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February 28, 2007
Around Merida, Family, and Dzibilchaltun
So, this entry is going to be relatively short as well, but I feel like I should be posting something. So much has happened recently.
My parents and brothers came last week for Carnaval and I think that a good time was shared by all, despite the fact that they all got sick on different days. And because I had no school for two days (due to the Carnaval holiday) I was able to enjoy myself as well... I took them around Yucatan to Chichen Itza and Celestun and hopefully they got a good feeling of what Yucatecan life is like.
And their arrival also brought the cold weather. Last week was relatively cold and I found myself in long sleeves for the better part of the nights and jeans every day and night.
On Wed. and Thurs. I gave two presentations in front of the class---one in Literatura Caribena in front of Dra. Shrimpton about the prequel to Jane Eyre--El Ancho mar de los Sagazos, by Jean Rhys. I was so excited to present on the book since it has a really important place in literary history and I think that I did a good job. On Thursday I spoke before my Literatura Latinoamericana class on Maria, a novel by Jorge Isaacs about a Jew from Argentina. And while that wasnt my primary focus class, I still think I did a good job, and I even got an applause afterwards.
Last week Tara also arrived, a former student from OSU that participated in a study-abroad program abou 7 years ago here in Merida. She came to visit her family but due to health issues, she was diverted to our house instead. It was interesting to hear her tips and hints about what to do.
Before she left, we all (meaning my host family and roommate) went to Dzibilchaltun, a site of ruins very close to Merida for the day. It was really interesting and during the spring solstice, there is another illusion that takes place at one of the buildings (just like in Chichen Itza). I{m thinking I might go back.
Otherwise things have been going very well. I{ve spent the last two days on the roof of the Hyatt poolside, studying for my exam tomorrow and writing my papers for my classes by hand. Once again, the weather has returned to its normal heat and its nice to pass the time outside.
Below, Ill be posting some recent photos I took of my school, of my trip to Dzibilchaltun (the ruins), and just some general sites around Merida.
Enjoy.
THE UADY, MY SCHOOL
MY GROUP FOR ONE OF THE PRESENTATIONS:
IN THE COMPUTER LAB WITH ERICH, WILL, FRINE, MONICA, RACHAEL
VALENTINES DAY CELEBRATION WITH THE ANTHRO. GANG
BRINGING MY CLOTHES TO THE LAVANDARIA WITH JULIO, THE GRANDSON
DZIBILCHALTUN, THE RUINS
Posted by jlsumich at 06:07 PM | Comments (0)
February 26, 2007
Flexibility
I’ve been talking a lot with friends and family about what it means to be flexible and I thought I’d share with you some of these thoughts. Hence, I’ve appropriately titled this entry: “Flexibility”.
You know, in a world where there is constant encounter between different types of people from all walks of life, it’s important to be flexible, to be open minded, and to be respectful. And that’s exactly how I’m taking my study abroad experience. Coming into this experience I understood that life in Mexico is strikingly different than it is in the United States (and it is, believe me). And I understood that uprooting my Americanized way of thought—my American life—and merely transplanting it in a foreign country would be a detriment (to say the least), to any learning or growth here. But being flexible doesn’t mean learning to starve myself, or sleeping during the day and staying awake at night, or partaking in any abnormal practice. It means learning to learn about others.
That’s why flexibility is so important. And so easy. Because in reality, when you’re flexible, you see that we’re merely all the same—we all have a strong interest in family and love, intellectualism and friendship, music and technology, health and peace. It’s merely just the small differences in language, climate, food, and whatnot that divide us.
I don’t know if this entry made any sense, but you should think about it.
I guess what I’m trying to say is being flexible isn’t really that difficult at all.
Posted by jlsumich at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2007
fotografias del Carnaval y Cafetos
Carnaval celebracion en Merida and Cafetos a cafe
These are some of the photos from Carnaval, which took place last week on the Paseo Montejo and from Cafetos, a cafe I went to with some friends. See previous entries for details...
Posted by jlsumich at 05:56 PM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2007
Because that's just the way things work around here...
Recall that in my last blog, I wrote that although I wouldn’t post the entry right away, I was sure a lot would happen in between writing the entry and posting it. And it did.
On Friday night Carnaval started, and to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what I thought about it. Friday was the Desfile de Corso, which started at 7pm from the Monumento a la Patria until the Parque de S. Juan. The crowd was enormous, lining the Centro and all of Paseo Montejo. It was certainly nice to see such a large community crowd together for the event. It was also nice to see many schools, churches, and organizations participating with floats. But to be honest, the event seemed to be a little over-commercialized. There was more SOL, Coca Cola and Corona than people that live in the entire state of Yucatan. And the noise was terribly loud. People were shouting all over the place, the music stages were painfully overplaying their music and tuning up the volume, and people were emborachandose all over the place.
Afterwards, I met the Antro. students on the street by the Walmart, where Carla taught me how to Cumbia. It was difficult and I felt really bad that I couldn’t keep up with her. And embarrassed. Well, sort of.
Saturday I met my parents at their hotel and showed them around Merida for a bit--- then took them to the parade where it was crowded and hectic.
On Monday, we toured Chichen Itza and made it back to the Cenote near by once more. I think a good time was had by all…
having a hard time writing pictures and connecting to the internet... When things are fixed, I'll be sure to post more...
Posted by jlsumich at 04:56 PM | Comments (0)
February 17, 2007
Watering Down the Living Room
“Dad,” I said, in a soft voice just in case anyone in the park could hear me. (I actually remember this conversation quite distinctly)
“Dad,” I said. “This place is so f-ing poor. How the hell am I going to live here?” I remember exactly that those were my first words about Merida upon my arrival on Jan. 1st, now almost 6 weeks ago. How could I live in such a place? Did I know what I was getting myself into? Maybe the Spain trip had an extra spot in its program….
And six weeks later, I find myself asking over and over again: What was I thinking? What is it going to be like to leave Merida? I don’t even want to think about how much I have to see, do, and experience before I leave here.
Merida has been a wonderful host city in the six weeks that I’ve been here and I’ve sorry to admit how I’ve become to spoiled in the United States, taking virtually everything for granted. The cultural opportunities here are just incredible—nights in Sta. Lucia, Merida en Domingo, Misa on the weekends and [soon] Carnaval…
And I know I keep repeating it over and over again, but it’s just incredible how many Mexican friends I have (or at least, how many like talking to me on a daily basis)… There’s Veronica, Fernando, Heider and Didiere. And Carla, Marianna, Deanella, and Cesaire. And Wendy and Tatiana and their friend that sits in the corner of the room but I never remember her name. And there’s Daniel (he’s really Molly’s friend), and MaJo (Maria Jose) and Carlos (who’s annoying at times but I just usually let it go). It’s all just been a very welcoming experience….
Let me not forget the great International students here as well—Alejandra from California, Anna Louisa from Quebec, and the Butler students….
Last night I went to Cafetos, a café with board games and the like, to celebrate Will’s departure back home to the United States. He left early this morning to Texas, because he’s been having a problem with his ankle for weeks now. To return on Tues. night. We had a lot of fun and I even got to take a picture---my first picture--- with a sombrero. That’s right Tom. I took the picture with the sombrero, just like you asked.
The week brought some other new surprises as well. Ben had his first presentation in Literatura Latinoamericana on Maria, by Jorge Isaacs. He did a decent job, and rightly so, after staying up in the Oxxo until 4:30 a.m.
I also booked the tickets to go Palenque and San Cristobal de las Casas en Chiapas during the first week of break, Semana Santa. Apparently, it’s really beautiful and even more interesting than Uxmal and Chichen Itza.
And this week also introduced me to the mole of the house, a typical Mexican dish with literally one hundred different ingredients. And I know why this was this week was only the first time that I’ve gotten a taste of it. It doesn’t seem to be very popular in the house, especially with Julito:
--Whose plate is this? the Senora says, inspecting the baby table.
--Mine, says Julio.
--Julito, you haven’t even touched your mole.
--I can’t eat it, Abuelito. Pica. It hurts my stomach.
--What do you mean? You like chocolate, don’t you? It’s practically all chocolate, with just a teeny bit of chile, a recipe as old as the Aztecs. Don’t pretend you’re not Mexican!
--Leave him, Mama, he’s just a boy, says Gabby from the sofa, reclining all the way because she’s pregnant and can hardly move.
--Gabby, have you forgotten in this country we don’t throw food away! Why, I remember during the war we were happy if we even had rice on the table! Julito, don’t you dare leave the table until you’ve finished your mole, do you hear me? And no galletas for you until you’re done with the entire plate!
--But it’s cold.
--And whose fault is that?> You’re under my roof now!
Julio ended up throwing the worst temper tantrum I have ever seen. He brought in the hose and watered down the living room to seek revenge on poor Dona Sarita.
She definitely had enough of him this week, in fact, a little too much. But I did get the opportunity to talk with Julio; he helped me bring my clothes to the Lavanderia across the street and east four blocks for cleaning. We spoke about his future brother, his studies in English, and about what it’s like to attend a bilingual school (his father Julio studied in Iowa and hence, has rightly justified the importance of studying two languages)..
And honestly, that’s about it for now. I can’t think of anymore to write and I just don’t want to write for the hell of it. I’m sitting in my bed now by the window and it’s 8:22 on Feb 15th in the morning. And, although I don’t know when I’ll post this entry on my blog, I’m sure that a lot more will happen between now and the time I do.
Because that’s the way things happen around here.
Posted by jlsumich at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2007
Carnaval, Valentines Day
Celia Cruz - Vida Es Un Carnaval
Todo aquel que piensa que la vida es desigual tiene que saber que no es así Que la vida es una hemosura Hay que vivirla. Todo aquel que piensa que esta solo y que esta mal tiene que saber que no es así que en la vida no hay nadie solo siempre hay alguien Hay por que llorar que la vida es un carnaval y es mas bello vivir cantando hooo ooo que la vida es un carnaval y la penas se van cantando o o o o o Todo aquelque piensa que la vida siempre es cruel tiene que saber que no es así que tan solo hay momentos malos y todo pasa Todo aquel que piense que esto nunca va a cambiar tiene que saber que no es asi que al mal tiempo buena cara y todo cambia. Hay por que llorar....rep. Hay, no hay que llorar....rep. Hay, por que llorar....rep. Coro: Carnaval Eh puede reir coro: No hay que llorar Para gozar Coro: Carnaval Para disfrutar Coro: Hay que vivir cantando Coro: Carnaval La vida es un carnaval Coro: No hay que llorar (bis) Todos podemos cantar Coro: Carnaval
Every day gets better and better and I´m learning more. This week, we celebrated Valentine´s Day at the Facultad. Whereas in the United States we might strictly consider Valentines Day to be about love, in Mexico, it´s a day to celebrate friendship. And everyone celebrates the day.
In the Facultad, they had catered food for lunch, and I stayed after class to join in the festivities. It is amazing to think that I have made Mexican friends, that call me, or invite me out, etc. And what´s equally incredible is that I have the capacity to communicate with them on a more advanced level than one might expect.
It definitely was a nice day and at night, I spent some time with the Rutgers crew...
This weekend begins Carnaval in Merida, one of the biggest carnavals in the entire world. The streets are all set up for the event: ballon floats, arches, stadium seating lining Paseo Montejo, Coca-Cola Vedors, etc. Every night, starting tomorrow, there will be a Parade at 7pm down the Paseo Montejo until ¨the spirit of the Carnaval¨ dies and the symbolic funeral takes place in the Centro. It´s sounds like its going to be a lot of fun, and I´ve already made plans...
Also tomorrow, my family is arriving... I´m sure they will have a good time and learn a lot while they´re here... At least I hope they will... And the weather will certainly be a relief from (what I hear is) a terribly cold winter up North.
Just a little while ago, I passed out some forms for my Independent Study... I will be conducting some interviews next week around town to learn more personal opinions about cultural-national identity here in Mexico. I will be doing the interviews next week and I hope it will help me learn more about Yucatan.
Thats about it for now... Im just really happy to be down here and Im having a really great time... It´s hard to believe that Ive already passed 1 1/2 months living in another country....
Pictures to come in the next entry....
Posted by jlsumich at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2007
fotografias de Campeche
See the entry that follows for more informaion.
Posted by jlsumich at 04:56 PM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2007
Walking With the Dead
I feel like I haven’t written in a while and that’s because things have been very, very busy. Last week, I had a lot of work—too much work—but of course I got everything done—essays for Dra. Shrimpton, reading for Literatura Latinoamericana, etc.
This week I had my first presentation at the UADY. I presented for 15 minutes in front of my Antrologia Mexicana class on Alfonso Villa Rojas, a Mexican anthropologist that was born in Merida and worked to integrate indigenous peoples into the national culture. I think it’s really interesting how Mexico has worked for so long to dissolve the Mayan identity. At the same time, the government makes a lot of money off of the Mayan ruins from tourism. The presentation went well overall, although I didn’t know that I needed to reserve the PowerPoint display equipment 3 days before the presentation! But, Cesaire helped me find one in an empty classroom and everything turned out just fine.
Eugenia is a really nice maestro and I really wasn’t that nervous presenting for her and the rest of the class…
And, on Friday, I spent the entire day working on my project with Maria Jose and Erich for Literature Caribena. We met in the UADY central at 1pm and I didn’t return until 9:30 to my house. And we still didn’t get everything done! We ended up passing a lot of the time in El Hoyo, my new favorite hang out and then after I went over at Erich’s house in the Norte for a while to work on the project, too. He’s got a really big house and such a nice dog….
I have to say that it was fun to be able to discuss literature in Spanish (yes, I know the nerd that I am). And, it was especially interesting to compare our book (Ancho mar de los sargassos: Jean Rhys) to other great works of literature. And I found myself talking a lot about Morrison’s literary critique “Playing in the Dark” that we worked with a lot last semester… Eng. 239 was definitely worth taking….
Friday morning (before the project) I was at Colegio Americano again. My class got changed – but finalized—and I will now be teaching some older students. The school will be holding a Creative Writing Contest next month and the elizabeth of the program asked me to be on the Judging Panel. Apparently, this contest is a big deal. Every student works with 2 teammates. They have to write a short story on a picture that the school provides. Then, they have to read the story in front of all the other students, elizabeths, and the Yucatan State elizabeth of Education. I’m sure that they will be very nervous when the time comes to present their stories.
The class went well though, all in all, and they liked the lesson that I prepared. I brought in brown paper bags with different items inside each—soap, puzzle pieces, pens, etc. and I asked them to describe what was in each bag without looking at the object. They could feel the object, smell it, see if it made a noise, but they could not see it. The first person to tell me the object’s name in English won the round.
Saturday was our last full day excursion with Carlos and without Elizabeth. We went to a small pueblo, Pomuch, in the state of Campeche to learn more about Mexicans’ view of death. We walked into a cemetery and learned that here in Mexico, many believe that it is a communal right to view the dead. Hence, for three years after a person dies, their bones are put up for public viewing in a “cemetery” of sorts, so that people can pass good will and wishes onto the deceased bones.
Walking through the cemetery at first was totally eerie, but as minutes passed, I learned a lot about the cultural differences in this subject matter. I actually felt quite calm walking past skulls, bodies on the floor, finger bones, and the like. And I realized that my view on death is a totally Americanized concept--- it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s just the result of cultural tradition. While we were walking around, Carlos taught us a lot about El Dia de Los Muertos, tambien. And, I was able to use what I learned from my reading in Michigan about Octavio Paz to add to the conversation.
Afterwards, we went to Campeche, Campeche, to eat directly on the water. Campeche is the oldest seaport on the Yucatan peninsula and once home to pirates from the Caribbean. Yes, pirates including the infamous “Pegleg” (Pata de Palo) himself. In their most gruesome assault, in early 1663, the various pirate hordes set aside their rivalries to converge as a single flotilla upon the city, where they massacred many of Campeche’s citizens.
We passed through the city walls (and saw Melissa and Rachel from the other group, coincidently, along the way) and made our way to the centro. While the culture is muy parecida, it’s interesting to note that differences do exist between the two states. That’s why (as Carlos finally clarified for Ben) when you say “Yucatecan” you refer to the person from the state—not the peninsula as a whole--- because people here identify themselves strongly with their state’s identity.
A Little Bit About Campeche from my Travel Guide:
“The 56,000 sq km state has the highest average altitude of the peninsula’s three states. Hills begin not far inland from much of the coastline, and in the southern part of the state the land rises gradually from west to east…unlike other parts of the peninsula, which contain largely light forest and brush, 30% of Campeche is covered with jungle. Marshlands, ponds and inlets are common along the state’s coastline…”
“In 1999, Unesco added the city of Campeche to its list of World Heritage sites…During Campeche’s heyday, wealthy Spanish families built mansions, many of which still stand. Two segments of the city’s famous wall have survived the times as well, as have no fewer than seven of the baluartes that were built into it….”
“Once a Mayan trading village called Ah Kim Pech (Lord Sun Sheep-Tick), Campeche was first approached by the Spaniards in 1517. The Maya resisted, and for nearly a quarter of a century the Spaniards were unable to fully conquer the region. Colonial Campeche was founded in 1531, but later abandoned due to the Mayan hostility. By 1540 the conquistadors had gained sufficient control, under the leadership of Francisco de Montejo the Younger, to found a settlement here that survived….”
Campeche was really nice and interesting. We walked atop forts, saw some cannons that overlooked the Gulf, and went into a museum to see a lot of the artifacts discovered around the area and from other Mayan sites. And it was nice to walk around without Elizabeth and have the opportunity to ask more questions and speak more Spanish.
Also this week, I spoke to Erich about traveling over the Semana Santa week. We’re looking into different options, but I am definitely certain that I will not stick around here in Merida. Plans are in the works…and I’ve been busy listening to all the new Spanish music that I’ve downloaded/uploaded onto my computer… Elvis Crespo, Allison, Belanova, Celia Cruz…ir’s been great….
And, over the weekend I had a really nice conversation with my host parents about life back in the United States, what I’ve felt about my experience so far, and if there’s anything they can do to help better my experience. I really appreciate all the help they give me and how they go out of their way to make sure I’m having a good time and a safe time here in Merida. I can’t say how lucky I am to have them as host parents.
In other news, Ben went back to being a meat eater for the 4th time in a row… first a meat eater, than a vegetarian. Back and forth and back and forth. I really don’t understand this situation, but I suppose it’s best that he does whatever makes him happy. And yes, that’s a diplomatic answer. Apparently his symptoms all have to do with misshapen enzymes and lime juice. Or something like that.
There’s something that I’ve been meaning to write now, for a while. You know, as I spend more and more time here in Merida, I look at my fellow companeros in the Rutgers Group and I often wonder why it is that they don’t take advantage of all the opportunities and experiences that are available here in Mexico. I fully understand and appreciate that I am expected to do my studying and academic learning here in Mexico—and I am. I have never been a slacker and don’t particularly feel the need to start slacking off any time now. But I do believe that the only way to truly make the most of this experience is to go out there and do things—to go out and meet Mexican students, to go to Mayan ruins, to walk into the Centro (even when I have nothing particular to buy), to try panuchos and salbutes and café con leche and jaimaica. And I do this even if it means staying out late on a school night, or bringing my book to read out in a busy park. Because to me, that’s what “Study abroad” is all about. It’s about studying in another country. Its about learning the ways of another culture, learning to engage in Spanish conversation, and learning to appreciate diversity and the uniqueness of others.
I look at the members of my group and note how they stay in their rooms all day, passing time listening to American music, watching dvd’s of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “LOST” on their computers, and I often take a step back and question myself: Am I doing the right thing? What are they thinking? Do they know what they’re missing? Why am I here?
And although I keep questioning myself, I always end up at the same answers.
I’m here to learn. I’m here to interact. I’m here to explore. I’m here because I want to be here and I want to make the most of this experience.
And I dont think I have to justify my answer for anyone.
---------------------
Posted by jlsumich at 05:21 PM | Comments (0)
February 06, 2007
fotografias de la semana pasada
Here are some pictures from the Hacienda, the Mercado, Mayapan, and the Cenote close by...
Posted by jlsumich at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)
En Ruta a la Facultad
Suavemente : Musica Merengue de Elvis Crespo
Suavemente besame
que quiero sentir tus labios
besandome otra vez
Suavemente besame
que quiero sentir tus labios
besandome otra vez
SUAVE - besame besame
SUAVE - besame otra vez
SUAVE - que yo quiero sentir tus labios
SUAVE - besandome otra vez
SUAVE - besa besa
SUAVE - besame un poquito
SUAVE - besa besa besa besa
SUAVE - besame otro ratico
Pequeña, echate pa'aquá
Cuando tú me besas
me siento en el aire
por eso cuando te veo
comienzo a besarte
y si te despegas yo me dispierto
de este rico sueño que me dan tus besos
Suavemente besame
que quiero sentir tus labios
besandome otra vez
Suavemente besame
que quiero sentir tus labios
besandome otra vez
besame suavecito
sin prisa y con calma
dame un beso bien profundo
que me llegue al alma
dame un beso más
en mi boca, dale
dame un beso despacito
dame un beso suave
Suavemente besame
que quiero sentir tus labios
besandome otra vez
Suavemente besame
que quiero sentir tus labios
besandome otra vez
Tus labios tienen - SUAVE
ese secreto - SUAVE
yo beso y beso - SUAVE
y no le encuentro - SUAVE
un beso suave - SUAVE
es lo que anhelo - SUAVE
un beso tuyo - SUAVE
es lo que quiero - SUAVE
Damelo
SUAVE
Yo me pregunto - SUAVE
que tienen tus besos - SUAVE
trato de escaparme - SUAVE
y mi siento preso - SUAVE
besa besa - SUAVE
besame un poquito - SUAVE
besa besa besa besa - SUAVE
besame un ratico - SUAVE
Damelo
besame besame - SUAVE
besame otra vez - SUAVE
que yo quiero sentir tus labios - SUAVE
besandome suavemente
tiernamente
cariñosamente
dulcemente - SUAVE
besame mucho
sin prisa y con calma
dame un beso hondo
que me pega el alma
asercate asercate - SUAVE
no tengas miedo - SUAVE
solamente yo te digo - SUAVE
una cosa quiero - SUAVE
besameeeee
Pequeña
cogelo
Posted by jlsumich at 01:36 PM | Comments (1)
February 05, 2007
Tamarindo and Jamaica Jarras
On Friday I walked into the Colegio Americano on Calle 72, to find Erich sitting there alongside “Ms. Fanny”, the coordinator of English language for a school of 500 students or so. In her broken, hard to understand, grammatically incorrect English, she asked if I wanted to teach two classes of English conversational hours with Erich on Fridays from 10:30-12:30. “Yes!” I told her. And I was virtually hired on the spot and given my first assignment.
Erich and I will be teaching two classes, each with 30 students. One class is 5th grade, the other is 6th grade. We’ve divided the students in half—he takes half outside into the courtyard area and I take the otherhalf outside by the picnic benches. It was a lot of fun working with the kids and amazing to see just how eager they are to understand English. “I want a better job someday,” one of them told me. “L.A. is where the movie stars live,” said another. “And I want to speak with them.”
In both classes, I went around asking each student their name, their age, where they’ve traveled to, and why they’re studying English. I also asked them to give me suggestions about places to go and things to see around Merida. Then we spoke about what it’s like to be a 12, 13, and 14 year old living in Mexico. “I love Metallica,” one of them eagerly shouted. “And Blink 182,” said a girl from Cancun that is living with her Tia in Merida for the time being.
I really really enjoyed teaching and found it really rewarding. It ends the last week of May. On Wed. nights, I will begin a 2 hour conversational hour with students and my maestro from the UADY, who are studying Sandra Cisneros.
After my class, I went to the beach alone with my book, but met up with Will, Dayna, and Suzzanna there. It was a nice time, and it’s so great to have the beach so easily accessible to read, lounge around, and just have a good time.
Saturday was another excursion with the Rutgers Group. We went to an active hacienda and saw henquin production there. It was amazing to see how easy the task is, but how long it takes until you arrive at the finished product. The man that gives the tours at the plant was originally from New York City, and spoke to us in English and Spanish with a heavy New York accent. He thought he was constantly being funny, but in reality, his jokes really showed his poor sense of humor. A lot of what he told was unnecessary in the context of understanding more about the henquin plant and a lot of it was just simply BS.
At the same plantation, we took little trucks to get to a cenote on the premises and it was a lot of fun. There were other tourists—Mexicans—on our trip and I had fun talking to them about where they’re from and what they think of the Yucatan. Two of the couples were from Mexico City. I’m really so proud that I was able to hold a conversation with them in Spanish…
For lunch we ate at supposedly an excellent restaurant, well known by Meridians. Rebecca recommended to me a dish that Margarita, her host mother cooks for her all the time, and I decided to try her recommendation. It was GROSS. I ended up not eating most of it, looking at all the others as they devoured their plates. I stuck to the Guacamole and Tamarindo/Jamaica jarras.
Afterwards, we went to Mayapan, another old Mayan site. I really enjoyed seeing las ruinas in the evening, with the cool breeze. There was nobody at this site (its not as famous as the others, but it’s just about as large) and I was really happy to have the freedom to walk around myself. Standing on top of pyramids. Sitting in the observatory. Running through the columns.
We got home from the trip at 6 and immediately I showered and got changed to meet Fernando, Carla, and Deanella from my antro. Class. They invited me to out to dinner with them in the café in the park. I had panuchos and Jamaica (it’s becoming my favorite) and then we walked over to Calle Montejo to the Noche Mexicana festival. There was a concert going on and some crafts set up … We sat for a while, listening and then got ice cream—ice cream in HUGE waffle bowls (bigger than I’ve ever seen). And cheaper. Oh and Marianna stopped by to introduce us to her 36 year old “abuelo-novio”.
It was a really nice night, all in all, and when I got back I was exhausted.
Sunday I found myself yet again at Merida en Domingo in the centro. I ate at the same place I’ve been to many times before en el Parque de Santa Lucia…the lady that serves me the food is very nice and so grateful that I always return to her.
Later I went to my first Misa service with the family. It was very interesting and certainly a part of Mexican culture. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to see what a normal Sunday is like for the millions of Catholics that live in this country.
And at night, I made my way over to La Palapa, a restaurant, where Will made reservations for 40 or so students from the UADY to watch the Superbowl. It was a great time (and even though I really don’t give a damn who won), I found myself watching more than I usually have (probably because I’ve got Wolverine blood in me). Will introduced me to one of the Mexican students from the UADY that will be going to graduate school next year at Michigan State University. He was so interested to hear what the great state of Michigan is like and wants to meet up with me during the week to talk more about it. I’m not necessarily sure I can tell him much about State, but I can tell him about what football means to the people of Michigan.
That’s for sure.
Posted by jlsumich at 12:07 PM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2007
Stuck in a Moment
Things have been going really well this and I’m especially enjoying my Antroplogia Mexicana class. Our maestro, Eugenia is SO nice and she tries so hard to make the class interesting for both Mexican students and the extranjeros. Yesterday in class, we were discussing what factors are necessary for the creation of a stable nation-state and how these factors change depending on the geographic location and historic events. Towards the end of class, we got into groups to discuss some of the lectura and what was even more interesting was the fact that all three countries were represented in my group—Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
I’ve never had the opportunity to be in an educational setting where I can speak directly to students from other countries—students that carry their unique thought processes, background, and personal bias to a round table discussion. And I think that’s just generally due to the nature and type of classes that I take at Michigan. But anyway, the canadiense, Anna-Louise, is from Quebec and is a student at Laval University (which I’ve become very familiar with after traveling to Canada). It’s great because I’ve broken into French with her a few times already…
A lot of our discussion was geared towards how nations treat various cultures.
In Canada, (as we heard from Louise), it’s become even harder and harder to retain the French-Quebecois identity due to globalization of companies and Canada’s participation in world economic and political affairs. Nevertheless, the French culture is still thriving. She was saying that the people first consider themselves Quebecois and then as Canadians.
In Mexico, it works similarly here in the Yucatan. They first consider themselves Yucatecans and then Mexicans. This has to do with the strong separatist identity of the people of Quintanna Roo, Yucatan, and Campeche. Up until the 1960’s we learned, the Yucatan Peninsula was cut off from the rest of Mexico because there were no highways that ran through the jungle. Because of this, the Yucatan Peninsula (the three states: Quintanna Roo, Yucatan, and Campeche) engaged in heavy trading with the Caribbean nations, Europe, and South America. Hence, the culture here in Merida is very reflective of such areas—more so than the culture of mainland Mexico.
Eugenia also told us that there was a short period of time in the 1800s when the Yucatan peninsula was its own separate nation, distinct from Mexico.
In the United States, however, we carry a very different attitude. If I were to be dropped off on a street somewhere anywhere in the world, I would first tell someone that I am an American, then that I am from New Jersey. It’s interesting to think of why this is the case… And at least I feel that it has been United States policy to repress various cultures… Think of the Native American Indians, for example. Their culture and identity has virtually been washed away. And the fact is, when immigrants come to the US, it is almost imperative that they assimilate into an American identity if they want to be successful and lead a stable life in our country…
In other news, I finally got all of my copies for next week from the library. Monday is Constitution Day, so there is no school. I’ll probably be heading to the beach and then I’m working on a group project at night at a Mexican student’s house. It’s been in the high 90’s for the past few days and will continue to stay at that temperature.
Last night, I went with Nina, Erich, and Christie to a video-café on the Prolongacion Montejo. Basically, it was a cross between a Starbucks, Haagen Dasz, and Godiva store with video screens on every wall. They were playing music videos from all around the world. It was a really nice night. The two girls have been here in Merida, studying since August (they are doing a full-year program) and it’s interesting to hear of their experiences, and of their recommendations. My group did nothing.
Today, they invited me to go with them to the zoo and they’re also going to the beach tomorrow. In a little while, I’m going for an interview at a bilingual institute to teach English to students for community service work. I enjoyed teaching English in the US at the library and I think that it’s a great opportunity to do some community service work here in Mexico. Tomorrow, we have an excursion with Elizabeth apparently to a hacienda and another cenote. 8AM at the McDonalds, like usual.
And, yesterday at the UADY, Dra. Shrimpton told me about a girl that is writing her thesis on Sandra Cisneros and asked if I would be able to help her. I think it would be really interesting—I’m writing about Sandra Cisneros for my independent study. She’s reading the same book that I’m reading, but she’s having a little bit of difficulty because it’s in English. We agreed to meet up at the heladeria in the centro on Wed. for a book talk in English. Prof. Ramos will be joining us as well (he said he’d really like to practice a little English).
And finally, I found a new pair of sneakers in a little zapateria. I think I have the biggest shoe size that Merida has ever seen. I’ve been into 14 zapaterias.
Because it has been so hot, I also did some shopping around the Mercado this week for some light-weight shirts to wear. I was looking around for a while, in and out of the different shops—up and down, there are cheap clothes all over. Finally, I entered into a little tienda and I asked the boy working there if he had any shirts in a size “large”. He smiled, stopped, and looked at me and said (in very broken English): “Y-y-you go to Michigan?” It was at that moment that I absolutely froze. He had noticed the M-hat that I was wearing. I told him that yes, I am a student at the University of Michigan, and his mouth dropped open.
I ended up leaving the tienda, because he didn’t have anything in my size, but I stopped for a moment to think about what had happened outside on the sidewalk. I go to Michigan. MICHIGAN. I think it’s amazing how the maize and blue M is a universal symbol. I’ve been stopped in Canada and now, I’ve been stopped in Mexico. I go to the University of Michigan.
And it was only for a split second, in the middle of a busy and hectic week, that I got stuck in a moment.
Posted by jlsumich at 02:37 PM | Comments (0)