Holiday Time

Well - its been quite awhile since my last posting. I spent the Holidays at home in Michigan and really enjoyed relaxing and visiting family and friends. Happy New Year to everyone! I'm back in Mexico and it's hard to believe I've been here for over a year now...

In December I went to a concert of the Mexican Pop group "Camila". It was fun. Their songs are really catchy and they sing really well - if only they spoke English I think they would be a hit in the USA.

My work also had a Christmas Party. I was surprised at how fun it was! It was in a banquet room of a nearby hotel and we enjoyed a really nice dinner, followed by an exchange of gifts and dancing. I got some pajamas that have a picture of the Disney Snow White dwarf "Grumpy"on them (!!) - it was a joke since I guess I'm never grumpy...haha just ask my family if that's the case.

In Mexico it's traditional to celebrate the week leading up to Christmas with "posadas." Posada literally means "Inn". Neighborhoods will host small get-togethers with each house taking a turn to host a posada. The hosts act as innkeepers and other neighbors act as pilgrims who come to request lodging. This sequence is supposed to represent the biblical story of Mary and Joseph being refused accomodation at an Inn. At first, the hosts refuse entrance to the other neighbors, but eventually let them in (how else would the party start?!). Once inside, neighbors pray together, sing Christmas carols, children break open a piñata, and there's a feast. Typical foods at the feast include tamales, atole, and punch. The punch here is warm and served with fruit chunks (Don't worry - the Mexicans tell me it's still possible to spike it). I think posadas are a pretty cool tradition!

On a bad note, I finally got food poisening (I say finally because it usually happens to foreigners within their first couple of weeks in Mexico). I went almost a year without getting sick thanks the my iron stomach, but it finally happened. The culprit was some street-side nachos with some bad cheese (I think). Within a few hours, food was coming out both ends and I couldn't walk or open my eyes because of the horrible headache I had and pain throughout my entire body. It was the worst I've ever felt and I had to miss a few days of work because of it. Thankfully, I fully recovered and am back to my normal, stuffing-my-face-with-food self.

Lastly, I got my ears pierced for the first time! One of my friends down here couldn't believe I didn't have my ears pierced so it was her Christmas present to me =) I'm still wearing my starter earrings, but in a couple weeks I'll be able to start wearing my big-girl earrings. haha

Hot Air Balloon Festival

A couple weeks ago, the annual International Hot Air Balloon Festival came to town! The festival is held in a park, and the balloons go up over a lake. It is really cool - some of the balloons are characters, like Spongebob, Darth Vader, a panda, and Coca-Cola bottle! Check out the photo of me in front of the stinger of my high school mascot: the hornet (the butt was all that was left of the balloon by the time I walked over to its landing spot. lol)

Earlier this week, one of my fellow teachers and friends here, Corie, left to go back to the USA. She only planned to stay for about a year, and her year is up, so she's returning to her job as a manager at a Target branch in Reno, Nevada. It was sad to see her go: she was one of my roomates and since we arrived on the same day to Mexico this year (Jan. 4), it was easy to bond over our experiences here.

In 2 weeks I'll be back in Michigan to visit family and friends for the Holidays! I can't wait to see everyone and I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!

The Cervantino Festival and My Birthday

A couple weekends ago I went with a friend to the Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato city (40 minutes outside of Leon). The Festival is named after the famous Spanish author: Miguel de Cervantes. There are plays and music shows in theaters, as well as art galleries and random street acts (like mimes and guitar-playing hippies). It was jam-packed when we went, and honestly, I wasn't that impressed. Basically, it seemed like a glorified hippy hangout - I've never seen so many dreadlocks and piercings in my life! The best part of the Cervantino was visiting famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera's house (now a converted museum) in the city.

For my birthday I went out to lunch with some fellow teachers at Chili's Restaurant (the American chain). The food was pretty good but my friends and I were unpleasantly surprised later when we all became sick at the same time in the middle of the night! All 3 of us vomited (I didn't even make it out of my bed in time!) and realized that the salsa we shared must've had some dirty tomatoes in it. Can you believe that all this time I've been eating street food and haven't gotten sick, then I go to an American restaurant and end up vomiting afterward for the first time in 10 years?! How ironic. Other than that, it was a nice birthday :)

I've tried one new food item since my last blog: carrot juice! To me it has a very bittersweet taste, but overall I like it. It's very healthy of course, and you can find it at any smoothie shop.

Winter is upon us in Mexico - which means chilly nights and mornings (45-50 degrees), but still hot afternoons. I can't wait to be back in Michigan for the holidays in less than a month!

Halloween and Day of the Dead

I've managed to keep mostly healthy in Leon, but a couple weeks ago, I was sick with allergies. Nothing major - just a runny nose, sore throat, and congestion - and I think it was because the season was changing from summer to fall. But now I'm all better :)

My work celebrated Halloween last week with a costume party. I went as Cinderella. Some people didn't understand why I didn't choose a scary costume...in Mexico, the costumes are supposed to be scary - nothing cute, or funny, or creative (that means no Lady Gagas nor Justin Biebers). It was fun and I got to be a judge in the contest for best costume (the winner was the Mad Hatter, although my favorite was Cruella deVille).

Nov. 2 is a big holiday here in Mexico: the Day of the Dead. People gather at graves to remember and pray for deceased family and friends. They take very interesting offerings to put on the graves. For example, in the downtown, they sell little edible candies in the shapes of foods and vegetables that you can buy to adorn graves. Or you can take an empty beer can if the deceased person really liked beer. It's all about making the adoration unique to that specific person. The Holiday seems kind-of morbid on the outside, but it really is quite playful and joyous - not about grieving at all.

There is also a special food for the Day of the Dead called "pan de muerto" (bread of the dead). It is a sweetened soft bread, shaped like a bun, topped with sugar, and decorated with bone-like pieces. Delicious!

Enjoy this picture slideshow:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2911885&id=2257428&l=e46323afd8

And this video of some cool graffiti:

Teotihuacan & Six Flags

I had an exciting 27 hours this past weekend. My work went on a trip to the pyramids of Teotihuacan and to Six Flags Amusement park, both just outside Mexico City. The pyramids were pretty cool, but not in the best condition. They were built before Christ by the "Teotihuacanos", but were not discovered until ~1500 by the Aztecs - who found the area deserted. To this day no one knows what happened to the Teotihuacan civilization. After visiting the pyramids, we ate in a little town just a few minutes away. There I tried some new, indigenous food! The first thing was a tlacoyo: a flat, fat, fried corn dough filled with refried beans and topped with lettuce, cheese, cream, and salsa. Yum. The other food was a pambazo: this is a sandwich made of white bread, dipped in red pepper sauce, then filled with potatoes and chorizo. Yum #2.

Six Flags was fun. I traveled around the park with a group that wasn't afraid of any rides - so we rode all the roller coasters. My favorites were Batman, Boomerang, and Kilaueah (think Power Tower at Cedar Point). Kilaueah had a great view of Mexico City - it was really cool.

Last week I also joined a gym. It's really nice and actually has treadmills! (which most of the gyms here don't have because Mexicans prefer weights) But the best part is the shower water pressure at that gym - best I've ever experienced - and in Mexico believe it or not!

In other news, the weather here is still hot. Also, I put up a shelf in my room with some picture frames. It adds a nice homely touch.

Viva Mexico!

The highlight of last week was Mexican Independence Day (September 15th). I went to a party at my boss's house and had a lot of fun. We ate way too much food, set off fireworks, and watched "el grito" on tv (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grito_de_Dolores). The holiday was especially important this year because it was the bicentennial celebration.

On Sunday I also went to a bbq at a friend's vacation house in the nearby mountains. It was a very curvy, hour and a half drive to a tiny, tucked away town (population ~500). The house was very cute, with typical Mexican architecture that you can see in the photos. My friend's mom cooked a delicious meal of roasted potatoes and pork (each person received an entire pig calf!). I felt like I was enjoying a Christmas dinner. Afterwards we went apple picking in a nearby orchard. It was a very relaxing Sunday.

Of course, I've tried some new food:

• alfalfa water (with lemon): This is water mixed with alfalfa and lemon juice. It's very refreshing! The only downside, as a friend pointed out, is that it tastes a little like grass. haha You can find it at any place they serve aguas frescas (flavored waters).

• buñuelo: This is Mexico's version of an "elephant ear." Thinly rolled, fried dough, topped with sugar and cinnamon. Of course they're delicious! Buñuelos are served on special occasions, like Independence Day.
  

Lechugueros

Last Saturday I went to a Mexican Professional League Basketball game. It was the local team, the Leon Lechugueros vs. Monterrey Fuerza Regia. We lost but it was a close game and I had fun with my friends. The Lechugueros' mascot is a man with a flaming lettuce head. It is really quite comical - he looks like Sonic the Hedgehog. A lettuce-head isn't exactly the most intimidating opponent, but the name comes from the fact that people in Leon used to grow a lot of lettuce ... Now onto talk about a real intimidating opponent: the Wolverines! I was actually able to listen online to the local radio station broadcast Michigan vs. Connecticut. I hope our season opener is a good sign for things to come.

The past week I tried a lot of new foods:

• chiles en nogoda: this is the national dish of Mexico. It is a big pepper stuffed with chopped apples, nuts, and other fruits, then covered in a delicious cream sauce and topped with pomegranate seeds. It is served at room temperature, and tastes bittersweet but delicious! The reason it is the national dish of Mexico is because the ingredients are the colors of the Mexican Flag (green pepper, white sauce, and red pomegranate).
• huarache: This is a dish that contains a thick, fried tortilla covered with some kind of meat , sauce, onions, cilantro, and cheese, and sometimes refried beans. It is yet another example of how Mexicans can prepare three staple ingredients (meat, tortillas, and cheese) in multiple ways. haha
• tuna: no - this is not fish, rather the fruit of the cactus plant! There are green tunas and red tunas. I would describe it like a sweet cucumber with LOTS of crunchy seeds. They are good.
  

Dog Days of Summer

One cool thing that's happened since I last blogged is that I've started taking Zumba classes with another teacher at a local downtown gym. For those of you who don't know, Zumba is a dance/cardio workout. It's a fun way to burn calories and a lot more entertaining than running around a track. I enjoy it and have been going once a week.

The decorating and furnishing in my apartment is coming slowly...last week I bought a desk for my room, which has helped with my mental and physical organization. We also finally got a fridge after 6 weeks without one! It is green (just to give you an idea of whether it is old or brand new) ;-)

One strange thing that has happened lately is that people have been asking me for directions. You would think that after looking at my skin color, people would get the hint that I'm not from the area, but almost everyday someone asks me for directions to somewhere. Strange.

Lastly but not least, I have tried some new foods:

• sincronizadas: these are similar to tacos in their appearance, but are made with a flour tortilla and have ham, yellow cheese, avocado, tomato, and onion inside. They are good, but I prefer quesadillas.
• tacos de cabeza and tacos de pastor: literally translated, these are "head" tacos and "spit" tacos. Head tacos are made from the head of the cow or pig, and spit tacos are made from pork, but are roasted on a spit (hence the name). Both were good, but pastor was the better of the two.

The pictures are me with my friend Corie. Enjoy!

Some bad luck

Last week was full of some fun firsts, but started off on a bad note: Some of my belongings were stolen in the park where I go to run. I always take a little bag that has my cell phone, some money, my keys, and bus card and hide it somewhere in a tree or under the ground while I run (because it is too big to carry). Until that day, nothing had ever happened to my stuff, but this time someone must have seen me hide it. Needless to say, when I returned my bag was gone. Later, one of my friends sent my cell a text asking if the person who found my purse could please return the things. Shortly after the person replied "how much will you give?" !! I decided not to pursue it any further and bought a new cell and bus card the next day and made a new copy of my keys. Luckily the whole incident only set me back about 500 pesos ($40). And I learned my lesson!

Now onto the better parts of my week! On Friday of last week the rain finally cleared and some friends and I went to the pool to soak up some rays. It was in a really nice club and while we were relaxing we also got some free entertainment from a kids camp that was performing dances to songs by Kesha and Backstreet Boys. The only bad part was that I came away quite sunburned on some parts of my body... I'll hope it turns into a tan in a few days.

Yesterday I went to the Circus for the first time ever! Yep, the Argentinian Circus was in town. It was pretty cool. There were tigers, an elephant, camels, llamas, horses, clowns and acrobats. One part I liked was when they had audience members come in the ring and hold crackers in their mouths and then have camels come around and eat the crackers! I wasn't lucky enough to get a wet kiss from a camel, haha.

Finally, I also tried two Mexican dishes called Tamales and Atole. Many of you probably know what tamales are: corn flour steamed inside a corn husk with different flavors inside (like green or red salsa, cheese, pork, chicken, etc). Delicious! The beverage that goes with tamales is called Atole: it is made from corn flour, sugar, water, cinnamon, and additional optional flavors like caramel or chocolate. Yum! And perfect on a rainy day.

At the end are some fun photos from a party. Enjoy!

Re-Re-Adjusting

I've been back for a little over 1 week now and have been settling into my new place. Another teacher and I are living in a spacious apartment located about 12 minutes from the school. It took a few days for all the utilities to get up and running (gas, electricity, cable) but we are all set now except for the wireless internet. We dont have any furniture yet, but I did include a couple pics of the place: the first few are of my room and the last is one view from our living room window. I'm planning on putting a basic desk and shelving unit in my room, as well as a round carpet. Any home-decorating suggestions?

I started teaching classes right away and am enjoying them. One new thing is that I am now teaching at a company called American Axel Manufacturing (used to be owned by GM). Five of us teachers drive 40 minutes a few days a week to the plant and then split up and go to our respective classes inside. The students are great and really motivated (because their jobs depend on it) and the pay is twice as much as giving classes inside the school!

Last Sunday I watched the World Cup Final at the school director's house. It was the nicest house I've been to in Leon: I felt like I was in a California or Florida beach house. It was a good time - they had a cookout and most everyone there was cheering for Spain to win.

Lastly, there is a kind of music that I have recently been getting into since returning: electronica! It is really popular in the clubs here, and although at first I hated it, it's really grown on me. I recommend this song: Stereo Love.

Back in Leon

Some of you have already heard the news: I decided to return to my teaching job in Mexico. I arrived yesterday and it was great to see everyone again - lots of smiling faces! When I returned to the USA a little over a month ago, I missed my life in Mexico very much and wanted to return. Still, I thought it best to atleast attend the first week of my Master's Program and see how things went. Well, they went fine (I even did all the homework!) but to put it sentimentally, my heart was still in Mexico. So I made the difficult decision to put off my Master's. Now I am here indefinitely... Today I move into my new apartment and begin teaching new rounds of classes on Saturday and Monday. I will update with how everything is going and hopefully some pictures of my new place...

Puerta Vallarta

Since my time in Mexico is coming to an end, I decided it was now or never to go on vacation...to lovely Puerto Vallarta. I was quite surprised when some of my friends back home said they had never heard of the city. FYI: it is located on the pacific side of Mexico and is the #2 tourist spot, behind Cancun. I took a midnight bus from Leon and arrived in Vallarta at 9am Friday.

The first day I spent very leisurely: wandering around downtown, shopping, and walking the beautiful boardwalk (called the malecon). Even though it is not tourist season right now in Vallarta, there are plenty people trying to take advantage of gringas (white people). The constant harassment from people selling things was the only downside to my trip, however. And since there were not many tourists, the beaches were practically empty. I spent only a little time sunbathing - for fear of getting burned - and am proud to say that I look perfectly sunkissed! haha The other great thing about Vallarta is all the fresh seafood. I had some delicious shrimp fajitas that were so fresh, I could still taste tiny pieces of sand in my meal!

Saturday was a lot of fun: I learned to scuba dive! I booked my class through a very well established company called "Vallarta Adventures." Actually, I booked a day trip to a beach (called Las Caletas) owned by the company and learned how to scuba there. About 100 or so people took a one hour boatride to the private beach. The ride was really nice (they had an open bar!) and the entire Mexican staff spoke English. In my scuba class I met a girl who graduated from UM a few years before I did! What are the chances? It was really nice to talk to her throughout the day. Scuba diving itself was really cool - although I must admit it was more difficult than I thought it would be. One of the reasons for my initial trouble was that I kept floating to the surface because I didn't have enough weight around my waist. Consequently, I had to hold the hand of my hot Argentinian diving instructor to keep from floating the the surface - ha! Not a bad experience ;-) Once additional weight was added to my waist, and I got accustomed to breathing underwater, it was a really fun time. We saw all sorts of underwater creatures: colorful fish, manta rays, pufferfish, snakes, eels, a turtle, starfish, and jellyfish!

I returned on Sunday to Leon for my final week in Mexico. Yes - in 1 week exactly I will be in my house in Ann Arbor, Michigan! Stay tuned for at least one last update.

Back in the USA

My last week in Leon went by so fast, I didn't have time to write my last blog entry... so I will do it from the comforts of my home now that I am back safe and sound in the USA :)

Recently I went to Leon's annual book fair. It was pretty cool, except for the fact that there were no books in English :( which is what my friend and I were hoping to find. I ended up purchasing a book in Spanish, but probably won't read it for awhile, since reading in Spanish feels more like homework to me.

I also took a self-guided tour with a friend of some cool catacumbs underneath the city's great Expiatorio church. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of graves! My friend told me that it costs a lot of money to have someone buried there because they are considered to be eternally close to God. I took my camera along but sadly, upon turning it on, I discovered that I had no battery power - so I don't have any pics of the experience.

In my last month, two new girls moved into my house. The first - whose name is Lolita - is a dietitian who was relocated to the city. The second, Aida, came for "personal reasons" which I believe had something to do with custody of her children. They are both really nice. Aida has an infectious laugh but watches more TV in one day than I think I did in my entire time in Mexico. haha

I didn't manage to eat all the various Mexican food, but I did try some new dishes in the final week:

• Menudo - this is a soup made of a salty broth and cow stomach. Yep - cow stomach. All Mexicans love it but, not surprisingly, I didn't care for it. A little too chewy.
• Ceviche - this is citrus marinated seafood (which I had already tried in Ecuador) but is prepared a little differently in Mexico. Mine was shrimp and octopus in a cocktail cup with a tomato-based sauce. Delish!
• Molcajete - the "molcajete" itself is a bowl molded from volcanic rock that is used to serve food because it stays hot for a long time. Usually inside the bowl there are chorizo, cheese, avocado, beans, etc which you can use to make a taco.

My last few days in Leon were pura festejar! In other words, partying! I went to some bars with my students and fellow teachers for goodbye parties. It was fun, and I learned some Mexican drinking songs! hahaha The school where I work also mounted a poster on a wall for students to sign and say farewell. It was covered and made my heart want to burst with joy everytime I walked by it!

My overall experience in Mexico was truly fantastic. In fact, I am currently quite melancholy because I want to return! My Spanish improved (at least I learned a great amount of Mexican slang) and I made some good friends. My only regret is that I didn't take more advantage of the open bar on the boatride in Vallarta!

I hope you've enjoyed my posts! Until my next adventure... xoxo Anna

3 Weeks left

Two more weeks have passed and it feels time for an update. Not anything too exciting to share, but some small events have taken place...

One Saturday night I went to a bar to celebrate the birthday of a student. It was a really fun evening - there was a live "banda" band (the national music of Mexico) and I learned some simple dance moves. Bars here are funny though - in the early evening they start off like any bar in the USA: with good music and people sitting, drinking, and talking. Then as it gets into the late evening - they transform into a club: people get up and start dancing all around their tables. The funny thing though, is that all that dancing is illegal! Every once in awhile, the "bar inspector" police come and if they see people dancing, the bar receives a fine (since technically only clubs allow dancing). When this happens, the bar staff make everyone sit down and wait until after the police leave to start dancing again. It's something I still haven't quite gotten used to, but I just accept Mexico for what it is!

In other late-night, music news, a mariachi player who insisted on accompanying me home one night has finally stopped calling my cell-phone. I should never have given him my number in the first place, but felt it was the least I could do after he kindly walked me home at night. After ten calls to my cell in one evening, I realized my mistake...ha! At least he appears to have gotten the "I'm not interested in you" message and hasn't tried serenading me from the street or anything.

I've started to take some private cooking classes! One of my students is a chef and so far we've had two private lessons in my house. The first week we made cheese-stuffed peppers (chiles rellenos) and today we made chilaquiles (tortilla chips drowned in a spicy green salsa and topped with cream and cheese. Mmm... (Mom, dad, Paul, and Joe - you will get to try it for yourselves soon!)

Last Friday was also Teacher's Day here in Mexico. My employer, Boston Academy, had a nice brunch at Grant's Restaurant (think upscale international buffet) to thank the teachers and even gave away some nice prizes. Since I have not been here very long, my name was placed in the least cool prize category and I ended up with a USB drive. Other teachers got a DVD player and digital camera! Jealous!

Last Sunday I also went to the birthday party of a fellow teacher, Maricoco (her name literally translates as "Mary Coconut" !) She lives on a street in a subdivision where all the tiny houses look exactly the same - unless you decide to paint yours a bright blue, purple, green, yellow, orange, etc... It was nice to relax with some other teachers and eat pozole - a yummy chicken and corn soup.

What wasn't so nice about the party was that we were sitting outside in stifling heat, eating soup that was hotter than the temperature. But you can't get between Mexicans and their beloved pozole - even when temperatures rise into the high 80s and low 90s daily.

Just under 3 weeks left for me in Mexico. How quickly the time passed...I'm going to be very sad to leave some great friends I've made...

San Miguel de Allende

This weekend I didn't work on Saturday because it was a national holiday in Mexico (their version of Labor Day). So, I took advantage of the time off and visited the so-called "prettiest town in Mexico:" San Miguel de Allende. It is only about a 2 hour busride from Leon, and indeed, lives up to its name. The streets are colorful, charming, and spotless and the people are very friendly. I took some pictures and am looking forward to painting some watercolors of them (which I haven't been able to do in the urban, dirty city of Leon).

However, as you might guess, the "precious" town attracts many tourists: I saw more white-haired, hippie Americans than I ever want to see. One asked me if I wanted my picture painted, another was an owner of an Art Gallery, and another was my guest house owner...the list goes on... to cater to the huge tourist population, there are lots of cool arts and original crafts galleries around the central plaza - some stuff is way overpriced (think Ann Arbor Art Fair) and other stuff is cheap. I did pick up 2 cool souvenir t-shirts!

One highlight of my trip was, of course, the food.

• My first day I ate a Mexican specialty I had never tried before: cazuelitas. It's melted cheese with peppers, mushrooms, and chorizo served with warm tortillas. Yum.
• The next day I had "huevos rancheros" (ranch, or "country-style" eggs): a corn tortilla with fried eggs on top, covered in a tomato-chile sauce. Yum again.
• But the best culinary experience was at a cafe owned by a former Mexican soap opera star. There I had mouth-watering "churros con chocolate": long strips of fried dough, sprinkled in sugar and served with sinfully rich chocolate sauce for dipping and later drinking. Mmm. It reminded me of my study-abroad time in Spain (where the treat originates).

Two other cool things happened in San Miguel: I went to mass (in Spanish) at the famous church in the central plaza (pictured). And, as I was walking through a garden, around the corner came a mariachi band, followed by towering Mexican puppets, leading a wedding party! It was such a cool spontaneous experience and I was able to capture it on video :)

So, I crossed one town off my to-do list for the 1 month and 1 week that I have remaining here. Hope to cross off some more...

Cockroaches, Scorpions, and Intestines

Last blog, I mentioned that the weather had finally gotten hot. Well, the warm weather seems to have brought something with it: cockroaches and scorpions! The cockroaches are everywhere: in the girls bathroom at work, in my bedroom...and the scorpion (the one I saw was actually an alacran - a smaller version of a scorpion but still poisonous) was on the stairway in my house. I got a guy to kill the alacran but was a damsel in distress when it came to the cockroach in my room - I had to coax it into a trashbag - then tie it up real tight and double-bag it - just to be sure!

Other not-so-exciting news is that a new month of classes started Monday. I really like the new groups I have. I don't know if the students are just better, or if I'm really getting the hang of teaching, but classes are really relaxed and entertaining.

My one new food adventure this week (get your gag reflex ready) was tripe. Here in Mexico, "tripa" is the small intestines of cows and is normally served in tacos. Some of my students have said that they really like it, so I figured I should at least try it. Well...I thought it tasted like nothing! That's right - no flavor - just a chewy filling. For that, I ate a few bites, but couldn't make myself finish the taco (the first time that's happened!) My record is now 3 months and 3 weeks without getting sick!