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