The entrance to Africam Safari. Yes, it's a bit cheesy, but nonetheless a fun place to go for a day trip.

So after being here a few months, I’ve found some rather fun things to do around Cholula and Puebla that are low key, cheap, and most importantly fun during those weekends when you just don’t feel like traveling.

1. Take a walk to the market in Cholula. It takes about a half hour to get there walking or about 5 minutes on a bus that costs 6 pesos. The market is filled with all kinds of sights, sounds, and interesting people.

2. Hop in one of the camiones (small vans that work like buses) that run up and down Camino Real (the street with all the bars and night clubs), and head on over to the mall at Angelópolis. It’s just like the malls in the U.S., making it a great place to go if you’re feeling homesick. There are a few high-end stores there. So if you’re looking to get something for cheap, it might be better to try a market.

3. Go walking around the center of Puebla. Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla, so it’s very similar to many urban cities in the U.S. On Sundays, there is a really cool market where you can buy everything from knockoff Ray Bans to puppies.

4. Head back on over to Angelópolis or to the mall at San Diego and go to the movies. On weekdays after 6pm you can use you UDLA ID to get a student discount. At Angelópolis, you can go to the regular movie theater or you can opt for the VIP section where you will find reclining leather seats, waiters, and a full dinner menu for just a few pesos more.

5. If you’re feeling adventurous, then take a trip to Africam Safari in Puebla. It’s a bit pricey to get into, but it is really fun. You get to drive around the animal park with a guide as if you were really in Africa. Sometimes UDLA organizes a trip there on the weekends. This is probably the best option because they get discounted pricing, and are able to provide you with lunch.

While you're riding in a vehicle for the majority of the safari, there is a section where you can get out and walk around. That's where I snapped this pic of the hippo chilling next to the lake.

There's more than just African animals at Africam Safari. There's an entire section devoted to kangaroos. It's really cool because they are just running around loose as you walk through the exhibit, and you can have the opportunity to feed them if you wish.

In my last few entries, I’ve mentioned in passing the social class differences here that have at times made me feel rather out of place. This week I wanted to spend a little more time explaining those so people have a better idea of what it is like at UDLAP.

Most Mexicans who are able to go to universities after the Mexican equivalent of high school (known here as la prepatoria) usually end up going to a university that is within their home state. These are usually smaller, like the size of one building, and highly specialized. You go to a culinary arts school or a fashion design school, not a liberal arts university where you get degrees in vague concepts like “gender studies” or the “humanities.” People typically end up staying at home, and then move out when they are done with their 4-5 years as an undergrad (the 5 year plan is common here because many Mexican university students end up spending a year abroad). UDLAP is different in that the majority of the students here aren’t from Puebla but from all over, which is more similar to universities in the U.S.

UDLAP has been described to me by several people as a school you come to if your “daddy has money.” This has made for a very interesting social class dynamic. While most people at Valpo are at least somewhat concerned about finances, money is not as big as an issue here. For instance, the Mexican friends that I have made receive about the equivalent of $500 USD (United States Dollars) every month from their parents to spend on food and going out. Even if you are eating rather expensively that is still a lot of money to be spending here. And if people spend all that money before the month is over, the typical response is to call your Mom or Dad and have them send you more money.

While a lot of people do receive scholarships from UDLAP (they usually have to do office work for the department they are in), it is not as common as it is in the U.S. to have a job while you are going to college. If you have enough money to be able to afford going to a university, then your family is probably wealthy enough to pay for everything that you need or want. If people do have jobs, then they often work in the bars and nightclubs that are close buy on campus and use their money to buy Prada handbags or to pay for expensive weekend trips to Jamaica or Cuba.

The fashion is extremely influenced by the social class of the people here. Designer brands are everything here. Whereas in the U.S. I would probably brag about being able to find knock-off Ray Ban sunglasses or finding “cool” clothes at a thrift store, most UDLAP students would never dream of doing these things. If you buy sunglasses, then you buy designer ones, regardless of the fact that they probably cost $300 USD. If you’re going to buy clothes, then you don’t buy “designer-inspired” items, but the latest pieces from the Marc Jacobs fall collection.

You're just not Mexican without your Ray Bans 🙂

After taking a class about consumer culture last semester at Valpo, I have been rather anti-consumerism lately. This has made me feel a bit out of place sometimes when my Mexican friends are talking about fashion, electronics, or more generally just about the stuff they buy. While they listen to me when I tell them that I shop at thrift stores for clothes, that I consciously avoid designer brands, and that I try to save my money as much as possible, you can tell that they think I’m strange. At first this made me uneasy, but after two months of dealing with this I’ve more or less gotten used to it.

These are cultural differences. Neither of us is right or wrong. We just have different mindsets. Had I been born into this culture of wealth and privilege, I would probably have similar ideas and tastes. While it would be easy for me to get frustrated and just call the students here “spoiled rich kids,” I try not to do that. Actually the people here have taught me a lot, and actually I think they have made me more secure about the way that I live my life in the United States. It will be very interesting to see how I readjust when I go back to the more middle class, slightly less consumer-obsessed world that is Valpo.

They say you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl. After being here in Mexico since August, I’m so grateful the country hasn’t been taken out of me. I’m your average, Midwest small-town girl. Fremont, Indiana is my hometown with a population of less than 2000 people.

Many people wonder why the heck I came to Mexico to study abroad. They really wonder how I’ve managed to survive (and thrive!) here despite the challenges of being abroad. The funny thing is that my little town prepared me quite well for Mexico. Here’s how:

Food. Let’s be specific and say corn. Indiana is famous for corn. We love our corn on the cob during the summertime and where I’m from corn fields are the most common landmark. Basically, you think of Indiana, you think of our corn fields. When I arrived in México, I was surprised to see so many corn fields! The food of the ancient Aztecs (who lived in México) was based on corn and even today the people here probably consume just as much (or even more) corn as the Indiana folks. For example, you have corn tortillas and corn on the cob (covered in chile of course) and so many other options. It’s like corn gone wild.

Nature (and cows and dirt roads). I’ve had the opportunity to travel to different areas of natural beauty in México including La Malinche (the famous but inactive volcano) and Valle de Bravo to see the migration of monarch butterflies. I was always surprised at the similarity between the woods of Mexico and Indiana that among the pine trees and other foliage, I felt like I was back home! The city of Cholula where I live boasts a fairly large population but there are still fields that have cows in them. In my hometown, I’m pretty sure there are more cows than people. So, seeing cows in the fields in Mexico just reminds me of the Indiana countryside.

Although my house is located inside the town, my friend Sara and I love taking bike rides in the country and anything having to do with nature or being in the woods. Granted, I love the thrill and of a city but for whatever reason, put me on a dirt road out in the middle of nowhere or in the woods and I’m a happy girl. My little apartment is located about 5 minutes from campus and is on a dirt road. I love living there because it always reminds me of home. Mexico in general is not the cleanest place in the world (even though it’s not dirty everywhere) but for whatever reason, the dirt and lack of “elegance” in some places don’t bother me at all. Heck, I feel right at home!

Diversity (or lack thereof). According to the US Census, Fremont has a population of 1,696 people with 98.11% of the people being Caucasian. Racial diversity just isn’t prevalent where I live. It’s not ideal because I believe in the beauty of diversity but it’s been my inspiration too. I’m so grateful because my parents encouraged me to go travel and experience other cultures. They haven’t always been able to financially support but their emotional support with pursuing my dreams they instilled in me always remains strong. Being in México and living (not just being a tourist) in another culture has been such a crazy and beautiful experience. I’ve had my share of difficult times but the experience has changed my life for the good.

So, living out in the middle of nowhere actually made me go somewhere in my life. I’ve been to Asia, Europe and now living, studying and working in México and (almost) fluent in Spanish. I feel so grateful to have grown up where I did. It inspired to go out and see the world but never forget where I’m from and appreciate the lessons it has taught me. Grateful for my past, celebrating the present and so excited for the future.

From this country girl’s perspective, life is pretty darn special.

Saludos!

“Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition.”
-Alexander Smith

Valentine’s Day- some love it and some hate it. Some say that people adore Valentine’s Day when they have a significant other and others despise it when they are single because of the cheesy love crap marketing conspiracy that goes along with the chocolate and the flowers. To be honest, I’ve never celebrated a Valentine’s Day in my life where I was with a boyfriend. Now, before you start wailing about my singlehood, just wait. Although it would be romantic to spend Valentine’s Day with a special guy (that day will come, no worries), it’s been so lovely to spend it single because every year it’s a beautiful reminder of friendship for me and being here in Mexico definitely proved that.

Valentine’s Day is known as “Día de San Valetín” in Spanish but is also called “Día de la Amistad” or “Frienship Day” because here in Mexico, the love between friends is just as important as the love between novios or boyfriends and girlfriends. Although there is the mushy love stuff, there is also this celebration of the love between friends. So, naturally, with some wonderful friends, we celebrated Valentine’s Day.

Cynthia and Martin making our delicious food!

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A group of us met at my friend Cynthia’s house where we ate delicious tlayudas, salad and candy. We sat around her living room just chatting, gossiping, and making jokes. It was simple and pleasant but for whatever reason, I loved the fact that this was normal in Mexico. It’s practically impossible to feel alone in this country. This was a group of people who had helped me from day one when I first arrived here as a nervous and excited foreigner. They have been with me with me through the good and bad and never fail to make me laugh. It didn’t matter if we were single or if we were not, we were just happy to be with each other.

Group photo...just missing our friend Angel!

My Valentine’s Day was spent single but was simple and special. From wearing a red shirt to receiving a red rose from my roommate Martina to a (huge) fabulous meal with friends, what more could a girl ask for? I’ve loved to celebrate life more in Mexico and have discovered people to celebrate that with. Yes, having a boyfriend or girlfriend is wonderful and special but Valentine’s Day also reminds us of the beauty of friendship and but most importantly the privilege to love.
Saludos

Taking that “seize all ye roses while ye can” mantra to heart, I jumped on my Mexican friend Jorge’s offer to come home with him this past weekend to Vera Cruz. This was a very gringo-filled weekend, as I would also be traveling with my friends Katie and Skylar who go to the University of Wyoming and who are completing their second semester at UDLAP. We left on Friday afternoon at around 3p. After the 3 ½ hour bus ride on one of those coach buses, we finally made it to his mom’s apartment. When we got there, however, we ran into quite the snafu. Unbeknownst to Jorge, his Mom had changed the locks a few weeks ago so we had to wait about an hour outside in the unseasonably cold Vera Cruz elements until his mom came with the new keys.

This is a statue of Porfirio Díaz, one of the most important political figures in Mexico. It was located near the port, which was one of the few places we actually got to visit.

After finally getting inside, his Mom took us all out to dinner. The restaurant was weird because it was basically the living room to somebody’s house, which I’m beginning to realize is a pretty common setup in Mexico. After pigging out on tortas, empanadas, and fried tortillas, and falling for one of Jorge’s try-it-because-it’s-not-that-spicy-although-it-really-is jokes, we went back to the apartment and waited for Jorge’s friend Zelma to come pick us up.

At about 10.30, Zelma arrived in her SUV that looked like it had been a contestant on MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.” We went to this rather pricey bar where the smallest thing of beer they sold was three liters. Everything was expensive because we were in Vera Cruz, a place that has been described to me as “The Hills of Mexico.”

The next morning, we woke up late. Jorge had locked the door the previous night and we just now realized that the lock had broken and we were trapped inside his apartment. There were bars on all the windows for safety reasons, so there was really no other way to get out. This situation was just too ridiculous to be real. But then again this was Mexico, a place as I’ve come to learn where anything can happen. After some failed DIY-tries to get the door open with a screwdriver, Jorge finally got one of his neighbors to call a lock smith who was able to open the door in about 2.5 nano seconds, making all of us feel slightly incompetent.

By the time we were able to actually leave the apartment, it was about 9p. Zelma came over and picked us again and took us to a party she was having at her house. Her house seriously looked like something off an episode of MTV’s “Cribs” (sorry for all the pop cultural references today btw. I just don’t know how else to describe this stuff). The house was one of those modern-looking pads made out of concrete in a gated community that made it feel like we were in a prison. In the middle of the house was a courtyard with an in ground pool. In the guesthouse, where we were hanging out, her dad had a private music studio and a 15-person movie theater with mood lighting that kept changing colors!

As if I didn’t feel out of place already, Zelma’s friends were all those Abercrombie and Fitch model wannabes who live for partying, don’t care about school, and don’t really have to worry about their futures because daddy’s trust funds will take care of them for the rest of their lives (sorry if this comes off as bitter…I’m just not used to being around people of this social class). It made for a really interesting social dynamic because I had essentially nothing in common to talk to them about. It’s hard when your interests are more along the interests of human rights, social justice and liberation theology and all they talk about is their new Ray Ban sunglasses or who had just hooked up with who at so-and-so’s last beach house party.

The next day was Superbowl Sunday. We took it pretty easy and went to a bar to watch the game. After that we headed to another bar just to get some drinks and talk.

Here’s a pic of the Zocalo in Veracruz. One of the few places that I actually made it to this weekend.

That was pretty much my weekend in Vera Cruz. Although I’ll probably have to go to Vera Cruz again to know what it was actually like, I’m still glad I went. I had a really good time with my friends even though I did feel kind of out of place a lot of the time. Hopefully my next adventure will feel a little less like a wannabe Ke$ha music video and a little more oh hey I’m in Mexico 🙂

The fountain in front of the Veracruz aquarium. It’s one of those cheesy spots where everyone snaps a pic for the family Christmas card.

Jorge described Vera Cruz as a place where people drink, party, sleep, rinse and repeat. So if clubbing and partying aren’t really your scene, then you may want to consider going someplace else in Mexico. In case you want to learn more about Vera Cruz, I have posted a couple of links to some interesting touristy stuff. Enjoy!

Check out the Vera Cruz Aquarium or the Vera Cruz Soccer team.

What a beach should actually look like in Veracruz when the weather isn’t terrible.

So, the weekend turned out different than planned.

We don’t have classes tomorrow and due to some circumstances, I am not able to travel. Yeah, it’s a bummer when you’re abroad and want to travel, but (sigh) life is not always the way you want it. On Tuesday, I have an exam AND a presentation to do. No rest for the wicked, eh?

Just chilling on a Sunday afternoon

Anyways, I just stayed home. It sounds boring and lame but somehow it was deliciously refreshing in a way. I chatted with friends on facebook and just rested up in my apartment. The week before had been crazy, so a weekend of nothing felt so good! I watched one of my favorite movies “Under the Tuscan Sun” and made pancakes this morning. Later, I went with two dear friends of mine to see a fantastic movie, “Los Ojos de Julia”.

Yeah, it wasn’t much but sometimes, the simplest things i life are the best. The times where you think you aren’t doing anything, you’re really doing something-renewing yourself. It’s so hard in the American culture because we’re always, go, go, go! In Mexico, I feel more comfortable “just doing nothing”.

So, take time to rest and renew yourself. No sense in hurrying up in life because you’ll miss the simple and beautiful things. Maybe it’s time with friends, eating a fresh orange or listening to soulful music…just sit and well, do “nothing”.

Saludos!

Stir-fry for lunch! Majority of my food is bought from the local market here in Cholula

My gringo-ness at it's finest. And I wonder why people don't think I'm Mexican. haha.

After being here for almost a month, the initial shock of being in a foreign country has more or less worn off. There are still those moments when the fact that I’m in Mexico hits me like a ton of bricks, but more or less I’ve basically come to accept and respect the cultural differences that exist here.

Something that has been troubling me over the past few weeks is the fact that I have been relying on English way too much. The problem is that everyone here speaks English. Whether it be my suitemates, my Mexican friends, or even people at restaurants, everyone sees that I’m clearly not Mexican and they speak to me in English. At first this didn’t bother me that much because I thought that people were just trying to be helpful, but now it’s just downright annoying. I came here to speak Spanish. I need to speak Spanish in order to get better at it.

I have heard various reasons for why it seems that “foreigners” are able to pick up English with much greater ease than native English speakers can learn other languages. English is supposedly easier to learn conversationally, while foreign languages in the U.S. are taught through lectures and not through practice. Another theory is that English as a second language is taught much earlier than foreign languages are taught in the United States. Someone else suggested to me that English-language media, like movies, tv shows, books, etc., is so globally used that even this exposure primes people in non-English speaking countries to speak it with greater ease.

I haven’t been really sold on any one of these theories, as they all have certain flaws. And they don’t seem to explain to me why my roommate can speak English almost fluently after only taking one semester of it in college. I’ve been taking Spanish for eight years and he still runs circles around me.

The conclusion I’ve come to within the last few days is that I’m just going to have to accept that for some reason other people are able to learn foreign languages easier than myself. I’ve resigned myself to force myself to speak Spanish as much as possible. If native speakers speak to me in English, then I am just going to have to respond to them in Spanish. If they make fun of the way I pronounce things or of my gringo accent, then I just have to remember that they make mistakes when they speak to me in English and that I’m never going to get better unless I just ignore them.

The other thing that I have started to do is just telling people that I want them to speak to me in Spanish. I can’t count how many times I’ve said, “Me puedes hablar en español,” in the last week. It’s been working slightly, but as soon as they say something that I don’t understand, people start talking to me in English. I am just going have to be more proactive with all of this. Hopefully I will walk away with this semester with improved Spanish skills.