Mexican life, week 2!

Posted on April 16, 2013 by pricemv

So I’m playing catch up on the last 2 weeks. I covered week one, finally! And now, I’m on to week 2 =D

After the crazy busy weekend of clibing a mountain =p all I wanted was to relax the next day. I slept late, and it felt glorious. But there was a problem-the time finally changed here =p We ‘sprang forward’ and the whole day I was lost. I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out what time it really was. I went to a huge market with a friend and we walked sooooo much. We were going to meet at noon to go, buttttttt, the time changed. So she was ready by eleven, which really was noon, and I was late because I thought she meant the real noon. It was a confusing time. But we walked around this open air market and there were so many things to buy! Clothes, shoes, make up, meat, fruit, veggies, bascially anything that you would ever need. That was fun. There were so many people.

But honestly the day dragged on for what seemed like forever because none of my clocks were right, and my internal clock was wrong too. The bright side, I was able to meet the kids of my host parents that night! They have a son and a daughter, both in their 30s and married. But the daughter just had their first grand baby. So everyone is excited all the time when she comes over. And rightly so. She is adorable!

But because of the time change, I got to bed late, and none of my clocks were right, so I was actually late waking up and wlaking to school. But luckily I arrived on time =) not a good way to start week 2, but things could have been worse. Week 2 was met with a lot more understanding of the language, but a lot more confusion at the same time. We had a lot of homework in our classes, but most of the work is done at home with our families. That’s really where I’m learning the most Spanish. They are helpful, and they correct me when I’m wrong. Which is a lot! hahaha but that’s ok. That comes with the territory of learning a new language. I’m ok with being wrong. Because I know that I don’t know the language. =p

We had an adventure around the city for one of our classes during the week. Each of us had to learning about a ceratin location in the city, lead the group to it, and talk about it for about 5 minutes. Yikes. Our first prezzie in just the second week. It went well. We got to see lots of the city. It’s really beautiful.

part of the city of Queretaro

I love everything about it here, and I think that’s because it’s so different. Yes, there are parts of Mexico that are dangerous, but wehre I am, I feel fine. I see a lot of homeless and poor people everyday. And that really makes me feel sad inside. Because I know that I can’t help them right now.

people on the streets selling things

There are always people on the side of the streets selling things. Things that they made, things that they are trying to resell, or sometimes things that are stolen are also being sold. I wish I could give money to all of these people down here, because they really need it. The dollar is a lot strong than the peso, and everything is priced at at least half price. which is crazy when I think about it. But to these people, they are barely getting by. It’s just really eye opening to how other parts of the world are. I’ve seen poverty before. This isn’t what is surprising to me. It’s surprising to me that no one does anything about it. Mexico shares a boarder with the US, but we do nothing here. It just really makes me want to talk action. People have always been my passion. It makes me really sad to see them suffer.

the busy, beautiful city

I’ve walked all over the city center and near my neighborhood multiple times with a couple people. It’s great. There are so many new things. I love it here. The city is huge, and there are people. It’s great. I can’t believe that I’m in the middle of week 3 right now, ironic as I’m supposed to be writing about week 2, =p but the time is both flying by and feeling like it’s been 3 months. It’s crazy here. But I really like it. This upcoming week has a lot to offer me! It’s a secret what’s going on this weekend, but I’ll update soon!

La vida en Mexico, week 1

Posted on April 16, 2013 by pricemv

So, I’m a little behind in my blogging because it’s been kind of hard to find internet down here. Nevertheless. My first week!

My first week was met with so much anticipation and excitement. After arriving in the country, it really started to sink in that I’ll have to speak Spanish everyday that I’m here. Boy, did my head hurt. The first week was all about learning new things. I learned about the bus system, the taxies, the schools, the culture and the language.

After arriving at my new house on Saturday, March 30, everything changed. It was really exciting, even though there were some problems even that first day. We all took taxies to our houses, but my family hadn’t arrived home yet. Only I didn’t know that until I got there =p and no, I didn’t have a cell phone on me…it was a little scary at first, but I live in a really nice neighborhood and so I just parked it under a tree and waited for them to come home about 30 minutes later. Being met by my new host mom and dad was something else. All in Spanish. My brain was fried.

I was pretty burned after that first day. now i wear sun screen everyday!

I couldn’t even concentrate on what they were saying. The sun had drained the life out of me and burned me to a crisp. But they fed me and gave me my bedroom. I slept so well that first night. I think about 15 hours. It was glorious. And I definitely needed it. This life is crazy!

The entire first week I spent just trying to get used to everything. The heat. The cars in the city. The crazy drivers. The food. And the language.

my first meal in Mexico. tacos with carne asada!

There are so many cars here. And busses, and taxies. But everyone drives like a maniac. It’s pretty crazy coming from Oregon where people always have the right of way. Here is not the case. I haven’t seen it, but I’m pretty positive that the cars won’t stop for you =p so the moral of the story is, walk as fast as you can across the street! I’ve been in the busses a few times. It costs a total of $.50 to ride it. Not bad. I should be riding everyday considering I live so far from the school. But the busses feel like they are held together with duct tape. haha Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but they scare me. So I walk about 30-40 minutes to school every morning with a friend.

there is a lot of traffic. everyday.

In the first week I went to school everyday, talked Spanish everyday, walked everyday, and did new things everyday. That’s a lot for just the first week. I was completely tuckered out. But there was a big trip planned for the weekend! Our group was going to Bernal. It’s a little town about an hour away from Queretaro with a monolith. Yes, we went hiking. In hundred degree weather. haha we all just about died. But it was fun. In Bernal we ate traditional food after the hike.

gorditas in Bernal!

agua de jamaica. (water flavored with hibiscus.) it’s soooooooooooo good!

The first week was a lot to take in. The hardest part was the language and just getting used to it. The teachers try to talk slower, but the families and normal people talk really fast. It’s hard to keep up sometimes. But that’s what the frist week was all about. New culture. New people. The people here are great. Most that I’ve met are really nice. But the culture is very different. This is a conservative city. So we stick out when we wear dresses, skirts or shorts. And because we stick out, we get cat-called…a lot. Everyday there are eyes always on us. Cars always honking. Men always yelling. At first it was startling. But I just ignore it. There is nothing I can do, and they are really harmless. It’s the machismo. It’s just the culture. It’s funny though, that this is a conservative city where they don’t wear “scandalous clothing” but there are always couples everywhere just going crazy and making out. haha it’s a little ironic. But it’s just the way it is I guess =p

I really enjoy it here so far. I have another week to post about. So stay tuned!

La Comida

Posted on April 16, 2013 by pricemv

Those who know me, know that I LOVE to cook and eat! However, I have been having some withdrawals from not eating typical Mexican dishes such as tacos, pollo ala crema, carne asada, pollo con arroz, huevos rancheros, or SPICY FOOD in general!!! So far, I have been eating lots of pasta dishes, pizza, burgers/fries, sandwiches, milanesa (breaded thin slices of chicken or beef), bread, empanadas (meat kinds, not the desert kinds I’m use too), veggie pies, and more red meats though I still have yet to eat some Asado. Some of the meats/veggies I’ve most noticed most are olives, eggs, lots of tomatoes/onions, various cheeses, ham, beef, salami, and even eggplant and spinach. Though I have yet to eat something with a lil spicy kick, I have enjoyed trying new foods. I like to remind myself to be open and try everything at least once before making a conclusion. Overall, I do miss jalapeños, salsa roja, and even guacamole, but the food thus far has been delicious and hasn’t gotten me sick, ha! Below are some pictures of dishes I have encounter/prepared:

Another thing I have been having to adjust are when folks eat. Breakfast is much smaller than I am use too. Lunch is around 1-2pm. Around 5-6pm, you eat a some snack with maté. Dinner is not until around 10-12pm. I have been taking advantage of lunch and eat as much as possible because I get hungry every 3 hours and dinner is way too late for me. Also, the cost of food is much more expensive than I am use too. I typically spend around 15-20 dollars (60-100 pesos) if I go out to a restaurant. One thing I love about lunch and dinner is that everyone eats together. Back home, my family and I rarely eat together or even with my roommates. I love that we can have conversations about each others day, highs/lows, any new adventures, etc. In terms of drinking, I have been drinking a lot more soda than usual. We have had bottles of wine, but it has been mostly when we have larger team dinners. We haven’t had beer at the site as a drink, but it is very common to buy several bottles of beer and share during dinner at restaurants.

So, if anyone wants to send me some spice, hollllllaaaa!

Just How Old, is “Old”?

Posted on April 14, 2013 by pricemv

This first week has been kind of a blur. The first day we walked from the dorms all the way to the down town area where we will be taking classes. There is a reason that we will normally be taking the bus, it had to be every bit of three miles. The steep downhill slope was no fun on my knees, but I made it there. We had biometric photos taken for our student ID cards and visas. We also waited in line to apply for our visas and in between we had a walking tour of the down town part of the city, because apparently we hadn’t walked enough. By the end of the first day I was exhausted and sore, but still very excited. After all of the walking and paperwork and orientation we headed back to the dorms. I got lost trying to find a bus stop to get back to the dorms, then when I did find the bus stop, I got on the wrong bus and had to wait for it to make a complete circuit of the city to get back. The upside is I had a nice, unguided tour of the city and I didn’t have to walk anywhere.

One of the first things that struck me about Tübingen was the apparent age of the buildings. Most were built in the 14th and 15th centuries. The City hall was currently undergoing renovations to ensure that it would last another 600 or 700 years.

I asked one of the student teaching assistants how old this wall was and her response was, “It’s not really old at all, only about 200 years.” There are a few buildings in the US that predate the founding of our country, but darn few, and any building that is 200 years old is definitely considered to be old.

Emerging From my Bubble

Posted on April 13, 2013 by pricemv

This last weekend I finally got to do a little exploring! It was such a beautiful day on Saturday that I took advantage of the somewhat sunny day and went to the beach. I went to Killiney beach and although it was not hot it was a clear day.

Clear day on Killiney beach!

I was amazed to see surfers in the water because I was barely warm bundled up let alone being in the freezing water in only a suit! I walked along the pebbled beach collecting stones and simply enjoying the scenery. It was a peaceful way to begin my day.

After I was ready to move on I went to a neighboring village (Sandycove) and explored the many shops. One shop in particular ended up being my favorite because it was full of interesting knick-knacks and local handmade jewelry. I also ate at a local café, which for the life of me I can’t remember the name of although it had the word moon in it. The food was delicious! The bread was homemade and fresh same with the soup. Definitely have to go to that café again!

On the way back home I made one more stop in Dun Laoghaire, which I had debated about all day. I had already been to Dun Laoghaire and at this point was getting tired so I almost didn’t stop, but I am sure glad that I did! Dun Laoghaire ended up being my favorite place that I went to that day. The reason being is a local musician had set up shop at a place called the Pavilion, which is right next to the water. He was playing the electrical guitar and was quite good!

The street musician doing what he does best…

Look at the puppet dance!

The atmosphere was relaxed and to top it off just before leaving the town I got to see another musician this one being a woman on the flute with a dancing puppet. It was the perfect ending to an amazing day. The rest of the week went by mostly uneventfully. I have started to develop my schedule of waking up in the morning getting ready for work and so on. The days have started to go by relatively fast, especially now at work. I have started getting more work load and projects, which makes me busier allowing the time to past faster. I am starting to really enjoy my job and have already learned quite a bit. I did go out Wednesday night with a few people to a pub. It was an interesting experience, because the group consisted of several people from Spain, Brazil, and Italy.

What an amazingly diverse group!

It was fascinating to talk with all of them and just get a feel for each culture. If I had to choose one thing to take away from this week it would be embracing my emergence from my bubble. Tonight I was talking with my host mom and I was telling her before this trip I hadn’t travelled much and my ignorance of even the basic things were astounding. For example there being different plug-ins all around the world. It is not necessarily significant information, but what it represents is significant. My untraveled self has been living in a bubble where, I realized, I view the world from. Meaning I have assumed the rest of the world is similar to what I know. This has continuously been highlighted these last two weeks with each new piece of knowledge that becomes known. This became especially evident Wednesday night I found myself surrounded by several different cultures. I am forever thankful I choose to embark on this journey, because I want to shed my ignorance and hopefully grow in the process.

Morocco (Part 3)

Posted on April 12, 2013 by pricemv

Early Saturday morning, we said our goodbyes to our awesome host family and prepared to leave Rabat. Before beginning the journey into the Rif Mountains, we took a quick look around a beautiful Arabic mausoleum. The current King’s father and grandfather’s remains reside here.

Life in urban Morocco is very different from life in the rural countryside. The passage from the city into the rural areas was dramatic- we had left a first-world country for that of a third-world developing nation. Poverty remains largely a rural phenomenon too: almost one Moroccan out of four is poor in rural areas compared to one out of ten in urban areas. Although the rural population represents 46% of the total population, 66% of the poor live in rural areas.

Deep in the countryside, we took a short hike through a mountain village to eat lunch with a local family. The views were breathtaking. Once there, we were greeted by an elderly mother and daughter with couscous and tea. With the help of a translator who accompanied us, we had a candid and honest conversation with the women about education, the simplicity of life, and economic challenges of rural areas in Morocco. Without the presence of a man in the home, the women openly spoke of the ills of arranged marriage and the traditional/sexist expectations and roles of women in the household. The mother had lived in the village for the majority of her life- a village without electricity until 2006.

Talking with the women was a moving experience. Despite the language barrier, they were so sweet and cheerful. They had hosted lunches for American students on the Morocco Exchange trip before and said we were all so beautiful; the mother later hugged me so tight, it was one of the most genuine embraces I’ve ever had. I almost started to tear up. I’ll alway remember that. A grandma is a grandma across the world.

It’s difficult for me to describe the emotions I experienced driving through the villages and eating with the family. I have never been to a developing nation and witnessed first-hand the stark differences between my life and theirs. It prompted me to reconsider my values and priorities- the things that I take for granted. Why am I so fortunate? What things really matter in my life? How can I help?

But at the end of the day when we are stripped of our material things, we are all people. We feel, we love, we hope- we all seek the same intangible things of life. With the recent passing of my father, a wave of raw emotions and realizations surfaced while in Morocco, more so than I expected. Life is short and I want to live a life I’m proud of. I want to continue traveling the world and live continuing exploring the outskirts of my comfort zone. I want to learn, learn, learn- soak up every encounter and allow the people & the places of the world affect me.

After the lunch and a short drive, we arrived in the gorgeous town of Chefchaouen situated at the foot of the Rif Mountains; Chefchaouen literally translates to “look at the peaks” in Arabic. It is an enchanting little place with fresh mountain air and a tranquil ambiance. The well-preserved medina is a 15th century relic from the Muslim civilization of Andalusia (southern Spain).

The picturesque medina, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Rif Mountains, is filled with white-washed homes with distinctive, powder-blue accents, and the call to prayer rings out of several mosques around the town in chorus. Streets weave throughout the town lined with friendly and welcoming artisans and shop owners. Chefchaouen is a great place to shop- especially for woven rugs and blankets of bright colors. If only I had the luggage space to bring some home. Next time..

Morocco (Part 2)

Posted on April 12, 2013 by pricemv

On Friday, we woke up early and crossed the river from Rabat to the neighboring town of Salé. There we visited a new non-profit community center/socio-cultural space dedicated to preparing young people for employment. The center focuses on the training and qualification of youth in Tabriquet neighborhoods, providing support and mentoring in finding employment and promoting volunteering and volunteerism among youth in the city.

On the way through Sale, we passed by one of two shanty-towns we would see during the trip. The story of Morocco’s shanty-towns begins in the early 20th century, when poor migrants flocked from the countryside to cities expanding under French colonial rule. Most never intended to stay, but the slums have remained: along railway lines, around many towns and scattered throughout the suburbs. Some residents have shops nearby, and many hawk cigarettes, shine shoes and scrabble for odd day jobs. With most families earning around 2,000 Moroccan dirhams a month, they’re living in terrible conditions. In very visible places, a mere stone’s throw from people in nice apartments. It’s difficult to even comprehend such a life. The government is working to eradicate these shanty-towns and urban slums by relocating residents into temporary housing. However, many residents complain the temporary housing is often just as bad feel the government ought to help provide better, safer, lasting housing opportunities.

After our conversation with the local students, we headed to Chellah to visit the Roman ruins. Chellah is considered to be the oldest known human settlement along the banks of the Oued Bou Regreg (Bou Regreg River). The site is perched dramatically above the fertile river plain of the estuarine portion of Oued Bou Regreg, two kilometres from its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean. The site is thought to have been originally a colony of Phoenician and Carthaginian exploration as early as the third century BC, but the earliest recognisable architecture dates from Roman occupation circa 40 AD. In any case, the site is one of the earliest clearly identifiable settlements of man in Morocco. The gardens spread throughout the area were a refreshing site from Barcelona’s city streets. The area is beautifully landscaped with hundreds of flowers coming into bloom during springtime and the result of this is fresh air and the most amazing variety of scents.

Exploring Rabat

Morocco (Part 1)

Posted on April 12, 2013 by pricemv

Bright and early Thursday morning, my friend Taylor and I headed to the Barcelona airport. There we would meet up with 11 friends and begin a weekend of a lifetime; destination: Morocco! We took a two hour flight to Malaga, a city along the coast of Southern Spain. From there, we drove about 2hours to Tarifa, Spain and boarded a ferry across the Straight of Gibraltar to the African continent- to Tangier, Morocco!

After the quick walk through the market, we made our way towards the DARNA Center for Girls- “darna” meaning “home.” At the center, girls and women are given the opportunity to reintegrate into the mainstream of Morocccan society through stable learning environments, skills training programs, and career-building initiatives. In January 2004, the center opened a community restaurant and shop, where items produced by women in DARNA are sold. We ate at the restaurant for lunch and chatted with local Tangier university students.

After the lunch and discussion, we toured the center; the center houses classrooms for tutoring illiterate women of all ages and also has sewing stations (both old school and new machines) as means to help women generate a source of income. The shop offers all the textile products created by the women including handmade cloths, decor items, and accessories. I supported the cause and found some very cute things that made for awesome souvenirs!

It was a cool experience to chat with peers about their Islamic society. They openly shared their thoughts on their religion, the Moroccan education system, and answered our questions about what daily life encompassed for youth in a Muslim country. These students in particular were very devoted to their faith and seemed more conservative/traditional than other kids our age we would meet later in the trip. Very interesting trying to empathize with them and sincerely grasp their very different belief system.

While en route to Asilah, a town about 3o minutes south of Tangier, we made a quick pitstop to ride camels. Touristy? Yeah. Comfortable? Debateable. Fun? Totally.

Asilah, meaning “authentic” in Arabic, is a peaceful and beautiful town along the Atlantic Coast. It dates back to 1500 B.C., when the Phoenicians used it as a base for trade. We strolled through the medina (“old city”) section of the town. Asilah has Mediterranean-influenced buildings, including whitewashed houses with blue accents on walls and doors. The array of houses decorated with paintings highlights the island’s reputation as an artists’ hangout. It hosts annual music and arts festivals, including a mural-painting festival. The best paintings remain on the Medina walls for the following years.

From Asilah, we drove two hours south to the capital of Morocco, Rabat. My friends Kim, Taylor, and I would spend the next 2 nights of our trip with a wonderful host family here. The 25-year old son of the family, Fahd (pronounced “Fed”) spoke English fluently, which we would come to find out was thanks to his affinity/obsession for American movies and videogames. Pretty funny. The mm of the family spoke no English, unfortunately only Arabic and French, but was still so sweet. Our favorite was the dad. The dad of the family spoke English fairly well, as in his hay day, was a player on the Moroccan national rugby team and picked up bits & pieces of languages throughout his travels with the team. He was very welcoming and funny. There was also a year-long American exchange student from New York living with the family as well, Jake. Oh, and I can’t forget Lilou. Lilou was the cute and curious little house cat who made our home-stay feel even more like home!

We ate most of our (AMAZING) meals on the trip with the family and really felt like we were part of it. We ate in front of the tv and made jokes; even with cultural and linguistic differences, meal time really felt like home even though we were miles from the States. I had heard Moroccans were renowned for their hospitality, and I’m here to confirm that fact for you. It was an absolutely awesome experience I would recommend for anyone and I believe we gained so much more living with locals rather than staying in a hotel.

And So It Begins…

Posted on April 11, 2013 by pricemv

I have completed the first week of my internship. The first thing I had to learn was how to get to work! Last week I decided to do a trial run where I went to work to meet everyone, which had the added benefit of figuring out how to even get to the place. It was a good thing I did because I got lost. I needed to get to the DART, which I did after going a round-a-about way due to a missed turn.

Here comes the DART! I ride this to and from work everyday.

Once I got into Dalkey I couldn’t find Max Media. I ended up calling the number that was given to me and ironically I was only across the street. I just didn’t know it. You have to go through what is called the “Courtyard” then go up some stairs to get to the office. I couldn’t find it because it was set back out of the way.

The infamous “Courtyard”.

I met everyone and was able to make it back to the DART station without any mishaps. Well unfortunately once I got off on my stop I realized I didn’t know how to get back. Normally I am pretty good at retracing my steps, but due to my round-about-way of getting to the DART originally it left me slightly confused. I ended up walking around searching for anything familiar for at least two hours. I later learned the walk should have only taken me ten minutes! I figured it out. You live and you learn. Thankfully, I did this before I started work so I was not on any time schedule. The first day of work I made it there no problem. The office was quiet all this week because two people are on vacation and one is out sick. This leaves only three people, besides myself, in the office! I really am enjoying what I am doing and was given a project to start on the first day. I am mostly handling social media projects with facebook and twitter. How many jobs do you get to spend on facebook all day? Not many! It is rewarding to work on a project that you get an immediate response to by the public. Especially, when people are sharing something they feel passionate about with you, it draws you into their interest. I have also had to do a lot of research for posts and I have found myself getting sucked into some of the research and this is on topics that don’t normally draw my attention. Overall, what I will take away from this week is getting lost is not a bad thing , in fact, sometimes you need to get lost to know where you are at. I am now able to navigate around Monkstown, due to my earlier escapade, fairly successfully.

Monkstown where I wondered for what seemed like forever!

I have learned that it is rewarding to draw people together that share an interest and watch them interact. The most important thing that I will be able to take away from this week is even when you are doing a task you don’t like put your all into it because it may surprise you how much you end up enjoying it.

Arrival

Posted on April 11, 2013 by pricemv

My flight plan took me to Amsterdam before I actually arrived in Ireland. In Amsterdam the airport was chaotic. Picture a large mass of people swarming around made up of all different nationalities. Just from walking two minutes I heard at least three different languages. My biggest concern was finding my terminal. I managed to find it without any problems, although it was on the other side of the airport. This allowed me to walk through the entire airport where, to my amusement, there was a shop named simply “Tobacco, Liquor, Chocolates”. My layover ended up being 5 hours due to snow storms in Ireland. It was snow, in fact, that greeted me upon my arrival.

Snow..snow..snow!

Once I was off the plan, through customs, and had collected my luggage I needed to figure out how to get on the right bus. Luckily the people in the airport were really friendly, probably having dealt with plenty of lost travelers. I was directed to the right location where I could await the air coach. Once on the air coach it allowed me my first glimpse of Dublin and neighboring towns. I admit to a holding slight misconceptions about places outside Dublin. I knew where I was staying was relatively small in comparison to Dublin and wrongly assumed that it would be farmland or fields of green with a town of course. That assumption was very wrong. While the location where I live is small in comparison to Dublin, that does not mean that it is small. I guess size is relative and when you live in a town consisting of only a college really for the last two years small to you is really small. The streets are narrow and the setup of the streets is completely different. The streets are made up of a lot of one ways and round-a-bouts.

One of the many round-a-abouts.

It was easy for me to get turned around especially since street signs are not as popular here. I will admit my poor sense of direction did not help my case. I am just thankful that the people are extremely friendly and were always willing to stop and help direct me. While my misconceptions have been laid to rest it does not mean that I am disappointed with the reality. Ireland is so alive with people. It is hard to put into words what my first look at Ireland was like. How do you describe something that is completely intangible. There is a different feel in the atmosphere here, one that may have been heightened by my excitement, but I don’t think so. I looked around and even just my first casual glance caught sight of the remains of a castle. The castle was situated within the town and seemed to blend into the surroundings, because the town itself appeared to be so rich with history. Maybe that was the cause of the in explainable feeling upon first arrival. All I know is I look forward to fully exploring this beautiful country!

Bustling streets of Dun Laoghaire!

WOU Students Abroad

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Mexican life, week 2!

La vida en Mexico, week 1

La Comida

Just How Old, is “Old”?

Emerging From my Bubble

Morocco (Part 3)

Morocco (Part 2)

Morocco (Part 1)

And So It Begins…

Arrival