School in Merida is No Joke (Michael Keach)

¡Buenos días, América! When I wrote my last entry, I had not yet begun classes in Mexico- and let me tell you, its no longer all fun and games. Don’t get me wrong- there are still plenty of opportunities to go out, dance, explore, and have fun. However, there is now always the looming deadline somewhere in my mind. The first week and a half in Mexico was a fun-fueled tour and exercise in “getting to know another and your environment.” Everyday, we had a fun activity planned- visiting ruins, snorkeling, hitting the beach- the only responsibilities we were charged with involved keeping track of our wallets and looking out for one another. I’m not going to lie- the addition of class definitely bummed me out a bit. I’ve never been what would be considered an “academic” (well, at least by Centre College standards) and so naturally, I would prefer to have kept on partying and learning by fieldtrips, rather than papers and reading assignments. However, I’m not yet aware of any school that operates in such a fashion. To be honest, I had some crazy idea that the workload in Mexico would be a joke compared to the rigor back in Danville. How naïve I was! The classes that I am in right now are actually very challenging, and time consuming. I had been fed tales by Centre friends who had been abroad- “Don’t worry- It will be cake. There are only like 30 days of class per semester.” While it may be true that there are only 34 days that I am scheduled to have class this semester, each day I am in class for 4 hours. Though we don’t hold class on Fridays down here, I still attend class for 16 hours a week- a significant increase compared to the 12 or so hours stateside. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I have class from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. - which can really be trying on one’s concentration. I guess I can’t complain too much, though. I know of several girls down here who take all four of their classes on the same days. While they only have to go to school 2 days a week, each day they have class for 8 hours! I am in two anthropology classes, and two Spanish classes. I take a Folklore anthropology class taught by Prof. Passariello, and it is definitely my favorite class. We have been reading several books, but the one I really enjoy is about the various folk saints of the Mexican people. One particularly interesting character is Jésus Malverde (The bad green one!), a train robber in late 1800’s Mexico who would redistribute his wealth among the poor. Today, he is prayed to and venerated mostly by drug dealers and criminals. Because the Day of the Dead is approaching (Nov. 1-2), last Monday we met at Prof. Passariello’s home to craft in the theme of the holiday. I had a lot more fun with this activity than I had anticipated. I made a skeleton- horse, complete with real dead flowers, glitter glue, and little sparkly fabric puffs. My other anthropology class is about the ancient Maya, and I certainly am learning a lot. For our midterm exam last week, we were permitted open- books. The catch: each response (all ten of them!) had to be AT LEAST a whole page typed (double spaced, of course.) I ended up with 16 pages, after about 8 hours of labor. My Spanish conversation class is a lot of fun. Rather than focusing on reading or book exercises, our homework consists of interviewing Mexican citizens or reading the paper and presenting our findings. We also have debates and conversation during class, which I think is more essential to learning the language than is writing or memorizing vocabulary. Our midterm consisted of watching a movie in Spanish, and then answering 5 questions to test our comprehension. My Mexican literature class is most trying for me. We are always reading, always in Spanish, and the language is complex. It takes me forever to do my homework, because it seems as though I have to use my dictionary to look up every other word. Our midterm for that class was to write 8 pages, either an essay or a short story. I chose to write a short story, because you can’t really give a wrong answer when you are creating your own story. I hope my professor agrees with me. Right now, I am on my final day of fall break. With the exception of one or two others and me, the entire Centre crew went to Cozumel. I am sure they had a blast, and I can’t wait to hear the stories. In fact, they are probably on their way back right now. I opted to save a bit of money and hang around Mérida for the break. As of now (this is before I have heard the wild tales) I am glad I stayed home, because I slept in until well past noon everyday, and also got a whole ton of work done. I also had time to write my friends and call my parents, for the first time since I arrived. Also, Friday night I had the opportunity to experience a small town’s celebration and dance. I don’t know the name of the city, but it is about 30 minutes from Mérida. Alison (Prof. Passariello’s assistant and my good friend) invited me to attend the cultural event with her, along with Claudia (who works as a sort of liaison and interpreter for our Mexico program) and several of her friends. I witnessed a style of dance that I had never seen, and the women dancing had beautiful, ornate dresses. Alison and I were the only gringos there, and I feel like this was the most genuine Mexican cultural experience I have seen. I am about half- way through my Mexican excursion. I have certainly learned a lot, and I have realized that though many things are way different in Mexico, Americans still have a lot in common with Mexicans. Will I be happy to get home to Kentucky? Certainly, without a doubt. I have always taken for granted the resources and rights we have at our disposal in the States. However, I think my stay in Mexico has enriched me as a person, and will forever change my perceptions and attitudes. Adiós, Michael Keach Sunday, October 18, 2009

Bienvenido a Merida--Rachel Skaggs

When I told my Centre friends that I would be studying in Merida this semester, I got two common replies. From those who had not been to Merida, I heard advice such as the obvious "don't drink the water". However, I got a very different response from Centre in Mexico alums; they all expressed jealousy because they were not returning. This made me very excited because if people want to return to Merida so badly, I was sure I would have a great time. I had to pack and repack my bags about 10 times to meet the weight limits (have your school books shipped if you come here!), woke up at 3:15 am to leave for the airport, and arrived in Mexico less than 12 hours later. As you can gather from Michael and John's entries, we have had a packed schedule so far, so I'll spare some of the detailes by making a top ten "best of list" for week one. 10. Our Group & Random Happenings Our group of 22 is made up of people who are from all over the USA, one from Honduras, and one who lived in Belgium. We are all very different, but have so many shared experiences even after one week that have made us all friends. Whether learning to salsa with an instructor who spoke no English, riding in a van for hours playing "Would you rather", or bonding over tacos and tamales at a Mexican truck stop, we always find something to talk about and many things to laugh about. 9. Progresso I'm from Tennessee, so going to the beach is no small task at home. However, here it only takes 30 minutes and about a dollar's worth of bus fare to make it to the costal town of Progresso. Most of the group went to this beach on Friday and spent the day lounging in the sand, trying traditional Mexican homemade candy, talking to people who were curious about us, and swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Not a bad way to spend a Friday when all of your Centre friends are in classes. 8. Ek' Balam Ek' Balam is a Mayan site that was a real urban center at its peak. It was fortified with three walls & used beautiful stucco sculptures to decorate parts of the town. When we visited, we climbed all the way to the top of the temple. Tourists are not allowed to do this at many sites (such as Tulum or Chichen Itza) so this was very special. When we all made it to the top, we got some great pictures and took in the view before taking it slowly, one careful step after the other all the way back down. 7. The Pizza I know it is surprising that I am commenting on Italian food while I am in Mexico, but it really worth mentioning. I have had two experiences with pizza whine in Yucatan and both times, it was simply amazing. The first was in the city of Valladolid. Claudia took Me, Kara, Phyllis, and Alison to a small Italian restaurant that is owned by a couple. The Italian husband cooks all of the food, and the Mexican wife runs the restaurant. Kara and I split a Hawaiian pizza that was simply amazing. The crust was a hand tossed work of art, and in its entirity was the best pizza I have ever had. Ever. My second experience with pizza was also nothing short of wonderful. A group of eight girls decided to get Italian food after returning to Merida from our trip to the coast. A man on the street offered to show us a place, but we did not want to eat there. At this point, he decided to take us to a place where you can see the pizza being made in a brick oven from your table in a loft above the restaurant. Four of us split a Hawaiian pizza (can you tell what my favorite toppings are...) and an order of garlic bread. We were more than pleasantly surprised to get a lunch tray sized thin crust pizza piled high with toppings and cheese. The best part was that for foru of us to eat this huge pizza, garlic bread, and each have something to drink, it only cost 120 pesos!!! 6. La Grita The way that Mexico celebrates its independance is very different from the USA. We were privelaged to join thousands of Yucatecans in the main square in Merida for "La Grita de la Independencia". At this event, we all gathered in the square and waited for the governor of the Yucatan to walk onto the balcony of the Governor's Palace and begin to shout "Viva Mexico!" then the crowd responds with "Viva!" this exchange goes on for about 5 minutes of screaming before pounds of confetti fills the air. After the Grita, there was a crazy concert that lasted for a few hours more. This was such a great experience that I'm so glad to have had! 5. Los Tres Cenotes If you can imagine an underground cave filled with equal parts of natural light and crystal clear water, then you can begin to realize the beauty of a cenote. Cenote is the Mayan word for "sinkhole". Many years ago, a meteor struck the Yucatan and the result was a series of caves formed in the thick limestone that eventually filled with fresh water. For our trip to three of these caves, we took a horse drawn cart down a set of skinny tracks that were used to transport plant fibers in the days of Mexico's haciendas. After riding in the hot sun, we descended down rickety ladders and wooden stairs into the darkness. Inside, the cenotes were truly a perfect remedy for the heat. They are out of the sun's direct light and have cool, clear water. 4. Valladolid Valladolid is a great colonial town that is about 2 hours from Merida. We spent only one night here, but I really wish that we could have stayed longer. The square was filled with people and the weather was cool. We walked through the town with our guide Miguel and were able to see a girl's quincenera ceremony, a beautiful monestary, and artefacts from the colonial period that were recovered from a cenote below the town. This city was picturesque and friendly, and I difinitely plan on returning. 3. Puerto Morelos The costal town of Puerto Morelos was our last stop on this first excursion. Here, we layed on the beach, ate great food, and went snorkeling in the second largest reef in the world. None of these are the reason that Puerto Morelos is so far up on my list. What I loved most about this city was something that only Kara and I saw. After dinner we decided to get ice cream and walk around the square. During this, we saw a stage filled with dancing children and were curious. We sat down and watched for about an hour and a half while the whole town came together to dance and socialize. It was so interesting to see people so uninhibeted. People in America generally will not dance at random occasions, and if they do, it is usually accompanied with sarcasm and ironic dance moves like "the robot". The most interesting part to me was when the whole crowd took off their shoes and line danced to "Achy Breaky Heart". Kara and I believe that they took off their shoes because it was a "country song". This has really been my favorite night here so far! I don't have a picture for this night because we decided that we wanted to blend in as much as possible. Gringitas with cameras stick out way too much and get more attention than is necessary. 2. Our Meal on the Beach Some of the group members found a fisherman at the beach that would take a head count, go catch enough fish for everyone, fry it in a hut, and serve it with salsa, lime, and tortillas. About 18 of us opted to do this for dinner one night in Puerto Morelos and I believe it is the best dinner choice we could have made. We all gathered around our 7 kilos of fish (this was wat too much!), picked it off the bones with our fingers, and made the freshest possible fish tacos. What made this even better is that we were able to do this on the beach while watching the sunset. It was one of those moments that will be a great memory for me forever. 1. Homestays! One of the things that I was most worried about was how I would be able to survive in a household where I only had the language ability of a 7 year old. This has actually proven to be my favorite part of Mexico so far. I love my family and all the experiences I've had with them so far. For the first few days, we had no idea how many people lived in our house because there were always 5 or 6 new people in the dining room everytime my roommate and I came downstairs. Now we know that there are only 5 people in the house including us but that we also have a HUGE extended Mexican family. We met even more of them this weekend at an art gallery opening. One of our Mama's daughters is a famous Yucatecan artist and was part of the premier. It was such a great feeling to be included in this special family event. Our Mama is wonderful and is making the transition to la vida Yucateca very smooth! In conclusion, I know why the Centre in Mexico alums were jealous. Mexico is wonderful. -Rachel