mas fiestas!

OK, so I don't mean to give the impression that all I do is go to parties in Mexico...but there are a lot of birthdays this month! We have figured out that it coincides quite well with 9 months before the holiday season. :-)

I had quite a busy, and in terms of homwork, a rather unproductive weekend. BUT it was a fantastic weekend and certainly not a waste.


MIS CUMPLEAÑOS
Friday was mis cumpleaños and the people here made it very special for me (I almost got to share a birthday with my sobrina, Reagan). Here at the residence hall I had this cheery sign and subsequently received many wishes of "Feliz cumpleaños!" throughout the day.


I was determined to make it to the pharmacy that day to ask some questions about getting prescriptions so I decided to try and be a little bit social and work on my translation in the common area in hopes that I might have the opportunity to have some small conversations. What awaited me at that little table was not quite what I was hoping for. While I was there I ended up helping one of the students, Lalo, with his English homework (which I didn't mind) and then just as he was leaving a woman came in asking if we wanted to participate in something. It looked like a survey to me, but I really had no clue. Lalo asked me if I had received a note about this and not to do it if I hadn't. I hadn't received anything to my knowledge but after Lalo left one of the staff came to wish me a happy birthday and then seemed to indicate that I should do this thing. Still clueless, I consented. It ended up being a drug test. Lots of fun. I made my way through the questionnaire (who is really going to be that honest about the last time they took cocaine?), making sure I understood it all before signing the bottom. I was then ushered into the bathroom where another woman awaited me holding a little cup. Ugh. She waited outside the stall until I finished. Two minutes later: Horray me - all negative! By the time all of that was done I had enough time to try and eat something before heading off to meet my team for one of my classes. Never made it to the pharmacy (don't worry Mom and Dad, I'll get there this week...Diego heped me with my translation).


Later that evening I had somewhat arranged for a group to go out to dinner for my birthday. We had to be ready to go to Teotihuacan by 6:45am the next morning so I was in the mood for something mild. After much confusion because of the lack of organization (I am learning, with much frustration, the difference between Mexican and American organizational ideas), we made it to a restaurant in el centro. We had a great evening and great food (new favorite: chorizo and queso with tortillas). There ended up being about 25 people there to celebrate with me!


After dinner we headed off to a party hosted by Jess, my "birthday twin", vowing to leave no later than midnight. The party had a theme of pirates and other magical creatures (I didn't want to go buy a costume so my excuse was that I am a magical creature and therefore did not need to dress up as one). It was fun to see everyone's costumes. Five of the guys got little boy Buzz Lightyear pijamas. Here is a picture with Thibault, Francois, and Jamie...and an Italian pirate (Buzz Lightyears not pictured: Adrian and Charles). True to our word, Marthese, Susie, and I made it home at about midnight at which time I made a makeshift vase out of a water bottle for all my lovely flowers given to me. For more photos from my birthday, try this link to my Facebook album.


TEOTIHUACAN
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we arrived at the designated meeting place on campus at 6:45am to leave for Teotihuacan. It is about a three hour bus trip from Querétaro and most of the bus zonked out after about 10 minutes.


When we arrived at the pyramid site Léon, my very aggressive tour guide, said that it would be best for me to stay on the bus and go to the second entrance, which was closer to the pyramids. I say aggressive because that man definitely took charge! After he figured out that I am a bit timid, especially in asking for help if I need it, he constantly told me to stop being shy. Then he kept trying to push me to get up in front of the crowds and practically rammed into people's heels all day. In spite of all that, we formed a bond and he gave me a big hug at the end of the day.


Anyhow, back to the pyramids. Anthony, who is an intern with las Programas Internacionales for the semester (and is from Lodi!), was somewhat assigned to me for the day to make sure I could get around and such. Before the trip he was determined to get me to the top of the pyramids but was told later that he wasn't allowed because it would be too unsafe. He, Léon, and I went to the second entrance after the rest of the students got off the bus. Charles also stayed with me instead of going with the others.


Once we arrived, we navigated our way down to the site. The pyramid site is enormous! It was constructed in the shape of a corn plant, with the roots and nuts on one end, the corn cob, and then the flower at the top. This site used to be a thriving city of 250,000 people until the people of Teotihuacan left, because their supply routes and water were being cut off (it is believed that the society was controlled by the priests back in the day), and then later the Aztecs moved in. This is what I gathered from the Spanish explanation at least. Most of what is at the site today is reconstructed, sadly, and the pyramids used to be covered with murals. There are two main pyramids: el Sol and la Luna. The names are misnomers and have nothing to do with the sun and the moon, but just kinda stuck.


Although Anthony had been told "no" on getting me up the pyramids, this didn't necessarily apply to Charles. ;-) As Anthony was receiving some instructions from Léon, we decided to try it (at least that's the story we were going to stick with if caught)...though with much hesitation on my end because while Charles might have liked the idea of the challenge, I don't think he realized just how tough it would be. We had about half an hour before the rest of the group was to arrive.


Thus we embarked up el Sol, the larger of the two pyramides. Here is a shot from the first level where we stopped to rest. You can see Anthony at the bottom guarding my wheelchair. On the way up, the thinness of the air became apparent and Charles decided that it might be time to stop smoking (unfortunately, that declaration was short-lived). After a few minutes, we started up to the second level with a much more spectacular view! I love this photo looking down from the second level (Mom, you may not want to look at this one), which is about halfway up; if you focus you can get a little disoriented. :-) At this point Anthony gave us the "Stop!" signal and shortly thereafter we saw our group coming. We hurried to start on our way down and made it to the bottom safely where Anthony met us with the wheelchair. Only one of my classmates later asked me about noticing an empty wheelchair when they got there.


The rest of the tour was good, but certainly el Sol was the best part! Here are a few more photos photo 1, photo 2, Brigid, Sarah, y Sarah. Oh yes, and Anthony posing as the obnoxious American tourist.


After Teotihuacan we had lunch at a nearby hotel/restaurant where we were entertained with live music and Native dancers. I always wonder everytime I see performances like this if something within them cringes at doing dances that are to them sacred as a spectacle for tourists as their cameras flash away. There was no explanation of the dances to know that they were sacred, but the woman seemed to be paying homage to the north, east, south, and west before starting. Does poverty drive them to do this? Or are they so far removed from the spiritual aspects of the dance that it is just a cultural ritual? Or could it simply be that they genuinely enjoy sharing that part of their heritage with outsiders? I have no idea, but I didn't take pictures either way.


After lunch we got back on the bus and drove about an hour to the Museo Nacional del Virreinato, which is a museum within an old monastery. Ornate is too bland a word for this place. I have never seen such excessive adornment concentrated in one area. To be honest I was too tired and lost in Spanish to get much out of this place or have much to report back. The museum was our last stop and so we got back onto the busses and headed home. We got back to the Tec a little after 8pm. For more pictures that I didn't post, go to my Facebook album.


Sunday was a fun, but tiring, day...but I am too tired to go into much detail now (plus the photos are still on my camera). Quick summation: church, lunch in el centro, mall with Susie (both of us exhausted), surprise birthday party for Tiffany who turned 19. There was a pink piñata. It was a fun party and Susie and I got back to the Res at about 10pm (muy temprano!).


Now I must be off to bed and try to sleep through this very loud techno music that one of the guys is playing very obnoxiously at 1:30am. Buenas noches! Besos!