Keepin Busy in Cuernavaca

2008-05-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

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!

Wartburg Mexico Mayterm Trip (First 5 days)

2008-05-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

Le dije mi mama que voy a escribir este blog en espanol para que no puede leerlo, but I won't. :)

This is my fifth day in Cuernavaca, Morelos in Mexico and am still trying to digest everything I've experienced, as well as the tomales I had for dinner! The last few days have been jam-packed with crazy activities and trying to get ourselves acclimated to the culture, the lenguage, the heat, and the long days. It seems as though we've been in Cuernavaca for much, much longer!

We had a full morning of class Friday morning, which on our first day in the country was a little overwhelming at first with our native professors, but we gained confidence and the time flew by. After class we went on an excursion to the Cathedral of Cuenavaca and learned a little about the history of Cuernavaca and how the cathedral was built. The architectural details in the structure were amazing! After wandering around the cathedral, we walked to El Centro to see the Palace of Hernan Cortez. (El Centro is where the government buildings and other important offices, like Burger King :), are.)

Saturday, we went to an orphanage called Casa de nuestros pequenos hermanos, which translates to: House of our small brothers/sisters. It is on the land once owned by Hernan Cortez, on which the children farm sugar cane, corn, pigs, etc. We had the opportunity to play soccer with the older kids (mostly boys) and/or to play with the toddlers and young children. I played on the playground with the little kids and they were so much fun! I didn't want to leave! They were adorable! We called them monitos (little monkeys) because they climbed all over everything and bounced around the entire time we were there. This will certainly be one of my favorite experiences from this trip!

After playing games at the orphanage, we went to the Hacienda de Hernan Cortes, which is now a hotel. We explored the buildings, the horse stables, and the ring for the bull fights, then we ate a great meal in the huge dining hall next to a pool.

We got a chance to explore Cuernavaca on our own a little bit after we got back, and it was fun to just jump in and learn as went. The taxi drivers are a little crazy on the roads, being that there are barely any stop signs in Cuernavaca! I'm still trying to figure out how they don't get in accidents every ten seconds or so... I'm just glad I don't have to try and drive in the heavy traffic!

On Sunday, we went to el Ballet Folclorico (Folklore Ballet) in Mexico City. The ballet was incredible! They danced ten different traditional dances that were specific to different parts of the country. After the ballet, we walked around and looked at art by Diego Rivera and a couple other modern artists. Diego Rivera's murals were phenomenal!

We then made our way to the Museum of Anthropology where we learned about the history of each specific part of Mexico and the history of Mexico before and after the Mexican Revolution.

Monday, we had class and then a short cooking class. It's been really fun to get to know the teachers at the school here, as well as all my host family! There's a teacher at the school named Eloisa who is just a little ball of fire! Almost every time I see her she is dancing and singing and trying to get us to join in. She really knows how to liven things up!

My host parents' names are Enriqueta and Francisco and they are GREAT! Enriqueta taught at the school for a few years, so she knows the drill and they both do their best to make sure we're improving our speech! Enriqueta is an amazing cook and I've like all the food I've tried so far, however the beans and tortillas for breakfast is still going to have to grow on me... :)

Today was really nice and relaxed and I had a lot more time to talk to Enriqueta and Francisco and I think my speech is really starting to improve! Now that we're all a bit more acclimated I think we'll start to go out with our families and really experience their culture! I can't wait to see how the rest of the trip goes!

Mexico: una experiencia de una vida!

Keepin Busy in Cuernavaca

Wartburg Mexico Mayterm Trip (First 5 days)