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