Alex's Wofford Interim 2009

I have been taking salsa classes every night for the past week and it is my favorite part of the day. I look forward to it so much. Not only that, but I am actually getting good. That, or there are just new people that keep coming that are worse than me. It is so much fun!! And the people in the class are great. Me and the two other girls have made friends with some of the guys in the class that are really good and after class they twirl us all across the floor and make us look like pros. Francisco and Victor are some of the best dancers in the class and when they dance together (bc sometimes ratio of girls to guys is off) they look like they have been dancing since birth. It is so beautiful and spicy...
Other than salsa class I have just been going to class and speaking spanish so much that my head hurts. But it's all coming together and I am always surprised by how much I am learning and how much I already know.
Ok this was just a quick update to let everyone know about my amazing dance skills! jk.

Just as things were settling down and I was getting into the swing of things in Guanajuato, we took a weekend trip to Mexico City, the 2nd largest city in the world with 22 million in habitants. The city is not what I expected in geographic terms. It is very spread out and there seemed to be no huge downtown with massive skyscrapers. There were skyscrapers but nothing spectacular. Atlanta easily has Mexico City beat in skyscrapers in number and size. But from a roof top, the city is never-ending.
We arrived at our hostel to check in first and had lunch and then set out on a tour of the city on foot. We soon found out that what we were seeing was but a fraction of the city but in essence the heart of it. Our guide was Pepe and he was pretty much the most adorable man ever. He was very easy to understand, since again all of our tour was in Spanish, and so funny! Anyway, Pepe took us first to some Aztec ruins right in the middle of the city, about 2 blocks from our hostel. (Note: this blog is for my own memory as well, so I am about to spin off lots of facts, feel free to skim read ) The capitol of the Aztec nation was located exactly where Mexico City is today. Basically, the Spanish just came in and replaced the Aztec Empire and built churches on top of their pyramids, literally. Almost the entire modern city is built on ruins, which is why so many of the buildings, especially the older ones have to be carefully maintained. You can visibly notice that many buildings are crooked. On top of that, the ground is not particularly stable in the first place, because the Aztec city was an island in the middle of a large lake. The Spanish diverted streams and used irrigation to make the land that Mexico City stands on today. So the city is on a lake bed. We walked a little bit and Pepe pointed out some other historic buildings like the first college of Art in the Americas, the first mint, and a building where the Virgin Mary appeared. Then we went to the first cathedral of the Americas, the Cathedral of Mexico, which is right next door to the Palace of Mexico where the government is housed. We were supposed to be able to go into the palace but couldn’t because some special event was going on, and a girl in our group heard before that Obama was coming to Mexico on Monday to meet the Mexican President, so maybe that was it. Anyway, the Cathedral is massive but lopsided. When I walked in the first thing I noticed was that the arc at the end of the hall was tilted to the right. Other than that, it’s beautiful. One strange thing was the Cathedral owned a relic, the bones of some European saint. Pepe did not even know the name of the saint and there was no sign indicating who it might be, just this creepy skull staring out from a glass case.
Walking on to museum of art, where we didn’t actually go through the museum, just took a step inside to see the structure; the outside was more impressive. Interestingly enough, most of the marble on the outside came from Italy, while the inside is mostly stone from Mexico. The building certainly had an older world, European look to it, and I found myself comparing the buildings to places in Italy throughout the day. There are more metal statues than marble ones, making the city appear much darker than Italy. On a side note, it never rains here! I love it. The sun is always shining, but it’s not terribly hot…unless you hike it up a pyramid…
Second day in Mexico City…Saturday.
We start by driving to la Plaza de tres culturas. The three cultures being : Aztec, Spanish, and Mexican. All in one plaza there are Aztec ruins and remnants of a pyramid, a church built by the Spanish using the stones from the pyramid they had just destroyed, and a more modern, open plaza, I think to represent the Mexican aspect. The church is not very grand but it is one of the oldest in the city and as I said, it was built with the stones from the pyramid that lies right beside of it, making it look almost similar in a strange way to the Aztec ruins. I am not sure of the exact significance of the Mexican Plaza but from what I understood, during the Revolution against Spain, many Mexicans protested in that area and were killed by the government for it and the plaza is like a remembrance to them…?? Sometimes it’s hard not to tune Pepe out when I am too tired to make my brain translate everything he is saying.
Then we went to the most visited Basilica in the world. La Basilica de Guadalupe can hold 22,000 people and on its grounds there are 6 different churches. One is very modern looking and holds a bent cross from a miracle that occurred in the church when someone brought a bomb in some flowers and it exploded but the only thing that happened was that one of the golden crosses on the alter was bent. Behind the large basilica is a garden with many figures and towards the end of it is a large statue of the virgin Mary, because this is where she appeared the 3rd time in Mexico City. We couldn’t go inside the main Basilica because they were doing restoration repairs, but from the outside it was impressive.
Then the best part of the trip thus far…the onyx museum with lunch followed by the 3rd largest pyramid in the world. At the onyx museum, we learned about this plant that was native to the area. The Aztecs used it for paper, string, drinks, and the tip of the plant as a needle. A man brought a tray full of 3 different kinds of drinks, two of which were strong tequila. They use the plant’s nectar to mix with tequila to give it a different taste. It was funny to watch people’s faces as they sipped the strongest tequila. Then they showed us how they shape, cut, and shine the onyx and other rocks and make them into figurines. They were so beautiful, I wanted one so bad but I knew the tight space in my luggage wouldn’t allow it. Plus, they made jewelry with the stones too I got a ring with this type of onyx that almost seems to change colors in the light, a ring with the Aztec disc calendar, and 2 pieces of art with the Aztec disc on tree bark. The same men who worked in the shop and made the onyx, followed us to lunch, where they played some awesome Mexican music. One of them asked my name and then the next song I hear “Que paso, que paso Alejandra? Donde estas, Donde estas Alejandra?” Pretty hilarious, but still not as funny as when they put the keyboard on auto and asked all the girls to dance. <3
Then we went to the pyramids, which were by far the most interesting part to me. So again with the trivia…the pyramids are at least 2,000 years old and due to the size of the city they were in, when Rome fell, this civilization was likely the largest on earth. No one knows who built them, because they were later discovered deserted by the Aztecs. The Aztecs called it the city of the Gods and performed ceremonies there, but never actually occupied the city because they revered it so. Teotihuacana is the name the Aztecs gave to the city. Archeologists say that there is evidence of a civil war in concordance with years of drought in the area and that the city was probably, deserted after the war due to people searching for peaceful lands and to escape the drought. The large pyramid is called “del Sol” or the Sun pyramid. There is a smaller pyramid near the larger one called “de la Luna,” Moon Pyramid. This is supposedly representative of the relationship between Man and Woman and also the reverence that the civilization had for the workings of the sun and moon in relation to fertility, farming, and such. I cannot begin to describe the size of it. Its base is almost the exact size of the Great pyramid in Egypt, its side is only smaller by exactly .5 meters. However the pyramid in Egypt is double the height, which I can’t comprehend, because I could barely believe the height of this pyramid was possible. It was simply mind boggling and nothing but questions ran through my mind. Why? The shear size of the project and time it must have taken would seem to outweigh any desire or feeling of necessity for such a building. I know it was used for ceremonies and that’s about it, so I think why didn’t you just find a nice hill? I mean really, how a civilization 2,000 years ago accomplished it is beyond me. How!?! The pyramid today is not even its full size because of the not-so-intelligent man who discovered it and used dynamite to excavate it. Ok, now… The stairs…Imagine walking on stairs that are thinner than normal, very steep, almost straight up in spots, to the top of a pyramid built 2,000 years ago that is half as high as the Great Pyramid in Egypt. It was rough. The view was worth it though. Plus I get to say, “I climbed the 3rd tallest pyramid in the world.” The pyramid in Egypt is only 2nd, though btw. The tallest in the world is also in Mexico, but Pepe said it is not as impressive because it is the same height, but just double the base, and the Spanish built a church at the top of it. Ugh. That’s frustrating.
Day 3…Sunday
Very relaxed day with lots of driving. First, was the Frida Kahlo museum, which is actually where she and her husband Diego Rivera lived for 25 years. I had seen her artwork of course, but it never really did anything for me. However, that’s because I had only seen the self portraits she did. I really love some of her other pieces and her husband’s as well. It was a really life-like museum because they had most of the rooms set up how they were when she lived there, including her art studio. I felt a different appreciation for her instead of simply the woman with all the paintings of herself with fruit in her hair.
Then we drove to the only remaining body of water in Mexico City, the man made canal. This is also where we had lunch. We had carry-out Mexican on a boat as we were driven down the canal using nothing but a big wooden stick, not to be confused with a paddle. This was really touristy thing, but enjoyable nonetheless. At one point a boat full of mariachis came up to our boat and played 3 or 4 songs for us. It was very relaxing to just drift down the water and sun bathe, definitely different from the feeling of being in downtown Mexico City. That was our last stop before the 5 hour drive home.
I was ready to leave the city. It felt like I was breathing in smog everywhere I went, and it was stereotypically dirty. The history was amazing and interesting, but the busyness was apparent everywhere. I also didn’t enjoy being bussed around everywhere. I actually missed Guanajuato. I guess I am more of a small town girl. Oh well.

check them out on the right hand side of this page under "photography"

Monday
Today was the first day of class, and I was really excited but kind of surprised and nervous to find that I would be in the more advanced of the two classes. I guess that makes sense since there are people in the group that have had no formal Spanish teaching, only what they have learned on their own. It was probably the best Spanish class I have ever had…ever. Granted it was 3 hours long with a 10 min break every hour, but I just felt like I absorbed so much in such a short time. We started with basic stuff like where we were from and why we decided to come to Mexico and what, specifically, we wanted to get out of the class. Our teacher speaks in nothing but Spanish and I like her a lot. Her name is Carolina. There are only 2 other people in my class and I was happy to find that I was not far behind either of them at all really. Then we talked about grammar for an hour and finally finished with a game that was so helpful! It was fun, entertaining, and just amazing. I love it already.
After class, I walked with my friends around for just a while because Doug needed a watch because apparently it is killing him to not know the time. Anyway, then Jess, Liz, Doug, and I headed for our houses, which are all in the same general direction. Absolutely everything is on the way to everything else here…if that makes sense. I got home and did all my homework except a one page hand written paper that’s due tomorrow.
I continue to bond with Letti (Leticia, but everyone calls her Letti) today. The more I talk to her, the more I like her. She is very come and go as you please, which is nice in comparison to some of the other hosts who are very sweet but also very motherly in asking where their students are going to be and when they will be back. There is nothing wrong with that structure, but I like my situation better. For my homework I had to talk to her about her family and how she would describe it. I wrote things down at first, but then we just sort of fell into conversation and I find when I don’t think about it and I am just in the midst of conversation, the words come to me more easily. Things that she said were so universal and applied to so many people that it gave me that “we really are all the same” feeling. I talked about my family too and how sometimes it was hard for me because I like my own time and space, and she just picked up my words and kept going with exactly what I was thinking about. I really do like her so much. She is so reassuring in so many things. (Wow I just said “so” like 10 times) I also noticed today that I am thinking a lot in Spanish, mostly just common phrases that I use over and over and hear a lot and know 100% are correct. It’s kind of nice and gives me hope that I am actually learning and comprehending and not just memorizing.
On a side note, I love this group of students I am with. They are all quirky in their own ways, but I enjoy each of them. Not only that, but we all bond well together too and are already planning group adventures independent of things that have been organized for us. For instance on Thursday we are going to the Teatro to see an opera. I am so excited about that. I just wanted to note that because it is not often that I like an entire group as much as I do this group, normally someone irritates me

I met my host “mother” and moved into her home. All in all it was surprising. First of all, on the sheet they gave us about our families, it referred to her as Senorita Leticia Gomez. The Senorita made me assume she would be younger. However, she is probably in her mid 50s. This will sound bad to those of you out there who know what I am talking about, but she reminds me of Izma from “The Emperor’s New Groove,” only because of her facial features. Anyway, she was late to the dinner because she got stuck behind the trash truck, which you cannot pass and I found particularly funny. While we were waiting for her to arrive, Karen told me a little bit about her. Karen said that Leticia is one of her favorite hosts because she is so interesting. She has never been married, hence the senorita, and though she gives a very formal and superior air due to her upper class upbringing, she is in fact very forward thinking and possibly even liberal by Guanajuato’s standards. She sounded like the kind of woman I could get along with. She has a sister she is very close with and some nephew and nieces, though the number of which I am not sure. Luckily, Karen and Lalo ate at our table, otherwise it might have been a very quiet dinner. They talked about normal things acquaintances talk about and I was able to keep up fairly well. My biggest problem is speaking, whether from self consciousness or the pressure of the people waiting for me to speak, I tend to get nervous.
After dinner, I got my bags and we headed to her home. It is beautiful! My room and bathroom here are nicer than at home or at Wofford. Unfortunately, I do not have internet there, but there is a place where you can buy internet by the hour very cheaply about a 10 min walk from the house. Not only is my room nice, but the whole house is very homey. It is very large for what you would think, especially looking from the outside. There are to gated car spaces on the ground level and downstairs is the kitchen, dining room, living room, and patio on top of the garage (downstairs is still one story up). Upstairs, is Leticia’s large bedroom with a very very nice bathroom including Jacuzzi tub! And another living room area, my room, my bathroom, and a communal area where her computer (the oldest Mac I have ever seen…no joke) and a book case are. There are at least 2 TVs and innumerable antique looking furniture and glass ware. And she lives alone! And she doesn’t work! I don’t quite understand that, but Karen told me she used to work at the university and may have worked there long enough to retire. I don’t know.
TODAY
I had asked Leticia last night what we would be doing today and she said she was going to church and asked if I was Catholic. I said no, but that I would like to go with her for the experience. She said that was fine, so today after a breakfast of papaya (kind of gross) and toast we headed to church with her sister and nephew. It was very interesting and in fact, very similar to church in Pawleys Island: much of the same sequence of prayer, song, sermon, more song, communion, more prayer, and then greeting people around you, and one final prayer. After, we went to the park in the very center of the city. I think it is like a Sunday after church tradition to go sit on a bench in the park, kind of like a Sunday drive. We sat for a while, but there was a lot going on with artisans selling paintings, jewelry, and various other crafts. Based on what Karen told me, Leticia is very much about the student doing their own thing and not being tied at the hip to her, so I asked if I could walk around. I stopped in a shop and got some postcards and looked around and when I came back to our bench, Doug and his host where sitting there. Doug’s host and mine are very good friends apparently. So I sat and talked to Doug for a while about how things were going in his casa. It was such a relief to see someone I knew, though I have only known him for about a day, and to be able to talk in English. Not that it’s been bad, but it certainly takes a toll on my brain, having to translate everything people say. Sometimes, when I start to get tired, it goes in one ear and out the other. I think starting class tomorrow will help that, give me something to focus on. Anyway, Doug wanted something to drink so we walked to one of the nearby drink stands. On the way back, we ran into Liz and her host and talked for a minute and then her host wanted a group picture so we did that and headed back. Then, Leticia and I went to the market. Sunday is shopping day without a doubt!! The same market I walked around on Friday was packed with people and all kinds of stands that were not there before. Most stands are either for food, clothes, or toys, and I saw the lion in the truck again! We bought some flowers (I think that is also some tradition), some tortillas and Leticia and I both had one hot off the grill and Mmmmm! And then she got a few other things to make me chicken tacos. At the market I saw Abbey and her host, so I think this really must be a small city, or all the hosts run in the same circles. We returned home and had the best chicken tacos of my life! And I watched her make them, so get ready for some authentic tacos, Mom. Leticia, her sister and I got into a very interesting conversation at dinner, and for a while I felt less like an outsider because I was involved in the conversation. We were talking about American politics, not a taboo subject here. Leticia’s sister mentioned when Obama was going to be inaugurated and I talked about how I was sad I wouldn’t be in the States to see it, and Leticia chimed in because it was going to be a big party. I really like the way Leticia and I talk when we actually say more than just “yes, no, I am fine…” She seems to understand what I am trying to say almost all of the time, and even when she is speaking her own opinion I find myself nodding in agreement and saying things like “exactamente.”
Later in the evening, her other nephews came over. They are twins and 10 years old and the most awesome boys! I immediately felt more comfortable with them because they are younger and really nice. Not that Leticia isn’t nice, but I am always more afraid of embarrassing myself in front of her and it is not so with kids. Anyway, I watched 101 Dalmatians with them in Spanish, which was cool because I had seen it in English. I saw one of them playing with a piece of paper, absentmindedly folding it, and it gave me an idea. I will admit now that it was a little dorky but it was all I had at the time and I really wanted to hang out with them. I went to my room and made one of those paper frogs that jumps and brought it and a piece of paper back to them. They smiled and said “rana.” I asked if they wanted to make one. And I showed them. It was my doorway. Then I had another idea. I brought my laptop in the room and asked if they wanted to play games on it. We played for like 3 hours. It was so great. I showed them the music I had and they loved High School Musical most. We talked about other music they knew and then we started talking about sports. They asked what kind of sports I liked, I told them football and that really got them going. One of them was wearing a Miami dolphins T shirt, so of course I asked if they knew Chad Pennington and they said yes, though that may have just been hype, and I told them I had met him before and he went to my school. That was a big deal. It was really just nice to have somebody to relax around in the house. Good company. And! They come here every day after school. Right now school is still out on break but Wednesday they will be back and I can’t wait!