Spring Break Stop 2: Zipolite, Oaxaca

We arrived in Hualtulco early Wednesday morning and took a taxi to THE BEACH. Brit and I rented a room at a posada in Zipolite. A posada is like a bed and breakfast. We thought we were booking a house to rent in Hualtulco but Google Maps was wrong on Airbnb so we ended up in Zipolite, the nude beach. There were more bathing suits than I expected actually. Our room wasn’t ready at the house when we arrived so we decided to run on the beach. I’d say 10% of the people we passed were naked. Then we got some breakfast on the beach and groceries and headed back to the house. The house that we stayed at was amazing. It was a 5-minute walk from the beach and you could see the beach from the balconies because it was on a hill. Brit and I each had our own rooms and we shared a bathroom. Once we unpacked, we headed straight for the beach. Britney is a tanning machine. She can lay for hours soaking up the sun. I thought I could too but I was too hot. I spent most of my time in the water or shade. The waves were knock-your-bathing-suit-off huge. If you didn’t go to the beach naked, the waves helped make you that way. We stayed in the sand until it was 5 and there were 2-for-1 cocktails at a nearby restaurant. We were in heaven. The owner of the house made us a delicious dinner at night and we got to meet the other people staying in the house.

On Thursday we started off with another run. I was super proud of our exercising! We made friends with the federal police office who was also staying in the house and he was our chauffeur for the next couple of days. He offered to take us to Mazunte, a nearby town known for their turtles. First, we went to the turtle museum. Behind the museum, they had a bunch of open tanks with different kinds of turtles. Baby turtles are the cutest! In the parking lot, we were persuaded by a tour guide to take a boat ride through a swamp off a beach where the sand was magnetic because it had metallic bits mixed with regular rock. The tour was simple but we got to see a lot of wildlife. We saw birds, dozens of iguanas, and a handful of crocodiles. I learned that when a crocodile dies, you usually don’t see a complete dead body, but pieces rather because other crocodiles eat the dead one. Mothers even eat their children if they don’t leave their mothers quickly enough when they are babies. After the tour we went to the Mazunte beach for some lunch then hiked up Punta Cometa. On the other side of the hill, there was a beach (again, with massive waves). We made friends while we were swimming. I only lost my bathing suit twice. -_- We watched a beautiful sunset and headed back to the house.

Friday was another adventure day! After a morning run, Britney headed to the beach and I went to Las cascadas mágica (Magical Waterfalls) with people who were staying at the house with us. The police officer drove me, a British man who has been traveling the world for the last 17 years, creating and updating websites for free housing, and an Australian couple who have been traveling all over America for the past 6 months. Muy buena onda (very good people). We drove for so long. It was north of Hualtulco so it took about 3.5 hours to get there. The waterfalls were stunning. We hiked up as far as we could on land then we continued in our bathing suits to the highest pool. There was a rope swing and caves at all levels of the waterfall. The Brit made an awesome 2 minute video of us on the rope swing and in the caves to one of my favorite songs in Spanish. On the million hour drive back, the car died. In the middle of nowhere. In the dark. Thankfully a taxi drove past, so we were able to get a ride back. At night, Britney and I went out with our new friends from the beach. There was a bonfire on the beach in Zipolite right next to a reggae bar. It was a lot of fun! The night ended in tacos so you know it was a good time.

Saturday was another day in paradise. Another perk of staying at the house was that the owner made us breakfast for only $2USD. We had eggs, beans, toast, and bacon. Brit and I were going to go to Hualtulco for the day to enjoy the beach but it was too much of a pain to get there so we stayed in Zipolite. We layed out for a while then we met up with our beach friends again and played volleyball. We made the right choice to stay. After some micheladas, Brit and I headed back to the house to nap and to get ready for the night. We went back to the beach and there was a DJ playing who took 100% of our music requests because we were dancing. There was a bonfire outside of the reggae bar again and a live band so we stayed there until the time changed and we lost and hour and it was suddenly 4AM.

Our last day in Zipolite was Easter Sunday. It was a very sweet day. I had giving up sweets for Lent so I went to down with my sugar intake. It was the laziest day I’ve had possibly in my life. I set out to find a church after breakfast and I think I found the only one in Zipolite. I thought it might be Catholic because of the large Catholic presence here in Mexico but once the female priest figure walked in (15 minutes late) I assumed it wasn’t Catholic. It was the hottest mass I had even been to. I was dripping sweat just sitting in the simple square-shaped building. When I was leaving church, I ran into Brit who was on the hunt for medical supplies to play doctor for the metal pieces in her foot. After she treated herself, she headed to the beach but I headed back to the house to spend 4 hours in the hammock. Like I said, lazy day. Late at night, we went to the bus station to take another overnight bus to stop number 3. We met a really nice guy at the bus stop. When he thought his bus was at the station, he left and Brit went to the shop to get water but she found him there buying water and chocolate for us because his bus hadn’t actually arrived yet. So many nice people in Mexico. Then we hopped on our bus for the 11-hour ride to our next destination!

Spring Break Stop 1: Oaxaca, Oaxaca

My 18-day trip has finally begun! On Saturday, I flew from Mexico City to Oaxaca City to meet Britney and Frankie. We spent the first day exploring the city. After we unpacked, we went to the center on a tlayuda hunt. A tlayuda is like a massive crunchy quesadilla with veggies and meat. It was alright. Once was enough for me. After the meal, we walked around the market in the center. I don’t know why but I had such an urge to buy everything. The culture in Oaxaca City is so different than Toluca because Oaxaca City is more traditional. When we were walking through the market, our 13-year-old selves came out and asked for braids in our hair. We caved in. Then we walked down the commercial strip. We had coffee, walked through an art gallery, and found an art fair. I wish Toluca had culture like this. At night, we stayed at the same hotel where I brought my family when they visited in December. Unfortunately, they gave us a room that was far from the patio area in the middle of the hotel with no windows or wifi but we were only there to sleep.

Sunday was Palm Sunday. Before going to mass, the girls and I met up with Jess and Clara for brunch. We ate in the cutest place. Outside of Santo Domingo, the main church of downtown Oaxaca, there were dozens of women and children selling craftily folded palms. At my church in the states, they just hand you one palm as you walk in. In Mexico, they say that you’re supposed to put the palms on the door of your house as a way of blessing the house. In the afternoon, we visited the archeological site of Monte Albán. The pre-Columbian partially excavated ceremonial center is located only a few miles from the city. When we came back from Monte Albán we were craving tortas so we found a place by the food market to eat and I had some wonderful hot chocolate. Oaxaca is known for their chocolate so you know it’s good. At night we went out for a fam dinner at a place in the center where we sat on the rooftop and could see Santo Domingo.

Monday was the day of the big tour. The first stop was the tree of Tule. It the widest tree in the world! We wanted to hug it, but it had a fence around it. Then we headed to a tapete workshop in Teotitlán del Valle. We got to see how they make and dye the fibers. They make a dark red color by squishing a little white bug that is found on cacti. With a squeeze of lime juice, they make a blood red color. All of the dying is natural. Then we got to see how they actually make the rugs on the wooden machines. First they draw the design on a piece of paper then on the base fibers in the machine. The rugs were beautiful. After Teotitlán, we went to Mitla. This was the main religious center. What makes Mitla unique among sites is the elaborate and intricate mosaics and geometric designs that cover tombs, panels, and even entire walls. I learned that the stairs on pyramids are so steep because you are supposed to go up and down diagonally, never having your back squared to the top because it is disrespectful to the people of power who worked/lived on the pyramids. We even got to go under some of the pyramids to see the tombs.

Next, the tour took us to Hierve el agua (boiling waters), which is a petrified waterfall. It got its name because there are a few places where the water is bubbling but the water isn’t hot. On top of the waterfalls there are some natural swimming holes. There are only 2 petrified waterfalls in the world, Mexico and Turkey. The final stop to quench our thirst was a mezcaleria. We got to see how mezcal is made and then we were able to sample different kinds. They use the vapor from animals to help with the flavor, which was very interesting. Mezcal is younger than tequila Mezcal came around in 1980s. It has a smokier taste. For tequila and mezcal, the more gold the color, the longer it was in the barrels and the smoother the taste. I preferred the creamy drinks personally because they were sweeter and not as strong. We were wiped after the tour so we just headed back.

Tuesday was our last day in the city. We had made a friend at the art fair who offered to give us a tour of his pueblo of Villa de Zaachila so we took the most inexpensive taxi ride ($1USD for 30 minutes) to get there. We ate the traditional dish and toured the center. There’s a small archaeological site that we went to with a good view. Then we walked down the street between the main church and the cemetery. It was about 2 city blocks long and all houses. The walls of the houses had all sorts of murals about death and life. It was so artfully done. Our new friend had actually painted some of them. They change the murals every year around the time of Day of the Dead. We took another cheap cab ride back and relaxed the rest of the night. For our last night in Oaxaca, we went out to dinner in a recommended restaurant downtown which had very unique dishes and was delicious! There was a dog that kept trying to come into the restaurant and a 2-year-old boy who was yelling at it. It was adorable. Around 11PM, Brit and I hopped on an overnight bus to our next destination!

Los Angeles... AZULES!

Even though I had a Toluca-based weekend, it was a blast! It started Thursday night at a bachata contest in Mexico City at the Martini Room. My salsa teacher was on one of the 4 competing teams and they won the whole competition! The costumes were amazing. Everyone looked fab. The entrance ticket included a free dance lesson but it was so packed you couldn’t even turn. I even ran into fellow Fulbrighters from Mexico City! They played all kinds of music: bachata, cumbia, salsa. I danced until my feet said stop (because of my heels).

Friday was a girl’s night! Jemina, Adriana, some of her friends, and I toured the restaurants and clubs of the area. Within an hour we had been to about 5, looking for the right place to stay for a while. We started out in the restaurants and went to 3 clubs (the first 2 were too full). The place we ended, Habitat Lifestyle Club (I don’t understand why it’s Lifestyle), at was a lot of fun and had great music. Adriana taught me some tricks about how to say no to drinks by saying yes and placing it on the table. We got home around 5 but it was totally worth it! That’s what always happens when Adris says we are going to have a chill night.

Adriana and I went out for breakfast (at 1PM) and enjoyed enchiladas. I’m going to miss really good Mexican food every 100 feet when I come back to the states. After “breakfast” I hurried home to get ready for a birthday party and concert. Bruno’s niece, Frida, turned one and was dressed like a lady bug. She’s the cutest thing with the biggest cheeks. For her present, I sewed a poncho for her with pink monkeys on it. I was quite proud of myself. It would have taken a lot less time if I had a sewing machine. The birthday party was at Bruno’s sister’s house. They rented a jump house for all of the cousins. It’s so much cheaper to do that here. I think it’s about $40USD to rent it for the whole day in Mexico. There were about 30 people at the party, which is small for a Mexican birthday party. It was a cookout so we ate steak, cactus, and onion tacos. This is a typical cookout meal. Quite different than the states. Bruno and I had to leave after only a few hours because we had tickets to see Los Angeles Azules!

They is one of my favorite groups here in Mexico. There are more than 10 people in the band and people rotate in and out but their music is great. They mostly play cumbia. As a belated Valentine’s Day gift, I bought Bruno and I tickets months ago. The concert was in a parking lot outside of a concert venue. Not sure why, but it’s Mexico. We got there early and Bruno was sure it was going to start late but it started on time! It didn’t go too late either. We bet on it and I won. J But we only bet 2 pesos. L We stood for the concert but had a great place. We were able to dance and go stand right by the fence to watch the group play when we weren’t dancing. I knew about half of the songs, which I was proud about.

Sunday was a bittersweet day for Bruno because his younger brother moved out of the house. We helped him move to Mexico City because he is interning at a company in the northern part of the city. His bro brought half a carload of stuff with him. When I went to college, I had a whole car full. After dropping him off, we stopped by la Condesa to visit Anna and Julie to catch up. Then we made the most delicious stop of the day: Butcher & Sons. This place has the most delicious burgers I have tasted in Mexico. And their milkshakes are divine. I wish I lived closer to it. Actually, that’d probably be a bad idea.

My Weekend NORTH of the Border!

I know this is my blog about my Fulbright south of the border, but this weekend I was north of the border! Bruno signed up to run a half marathon (crazy, I know) in Chicago so I decided to join him (on the trip…..not running) and surprise my parentals. And we even got to spend an extra night because of the three-day weekend in Mexico!

We flew in Friday afternoon and I surprised my mom at the airport. She knew that Bruno was coming because she went to pick him up at the airport but little did she know that I was there, too. I followed them from a distance to the car and I started loading my suitcase and when she saw me she kept saying "oh my God!". We were starved so we went to downtown La Grange to hit up Palmer's Place. Bruno was surprised how big the portions were, which I definitely warned him about. We drove through McDonald's on the way home so he could try a shamrock shake. He approved. They have McDonald's in Mexico but unfortunately, no shamrock shakes. Later we went out to dinner with Jay and her boyfriend. You should have seen the waiter’s face when I asked for my food to go….in Spanish.

We woke up with the sun on Saturday to drive to the city for Bruno’s “Get Lucky” half marathon. It was fun explaining what “get lucky” means to Bruno. Mom, Dad, and I dropped Bruno off and went to Lou Mitchell’s for breakfast. They were just about to dye the river green and start getting ready for the parade. When we were driving back to Soldier Field to pick up Bruno from the race we saw him running along the lake. What are the odds? He finished in just under 2 hours! As his reward for finishing without injuries, he got a massage.

Bruno and I always go to the movie theater in Mexico so I wanted to take him to one in the states. The theaters in Mexico are always attached to a mall. I’ve actually never seen a free-standing one. And that’s not he case in the states so we took him to a Marcus theater. For those of you who don’t know that company, the movie seats are recliners. With a foot rest. You can basically lie down. I’m not sure how I didn’t fall asleep. We saw Kingsman: The Secret Service and got popcorn with a boatload of butter (Anne Szymczak style). The condiments in Mexico are mostly hot sauces so Bruno was struggling without those.

At night, I took Bruno to Wrigleyville to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. When we were walking to the first bar, he commented about how many drunk people there were in the street. When we got to Sports Corner we obviously ordered green beer because it’s a vital St. Patrick’s Day necessity. We met up with Nina and Stacy at the bar and then went to Taco Bell. Bruno wanted to try it and he actually liked it but Stacy and Nina kept apologizing on behalf of the country for its poor tacos compared to Mexico. After the satisfying tacos, we headed to Lincoln Park to meet up with ISU people. I was so good seeing everyone! We had some more green beer and I caught up with everyone. Good way to end the night!

We started Sunday off with some of Anne’s German pancakes - delicious- then to headed over to the Lord’s house. Bruno thought St. Louise Church was very modern. I had never thought of that before but compared to the old cathedrals I Mexico, I guess it is. It’s very simple put side to side with Mexican churches. After church we started the big Chicago sightseeing day! Mi hermano came home from ISU for the weekend which was a pleasant surprise so he came downtown with us. We started the tour off at the Museum and Science and Industry because it was on Bruno’s Chicago bucket list. I hadn’t been there in years but it’s so cool! They even have an exhibit, which I had never visited until Sunday, that you can watch a toy being made and even personalize it and buy it. So clever. After the museum, we went to the Bean, or should I say it’s real name: Could Gate. We took lots of pictures. It was uncharacteristically warm out so it was great being outside. It was even warmer than Mexico! Bruno chose a good weekend to go to the Chi. Next and final stop was the United Center to see the Michael Jordan statue. On the way home we picked up Giordano’s deep dish pizza because it’s a Chicago must. Nina and Stacy joined us for dinner because who could pass that up?

Monday was a packing-filled morning. I took Bruno to Target and we got food to bring back for our fellow Mexicans. Our flight left in the afternoon and we got to Mexico City at night. Thankfully there are buses from the airport to Toluca. I would say it was a very successful trip! It was hard leaving home but I’ll be back for good in early June. Time to take advantage of the last few months in Mexico!

Girls Night, Ceremonial Sites, and Ex-Convents. What a range!

Love me some girl time! On Friday, one of my students, Adriana, (who is an English teacher among many other things) invited me out to dinner with a couple of her friends. We went to a nice restaurant in Metepec called 1910 where I had “fiesta quesadillas” meaning quesadillas served with a party hat. After, we went to a low key bar so that I could try garañona. It’s a traditional Metepec drink that is a lime green color and tastes kind of limey, too. I also tried a “Garañona especial” which has garañona, Squirt, and mineral water. There was a live band and dancing too. It was a chill spot. Then, out of no where the ladies decided they wanted to go to a club in Mexico City. So we did! It was called SENS in the Santa Fe neighborhood which is really nice. The club was awesome! We took an elevator up to the actual club. It was pretty fancy. At one point there was a violin player accompanying the DJ. It was a blast. We got home at 6AM, meaning I slept most of the next day.

When I finally got out of bed at 2PM, Adris and I went to a restaurant near her house to get some barbacoa, which is sheep. We had barbacoa soup and tacos. And I had a taco of sheep stomach. It wasn’t too bad actually. At night, Bruno and I got wings with his friends from his German class. He took classes for a year in 2013 and his German teacher (from Germany) is here in Mexico for a couple months. Mexico does wings well! Most of them were too spicy for me but I enjoyed the teriyaki and parmesan garlic flavors. There were about 12 of us. We went to a bar/restaurant after that had teeny tiny sandwiches for $1…and alcohol. I enjoyed their sangria which was quite good. I was practically sleeping at dinner from my lack of sleep the night before so we turned in early.

On Sunday morning, Bruno, his mom, and I went to a ceremonial site in Temoaya, Mexico. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that old; it was built in 1980. It’s about an hour from Toluca and was definitely worth the trip! We started in the museum then walked around the place itself. It was like a huge outdoor performance center with stone rows of seating. At the top, there was a non-functioning fountain and 12 tepee looking houses where you could climb stairs and sit on them. It was a little cloudy and chilly out but the pictures turned out well. It would be cool to see a ceremony there. On the way to our second stop, we had lunch at one of the coolest restaurants I’ve been to in Mexico with delicious traditional food. You can pay per taco or for a plate. They had about 20 huge dishes of different concoctions. If you wanted a plate, you chose 3 of the concoctions, rice or spaghetti, and beans. Everything was so good! The servers had good senses of humor, also.

After lunch we went to an ex-convent on the outskirts of Mexico City called Desierto de los Leones. No clue why because there was no desert nor lions. It was in a very natural state and they didn’t repair much but it was still cool. They did an amazing job with the gardening. There were so many varieties of flowers and plants in the gardens surrounding the convent. Unfortunately, the church wasn’t open but we were able to go in other rooms like where the nuns used to live. There were vendors selling art in some rooms, and there was even a restaurant. The surrounding town was cute and had lots of trees. It didn’t take long to walk around. After the ex-convent, we headed back to Toluca. Somehow, I just realized today how many great places are around Toluca. Toluca itself isn’t the most exciting but its location is amazing. Successful weekend! 

Happy birthday to youuu!

This was a weekend of birthday parties! We kicked off the weekend with a Mexican American one. Bruno, Pepe, Jess, Jemina, and I traveled to Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala to celebrate Jordan’s birthday. But not before driving 4.5 hours in traffic through Mexico City on pay day. Silly idea. When we finally arrived, the party was already poppin’! There was food (tacos, chips, salsa, my famous dip, other traditional Mexican foods), lots of college students, and even a band playing in the garage of his apartment! When the band was done, we all headed upstairs to enjoy the DJ who was spinning on the roof. I was thoroughly impressed. It was fun speaking English to the college students. They are currently learning English. We stayed for a few hours then headed out.

In the morning we explored downtown Tlaxcala. We walked through the zócalo, had breakfast in the portales, and toured the church in the town’s center. It was a cute place! I wish we had more time there to see more but we had to get back to Toluca. That just means we will have to go back and visit again to see more of the town and the pyramids that are about 3 miles away. We drove through Mexico City again to get back to Toluca. We were so happy to get out of the car after more than 4 hours of driving again. It should really have been a 2.5 hour trip. Good ‘ol traffic.

Bruno, Jemina, and I quickly got changed and ready to go to a quinceñera! I actually learned that the word “quinceñera” is the girl turning 15 and not the party. The party is called “fiesta de 15 años”. We actually got to mass on time and were able to be there for the whole thing! This is an accomplishment in the book of Bruno and me. There was confusion about the mass time so the reception didn’t start until about 2 hours after the mass ended so we went back to the apartment for a little while because it was super close. The quinceñera looked beautiful! She had a white princess dress on that I got to admire during both mass and the reception. It was quite the event. The reception was in a nice hotel. I had been to a fiesta de 15 años once before in high school but this one was pretty different. There was a huge emphasis on dancing at this one. She danced to about 5 songs in her dress with her chambelanes (kind of like groomsmen in a wedding but there are no girls because the attention is on the quinceñera). One was with a toy signifying the end of her childhood, another was with a crown, another was with a glass of champagne, and many were with the important men in her life: her dad, brothers, grandfathers, uncles, and great uncles. Then she changed and danced salsa. Then she changed and danced hip-hop. I loved it! I bet it took a while to learn all the choreography.

The food was really good but I couldn’t eat the dessert because I gave up sweets for lent. #thestruggle. The DJ was really good, too. Interestingly enough, he played a lot of 80s English music. Besides that, I enjoyed him. If I’m at a fiesta de 15 años, I prefer music in Spanish. There was lots of cumbia and salsa music: my favorites! Something really cool about parties here is that while you are dancing, someone comes around and gives you stuff. This also happened at the two weddings I went to. They gave us hats, balloons, glasses, etc. It’s a fun idea! We left around 2AM but the party was still going. I’m happy I was able to go. Everyone here in Mexico is so generous with invitations.

On Sunday, Bruno and I ran in a park. The parks here in Mexico are huge and have great running paths. The one we went to has a track that is longer than 3 miles. We got some freshly-squeezed juice and a big cup of fresh fruit for a whopping $1.50. Produce is super cheap in Mexico and I’m going to miss that when I go home. We went to his house for supper. His mom is a great cook. We had chicken and mole. Every time I go there for dinner, we always have something new. His family is friendly and his younger brother is always asking me about the states. I love that!