Mexico City day 4!!!!

Day 4

We woke up really early like all mornings, but on this last morning we were all so tired from the activity from the weekend. We got in our bus and headed to a theater to watch traditional Folklore dancing. It was really neat and I enjoyed it a lot. The dresses were all so beautiful and they looked like they would be so much fun to twirl around in.

Afterwards we headed a little out of the city to the Cuemanco Canal where we road on a Gondola and ate lunch. It was really relaxing and I got to lay out in the sun which was really enjoyable for me! I even helped the guy push the boat along for a little while, which was really hard since the boat is powered by a long stick that you put in the water till you reach the bottom and then push REALLY hard. I didn’t factor in that you needed to push straight sooo he quickly took my motor privileges away, but it was fun while it lasted. Afterwards we headed back to Cholula to recuperate from our long active weekend.

Mexico City day 3!!!

We started off the day with a nice brisk walk up the side of a mountain, well not really but we climbed this hill to go to the Castle of Chapultepec. It was beautiful, and the architecture reminded me a lot of someone of the castles we visited in England, which would make sense since the castle was designed by and built for a European.

Afterwards we walked around the park surrounding the castle, it was a really neat part of the city, and it was beautiful outside! Afterwards we went to the national museum of anthropology.

And after our big day we headed to a soccer game which was awesome and quite an experience!

Mexico City day 2!!

(bellas de artes)
The next day we woke up and headed off on a tour with our guide who was about 5 ft and had a cane, in the morning we were all wondering how he was going to be able to keep up with us…but he showed us. His name was Rafa and we all had to scurry the whole day to keep up with him and when we weren’t paying attention he would smack us with his cane! Haha I loved him, he had a lot of personality. But anyway we went to see one of Diego Riveras murals first and then to an art museum and then we went to Bellas de Artes and then to the original post office and then went to see meteorites that had hit Mexico and then to la barra opera which is a bar where someone famous was shot (I forget) and then to the biggest cake making place ever, the cakes were bigger then my body! Emily would have loved it!!!

And then we saw these people doing traditional dancing right on the street, and then we went to see Tenotichlan, one of the most famous Aztec’s site, it was there “capital” back in the day. This picture shows what Mexico City use to look like at one time. It was a bunch of pyramids that one in the center is where we were standing, in the middle of the city where the Tenotichlan ruins are, and all the blue around it is a lake! At one time Mexico City was all under water.

After we left our tour guide we were all exhausted so we went up to the top story of a Sears that overlooked the building Bellas de Artes and relaxed and took in the sights of the city. Later that night we headed out to a Zocalo to hear a bunch of mariachi bands play, there was so many playing at once it was hard to separate the songs but it was still a good time, and afterwards we headed to a club that had a live band playing Salsa and Cumbia music.

La ciudad de Mexico! Day 1

The first weekend in October was by far the busiest weekend we’ve had thus far. We started off buy going to the pyramids of Teotihuacán which were near the city. They have two big pyramids one for the sun and one for the moon. There were tons of other parts to it but these were the two biggest pyramids. We got to climb to the top which was quite a hike but you could see the city from the top.

After the pyramids and lunch we went to see the Virgin of Guadalupe, the original piece. That was really neat to see, the church that it’s located in is gorgeous, it’s not the original church, they had to build a new one because the old church is really leaning and being held up by metal bars all in the inside. Its still there and you can still go in the front door but it’s not a good place to keep the original Virgin of Guadalupe.

This picture above is a picture inside the original church, these metal bars are all throughout it holding it up. Pretty crazy.

After the church we went to the plaza where students protested on October 2^nd during the 1960s. It was crazy because we were there for the 40^th anniversary of the horrific event. It was really an unreal experience, there were murals all over, chalked lines of bodies on the ground and shoes scattered everywhere. Everyone was so welcoming of us and were really excited to see that we were showing interest in their history. I had learned about this event in the past in some of my classes but I didn’t even know the half of it. It was a brutal use of governmental force.

After that we went back to our hotel, hotel Geneve, it was gorgeous, and I don’t think they’re accustom to a group of college kids being there. We really enjoyed it though; we lived like kings and queens for the weekend taking advantage of the spa, sauna and exercise equipment. It was in a really neat part of the city so that was fun to explore especially at night.

Xalapa!!

Sooo I’m getting behind again on this, but three weekends ago my friends and I set off for Veracruz. Things didn’t go exactly as planned and the place we planned to stay at (all 9 of us) was a tiny one bedroom apartment, we could barely fit in it standing. So we headed off to someone’s house and they lead us around the town, (we had no idea what was going on) and finally we get to this dark gate and dirt path, we follow this lady up in our van and we see a barn and the helpers house, we were seriously beginning to doubt our Spanish skills when all of the sudden at the top of this hill/ dirt path was a gigantic house complete with a pool and outdoor balcony, patio, the works, and it was all for us. It was an older farm house, it was soo neat and it was complete with horses!

So for the weekend we rode horses, went white water rafting, making fires and explored the little farm town. It was a blast and we never even made it to Veracruz! We were in the town of Xalapa which is in the state of Veracruz but our original plan was to go to the beaches in Veracruz. Who knew!

(the black horse was the one I rode, and the guy next to me is the only other person who knew about horses so we had a good time helping everyone out!)

The pic up top is the view from our "ranchero"

And the one below, our raft!!

The dirt path up to our house...not nearly as intimidating during the day. I don't have a picture of the house yet but I'll get one soon!

Oaxaca

Last weekend was so much fun! It was our first big organized weekend excursion and I loved it. We took a 5-6 hour bus ride north west from Puebla to the state of Oaxaca. I loved the bus ride because it was all through mountains so there was plenty to look at, including all kinds of different cacti. Our hotel was right in the middle of the city in Oaxaca which was really nice to be right in the middle of all the action. There was a big market right across the road, the zocalo (which is the town center where people play music, sell crafts and meet up) was within walking distance and so were several clubs and a beautiful convent.
The city was a pretty active place. There was traffic but much more people activity. It was a really cool place to just be outside on the street, there was plenty of people watching to do. At night we went to a bar that had a live band playing and we got to meet the guys and girl in the band which was really fun.

During the day we took trips to two different ruins one was named Monte Albán (pic to the right) the other I don't know the name of (pic above). But Monte Alban was gorgeous! We had a tour guide so we learned quite a bit about the ruins and the area around them. They are surrounded by mountains, and were used as a kind of town center, they didn't have sacrifices here. They had structures used to study astrology, and there were several different rock structures that they had done detailed drawings on. I really enjoyed it.

We also went to a convent which was also really interesting. They had tourture devices which people would use to punish themselves when they felt they had sinned. It seemed pretty brutal. They also had a bunch of other artifacts which were really neat to see. The convent was really beautiful and well maintained, and it was very close to our hotel.

We also had several different presentations. One on how to make chocolate, which was a lot of fun (note: don't eat before sugar is added, as you can see in our faces!). The chocolate here is completely different, it much grainier and has a different taste. Oaxaca is know for its chocolate though.


We also had a presentation on how to make textiles. This was really cool. We went to this families house and they showed us how they make the thread out of goat fur (I got to help) and then they showed us how they make the different colors and finally they showed us how the weaved it. What a process, and its all done from natural things, no chemicals.

In addition to all of that we learned how mezcal is made, a type of liquor made in mexico. It's kind of like tequila but its made from a different plant and they have several different flavors. This was a really cool presentation as well complete with free samples!

Our finally presentation was on making wood figures that are really typical of Oaxaca. They are really beautiful and some are really crazy looking. you can buy them in other places around Mexico but the best place to get them is in Oaxaca.

Overall it was a great weekend filled with lots of fun stuff!

Soo I went to a bull fight, and then a wrestling match??

The past two weeks we have had some interesting activities for Monday night. Last Monday (sept. 15th) was the night before Mexico's Independence day so it's a big night to go out and party and then the actual independence day is a big time to be with you family, almost like new years eve?? Anyway we decided to celebrate by going to a bull fight! When I originally agreed to going I figured it was just bulls chasing after men with red capes but it was much more than that!

I was honestly a little nauscious from the whole experience but...when in Mexico right? At first they have the bull run around, chasing several pink capes (only the main guy has a red one) and after he gets a little more tired they bring out a guy on a horse who spears the bull! After that they have a guy run at him three separate times with two darts each time for a total of six. Finally after all of this the bull fighter begins his dance with the bull before stabbing him! ahh I couldn't believe that I was watching it happen, and they did it 6 times!!
















Pretty brutal stuff, but apparently I still hadn't gotten my fill of violence so this past Monday I went to see Lucha Libre which is Mexico's version of WWF. Like the wrestling it was also quite an experience. I learned a whole new vocabulary that night. People get so into it! Even adult women were screaming and yelling. The best part is that our professor from the University took us, so the next day we discussed all the different cuss words and why some are more offensive then others. Talk about a useful lesson!

Trip to the city of Puebla

Soo our second or third day here our director Jeremy took us on a bus and we road into the city of Puebla. Cholula is in the state of Puebla but there is also a city of Puebla which is about 20 mins from here. Above is a picture of the center of this little plaza. You can see all the red white and green banners, the city is covered in them. Independence day is September 16th, tomorrow, so everything is very festive right now.


While in Puebla we also went and saw several churches, there are churches all over here.
My head was thoroughly cleansed with holy water by the end of the day! Here's one picture of the altar that was in the center of the chapel of our lady Guadalupe. I have alot of other pictures but they didn't come out all that well since you can't use a flash.

alright that's all for now, heading outside to enjoy the sun!
~Jess

heyy everyone!
So I'm already a little behind on this but I figure its best to start a little late then not at all. I live in a part of Cholula called san andres and I live in a little neighborhood called Rincon de Atazala...here's a picture of my house and a picture of my street.
My house is really nice and the street I live on is really pretty. I don't have a picture of my family yet but my host dads name is Sergio and my host mom's name is Angelica, they have two kids, Checo (he's 9) and Regina (she's 7). They are a really tight nit family and are really easy to be around.

Here's a picture of the front gate of my school, La Universidad de las Americas or UDLA as everyone here calls it. I have yet to get photos of the actual university but its beautiful so I will be sure to get them and put them up.
Classes are going well so far. I'm taking an extra spanish class in the morning to help me with grammar and such and then afterwards I have a seminar where we discuss hot topics such as immigration, drug trafficking, health care, the economy ect. It's very interesting to hear these topics thought through the eyes of a Mexican. We have some really good debates too.

Alright well thats all for now. ~Jess