Fun! And a little school too...

Man, this week has gone by incredibly fast! I started classes Monday- it should be pretty interesting to get used to the differences between university classes here and at home. Students are a lot more vocal here, it seems. There’s a lot more freedom to react to things a professor says or does, which sometimes I find welcome. Other times I feel a little bit like I’m back in high school.

But I like my classes so far! I’m taking two classes in the Education department and two in the International Relations, since they don’t really have a “Latin American Studies” department… The Education classes are “Organization of Human Groups” and “Politics and History of Education in Mexico.” The first one is all girls. The second has two boys. Makes me feel a little bit more like I’m at Southwestern still… The two RI classes are “Intro to Studies of International Relations” and “Latin America and the Caribbean.” Those two are definitely more gender balanced. (and therefore a little more rowdy it seems).

My school - Universidad La Salle

And again! Pretty, no?

Everyone in my classes have been really nice and helpful. I have at least one other international student in each one two, which makes me feel a little better. I’m hoping professors will be pretty understanding of my awful Spanish… Or maybe I’ll just become fluent over night, who knows?

A few of us don’t have classes on Fridays, which is possibly the best thing ever. So yesterday we went to the National Museum of Anthropology, the biggest museum in Latin America. And gooooodness is it big! We spent about three or four hours there and didn’t even get through half of it! But it’s a really cool museum and I’ll definitely be making a trip back to see the rest. And maybe another to catch everything else I missed.

Model of an ancient ball game

I can't remember where this statue was from (Mayans, Incas, Toltecs...) Which is another reason I need to go back. Maybe fifty times.

Maybe I'll make it a weekly event...

Since we were close, we also swung by the Zocolo, the main plaza in the center of town. It's surrounded by the National Palace, the National Cathedral, and a pretty bumping commercial district. A little ways behind the Cathedral is the Templo Mayor, the main Aztec temple that wasn't rediscovered until the late 1970s because the Spaniard had built their city on top of it.

There was a pretty interesting public art performance going on while we were there, that I still don’t quite understand, but it was definitely funny.

They were drawing chalk squares around anyone that was standing still for any amount of time... and then we weren't aloud to leave the square.

It must have been some psychological experiment... haha

On a side note, I’m still having a pretty fun (NOT) adventure with my wisdom teeth. Somehow, my dry socket has persisted in being the bane of my existence. But now I can say that I’ve been to a dentist in Mexico! Twice! The first time the power was out, which was quite an experience… And it was pretty fun trying to explain how my mouth was hurting in Spanish. BUT I think the last medicine I got might finally be helping. And it only cost me 100 pesos (8USD) per visit!

Today is my two week anniversary of being here! My host dad said he would by me a cake. I told him he should buy one every Saturday - I’m going to have a lot of anniversaries!

Week one: Check!

So the rest of my week of touristyness continued on a similarly fun and interesting path. Thursday we went to a really interesting museum, The Museum of Popular Art, that focuses on folk art, from pre-hispanic to modern. Popular art is something I’ve always been especially interested in and is something I might decide to write my thesis on next year. I love the idea of art as a form of public expression, a way to give voice to those that might not get heard through other mediums, and as a true expression of popular culture. Plus it’s just super cool and colorful!




Yesterday we visited the pyramids at Teotihuacan and the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, both sites with monumental historical importance. Teotihuacan was founded around 100B.C. and by the Olmecs but abandoned for unknown reasons about 800 years later. At it’s peak, it housed around 200,000 people and was the biggest city in the world of its time. Later, the city was rediscovered by both the Aztecs and Toltecs and used for their own religious purposes and it was then that it was named Teotihuacan- “City of the Gods.





The Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe is also extremely important to the history of Mexico and even to the success of the Spanish conquest. One of the biggest differences between Imperial Spain and Imperial France and Britain is how they chose to colonize their portion of the new world. The Spanish tried to integrate indigenous cultures into their New World by making them into proper Spaniards. One of their mechanisms of conversion was Catholicism and one of the most vital components to conversion was the Virgin of Guadalupe. The story goes that the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego, an indigenous boy, living in what is now Mexico City, during the 1500s and when he returned to the village, her image had appeared on the back of his cloak. La Virgin is great example of religious syncretism as she had dark skin and incorporated elements of the Aztec goddess of fertility, making it extremely easy for the indigenous converts to identify with her and therefore identify with their new Catholic religion. Juan Diego’s cloak is now on display in the newest of the three Basilicas built to her on that spot, where thousands of faithful make a religious pilgrimage every day.

Okay, that’s enough of a history lesson for today. On a lighter note, my host family continues to be really funny. My new abuela loves ABBA and has listened to the Mamma Mia soundtrack twice already this morning. Now she’s listening to the Sound of Music. They also simply cannot accept the fact that I have no ability to roll my r’s. I think I was born with an abnormal tongue. But they are so sweet and helpful. And because my abuelo was a professional photographer back in the day, I get a discount on developing my film at a shop close by!

I start classes tomorrow morning. AHH! I’m super nervous! So wish me luck…

Nice to meet you, Mexico City!

Bienvinidos!!

I arrived safely in Mexico City Saturday afternoon! There were only a few minor complications (like getting lost on the way to my house for the first time- apparently here, it’s no big deal to stop in the middle of the street to ask directions). But once I settled into my new home, I found my new host family very friendly… and talkative. Dang, they’ve got a lot of stories to tell. They’ve been hosting students at their house for almost seven years now! So, I’m nothing too special. But at least they know what’s going down.

The first few days were pretty slow, with very little to report. I started orientation Monday - I’m one of only THREE people from the U.S. The majority of the exchange students are from France. Some are from other cities in Mexico and a few are from other parts of Europe. It’s funny listening to everyone’s accent… IN SPANISH.

Yesterday we ventured to El Centro, the oldest part of the city, where we toured the Mexican Muralist exhibit at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Mural painting is an art form with monumental historical relevance in Mexico. After the revolution, in the 40’s and 50’s, painters like Diego Rivera, José Orozco and David Siqueiros used murals, often depicting scenes or figures from Mexican history with overt political messages as a way to bring art and history to the mostly illiterate public. I couldn’t take pictures of them but it was really cool to see the murals from my history books up close, with an awesome tour guide that gave us the background of each piece and explained their significance, both historically and artistically.

Outside the Palacio


The building is as much a work of art as the pieces displayed.

Today we went to Coyoacán, a really cool part of the city, to see two museums - El Museo Anahuacalli, which is a really cool building designed by Diego Rivera that houses his collection of pre-Columbian art, and then La Casa de Frida Kahlo, the house that she and Rivera lived in. The second was my favorite. Super cool with awesome bright colors and tons of art by both of them. They were such an interesting couple… I just can’t get tired of them.

The view from the top of Anahuacalli. The city goes on FOREVER, I swear.


A giant altar to Diego


The courtyard of Frida and Diego's house... and a stray cat.



The market where we ate lunch. They serve brain and stomach at this quesadilla stand. And no, I didn't try it.

There’s lots more cool stuff on the plate this week. And eventually I’ll figure out my class situation too. It’s a little complicated trying to take a variety of courses here but I will succeed… eventually!

Things I am Going to miss... a lot.

-Seeing something new every time I leave the house

-Getting free snacks... for some reason here you always get a little bite to eat with beer and coffee

-Hearing produce trucks on the cobblestone outside my window

-Wanting to take pictures of everything I see

-Medialunas, delicious croissant treats

-My host family

-Street art- graffiti is such a real form of expression and it really speaks to me

-Piropo… sort of (Piropos are men's catcalls and whistles that follow me everywhere. I'm only going to miss it because I've grown so accustomed to the disrespectful, yet mildly ego-boosting, occurrence.)

-Listening to my host dad singing tangos at night

-Beatiful people (and I mean that in a purely superficial manner... like, seriously, they're beautiful here)

-Nearly automatic self-discovery

-The excitement of being mistaken for a local

-Fairs

-Breakfast in bed

-Street musicians

-Talking to people who lived through the distant events that I’ve only read about

-Staying up to see the sunrise, normally on accident

-Falling off of my seat in colectivos (buses)

-My host family

-Having daily adventures

-Finding something in common with total strangers

-Meeting people with completely different perspectives than me

-Cold weather (you have no idea how much I'm dreading returning to the heat)

-Cafe doble con crema

-The cheese... yum!

-My host family

-Amazing museums

-Seeing everything for the first time

-Crazy taxi drivers that ask awkward yet entertaining questions

-MY HOST FAMILY -- I will never get over how utterly amazing they are. I'm already crying and I don't have to say goodbye for two days...

Here's the thing - I miss the people at home, my friends and family, a lot. BUT I really just wish they could be transferred here. I've fallen in love with this city, this region and this way of life. I can't wait to come back!

Hasta la Victoria!

One of the reasons I’m so in love with this city is the fusion of politics and political awareness with daily life. Whether you live here or are just visiting, you cannot avoid taking notice and taking part in political discourse or even a protest or two, as strikes and rallies are pretty much a daily occurrence.

One of the most obvious indicators of political activity, aside from the protests, is the graffiti. Every time I walk around, I’m constantly tempted to pull out my camera and document the incredibly cleverness and tongue-in-cheek commentary of street artists in this city. A lot of the graffiti is similar to that of the states but a lot are murals depicting symbols of urban life and even more are political statements, either for or against the current government, global leaders, aspects of society or pieces of Argentine and world history.

Representation of wars... the entire thing is incredibly moving.

"I don't want your catcalls. I want your respect."

"More than 30.000 reasons for popular justice" - A reference to the
30,000 people killed and disappeared during the Argentine Dirty War
of the 70s and 80s

"They have it all... we have the night."

"They come for the water"

"The plants do not sin."

"Non-violence is force"

"Deposit your vote here. Your vote is an alibi - abstain and fight."

"NO to the militarization of Latin America"

"With political prisoners, there is no democracy"

"My life has value, my body no price."

Note the signs above the graffiti. They're political posters for the
worker's party that talk about the faults of capitalism in
causing the economic crisis and hunger in Argentina.

Today is a good day for this post because today is election day in Argentina. Because voting is mandatory in Argentina, the city is absolutely shut down today. Last night, everyone had to quit selling alcohol at 2 a.m. - super early for a town that parties until 8 in the morning. Certain businesses have to shut down for the day, like theaters and bars, and no one can sell alcohol. They don’t want any drunken or distracted voters!

Today’s elections are for provincial positions and congressional spots. Argentina’s congress is set up based on proportional representation, which means that aside from provincial offices, you simply vote for a party rather than individual congressional candidates. Then the party gets a number of congressional spots based on the percentage of the votes they receive and the senators are picked based on party rankings.

Earlier this week, Charlotte and I went to watch a campaign rally for the incumbent party, lead by Nestor Kirchner, ex-president of Argentina and husband of current President, Cristina Kirchner. It was awesome - soooo much energy and excitement. There were tons of homemade flags and banners, they sang songs about the Kirchners, Eva Peron and rights for the working people… It was absolutely amazing.

War veterans

SOOOO many people!

I sometimes wonder if the demonstrations, signs, graffiti and the like have lost a bit of their effectiveness because of the desensitization that comes along with such prevalence. Even so, as a fresh viewer, I still find them extremely exciting. I love that the people here are so motivated to enact change and truly believe in the power of collective action.

Maybe I’ll start daily protests when I get back home. I’ll have to come up with some more causes though… and probably find more people.

Did Someone Hit Fastforward?

I have a whole lot of catching up to do, it looks like! I’ve been combining a lot of activity with a little bit of illness lately... which has made for a tired little traveler. But here we go:


Last weekend, my friend Charlotte and I headed up to Tigre for a day. It’s a town on the outskirts of Buenos Aires the city, in Buenos Aires the province. It was incredibly beautiful and oddly interesting. We found ourselves constantly wondering whether we were still really in Argentina.

The town is built on a delta and therefore has tons of canals going through it, kind of like Venice. The architecture was mildly schizophrenic, a strange mix of Brazil, Portugal, France, and Bavaria. They have a lot of water tourism during the summer but since we went during the winter, town was pretty empty. But it was very beautiful, the people were very nice, and it was a fun, relaxing day.

A boat taxi!

Friday, we went to the zoooooo! Buenos Aires has a great zoo, one of the best in South America. The architecture was amazing, with really beautiful building, gazebos, bridges and sculptures scattered throughout. I’ve been to a few zoos in my day and every time I go, I forget about how sad they make me. Until I see the big, furry mammals… you know, the ones you feel like you could hug and cuddle with.

WARNING: THE NEXT TWO PICTURES MIGHT INDUCE HEARTBREAKING

They must have been cleaning the polar bears pool that day, but they neglected

to tell the poor bear. He came out and was incredibly confused as to where
all the water had gone. Quite possibly one of the saddest moments in my life.

One of the cool things about the BA Zoo is that they have tons of animals and birds that just wonder around on the trails. You can buy food to feed them so they're really tame. There are peacocks, ducks, these crazy half rabbit-half deer looking specimens from Patagonia, as well as some crazy beaver creatures.

The aviary! Sooo loud.

Yesterday, we went to one of the Buenos Aires landmarks, the Cemetery in Recoleta. Yes, I know it’s kind of strange for a cemetery to be a landmark but when you see it, you’ll understand. It’s absolutely amazing. It’s like a virtual city of beautiful, opulent mausoleums that goes on forever.

The most famous Argentineans are buried there: Evita Peron, D.F. Sarmiento, Nobel Prize winners, various presidents, and tons of military caudillos. I felt a bit strange wondering around a cemetery with my camera but I’m sure it would have been a lot more eery if there hadn’t been so many other tourists walking around too.

This was the biggest one we found. I had to get on the ground to even
try to get a good picture... It's for a man who won a Nobel Prize in
chemistry for Diabetes Research. Super shwanky.

There were cats all over the place! Creeeeepy.

Another cat...

I simply cannot believe I have less than a week left... It makes me want to cry. Sooo many things to do this week that I still haven't gotten around to: museums, monuments, shopping, landmarks... and finals. AND getting over the swine flu... ahh!

Wish me luck...