México City

Last Sunday I went with a group of volunteers to a suburb called El Pueblito to check out some of the activities around there. The first thing was a small pyramid called El Cerrito--30 m tall, so pretty small by Méxican standards. It was my first pyramid! We weren´t allowed to climb the ruins in any way, though, so it was slightly disappointing. Our other hoped-for activity, a charreada (rodeo), wound up being in a different city, so it will be something to try for in the future.



On Wednesday, our group of technology transfer volunteers plus three instructors hopped onto an autobus for Mèxico, aka Mèxico City, aka D.F. to the locals. We finally got to see the countryside that we drove by when we flew into Mèxico three weeks ago. Central Mèxico is very green, with farms and small towns between the major cities, much like the US. As you get closer to DF, you start seeing volcanoes. Some of them are apparently still active!

In Mèxico, we had a whirlwind of activities, some touristy and some not. We had a couple of meetings with higher-up directors in several government organizations, which was really interesting. I can´t imagine people at that level in the US government taking several hours out of their day to talk with a group of volunteers from another country. It definitely showed the hospitible side of Mèxico.

From the touristy perspective, we went to see the Casa Azul, or Blue House, where Frida Kohlo and Diego Rivera lived. Both are famous Mèxican artists. While there were not a lot of their works in the house, it was really interesting seeing how they lived, their studio, and some of their personal collections. Later on, we saw some of Diego Rivera's murals at the Palacio Nacional and Bellas Artes. These were really beautiful--I can't even imagine how the artists drew such large, colorful, and detailed murals.



Also on our list of places visited was the Zocalo, or central part of Mèxico, the Templo Mayor, a giant Aztec ruin in the middle of the city, the Museo de Anthropologia. There was so much stuff to see that I could have spent several days at each of the sites, but I did get a flavor for everything. Hopefully I will have a chance to come back in the future.

On the food side, we had only one bad meal and a bunch of great meals. One of the specialities was an Argentinian Grill. Here is the plate of four different types of grilled meats and vegetables--it was all delicious! These were part of a parrillada, or a set meal for 4 people.

Salsa parties and bull-fights

Last Sunday I explored a historical park in Querétaro called Cerro de las Companas. It was the site where Emperor Maximillian was executed. This act restored the republic government to México. There is a huge statue of Benito Juárez in the middle of the park (President after the execution).



On Wednesday, a group of us went to watch an indie movie on indigenous women in México. It was kind of interesting, although the first half didn't make a lot of sense. It was mostly footage about the filmmakers telling people in the village about the film project. The second half was pretty interesting and showed how the men lived by catching fish / shrimp, the women sold the catch at the market, and then the men would go back out and purchase necessities like fishing net--traditional gender roles.

Friday night my host sisters invited me to go to a small bullfight--it was for beginner matadors and younger bulls, so according to my host brother, it was not that good. I thought it was pretty impressive (except for the blood and killing-the-bull part...not my thing). I don't think I could stand in a ring with a 400 kilo animal and do the moves these guys were doing, though, so very gutsy. The odds were definitely stacked against the bull.



Saturday we had multiple festivities, including a big ¨transportation rally¨ (i.e. scavenger hunt), where we were given eight different locations in town and had to take the buses or taxis to find them. We were given five hours and worked in teams. The other two people in my team were actually the same people that will be going up north with me at the end of May, so it was interesting to get to know them.

Saturday evening we had a fiesta at our Country Director´s house, where we got dance lessons from some of the staff. I still don't have any rhythm, but his house had this great terrace with an amazing view of the stars. I would love to live in a house like that and put a telescope up on the roof. We also got to meet and talk with some of the other Peace Corps volunteers who work in the area.

By the way, those stick things that we ate at fútbol are called churritos here. And finally, a picture of nopales con camerones (shrimp)!

Semana pasada

This last week was also a blur, as I suspect most of the next three months will be. I've had many new dishes to try, including cactus (nopales). No picture--sorry! My host mom actually brought up the idea of taking a picture, but I didn't quite catch on to the Spanish, so I completely blanked on giving her my camera. Oh well, it seems like a common dish here, so more opportunities in the future.

Language training is fun, I seem to be doing OK (although, funny story, I have already been "demoted" a level). For those of you who do not know Spanish, here is a taste of what our class is like (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngRq82c8Baw). There is a Second Semester video as well, but I have not had a chance to watch it.

Last Sunday, I attended Catholic Mass (Misa) with my host mom and sister. The church they attend is the one in this picture. There are a lot of old churches in Querétaro, and they are all very beautiful. This one was no exception.



One person in our group has discovered churros here, and she actually gets a kick-back of free churros from the "churro guy" whenever we stop by as a group! We definitely get to tease her about it. They even fill them with sauces (churro rellenos). Think chocolate, strawberry, etc., inside a churro! This is a traditional churro with no filling.



On Saturday, our entire group banded together and went to the local La Lucha Libre auditorium La Lucha Libre is the Méxican version of wrestling...but not really. I have not seen the movie Nacho Libre, but I was told that this wasn´t quite the same, either. It seems like something in-between the two. It was a lot of choreographed stunts, with no real attempt made at making it ¨real¨ (think chest slapping, etc., instead of actual hits). While the place wasn't packed, some of us americanos created as much noise as the locals. The lighting in the auditorium was horrible, but these two were the Star Wars fighters.

First week in México

A picture of Querétaro is here. I think I have seen this fountain / statue in other blogs, and someone mentioned that it is a famous landmark in Querétaro. It is located in the historic central district.

We´ve had a busy first week in México, even though it was just a partial week. If later weeks are all this full, PST will be busy indeed! Throughout the many briefings, we have also had time to get to know our host families and other volunteers. Without going into too much detail, I will say that my host family is very nice, and I am the sixth language student that they have hosted. The first student they hosted was also a Wolverine, so I walked in to a house with a Michigan magnet on the fridge!



On Friday night, the Peace Corps office hosted a fiesta so that we could get to know the staffers, their families, and the other host families. There was a lot of good, home-cooked food. The picture here is of a dessert I had, rice with milk (like a rice pudding). In the corner, you can also see doughnuts! They had a couple of piñatas, some dancing, and musical chairs!



Saturday was our first language lesson, where we also got loaded down with some Spanish books to study from. It was interesting, and I am most likely in over my head. But it's a good challenge, and I am sure I will learn a lot. In the evening, a couple of us went to a fútbol game with one of the PC staff spouses. The local team is the Gallos (roosters), and they lost a heartbreaker 2-1. At the game, we split a snack (not sure of the name) that was like longer versions of the crispy chow-mein noodles you get in Chinese restaurants. They put salsa and lime on them for us (with flavoring was definitely the way to go). You can see them in the picture below, the long, stringy things in the back of the box.

Querétaro!

We arrived in México late last night, an hour earlier than scheduled, which was great. No problems with luggage or Customs for any of us. Our country director met us at the airport, along with a driver from the PC staff, and we took a luxury bus to Querétaro. The seats in the bus were bigger than the touring buses in the US (3 seats per row versus 4 seats per row, and only 10 or so rows). Arriving at 1:30 in the morning, we were all a bit tired! As we walked from the bus to our hotel, we got to see some of the city, and I was very impressed with what I saw. Beautiful architecture, very clean streets, and lots of tree-lined public squares. I´m sure I will have some great pictures, once we get to see the city in the daylight.

Pre-Staging

Yup, I definitely wound up taking some stuff out of my luggage today before heading to the airport. Oh well, it's still too much stuff, too heavy, and a huge pain. My own fault, I guess.

DC is chilly and slushy, but it is supposed to warm up as the week goes on. Luckily we have free wireless internet in our hotel for Staging, although it is abnormally slow. I have met over about half of our group so far, and they seem like a well accomplished group. This should be an interesting adventure.

And I definitely look forward to meeting you current PC México volunteers soon!

Packing List and group update

We received some sad news today from our group, one of the couples has been delayed until the September 09 departure for Mexico (it does exist!), so it sounds like we are down to 16. They have been very diligent about going down to Querétaro on their own for Spanish classes, so we will probably see them during our language training.

Here is a rough packing list for what I'm bringing, along with my luggage. Current México volunteers have said that we will have access to things that we can buy in the US, so I took a lot of things off my list based on that...plus, I was running out of room. I may not be able to fit all of this into my bags either, but I'll find out soon. Unfortunately, I didn't keep track of what is in which piece of luggage. My total checked baggage weight should be around 60 lbs. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the books and binders that I will get during Pre-Service Training (PST), but I will figure it out. I should have stuck to the advice I was given and just packed a toothbrush...

Right now it's dumping snow where I'm at (looks like 2-3" of the wet stuff), so hopefully my flight to DC tomorrow won't be canceled.

Luggage
1x Messenger bag
1x Travel / daypack
1x 85L hiking pack (to be checked)
1x 22" wheeled duffel bag (to be checked)
1x 26" duffel bag (just for in-country use, so stuffed into another pack right now)

Electronics
1x Laptop with neoprene sleeve
1x Point & shoot camera
2x USB thumbdrives
1x Skype-friendly headset
1x Travel alarm clock
1x Franklin Spanish-English dictionary

Clothes
1x Sport jacket
1x Tie
2x Belts (one black, one brown)
8x Long-sleeve, button-up shirts
8x T-shirts
1x Vest
2x Khaki pants
1x Jeans
1x Quick-dry jeans
1x Swimming trunks
1x Hoodie
1x Wicking long-sleeve shirt
2x Wicking t-shirts
1x Gym shorts
1x Gym pants
1x Light-weight rain jacket
1x Med-weight water / wind proof jacket
2x Bandannas
1x Baseball cap
1x Pair of dress shoes
1x Pair of hiking boots
1x Pair of tennis shoes
1x Pair of running shoes
1x Pair of sandals
8x Boxers
8x Pairs of socks

Toiletries
1x Electric toothbrush with extra brush heads
Alcohol wipes for glasses
Some wet-wipes and hand sanitizer
Sunscreen
Deodorant
Toothpaste, floss, etc.
Razor
Set of thin travel towels

Misc
1x Multitool
1x Flashlight
1x Headlamp
Some gum & mints (possibly useful as gifts for kids if I don't eat them first)
2x Medium tote bags from local places (as host gifts)
2x 2009 local calendars (as host gifts)
Some travel entertainment (playing cards, puzzles, etc.)
2x Pair of prescription glasses
1x Lonely Planet guide for México
1x Lonely Planet phrasebook for México
1x AAA guide and map for México
1x USA map
1x Nalgene bottle
Couple of Tupperware containers
Pictures of family and friends
Random school supplies for training (pens/pencils, paper, etc.)
The Kite Runner
Crucial Conversations