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...