Back in Black

I've been too long
I'm glad to be back
Yes, I'm let loose
From the noose
That's kept me hanging about
I've been looking at the sky
'Cause it's gettin' me high

-"Back in Black" by AC/DC



Got home yesterday after only minor snags in my travel plans. Was met at the gate by cold wind, snow, Christmas mus-ack, and a dear friend with my coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. Yay!! Went immediately to Dinosaur Barbecue for take-out, home to chow down (on the barbecue and on a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting -> I love my family) and then off to bed for tired children!

Today slept in, played with kids, ate a big breakfast (OMG farm eggs), then picked out a Christmas tree! Hung out and relaxed, caught up with old friends, then went to the farm for milk and picked up a pizza for dinner. Packed my overnight bag because tomorrow is Christmas in Boston. Will be back on Sunday evening.

Great start to what I am sure will be an excellent spell at home!!

Los Ahuehuetes

Okay folks, so this will be my last post from Mexico (for about a month, anyway). I've pretty much finished packing and am now awaiting the arrival of 1:40 AM, when I will call the taxi, thus beginning my 15-hour journey home. I am starting to feel sort of sad to think about leaving my friends, but I'm also sooooo ready to go home. I can't wait to see everybody!! I've actually been making a list of things I can't wait to enjoy while back home/in the States.

The list includes, but is not limited to:
friends and family
reliably hot water
cats
no mosquitoes
SNOW
drinking from the tap
chocolate desserts
pizza/wings/rootbeer
driving
three-pronged outlets
Hulu and Pandora
windows that close all the way
punctuality
sneakers/sweatpants/no makeup in public


But I will also miss the amazing Mexican street food, the openness of the people, that all the boys can dance, learning street slang, and of course my wonderful friends and family. Only a month before I return to this magical place; not sure whether that's good or bad. I want to be in both places at once!! I guess that to quote a dear friend, it is what it is.

Anyway, today as my last blast with my friends, we went to a place called Los Ahuehuetes, which means "The Montezuma Cypress Trees" (Taxodium mucronatum). This is another one of those amazing places to which I will most definitely return. It is a very small spot with a natural spring-fed swimming hole, surrounded by the giant cypress trees. The water is completely clear and blue, and you can see all the way down the 3 or 4 meters to the sandy bottom. When you open your eyes underwater, you can see everything! Also, the warm water doesn't even mildly irritate the eyes, in fact it felt soothing after an hour on very dusty roads. Anyway, the bottom is white sand, but is not a normal solid bottom. It is more like a layer of suspended sand swirling around. I don't know where the actual bottom is because I couldn't find it, no matter how deep I went. Maybe there is no bottom... (cue Twilight Zone music)

There is also a cypress log which spans the entirety of the swimming hole and makes an excellent perch/diving platform. Above the water, the log is sun-bleached and completely smooth from years of use. Under the water, the log is covered in slippery moss that schools of tiny fish feed on continuously. I was absolutely enchanted watching them! I didn't get any pictures because my camera battery was still dead, but I promise that when I return there (which, of course, I will do many times) I will get lots of pictures.

After swimming for several hours (once the sun went down and we got cold), we changed into dry clothes and sat on the banks talking and enjoying some boxed sangria (my birthday present!) and unas caguamas, which are basically family-sized bottles of beer. Like 2-liter bottles of soda, they're more economical. Plus it adds to the feeling of camaraderie when you all share a single bottle!

By that time we had worked up a healthy hunger and decided to drive into the pueblito nearby. There we discovered the most amazing tacos and tortas I've ever eaten. Simple fried beef and red salsa served on a tortilla (taco) or on a bun (torta), they were amazing. I ate 2 of each, and then we moved on to elotes al carbon (grilled ears of corn) served on a stick and covered in lime and chile. Next on the menu was caña, chunks of sugar cane which I think had been boiled. You chew the hard fibrous pieces, sucking out all the sweet juice and spitting out the spent fibers. It's a very refreshing treat! We finished off our eating tour of the neighborhood with something I had never tried before: champurrado, a hot drink which is composed of corn masa, chocolate, and dark brown sugar all dissolved in boiling water. It was delicious, and apparently put me to sleep because I remember getting back into the car and closing the door, but nothing more until we pulled up to my door. I didn't even put on my seat-belt!
So in conclusion, swimming+food+friends=(sleepy/happy)!

My bags are packed, I am ready to return to the good 'ol U.S. of A., having wished goodbye to all my new-found friends and family here in Mexico. I guess that since we have officially come to the end of my first semester of study abroad I should do a bit of reflection. That said, I think that all I can really say is that this has been one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. I say that without exaggeration. I have learned, done, and (of course!) eaten more than I could ever have imagined. Therefore, I encourage anyone and everyone to take every opportunity they can to experience something similar, and I would like to thank each and every person who has made this possible. You are responsible for a huge amount of personal growth on my part, as well as a huge amount of fun! I hope you all realize how much you all mean to me and how immense has been this gift which you've given me.
Los quiero mucho (I love you guys so much!).

El volcan de Popocatépetl

No, this one's not a tongue twister...

On Saturday night I went camping on Popocatépetl, a volcano an hour's drive from Puebla. It's a very classic-looking volcano: conical, snow-capped, and still active, so it continuously spits ash and smoke. The base of the volcano is pine forest, which is littered with kitschy little cabins owned by very wealthy folks.


Popocatépetl, affectionately known as Popo. This is a photo from this summer showing the view from the highway, quite a while before actually arriving in Puebla.



This is the view of the volcano from the cabin. Note that by this time of year there is significantly more snow on the peak, and the smoke and steam are especially visible.

It was in one of these cabins that we stayed, as it was owned by the family of a friend of a friend of a friend. Slightly sketchy: we had to enter through a window the whole trip because no one had the keys. My guess is that it truly was owned by that friend's family, it was just that the family had no idea we were there. Woot!

But seriously, apart from what might have been breaking and entering, we had a great time! There was neither heat nor electricity nor running water in the cabin, so apart from the fireplace the cabin served as little more than a shelter from the wind. I should note here that it is COLD there, as in below freezing. All of us, that is myself and my friends from biology classes, huddled together while sleeping to keep from freezing.

Our visit was relatively short, consisting of an after-dark arrival, a nice long hike through the woods, a few glasses of wine, sleeping in, quick breakfast, and off to a program obligation at noon.

The program obligation? Our goodbye party.
As part of our folkloric dance class, several of the program girls had to do a final dance presentation at the party. We were, to put it delicately, rather skeptical about our ability to perform well. We had never really managed to dance any of the three numbers well, we were dancing in heels for only the second time, and we were wearing costumes we had never even tried on before. Luckily, however, the party involved an open bar, so we worked up a little tequila-related courage beforehand. As it turned out, we beat the odds and did really well. Everyone was impressed, even our harshest critics: ourselves.

After the little performance, we ate a nice meal (impressive considering the program's record when it comes to feeding people) with our families and then hit the dance floor for the obligatory Village People + cumbia mix that pervades every party.


This is us getting reading for picotas. We were also skeptical about the outfit, but it works, doesn't it?




The Boda, an interpretation of a wedding. I got to be the bride! This is me with my "family." The group in white and red is the family of my groom. Funny, I didn't catch his name...




Finally, the dance from Sinaloa. Big skirts!!

note: all the pictures from the party are stolen from my friends on Facebook. My camera battery died on the volcano so I didn't get any shots of my own.

Cumpleaños, cumbia, y... the Dixie Chicks?

So yesterday was my very first birthday in Mexico! I have to say that the folks here sure know how to throw a birthday bash...

So the preparation for the birthday meal began at around 9 AM, with plenty of cooking, cake decorating, table-setting, and piñata filling! I requested enchiladas verdes, but we also had soup, bread, calabaza, frijoles, and berry punch. Some friends of the family also came on a well-timed surprise visit and brought with them a salad, sodas, flautas (fried tacos), and.... (wait for it....) Kentucky Fried Chicken and biscuits!! Best unintentional birthday present ever. Then we topped it all off with a carrot/pineapple/pecan cake, for which I promise to get the recipe so the joy of that particular confection can be spread around the world; its containment within Mexico would be unjust.

All together, we sat at least 15 people at the table and ate until we no longer could. It made me so happy to see all these people together enjoying themselves. There really is no better present than a fully-laden and fully-surrounded table.

In addition, it should be understood that my family here is very food-oriented, and my Mama Poblana is not shy about making sure that you have eaten plenty. As a result, we all left the table roly-poly and completely unexcited about having to move. Nonetheless, I braved my way to an informal, impromptu, and largely unhelpful dance review session. From there we went to Bernadette's house (our director) for a very suspiciously timed meeting about end-of-semester bureaucratic stuff. Much to my complete and utter and all-consuming shock and surprise, there was a surprise birthday celebration for me, involving pizza, balloons, and what was honestly the best cake I have had in Mexico: a pyramid of bite-size brownies covered in melted chocolate. Clearly they have been paying attention to my habits/addiction to brownies. Also received some gifts from various members of the program (who rock my socks!!):


A dancing figurine made of corn husks, given to me by Bernadette/the program. She's so awesome, but I'm worried about how I'll get her back safely to the USA; she's rather fragile.


Sparkly pear and a box of sangria (inside joke) from some dear friends. You know who you are, and you better know how awesome you are.



Earrings!! Thanks to Joelle and her awesome taste!



And to top off a fabulous day, I went with Joelle and her Mexican boyfriend, Mauricio, as well as our friend Nhi to a public dance in Puebla. This was definitely a dance of the people, which sure beats the fresa (1:snooty, stuck-up, preppie. 2: strawberry)clubs I've been going to. This was normal people attending a free dance with live music on a Friday night. We basically danced the Cumbia with random people until we were half-dead asleep and with aching feet. SO MUCH FUN. I really like that the system of politely asking a stranger to dance with you is still alive and well. Plus, it was really affirming to realize that I have a pretty good handle on this particular dance! Not so affirming was that I felt more conspicuous than I usually do. Nhi and I can generally pull off looking Mexican (albeit with plenty of Spanish blood) until we start speaking, but my dear friend Joelle has a classic fair-skinned, golden-ringlet look about her that pretty much alerts anyone here to her status as a gringa. It therefore became clear to everyone that we were all gringas. Pro: lots of offers to dance. Con: lots of getting stared at. Honestly, though, I was so happy to be dancing such a FUN dance that I was not terribly concerned.


Okay, so on an unrelated note, I want to share with you a video I stumbled over. This both expresses my wish to be home, as well as gives an excellent presentation of images that I consider classically Mexican: unforgettable and integral aspects of my time here. This is in a border town, which adds a border-crossing theme. So minus that, here is Mexico + Dixie Chicks=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4NTn3Pn05A&feature=PlayList&p=529F15A30380B591&index=12

trabalenguas

Trabalenguas is the Spanish word for 'tongue-twister.' Apparently it's adorable when foreigners stumble over these tricky turns of phrase, so I am frequently asked to repeat one or another. The one my dear friends have me working on now goes as follows:

El volcán de Parangaricutirimícuaro se parangaricutirimicuarizó. Él que lo desparangaricutirimicuarizaré un buen desparangaricutirimicuarizador será.

No, it doesn't make any sense, so don't even try...

Metepec, Zapotitlan II, y Thanksgiving

So the last week can be broken into three events which stand out from the run-of-the-mill drudgery of paper writing: a group trip to Metepec, a non-group trip to Zapotitlan, and the Mexican try at a Thanksgiving dinner.


Metepec:
A pueblo with a vacation resort where you can do all sorts of sports and other fun things, including eat, rent ridiculous bicycles, and hang out on Smith-campus-beautiful lawns. We went there on Saturday as a group-o-gringas (actually literally only half of the group went; the rest either already had plans or simply didn't show up. Their loss, however, because it was totally kickin'. Plus the remaining group was super positive and fun!).

The day started out with teamwork activities led by a group of three young men. I was feeling pretty negative about the whole thing at the beginning, but quickly got over myself and started to enjoy the fun! After we had established our ability to trust each other, we moved on to the high ropes course. I've always wanted to do one, but until now have never had the chance. Two words: Awe. Some. There were four set-ups:
The first consisted of a single wire which two people had to walk along, from opposite ends, crossing each other in the middle, using suspended ropes as supports. Toby and I did this one, which was not exactly difficult but which (being the first one) was really scary.
The second consisted of two wires at about shoulder-width apart, with small wooden platforms at intervals. Again, two people had to cross from opposite ends, this time without the hanging ropes. Asaki and I did this one together, and had fun!
The third consisted of a pole that you climb, stand up on, then jump off of trying to touch a hanging globe or grab onto a trapeze. I tried for the trapeze but didn't quite reach it.
The fourth is basically a hanging bunch of ropes and logs and wires with a tires at the top. Two people climb it, using each other as support. This one requires not only guts but also a fair amount of strength. Also by far the coolest. Toby and I did this one together, and it was a definite bonding experience.



Who's strong? We're strong! Me, Toby, and Stephanie rockin' the climbing look.



See how tall it is? Ay, que miedo!



Toby and I at the top of the fourth one! We were so proud of ourselves! I couldn't stop giggling.


Then after all this excitement, we went to eat lunch. Per usual on these group outings lately, the food was bad; however, to be quite frank, this meal was an all-time low of unappetizing food. As you may already know, I am not a picky eater yet could not bring myself to eat more than a few bites of ANYTHING that was served to us as part of this 4-course meal. Couldn't even eat the cake we had for Asaki's birthday. Too baaad...

But after said disappointing lunch we returned to the fun stuff! Stephanie and I rented a crazy bicycle which has the basic shape of a golf cart, but powered by two sets of bicycle gears and steered by a tiller connected to the front wheels. It was fun to bop around in for a little while, but it was surprisingly difficult to pedal. No probs, however, we recruited a few more friends and all took turns riding and pushing the cart from behind. Wheeee!! Then we chilled on the lawn until it was time to go. Returned to Puebla very satisfied, very proud, and very, very tired.




Zapotitlan II:
So I returned for a one-night camping trip to Zapotitlan Salinas, the same place I camped with my biology class. This time, however, we went just myself, Dofus, and Roberto. Their ecology class was there doing a field-trip, but the group camped at a different spot while we stayed with the same senora as before. We pretty much got treated like family. Our time consisted of two data collections that the boys had to do for class (I helped) which took about an hour each, several hikes to cool places, and plenty of hanging out and talking. Oh yeah, and I bought a baby cactus (Ferrocactus latispinus)which I will now have to smuggle back into the USA. Allow me to explain in photos:


Beautiful landscape!! I feel so happy here.



Roberto on the left, Dofus on the right. Yeah, guys, whatever...



Do you remember la Frijola? She's so big now! I want to bring her home with me, but for several reasons that's out of the question. I guess I'll just have to visit her frequently!



BMF arachnid, about the size of my palm. This was one of two that we saw. We got to watch it catch, disable, and devour a bee. This is why biology is awesome.



Before we could climb the mountain up to some ancient ruins and tomb, we had to ask permission from the gods. This is our guide, with the conch shell he played to the four corners of the earth, as well as a few other spiritual articles, including corn and water. The ceremony was basically that we all stood in a circle around him and faced east, he prayed, we repeated a word in (I think) Nahautl, then he played the shell and we all held our hands up to receive the energy. Then we repeated that facing the other three cardinal points, always turning to our left.




Thanksgiving:
Well, let's just say that there's no place like home. The Thanksgiving dinner organized for us by the program was not exactly a shining success. Though I must say that I think I enjoyed it pretty thoroughly anyway. Sure, the turkey was unappetizing (they said it was smoked but I say turkey shouldn't be pink and gelatinous) and there were no mashed potatoes, but everything else was pretty good. There was stuffing and cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes, so my favorite parts were present (minus the mashed potatoes, of course). Shout out to some amazing chocolate chip cookies!! And although there were some complaints from the group, no one can deny that they had a fun time!

Tres semanas

Time, per usual, has flown by. There are fewer than 3 weeks until I return to the good ol' U.S. of A. Today was the last session of my anthropology class (though I still have to write a final paper), my history class is finished save for a paper, all my grades are in for biology, and I've finished the final paper(11-pages of Spanish, bitchezzzz!!) for my dance class. By the beginning of next week I'll be able to sit back and enjoy the remaining week and half of my time here, then I can return home with my ridiculous tan and my new-found Spanish street slang.

I'm very excited to see everyone for the holidays! I'm torn because on the one hand I want to go home RIGHT NOW, but on the other hand I want to be able to stop time and stay in Mexico, perhaps not forever, but for a sizable chunk of time. I'm definitely glad that I will be coming back for the next semester but I would love to be able to spend more than a few weeks at home.

(sigh) So much love, so many people, so many places, and so little time. Guess it could be worse.

So on a less sentimental note, I've been continuing eating everything in sight. So far there are only two foods which I have discovered I do not really like: the tropical fruit papaya (it looks so good yet tastes like poo, what's up with that?) and mole de panza (basically consists of a spicy tomato-y broth with chunks of cow stomach floating in it. Sounds yummy, huh?). Interestingly enough, this particular dish (also known as menudo) is considered to be THE cure for a hangover, yet has some of the least nausea-quelling properties I've encountered in a food. Overall it tastes pretty good, but it has a sort of cow pat smell that my instincts have a difficult time telling me is okay to eat. Additionally, stomach has a unique consistency something like eating your own tongue. All that aside, I feel strangely drawn to it and will probably try it several more times. Maybe I'll learn to like it: even Wikipedia calls it "un platillo de gusto adquirido"; an acquired taste.

But aside from these particular foods everything else I've eaten has been wonderful. Greatest recent discoveries: esquites (basically cooked corn cut off the cob and mixed with broth, mayo, lime, and chile), barbacoa (a preparation of meat. goat? perhaps. sheep? maybe. delicious? definitely), molotes (a thick tortilla doubled over some sort of filling, traditionally cheese, chicken, or calf brains, then deep-fried and served with salsa), tortas (sandwiches that can include basically anything + cheese + pickled chiles) and, my all-time favorite, pozole (a soup which involves hunks of mystery meat and kernels of cooked corn the size of a playing die; don't ask questions, just eat).

Oh Mexico... you are, in a word, indescribable.

Safety precautions in vehicular travel are, to say the least, not common (aside from religious figurines). This means that seat-belts are practically unheard of, speed-limits do not exist, and children are held on the parents lap. Today I saw the very first child car-seat since arriving. The seat was strapped into the car, but the child was not strapped into the seat.

Another oddity (speaking of food, clearly I'm hungry): You can buy a kilo of carrots, which is more than two pounds and enough to serve as a dish for several people, for 2 pesos. A meat-topped gordita which will fill up one person for half the day goes for 7 pesos. If you want a soda to go with it, however, that'll cost you an additional 10 pesos. A cup of coffee? An extra 15 pesos.

Final comment: It is socially acceptable for anyone to wear lucha wrestling masks anywhere, at any time. This is not me.

Hiiiijole!

When studying abroad (or doing anything else, ever, anywhere in this world), some of the constants of life are perpetually having to adapt to situations imposed upon you without your consent, dealing with people whose opinions and tastes differ strongly from your own, using creative thinking to make the best of a sticky situation, keeping a cool demeanor in the face of adversity, and trusting that in the end everything will work out for the best.

Somewhere along my travels I encountered a fine example of this. It reads:


Here's a prime example of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From
Venus" offered by an English professor from the University of Phoenix:

The professor told his class one day: "Today we will
experiment with a new form called the tandem story. The process is
simple. Each person will pair off with the person sitting to his or
her immediate right. As homework tonight, one of you will write the
first paragraph of a short story. You will e-mail your partner that
paragraph and send another copy to me. The partner will read the first
paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story and send it
back, also sending another copy to me. The first person will then add
a third paragraph and so on back-and-forth.

Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order
to keep the story coherent. There is to be absolutely NO talking
outside of the e-mails and anything you wish to say must be written in
the e-mail. The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been
reached."

The following was actually turned in by two of his English
students:

Rebecca and Gary. THE STORY:

(first paragraph by Rebecca) At first, Laurie couldn't
decide which kind of tea she wanted. The chamomile, which used to be
her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her too much of
Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he liked chamomile. But
she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off Carl. His
possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him too much
her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out of the
question.

(second paragraph by Gary) Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant
Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4,
had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an
air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one
sweaty night over a year ago. "A.S. Harris to Geostation 17," he said
into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar orbit established. No sign
of resistance so far..." But before he could sign off a bluish
particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a hole through his
ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of
his seat and across the cockpit.

(Rebecca) He bumped his head and died almost
immediately, but not before he felt one last pang of regret for
psychically brutalizing the one woman who had ever had feelings for
him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its pointless hostilities towards
the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. "Congress Passes Law Permanently
Abolishing War and Space Travel," Laurie read in her newspaper one
morning. The news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared
out the window, dreaming of her youth, when the days had passed
unhurriedly and carefree, with no newspaper to read, no television to
distract her from her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful
things around her. "Why must one lose one's innocence to become a
woman?" she pondered wistfully.

(Gary) Little did she know, but she had less than 10
seconds to live. Thousands of miles above the city, the Anu'udrian
mothership launched the first of its lithium fusion missiles. The
dimwitted, wimpy peaceniks who pushed the Unilateral Aerospace disarmament
Treaty through the Congress had left Earth a defenseless target for
the hostile alien empires who were determined to destroy the human
race. Within two hours after the passage of the treaty, the
Anu'udrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying enough firepower
to pulverize the entire planet. With no one to stop them, they swiftly
initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion missile entered
the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his top-secret mobile
submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the coast of Guam, felt
the inconceivably massive explosion, which vaporized poor, stupid
Laurie.

(Rebecca) This is absurd. I refuse to continue this
mockery of literature. My writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic
semiliterate adolescent.

(Gary) Yeah? Well, my writing partner is a
self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at writing are the
literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh, shall I have chamomile tea? Or
shall I have some other sort of F--KING TEA??? Oh no, what am I to do?
I'm such an air-headed bimbo who reads too many Danielle Steele
novels!"

(Rebecca) A**hole.

(Gary) B*tch

(Rebecca) F__K YOU - YOU NEANDERTHAL!

(Gary) Go drink some tea - whore.

(TEACHER) A+ - I really liked this one.

Oh! The Places You'll Go...

"And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't."

~Dr. Seuss, Oh! The Places You'll Go!



So the last two weekends have been spent in faraway lands filled with new and exciting things. Allow me to summarize.

Oaxaca: A group-sponsored excursion to the city of Oaxaca, smaller and more charming than Puebla, and FILLED with tourists. The highlights here are mole, prehispanic ruins, chocolate, markets, chapulines, artesanias, embroidered dresses, green-stone buildings, unsafe/kick-ass modes of transportation, petrified waterfalls, and the celebration of the Day of the Dead. I loved it and would love to go back without the group-o-gringos.


Our moto-taxi to the celebration of the Day of the Dead. It seemed only fitting that it would take us to the cemetery.



The ruins at Monte Alban. Some view, no?


A helpless chapulin about to lose its life. Chapulines are a Oaxacan delicacy which basically involves crickets toasted with lime and salt (and sometimes chile). They are delicious, but even I get a little weirded out by them because their appearance doesn't change much between hopping around joyously and being eaten.



A typical Day of the Dead ofrenda, which involves flowers, candles, decorations, religious icons, and all the favorite food/drink/items of the deceased. The idea is that the dead person will come back, drawn by the offering and whatever special quality this day has that makes it easier to visit their loved ones. Tombstones are also decorated and a vigil/party is kept over them the whole night by the family.



The petrified waterfalls at Hierve el Agua, near Oaxaca. The water at the top of the mountain is so rich in minerals that these stone waterfalls result. Breathtaking. Simply breathtaking.




Acapulco: A spontaneous weekend trip with two other chicas from the program to visit our friend Hugo's home. We hopped on a bus, went to Hugo's grandma's house (on Calle 13!!) in a VW bug taxi, went for a spin around the city, then fell dead asleep at 4 AM. Awoke at 7 to the sun and the sounds of what turns out to be a ridiculously noisy section of town. The next two days were spent almost exclusively at the beach soaking up the sun, the surf, and the 85 degree weather. We then capped off our trip with a red-eye bus ride back to the incredibly cold Puebla-at-six-in-the-morning. One hour of sleep and off to class Monday morning!



The view from the roof of Hugo's house. Every time I look at this I can't believe I was actually there; it seems like a dream!



I'm gonna soak up the sun, I'm gonna tell everyone to lighten up!



Us on the bus from the bus station back to our houses at 6 am. This was not staged, we were actually that tired and cold. :-( But I guess as hard as we had fun, the exhaustion was inevitable...

Unas cositas

Quirky little things about life in Mexico that you might not know:

1. You tip the grocery bagger
2. You cannot flush toilet paper
3. There is no such thing as vegetable shortening
4. The "Twilight" series is so popular it's frightening
5. No one puts peanut butter on fruit
6. Oxxo convenience stores have everything you need (except shortening)
7. All men wear gallons of cologne
8. Word play with sexual connotation ("albur") is a national sport
9. Paper products are scented like chamomile (tissues, pads, TP, paper towels)
10. Wal-mart is more omnipresent here than in the USA

Hey hey good-lookin'!

Weeeee've been cookin'!

So this week was the first of what will be many informal cooking classes at our program director's house, taught by Delfi, one of the lovely ladies who help keep the program running smoothly.

The menu:
chilaquiles rojos
chalupas
salsa roja
salsa verde



My friend Toby, frying frying frying!




Fried tortilla triangles for the chilaquiles!



My friend Stephanie, taste-testing the chilaquiles.



Chilaquiles!!!!



I will return to the USA with a ton of recipes/instructions for traditional Mexican foods. If you are nice to me I will give you the recipe. If you are SUPER nice to me I will cook it for you. (or if you ask, really...)

Provecho!! (enjoy)

La influenza

So guess who's being quarantined in her room for 5 days? Actually I plan to break out on Monday because I've been fever-free for almost 24 hours already, and with another day I can be certain of my lack of contagiousness.

On Thursday evening I felt really crappy, and on Friday morning I couldn't move. With classic flu symptoms and everybody VERY cautious, they took me, somewhat against my will though I felt too ill to argue, to the hospital. Everybody got really jumpy about the combination headache, body aches, fever thing (I wasn't concerned about 40 degrees, but I googled it later and it turns out that's 104!!); they did a rapid flu test which was negative (everyone tells me they're useless, though) and sent a culture to Mexico City. I should find out whether I had swine flu or not in about a week. They wrote me a prescription for Tamiflu and tylenol, gave me a cute little mask, and told me not to leave my room for 5 days.

Oh yeah, turns out that even with a prescription, influential doctor friends, and an ATM card, Tamiflu cannot be purchased in Puebla because there simply isn't any. Fine for me, since I'm all better, but bad for anyone who really needs it.

Saturday dawned, me with no fever and plenty of energy; I have been climbing the walls ever since. As my mother always assured me, as long as I was once again hungry and bored, I must be on the mend!

Oh yeah, the caterpillars!

So something pivotal that I forgot to mention about my trip to Zapotitlan. One day we walked to the nearby pueblo and ate at a little restaurant. Our appetizer? Fried caterpillars, called cuchama, that are harvested in the area during the rainy season. They're crispy and spicy and really really really tasty with chile and lime.



This is a photo of the dish (I stole this from Dario Lopez-Mills, of the Associated Press). Fried with chiles, doused in lime and a little salt, and wrapped tightly in a tortilla-cocoon, I highly recommend them.


After we had set up camp the first day, there was actually a live specimen of the bright green, spiny critters on my sleeping bag. I removed it with my baseball cap and placed it on a nearby bush. Lucky I chose the cap, because I was talking with the Señora later, and she told me that the little spines of the caterpillar sting, leaving dark red welts (at this point she showed me her own recent caterpillar-related wounds). Turns out that once they're cooked the spines don't sting anymore, but they do add to the texture!

Zapotítlan Salinas

So I returned yesterday evening from this camping adventure. I will begin with three words: It. Was. Amazing.


The view from our campsite. You can see the cacti, but unfortunately I didn't get a photo that really captures the amazingness of this place.


So the bare bones are as follows: we all showed up to our normal class time on Monday morning with our tents, sleeping bags, food, lots of water, and sunscreen. We loaded ourselves and all our gear into a hired bus and drove the 2.5 hours to Zapotitlan Salinas, a pueblo in the state of Puebla where there is a botanical garden famous for its wide variety of habitats and its incredible array of cacti (yes, it's a semi-desert). We camped behind the neighboring masonry shop which provided us with a bathroom and a bunker with 2 outlets, as well as a señora who provides the main meal of the day in an outdoor cooking/dining space (which has inspired me to put one of these in my future home). We worked in teams of four students and one profe/grad-student to plan and complete a research project. This basically involved the first half of the week working outdoors collecting data and the second half giving presentations and writing lab reports. We then returned to Puebla very tired, very dirty, and (for me at least) VERY content with the whole experience. Seriously, to the point that I'm pretty sure that I want to live there for at least a few years of my life.



Our study system, of the family Solanaceae. Note that these two flowers are opposite morphs, with mirrored carpels (the really thin structure) and anthers (the big dark structure). The light-colored ones in the middle are also anthers, but they're symmetrical (they are also fully functional, we discovered).


Our project dealt with a plant in the tomato family and its flowers that have a property called enantiostilia (that's the Spanish word because I don't know the English word; I suspect it's very similar) which is basically that there are two morphs of the flower, one with the carpel (female reproductive organ) to the left and the anthers to the right, and the other with the carpel to the right and the anthers to the left. The effect of this is that the pollen only gets on one side of the bee's body, so a bee has to visit a flower of the opposite morph in order to result in pollination. Our project was basically a determination of the proportion of the morphs, their arrangement within the plant, determination of any differences between the morphs, and a trace of pollination with fluorescent powders. Basically it was awesome and has re-affirmed my love of biology/ecology. (Sorry for this news, geologists, but if it helps I took pictures of mountains and soils, stole a rock, and want to know why the top layer of dried-out mud is a different color than its equally-dry lower layers.)


Tell me why, Bob, tell me why.


When we gave our final presentations of our research projects, only one person from the team could actually give the presentation, and I was that person. I was super nervous to give a 20-minute presentation in Spanish to a large group, but afterward I felt really proud of myself. Several people congratulated me, saying that it was one of the better presentations, which is good because I was so nervous I literally remember standing in front and taking a deep breath before beginning, and I remember sitting back down afterward, but I remember nothing else about the presentation.


It was so great to be out of the city and so great to be camping. I love Puebla but I had forgotten how amazing rural places are. Nature is my church and it had been way too long since I'd attended. Also this is a pretty breath-taking area; it's the middle of the rainy season so lots of things were flowering and the landscape was relatively green. That said, I need to come back during the dry season because this was most definitely the most arid place I've ever seen. Everything I brought with me is now saturated with dust and sand, including my skin. I basically drenched myself in moisturizer after taking a much-needed shower upon my return.


My skin afterward. Oh no wait, that's a cactus. Same difference, really, except the cactus seems less sunburnt.

We were 6 people in the tent, which was great because we could both feel a sense of community and keep warm during the cold cold cold desert nights, but which was bad because invariably some wanted to stay up until the early morning and others wanted to wake up in the early morning, which resulted in none of us ever sleeping more than a few hours a night. But it was the BEST sleep deprivation! (As a note for those at home: the previous statement was a "Sara Joke"; I'm laughing hysterically right now and everyone thinks I'm crazy. Clearly nothing has changed much.)

Sure, everybody knows that in Mexico people eat tacos, chiles, and flan (true story) but did you know that alphabet soup is also a common food here? Neither did I. I guess I should mention, however, that the Mexican version involves chayote, a type of squash that works its way into a wide variety of dishes.



(While I put no faith in the truth of the following statements, I still find what Wikipedia had to say about the chayote fun/interesting:

" * In Australia, where it is called choko, a persistent rumour has existed that McDonald's Apple Pies were made of chokos, not apples. This eventually led McDonald's to emphasise the fact that real apples are used in their pies. This legend was based on an earlier belief that tinned pears were often disguised chokos. A possible explanation for the rumour is that there are a number of recipes extant in Australia, that advise chokos can be used in part replacement of canned apples to make the fruit go farther, in making apple pies. This likely arose because of shortages of canned fruit in the years following World War Two, coupled with the fact apples do not grow in many tropical and sub-tropical parts of Australia and were therefore diffcult to obtain.

* Due to its purported cell-regenerative properties, it is believed as a contemporary legend that this fruit caused the mummification of people from the Colombian town of San Bernardo who extensively consumed it. The very well preserved skin and flesh can be seen in the mummies today."


So that was a little random, but anyway...


On Monday I will be going on a 7-day field trip with my biology class to Zapotitlan, a semi-desert in the state of Puebla. True to the typical style of Mexican academics (and anything else, really) we have been given hardly any information so I can't really say what to expect. All I know is that the trip is worth something like 50% of my grade for the course. I will take lots of pictures and hopefully not get bitten by a snake. Luckily, however, I will be with my good friend Dofus who has plenty of experience with the biology department field trips. (His other interests include playing futbol, taking me on food-related tours of the city, and not showing up to class on time.)


Dofus the perpetually tardy.

Fiestaaaaas

Since a lot has happened this week, I'm going to break this into three main events:

El quince de septiembre (September 15th)

This is the Mexican Independence Day, and this year was the year before the bicentennial so it was extra-big and extra-important, even though it's the year BEFORE the bicentennial. This I find strange in general but in the context of everything I've learned about Mexico it makes complete sense. For example, if a one-day holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday the holiday is semi-officially "bridged" to include the Monday or Friday as well. As a note, since the actual day we had off from school was Wednesday (the 16th) there were very few students in classes all week long, due to the unofficial bridging on either side of the holiday.

Anyway, my quince was pretty tranquil. I actually went to the church of my host family (they're protestants- practically the only ones in Puebla) which was having a party that included games (super boring and dorky, but I was told by several people that usually they're really good; someone new was in charge), a potluck supper (words cannot describe the amazingness that is Mexican potluck), and performances by talented (and a few less talented) members of the church of traditional dances and songs.


Me with a group of young performers in the traditional dress of Chiapas.


After this I went to the house of my friend Cesar with Misa, Roy, Rebeca, and Jonatan (the posse) where Cesar's family was having a party with a mariachi band, more food, and various games (these were considerably more fun) in the style of scattergories and pictionary. I had a nice time but left relatively early (that is, around 2 AM ---> even the young children were still up partying) because I had developed a cold and needed to sleep. Another cultural lesson: nothing causes more people to fuss over you constantly than a nagging cough. I've learned to keep cough drops with me at all times just to keep from being attacked by concerned friends/mothers/aunts/children/pets.



la fiesta de bienvenidos

On Friday night was the big Welcome party the exchange program throws every semester. It's a semi-formal event where all of the students come dressed in traditional costume from various regions of Mexico. There is then socializing, wining, dining, and a performance by the "danza folklorica" troupe which also lends us the dresses and gives us dance classes throughout the semester. Then they break out the DJ and the rest of the night is spent dancing and drinking to a mixture of traditional tunes, modern melodies, and of course the Village People, an omnipresent force in Mexican music. I don't understand this phenomenon, but I'm certainly not complaining!


My dress, in the style of Jalisco, which literally weighs about 15 pounds because the skirt is so full.




After changing back into street clothes and on the dance floor with Rebeca and Misa.



Slowly but surely I'm learning how to dance and have found an excellent partner/teacher in the person of Misa. So far I can manage cumbia-esque songs and banda music. We attempted a duranguense number the other night (oh wait! This goes in the next section!) which needs some work; I don't think my hips/knees are physically capable of doing that. Salsa is next on the list, but I would honestly be happy just dancing to banda music for the rest of my life. I've written and erased about ten different descriptions of the steps and have decided that I'll just have to post a video.


la fiesta en la casa de Roy

And finally the parents of Roy (my host sister's novio) had a party yesterday at their ranch in Atlixco. A party which involved both the midday meal and supper (which occurred at about 10 PM). It was pretty low-key, with plenty of socializing, playing fetch with their two gigantic golden retrievers, music, dancing, relaxing, etc.


Misa relaxing before the majority of the guests arrived.



Me with Boris, one of the Goldens.

Whoa. Seriously whoa.

So I have, like, so much to talk about.

This past Friday I was eating the midday meal (which occurs at around 3:30 pm) with my family, quietly preparing myself for an uneventful weekend, when I received a phone call from my host sister Rebeca. "Hola Sara, Quieres ir a la playa conmigo?" Do you want to go to the beach with me?

Today? Yeah, we'll leave around 6 this evening. Sure, why not? I envisioned us piling into her boyfriend Roy's car with a few friends, driving a few hours to a nearby beach, spending the evening, and driving back late but at some fairly reasonable hour.

Then she tells me "pack your suitcase and make sure you tell your program director, because we'll be going in an airplane. Okay, bye!" WHAT? Wait, details please?!?

So turns out (and honestly many of the details were only revealed to me as they happened; I was definitely along for the ride) we had been invited by a friend of Roy to a full weekend in Playa del Carmen, very close to Cancun and considered by many to be the prettiest beach in the world. We were flown there in a private jet (complete with sushi and champagne) and stayed for two nights in a very nice, very big house with the parents of one of the friends and a group of about 15 young people (all very nice!). We wined, we dined, we danced, we spent hours on the beach and hours at the pool, we watched the sun set and rise again, and generally just tired ourselves out. I have been in some very luxurious surroundings in my life (thanks Uncle Joe) but this was really rather outlandish.


Rebeca and me with the Lear Jet that flew us to and from Cancun


Actually, turns out that the airplane belongs to the government and much of our trip was funded by the governor of Puebla because it was his son who invited us. This was all revealed to me through the course of the weekend, but no one was too explicit about it. Now that I'm back within reach of Google I feel a little uncomfortable about it, but at least I know that if I get in trouble in Mexico I can call on some powerful friends.

But aside from political nuances, the trip was AMAZING. Friday when we arrived we went out dancing in the town of Playa del Carmen then watched the sun rise over the beach. Saturday we went to the beach just after brunch. The beaches are nothing but fine white sand and water that's about five different shades of blue. And of course tiny swimsuits, coconut tanning oil, and free-flowing Corona. We also drove into Cancun Saturday night and after dining at an incredible restaurant (I had the grilled octopus- oh yeah!) we went to the CoCo Bongo, a famous club and danced until closing time. Sunday we recovered floating in the pool and doing some light wandering around the town. Needless to say, the flight back was considerably more subdued than the the flight there.



Giovanna, myself, and Rebeca at the beach!!

I was sad to leave, but trying to keep up that pace for more than a weekend would kill me. Sigh.

Gooooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So yesterday evening was a key futbol game between Mexico and Honduras, and I went with a bunch of friends (all people I have met through my host sister, either directly or indirectly) to a bar/grill and we watched the game! Luckily for anyone interested in crowd control Mexico won 1-0. The party continued long after the game was over, so this definitely fell into the category of homework for my favorite class, "Socializing in Spanish 302." It was really pretty epic to be part of the energy involved in this sort of event, and really great to be with such a fun group!



From left to right, Roy, Rebeca, and Jonatan; Roy and Rebeca (my host sister) are novios, and Jonny went to med school with Roy (his interests include staring contests, chelas, and bad English pick-up lines... oh and performing surgeries).



Me and Misael, the dynamic duo! It should also be noted that these photos are deceptive; they make it seem as though we were a small group, but our table was at least a dozen.



This morning came abruptly with biology class at 8:30 AM, but I survived the day gracefully, if a little sleepily (man, that Socializing class is hard work!). The day involved another food adventure, a dance class, and shoe shopping, so it pretty much is required to qualify as at LEAST an 8.0 or 8.5.

Gorditas (contrary to what Taco Bell would have you believe) are oblong puffy tortillas with a layer of frijoles inside, fried, laid flat, and topped with salsa, cheese, and pretty much any type of meat/topping you want. I ordered mine with "picadillo," a spicy ground beef mixture. It was also "bandera" style, which means that it is given the appearance of the Mexican flag by using both red and green salsa, with white cheese. I suppose there's no wrong way to eat a gordita, but the most popular (and practical) method is to fold it in half lengthwise and chow down!

The gorditas were, fashionably, accompanied by the omnipresent fruity sodas (orange, apply, mango, or tamarind) and followed with a block of peanut brittle and pig-shaped cookies which were reminiscent of over-baked sugar cookies, which sounds bad but was delicious.


So apart from parties and food, I have some news. If everyone could please become serious and furrow his or her brow...
I am now the proud owner of a brand new pair of Converse low-top Chuck Taylors. Yes, this does mean what you think: I will be disposing of the, erm, over-ripe pair that I've been wearing until now. RIP deja-shoes.


This blog post in loving memory of mis zapatos viejos.

Piñatas

Official news:

"The Backyardigans" have reached Mexico, and are polluting the piñata supply. If you don't understand this reference, please do not Google it; you will only be adding to the problem.

zombies? Por supuesto!

This week has pretty much been a "normal" one, with classes, food, and family. I have now officially tried empanadas, pelonas, guava, popcorn with chile sauce (I may never go back to butter), sangria, and torta de tamal with mole. All amazing.

My host sister's "amigo" officially became her "novio" earlier this week. I'm really happy for her, he's a really nice guy and she seems really REALLY happy. They went out to a fancy dinner and he asked her to officially become his girlfriend. I think I like this system; it's way more straightforward than the awkward "are we dating or are we friends or are we friends who go on dates?" thing that we do in the U.S.

That same night I hung out with some friends (actually friends of Roy who have become my friends) and we watched a horror film called "Rec" that's set in Barcelona (or maybe Madrid?) and is about zombies. It was brilliant; I highly recommend it. Blood, suspense, cute firefighters, Catholic dogma, violence, creepy children, emaciated monsters, government conspiracy, and Spanish all rolled into two hours. Yesssss.

Roy and his friends are all soon-to-be-doctors, and are studying for the culminating exam of their general medical training. (Which is why they were taking a movie study-break.) Apparently if they pass the exam, they can then go on to specialize. Because of the way the university system works here, a person becomes a doctor at a much younger age. The result of this is that when someone has a zombie-related heart attack, there will be help immediately available.



Classes:

I have finalized my class schedule, and will be taking History of the Mexican Revolution, Danza Folklorica, Methods of Biological Field Research, and Anthropology of Rural Societies. I like all my classes, but I really like the dance class. I'm so excited about the prospect of dancing in a big skirt and heels!!! ...Oh yeah, and learning stuff about other cultures and stuff...

torta de tamal

Generally I am finding that I appreciate the music here, but I discovered this weekend that if you are ever somewhere with banda music you should either have an escape plan or a very strong drink (make that SEVERAL very strong drinks). There is such thing as enjoyable banda music, but you won't know what you've got until the accordion gets warmed up.


Latest food find: torta de tamal. It's pretty much a tamal stuffed into a bun, but what it lacks in elegance it makes up for in deliciousness. They come in several different types, including sweet (which are hot pink; further investigation required), mole, frijole, and various others. Mine involved chicken and something tomato-looking, but a friend ordered for me, so I missed the name. There was also a beverage consisting of warm milk, rice, and a big chunk of cinnamon stick. I would like to point out that this occurred during a short break from bio class, because our professor was using the pigeons that eat the crumbs left when the torta de tamal vendor pulls out some of the bread to make room for the tamal as an example of a study population. I love Mexico.

Lo que he aprendido

1. There is a second Ulysses Anthony in the world; he lives in Puebla and is in my history class.

2. Mezcal is an alcoholic beverage made from the agave plant. While made from the same plant as tequila, it is far more delicious; muchas gracias to our new friends in Atlixco.

3. Even in southern-ish Mexico in August, it can be very cold.

4. The bagels here are better than those in Massachusetts. Far, far better. Hang your head in shame, puritans!

5. Even though I have worked very hard to avoid taking biology classes here, I am finding that they are the ones to which I am most strongly drawn.

6. If someone wants to date you (so I have been told) they ask you officially, publicly, and generally with flowers.

7. Chuck Taylors are more common here than in the USA. They are also more affordable.

8. The more time my host sisters and I spend together, the more I realize that we are very similar. This makes me very happy, and my new goal is to be able to convince at least one person that we are ACTUALLY sisters before I finish studying here. (I also look a lot like the older sister, so that helps.)

9. Key to an intense cardio workout: dance at high altitude.

10. The traditional formula for the typical gringo name = first name + middle name + paternal last name. The traditional formula for the typical Mexican name = first name + second name + paternal last name + maternal last name. People look at you funny when they ask you for your last name and you only give them one.

11. I miss pizza. When I return, I would like a lunchtime combo from "A Pizza and More" in Homer, with one slice of plain cheese pizza, one slice of that chicken pizza with the mustard-y sauce, and a large root beer.

Comida y compañeros

Yesterday afternoon I was wandering around in the biology building searching for my classroom, and I ran into a guy who I had met earlier, as he is the best friend of the daughter of the General Director. We were chatting, and I mentioned that I live in el Carmen, a neighborhood near the central campus. He asked me (as has everyone to whom I've ever mentioned el Carmen) whether or not I've tried the famous cemitas del Carmen, a sandwich sold in the market. I replied that I had not, and he informed me that we needed to change that. So we and a few others (a mixture of US and Mexican students) met up after our classes and went on something of an eating tour of the neighborhood.

We began with paletas, popsicles, in various flavours. Lime, chocolate, and tuna (the fruit, not the fish) were among the mix, but my favorite was mango with chile. At first I was skeptical, but it's an amazingly complex, super-refreshing flavour.

After this, as well as plenty of wandering around the Centro, we hit the market. First on our list were aguas, drinks made of fruit and water, sold by the liter, which are somehow not quite juice and not quite smoothie, but which are undeniably delicious. And because we now had something to put out the fire of a spicy cemita, we went for it. While there are multiple cemita stands in the market, there is only one which attracts a crowd, and that is of course the one we visited (it was dinnertime, the wait was at least 15 minutes). The cemitas are made assembly-line style to accommodate the many customers, and you can watch them being made as you wait in line. Each gigantic sandwich costs 20 pesos, less than $2 US; It's no wonder they're popular.



This is the actual stand we went to. I stole the picture from the "Rancho Gordo" blog, which clearly did not visit at mealtime, since the line is fewer than 15 people.


The sandwiches (we got Milanesa style, but there are several others) consist of slice ham, a very thin piece of breaded and fried meat (I think beef, but I'm not completely certain), avocado, cheese (VAST amounts of cheese), chipotles, and a mixture of pickled jalapeños, carrots, and onions, all layered into an egg-y bun at least 8 inches in diameter. As a show of mercy, my new friends ordered my cemita with only half the jalapeño mixture, but it was still pretty darn picante.

After stuffing ourselves to the point of labored breathing, we wandered around the city for several hours, pausing to chill in a grassy park here, a fountain there, admiring the city as the street lights came on, and generally just getting an informal tour with a very cool group of people. We finished our evening at a coffee shop in the artist's barrio, with a live band, Modelo Negro (a Mexican beer), and rompope (sort of like eggnog).

See? Biology really is the coolest subject.

outrage/despair/confusion

NEITHER HULU NOR PANDORA WORK IN MEXICO!!!!!!!!!

what will I do?

Chiles en Nogada

Chiles en nogada, invented by nuns in Puebla, is a dish which consists of a poblano pepper stuffed with a mixture of pulled pork, fruit, almonds, and spices. This is then breaded and fried, and topped with nogada, a white sauce of cream, walnuts, almonds, and sugar. This is then garnished with pomegranate and cilantro, giving it the appearance of the Mexican flag (red, green, and white). It is considered by many to be the height of Poblano cuisine, and as I have discovered over the past two days (two whole DAYS!) it is also the height of complicated food. Thanksgiving move over, cuz there's a new boss in town.



Chiles en nogada: not a photo taken by me, because I was too busy stuffing my very happy face to deal with photography!


The saga began yesterday at noon with the preparation of the peppers themselves (which must be charred, the skin removed, and the innards scraped out) as well as the preparation of the filling. At least five different types of fruit must be diced and pre-cooked, pork must be slow-cooked and shredded, almonds must be blanched, skinned, and sliced, and countless other ingredients must be acquired and have stuff done to them. With five women in the kitchen for a straight 9 hours, we got the filling made and the peppers skinned. 25 peppers, that is, and a pan of filling big enough that I could LITERALLY curl up inside it if I wanted to.

This morning the peppers were stuffed, dredged in flour, and fried in a sort of indescribable meringue-type omelet thing which yields perfectly encased, golden peppers. Then the nogada: at least three blender-loads full of nuts, cream, spices, sugar, and cheese? were whirred together. Pomegranate kernels were carefully harvested, cilantro was washed and chopped (please bear in mind that washing a Mexican vegetable involves several changes of water, dishsoap, and disinfectant), and the good china was washed and laid out.

By this time it was 3 o'clock and the guests were due to arrive at any moment. After epic kitchen scrubbing we all dispersed to bathe and dress. I wore makeup and earrings; they were impressed. I realized that without a good dose of eyeliner I will never truly be Poblana.

(Side note: apparently no self-respecting Poblana woman would leave the house without makeup, hair-do, and very stylish outfit. Makeup is not generally subtle.)

So about 15 people show up, each with some other edible item (cakes the size of a small child) and we feast!!! Never had I imagined that any church potluck which I've ever attended could be so thoroughly out-done.

I recognize that the whole chiles en nogada thing sounds kinda strange, but it may be one of the better things I've eaten. I'm still not sure why we had this party, and truly was not aware until yesterday that it was going to occur, but I am definitely certain that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As I write it is nearly 11:00 PM, and the party just ended.