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April 28, 2007
Orquesta Sinfonica de Yucatan
A good friend from high school has told me time and time again that “change is an inherently good thing.” This is, as she says, her stance on life.
As the semester is coming to a close here at the UADY and my last days here in Yucatan are just around the corner, I’d like to take the time to reflect on my friend’s thought.
Last night, I met “the group”—Dayna, Will, Erich, Rachel, Frine and Monica, Suzanne and and Paul, and (I forgot the rest of their names) at El Hoyo, the most hopping café in Merida, where we had dinner.
I go to El Hoyo almost every day, where I do a lot of my blog-writing, email-writing, and AIM-chatting (not to mention homework).
Afterwards, we all went to see the Orquesta Sinfonica de Yucatan in the Teatro Peon Contreras in the Centro, although we all bought tickets in different tiers and in different booths: Erich and I were in the same booth on the third level as were Paul and Will (but their booth was on the opposite side of the theater), and Rachel and Dayna got seats on ground floor. I really enjoyed going to the concert, as it was a good opportunity to hear the symphonies of Beethoven, Mozart, and Liszt played by a professional orchestra in a very large and impressive concert hall.
Erich and I spoke a little; he’ll be going home way before me on May 10th. And I couldn’t tell whether he was excited or disappointed to be leaving so early. We spoke about his host family situation here as well as the things he has to look forward to this summer back in the United States. It seems like his departure will be bittersweet.
And mine?
Well, there are some things that have certainly been getting to me here & going home will surely remedy those pet-peeves. I hate the fact that everyone is always late here, for instance. Or that it’s so hot that it’s uncomfortable to go outside.
But more than anything, my program (in every respect) has been getting to me a lot-- specifically, I'm talking about my conversations with the “others”. So much for that New Jersey pride that I had when I first came here…
And to be honest, there’s another thing: I feel as if I’ve had enough of the social aspect here in Merida (I’m talking about the school-social aspect). Every day I go into the UADY and I see the same kids, over and over again. And I see the same kids from the Rutgers and Butler programs, over and over again. And I’ve had enough of it.
While I will most definitely remember my education here in a positive light, I’m not that fond of the social-atmosphere that the school has to offer. Every day, I run into the same kids—just like high school. That’s why in some respects, I miss Michigan. I like not having to see the same kids every single day.
Also, looking back over the semester, I feel like I’ve invested a lot of time getting to know other students—extranjeros and mexicanos; I know about their families, their problems, their goals, etc. Maybe that’s because I’m (as they say) easily approachable and people like coming to talk to me. And I’ve learned a lot about some students, sometimes in a negative way—by what they’ve done, by how they’ve presented themselves, and by what they’ve said.
But on the flip side, I’m not so sure that many people have invested the time to get to know me—to get to know about my goals, or about where I come from or about my position on some topics.
(I’m not sure why or why not this is important, but these are just some thoughts that were rolling around in my head as I was in the theater.)
When it comes down to it all: who really have I had deep conversations with? When I leave Mexico, who can I consider to be a “friend”? Will I keep in touch with anyone after this trip?
So, as I look forward towards the end of the semester and realize that in four weeks time, I’ll be headed home, I hear the words of my high school friend resounding in my ear: “change is an inherently good thing.”
Change IS an inherently good thing.
And I think it’s time for a change.
Posted by jlsumich at April 28, 2007 12:21 PM