Mexico City, July 2013 - #5: The Grand Catch-up

Oh I'm so behind! But I guess being too busy to write is a sign of a great couple weeks. And this week has been pretty amazing so far too, with Lou visiting and some serious adventuring in Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende! But more on that next time. So, more through pictures than words, here is a snapshot of the the end of July.

Right after my last post, I went to NYC for the weekend for my friend Carly's wedding. It was a whirlwind trip and completely worth it! She and the wedding were absolutely beautiful, and it was a much needed weekend of time with people I love. The wedding was pure, unadulterated joy, as you can tell from this gorgeous new bride! 

View from the plane landing back in Mexico City after my NYC weekend

Before getting into the pretty awesome things I've done since I got back, I'll start with a curiosity. When in the grocery store a couple weeks ago, I noticed that everyone was walking around with grocery carts literally stuffed with toilet paper. There was toilet paper everywhere, and everyone was buying as much as they could. Part of me was intrigued, and part of me was worried. Was I missing something important? A big festival where you tee-pee all the buildings in town? A mummy-wrapping contest that I was unaware of? Or as my roomie suggested, maybe everyone knew something I didn't and was preparing for a giant outbreak of Montezuma's revenge? A few days later, my roomie confirmed that yes, people were buying up all the toilet paper they could, and no it was not for any of the reasons I worried about. It was simply because there was a sale. That's all. TP was a good deal, and people were not going to pass it up. I knew that Mexicans were crazy for sales (they don't happen that often and they're usually not that good, so when they happen no one wants to miss it) but this took it to a new level.

In mid July a friend from Harvard came to do preliminary research for her thesis, and as a side benefit, I have a tourist buddy now! Our first tourist excursion was to Zocalo, one of the largest city squares in the world and the center of Mexican government (the Presidential offices, Palacio Nacional, are here) and of Mexico's history, with an archeological dig of a vast Aztec temple called the Templo Mayor that was underneath the buildings constructed by Cortez and others when they began building their capital. It is also the center of political protest, which right now, has to do with the education reform. (One of the reasons I was so excited to come work here this summer!) Here you can see different delegations of teachers from various Mexican states in their camps in Zocalo, in front of the Palacio Nacional. They are steadfastly protesting the education reforms.

Walking back from Zocalo, we happened upon a parade of dancers from different regions in Mexico. It was so cool, full of color and costumes and upbeat music. My favorite part was watching the women use their full, bright skirts as they danced, looking almost like butterflies as they swung them back and forth to the music.

 Two weekends ago, I went to Tepoztlan with my roomie, his girlfriend, and her friend and her friend's boyfriend. Jose's family has a house there, una casa de campo, that is absolutely beautiful if a little covered in cobwebs and dead aracanes (small scorpions) from not being used in at least a year. But Tepoz (as it's called) is gorgeous - a small pueblita with lots of artisan crafts, cobblestone streets, and and a stunning view of the mountains surrounding it. It's only an hour outside of Mexico City, and has been dubbed a "Bario Magico" by Mexico's tourism board (or whoever decides those things). It is an incredible escape from the city into fresh air and fresh delicious tortillas and quesadillas before a long hike up to the very old pyramid built on top of one of the mountains on the edge of town.

A girl making us some tortillas in front of her (or her family's) "restaurant" on the street

Puffing tortilla before she flips it over and then puts it in the pile of piping hot tortilla's for other hungry people preparing for an hour and a half hike up a mountain.

Jose with his fortifying fresh squeezed orange juice while waiting for our quesadillas. Orange juice here is always fresh-squeezed and it's not uncommon to be walking down the street and be pleasantly accosted by the smell of fresh orange juice and cut fruit.

Sideways (couldn't figure out how to rotate it) view of where we're aiming for on our hike up the mountain. Totally gorgeous!

On the ascent!

Pyramid ahead! (At this point my camera was full and phone was dying, so when I get pictures of our arrival, I will post them!)

Work has has also been great, as I finish up my research and prepare a presentation for the office. I got to go on a little excursion with the director of the organization where he presented to youth leaders from around the country who are part of an organization called 1 Million Youth For Mexico. It was great to see the Mexicanos Primero presentation and to see Claudio in his element. He is quite the speaker and the students could hardly wait to ask questions and give comments. When he asked for questions at the end of his presentation, hands that had been fidgeting while waiting for this moment shot up into the air. It was pretty exciting to watch. 

The drive to the youth conference just outside of Mexico City

We also had some students come to the Mexicanos Primero office to visit and give their own observations and opinions about education and their schools. One girl, Esperanza, was the same impressive student from my visit to the school at the beginning of my trip. She was, yet again, incredibly impressive, and it was cool to hear her and her friends' perspectives on their own experiences in school. This is a picture of the office and our visitors. 


And, of course, the most exciting thing to happen in the past two weeks is that Lou arrived! We are staying in the "hip" part of Mexico City, Condesa, and doing all the touring and visiting that I haven't been able to do yet. But more on that later...I have some canals and museums to go see!