Guanajuato

This weekend my friend Corie and I escaped Leon to travel to a nearby town called Guanajuato. It was everything everyone said it would be: colonial, charming, clean - in other words: very different than Leon. The buildings are painted with bright colors, and there isn't any graffiti. That being said, the town is also very touristy. We saw people as white as us for the first time in Mexico! Not just Americans and Europeans though, there were also many Mexican tourists. On Saturday night we participated in a callejoneada - a traditional Guanajuatan nighttime stroll though the streets accompanied by a group of costumed Mexicans singing classical romantic songs. It was fun except for the fact that Corie and I didn't know any of the famous songs everyone around us was singing. The tour ends at the Callejon del Beso (kissing alley) - where the alley constructed in the 1600s is so narrow, a legend that says that two lovers who lived on opposite sides of the street could open their windows and lean over for a nighttime kiss. Corny but cute.

On Sunday we took a tour van around to some of the tourist sites of Guanajuato. Our first stop was a church with an interior of gold that was financed by the riches from the city's mines in the 16 and 1700s. Next we travelled down into one of the mines. That was somewhat forgettable. We did however, stop into a store that sells cool stuff made from the stones of the mines - there I bought my first souvenir! Next we toured an old hacienda (estate) that has been converted into a museum that showcases torture tools and techniques from the Inquisition (when the Catholic church persecuted those who they thought weren't abiding by church laws). That was cool in a sick sort-of way. haha. Afterwards we went across the street into a wonderful sweet shop that sold all sorts of traditional Mexican candies. Inside, we also sampled some tasty flavored liqueurs - my favorites were coconut and macadamia nut. Our tour ended with a trip through the underground tunnels of the city and then up above to the outskirts to see some beautiful panoramic views of Guanajuato. Overall, it was a very nice weekend trip. I felt like I'd returned to Spain!

The Family Business

Last Monday I was surprised to find that the family I live with (who also own the apartment) decided to open a street-food stand in their garage. I was walking home from work and as I turned to open the door, there it was! The dad (Oscar - who is pictured with his wife, Vero) was behind the stand serving:

• flautas (tortillas stuffed with beef or chicken, rolled, then fried)
  
• tortas (sandwiches)
  
• horchata (beverage made of water, sugar, and ground rice, vanilla, and nuts)
• french fries

I tried all their food last week and it was very good - not the healthiest stuff though. And it's somewhat annoying that my bedroom is right next to the garage - so I hear all the commotion that goes on.

Last Monday also started new classes! It was a nice change. I am now teaching more classes, but some of them are the same levels so I can repeat the lesson plan.

Besides the food I mentioned above, I also tried to following dishes this week:

• enchiladas suizas: tortillas stuffed with chicken, rolled, and covered in Swiss cheese, and green chile sauce
  
• sopa azteca (also known as Tortilla Soup): tortillas, tomatos, onions, garlic, chicken broth, chiles, avocado, cheese, and cream. This soup was just okay - Mom - yours is much better!
  
• limonade: in the USA we drink lemonade, but in Mexico they drink lime-o-nade - Delicious!

It stinks to be in Mexico where there's hardly any Olympic coverage, but I've been doing my best to follow the USA online. The hockey team just beat Canada - woo hoo! That will be fun to talk about with some of my Canadian friends at work.

10th Anniversary

Saturday completed the last day of classes for my first semester of work at Boston Academy. It's a day of mixed emotions: some classes and students you are glad to see go (!) but others you will really miss. There is always the possibility that I could teach the same class again in a different level in the future.

Saturday was also Sport Day for students and staff at Boston. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the school, Boston rented some soccer fields, and basketball and volleyball courts for a few hours. I was really looking forward to this because it would be a chance to play some sports - and it turned out to be a lot of fun. I played volleyball and watched a lot of boys play soccer. haha. There were also three-legged and sack races and a tug of war.

Earlier in the week there were more activities to commemorate the school's 10th anniversary. Wednesday there was a special screening of "Secrets of the Pharoahs" at an IMAX theater. The 3D feature was pretty cool. Afterward there was karaoke at a bar. That was okay. I like karaoke - and will actually sing - but all the songs were in spanish and although they are popular in Mexico - I had never heard of any of them!

Last week I also went to the new library in Leon. It is very nice. Too bad I'm not studying anything. The building is clean and modern (which is rare in Leon) and the architecture allows a lot of light to shine in. There is also a terrace where you can sit, relax, and enjoy pretty views of the area. I will have to go back and see if they have an "English" section. Although I barely have any free time to read!

I tried one local specialty dish here in Leon: the guacamaya sandwich! It's stuffed to the brim with fried pork rinds, extremely hot salsa, and lime juice. It was pretty good - but I prefer the ham, cheese, and avocado sandwiches or tacos. :)

Stay tuned to see how my next semester of classes starts off!

Rockclimbing

What an exciting weekend! Saturday evening I went to another soccer game. Leon won! Even though I cannot stand to watch soccer on tv, in person it is very different. Especially when you factor in crazy soccer fans.

Sunday I went rockclimbing with one of my students, another teacher, and their friend. It was a lot of fun! We went rockclimbing on the outskirts of Guanajuato. Our location overlooked the charming town and you could see for miles. The only downside was that we didn't have the special rockclimbing shoes in my size, so I had to use my tennis shoes! This is a definite disadvantage, and makes climbing some rocks impossible, but I was able to scale two. Next time...

Later Sunday I watched the Superbowl with some students at a bar. Of course the commentary was in Spanish and the commercials were different, but we had a really good time. Afterwards we went to the hamburger stand that the uncle of one of my student's owns. My first Mexican hamburger! It was funny - I ordered the "hamburguesa americana" of course. (The only thing that made it American was bacon). It was very good! They add lots of chiles to spice it up, too.

Another Mexican specialty I tried is called Michelada. It is a mixed drink of beer, lime juice, salt, tomato juice, and salsa. Weird - I know - but they love it here! You can actually get different flavors on top of that. I tried one with clam juice because that's what everyone else ordered, and I thought it was disgusting. Maybe I'll give a different flavor a second try...

I can't believe the Olympics start on Friday! I had no idea and it seems neither do most Mexicans. Maybe that's because they have 1 athlete competing and the USA has 216?

Rain Rain Go Away

Time is just flying by here in Leon! It's hard to believe it's been 5 weeks - but at the same time - I feel I've lived here even longer. I thinks it's because I am keeping busy. With all the freezing cold and snow I'm hearing about in the USA, I'm glad to be here in Mexico. However, here we have our own weather problems: like rain. Last week it rained almost non-stop for 3 straight days. This is extremely uncommon in January because the rainy season is June and July. Because the drainage is so poor here, the streets flood and driving (or taking the bus or taxi) is a nightmare. Let's hope that at the end of the month it warms up and dries up like it's supposed to.

Last blog I mentioned that I was planning to take advantage of a day off and travel to Guanajuato for a weekend excursion. Well, for multiple reasons, it never happened. But this might have been for the better. Instead I had a leisurely but very enjoyable weekend. I went shopping at Plaza Mayor and bought some clothes at Zara (a high-end Spanish company), went running at Explora Park, and saw "Enamorandome de mi ex" (It's Complicated) at the theater (very good!).

This past week we lost power in my apartment. It was only for a short while and the funniest thing happened while the lights were out. Esparky, the family chihuahua, came into my room, hopped onto my bed, turned around three times, and curled into a precious little ball on my pillow. Normally I would never let a dog onto my bed, but as you can see in the pictures, the sight was too cute to disrupt.

This past month I've gotten used to taking 7-minute or so showers. Because water in the apartment is warmed by a boiler, you only have as much hot water as the boiler can generate. This is very frustrating since I was used to taking longer showers in the USA, but I am getting used to it. I plan to get my haircut later this week so hopefully that will help reduce hair-washing time!

I tried one new, very Mexican food last week: Dorilocos (literally: crazy Doritos). What they do is open a pack of Doritos and fill it with raw onions, chile, and something else I couldn't identify but later found out was pickled pig skin (yuck - haha). It is popular street food, but I didn't think it was anything special. I would rather just eat plain Doritos!