Breakin Baby!

Ok... I know. It's been over three weeks. And I don't have much of an excuse, other than that until last week I didn't have a whole lot to say... life has taken on a bit of a routine. But don't worry, I am still alive (not kidnapped and far away from the earthquakes)!

So last week, I FINALLY got my spring break! (After following all of my friends’ spring break statuses on facebook while studying for exams…) Not that my academic life here is all that difficult- it definitely pales in comparison to an average Southwestern course load…

Anyways, it was an awesome week! One of my best friends from Southwestern came down to visit and we headed south to the state of Chiapas, on the border with Guatemala. Chiapas has some of the most stunning nature of the country, with jungles, lakes, mountains and waterfalls.

These are all from Cañon de Sumidero, a beautiful canon that we saw from above but also from a boat tour.

Crocodiles!!

Waterfalls at the Cascadas de Chiflon

Lagos de Montebello, one of the prettiest places I've ever been. The water was insanely blue.

Diana and I on another boat tour, this one cooler because we had to help paddle! And we got to tan at the same time :)

While Chiapas is blessed with beautiful nature, natural resources and steeped in cultural heritage with tons of indigenous communities still in tact, it suffers from staggering poverty, the reason for the Zapatista uprising in the state in 1994.

This contradiction is incredibly evident in San Cristobal de las Casas, where all these pictures are from. There are more beggars and street vendors than anywhere else I've been and the majority are obviously indigenous.

But, back in the city, some of you might know that I’m living with a host family here in the Distrito Federal… and while they sometimes are a little… ehm… unique… one of the plus sides is that my “Señor” was a professional photographer back in the day and helps feed my obsession by lending me his cameras! Here a smattering of photos I took a few weeks ago in Coyoacan, a colonial neighborhood of the City.






Also, lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time learning to be a travel agent since MY PARENTS ARE COMING THIS WEEK!! Look forward to that blog edition :) I know I am!!

Hehe... lo siento!

Ok, I know it’s been about a million years since I’ve written an entry… oops. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?

So stick with me, this might be a long entry.

But before I start the recap, just a little side note. It's pretty funny being in Mexico right now during Spring Break in the U.S. I don't really get a spring break in the US sense of the word. We have a week long break for Easter, Semana Santa, when pretty much the entire country goes on trips or does fun stuff... but it's a lot less party and more about family time for the most part.

So whilst I await my break, all my US college brethren are making their way down here for the Spring Break season. I have a few friends here from Cancun and it's pretty interesting talking to them about the Gringos they meet every year around this time. It's also pretty difficult to convince them that not all people from the US are like that, least of all me!

But anyways, on to my life. A few weeks ago, some friends and I headed to the south of the city for a fun afternoon in Xochimilco to hang out in the pre-Colombian canals and floating gardens. It’s a super cool place, frequented by locals and tourists alike and it’s a really fun place to hang out for a day.

You call your boat, "trajinera," by it's name... there were no Paiges :(

People ride around on boats selling everything from rugs to tacos

You can even hire mariachis to sing and dance for your trajinera

We had a national holiday last weekend, leaving us with a three day weekend, so we decided to take a trip up north to San Luis Potosí. It didn't end up going exactly as planned, which reminded me that there's occasional drama in every country, regardless of whether your friends are all from Texas or if they're from Mexico, France, Holland, Pluto, etc...

But we ended up spending some time in San Luis Potosí and in Queretaro, which you might remember I visited a few weeks ago. Both are cool colonial towns with really pretty architecture. Queretaro is becoming one of my favorite cities, with fun stuff to do and streets full of families enjoying the day.

Mexican Mask Museum in San Luis Potosí

Beautiful colonial building that now houses and art museum in Queretaro. The art was cool but the building was cooler. Also, there was a string trio playing the whole time we were there. Soooooper cool.

One of the churches in Queretaro... there are churches like this in every old colonial town... sometimes three or four.

During the weeks I try to get around to different parts of the city. There are so many cool places and tons of temporary exhibits or events on every corner it seems.

Last week I visited Castillo Chapultepec, a “castle” that used to house Mexican presidents (and emperors) but now houses a giant history museum. Unfortunately we arrived about twenty minutes before it closed so I mostly just have pictures of the outside BUT we definitely have plans to go back.

The castle's on top of a hill so you can see the whole city! And believe me, it goes on forever.

We also visited a really cool public art exhibitions of different takes on benches, installed all along Calle Reforma in the city center.

This one is supposed to be electric chair-esque

Sofas! They really weren't that comfy...

So life is never really dull around here. There’s always something to do (even if it’s taking a nap)… unfortunately this week my something to do is studying for an exam in every one of my classes.

BUT next week is Semana Santa, which will see me heading to the rain forests of Chiapas in Southern Mexico! Whooooo!

Mariposas!

I don’t have too many exciting things to report this week… except that I saw one of the coolest things of my life!

Last weekend we visited a butterfly sanctuary in Valle de Bravo, Michoacan, about three hours from the city. Millions upon millions of butterflies take a rest for a couple months every year here on their way south from Canada- it’s absolutely amazing.

It was pretty cool because it looked and felt just like we were in

Colorado. So pretty!

Those aren't dried leaves... they're butterflies!

This little butterfly was my new best friend. It hung out in my hair
for a good five minutes before it flew away!

Our guides apologized because apparently this year, due to the unseasonable cold and rain, many of the butterflies had died. Apparently normally you can’t even see the sky there are so many mariposas!

While we were there, we checked out the town of Valle de Bravo nearby. Super cute with a pretty lake in the middle!

A beautiful church, decorated for a wedding

It was so nice to be next to some water for the first time in a while!

Besides that, there’s not a whole lot going on… Just been continuing to explore the city and meet new people. Today some of my friends are playing in a soccer tournament at school so I’ll have to get out my pom-poms…

I’m pretty sure I could get used to this life… Hanging out, seeing cool things, making new friends, eating delicious food… and occasionally doing some homework too. I can’t complain!