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.

Classes begin!

Yesterday was my first day of classes, and so far everything has gone far more smoothly than I expected. I managed to get to and from the C.U. on the camion without either getting lost or dying, then managed to find my building, my classroom, and my way back to the bus stop, all on time! So far I've only had 2 of my 4 classes, and I like them both. Economics/Politics of Latin America has a really great professor and a really sharp group of students. We'll see how it goes, because it's an upper-level class and I don't really have much experience in econ/gov, but so far I'm completely following everything he's taught us. The other class I've had so far is history of the Mexican Revolution, which was fine, but we basically just went over the syllabus.

Ah, syllabi! These are apparently very VERY rare in the Mexican university system, which tends to present a serious obstacle to us anal-retentive New England-bred college kids. So needless to say, I appreciated the organizational skills of my history professor, but I also don't feel freaked out by the other prof's lack of a syllabus. (Lucky, because I wasn't quite sure how I'd take it.)

In other news, I went to the cinema with my host brother, sisters, and a bunch of their friends. We saw "The Hangover" (subtitled in Spanish) and had a great time! I think we were all a little surprised by how vulgar the movie is, because apparently its Mexican rating was approximately equivalent to PG-13, and it is definitely NOT a PG-13 movie. Other than some shocking scenes, we enjoyed the movie and really enjoyed each other's company.

I also had a meeting today with the Director of the Biology facultad, who basically suggested that in place of a class I should work with a professor on a project. This basically rocks my socks! It will be a great opportunity to make connections, as well as tackle a local issue. I meet with the possible professors some time this week.

Fotos!

For sale at a stoneworker's co-op. Muy padres y muy caros!




On top of the Pyramid of the Sun!




Chocolate cake. Need I say more?


Peacock at the Dolores Olmeda museum; he was giving a show.










Me at Frida Kahlo's house, "la Casa Azul"













A cathedral in Cholula, notable for its exterior of Talavera and for its interior of Indigenous handiwork

El aguacero torrencial

So for my entire time in Puebla, everyone has been talking about this torrential rain that occurs nearly everyday this time of year. This rain, which had been completely absent, came this afternoon in a magnificent tour de force. My (American) neighbor and I had planned to meet at my house, walk the 10 minutes to the Zocalo, and see a performance by the Ballet Folklorico. I could see that it was raining in the courtyard, but it seemed a gentle sprinkle. Upon stepping onto the street, I discovered that what is a gentle sprinkle in the protection of a courtyard can be more like a hurricane on the open street. We made it about 50 feet before we decided that, despite our raincoats and umbrellas, we would rather be home and dry than soaking wet and cold at a dance performance (which is really saying something since we saw the Ballet Folklorico in Mexico City, and it was honestly one of the best performances I've ever seen). We turned tail and headed back to our respective houses. Upon stepping back into the kitchen, my host brother Enrique took one look at me, began laughing, and assured me that he knew this would happen, but that he wanted me to find out for myself. In summary, after less than a full minute outside, even with a huge umbrella, I was soaked to the skin. No lie, and it's still raining.

So about the courtyard: every building in the city has a courtyard, some very modest and others very impressive. The aesthetic result of this is that the streets are narrow, lined by drab walls on both sides, and nearly devoid of any decoration, because all of the vegetation, ornamentation, and life is encapsulated in the courtyards. It's like stepping into a different world, from one which can only be described as stark, to one which is composed of fountains and talavera and tropical plants and color and birds. For this reason, never believe that what you see is necessarily what there is.

Speaking of delicious fillings, today in the neighboring city of Cholula, I discovered tlatloyos. These are like fat masa pockets filled with beans and cheese, and topped with salsa and more cheese. They're soft and super-delicioso! Also, for breakfast my host mom made me a dish called "migas" which means "crumbs." It seemed to consist of scrambled eggs with pieces of ham and tortilla, and probably cheese. She informed me that it's a dish from Chihuahua, in northern Mexico, and was always considered a poor-man's dish. It has, however, apparently become very gourmet. It is indisputably delicious.

Also worth mentioning is that today is the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, so there has been massive partying going on all day in this almost entirely Catholic region. As I write, there are firecrackers going off and church bells tolling. Apparently these firecrackers (I call them that, but they're really more like a small bomb that shoots into the sky like a firework, but gives off no light) are a tradition of the indigenous peoples in Mexico that has become a very important part of religious celebrations. Good for them, but all day we've been ducking to avoid what invariably seems like very nearby gunfire. Additionally, we visited a church in Cholula, and it was decorated super-fancy for the festival. Observe: the picture on the floor is made of sand and there was a life-size Mary corpse on a pyre sort of thing of fruits and vegetables and flowers.




As a final note, I'm getting into the whole telenovela scene, and am currently watching "Sortilegio" which I like because it's dramatic enough that I like to make fun of it, but also believable enough that I want to find out what happens to the characters.

Hasta luego!

El C.U, y los camiones

Today I discovered exactly why there are dashboard Jesus figurines and posters of the Virgin Mary all over the public buses, "camiones," of Puebla. Never have I experienced such speed, lane changes, and prayer all in one place. Despite being rather adrenaline-laced, it turns out that the bus system is really easy to use. The buses are color-coded, come so frequently that no schedule is needed, will pick you up on any corner, and will give you change even for large bills (which I also discovered today). I will be using this system to get to and from the larger of the two main campus areas, the C.U. and el Centro. I can walk to the Centro, but the C.U., where I will have half my classes, requires vehicular transport.

Classes begin on Monday and I'm totally psyched! Today we toured the C.U., yesterday we toured the Centro, and tomorrow we will tour el Zocalo, the town square. I can also walk to the Zocalo, where there is plenty of shopping, festivities, and couples making out. (Note: the frequency and passion of such public make-out sessions has completely surprised me; from what I've heard, that sort of thing qualifies as a major no-no, but apparently I have either been misled, or the youth of Puebla are flipping taboos a big fat bird.)

Fruit: Mangoes rock my socks. They rocked my socks before I got here, but I now know that the U.S. public is being lied to; the mangoes we eat in the U.S. are hard, bitter, and fibrous in comparison with the supremely delicate and sinfully delicious Mexican mango. I also have now discovered that "tuna" in its best form is not in fact a large marine fish, but instead the fruit of a cactus which is something like cucumber meets apple. They are also symbolic of virgins, delicious but cloaked in thorns. In either green or red, the little fruit deserves mention. In conclusion, if someone offers you a tuna popsicle, please accept.

P.S. I'm still having picture uploading problems to this blog, but Facebook now ACTUALLY has photos. Also, check out my friend Joelle's blog for more detailed info/another point of view at www.bellajoella.blogspot.com and please know that I didn't ask Joelle's permission to send you there. If you ARE Joelle, please let me know if this bothers you, and I'll remove any reference to your blog. (Joelle has also informed me that the spelling is jitomate, not ghitomate, so if you and Rick Bayless were having a failure to communicate, now you know why!)

Mi Familia Poblana

I’m finally moved in with my family in Puebla, and I can’t imagine a better match! After all the waiting (and sightseeing) it’s great to be able to dispel any worries I had. My family is so sweet and caring, and made me to feel immediately at home. The rather large family begins with my “mamá,” Alba, and her husband, mi papacito. Both are retired; papacito is 85 years old, but he tells everyone that he’s 90. He always is pulling someone’s leg. Alba just rolls her eyes and asks if he wants more coffee.

Alba also has a daughter, Genie, who lives here with her husband (very knowledgeable about EVERYTHING), three kids, and three poodles. Genie is a French teacher, but is at home until the school year starts. The eldest of her children is a daughter of 21, the middle a daughter of 18, and the youngest a son of 16. We get along really well, and I’m really glad to have family members my age. Rebecca, the eldest, attends the BUAP as well, and Marta, the middle child, finds out in a few days whether she passed the BUAP entrance exams. The three of us might all be there together!

I chose my classes today, but plan on changing a few of them once I find out what other classes are available to me. They couldn’t provide us with any info concerning science classes, but I have a meeting on Monday to discuss biology classes with a bio major at the BUAP. As it stands, I have a folkloric dance class, history of the Mexican Revolution, migration and new conceptions of “rural”, and a survey of Mexican and Latin American politics and economics. I think the survey class will probably be replaced with some good local ecology class, but I can’t say for sure. I *might* even find a good geology course, but we’ll see.

Oh, and most importantly: food. As I suspected it would, Mexican food has turned out to be rather different than the American conception of it. Carrot soup, followed by tortillas filled with potato fried, topped with salsa verde and sour cream made up our dinner/lunch/big meal thing at mid-afternoon today. (Of note here, is that in Mexico City the word for tomato is “tomate” and the word for tomatillo is “ghitomate.” Here in Puebla, the exact reverse is true; tomates are green and ghitomates are red.

So, between writing this paragraph and the last I have been fed again. This time a ham and cheese melt on a croissant twice the size of my hand. Just a little snack, you see! In keeping with this sort of behavior on the part of my mamá, I’m going to be seriously gordita by the time I return home.

In conclusion, I love it here!

el D.F.

The internet isn't being cooperative, so while I have plenty of wonderful videos and photographs to upload, they'll just have to wait.

Dinner last night was fantastic! We went to a restaurant called "El Lugar de las Mariachis" (the place with the mariachis), which involved a mariachi band, various vocalists, a trick roper, and a group of folkloric dancers. So impressive!

Today was something like a forced march through the history of Mexico, guided by the lovely Ivan. We started out at 10 AM, and visited the Palacio Nacional, the main governmental seat, replete with murals by Diego Rivera which all seemed to require a very long explanation and nowhere to sit down. Actually, they were all really awesome, and it was sort of surreal to see them in person. Apparently, however, I am more affected by high altitude than my peers, so I was a little on the grouchy side and wanted nothing more than to sit somewhere and rest my eyes.

Also at the Palacio were exhibits about Benito Juarez, including the bedroom in which he died.

After the Palacio Nacional, we visited the Templo Mayor, which is an Aztec ruins right in the middle of the city, surrounded on all sides by vociferous venders selling anything you might ever want. That has to be one of my favorite things about Mexico so far; old and new are intertwined completely and inescapably.

Lunch was at a very nice restaurant (we're SO pampered here), and I managed to revive myself a little and improve my mood.

After lunch we went to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and saw a bunch of murals, some by Diego Rivera, and others by people whose names I don't really remember, but whose murals contained exclusively violent imagery. I actually would like to go back and take more time to look. There's so much detail in each of Rivera's murals that it seems impossible to take it all in at once.

El primer día

We made it to Mexico City! No travel problems other than feeling terminally confused (get it? airport pun?), but luckily I had Cat, a fellow JYA Smithie who flew down with me, to make sure I got into the country. We were met just past customs by the program directors and assistants, who helped us feel really welcomed. That is, less terrified...

We all ate a late lunch together at a Friendly's-type place near our hotel, which was pretty darn good! First meal in Mexico = chilaquiles con salsa roja + bottled water.

This is the view from our hotel room. I'm rooming with Sarah from Wheaton College, and so far we're getting along well. It should be noted, however, that we've only spoken in Spanish, so our conversation hasn't really been that intense. I am sure, however, that in a few days' time we will have gotten more into the swing of things. It's all really overwhelming right now, but so far I'm pretty convinced that studying abroad was one of the better choices I've made. Mexico for the win!

One more day

Only one more day in New York before I leave. I'm tying up loose ends and getting the packing process started. I think I've gotten a pretty good idea of what I'll be bringing, and it's all laid out on my bed, just waiting to be crammed into a suitcase. I've tried to take a minimalist approach, so hopefully I won't get there and wind up only having clothes for three days or having to wear sneakers with EVERYTHING!

I'm still nervous, but the whole thing seems more and more real. Saying goodbye to so many people has helped make it seem more concrete.

The Saga Begins

In only a few days I will set out from the familiar, comfortable northeastern United States for our neighbor to the south, Mexico. I will live with a host family in Puebla, a city of approximately 3 million outside of Mexico City. I will attend classes at the BUAP (think big public university) and soak up a new culture for the next two semesters.

I was informed today that I need to keep a careful record of this little adventure, and that a blog would be the best way to reach everyone who might be interested in what I'm up to. Therefore, I hereby christen this blog "JYA Puebla," and make a solemn pledge to try really, really hard to keep it updated with photos, anecdotes, and the occasional emotion.

Today was my last day of work, and I have spent the evening packing up to head back home for a few days before I fly to Mexico City. I'm a little nervous about this whole Mexico thing, but my excitement far outweighs any trepidation I might be experiencing. I can't wait to meet my host family!

We were each sent a photograph of our host mothers; mine is named Alba. She seems nice, don't you think?