First Week in Mexico

The first full day in Merida began with an early wake up for the first day of classes. Being somewhere new is always weird but that feeling is amplified a thousand times when you don’t know the customs and I was still having trouble understanding my host mom’s Spanish and remembering how to say what I wanted to say. I was also worried about taking the bus to school; I hardly like taking SEPTA at home so I was really worried about taking a bus in a different country. Thankfully we were shown how to take the bus so we didn’t have to go by ourselves. As we walked from the bus stop to CIS I got my first small taste of walking around the streets of Merida. I admired how different the buildings looked, I liked all the different colors of the buildings that we never see at home and just took in the streets and my new surroundings.

CIS is amazing. It is so simple and pretty with beautiful outdoor landscape and courtyards containing ctenosaurs, anoles, whiptails, and other creatures and plants we are studying in our taxonomies for biology. I was not expecting the courtyards or how beautiful it was when we first found it in the middle of a row of buildings in the middle of the city.

Once at CIS we took our placement tests and began our classes with three hours of grammar class in the morning and two hours of culture class in the afternoon. The first day was stressful because I still was having trouble adapting to having to listen, think, and speak in Spanish all the time.

We were fortunate enough to be taken around the city by our instructors in order to show us a little bit of the city. We were taken to banks on Paseo de Montejo and shown how to take out money from the ATMs and then told more information about walking around the city, the bus system (which seems to be if you see a bus you want to get on all you have to do is wave it down), and a little bit on the history of Merida and the way it is set up as a city. One of the most important things to know when trying to get somewhere in the city is to know what Colonia your destination is in. The city of Merida is broken up into several different Colonias, each of which might have its own Calle 21 or whatever number, so one of the most important things about trying to get somewhere is making sure that you are in the right Colonia.

 In culture class we also talked a little bit about the Yucatan Pennisula and its history. The Yucatan peninsula is comprised of the three Mexican states of Yucatan, Campeche, and Quintana Roo. The name Yucatan actually has no significance and was actually derived from a misunderstanding between the Mayans and the Spanish conquistadors. When the Spanish first arrived in the Yucatan they asked the Mayans “what is the name of this place?” the Mayans could not understand what the Spaniards were asking so they replied “I don’t understand your language” the Spanish thought that the Mayans were answering their question and mispronounced the end of the Mayan’s statement resulting in the formation of the word Yucatan.

The rest of the first day was spent exploring the neighborhoods around my homestay with friends who live nearby and continuing to talk with my host family and trying to become more comfortable conversing in Spanish.

On Tuesday we had our first taxonomy quiz focusing in amphibians and reptiles at 8am. Afterwards we had classes as usual in Spanish grammar and culture. When Danielle, Dana, Cindy and I were going home on the bus for the first time by ourselves we got off at the wrong stop, in the wrong Colonia. We decided to walk from Colonia Itzimna to Colonia Mexico Oriente because it did not seem that far on the map and it was nice out. Although I would normally have been extremely aggravated by something like this I did not really mind having to walk through all the different neighborhoods once we knew which way to go. Walking through the streets gives you a greater appreciation for the way the people live and a better feel for the area. It’s interesting to look at the houses because for the most part they are so much simpler than those seen in Pennsylvania suburbia. I love the use of bright colors in many of the houses we saw. I’d have to say that the house that sticks out most in my mind was a blaring yellow house with a giant crucifix on it. I could not help to think how strange it looked to me because we are not accustomed to brilliant colors in our buildings or such huge religious symbols hung on the sides of houses. I just thought that it was extremely interesting because we never see anything like that at home. After about fourty-five minutes of walking through various neighborhoods we eventually found ourselves back on Calle 21 in Mexico Oriente and finally walked into our homestay, tired and hungry for the midday meal.

Tuesday was also interesting because it as the first night that all of the students in our group planned to meet and explore the city for Aakash’s birthday. It was decided that everyone would meet at Pasejo de Montejo and then proceed to the Zocolo, also called la Plaza Grande. It was amazing to think that we had only just gotten there and were already ready to explore the city and the streets on our own.

Merida is a city with a very interesting and cultural past. Merida was founded 466 years ago by Francisco de Montejo “El Mozo” in 1542. The site upon which Merida was built was first the site of the ancient Mayan city of T’ho o Ichcaansiho, which first had four pyramids that one by one were destroyed and the stones the Mayans had used to build the pyramids, were used to construct many of the first buildings in Merida. One of the main buildings in la Plaza Grande is the Cathedral of San Ildelfonso built in the 16^th century. The Cathedral is the oldest church in the American continent and was built from the stones of a Mayan Temple. Also in the Zocolo is La Casa de Montejo which is the house that was built by the founder Francisco de Montejo “El Mozo” in 1543 to be his residence and symbol of authority and power. The house is adorned with a very ornate decoration displaying the Conquistador’s power over the natives, shown through the depiction of armed conquistadors standing on the heads of natives to guard the residence. The other main buildings in la Plaza Grande are el Palacio de Gobierno which was opened in 1892, and el Palacio Municipal.

I was so excited to be going to la Plaza Grande and to see the buildings and just experience being in the main plaza where everyone congregates. I was filled with anticipation as we approached la Plaza Grande because I had read about it before and had learned about it in class. It was so beautiful and so much more than I imagined when we arrived. The area just had an exciting ambiance all around with groups of people just meeting and talking with each other and merchants trying to sell things. Seeing everything at night just enhanced the ambiance to see the way the buildings were showcased with lights. Que alucinanate!

We walked up Calle 60 to another smaller plaza with another church and monuments  that were also beautifully showcased. We eventually settled on a restaurant and commenced the celebration of Aakash’s birthday along with the celebration of being here in Merida and for being afforded the wonderful opportunity to be here and see and experience all the spectacular things that await us in Mexico.

The next day we were immersed even more into Merida. It was planned for us to take a bus tour of Merida after school on Wednesday so many of us decided to try a restaurant close to the school for our midday meal. I was excited to be in a restaurant to try Yucateca food, especially Conchinita Pibil since I had heard so many good things about it over the course of the week from my language and culture professors. It was absolutely delicious! I have surprised myself with my openness to new foods here since I am usually such a finicky eater, but I have tried and liked almost everything so far!

After lunch we went on a bus tour of Merida and saw many different parts of the city. Although I had already taken the bus down Pasejo de Montejo it was interesting to hear about what all the beautiful, older building were and to notice the different styles of architecture that were used in the construction of the building. Throughout the tour was were shown many buildings and houses that were built in different styles. The three main influences that

Park of the Americas

were used during the construction many of the colonial houses were Moorish, Spanish, and French. We also explored the Park of the Americas, drove past several smaller plazas, to zoo, the bull fighting ring, and many other points of interest eventually ending up in the Zocolo. On the way into La Plaza Grande we drove through the arch of one of the original entrances to the city and learned about how the city used to be broken up into different sections for the Mayans, African slaves, the poor, and the affluent. Being in the Zocolo again was just as good as the night before. I love going to the main plaza it is so beautiful and full of excitement.

After I got back to my homestay I sat and talked with my host-mom for a long time for the first time one on one. At times it was really hard because sometimes I would become frustrated when I couldn’t express what I meant or wanted to say in Spanish so she wouldn’t always understand me, at other times the same thing would happen to her and she would say something that I just couldn’t understand. Even though it was somewhat frustrating we were able to understand each other for the most part and I learned more about her life, where she was from, her family, and other students that have lived in her house over the past twenty years. I was really glad that we were able to sit down and learn more about each other even though we couldn’t always understand each other.

On Thursday many of us went to La Serenata, an event that occurs every Thursday night in Plaza de Santa Lucia close to La Plaza Grande. Santa Lucia was a smaller plaza but when we got there it was full of life and plenty of people to observe La Sereanta. During La Serenata there were Mayan performers dressed in traditional Mayan dress, who demonstrated several examples of traditional Mayan dances. Two dances stick out most in my mind. The first was a dance in which the dancers performed a dance where bottles and glasses on trays were placed on their heads and they danced spinning rapidly without dropping the tray or any of the glasses. I couldn’t help but think how hard that must be and how much practice it must take to accomplish. The second dance that stood out in my mind was one in which the woman played the part of el toro while the man dances with a  panuelo or scarf and they dance together. It was interesting to see the traditional dancing of the Mayans and how they have been upheld over the centuries. After the dancers were finished trovadores came onto the stage and began singing. In culture class, we were taught about serenatas and trovadores which are tied to the history of the Yucatan. Serenatas are romantic occasions when a man that really cares for a woman brings group of trovadores (musicians/singers), usually a trio, outside of the window of the woman he cares for and sings a song of deep affection to her. This is a very rich and cultural Yucatecan tradition that appears to have died out in today’s generations but is still upheld and celebrated in events like La Serenata in Santa Lucia. I am so glad that I am getting the opportunity to witness these examples of traditions that are integral and unique to the area and culture. It was interesting to witness the trovadores because we had just learned about them in class and to imagine what it could have been like back in the times when it was customary for there to be a group of men singing beautiful love songs outside of a house. It just seems so much like something out of a movie. I also admired the size of the crowd in Santa Lucia to see La Serenata because there were so many people there, that it just made me think that these are traditions that are very important to the people here because of how large and receptive the crowd was.

Friday we learned how to Salsa dance in culture class. I was really excited when I found out that we would learn the dance in class. I have always enjoyed dancing from as far back as I could remember but have never had any lessons or really gone anywhere where everyone knew how to dance. At first it was hard to try to follow the instructor and I would find myself mixing up my feet or going in the wrong direction, but eventually when I just relaxed and just went with it I found it to be a lot easier and incredibly fun. It was also amusing to look around and see everyone in our group making their attempts at salsa, even though not many of us knew what we were doing it was still just so much fun to be trying something new together and to look around at everyone else’s reactions.

Later that night was our Welcome party at CIS. The party consisted of everyone coming to CIS with their host families, each family contributing a different dish, and everyone from our classes and CIS coming together to sample different foods and just converse with each other. My host-mom did not come with us because it was her birthday and she stayed home with her family. I wish that she had been able to come so that way we could have seen her outside of the house environment and how she interacts with some of her friends. After dinner some of us decided to go out for coffee at a café called Sega Fredos, or at least something like that. It was so nice to just go to a café with friends and just relax from our first week of class. The place that we went sort of had an American feel to it just in its very modern style and I just couldn’t help but laugh when I heard many songs playing that were very popular in the United States recently. I’ve actually heard music in English in other places but I just find it amusing and interesting how much the people here know about the United States in respect to politics, television, and music, and that is a problem how few people in the United States know about the happenings in other countries or even within our own country.

Saturday we had our first excursion outside of the city to the cenote of Chelentun. Cenotes are underground streams and collections of fresh water that become accessible from the surface when some of the limestone that the peninsula is composed of collapses allowing the water below to be available. Cenotes were extremely sacred to the Maya and essential to life for some of the Mayan cities because it is how they could access the water that does not exist on the surface in the form of lakes and rivers. Pieces of pottery and other Mayan artifacts have been found in cenotes and are used to support the idea that the cenotes were sacred and that objects were thrown into the cenotes as offerings. Cenotes can also be found in a variety of different sizes and forms as well. Some cenotes are cavernous and under the surface, whereas others are open on the surface and look like ponds or lakes.

To get to the cenote we left from CIS around 8:00am and drove out of the city. Once we reached the place we had to take carts pulled by donkeys on little tracks to the actual cenotes. The tracks that the carts were placed on, were originally constructed for the transportation of henequen from the fields where they were grown to warehouses. Henequen, in a sense was the gold of the Yucatan. When the conquistadors came to the Yucatan looking for gold to become rich they did not find any, but years later wealth was achieved in the Yucatan by the growing and exportation of the henequen plant because of the many uses that were discovered for it causing a great demand for it in Europe leading to a growth of industry and wealth in the peninsula.

Entering First Cenote

Our first glimpse of the first cenote we breathtaking! We had to take a long staircase under the ground

into cave-like area. It was so stunning to see the brilliant blue water, the clearest and most blue water I have ever seen, in the surroundings of the cave with rays of light that shown in through the opening in the ground. I had seen pictures of cenotes before but nothing came close to seeing the real thing with my own eyes. Right now I am even having trouble trying to find words to describe the cenote because it was so amazing that words simply just cannot describe it. I could not believe that I could be in a place so magnificent. The water was perfect, fresh, clear, and even

First Cenote

 had a few fish. There were a few rocks around the edges to sit or stand on but once you left the edge the cenote became very deep. For a while we just swam around and took in the scenery. E

ventually it was discovered that we could jump and dive from the platform and that became the main pastime as everyone took turns and watched each other. It was so much fun!

The second cenote that we went to was just as beautiful, if not more striking than the first one. There was an even smaller opening to the second one that we had to duck down to get into it and then go down even longer stairs. The se

cond cenote was darker and even more cave-like, and simply spectacular. It was interesting how there were roots from

a strangler fig that came down from the ceiling above and actually reached the water. Our time in the second cenote was cut short as a result of a massive wave of French tourists that just overran the place making it too crowded and taking away from the natural ambiance and tranquility of the cenote. It was almost impossible even to go back up the staircase because there were so many people trying to go down it to the cenote and others just stopping on the stairs to take a picture holding up the whole flow of movement.

When Danielle and I got back home we were so exhausted, but we could not nap because our host-mom’s family was coming over for lunch for her birthday. Senora Gomez’s son, daughter-in-law and their four children arrived shortly after we got in. At first it was really awkward because I still was not very confident in my ability to speak in Spanish, especially to new people and also just because I was so tired and all I could think about was how much I just wanted to take a nap. Eventually I started to feel a little more relaxed as I sat at the table and thought how much they reminded me of my family in some ways. I still would feel uncomfortable every time someone would as me a question and I couldn’t catch it and had to ask for it to be repeated several times, or if someone asked me something and I misunderstood and answered something completely different. I tried not to get too embarrassed and just laughed it off with the rest of the family because there is nothing else I could do about it. It would just be especially hard when the family would be talking to each other because they would speak so rapidly I could hardly catch what was being said. I was glad when I actually left the table and went outside to play papa caliente (hot potato) with Danielle and the five year-old grandson, Fernando, who is just completely adorable. It was harder than I thought it would be to play with Fer just because I couldn’t always understand what he was saying when he would talk really fast or try to explain a game to us. I really liked Senora Gomez’s family and just hope that maybe I’ll be less nervous next time they come over and be able to converse with them better next time they come over.