped to my back and a purseful of transportation documents on my shoulder. I arrived 20 minutes before the departure of my prompt 7:00 bus. Arriving in Mexico City at 10:30, I had several hours to kill, as my flight to the States would not depart until 3:20pm. I locked up my belongings at the bus station, and set off to explore.

After a short metro ride and a long walk, I arrived at the zocalo, the city center and middle of the MC historic district. I was prepared for some street vendor browsing, crowded intersections, and a cheap lunch. I was not prepared for the sight which greeted me: 100 men dancing in the street, clad only in shoes and tiny, strategically placed signs displaying the face of a Mexican senator. That was it. 100 naked men... dancing. Yeah.

It turns out, the men were actually accompanied for a dozen or so similarly clad (or rather, unclad) women, who sported nothing but shoes. The women, naked from head to ankle, tan, and jiggling all over the place, were handing out fliers. From the flier, I learned that this enthusiastic crew was part of a movement called the 400 Villages, which represents the rights of indigenous farmers based in the state of Veracruz. The villagers had traveled to Mexico City to hold this demonstration in protest of Senator Dante Delgado, the former governor of Veracruz. The demonstrators accuse Delgado of stealing their land and "demand the return of the land of the dispossessed and incarcerated." (direct translation from flier)

The sight of the dancing men, unencumbered by clothing, and the appeals of the woman haunted me for the rest of the day. It was a sight unlike any I had ever seen. It proved not only that Mexico City has no public indecency law, but that democracy and peaceful protect in Mexico City really functions better than in most U.S. cities. After I watched the protest for a few minutes, I continued my walk around the historic district. Two blocks from the zocalo, I saw a smaller gathering of unarmed police officers. They seemed prepared to intervene at the protest, should the need arise. But I don't think it did.

The protest was stunning, dramatic, even crude, yet perfectly legal and perfectly managed by law enforcement. It made me a little jealous to see such a well-functioning peaceful protest, but then I began to think: are these protests only tolerated because the police know they will be fruitless? After all, this has been going on for years. Or will this desperate cry for the public's attention and the government's reparations be successful? Learn more about the story here.

I had to return to the bus station at 1:00, and after that I headed to the airport. After confusion among airport staff as to where to send Delta customers for check-in (the counter just moved to the newest wing), I was rushed through check-in and security with my plane mates. We left on time and flew over New Orleans right at sunset. After a layover in Atlanta, I landed in DC at 11:15pm. Met by my mom and stepdad, my sister, and her fiance, I found the homecoming to be everything I hoped. After the airport, we went to IHOP and chit chatted over hot chocolate, coffee, pancakes, eggs, and french toast for 2 hours.

On Saturday, I lounged around the house until late afternoon, when I enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at Pittsburgh South (my friends' house in McLean, Virginia). My late fall good cravings fulfilled, I met more friends and family today in Columbia for bagel brunch. Chinese food for dinner with Dad rounded off the weekend of indulgence. Tomorrow I have some stateside errands to run (banking, a haircut, battery shopping), lunch with one friend in Baltimore, and then dinner with another in DC. I leave for my journey back to Tehuacan at 7:55 Tuesday morning. This whirlwind weekend is the result of more than 30 hours of travel -- but so far it's all been worth it.

My return to Mexico will mark the beginning of the end of the semester -- just three more weeks of classes. Then, I'll start a 20 day backpacking journey that will take me as far as Tikal, Guatemala. I hope to find the answers to some of my Mexico questions on trip, but I know that the journey will leave me with more question marks than could ever be erased in 20 days.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Adventures in Coyomeapan

This past weekend I went to Coyomeapan, a small mountain town near Oaxaca, with David, Andrea, and Estefano. On Friday, we drove for two hours through dusty towns and down bumpy roads. We made a couple wrong turns, but over all, the trip was uneventful and we arrived at our destination a couple hours before sunset.

We stayed at Cabañas Las Flores, owned by a retired couple who really know how to treat ther guests. We ate a delicious dinner, then explored a bit of the town. There wasn't much to see, but it was nice to stretch our legs and explore the muddy streets.

That night, we had some drinks and played cards next to the fire in our cabin. The señor prepared the fire for us, brought us poker chips, and hung out for a while. He is a well-traveled, interesting man and he was great company. The next morning, he led us on a hike down to a beautiful river. I twisted my ankle, so we went back a little earlier than expected. Along the way, David and the señor picked wild flowers for me, which totally made my day. On the way back to the cabins, we stopped in an old abandoned house that had been built 200 years ago. It's rumored to be haunted -- I'm not so sure about that, but it was definitely creepy. However, the view from the house was beautiful. After a couple beers and a medicine-man type episode in which our tour guide spit alcohol on my ankle, I felt 100% better.

Late that night, Estefano and David returned to the haunted house (with my flashlight). I believe Estefano got so freaked out that he actually asked David to hug him. I kick myself everytime I think about the fact that I missed this hilarity... but a girl has got to get her beauty sleep.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:



Coyomeapan -- view from the cabins.















The pretty river.














View from the "haunted" house.















Wildflowers! (this picture was totally staged, but I still think it's sweet)
















The crew: Estefano, Andrea, David, and me. Our kickass tourguide/owner of the cabins is in front.