Keepin Busy in Cuernavaca

The Wartburg Mexico trip continues!

The last seven days have been jam-packed with classes, excursions, and experiencing the Mexican culture! Last week we visited a small elementary school called Casa Tatic, which I believe means Grandfather's House. It was located in El Centro in Cuernavaca, and several of the children who attend are members of families living on the street. The program for the school is called "Vamos!" and was started by an American man and his wife. It was great to see the opportunity created for the kids in the heart of the city.
We switched ends of the culture spectrum the next day when we went to Mambocafe for Salsa lessons and then stayed and danced to the live music after it opened for the night. Live music at the discotecas (dance clubs) doesn't start until midnight and there are very few people out until that time. It's a bit different from American clubs and bars... People here don't leave their homes to go out until 2am sometimes, which is a bit different from having everything closed by 2am in the States. I think everyone who went to the Salsa lessons really enjoyed it and everyone had a great time!
Saturday we went to El Rollo, the biggest water park in Mexico. It was a gorgeous day, and we made sure to check out all the crazy slides that would never be allowed in the U.S. :o) It was a long day, but we had a ton of fun!
The next morning we left early to go to Teotihuacan to see the pyramids. It was incredible to climb to the top of the tallest pyramid, Pyramid of the Sun, and look out over the landscape, knowing that the people who built the pyramid had stood in that same spot almost 2,000 years ago. It was also fun to walk down the Avenue of the Dead, which connects all the pyramids, and imagine what the ruins would have looked like when they were complete structures.
After learning about the pyramids and their significance to the Mexican culture, we went into Mexico City and ate an early dinner at a restaurant near the city's theater. We went to the broadway musical, La Bella y La Bestia (Beauty and the Beast). It was INCREDIBLE!! We all wanted to sing along but we didn't know the lyrics in Spanish! :) Before the show, I noticed another cultural difference--they were serving Coronas, Pina Coladas, and Milkshakes IN the theater. I found that difference intriguing since most/all of the theaters I've been to in the U.S. don't allow ANY food or drink inside the theater. The scenery, costumes, effects, and vocalists were some of the best I've seen and came together to form an amazing production!
We had our second cooking class today after our normal sessions at the school, and learned to make Steak with onions, chiles, tomatoes, and garlic. It's been fun to experience the different types of meals that our host families make us as well! My host mom is an excellent cook, so I feel like I'm at a really good restaurant every time I sit down for a meal!
Today after class we took another trip to Mexico City to visit the Historical Museum, Tenochtitlan (the Major Temple), the Cathedral, and the area dedicated to the Virgin Guadalupe. I thought the different layers of the ruins of Tenochtitlan were really interesting and the museum had some really neat artifacts. The Virgin Guadalupe was gorgeous and the buildings were incredible inside and out. The Cathedral also had an unbelievable amount of detail and was beautifully designed. It’s amazing to me that they have been able to maintain these buildings for so many centuries so well! It was a great day and we learned a lot!