My day began with pancakes and chocolate. In a place where I sometimes find eating to be the biggest cultural obstacle I have to overcome, a good meal can help make my day. Is that pathetic? I hope not. Anyways, despite the fact that I was recently exalting the mole here (and believe me, it deserves the praise), in the past few days I have had to do battle with my fair share of questionable dishes, including my arch nemesis of culinary challenges: liver. So, I was more than pleased when I walked into the kitchen this morning to find Emma setting out a plate of steaming pancakes and chocolate con leche. A good start to a great day, I thought to myself. Well, I was only sort of right.
I've been waiting for today to come since we had our orientation last week when we learned about the intercambio program hosted by the ICO. Basically, the program pairs up international students with Oaxacans who are learning English. They get to practice the language with native speakers, and we get to hang out with people our own age who know the city and, obviously, the language and culture. Bingo. While I love the people I've met from PLU/UPS and the ICO, I am sick of feeling like a tourist. Ok, so I really am a tourist. But I hate walking around here feeling like I'm wearing a giant sign around my neck that reads 'EXTRANJERA.' While there's no way in hell that as a 5'10" blonde I could ever pass for a native Oaxaqueña, I would like to be able to hang out without causing too many heads to turn or eyebrows to lift. Easier said than done, so far. Any time I head out for a walk or a drink with any more than three other students, I feel as though we are causing a scene. I need some Oaxacan friends. Unfortunately, since the ICO only boasts international students and I live with two 70+ year olds, those have been hard to come by so far. So, needless to say, I am pretty enthused about this whole intercambio thing. I showed up at the ICO after lunch today, super excited to meet my intercambio partner. As everyone else was paired up one by one, I waited patiently for my compañera Estefanía to show up. After about 20 minutes, I was the only one left. Ok, I thought, she's probably just running on Oaxacan time, where showing up anywhere on time means you're early, and showing up late means you're on time. Wrong. I got stood up by my intercambio. I'm crossing my fingers she shows up tomorrow, but as of now my closest Oaxacan friends are still the 5-year old grandchildren of Manuel and Emma.
Trying to put the intercambio bit behind me, I headed to the laundromat to pick up my laundry. I was sort of amazed when Bri and I showed up to the lavandería on Sunday, prepared with our dirty laundry and plenty of soap, when the dueño snatched our bags away from us and told us to return on Tuesday. Apparently, you don't do your own laundry in the laundromats here. It works more like dry cleaning... only, as I came to discover today, a whole lot less luxurious. Try taking the 'dry' out of 'dry cleaning.' The laundry that I picked up was still wet. Surprised and a little confused, I accepted my clothes and took them home to put away. As I was hanging them from the shower curtain to dry, I was faced with the unpleasant surprise that not only were they still wet, but they also smelled pretty bad. Great. To top it all off, when I was done hanging, I realized that three of my shirts were missing. Thankfully, when I rushed back to the laundromat, they were waiting for me. Still though, I think it's time to pick a new lavandería.
I headed to salsa class, feeling a little dejected. After two hours of spinning, stepping, and swinging with our eccentric maestro Roberto, I felt a little better. I then decided to head out in search of coffee with a few other ICO kids. Good decision. After wandering around in the rain for a while, we found a cafe slash (wait for it) BAGEL SHOP! Ok, so I know it is not the most Oaxacan of places, but I'm not about to turn down a bagel. Once again, a good meal can go a long way in shaping an afternoon here. A good end to a great day? Maybe not. More like a good end to a long day. Still, I'll take what I can get. And I will definitely be heading back for more bagels in the future.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Mosquitoes and Crickets and más... oh my.
I would like to ask you to all please cross your fingers and say a silent prayer that I don't catch malaria, because the mosquitoes here are eating me alive. It is taking some serious will power right now to continue typing and not scratch my legs raw, because I might as well have the chicken pox. For some reason, the mosquitoes here prefer me and my fellow gringo travelers 1000:1 over native Oaxacans, despite the fact that I perpetually smell faintly of Deet - although, fun fact, I recently learned that mosquitoes actually prefer birds to humans, who knew? Emma assures me that it is because I have "sangre dulce," which in her book is a good thing. Personally, I'd prefer to have bitter blood over a thousand bug bites. I somehow managed to get through this week alive, and though I swore I packed some benadryl, I was unable to find it among my things. When I went to a pharmacy, I was informed that I need a prescription for any sort of antihistamine. Damn. Blessedly, I found the bottle of benadryl today in a hidden pocket of my backpack, although I would have loved to have made this discovery much earlier in the week.
I was able to reassert my position at the top of the food chain later in the week when I was presented with the opportunity to try chapulines, a Oaxacan delicacy. What are chapulines, you may ask? They are crickets, covered in chili powder, eaten with chips like guacamole. They're not bad, really, just a bit salty for my taste. I have to admit, I'm still getting used to some of the eating customs here. The Oaxacan meal schedule consists of two main meals each day, rather than the three to which I am accustomed. We eat a fairly big breakfast early in the morning and an even larger meal in the early afternoon. This leaves me a little hungry come nightfall, though an evening coffee usually settles my stomach down. I really understand the appeal of a siesta now; after eating such a hefty midday meal, I definitely appreciate the opportunity to quietly digest for a while before continuing my day. All in all, the food here is pretty good. I could eat mole negro, tamales and avocados every day until I die and be blissfully content. I'm a little more wary of other meals, like mystery meat balls and eggs with chili paste and chorizo, but then I just remind myself that after eating crickets, anything else should seem like a piece of cake (pun intended).
While it sometimes seems like my days here are centered around the meals, I have, in fact, been doing other things. I started class at the Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca, affectionately refered to as the ICO. Four hours of Spanish intensivo in the morning followed by two hours of salsa in the afternoon. I have to say, I'm getting pretty decent at salsa, though in a class with 14 girls and only 4 men, getting any face time with a living, breathing partner is pretty competitive for us damas. I think I need a little more practice before I hit up any of the salsa clubs here, but according to my sweet, 72-year-old abuelito Manuel, I will be able to "shake my ass" in no time at all.
After finishing up our first week of classes, we had a couple of fun activities this weekend. On friday we did a "Juego de Pistas," or scavenger hunt, in which we were paired off and set loose to find important landmarks in the city, armed only with our spanish, some maps, and our cameras. After roaming around for a good three hours, we were treated to tamales and chocolate con leche back at the ICO. Yesterday, the group set off for Monte Alban, the site of thousands of years-old Zapotec ruins, just outside of the city. That was definitely the coolest thing I have done here so far, and actually one of the coolest places I have ever been in my whole life. It was incredible to stand on top of an intensely lush, green mountain, overlooking the city from all directions, and walk through the remains of such an old civilization. Maybe it's just the art history nerd in me coming out, but I thought it was pretty cool. Today, I've just been enjoying a day off from everything. After a leisurely breakfast, I hit up the laundromat with Bri and then went for a run in the rain. The rest of the day has just been filled with more food, some futbol on the tele, and a lot of down time. Now, it's time to do a little "light reading" and writing about piracy before I go back to intensivo tomorrow. While I'd much rather head back to Monte Alban or tuck into some arroz con leche, I guess I have to accept schoolwork as part of this whole study abroad thing.
I was able to reassert my position at the top of the food chain later in the week when I was presented with the opportunity to try chapulines, a Oaxacan delicacy. What are chapulines, you may ask? They are crickets, covered in chili powder, eaten with chips like guacamole. They're not bad, really, just a bit salty for my taste. I have to admit, I'm still getting used to some of the eating customs here. The Oaxacan meal schedule consists of two main meals each day, rather than the three to which I am accustomed. We eat a fairly big breakfast early in the morning and an even larger meal in the early afternoon. This leaves me a little hungry come nightfall, though an evening coffee usually settles my stomach down. I really understand the appeal of a siesta now; after eating such a hefty midday meal, I definitely appreciate the opportunity to quietly digest for a while before continuing my day. All in all, the food here is pretty good. I could eat mole negro, tamales and avocados every day until I die and be blissfully content. I'm a little more wary of other meals, like mystery meat balls and eggs with chili paste and chorizo, but then I just remind myself that after eating crickets, anything else should seem like a piece of cake (pun intended).
While it sometimes seems like my days here are centered around the meals, I have, in fact, been doing other things. I started class at the Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca, affectionately refered to as the ICO. Four hours of Spanish intensivo in the morning followed by two hours of salsa in the afternoon. I have to say, I'm getting pretty decent at salsa, though in a class with 14 girls and only 4 men, getting any face time with a living, breathing partner is pretty competitive for us damas. I think I need a little more practice before I hit up any of the salsa clubs here, but according to my sweet, 72-year-old abuelito Manuel, I will be able to "shake my ass" in no time at all.
After finishing up our first week of classes, we had a couple of fun activities this weekend. On friday we did a "Juego de Pistas," or scavenger hunt, in which we were paired off and set loose to find important landmarks in the city, armed only with our spanish, some maps, and our cameras. After roaming around for a good three hours, we were treated to tamales and chocolate con leche back at the ICO. Yesterday, the group set off for Monte Alban, the site of thousands of years-old Zapotec ruins, just outside of the city. That was definitely the coolest thing I have done here so far, and actually one of the coolest places I have ever been in my whole life. It was incredible to stand on top of an intensely lush, green mountain, overlooking the city from all directions, and walk through the remains of such an old civilization. Maybe it's just the art history nerd in me coming out, but I thought it was pretty cool. Today, I've just been enjoying a day off from everything. After a leisurely breakfast, I hit up the laundromat with Bri and then went for a run in the rain. The rest of the day has just been filled with more food, some futbol on the tele, and a lot of down time. Now, it's time to do a little "light reading" and writing about piracy before I go back to intensivo tomorrow. While I'd much rather head back to Monte Alban or tuck into some arroz con leche, I guess I have to accept schoolwork as part of this whole study abroad thing.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Well then. I'm finally here, taking advantage of what is likely to be a unique spare moment, as the rest of the week is jam packed with orientation, school, and explorations of this beautiful city! I arrived last night, and despite what seemed like the longest trip through customs ever where my bag was searched and I had to re-fill out the same form three times, I eventually made it safely and soundly into the arms of my homestay family. I am living with a retired couple, Manuel and Emma. They have three grown children and five grandchildren who are in and out of the house several times a day, and after some embarrassment I think I've finally picked up everyone's names.
As I finish unpacking and settling in, I can't help but be surprised by how normal this all seems. Admittedly, I was a little freaked out when I arrived in the Houston airport all by myself yesterday with no way to get ahold of anyone at home, in Mexico, or on my next flight. As soon as I ran into Bradia and Briana, two girls from my program, however, I immediately recovered my cool. Somehow the fact that we were all a little freaked out served to calm me down. I was free of nerves for the entire two and a a half our flight to the Oaxaca airport, and even when I stepped out of the airport and was whisked away from my traveling companions by Manuel and his son Victor, I was surprised by how calm I felt. When we arrived at the house, I was immediately greeted by Emma with a welcome cup of coffee (my only "meal" since a snack in Houston hours earlier). I kept waiting for the moment to hit me when I would realize that I am in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language, functioning basically on my own... but as of now that moment has yet to come. Maybe this transition will be easier than I anticipated (knock on wood)!
This morning I was awakened by a bird in my bedroom. Yep, that's right, a bird - in my bedroom. I'm not sure how exactly to describe our house, but I guess what distinguishes it most from my house back home in Salt Lake is that most of our casita is not covered by a roof. Only the bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen are, and they all open into an uncovered atrium by means of numerous doors and windows. Hence, the bird in my room. After that incident, I dined with Emma on a "light" meal of coffee, freshly squeezed juice, melon, tamales, and mole. SO delicious! Anyways, the reason we weren't supposed to eat much this morning is because we were invited to a four-year-old's birthday party later in the day, where we snacked on more fruit, popcorn, mayonnaise-slathered corn, bread soaked in vinegar and onions (not my favorite), cake, jello and, wait for it, chicken nuggets (I guess things aren't so different after all). Everything, of course, was covered in chili sauce. After eating and watching four-year-olds whack at giant piñatas for a good four hours, Manuel took me on a mini walking tour of the city. Although I am no more oriented than before (and perhaps even a bit more confused), I have a tremendous appreciation for how beautiful it is here! All the buildings are brightly colored, and every block is filled with colonial architecture. I am particularly enamored of the cathedral in the town's centro and this old, greenish aqueduct that runs through the city.
Ok, well, the entire extended family just showed up, so it's time for me to go! I'll stick some photos up soon!
As I finish unpacking and settling in, I can't help but be surprised by how normal this all seems. Admittedly, I was a little freaked out when I arrived in the Houston airport all by myself yesterday with no way to get ahold of anyone at home, in Mexico, or on my next flight. As soon as I ran into Bradia and Briana, two girls from my program, however, I immediately recovered my cool. Somehow the fact that we were all a little freaked out served to calm me down. I was free of nerves for the entire two and a a half our flight to the Oaxaca airport, and even when I stepped out of the airport and was whisked away from my traveling companions by Manuel and his son Victor, I was surprised by how calm I felt. When we arrived at the house, I was immediately greeted by Emma with a welcome cup of coffee (my only "meal" since a snack in Houston hours earlier). I kept waiting for the moment to hit me when I would realize that I am in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language, functioning basically on my own... but as of now that moment has yet to come. Maybe this transition will be easier than I anticipated (knock on wood)!
This morning I was awakened by a bird in my bedroom. Yep, that's right, a bird - in my bedroom. I'm not sure how exactly to describe our house, but I guess what distinguishes it most from my house back home in Salt Lake is that most of our casita is not covered by a roof. Only the bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen are, and they all open into an uncovered atrium by means of numerous doors and windows. Hence, the bird in my room. After that incident, I dined with Emma on a "light" meal of coffee, freshly squeezed juice, melon, tamales, and mole. SO delicious! Anyways, the reason we weren't supposed to eat much this morning is because we were invited to a four-year-old's birthday party later in the day, where we snacked on more fruit, popcorn, mayonnaise-slathered corn, bread soaked in vinegar and onions (not my favorite), cake, jello and, wait for it, chicken nuggets (I guess things aren't so different after all). Everything, of course, was covered in chili sauce. After eating and watching four-year-olds whack at giant piñatas for a good four hours, Manuel took me on a mini walking tour of the city. Although I am no more oriented than before (and perhaps even a bit more confused), I have a tremendous appreciation for how beautiful it is here! All the buildings are brightly colored, and every block is filled with colonial architecture. I am particularly enamored of the cathedral in the town's centro and this old, greenish aqueduct that runs through the city.
Ok, well, the entire extended family just showed up, so it's time for me to go! I'll stick some photos up soon!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
45 Pounds for 4 Months.
So. In approximately 15 hours I will be in Oaxaca, Mexico. I've been waiting for this day to arrive all summer, and now that it's here I can hardly fathom it. I just can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that for the next four months I will be living in another country! I know that four months is no longer than I would spend at school for a regular semester, but it seems so much longer knowing that it will be spent abroad. Beyond my disbelief, I'm not sure how I really feel right now. Excited? Sure. Well, I know that I should be excited, I just don't know what to be excited for yet. Nervous? Not exactly. I know that the first few hours, days, or even weeks will be pretty tough, and I am certain to face my fair share of "oh crap" moments, but somehow knowing that ahead of time makes it less scary. I guess that more than anything, I am just anxious to finally arrive. This past week in between when I stopped working and when I arrive in Mexico has seemed like a strange limbo, if you will. I've tied up my loose ends at home and said my goodbyes, but haven't yet begun my new adventure.
Well, it's finally time for the adventure to begin! After a day filled with frantic last minute errands and final goodbyes, I finished packing about an hour ago, and somehow managed to squish everything I will need for the next four months into one 45lb backpack. Really, it's a small miracle I was able to zip that thing up. Now all that stands between me and Oaxaca are two measly plane rides! Still though, I have a hard time believing that my trip is finally beginning. As I sit here in my bed sandwiched between my two best friends, it seems just like a regular night at home. Maybe it will really hit me when I get to the airport. Or maybe it won't seem real until I'm actually in Mexico. Either way, things are about to change really soon! I'm going to miss you all tons, but I can't wait to share my exciting (and hopefully interesting!) stories with you all through this little blog of mine. Well, I think it's past time for me to go to bed and rest up for my action packed day tomorrow! Chaocito!
Well, it's finally time for the adventure to begin! After a day filled with frantic last minute errands and final goodbyes, I finished packing about an hour ago, and somehow managed to squish everything I will need for the next four months into one 45lb backpack. Really, it's a small miracle I was able to zip that thing up. Now all that stands between me and Oaxaca are two measly plane rides! Still though, I have a hard time believing that my trip is finally beginning. As I sit here in my bed sandwiched between my two best friends, it seems just like a regular night at home. Maybe it will really hit me when I get to the airport. Or maybe it won't seem real until I'm actually in Mexico. Either way, things are about to change really soon! I'm going to miss you all tons, but I can't wait to share my exciting (and hopefully interesting!) stories with you all through this little blog of mine. Well, I think it's past time for me to go to bed and rest up for my action packed day tomorrow! Chaocito!
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