Thoughts: Friday, May 28, 2010

Schedule:

• teacher's strike holds up traffic
• Dolores Olmedo Museum
  --peacocks running freely
  --Xoloesquintles... ugly... hairless... sandpapery-feeling dogs from Aztec times
  --gross food

• Xochimilco
  --boat ride
  --blanket vendor
  --horrible mariachi band: the singing was horrible, the instrument playing was good
  --much better, more professional mariachi
  --vendor on our boat; Mexican finger cuff similar to Chinese handcuffs

Xochimilco, the floating gardens
It is named this because when the boats were once
adorned with beautiful, fresh flowers and they looked
like floating flower gardens...

Me on the boat


The good mariachi


A replica of the Island of the Dolls
There was a little girl who drowned near an island,
and to honor her the caretakers would hang up dolls...
This island was a five hour boat ride from the area where we were...
so we photographed this replica because obviously it was closer...
Still creepy...

• loooooooong bus ride back to Hotel Catedral
  --we drove on a college campus where 600,000 students attend for FIVE U.S. DOLLARS A FREAKING YEAR! We definitely chose the wrooooooong school...
  -- Marcela attended that school
  -- we also drove by the Polyforum
  -- got stuck in Mexican rush hour... so aggravating... so crowded.... so no bueno
• dinner at the Hotel
  -- ordered drink and food, I helped everyone order... especially those who wanted a hamburger cooked well done...
  -- got bothered about whether or not I finished the card for Marcela... got really aggravated by it because I have motion sickness and so I can't do anything while in the van, or on the boat, and I didn't bring my stuff into the museum...i didn't even have my camera in the museum! ..and we've been on the move all day with no break (unless of course you can work..while in a moving vehicle without feeling sick)....
  -- Evan and I ran upstairs after putting in our orders, to paint the card. Luckily I had drawn it out last night... Evan painted the back of the card, as I painted the front.
  -- We finished the card while eating dinner... Erin finished coloring in the gecko for us, using a watercolor pencil.
  -- I made it clear that I wanted to wait for EVERYONE to be present, before we gave Marcela the gift from the Browns, and my card that everyone signed.
  -- Marcela loved it, and I think I saw happy tears
  -- Then she gave us all hugs! And I decided that I love her :)

Images of the card before it was colored... I have no images of the card when it was finished because Evan, Erin and I rushed it during dinner... oh well...


We painted the card the colors of the Mexican Flag, green, white, red. The sun and moon were yellow and blue, the cactus was obviously green (good contrast against the red), and the gecko was purple. She loved the card. I'm glad I got it finished in time... if I hadn't drawn it the night before (because I have trouble sleeping)... it probably wouldn't have gotten made at all... unless someone who doesn't suffer from motion sickness would have made it...

Thoughts: Thursday, May 27, 2010

I actually didn't write anything in my journal for today... but I do have pictures..

La Quinta Casa de Correos
The Post Office


One of the altars at the Catedral Metropolitan


The view of the cathedral from the Templo Mayor
an ancient temple destroyed during the conquest,
and later its rubble was used to build the cathedral...


What the Templo Mayor may have looked like...

Thoughts: Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Montezuma visited me yesterday and again today… no bueno…

Today Montezuma and Mother Nature created the ultimate tag team and I was their opponent. Naturally, I didn’t sleep well and could not eat much breakfast. I decided to stay in my hotel room all day… meaning that I was going to miss going to the Cathedral, the Basilica, and the site of the Education Ministry murals. However, I do plan on going to the Ballet Folklórico at 7 PM tonight.

I really wish I could eat something… all I have done today was lay down… couldn’t catch up on my journal… or on my watercolor paintings… Definitely no bueno… and nobody came to check on me either…

It was about time for everyone to get back from their trip. We were all showering and getting changed into our nicer clothes for the ballet. The majority of the class rode on the metro to get to the Anthropology Museum, where the ballet was being held. Marcela, Stephanie, Terresa, and Alice rode in a taxi. I’m glad that they made that choice because Terresa was wearing high heels and I don’t know how she would have been able to manage riding on a crowded train with them on… let alone traveling down the halls to get to the next station…

The subway was so crowded around that time… it was just after rush hour because women and men did not have to ride in separate cars, but there were still a lot of people there regardless. Erin, Sarah, and I got really close… literally. Also some guy’s suitcase was right underneath my skirt… NO BUENO.

The Ballet Folklórico was amazing! I loved all of the different costumes, which we later found out that each different outfit represents a different state of Mexico. I enjoyed the music and the elegant movement of the clothes, and the dance moves themselves. My favorite song that was played was La Bamba… because I know the words… and also the traditional Mexican Hat Dance. Lol. La Cucaracha was also played; I found that one to be amusing.

Thoughts: Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Today we had our first breakfast at Hotel Catedral at 9 AM. Evan and I arrived around 9:15...

I don't think I want to eat breakfast today...I am sitting at the table in la atria (it looks like a conference room)... the breakfast looks super cheesy so I can't eat it anyway... I decided to eat bread and strawberry jelly... it tasted great. Orange juice full of pulp to drink...


I think Montezuma has visited me this morning... Wonderful... The three sick people are feeling better today..and it is a good thing too because the schedule for today looks pretty hectic...

Proposed schedule:

• next door arcade--seekers of La Santa Muerte
• Zócalo (main plaza) ---hunger protestors-
  --1968 Olympics protestors
  --1994 NAFTA protestors
• 10-11:30 Palacio Nacional
• 11:30-12:00-- Casa de la Imprenta (printing house)
  -- Posada's workshop & Tamayo mural
  --Academia de San Carlos
• 12:00-1:00 -- José Luis Cuevas
• 1:15-2:15 -- lunch by the cathedral
• 2:15- 4:00 -- Interior
  

Not much time to journal or anything today.... and I basically only took pictures of the National Palace where Diego Rivera's murals are located. The largest mural told the history of Mexico.

The "Prequel"


The "Main Story"


The "Epilogue"

The prequel was on the left side with the Aztecs and other indigenous groups were depicted. In the middle was the main story of the history of Mexico... and then on the right side was the epilogue.

**Notes from board**

• Represents the institutionalization of the Mexican muralist movement
• Ideological premise here is that Mexican revolutionary history arises out of the conquest
• Synthesis of Mexican nationalist politics and post colonial cultural renaissance and concept of mestizo--not one or the other but often a conflicting combination of the two

Thoughts: Monday, May 24, 2010

My favorite gecko from the Cuija Coyoacan

Proposed Schedule:

• Wake up @ 7:15 AM
• Shower
• Get Dressed
• Finish packing up bags/luggage
• Breakfast @ 8:30 AM
• Load 15 passenger van @ 9:30 AM
• Head to Mexico City

What really happened...

I woke up a bit before 7:15, and did everything I had to do. We were all ready for breakfast at 8:30 AM, according to plan. We had tortillas, eggs mixed with tomatoes and onions, flan, and naranjada (orange juice). It was really good as usual.




Many people had fallen ill... Montezuma's Revenge was in total effect. Sarah was the sickest of all, then Jacob, and most recently (as in ... this morning) Christina. Montezuma was taking his revenge on us, one by one it seemed like... Ashley and I got really paranoid and so we asked Dr. Burmeister for some Pepto Bismol tablets, just to be on the safe side...



Although we had planned to load the van up and leave by 9:30... we actually left Hostal Cuija Coyoacan at 11:30 AM... we had a whole two hours of waiting!! Loco... There was something wrong with the credit card, when Mr. Brown went to pay for our stay... I thought it was because he didn't notify his bank before making such a big purchase... but really the problem stemmed from a power outtage in Coyoacan. The banks had no power, and so the credit card machine was not functioning. Finally at 11:30 it was all squared away... and we could finally be on our way!



Packing the van:

• 15 passenger van
• including everything that everyone owns
• three seats were taking just for luggage; not including our carry-on bags...
• Mrs. Brown and Marcela were in the front with the driver
• The big suitcases were in the second row
• The sick ones: Sarah, Jacob and Christina were in the third row
• Terresa, Stephanie, and Dr. Burmeister were in the fourth row
• Erin, Ashley, Evan, and I were sitting in the back row
• and Mr. Brown had to stand by the van door because the luggage was taking up too much room and there was no where for him to sit.

It was approximately 12:30 PM when we reached Hotel Catedral. Evan and I are roomies on the seventh floor. Since everyone was crowding the elevator... three of us, Evan, Ashley, and myself, decided to climb the stairs with our small bags. We climbed up two pyramids...what's six or seven flights of stairs?! :D When we got to the sixth floor, everyone was there already and were unloading their luggage off of the cart. Evan and I grabbed our bags and carried them up the stairs our selves, instead of waiting for the bell boys to get on the elevator. I was just tired of all the waiting... things get done faster if you just do it yourself.

The hotel was very nice and elegant. There was a huge difference between our rooms here than at Hostal Cuija Coyoacan: no bunkbeds, and more spacious. We had two full-size beds, long opaque curtains, a ceiling fan, private bathroom, carpet, tv, phone, etc. Also, we had direct access to the patio/terrace... whatever you want to call it... that had a beautiful view of the cathedral.

***********

Hotel Majestic Restaurant

We had lunch at Hotel Majestic; even though we heard bad reviews on the rooms, the service, and the food... We were under the impression that we did not have to eat there if we did not want to... we were basically there for the view of the Zocalo...

Zócalo from the Hotel Majestic Restaurant

but looking at the schedule... I didn't really see any other time that I would be able to get something to eat... and so I ordered an Americanized meal of hamburger and fries. Una hamburguesa con papas a la francesa.



The review of the food, which we heard from an older German gentleman who stayed at the Hostal, held true. It was not that great... I could not even finish mine because I didn't like the taste and even though my hamburger wasn't well cooked...it was very dry... just bad. I felt like I wasted 120 pesos... which is a little less than 12 American dollars.


****
The poor sick ones were in bed the whole time, they missed out on the entire day. We had many things planned for the day, but most of us didn't feel right doing them without the rest of the group. Touching moment.




At 4:45 PM we got on a double decker tour bus and went all around Mexico City taking in the sites. I think that was the best part of the day... The tour finished at 8:30 pm. We took a lot of pictures.

At 9:00 pm: we power walked to the Pastelería which was closing in the next thirty minutes. Evan bought me three pastries; I was running out of pesos...

Thoughts: Sunday, May 23, 2010 Cont.

After the Frida Kahlo Museum, we went to La Cantina to eat. I ordered tacos de arrechera sin queso (the tender steak that I've mentioned in a previous blog post) and a Sprite. The meal cost me 107 pesos. We ate outside on the patio, but it felt more like a greenhouse... not very pleasant. Luckily the ice was clean, so we were able to have cold beverages.

My steak tacos

Evan and Christina burning in the sun...

From there we walked through a local market, where I bought a toy drum for 100 pesos, and gave someone 5 pesos for a tip as he performed.

That night, would be the last night we would stay at the Hostal Cuija Coyoacan... :( *ultimate sad face* It took so long for us to become comfortable there. We actually started having conversations and watching televisino with Maria, a 77-year-old woman who worked there. One day, we had Spanish class with her. We counted up to twenty and then had a question and answer session. It was a lot of fun.

Anyways, so the last night was spent watching an international dance competition with Maria. We were watching it for a good two hours...and then Maria left to begin preparations for breakfast the next day. In the meantime, the Browns and Marcela brought out some healthy snacks: graham crackers and cheese, mango and capulines (capulines are small fruits, I think similar to cherries...but not quite sure) and mamey (which is a sweet, red fruit). It was good.

Mangoes and Capulines

Mmmm, Mamey

We had reflection and recollection and another dance off between Jacob and Sarah. I had created two cards for the people who took care of us at the hostal, one card for Monica and one card for Maria. I created the cards using watercolor paper from my own watercolor journal, not the one that Mr. Brown had given me. The images are of geckos because geckos or las cuijas seem to be the mascot of this establishment. I passed the cards around for everyone to sign, and then left them in the kitchen for Maria and Monica to see when it was time for Monday's breakfast.

My cards for Monica and Maria. ^-^'

After that, everyone headed off to begin packing because we would be moving into the heart of Mexico City on Monday.

Mexican Traffic

Traffic lights, stop signs, yield signs are basically suggestions unlike in America where these road rules are strictly enforced. It seems like the white lines on the roads don't really matter at all... people make up their own lanes... but then again, this is a different country and so many different road rules and etiquette apply.

No turning signals (usually); people drive assertively and don't hesitate to merge onto the highway, or to change lanes, no matter how crowded the street. Also loud horns are a must, and you really have to get over the whole American concept of keeping one-car-length of space in between your car and the one ahead. The cars literally get 1 inch away from the car in front of them.