Travel Accessory

Just to reiterate to American friends and family that I took every precaution possible to prevent the spread of the swine flu, here we are, armed with masks that we switched every 2 hours to guarantee freshness. In addition, I hand sanitized on a regular basis, and promise I wasn't digging for gold like I would have been under normal circumstances... 

Man! I feel like a LEPER!

Another giggle evoking fact about Mexicans is that Shaina Twain's Man! I Feel Like A Woman! is consistently at the top of their party playlist. Seriously. When I first arrived here and went to the local club with a few friends, I was shocked when as this song began to play, every male in the room was singing along full force and proud. Now I'll cut them a little slack since more than likely they don't know just what they are belting, but really? And is it possible that it takes 12 years for songs to trickle down south of the border? Oh man. But it's really a sight to see. 

I fear that I may have to start recruiting back up dancers for the remake of this classic~ Man! I Feel Like A Leper! Since coming back to the USA, I have been refused by friends, and even my own mother is keeping her distance. Now I wouldn't have come back here had I thought I would be the source of Virginia contamination.... Why would the World Health Organization have allowed it if it was so likely? In any case, I am feeling fine and dandy and plan on staying that way. Visit at your own risk.

Heading Home

After 24 hours of contemplation, I've decided that there's no place like home. With an unexpected week (maybe more) off work and the discovery of a $300 plane ticket home, I'm on the next flight out of Mexico tomorrow... There are a few risks involved with this spur of the moment decision including going through Mexico City and being on an enclosed airplane for 4 hours, but I think it will be for the best. I haven't been home in about 4 months and will only be there for about 5 days total when I come for a wedding at the end of May, so this will allow me to get in some QT with many that would have gotten the short end of my visit stick had I only come then. In addition, I am secretly stoked about some American staples that have been sorely missed while in Mexico i.e. Target, Chick-Fil-A, Marshalls, Raisin Nut Bran, and pina colada slurpees. At least if I die of the swine flu I will die fulfilled by the shallow pleasures of discount shopping and American junk food. mmmm mmmm good. 

Swine Flu

As most of you already know, Mexico City is thought to be the epicenter of the Swine Flu outbreak that has infected Mexico, USA, Canada, Spain, Israel, Brazil, New Zealand and other countries around the world. Schools have been cancelled until May 6th with the chance for further extension. When we heard that school was cancelled last night, people had mixed thoughts. Some were more worried than others, especially with so many unanswered questions. Since yesterday, the number of infected people in Mexico has risen considerably. Suspected swine flu deaths have hit about 100 in Mexico alone. Some think it may become a pandemic which would lead to the closure of all borders and quarantining people in the country that they are in no matter what... Face masks are sold out across Mexico and the vaccine probably won't be developed for another 6 months. Here are some Q&As about swine flu. The scariest part is that those dying are between 20 and 40 years old with healthy immune systems. My blog title seems more appropriate than ever right now. Cross your fingers for the best. EEEEEEEK!

Tempting offer UPDATE

FYI: I took the job with the 6th graders despite all warnings. I negotiated a pay raise and a few other perks so I hope I won't regret it even if their reputation does hold up. So far, so good though. I went in to school a few days before the break was over to set up shop and design my classroom management procedures. They are responding really well so far! Hopefully they aren't just enamored with una nueva maestra...

School Visitors

So this week, the school has had a slew of visitors. Most importantly, the SACS accreditation committee that will stick around until Wednesday to analyze and report on our school's legitimacy. One came to observe my class today... luckily, all went according to plan. phew!

A less important but far cuter group of visitors are the newborn gatitas that have taken over our auditorium junk pile. Normally home to broken desks, tables, and chairs, this area of campus has recently become haven for about 6 little kittens, their mama and papa. So cute!

Mexican tacos

I wanted to share my newfound taco knowledge with those who think that a cheesy gordita crunch could be found anywhere south of the border... First of all, hard tacos don't really exist here unless specially requested. Most of them are actually made with soft corn tortillas... so a soft version of our hard taco. Haven't come by any flour soft tacos here either besides in the grocery store. The next thing you must know is that they are muy pequeno compared to your typical American taco. When out to eat tacos in Mexico, order at least 4. Here's why:

They are usually about the size of a saucer or so. Typical Mexican taco joints give you a pad of paper and pencil, much like a la cart sushi in the states. You choose your main ingredient: carne, pollo, res, etc., whether or not you want cheese, and they bring it out for you right off the grill...

And the final difference: toppings. Never have  I seen a Mexican put lettuce, tomato, OR sour cream on their delicious treat. Instead, most taquerias provide a plethora of hot sauces, onions, and pico de gallo. Also required on every real taco is a splash of lime. Well, that can be said for almost all Mexican foods, but tacos especially. At this point, mine feel naked without lime juice. Almost as bad as french fries with no salt. Yuck. 

So there you go. A lesson on Mexican tacos from yours truly. 

BUEN PROVECHO!

This guy...

Man oh man. It doesn't take long to notice the ridiculous amount of extra attention one receives as a gringa traveling in Mexico. It usually comes in the form of hoots, hollers, whistles, and the occasional wave. Rarely will someone buy a drink for you or say hello like you might expect in the United States. Until, that is, we meet this guy. Ha! He was such a character. Approaching 60 I'm sure and on what he claimed to be his 30th cerveza of the night, he bought us not one, not two, but three rounds of drinks! Very generous. As repayment, of course, we were expected to chat with him which wasn't too difficult considering he made himself comfortable by pulling up a chair at our table just as we were about to eat dinner. Many repeated questions later and he finally gets our names down. We had his from the first second he sat down but he still told us a few more times. In the end we had an audience as we taught the poor guy English words that he was ecstatically yelling across the patio to his drinking buddies. Lights! Chair! Table! Head! Nose! Quesadilla! Hey, I think I know that one.

Santa Domingo

This beautiful church turned cultural center can be found in the heart of Oaxaca. It was originally established and inhabited by Dominican monks and now serves as the city's cultural center housing pre-Columbian artifacts, artwork, and other traveling features. Find out more here.

All in all, a wonderful way for us to end our cultural extravaganza in Oaxaca.

Felicidades, Liz & Brian!

My sister got engaged last night! Gotta give a congratulatory shout-out! Wooo hoo! Welcome to the family, Brian :)

Oaxaca

At the advice of a Mexican friend, Carlota and I headed to Oaxaca City midway through her visit. About a 7 hour bus ride, we were assured that it would be worth it for the art, food, and beautiful zocalo. We were not disappointed. Arriving late on Wednesday night, we woke up early on Thursday to explore. We began at the historic Zocalo, or town center, pictured here.

Very pretty. After grabbing a bite to eat, we start off to the art galleries. We were pleasantly surprised to find some great art at the Museo de Arte Contemporanio de Oaxaca (MACO) and the Centro Fotográfico Manuel Alvarez Bravo. I especially enjoyed the photography exhibition Doble Fantasía which featured incredible before and after photos on their own and manipulated by talented artists. Here is one of my favorites:

Church's Chicken?

I don't know why this amuses me so much but seeing this Church's Chicken in the Mexico City TAPO bus station made me chuckle.

TEOTITHUACAN

Teotithuacan is about an hour bus ride from Pachuca. These tremendous pyramids were built over the course of about 200 years from around 100 BC to 100 AD. There are two large structures, the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Both can be seen below.

Pyramid of the Sun

Pyramid of the Moon

During the height of its establishment, Teotithuacan may have had more than 100,000 inhabitants placing it among the largest cities in the world in this period. It is hypothesized that is was a multi-ethnic civilization focused on the worship of gods like the Feathered Serpent and Rain God, and human & animal sacrifice. The two grand pyramids are separated by what was known as the Avenue of the Dead which can be seen here.

Leaders were buried in the small structures that lined this walkway. It was an incredible sight. It's amazing that people were capable of this so long ago and without modern building tools and machines! It was crazy steep too. I had a hard enough time getting up there just to take a gander... I can't imagine trekking all the way up carrying gigantic stones!

Chili en todo!

Mexicans love their chili. It is prevalent in many forms: powder, sauce, slices, whole... however you like it, you can get it here. There are two ways that they especially enjoy it. On fruit and on pork rinds. It's very curious although if I had been brought up putting chili on every solid thing I ate, I probably wouldn't think so. Carlota, an avid lover of fruit, was quite disappointed at the last minute chili addition when she ordered her fruit cup from the vendor outside of the Coyoacan market. The first few bites were difficult for her to manage, but all in all, the lure of the fruit was stronger than the repel of the chili powder. 

As a side note, I would like to shed light on another Mexican invention that many Americans will have trouble fathoming. Vero Elotes: corn shaped lollipops covered in spicy chili powder. The girl I tutor insisted that I eat one with her one day after school... very clever, that one. It ended up wasting at least 15 minutes of study time as my eyes watered and throat suffered. 

ICK!

árboles púrpuras y casas azules

On Sunday morning, we got up early to embrace our inner tourist. I had a plan for the day, must've inherited that trait from my dad, to go to Coyoacan, la casa azul, and the market. I have mastered the DF subway system at this point. How could you not for only 2 pesos/ride? We started at the Coyocan Mall where we conquered Zara in about an hour and each had prized finds that could not go left unpurchased. :)

After the shopping itch was relieved, we headed for the museum and market. About a 25 minute walk, we lingered under these lovely purple trees to take a midway break. They are by far my favorite in Mexico. Finally, we arrived at Casa Azul, the house of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera between 1941 and 1954. It was amazing. They were so in love and you could feel it in the walls. Probably helped that the museum posted photos of them together all over the place, but still. That much talent under one roof is pretty incredible. The house itself was a giant square with a large courtyard in the middle. Artwork like this Diego Rivera sculpture could be found in every crevice. 

Semana Santa

Finally! Spring break arrived! After 3 weeks of unfortunate events piling up, I was more than ready for a break. Lucky for me, the Mexicans like their holidays and we are given an entire 2 weeks off to relax, travel, and for me, hang out with Carlota, my South of the border travel buddy and best friend. I met her at the D.F. airport on Saturday 4/4 only to realize shortly thereafter that I should be in a different terminal. Mexico City's airport is one of those weird ones that isn't all connected so by the time I became aware of this, I was late and still had to figure out how to get to the correct terminal. After some pleading with the tram guy who wouldn't let me in sans boarding pass, I was directed to the sketchier route via 1960's RV... Luckily Carlota still hadn't made it through customs by the time I arrived, an hour after I intended. The reunion was glorious of course... we stocked up on water & cookies and headed to our destination del noche, Hotel Milan in La Roma.

Tempting offer

So apparently a 6th grade teacher lost it today and threw a pair of scissors at a student. Then stormed off to the teacher's lounge where she demanded her passport and took off for the front gate. They don't think she's coming back... So much so that they offered me her job this afternoon. I'm tempted but have been warned by about 97% of my coworkers that these children are a different breed, leaving no one unscathed in their paths. While this is alarming, I wouldn't mind trying out another grade and it's only for the remainder of the year which is a perfect trial run. I'm gonna see what perks they offer and weigh my options... Update to come.

:) :D ;D :))))))

For some reason, Mexicans are obsessed with smiley faces. It doesn't matter what type of message they are sending... it will have a smiley face, guaranteed. I don't think I've recieved a text message from a Mexican friend sans smiley yet. Don't get me wrong, I'm pro smiley when it is deemed appropriate~ super excited about something legitimately exciting, lessening the blow in a rejection text, etc.~ but the smiley face should be reserved for those special occasions. Now it is just as common to me as a period. Beware, American friends, of future Marg messages that may look like this... "Hola! How are you?? :) I'm wearing a pink shirt ;) and flip flops ;D Do you wanna go to the movies later :)))) We could eat popcorn ;D!" ha. pobrecito smiley face...

Un desmadre

Nolita had a fun day TP-ing. When I got home from work today, this is what I found...
¡Que mala gatita!