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...