Family Life- Rachel Skaggs

I truly believe that the homestay element of Centre in Mexico is the best part. I have grown to love my huge extended family. There are always people in and out of our house, and we even had a wedding anniversary party last weekend where SIXTY-FIVE of our immediate family members came to our house for tacos, cake, and socializing. We have lived in Mexico long enough for this all to feel routine. Kara and I have a host family that loves to take us around and show us new places and things to do in and around Merida. Last weekend, this was a day trip to the colonial city of Izamal where nine Maya pyramids are set amongst the small modern houses and stores as well as the huge monastery. This monastery is beautiful and ancient. The oldest date I saw on any of the inscriptions was from the 1600’s. Pope John Paul II visited here in 1993, and there is even a large statue of Friar Diego de Landa in one of the city squares. I have already had so many great experiences, but this weekend has definitely been the best weekend of all. On Friday, our Tio Pepe and Tia Elia brought us to the Maya site of Uxmal. Unlike the rest of our Maya site experiences, we went to this one at nine pm. We wandered toward the main square and sat. This site has a light and sound show that tells the story of the city of Uxmal. It was fun and very different to get to see the ancient buildings lit up with white, green, red, and blue lights. At times, they would only light certain parts of the monuments, such as the Maya god Kukulcan. They told stories in Spanish as we sat and listened, all while reclined on the steps of one of the huge buildings. This was a great night and a fun time to bond with some of our other family members. On Saturday and Sunday we went to our family’s beach house in the fisherman’s village of Sisal. This is the town where all of the henequen plants used to be sent out, thus giving henequen its other name, Sisal. We have been here once before and stayed in Mama Melba’s house, but this weekend we went with our “nephew” Beto and stayed in his beach house. The day started with a great picnic by the pool with brie, crackers, crema de cacahuate con miel (Peanut butter with honey), and brownies. The group had a great time here and then decided to walk on the beach. Phyllis, Alison, and Widdle came with us, and Widdle had the best day ever on the beach. She ran as fast as her 11-year-old dachshund legs could take her. She chased seagulls and made new doggie-friends until Phyllis & Alison decided that it was time to go home. Later on, we watched a Mexico vs El Salvador Soccer game, ordered a pizza, and took in the sea air. Today we fished at 6 am (with only line, hook, and bait!), slept in the sun, and ate our fish. It was a great weekend, and a great peek into Mexican family life yet again!

pescadora buena, pescadora muerta - katie halloran

if there were be two phrases to sum up this trip so far, they would be, "i love my life" and "where ARE we right now?". the first is self-explanatory, but the second i find myself constantly saying because i end up in the most ridiculous and crazy situations that i would have never imagined being in, let alone in mexico. por ejemplo, instead of preparing for my midterms, i spent this past weekend at two separate beaches. doesn't sound too wild, right? well, on friday (i'll take this opportunity to mention that we don't have class on fridays!!!) a group caught the bus to progreso. it costs about two dollars to get there and back, and it's about a thirty minute bus ride, although time passes quickly because there is typically a guitarist serenading all of the passengers. we swam, laid out, had a cheap but delicious lunch, and then began to walk back to the bus stop. on the way, christine spotted a bathing suit in one of the shops, and so we separated from the rest of the group so that she could have a closer look. the shop was a mix of convinient store/bathing suit shop/restaurant/bar, and while christine tried on her potential purchase, i started talking to the store owner, francisco. he asked if i spoke spanish, if i was a student, etc., and when he found out that i was taking some anthropology classes, he began to explain his past career as a tour guide. we became fast friends. i bought a bottle of jamaica (a mexican beverage made from hibiscus), and he asked why i wasn't drinking beer. in between trying to explain that i wasn't in the mood to drink and him showing off all the brands of beer in the cooler, christine returned to pay for her bathing suit. this was only a minor distraction. he became more persistent and offered us each a free shot of tequila. we thought why not, and he broke out a bottle, some limes, and salt. he was not satifised with only one, offering us another, and i'm pretty sure he would have had us empty the bottle had we not firmly refused. only in mexico can a simple purchase of a bathing suit turn into free shots (p.s. francisco wants to throw the group a party at his restaurant very soon). on saturday i had received an invite to the beach house of rachel and kara's host family. the drive itself was an adventure. we piled seven humans (professor included) and one dog into a car. once there, beto, a grandson of rachel and kara's host family, had forgotten his key so we all ventured to the pool with some snacks while we waited for someone to come let us in. the rest of the day was spent swimming, playing cards, and watching the mexico vs el salvador futbol partido because we had an early morning. at 5:45 a.m. our alarms went off, and we quickly threw on our suits to meet our fishing guide, pepe, at the beach. mind you, when told that we were going fishing, all of us expected a decent-sized boat with actual fishing rods. not the case. pepe, rolls up in this tiny, wooden contraption with the motor practically duct-taped and super-glued to the back. it took awhile to even start, and i began to imagine myself stranded at sea as pepe attempted to row us back to shore. after a twenty minute ride out, pepe pulls out six large spools of fishing line with hooks tied to the end. he then pulls out some tiny fish, which he chops into little pieces. we were all a little sea sick at this point, and personally i almost tossed my cookies right there. rachel was definitely on the same page because shortly after i got a great view of vomit chucks floating in my direction. lydia was next to go. just more food for the fish, right? so stomachs emptied we continued on. fishing sisal style consists of just holding a piece of fishing line, and then we you get a bite, just jerk the line until you hook a fish. then you have to reel them in bare-handed. i dominated some fishing, which i attribute all to the straw fisherman's hat that beto let me borrow. they started calling me "pescadora buena", and pepe, noting a passed out passenger on the side of the boat, referred to rachel as "pescadora muerta." pepe really got a kick out the four gringas vomitting off the side of his boat, especially kara. her spanish skills are epic. they consist of phrases such as, "buuuuueeeeenoooo" and "puedo cerveza", pepe lauging at both. he even started repeating her ridiculously voiced, dying cat call, "bueno". upon returning to the shore, we had a feast of the fish we caught, crashed a birthday party by the pool (equipped with beer, birthday cake, and techno music), and watched "legally blonde". i really can't comprehend how i end up in these situations, but when in mexico, live as the mexicans do.

What a month its been... Kara Beer

Vida es buena... This is pretty much all I can say to describe my life thus far in Mexico. Each day I wake up, might I add drenched in sweat, but nontheless totally ready for an awesome day- which never fails to occur. My host family and I are starting to truly bond and I feel that I get closer each week with them. Every Wednesday Mama Melba, my Tia Norma, Rachel and I all go to the movies and then to dinner. The first week we were in our home stay Rachel and I suggested it might be fun to hang out together at the movies and its now become our weekly "thing". Our eighty-something mom and aunt decided to see "The Ugly Truth" one week and Rachel and I thought this would be good. Little did we know that there are some graphic scenes in the movie and they were certaintly not meant for the eyes and ears of little gray-haired eighty-year-olds. I remember looking over in several scenes and seeing my poor Tia Norma's hands over her mouth, with a wide-eyed expression of shock. Rachel and I were mortified and convinced our trips to the movies would have seen their last that night. However, much to our releif, when we walked out of the theatre they both wore wide grins and said nothing to us about the content of the movie. Perhaps the Spanish subtitles didnt translate the English exactly or perhaps Melba and Tia Norma are just a lot cooler than we ever expected- I'm going with the latter of the two. One of our latest exploits with my family was this past Friday when we went to Uxmal for the light and sound show. Rachel and I piled into the car with our Uncle Pepe and his wife Elina and quite literally raced to Uxmal. Pepe loves to drive as fast as he can and the roads can be a little rough, plus I'm sure we almost plowed down at least 3 people on bikes. Needless to say once we arrived I was quite happy. The light and sound show was so beautiful and we were able to literally sit on a ruin, while watching the ruins around us light up. There was a story and music that went along with the light show, however, my spanish skills are quite lacking and I picked up on about every fifth word. Despite not understanding the "sound" part of the show I had a wonderful time and am hoping to go back soon. Anyone up for a trip to Uxmal?!

Only in México: Blair Murphy

It has officially been one month since I stepped foot in Mexico. I never knew the routine of starting classes would make my time here pass by so quickly. On the upside, I have finally been here long enough to know my way around instead of looking like just another tourist. That doesn’t mean that I don’t still stick out like a sore thumb, but I think the look of confusion on my face has definitely dwindled. I now understand to a certain degree why people stare at us. It is more than us merely getting hit on by Mexican men. There is a certain curiosity in seeing someone who looks different from you. In my case, I am now curious whenever I see white people too.

On a random note, just about everything here is eaten with salsa. When I say everything, I mean it. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks…it is always there. Not saying that I am not a fan of salsa, I just need a little variety sometimes. Because of this, we have decided to branch out on our food choices when we eat outside of the house. The last place I ever expected to have Sushi was in Mexico, but it has really been one of, the best, if not the best, meals that I have had since I’ve been here. I came into this trip thinking that I was going to be eating tacos, quesadillas, and fajitas the whole time. I was wrong. They have just about everything here that we have in the states. Eating the food here has also made me realize that we have a very limited amount of food that is “American.” In fact, the main things I associate with “American” food here are sandwiches, burgers, or hot dogs. I am just glad that we have relied on some other countries to broaden our food choices back home.

Anyways, that is enough about food. This weekend a couple of us had our first Mexican movie theater experience. The funniest thing is that the movies are all pretty much in English with Spanish subtitles, but the names are different. For instance, “The Hangover” here is called “¿Qué pasó ayer?” which translates directly into English as What happened last night? The movies here also come out much later than they do in the states, but that just means that if we really liked a movie from back home we might get to see it again here!

This weekend a few of us made the trip from Mérida to Chichen Itza. It is one of the most touristy ruin sites here, but after going there I can see why. The main pyramid there is just huge; there is no other way to describe it. I also really got a greater sense for what the ball courts were like because the little rings through which the balls passed during the games were still intact on the walls of the court. There was a little thrown for the King to sit and watch the game and basically wait to see which of the two players would later be sacrificed. Crazy.

There were both pros and cons to the tourism of Chichen. Stands lined the walkways to every ruin site so that you could not escape the constant pressure to buy something. In saying this, there was also a constant source of entertainment every time we walked from one site to another. The phrases that the venders had picked up to draw in English-speaking tourists were nothing but comical. Everything was either “almost free,” or at a “discount for today.” When they asked if you spoke Spanish, the phrases that followed next were either “barato” or “tiene un novio,” which mean cheap, or do you have a boyfriend. It never got old.

Well, time to study for Midterms after our five days of class. As much as I am not very excited about them, I also have the thought in my head that in 4 days I will be arriving to the island of Cozumel to do nothing but relax at the beach for our fall break. Only in Mexico.

Blair

John C

Well even after classes started the trip is still going great. The classes have a lot of reading involed and we have midterms coming up this week but I guess it can't all be fun right? There hasn't been anything too crazy going on, after classes started we kind of got into a routine: classes monday through thursday, beach on friday, discotecas friday and saturday night, and all day at the starbucks on sunday doing homework and using the internet. We kind of changed things up a little this past weekend considering we have midterms coming up and then fall break this weekend we went to the movie theater and we went to chichen itza and we tried out the Barbeque House which was all inclusive food and drink all night for around 9 american dollars. I've started to figure out the bus system a lot better and a taxi is always a reliable source of transportation. The majority of the people are leaving this thursday around 7 in the morning for our fall break consisting of 4 days and three nights in Cozumel which is going to be an amazing trip and is the one thing helping most of us get through these last few days of tests.

Feeling OK, Feeling Alright -- Taylor Erwin

I've always held a fondness for the expression "fly by the seat of your pants" (in this apparel based analogy of aeronautics in which one's hindquarters are jettisoned into the wild blue yonder I imagine the wallet, sitting in the cockpit of my back pocket, to be the pilot - a fitting comparison, indeed - my legs the wings propelling me forward; would this make my zipper the navigation, compassing me into a wondrous journey--or oblivion?). Regardless of the airline implications I do believe that most of my experiences thus far have been off the cuff, if we're continuing with our clothing line of expressions. Not infrequently I find myself hopping onto a bus, throwing down my $6 peso fee, and finding a seat by the window, and keeping my fingers crossed that I'll know where I am when I get off.

If Mérida is anything, it's a city that breathes. I feel the pulse of activity every

step I take along the streets, smelling not only the curbside vendors and noxious fumes of countless buses, but the passion and vitality - the vivacity - that keep the blood flowing through this city. Although I spend little of my free time in El Centro, the entirety of pedagogical attention we receive takes place downtown, providing near daily exposure to the heart of Mérida. Likewise, the necessity of public transportation opens a window - albeit with translucent curtains still drawn - into the lives of those living here. I imagine where these people are going (in jeans, no less; for god's sake, it's an average of 95º F everyday!) and what they must be thinking of this six foot plus gringo in aviator sunglasses and Chaco sandals riding the bus by himself, reading a Tom Robbins novel (I've found that the bus, not quite a hub of conversation even for the locals, is a great place to read since I can't communicate verbally with it's patrons). Then I wonder if they're even thinking about me at all.

Whenever I receive an e-mail from home or Skype with loved ones and they ask how is Mexico I almost consistently respond, "Well, it's hot." While I try to avoid complaining about the weather I think it would be absolutely absurd to try and act as if it did not shape daily life and our perception of the place we inhabit. Plus, it really is very hot.

One thing that I can say about Mérida, and all the locations we've visited thus far, is that it doesn't get boring. On one street alone (Avenida Montejo, if you're wondering) there are several discotecas, watering holes, and karaoke bars. These establishments have been oft

frequented by our group, both as

a whole and in smaller sects. While much dancing has indeed occurred, I find an evening spent in the boîte known as Palacio del Billar to be worthy of recantation. Jose Ordonez, John Clark and myself noticed a special for Tuesday nights and decided to try it out; we also thought we'd pull our singing voices out of the attics and see if they still fit after all these years. After a few locals strutted their stuff, I thought perhaps I should give it a go. So I did. As did Jose. And we sang. We sang until our vocal chords switched to reserve power. Feeling quite courageous - perhaps it's just that Mexican air - we serenaded the crowd, their hearts melting butter over the flapjack's of our songs (to which I am now liberally applying a hefty helping of maple syrup sarcasm). In addition to several Spanish songs from Jose (which I did not know) I added to the mix The Doors, a dash of Eminem, and 1 part Backstreet Boys, a la "I Want It That Way." I don't want to say it was spiritual, but it's the first thing that comes to mind.

Mexico is fun. It is a gift basket of experiences, a taste of everything (what's with these food metaphors?). However, one thing I've tried to not overlook while I'm here are the differences from America. I do not want to become disillusioned by the nightclubs and beach trips - but, oh sweet Jesus, those beach trips are nice; it's hard not to think about all the people changing class in Grace-Doherty Library on a Friday afternoon as I lay on the white sand beach of the Yucatan Peninsula - but I always try to keep in my mind the disadvantages so many of the citizens of this country have. I believe that maintaining a viewpoint that doesn't forget that I am fortunate enough to live in the country I do allows me to truly experience everything Mexico is, and helps me to avoid becoming the obnoxious, self-righteous ass that much of the world views Americans to be already.

This trip, without a doubt, is the trip of a lifetime.

La Vida en Merida- Sarah Swauger

From the moment I stepped off of the plane in Mexico, this experience has felt like a never ending adventure. The adventure began with a flat tire and cracked windshield on the bus ride from Cancun to Merida. Somehow, my streak of bad luck with the busses has continued from that moment. Last night after waiting for 45 minutes for a bus, we crowded onto it with our huge backpacks and stood jam packed the entire ride home. When we finally had to get off, I had to push Blair through the crowd as everyone around us just watched and laughed at the silly Americans. Aside from those minor issues, everything else has been absolutely incredible. When else in my life could I go to the beach every Friday?? I also feel like I have learned so much in such a short time. I never knew anything about the cultural history of this place and I enjoy learning about the Yucatan area both in and out of class. Every day we encounter people who are so in love with Mexico that they just want to share it with us, like this man we met outside of the cathedral who took us on a mini tour. One of my favorite experiences has definitely been spending time in Puerto Morelos. Scuba diving was amazing as everyone else has said, but I also enjoyed going to the square to watch some kids perform traditional dances. It seems like there is always some kind of celebration going on with music and dancing, which is way different from life in the States. I also think this experience has been made that much better because of the family me and Blair are living with. Our mom, Gloria, is always so sweet and makes amazing food. From the moment we met her, she has been more than willing to help us with everything, from the busses to where we should go on the weekends. She has 3 daughters all with children, so the house is always lively when the grandchildren come over. I especially love playing with the kids in the pool and I already feel like part of this family. I’m sure there are more adventures to come!

Adios,

Sarah Swauger