Sunday, August 30, 2009
Laughter is good for the soul.
I spent all weekend laughing. I can't even begin to describe all the random/bizarre/surreal things that happened. I'm laughing now just playing them back in my mind. In some ways it was like I was back in Greensboro hanging out with everyone (because even in Mexico I still somehow manage to be a part of the most awkward situations possible). It felt great :)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Various Impressions
-There are no rules regarding driving. If you are physically capable of doing it, it's allowed.
-"Class starts at 11am." Translation: Class could potentially start anytime between 11 and 12 so you just kind of hang out until the teacher shows up.
-I eat white bread every single day. What I would give for a sandwich made with wheat bread...
-Speaking of sandwiches, they are a breakfast food. No lie; I ate one this morning.
-The lavanderia, where I take my clothes to be washed, pleats every single pair of pants, including my pajama pants. Strange.
-Don't flush toilet paper! That's what trash cans are for.
-In some stores, a Coke is cheaper than a bottle of water.
-If I'm tired, the buses make me motion sick. Ugh.
-Only Americans wear clothing with logos from schools, clubs, camps, etc. posted all over it. Other people just laugh at you.
-EVERYONE here smokes. I'm going to be lucky if I don't die from all the second-hand smoke. NASTY.
That's all for now :)
-"Class starts at 11am." Translation: Class could potentially start anytime between 11 and 12 so you just kind of hang out until the teacher shows up.
-I eat white bread every single day. What I would give for a sandwich made with wheat bread...
-Speaking of sandwiches, they are a breakfast food. No lie; I ate one this morning.
-The lavanderia, where I take my clothes to be washed, pleats every single pair of pants, including my pajama pants. Strange.
-Don't flush toilet paper! That's what trash cans are for.
-In some stores, a Coke is cheaper than a bottle of water.
-If I'm tired, the buses make me motion sick. Ugh.
-Only Americans wear clothing with logos from schools, clubs, camps, etc. posted all over it. Other people just laugh at you.
-EVERYONE here smokes. I'm going to be lucky if I don't die from all the second-hand smoke. NASTY.
That's all for now :)
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sometimes I can be such a teacher...
Today I sat in Historia de Mexico (my least favorite class) and thought the whole time how terrible it was from a teacher's viewpoint.
First, the class is made up of mostly freshman who are all around the age of 18. I know that 3 years is not a huge amount of time, but the difference between an 18 year old and a 21 year old is enormous. Second, it makes me feel really strange to think that back in the United States I could be teaching students this age in my internship. Weird.
Today we started group presentations about the indigenous tribes in the various regions of Mexico (ugh). Today's presentation was about the tribes in the Gulf of Mexico, but I still don't know too much about them because the presentation was less than informative. They didn't go into any detail and couldn't answer intelligently any of the questions they were asked. I felt bad for them because it's embarassing to be put on the spot like that, but I would expect that kind of presentation from a high school freshman, not a university student.
Afterwards we had extra class time (because the presentation was so short) so the professor went to the library to get a movie about the Olmecas (an indigenous group) to show for the rest of class. It was terrible and the first five minutes (no lie) was footage of the moon with tribal music playing in the background.
There are so many things didactically wrong with this that I'm cringing just thinking about it. From a student's perspective there was nothing really wrong with the class because no participation (or thinking) was necessary. The teacher in me, however, shudders to witness such a terrible waste of educational time.
First, the class is made up of mostly freshman who are all around the age of 18. I know that 3 years is not a huge amount of time, but the difference between an 18 year old and a 21 year old is enormous. Second, it makes me feel really strange to think that back in the United States I could be teaching students this age in my internship. Weird.
Today we started group presentations about the indigenous tribes in the various regions of Mexico (ugh). Today's presentation was about the tribes in the Gulf of Mexico, but I still don't know too much about them because the presentation was less than informative. They didn't go into any detail and couldn't answer intelligently any of the questions they were asked. I felt bad for them because it's embarassing to be put on the spot like that, but I would expect that kind of presentation from a high school freshman, not a university student.
Afterwards we had extra class time (because the presentation was so short) so the professor went to the library to get a movie about the Olmecas (an indigenous group) to show for the rest of class. It was terrible and the first five minutes (no lie) was footage of the moon with tribal music playing in the background.
There are so many things didactically wrong with this that I'm cringing just thinking about it. From a student's perspective there was nothing really wrong with the class because no participation (or thinking) was necessary. The teacher in me, however, shudders to witness such a terrible waste of educational time.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Being Green in Mexico
So if there were any doubts that I'm a nerd, this will put them all to rest (Joey).
Yesterday morning I dragged myself out of bed super early to go on a trip with some other internationals and the university to visit the first mine in Guanjuato. (Guanajuato was built because they found so much silver and other metals in the area.) Before we went there, however, we stopped at a completely organic farm to take a tour.
The tour guide was super nice (and I could understand almost everything he said!) and he took us all around the farm. We saw all these techniques that were used to encourage the growth of native plants and conserve the maximum amount possible of water. Everything was done organically without the help of pesticides and other chemicals. There were several beehives around the area and I got to taste fresh honeycomb! They also had a greenhouse, some solar panels, and a compost pile! The most surprising part was when our guide pulled a rattlesnake out of a barrel and started talking about all the snakes they found (and kept) in the area. I confess that I was a little freaked out by the snake so I wasn't listening all that closely.
At the end of the tour, our guide was talking about how encouraging it was that we (college students) were going to be making the decisions for the world in the next 20 years. He encouraged us to remember this tour and how important it is to make decisions that are sustainable because we need to make sure that there will be water and other resources for our children and grandchildren. He quoted someone who once said, "When we stop destroying the earth it will start healing itself." And then he asked, "When are we going to stop destroying the earth?" Good question...
Now the only thing that will make me even happier is if I can find one place to recycle in this city.
Yesterday morning I dragged myself out of bed super early to go on a trip with some other internationals and the university to visit the first mine in Guanjuato. (Guanajuato was built because they found so much silver and other metals in the area.) Before we went there, however, we stopped at a completely organic farm to take a tour.
The tour guide was super nice (and I could understand almost everything he said!) and he took us all around the farm. We saw all these techniques that were used to encourage the growth of native plants and conserve the maximum amount possible of water. Everything was done organically without the help of pesticides and other chemicals. There were several beehives around the area and I got to taste fresh honeycomb! They also had a greenhouse, some solar panels, and a compost pile! The most surprising part was when our guide pulled a rattlesnake out of a barrel and started talking about all the snakes they found (and kept) in the area. I confess that I was a little freaked out by the snake so I wasn't listening all that closely.
At the end of the tour, our guide was talking about how encouraging it was that we (college students) were going to be making the decisions for the world in the next 20 years. He encouraged us to remember this tour and how important it is to make decisions that are sustainable because we need to make sure that there will be water and other resources for our children and grandchildren. He quoted someone who once said, "When we stop destroying the earth it will start healing itself." And then he asked, "When are we going to stop destroying the earth?" Good question...
Now the only thing that will make me even happier is if I can find one place to recycle in this city.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Swedish Food and Salsa Dancing
What a great weekend :)
On Saturday night two Swedish girls , Therese and Helena, invited a group of exchange students (and some Mexicans) over to their house for a traditional Swedish dinner. They did all the work preparing it and serving it and it was delicious! There were 10 of us all together and we spent hours sitting around the table talking and laughing. (All of the guys there are engineering majors so they were trying to explain to the girls all the jokes they were telling that involved Calculus.) It was so nice to just hang out and spend time with the people I know best in Mexico. The only thing that bothered me was that I still wasn't able to contribute very much to the conversation. People were asking me why I was so quiet and it's because I'm still self-conscious about my Spanish. It's so strange for me to be more reserved because I normally share my opinions and contribute to conversations...oh well, it will be a personal goal for me in the coming months.
Afterwards, we all went salsa dancing! It was so much fun and, of course, I had about 213049835 awkward things happen to me. First, I danced with one of the guys who ate dinner with us. It was really hard to follow him and there were plenty of times that we were not with the music. I'm also somewhat surprised that I still have all my fingers because there were times that I thought he would rip them off while turning me! (I confess that I laughed the whole time but I don't think he knew why.) Then someone else asked me to dance (I didn't know him) but it turns out he was crazy so I made up some excuse to leave after two songs. Finally, I danced with some other guy I didn't know who was actually really good. The only thing that bothered me was that when he found out I was from the United States he started trying to speak to me in English. But, he couldn't really speak English and he kept saying ridiculous things until I told him that I understood Spanish. It kind of bothered me that he would assume that I couldn't understand because, after all, I am in his country. We danced until almost 5am (I was exhausted by the end of it!) but I had such a good time.
Now, however, academics are taking over for the week because I have to give a presentation on Wednesday (not nearly as much fun).
On Saturday night two Swedish girls , Therese and Helena, invited a group of exchange students (and some Mexicans) over to their house for a traditional Swedish dinner. They did all the work preparing it and serving it and it was delicious! There were 10 of us all together and we spent hours sitting around the table talking and laughing. (All of the guys there are engineering majors so they were trying to explain to the girls all the jokes they were telling that involved Calculus.) It was so nice to just hang out and spend time with the people I know best in Mexico. The only thing that bothered me was that I still wasn't able to contribute very much to the conversation. People were asking me why I was so quiet and it's because I'm still self-conscious about my Spanish. It's so strange for me to be more reserved because I normally share my opinions and contribute to conversations...oh well, it will be a personal goal for me in the coming months.
Afterwards, we all went salsa dancing! It was so much fun and, of course, I had about 213049835 awkward things happen to me. First, I danced with one of the guys who ate dinner with us. It was really hard to follow him and there were plenty of times that we were not with the music. I'm also somewhat surprised that I still have all my fingers because there were times that I thought he would rip them off while turning me! (I confess that I laughed the whole time but I don't think he knew why.) Then someone else asked me to dance (I didn't know him) but it turns out he was crazy so I made up some excuse to leave after two songs. Finally, I danced with some other guy I didn't know who was actually really good. The only thing that bothered me was that when he found out I was from the United States he started trying to speak to me in English. But, he couldn't really speak English and he kept saying ridiculous things until I told him that I understood Spanish. It kind of bothered me that he would assume that I couldn't understand because, after all, I am in his country. We danced until almost 5am (I was exhausted by the end of it!) but I had such a good time.
Now, however, academics are taking over for the week because I have to give a presentation on Wednesday (not nearly as much fun).
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
"This Gives Me Jokes"
Disclaimer: This post is about nothing serious but is only for the entertainment of Katie Toms.
I've never considered myself to have a strong accent but, since being in Mexico, I've heard from lots of people that I speak Spanish with a very American accent. My roommate Laura from Argentina finds my accent especially funny and one day she was trying to copy it and she kept lengthening the vowels at the end of the words so they seemed to have more than one syllable. For example, "o-o-o-o" instead of "o." I've also met a couple of exchange students from the United States who are from places like Chicago and Wisconsin. They definitely speak differently than I do and our different accents are evident when speaking Spanish. All this to say, that it appears that I might have more of a Southern accent than I thought :(
In other news, today I went to a class called Cine y literatura and the professor talked about sequencing plot lines and how the way in which the story is told is one of the most important elements of capturing an audience's attention. He then said, "You know those people that have lots of interesting things happen to them but, since they can't tell a story properly, they seem to be the most boring people in the world?" He didn't go on to say how this problem could be fixed, however, so I guess I'm still stuck in that category.
I've never considered myself to have a strong accent but, since being in Mexico, I've heard from lots of people that I speak Spanish with a very American accent. My roommate Laura from Argentina finds my accent especially funny and one day she was trying to copy it and she kept lengthening the vowels at the end of the words so they seemed to have more than one syllable. For example, "o-o-o-o" instead of "o." I've also met a couple of exchange students from the United States who are from places like Chicago and Wisconsin. They definitely speak differently than I do and our different accents are evident when speaking Spanish. All this to say, that it appears that I might have more of a Southern accent than I thought :(
In other news, today I went to a class called Cine y literatura and the professor talked about sequencing plot lines and how the way in which the story is told is one of the most important elements of capturing an audience's attention. He then said, "You know those people that have lots of interesting things happen to them but, since they can't tell a story properly, they seem to be the most boring people in the world?" He didn't go on to say how this problem could be fixed, however, so I guess I'm still stuck in that category.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Culture Clash
Because culture is something universal (but very unique at the same time) there are infinite possibilities for culture clash to occur. The obvious example of this is studying abroad in a different country, but I've realized that there are other examples as well.
Yesterday evening Laura, Lisa, and I went downtown to get something to eat. When we were walking back toward the house we passed the Plaza de la Paz which is where the Basilica (the largest Catholic church in the city) is located. In front of the church was a group of people, dressed in indigenous costumes, dancing in the street accompanied by lots of drums. There was a crowd surrounding them and so we stopped and watched for a while. Laura asked someone standing next to us what the occasion was and he told us that it was the day of the Virgin of the Basilica. (Don't ask me what virgin; I still can't keep any of the Catholic saints straight.) We watched for a while and, during a pause in between dances, I heard the Basilica bells ringing and someone singing Catholic liturgy in Latin. Laura, Lisa, and I walked up the steps of the Basilica and slipped in the back of the church. It was packed full of people and they were all focused on an altar with a statue of the Virgin. In the church I could hear the drums from the street in the background.
It was such a weird experience because these two groups were celebrating the same thing but in two completely different ways. And, since you could hear the other group from wherever you were standing, it was hard to get the full effect of either one. To me it seemed like a rivalry between the two traditions and I wonder what it would have been like there had been a combination of the two instead of a competition...
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Algunas fotos
A visual tour of Guanajuato:
The house with my roommates Lisa and Laura
Bedroom
View of the city from the rooftop of the house
Division de Ciencas Sociales y Humanidades in Valenciana (where all my classes are).
On top of the Bufa (a mountain) overlooking the city of Guanajuato
The house with my roommates Lisa and Laura
Bedroom
View of the city from the rooftop of the house
Division de Ciencas Sociales y Humanidades in Valenciana (where all my classes are).
On top of the Bufa (a mountain) overlooking the city of Guanajuato
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
School Starts Early in Mexico
Classes started at Universidad de Guanajuato yesterday which is kind of crazy because everyone else I know is still on summer vacation (I'm jealous). I was excited about starting, though, because it is going to be nice to have some sort of schedule to appease my Type A personality.
Yesterday I was supposed to go to Historia de Mexico at 9am. My roommate, Lisa, was going to the same class so we got up, ate breakfast, and got to the bus stop at around 8:25 thinking that we had left plenty of time to ride up to Valenciana where the school is. One bus for Valenciana passed by but it was JAM PACKED full of people and there was no possible way we were going to get on. We waited for another one until 8:55 when we decided to just take a taxi. We got to the school five minutes late and had to run around trying to find the classroom. Thankfully, by the time we got there the professor still hadn't arrived so we sat with some other exchange students to wait. We waited and waited and finally one of the Mexican students went to see what was going on; when he came back he said that the professor wasn't coming. So, needless to say, my first day of classes was not my first day after all. I saw the humor in it all and couldn't stop laughing to myself all morning!
Today I had a phonetics class at 12. All the students are Mexican except me and another exchange student (also from the US) but the professor seems to be very nice and I think I'm going to learn a lot...although it will be a lot of work. The class was two hours and it was hard for me to focus on someone speaking Spanish for so long because I have to work really hard to understand (and the professor spoke really quickly).
Right now I'm sitting in my room trying to pass the time. It's taken me coming to Mexico to realize how much of a people person I am. I HATE being by myself and not having anybody to talk to. We were definitely made for community and all this free time I spend by myself makes me realize how much I need to find community here in Mexico. I trust that I'll find it eventually but I'm hoping that it comes sooner rather than later.
Yesterday I was supposed to go to Historia de Mexico at 9am. My roommate, Lisa, was going to the same class so we got up, ate breakfast, and got to the bus stop at around 8:25 thinking that we had left plenty of time to ride up to Valenciana where the school is. One bus for Valenciana passed by but it was JAM PACKED full of people and there was no possible way we were going to get on. We waited for another one until 8:55 when we decided to just take a taxi. We got to the school five minutes late and had to run around trying to find the classroom. Thankfully, by the time we got there the professor still hadn't arrived so we sat with some other exchange students to wait. We waited and waited and finally one of the Mexican students went to see what was going on; when he came back he said that the professor wasn't coming. So, needless to say, my first day of classes was not my first day after all. I saw the humor in it all and couldn't stop laughing to myself all morning!
Today I had a phonetics class at 12. All the students are Mexican except me and another exchange student (also from the US) but the professor seems to be very nice and I think I'm going to learn a lot...although it will be a lot of work. The class was two hours and it was hard for me to focus on someone speaking Spanish for so long because I have to work really hard to understand (and the professor spoke really quickly).
Right now I'm sitting in my room trying to pass the time. It's taken me coming to Mexico to realize how much of a people person I am. I HATE being by myself and not having anybody to talk to. We were definitely made for community and all this free time I spend by myself makes me realize how much I need to find community here in Mexico. I trust that I'll find it eventually but I'm hoping that it comes sooner rather than later.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Expanding My Comfort Circle
Although this is not a video blog (sorry Ashton), I'm going to try to be consistent about writing about this year in Mexico.
It's been a week and one day since I came to Guanajuato. It's been a long week but it's also flown by. Guanajuato is almost in the exact center of Mexico and is surrounded by mountains. The centro (downtown) is in the lowest part of the city and all the residential areas are built up the mountain. I'm living with a Mexican family and two other exchange students (Laura from Argentina and Lisa from Germany) and it is definitely a hike to get from the centro back up to the house. I'm going to be in great shape by the end of the year! Guanajuato is beautiful with lots of old architecture and it's a perfect mix of urban city and mountains (my two favorite types of places)!
This past week has been filled with days spent in the centro shopping, going to cafes, and trying to get together the endless amount of paperwork needed for registering for classes and applying for my student visa. There have also been two events hosted by the anfitriones (the equivalent of the I Fellows). Tuesday night after orientation we all went to a bar and then to a club. The bar had a terrace on the roof from which you could see Teatro Juarez and the mountains. The club was a techno club that was very similar to those in the United States (at least half of the songs were in English). Yesterday morning we climbed to the Bufa which is a nearby mountain from which you can see the entirety of the city of Guanajuato. It was a really nice hike although very different from those in North Carolina because there weren't any big trees or plants to cover the trail. Last night Lisa and I met some other exchange students at a bar and then we went salsa dancing!!! (It made me think of Greensboro and Artistika.)
A side note: The anfitriones really make me laugh because I compare them to what I did last year as an I Fellow. It's very different being on the other side of international orientation but I'm enjoying being an observer. For example, yesterday we were supposed to meet downtown at 8am to start hiking. I was on time (which most Mexicans are not) and eventually one of the anfitriones showed up. We waited for a while for other people to arrive and then walked to where we were going to take the bus to the beginning of the hike. Only two or three anfitriones were on time, some showed up late, and some didn't come at all. (I laughed to myself about it because it appeared to be like the I Fellow trip to the State Fair when Nicole and I had to drag people out of their beds early on a Saturday morning!!)
Overall I've really enjoyed being here so far but it's been so much harder than I ever dreamed it would be. In the United States I can navigate through what needs to get done, I can express myself more fluently, and I always have things to do or people I can hang out with. In Mexico I'm lucky if I understand everything the first time and there's been a lot of down time which makes me miss home and camp and Greensboro even more. I also haven't been talking as much because I'm still trying to speak some semblance of correct Spanish and, since I'm a people person, the disconnect between me and others has been really hard and lonely. Thank goodness for Laura and Lisa who are really patient with me as I try to contribute to our conversations. I HATE the feeling of not being in control and being able to be independent and do things by myself, but it's definitely expanding my comfort circle. I think that God's going to teach me a lot this year about reliance on Him and valuing relationships with my family and friends.
Classes start tomorrow so it's going to be a whole another adventure this next week!
It's been a week and one day since I came to Guanajuato. It's been a long week but it's also flown by. Guanajuato is almost in the exact center of Mexico and is surrounded by mountains. The centro (downtown) is in the lowest part of the city and all the residential areas are built up the mountain. I'm living with a Mexican family and two other exchange students (Laura from Argentina and Lisa from Germany) and it is definitely a hike to get from the centro back up to the house. I'm going to be in great shape by the end of the year! Guanajuato is beautiful with lots of old architecture and it's a perfect mix of urban city and mountains (my two favorite types of places)!
This past week has been filled with days spent in the centro shopping, going to cafes, and trying to get together the endless amount of paperwork needed for registering for classes and applying for my student visa. There have also been two events hosted by the anfitriones (the equivalent of the I Fellows). Tuesday night after orientation we all went to a bar and then to a club. The bar had a terrace on the roof from which you could see Teatro Juarez and the mountains. The club was a techno club that was very similar to those in the United States (at least half of the songs were in English). Yesterday morning we climbed to the Bufa which is a nearby mountain from which you can see the entirety of the city of Guanajuato. It was a really nice hike although very different from those in North Carolina because there weren't any big trees or plants to cover the trail. Last night Lisa and I met some other exchange students at a bar and then we went salsa dancing!!! (It made me think of Greensboro and Artistika.)
A side note: The anfitriones really make me laugh because I compare them to what I did last year as an I Fellow. It's very different being on the other side of international orientation but I'm enjoying being an observer. For example, yesterday we were supposed to meet downtown at 8am to start hiking. I was on time (which most Mexicans are not) and eventually one of the anfitriones showed up. We waited for a while for other people to arrive and then walked to where we were going to take the bus to the beginning of the hike. Only two or three anfitriones were on time, some showed up late, and some didn't come at all. (I laughed to myself about it because it appeared to be like the I Fellow trip to the State Fair when Nicole and I had to drag people out of their beds early on a Saturday morning!!)
Overall I've really enjoyed being here so far but it's been so much harder than I ever dreamed it would be. In the United States I can navigate through what needs to get done, I can express myself more fluently, and I always have things to do or people I can hang out with. In Mexico I'm lucky if I understand everything the first time and there's been a lot of down time which makes me miss home and camp and Greensboro even more. I also haven't been talking as much because I'm still trying to speak some semblance of correct Spanish and, since I'm a people person, the disconnect between me and others has been really hard and lonely. Thank goodness for Laura and Lisa who are really patient with me as I try to contribute to our conversations. I HATE the feeling of not being in control and being able to be independent and do things by myself, but it's definitely expanding my comfort circle. I think that God's going to teach me a lot this year about reliance on Him and valuing relationships with my family and friends.
Classes start tomorrow so it's going to be a whole another adventure this next week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)