One Month in Mérida

Yesterday marked the end of my first month in Mérida. I know it's cliche to say this...but time is flying. I feel like my Spanish has gotten better, but I feel like I still have a lot to learn before December 18th (the day we fly home).

This morning I finally went and found a place where I can run. Last week I had gone to the little neighborhood park and walked laps around it, but it was pretty small and the people there aren't accustomed to seeing tall gringas walking around in circles. This time I went to a larger outdoor sports park called Unidad Deportiva y Recreativa Kukulcán that has a nice path around the park where people can run. It felt great to run again, even if the temperature was about 90º F/32º C.

Below are some random pictures from life in Mérida:

Looking to the left on Calle 28 (the street where I live) - note one of the many city buses on the left. It looks a little hazy in this picture because the chicken shop nearby is probably grilling chicken

The view looking to the right on Calle 28

View of La Universidad Modelo from the bus stop

Panucho - A tortilla with chicken, avacado, onion, and tomato

A stew with banana, beef, red beans, carrot, squash, potato, and onion

Dzibilchaltún and Chichén Itzá

This past week or so has been pretty busy here in Mérida.

September 16th was Independence Day here, so we went to church the night of the 15th and there was no class on the 16th. I now know how the Mexican national anthem goes, and when I see red, green, and white (colors of the Mexican flag) together my mind doesn't automatically think of Christmas. Independence Day here made me feel quite homesick for the United States, as being a foreigner at the celebration of another Country makes one feel a little out of place.

This past week was exam week at La Universidad Modelo, which meant that I was (for the first time since coming here) very busy with homework. Writing 3 exam papers and studying for 3 in-class exams in less than a week was a bit of a challenge, but it feels good to be done with everything for now.

On Monday the Calvin group went to two different Mayan ruin sites, Dzibilchaltún and Chichén Itzá. Monday was the day before the autumnal equinox, and both sites have different phenomena that show up on the days surrounding the equinox. We did get to see the sun shine through the door of the temple at Dzibilchaltún, which required required waking up very early (about 3 AM) so that we could be at the site in time for sunrise. Unfortunately, the cloudy sky at Chichén Itzá prevented us from seeing the shadow of Kukulkan (the serpent god of the Maya) descending the stairs of the pyramid, but we did have fun exploring the ruins.

I finally saw a tarantula when we went to Dzibilchaltún. Our bus driver told me that I shouldn't be afraid of them, that the are soft and fuzzy like "un gatito" (a kitten), but I decided against finding out for myself. It was really cool to see Chichén Itzá after reading about it and seeing pictures of it in history and travel books. There were a lot of vendors selling trinkets, jewelry, and t-shirts at Chichén, and I did end up buying a small "Chac Mool" statue that is shaped like some of the ruins there.

Me at Chichén Itzá

The ball court at Chichén Itzá


Mini Chac Mools

Dzibilchaltún - Here comes the sun!

It's kind of hard to see what happened in a photo...

The sanctuary at El Divino Salvador before a Sunday service

Another Blog

Here is a link to the blog that our group is doing together about our time in Mérida:

http://www.calvin.edu/go/mexico

Mi Cumpleaños :)

Today was my birthday and my host sister-in-law's birthday, so my host family went out to a "steakhouse" restaurant that has a buffet. Sandy (my host sister-in-law) and I were born one hour apart on the same day of the same year...it's a pretty funny coincidence. The food was pretty good, and best of all, the birthday girls got to eat for free (with an ID that had our date of birth). It seemed like nearly every table had someone with a birthday at it; the restaurant workers were very busy singing "Feliz Cumpleaños" the entire time we were there. Here are a few pictures from the day so far:

Luis, doña Flory, don David, Luisa Fernanda, and I


Sara Cristina (Sandy's daughter) and I

There are a lot of old Volkswagens around here

Sandy and I

My host parents, doña Flory and don David

My first plate at the Buffet - a little piece of home

"Sirloin Stockade" isn't the most appealing name...but the food was good

Lyndsey and I celebrating our 21st birthdays with the Calvin group a few days ago

School, Independence Day, Food...

Somehow a week and half got away from me before I got a chance to post...

So far classes at La Universidad Modelo are going as well as can be expected. There are moments when I feel a little homesick for classes at Calvin, but it's getting easier to understand what is going on and what is expected in class. The first round of exams is next week, so I should have a better idea of how difficult the classes actually are after that. So far all I have had to do is work in groups, write short paragraphs, and do a fair amount of reading (mostly for my Latin American Literature class). I start class at 7:00 AM on Thursday and Friday, which requires getting up at 5:00 AM on those days. Since I am very bad at going to bed early, "descansas" (rests or naps) are becoming an important part of many of my afternoons.

One of the classes that I am taking at La Modelo is called "Problemas económicos, políticos, y sociales en México" (Economic, Political, and Social Problems of Mexico). Even though the class is part of the communications department at La Modelo, so far it seems very much like a history class to me. "Los Estados Unidos" (The United States) have come up quite frequently in the class, and even though the professor is not negative or unfair in her coverage of the involvement of the United States in Mexico's history, I still feel a little awkward, as if the United States were responsible for all of Mexico's problems. I'm not sure if what is said in class is different because there are six students from the USA present, but it is interesting to see how college-age Mexican students and their professor view the USA.

Even though Mexican Independence day is on September 16, preparations for the day have been underway ever since I arrived here in late August. The city's plazas and streets have red, green, and white lights that say "Viva Mexico" or are in the shape of bells. The bells commemorate the "Grito de Dolores", the inciting force behind the Mexican War of Independence in 1810. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grito_de_Dolores).

So far I am really enjoying the food that my host mom cooks. Some of the food is quite similar to what North Americans typically eat in Mexican restaurants north of the border, but there are some dishes that are more unique to the Yucatán that I hadn't seen before coming here. Ironically, my least favorite things to eat here are hot dogs and American cheese.

Yesterday I went to visit a combined middle and high school called Blas Pascal with my professor from Calvin and another student. I will be visiting the school once per week to observe a Spanish class for students in early middle school. I am a little jealous of the students who get to observe English classes, but it will still be interesting to observe how school works in Mexico.

My host family does not watch a lot of TV, but my host sister seems to like going to the movies. A nighttime movie costs about half of what it does in the USA, which is nice. The movies that I have seen so far have both been in English with Spanish subtitles. Even though I am here to practice Spanish, I typically ignore the subtitles.

Last Sunday was the second time that I attended church with my host family. I recognize some of the songs, but many of them are new to me. Taking communion at El Divino Salvador made me miss home quite a bit, as I imagined that College Church and Church of the Servant were also having communion this past Sunday.

At La Iglesia del Tercer Orden

Some Modelo students and some Calvin students

First Weekend and First Classes

This past weekend was a fun break before the start of classes this Monday. On Saturday our group went to some Cenotes (underground water caverns? water holes?) outside of Mérida. To get to the Cenotes we first took a bus, then tricitaxis (similar to rickshaws), and finally some carts that were pulled by horses along a small-gauge railroad track. There were 3 Cenotes in all. It was a pretty bumpy ride to get to each one, but they were a lot of fun to swim in and very refreshing.

After returning from the Cenotes, I went early with my host mother to her niece's 17th birthday party. It felt a little funny to go to a party where I did not know anyone but my host family, but the other guests were friendly and some of them practiced their English with me or taught me phrases and words in Spanish. Before the party got underway there was a storm with an enormous downpour and lots of wind - it was a little scary but it did cool the air down a little bit. The food at the party was delicious, and there was a piñata and even a real mariachi band! I don't think they played any songs that I know, but they were fun to listen to.

On Sunday I went to church at El Divino Salvador with my host family. The church is fairly large, and fortunately the pastor speaks slowly enough for me to catch most of what he says. El Divino Salvador is a Presbyterian church, and it was actually pretty similar to what I am used to at home. After church we went to my host mom's sister's house to have lunch with other family members, many of whom I had met at the birthday party the night before.

Monday was the first day of class for me at La Modelo. The students at La Modelo actually started class 2 weeks prior, so some of our professors are having us catch up while some of them are not. University classes here are a little different from what I am used to, from what I can tell so far there will be more group work and in some classes students talk quite a bit among themselves during the lecture. After my last class on Tuesday, the Modelo students invited the 6 Calvin students in the class to go to lunch at TGI Friday's to celebrate someone's birthday. The TGI Friday's looked and felt just about the same as those in the United States, but I think it was a little less expensive. We ended up being a little late to our class at El Divino Salvador with the other Calvin students because of lunch, but it was nice of the Modelo students to invite us and it was a good opportunity to talk to them some more outside of class.

Between Cenotes


Entrance to Cenote #3


Marion

Piñata!



The MariachiThe center of Mérida

First day of class at La Universidad Modelo