Guanajuato (16-18 nov)

I just got a long weekend for the day of the revolution, and decided to go to Guanajuato!  Atli and his family were going to Leon for a family reunion, which is very close to Guanajuato, so they gave me a ride to Leon Friday after work.  I had planned on going on straight to Guanajuato on Friday, but the traffic was horrible because of the long weekend, and we didn't arrive to Leon until 12:30, so I spent the night there and went on to Guanajuato in the morning.  My hostel was on this little pedestrian walk, and the room I was in had doors that opened up right onto the street (like mini balconies) which was pretty cool.  Just up the street there was a bridge that went over the street with a little café there so you could sit overlooking the walkway on both sides.  Half of the roads in Guanajuato are in tunnels underground, and it feels like dungeons when you're walking through them which is cool!  It's an old silver mine colonial town.

Callejon de Beso

 

Saturday afternoon I wandered around town for a bit.  This place is impossible to navigate, even with a map.  Every street winds around and changes names about 5 times.  And there are all these callejons and little stairwells that aren't on the map.  Anyways, after popping into the market for a bit, I headed to the Alhóndiga de Granaditas.  Guanajuato is where the fight for independence started, and the Alhóndiga is where the Spaniards had barricaded themselves.  Despite being outnumbered, it looked as though the Spaniards were going to win, as the Alhóndiga was impenetrable.  But then the Mexicans sent el Pípila, who is now a local legend, with a stone on his back to protect himself to set the Alhóndiga on fire.  The plan worked and drove the Spaniards out to be beaten in battle by the Mexicans.  And then the fight for independence travelled from there to the capital.  Today the Alhóndiga has been turned into a history museum about Mexico's history in general and about the country's battle for independence.

 Mummies

After tht I went to the house Diego Rivera was born in which has since been turned into a museum of both his art, and some other exhibitions.  I only really knew Rivera's amazing murals before that, and I had no idea he did art in so many other mediums and styles.  So it was really cool to see such a variety of his work.  There was also a photography exhibit called "Angelitos" by Romualdo García and was images of families with their dead babies.  It was very eerie, but also really interesting.  Some of the families looked like they were in such physical pain, while others were completely expressionless, as though in shock.  And so many of the parents were so young!  Mexicans seem to have this obsession with death that is explored in so many mediums of art.  There was also an exhibit by Jorge Emilio Espinosa Torre called "Mute," and was giant paintings of people's faces up close being silenced.  The paintings were so realistic I initially thought they were photographs!  Even from a metre away they looked like photos, and the faces were so full of expression.

La Catrina

 

I then walked into a few little shops, in which I wanted to buy EVERYTHING.  There were so many beautiful hand-painted tiles, and bowls, and plates.  And I also stopped in a few little art gallery/shops with some gorgeous prints.  That evening I headed to the Callejon de Beso.  There are a lot of really narrow passageways in town, and with many of the buildings having mini balconies, it makes them quite close to the ones next to them.  There's an urban legend in Guanajuato, that the daughter of some wealthy people in town fell in love with a working class boy that lived across the street from her.  Their love was forbidden, but their street was especially narrow and their balconies were practically touching, so they would go onto their balconies and exchange kisses with each other.  Their romance was discovered and it didn't end well for them, but now you can visit the place.  Guanajuato is a university town, and the streets come alive at night.  After this, I went to the steps outside the Juarez Theatre and there was a free clown show, which happens every night.  I thought it was just because of the long weekend, but apparently the city is always like this.

Guanajuato

 

Sunday morning I went to the Museo de los Momias.  A while back, the city began to dig up the bodies of some people whose families' couldn't afford to continue to pay the maintenance fees to the cemetery anymore, and they discovered that many were perfectly mummified!  There were so many nutrients in the soil, that the bodies never decayed.  It was really creepy--the people were still wearing the clothes they were buried in.  And there were a bunch of baby mummies too.  The museum was at the top of a cerro, so I got a good look over the city after climbing up too.  I then went to the Museo de la Puebla.  There were some really cool exhibits there as well, but I only had about an hour there as it was Sunday and the museum closed early.  I had wanted to check out the contemporary art museum as well, but it was closed :(

El Pípila

 

I then planned on climbing up to the mirador with the statue of Pípila, but after asking for directions, the tourist office lady said it wasn't safe to walk alone, so I headed back to the hostel to find some people to go with.  When I got there, I met some guys who had just moved into my room from Mexico State (just outside of DF).  They were really friendly so I recruited them to check the Monumento de Pípila with me.  They didn't speak any English, which was good for me as I was forced to speak Spanish only for the next day and a half.  There was a fernicular we could have taken, but we decided to walk instead and we saw some really cool street art along the way.  The view was beautiful and there was a little artisan market at the top too.  We then all headed to a bar before partaking in the street festivities.  We then found some street musicians and listened to them for a bit before heading back to the hostel for the night.

 

Monday I had a bus ticket back to DF, but I wanted to try to change it to go to San Miguel de Allende first, and then go to DF, but the guys I had met had driven there and were going to San Miguel de Allende before returning to DF and offered to give me a ride, so I just returned the ticket and went with them.  I must be bad luck, because the last time I accepted a ride from people at a hostel in Patagonia, the tire blew and the car flipped...and as we were driving from Guanajuato to San Miguel de Allende and we were in the middle of nowhere, the tire blew out!  Luckily there was no crash this time and they had a spare in the trunk, but I seem to bring bad luck to cars when they're in very remote places.  Once we got to San Miguel de Allende, we headed to the market for some food and then wandered about town.  It's a really pretty place, but quite small.  As it was a holiday, all the museums were closed, but there were a ton of churches with really cool architecture throughout the town.  After walking throughout the town we headed up to a mirador to overlook the city before heading back to DF.  It was a really fun weekend!  And I made new Mexican friends! yay!

San Miguel de Allende

Working Life (Nov 4-15)

I have finished my second week of work now, and I'm still getting adjusted, but I am enjoying it.  My first day of work I thought I was just going to sign my contract etc., but then after showing me around the school and explaining different rules and other things to me, they took me to the grade 3 classroom and were like "you should have lunch with them so you can get to know them."  And then it was recess, and a teacher told me that I was supposed to be supervising the schoolyard right then.  And then that afternoon I ended up in the grade 4 classroom, and the administrators gave me the exams that the kids were supposed to be taking that week, and asked me to hand them out.  And then I just had to wing the rest of the day.  All this, on the little sleep I got on my overnight bus the night before.  Pretty hectic.

All the other teachers are super nice and helpful though.  Each class has 2 teachers; 1 Spanish and 1 English, and they get 3 hours of instruction in each language every day.  The English teacher for grades 5 and 6 is from a farm in Georgia, and has been at the school for about a year now.  He has kind of taken me under his wing and has been helping me navigate this school.  The other English teacher for grades 1 and 2 is Mexican and also super helpful.  All the other teachers are all very nice, but have very limited English.  The director and assistant director also do not speak English.  Although my Spanish is proficient, and I do want to practice more to improve it, not being able to communicate with ease with my supervisors can be frustrating.

After a week of work, I was pretty tired, but also excited, as I got to move out of the hostel!  I still have not found an apartment, but I moved in with the son of some family friends from Cuernavaca.  Atli goes to university in DF, so has an apartment here, and is letting me stay with him until I can find my own place.  When I moved in, he was out of town for the weekend so I got the whole place to myself which was nice.  While the hostel was great for meeting people, and had such lovely staff, it was really frustrating in the mornings when I woke up at 6am, not being able to turn on any lights, or make any noise, as the other people in my room had gone to bed just a few hours before I was getting up.  Saturday after moving all my stuff, I just vegged out on the couch and marathonned through the final season of Breaking Bad.  It was really nice to be able to just chill out and have my own space for the first time in 3 weeks.  Sunday I went to La Merced and filled a backpack and shopping bag with fresh fruits and veggies for approx. $10.  Also so stoked to be able to cook.  The hostel kitchen only had a hotplate with an on/off switch, and I was getting kind of sick of tacos for every meal.

This past week I was getting more into the swing of working.  It has been nice to not be living out of a locker anymore.  Everyday after school I've been apartment hunting, but no luck so far.  I want somewhere safe to walk alone at night, walking distance to a Metro, and affordable...and it seems like getting all 3 is near impossible.  But I'm sure I'll find something soon.  Everyone at school knows I'm looking and they have all made it their missions to help me find a place.  Mexicans are so nice!

While I am enjoying the job, the kids here are crazy.  Compared to Canada, there's no respect for the classroom or teacher...the second I turn my back, they're running out of their seats, and they're constantly talking.  The other day 2 boys were literally fighting in my classroom!  I was shocked.  I'm hoping though that with some more time here I will be able to gain their respect.  Thursday was a fieldtrip to the theatre which I was originally super stoked for.  But then when we got there I found out that it was an interactive educational children's musical.  What a torturous 90 minutes.

 

 

The worst part about my new job though, is that I have to wear a hideous nun's dress over top of my clothes at school.  So ugly.  Also, so funny--last week it dropped to 10 degrees, which admittedly is chilly, but one of the other teachers was teaching in a parka.  And all the kids were wearing their gloves and hats inside the classroom.  I'm ALWAYS cold in Canada, and even I found this a bit ridiculous.  On the metro there are billboards warning people to bundle up in the winter season.  Because 14 degrees necessitates winter clothing.  Aside from this, I think I'm finally starting to blend in a little; the other day a Mexican dude asked me for directions on the Metro, and I could actually give them to him!  I'm like a real Mexican now!  Friday I got my paycheque which was exciting! (less exciting after I found out I have to pay taxes, despite making practically nothing...)  And made plans to go to Guanajuato for the long weekend with it.

Oaxaca / Day of the Dead (Oct 31-Nov3)

Oaxaca was amazing.  I was there last year in November (here, here, and here) and had an amazing time.  It was really nice to go back, and I was thankful that I had seen so much last year, as 1 weekend was definitely not enough to take it all in.  On my way there Thursday I couldn't get on as early a bus as I would have liked, and then it was delayed over an hour because of all the traffic for day of the dead, so I didn't get in til about midnight, which was a little disappointing, as I had wanted to join Joe and Gareth for the night--they want to Xoxocotlan and saw all the ceremonies and altars in the cemetery there.  Gareth's friends, Speth and Curtis, were coming from Canada that day and dealt with transportation issues as well and got in a little after me, so it was nice to meet them, even though we all had to miss out on the excitement of the night.

 

There was a pool where we were staying, so Friday morning we spent lounging poolside which was so nice...while Mexico City is not cold by anyone's standards but Mexicans' (parkas when it's 14 degrees!!), it also hasn't been a tropical paradise.  So laying by a pool was perfect! That afternoon Gareth, Speth, Curtis, and I took a bus into town and saw some chocolate being made (yum!) and wandered through some markets.  I bought a gorgeous Oaxacan top that was hand-embroidered with flowers at the top.  I just love all the traditional clothing here!  That night we met up with Joe and bejeweled ourselves (spreading the sparkle love to Mexico!!), and just revelled in all the lively street celebrations.  There were parades, street musicians, and ofrendas to the dead all throughout the city.  November 1 is All Saints Day where the souls of children are remembered.  The families of the dead children go to the cemetery and cover their graves with flowers, candles, and gifts for the child.

After hanging out in the streets for awhile, we went to a bar and met up with Ignacia there.  After that we went to an art show that a girl I knew in high school had told me about!  Courtney and I played on the rugby team together about 7-8 years ago, and had lost touch, but one of our mutual friends had stayed in contact with both of us and told us that each other were in Mexico.  It was really nice to see her.  She is studying education in Canada and as part of the program is teaching in Oaxaca for the semester.  Her prof/program co-ordinator was running this art show, and all the local artists were there to chat about their art.

After this, we went back to the street parties for a bit, before walking up to a mirador Joe had told us about.  It was a beautiful view over the city, and we all enjoyed a beer up there before heading home for the night.

 

Saturday was Day of the Dead--the day for the souls of adults.  Gareth and I walked through another market in the morning, but it was pretty dead.  I think it is quite busy leading up to day of the dead, but usually people make their ofrendas a week before hand, and have already bought their flowers by the time the day rolls around, so not too much was going on.  Gareth and I both got stopped by some costumed dancers though and danced for a bit.  We then spent the afternoon buying things for me to make my own altar.  We met up with Speth and Curtis later in the Zocalo and then walked up to the cemetery.  There was a fair with games and rides and tons of vendors on the streets leading up to the cemetery.  When we went in, we saw all the altars, and some of the graves were decorated so beautifully!  I had brought all the things for my altar with me and we found an empty space where I made an ofrenda for 2 of my friends that have died.  The security guards were starting to clear people out as the cemetery was closing, but after they saw what I was doing, they let us stay and finish which was really nice of them.

After the cemetery, we walked back down to the Zocalo, met up with Joe, and said goodnight to Speth and Curtis.  On our way to a bar, we ran into some friends of Joe and Gareth from their hostel, and they had some crazy stories.  So we joined forces and heard about their adventures.  Also all over the street there were people with their faces painted as sculls, as the belief is that all the souls come back on Day of the Dead to visit, and people want to blend in with the souls, and no be targeted by them for a haunting.

 

The next day I had planned on catching a mid-afternoon bus back to DF, but the bus booking website didn't accept foreign credit cards, and then all the tickets were sold out except for one that left at 11:45 at night and was supposed to arrive at 6am at the North terminal on Monday morning.  Slightly worrisome, as I was supposed to be at work at 8:30 Monday morning in the South of the city, but I didn't really have any other options, so I booked it.  The plus side to the bus debacle was that I got to spend an extra day in Oaxaca!  First and I went to the market to buy some delicious Oaxacan cheese and bread to bring back to DF.  Then Gareth and I went to a cultural centre with an amazing exhibit on these cool rugs.  It was incredible what some of these artists had done with a medium that tends to be so traditional.  We then went to the ex-convent museum.  I had been last year, but I really enjoyed it, and Gareth had not been, so I was happy to see the beautiful grounds again.

That night I headed to the bus station, and lo and behold the bus was delayed.  I didn't get into DF until 7:30 am.  So I took the most expensive cab ride of my life to the hostel to change clothes, called the school to say I was going to be late, and then hopped onto the subway to get there.  Definitely not the greatest impression for my first day of work, but at least I wasn't scheduled to be in the classroom that morning...

Despite all the travel stress, I had an amazing weekend.  The festivals were beautiful and the atmosphere was so lively.  It was incredible to see that while people were mourning the loss of loved ones, they were also celebrating their lives.  Reflecting on the people gone in their lives was not just sorrowful, it was joyful, which was really refreshing to see.

 

Life in Mexico City

I arrived in Mexico about 2 weeks ago and have been having an amazing time so far.  I stayed at the same hostel I was at last year which is right on the Zocalo.  The tour guide from last year, Fernando, is still working there, and he remembered me which was nice.  I met my roommates who were also really cool, a Venezuelan guy, and a Spanish guy named Rodrigo.  The following day I went on a tour of the Chapultepec Castle with Fernando, Rodrigo, our new roommate Joe, and some other people from the hostel.  I had already been there last year, but it was still fun to go again and meet new people.  I met a ton of people at the hostel bar that night, including this Chilean girl named Ignacia who wants to live here as well, so we decided to apartment hunt together.  Also, 2 of the 3 bartenders are Canadian, so we’ve decided we’re taking over.  That weekend I went to the Museum of Anthropology with one of our new roomies Gareth (another Canadian!), and then Sunday I went to Cuernavaca, where I was born, to get a copy of my birth certificate.  We have some family friends that live there, so I stayed with them, and they helped me get my CURP, which is like a SIN and makes me eligible to work here.  I came back to DF on Monday night, back to my roomies in 409, and we celebrated our reunion!

Tuesday I walked around a few different neighbourhoods handing out my CV to various language schools, and I got an interview Wednesday morning!  I ended up getting the job, but I turned it down because it was 6 weeks of unpaid training...if I’m not getting paid for 6 weeks, I’d rather go travelling than work.  I got back from my interview earlier than expected and decided to go to the pyramids with the boys from my room.  I had gone last year, but it was a Sunday, so it was packed.  It was almost empty when we when which was really nice.  The following morning Gareth left, but we didn’t get anyone to replace him.  I spent the day up at the rooftop bar looking for apartments online.  Thursday was Joe and Rodrigo’s last night in DF as well…all my friends leaving me!  I had to switch rooms Friday because I hadn’t reserved, and some big group was coming in.  I got switched to an all-girls dorm, and no one there was any fun.

I made a few new friends, this British guy named Steve, and an Aus girl named Sam, but I didn’t do much this week other than sit at the bar all day job-hunting and apartment-hunting.  The boys at the bar are all really nice and friendly, so they’re nice to hang out with while I’m on my tablet all day long.  I had a few more interviews and offers this week, but none that I really wanted, until Thursday when I got a job teaching English at an elementary school!!  I’ll be teaching a grade 4 and grade 3 class J  I’m so stoked!  It’s perfect, because I finish at 2:30 every day, so I can go to museums of whatever in the afternoon, I get weekends off (and since I finish so early Fridays, it’s easy to go somewhere for the weekend), and I’m salaried instead of paid hourly, meaning I still get paid at  Christmas and Santa Semana.  And I get to be with kids all day!  It’s perfect!

Right after the job interview I headed to the bus terminal.  I had planned on going to Oaxaca for Day of Dead this weekend, staying there until about Thursday, and then heading own to Puerto Escondido for a surf festival the following weekend, but since they want me to start on Monday, I’ll just be going to Oaxaca for the weekend and then coming back Sunday night.  But Gareth, and Joe, and Sam, and Iganacia are all down here so I’m excited to celebrate day of the dead with them!

Also, Jorge, the hostel manager is moving in a couple of weeks and has a 2 bedroom apartment, so Ignacia and I may be taking his lease over, which would be perfect.  Now that I have a job, I really need to get my own place.  Everything seems to be falling into place for me though, so I’m sure the apartment will be no different (I hope).