I can finally say I feel like Mérida is my home after being away from it for 10 days. The trip we took to Oaxaca and Chiapas was absolutely amazing, but there is nothing that can replace Gloria´s (our host mom) cooking and not feeling like a tourist. I feel so lucky to be here because traveling to Oaxaca for the Day of the Dead and Chiapas is something that I might have never done in my life and those places are truly unique and amazing. The trip began by staying in an ecolodge the first night, which I really enjoyed because it felt like camping. We swam in the river which turned out to be quite an adventure, since the current was a bit stronger than we expected. I´m glad we only stayed one night there because I was in need of a warm shower and a bug-free bed. In Chiapas, my favorite experience was going to the church in San Cristobal de las Casas. It´s hard to put into words how I felt being in there because it was such a unique kind of church. There was a mixture of traditional practices mixed with local traditions, such as the burning of incense and pine needles spread out all over the floor. Our hotel in Chiapas was easily my favorite place we’ve stayed. It was nice to be cold for a change and having a fireplace made me feel like I was back in Kentucky.
Next we set off for Oaxaca to celebrate the Day of the Dead. The entire city seemed to be celebration all day, every day, the entire time we were there. I quickly became obsessed with all of the skeletal/skull figures that were present everywhere. My favorite event was going to the procession of the day of the dead in Etla. We painted our faces so we actually felt like a part of the celebrations, instead of just bystanders on the outside. The costumes were incredible and we even had people trying to take our picture which was pretty entertaining. The next night we went to the cemetery which was a bit more serious. It was such a different and interesting event to witness, but I felt a little intrusive because it seemed like a very personal celebration. Still, it was really neat to actually see the traditions we have been learning about like the ofrenda on the graves.
It’s so hard to believe we only have a month left here! The time has gone so quickly but I’m sure there are many more adventures to come.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
10 days on a bus- Sarah Swauger
I can finally say I feel like Mérida is my home after being away from it for 10 days. The trip we took to Oaxaca and Chiapas was absolutely amazing, but there is nothing that can replace Gloria´s (our host mom) cooking and not feeling like a tourist. I feel so lucky to be here because traveling to Oaxaca for the Day of the Dead and Chiapas is something that I might have never done in my life and those places are truly unique and amazing. The trip began by staying in an ecolodge the first night, which I really enjoyed because it felt like camping. We swam in the river which turned out to be quite an adventure, since the current was a bit stronger than we expected. I´m glad we only stayed one night there because I was in need of a warm shower and a bug-free bed. In Chiapas, my favorite experience was going to the church in San Cristobal de las Casas. It´s hard to put into words how I felt being in there because it was such a unique kind of church. There was a mixture of traditional practices mixed with local traditions, such as the burning of incense and pine needles spread out all over the floor. Our hotel in Chiapas was easily my favorite place we’ve stayed. It was nice to be cold for a change and having a fireplace made me feel like I was back in Kentucky.
Next we set off for Oaxaca to celebrate the Day of the Dead. The entire city seemed to be celebration all day, every day, the entire time we were there. I quickly became obsessed with all of the skeletal/skull figures that were present everywhere. My favorite event was going to the procession of the day of the dead in Etla. We painted our faces so we actually felt like a part of the celebrations, instead of just bystanders on the outside. The costumes were incredible and we even had people trying to take our picture which was pretty entertaining. The next night we went to the cemetery which was a bit more serious. It was such a different and interesting event to witness, but I felt a little intrusive because it seemed like a very personal celebration. Still, it was really neat to actually see the traditions we have been learning about like the ofrenda on the graves.
It’s so hard to believe we only have a month left here! The time has gone so quickly but I’m sure there are many more adventures to come.
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