Things Are Cookin'

Good morning from Oaxaca, on my last day here! I am in where I began in Cafe Los Cuiles, my favorite cafe here in the city. My mom left very early this morning and then I packed and got ready to spend my last day wandering around the city. There are couple museums that I didn't get to yet and so now I plan to check them out today. I also want to take some last photos of this beautiful city.



So yesterday, with my stomach on the mend, my mom and I took a cooking class. I found this class online, and we made our reservation a couple days ago, although we had to change it when I got sick. We arrived at Casa Crespo, a bed and breakfast a few blocks away, and met our host and teacher, Oscar. We sat down with him in his lovely home and we began by talking about the menu (which we really appreciated due to our questionable stomachs). We talked about the different options and also discussed choices that would be feasible for us to reproduce when we got home. Once we decided, Oscar collected his market bags and off we followed him to the mercado, about 5 blocks away. Once there, he knew exactly which stands to go to, to get each item for our meal that we planned (meal, not dish... we made a TON of food).

Once back at his house, we went to his kitchen and met Jose-Luis, he "business" parter/head chef/man-candy (my own classification for him). Too bad I forgot to take any pictures of him... Also in the kitchen was an assistant (I didn't get her name unfortunately), but she served as a sous chef, dishwasher and general helper with everything. It was great having her to help us! We started out by working on making some salsas, a green tomatillo, and a regular tomato salsa, that mom ground in a stone, and he also showed us how to make tortillas from the masa that we bought at the market. Later we had a mid morning snack with the tortillas and salsas by making some quesadillas with pumpkin flowers and oaxacan cheese (quesillo). Mom even ate one with chapulines (grasshoppers). GO MOM!!! It tastes like chicken.... (actually just tastes like a salty condiment. No big flavor). I explained to Oscar how strange it was to us because in America we don't eat bugs... generally we try to keep them "out" of our food. Still, the Oaxacan people consider them a staple of protein and eat them often.

Later in the class we worked on a delicious pumpkin flower soup, with poblano chilis, sweet corn, onions and garlic in a chicken broth base.... DELISH!!!! My favorite thing of the day. I MUST find a way to get pumpkin flowers in the states so I can recreate this dish. Might have to start a garden...

Then we began to work on the mole sauce for the day that was a non-traditional, not one of the 7 real moles, but interesting... with an almond base. We roasted almonds, peppers, tomatoes, spices, some bread and a few other things I can't remember, and then put them in the blender. That would go on top of the chicken we were cooking also. For dessert, we made some sorbet out of a berry called "nanche" (Oscar used an ice cream maker for that), and we also made the most amazing chocolate dish with crepes... that I made (my first attempt and flipping a crepe). This dessert had a chocolate sauce made from homemade chocolate (that Oscar made himself) and then we shaved it into powder, and cooking it in a double boiler with milk, cooked some plaintains with sugar and cinnamon and then folded it all up together into an enchilada-style pile of goodness! I only at a little bit of it but it was MAGNIFICENT! Here's a pic of what it looked like... And can you believe this whole meal was Weight Watchers???? NOT!!! I didn't eat too much, and actually didn't finish one of the dishes, but rather had a taste of each one. Wow, after 3 days of not really eating much and being sick, this was a fabulous meal and it was not too heavy. While we ate with Oscar and Jose-Luis we talked about their plans for their B & B which is also a restaurant at night, and how Jose-Luis plans to cook amazing food, using local ingredients in completely different ways. He spent a lot of time in Los Angeles and actually went to Santa Monica High School for a while, so we talked about that some. Oscar is working on a cook book now of his Oaxacan recipes and also manages www.go-oaxaca.com. Super interesting guys and a great experience!! My and I both concurred on a day well spent.

The rest of the day was spent doing some last minute shopping, having a farewell dinner with Susan, and then getting packed up. A perfect end to a nearly perfect vacation (minus the Saturday night fever).

COME TO OAXACA!!!! YOU WILL LOVE IT HERE!!!

Back in Business... (the business of SHOPPING)

Happy Monday! Lunes feliz!

I woke up this morning feeling a lot better... not quiet hungry but definitely better. I lost a lot of time this weekend in bed, and I was ready to jump back into the game. My mom and I went to our favorite neighborhood restaurant, La Olla, and had a small breakfast. I tested out my stomach with some plain pancakes, and some tea. So far so good, but by the time the meal was over, I was ready for a nap. We went back to our hotel up the street, and I laid low for a couple hours while mom went and did some shopping on her own.

Later in the day, we had a plan to meet up with Susan, my former housemate over at Perla's place, for lunch. We met and I was feeling a bit hungrier then, so I had an egg sandwich ("oh yawn" you're probably thinking...). Basically I was feeling better, and was up for some shopping and that we 3 did! I took some photos along the way.

This is a photo of a beautiful entrance to an English bookstore called Amate books (duh?). The whole front entrance is covered in dried flowers and is so inviting!













Susan took this picture of me outside of another shop. It's some kind of freaky wood sculpture of a skeleton. It was creepy taking a photo with it, even though it wasn't bones.






At some point in the shopping excursion, my mom started to feel a bit "stomachy" so she left and went back to the hotel. Susan and I pushed on and persevered through the shopping. I bought a few more things (some magnets, an alebrije, a cute pin, and some decorations for Jenn's 30th Birthday party (shhhh don't tell Jenn!).
Susan and I rushed back to my hotel when it started to rain, and we found mom with Mieka (from Belgium) sitting in our room. So then we choreographed a group photo using the timer on our cameras and we took this picture 4 times. Very fun!!! We call it "Four Blondies". (From left to right: me, mom, Meika, and Susan)Later we all went out to eat at an Italian restaurant (as much as I LOVE the Oaxacan food, my stomach has decided that it needs a break from it). Pasta with olive oil and garlic was just delicious!


On the way home we saw 3 adorable dogs, 2 golden retrievers and an Airdale terrier, and I had this strange deja vu about someone telling me about their 3 dogs of the same breed... Thinking... thinking... thinking... GOT IT! It was Oscar, our guide from our Saturday trip to Monte Alban and alebrije shopping. He had told us that he had the 3 dogs and that they go running at night. They were all out in front of Santo Domingo Church so we stopped him, met his dogs and we all posed for a photo together (minus one dog who refused to stay for the photo). Oscar told us about how his dogs are currently being trained to assist the airport workers in drug sniffing, and also in search and rescue. Cute, cute, cute... perros lindos !

Later, back to the hotel where we are now. Tomorrow is really our last day here in Oaxaca. Mom is leaving EARLY Weds. morning, and I am leaving later in the afternoon. We have a cooking class planned but we're not sure if we're going to make it. We have to check and see how her stomach is doing. We'll probably do it... and we'll take lots of photos. Check back tomorrow! Buenos noches!

Saturday Night Fever

On Saturday morning, our new guide/driver, Oscar picked mom and I up for our excursion for the day. We first drove around the city, looking at some of the neighborhoods we hadn't seen yet, and then made our way up to Monte Alban (those of you who are following along might recall that I had all ready been there, and despite my mother's prior insistence that she didn't need to go there, she changed her mind... so we went). It was completely fine because this time we did it without a guide (Oscar's English was not so good, so he mainly served as a driver on this day), so we walked at our own pace and finished in about 45 minutes. I'm glad my mom got to see it because it really is beautiful and significant to visiting Oaxaca.

Next we stopped at our hotel for a pit stop... for me... (not looking good for me) and then on to San Martin Ticajete, another alebrije village. This town was very different, more spread out and rural. Oscar took us straight to an artist's house/compound where we found loads of people working on carving the wood creatures and painting them. They were all mainly from the same family and we learned that this family, the Jacobo family is very famous in their craft and sell their "high end" collector's pieces, all over the world. Their work was BEAUTIFUL, but way out of my price range. My mom did negotiate another big purchase for her husband of some hummingbirds on a cactus flower. Very pretty!! I tried to negotiate for some smaller pieces but they didn't want to go as low as I could afford to pay. So we asked Oscar to take us to another family's shop and he did. This time I made my purchases and managed to find 3 pieces that I loved. Here is a photo of the artist, Vincente Hernandez, holding the pieces that I bought from him. I was glad to finally get some larger pieces that I loved!

After we left San Martin, we went to San Bartolo for a quick look at the Black Pottery, which is another thing Oaxaca is famous for. Mom and I bought up a few pieces that were super cheap, but by this time I was really starting to feel like crap so we made our way back to our hotel. We had dinner plans with our friends from Belgium but I had a feeling that I wasn't going to make it, considering my bones were aching and I hadn't been able to eat all day...

Fast forward to Saturday night... no details but I will say it was HIDEOUS!! I got the bug... the dreaded travelers stomach. There was a high fever and some other unmentionables, that kept me up through the night. My mom and Rosy and Luis (the caretakers of our hotel) were great in helping to get me medicine, tea, Pedialyte, etc... for my nasty ordeal. The good news is that the next day... today, Sunday, I am on the mend. My fever has broken and I feel my stomach getting stronger. Perhaps some food today?? We'll see. I'm sure that by tomorrow I'll be up and running once again. Mom is out on her own today, and I am here at the hotel, sitting in bed, catching up on email and posting to this blog.

Hope you're all well and though I am not a bit homesick, I do miss some of the creature comforts of home, and the familiar faces of the people I love. See you soon!

Alebrije (a-lay-bree-hay)

So some of you might know that the main impetus for coming to Oaxaca was to buy some "alebrijes" or painted animals that are made only here. I have collected them for a while and have always wanted to come directly to the source to purchase some, and on Friday I finally got to do that. My mom and I joined a trip with my school to the village of Arrazola, which is one of the 2 main villages here in Oaxaca where the animals are made. I was extremely excited about finally getting to do some shopping since I had been holding off till the time that my mom arrived.

Miguel, the school's driver drove us about 30 minutes outside of Oaxaca city. When we arrived we found a rather uninteresting town that was basically empty of any tourists or visitors (so sad considering how much their economy depends on tourist dollars). Each shop was very minimal, usually just a small table and some shelves at the front of the family's house. Sometimes we would follow a sign into a artist family's backyard and then into their house. We quickly noticed a young boy, about 7 or 8 years old, following us around. We didn't know him, nor did he introduce himself, but we later realized that he was our "guide" and he took us (lead us) into each house/store. I asked him his name and he mumbled out 4 or 5 names (his full name) and unfortunately I wasn't able to catch what he said. We tipped him in the end for all of his hard work... walking with us for a few hours (hee hee hee). I have a cute pic of him but it's a vertical photo and won't post correctly.

I walked with my mom and friends Christine and Jamie. The other mother/daughter team from Belgium were with us too and I could see my mom getting to know the mom better as they chatted in the van. So anyway... my initial shopping impression was a feeling of "over-stimulation". There just were soooo many of the little animals that it was hard to zero in on the ones that drew my eye to them. We went from shop to shop thinking that we should wait to buy until we saw more of them... which turned out to be an ill-fated plan because we were desensitized by the end of the shopping trip after having seen so many of the same thing (yet all unique!). My mom disappeared from our group at one point and we later found out that she had negotiated a purchase of a large beautiful peacock that she had had her eye on. The artist showed her how to take it apart and they photographed him with the piece. She was very proud of her purchase and can't wait to put it together at home. I bought a few small animals but nothing big stuck out in my mind. They weren't as cheap as I had hoped (at least not the big ones), and even though they are probably 50% cheaper here, they still can be pretty pricey... the big ones being upwards of $100. I loved the ones I bought, but still felt I hadn't purchased the "motherlode" as I had hoped, but I wasn't worried because on Saturday we had a guide taking us out to San Martin Tilcajete, another village for alebrijes.

That night we had dinner with all of my friends that I met through the school. Even Mike and Vanessa had returned from the beach and joined us. We had preplanned a farewell dinner since so many of them were leaving the next day. There must have been 12 people or so, and we all ate and drank and had a great time! I even tried some of the "chapulines" or grasshoppers that are a staple for Oaxacans. No big deal... they were tiny and mixed with spices. Couldn't really tell that I was eating insects... but I WAS!!! (see blurry photo of insects on a piece of chicken)

My mom enjoyed meeting all the nice people that I had met so far. Earlier in the day my stomach had begun to feel uneasy, and it worried me...

Oaxaca-mama...

Hola! It's been a while since I posted but everything is going great and still having a fabulous time! My mom is here and we have been super busy getting her acquainted with Oaxaca, and seeing new things that I put off seeing while I was here on my own. She got here a little early and managed to get to this hotel by herself on Wednesday (go mom!) so I surprised when I was in a cafe reading my email and I saw one from her saying "I AM HERE!". I rushed back to the hotel which I had checked into already and thankfully was only around the block from where I was in the cafe, to find her in our room waiting for me! Nice surprise! Our hotel is adorable!!!! It's called La Casa de los Abuelos, and it's run by the two cutest people, Rosy and Luis, a brother and sister in their 60's probably. I thought they were married but as it turns out they are just brother and sister (Luis told me as he made the cross in front of his face). Our "apartment" has a full kitchen and then a living room area, and an upstairs loft where the bed and bath are. It shows how much love and care they put into it because it's completely decorated with knick-knacks and pottery, etc... They renovated it and put loads of love into every touch. Here is my mom in the kitchen... We love it!!!!

The next day we went out and found a guide at a hotel to take us out and around town. His name was Raul and we arranged for him to take us out to 3 places: Mitla (an archeological site), Tule tree (allegedly the widest tree in the world) and Teotiitlan de valle (a weaver's village). All places were very interesting and Raul was very knowledgeable. In the weaver's village, Raul took us to a family's house and he spent a great deal of time showing us how they get the wool ready and how they use natural ingredients to make the dye for the yarn. Then he showed us the weaving that they do there. Their 5x7 rugs cost $800 plus!!! We didn't buy anything.

My mom and I went out for dinner and had a restful evening. She was still getting familiar with the city and we did a lot in one day. I'm going to post a couple pics and then write a new entry for the next day.
** Sorry about the photo sideways problem. Blogger doesn't have a tool for you to rotate them the correct way so any time you take a vertical photo it automatically lays down... oh well!

School is Out for the Summer, and more...

Good afternoon! Buenos tardes! It's Tuesday here and I just finished my last day of school. Truthfully, I could go tomorrow since my mom's flight doesn't get in till almost 5pm... but... I think I am "over"school. I have learned some really great new things in Spanish but really haven't been able to apply much of them yet. I have been learning about the "gerund" (using "ing") and also reflexive verbs... honestly if you haven't studied spanish and don't know what those are, I couldn't explain it. I don't even know how to do these things in English. Did I ever learn about reflexive verbs in English???? I kept asking my teacher Andres, if he was POSITIVE that I was in the right class (based on his evaluation of my Spanish) and he assured me I was. It just feels like I use the same 15-20 words over and over again, mixed up and for different reasons. I definitely think my private lessons with him have been good, but in some way, I don't feel like what he is teaching me is really sinking in. Not his fault... mine... completely. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I am changing schools to work with an entirely different client base, and won't need to use my spanish daily like I did at The Accelerated School. This time it's for fun, not for necessity. In any case, it was fun... yesterday we had a debate on whether or not "using a cell phone for text messaging is beneficial or detrimental". We had to choose a slip of paper to decide whether we were "en favor" or "en contrar", and then we debated each other about how using abbreviated words can damage a person's grammer. It was funny. Lots of laughing and acting out. Tomorrow they are going to be writing a script for a telenovela (spanish soap opera). I will miss out on that but I'm sure it will be fun. Overall, I think the school was good, but it was very different from my last school in Guatemala. This one was much smaller, fewer students, and also had an English program for Oaxacenos. I don't think I learned as much in a group situation than I did in the private classes in Guatemala, but it was fun to interact and meet other people during class time. Both were great experiences and I have no regrets!

So otherwise, no big plans for today. There is a movie at the school tonight that I will go to. Afterwards will be a discussion again and probably dinner. I have been hanging out with Susan, my new housemate from Mass. She is a 4th grade teacher, in her 50's and very nice. She probably will take my room when I leave because mine is so huge and has a private bathroom.

I forgot to mention here that the other day when I was walking to meet some friends (on Saturday night) I accidentally walked into a parade and immediately became a part of it. It was a huge parade of all of the delegations from the different villages who participate in the Guelegetza, the dance festival of Oaxaca. Yesterday was the last day so on Sat. night all the performers walked through the street in costume, bursting of cultural pride! I got so swept up in all of it, I actually found myself emotional while I watched all the young men and women in their indiginous dress parading and dancing through the street. I am posting a few pictures from that since it was such an amazing event to fall upon. I had NO idea it was occurring, as I was just walking in the perfect direction to the Santo Domingo church at the exact moment it was starting. Buena suerte!!!

In memory....

It doesn't feel right to put up another entry without mentioning some very sad news I received today. Marvin Silver, my former Principal from Coldwater Canyon Elem. was in a river rafting accident this past weekend, and his body has not yet been found. It is presumed that he drowned. Marvin was adored by all who knew him and I had the honor of working with him for 6 years and then traveling to Italy with him and his wife Beverly 5 years ago. Marvin was a mentor to me and remains an example of great leadership in education. Even though I haven't seen him since his retirement 2 years ago, I will miss him terribly and will always remember him and what I learned from him.

Climb Every Mountain Part 2

Lessons learned in Mexico... 1) When in a foreign land, and you are invited to go "hiking", get as much information as possible...

So, the irony of using the title for the last entry, Climb Every Mountain, is that on Sunday... I climbed an actual mountain! Did I set out to do so? NO. Did I climb a mountain? YES! So it's a very long story that I will try to make shorter... We, the students, were invited by the director of the school to join him on a "hike" to a mountain, where were could cook food when we got to the top (those were his words... in English). I guess I was "stupido" by not asking more questions, which I'm sure I did, but cannot prove at this point. We met him in a different neighborhood, near the baseball stadium. I thought the van was picking us up, but it turned out we were taking 2 buses to a village called Teotihuacan, which is famous for it's weavers (I had no idea that we were headed there... due to lack of information). Oh, I forgot to mention that Enrique didn't show up to meet us and that he sent Consuelo, another school staff member to meet us. We were informed that at his house, where he and his family rent rooms, a new student had shown up a day early and the room for him was not BUILT yet... yes that's true, they still needed to finish building it. Excellent! Anyway, I digress... So we ended up at some guy named Luis' house in this village. He was a friend of Enrique. His family was very hospitable, and friendly. Their house not at all modern, made of bricks and cement only. The family are weavers and they had a weaving room which they were gracious to show us.

Anyhow... were were there till nearly noon, when Enrique showed up. I forgot to mention that he told us to "bring meat" with us for cooking, but when we looked at him with mass confusion, he offered to bring it for us and we could pay him back ("bring meat"? where the hell am I supposed to get meat at 8:30 a.m.???) And meat?? On a mountain??? I didn't get it. So finally around noon-ish we started walking toward the mountain. I saw a huge one in a the distance but thought for sure that it couldn't be "hiked". Oh was I wrong... that mountain... THIS mountain... we hiked...TO THE VERY TOP!!!!

Well, all I can say is that it was hellacious!!!!! It was hot, in the direct sun, uphill for nearly 3 hours. Of course all the youngins' were skipping up the "hill". But me? I was pretty much always taking up the rear, just praying that they wouldn't get to far ahead of me so that I would lose the way. There were plenty of times when I had to stop to rest and no one was near me... eventually someone would call for me and I called back, gasping for air (ok perhaps I'm being overly dramatic, but still...). A few times Christina and Jeremy stayed back with me, even though they were part of the "skippers". It was clearly out of pity that they watched out for me. Plus, there were hawks, or perhaps vultures that were flying around and I for sure would have been a great meal for one of them. One time Enrique was nice enough (as our guide, hello???) to stay back with me and he really tried to encourage me not to give up. Let me say, that there was hardly a moment that I wasn't constructing a plan to try to get down the mountain back by myself and get a ride back to Oaxaca. But it just wasn't possible to do without upsetting the whole trip. So... I persevered... Si yo puedo!!!! (yes I can) in the words of my spiritual guide, Cesar Chavez! And... eventually I made it... to the top! My heart had been racing so high that I was nauseous and the exact opposite of "hungry", but they all insisted on building a fire and cooking some meat to eat with avocados, onions on a huge tortilla. I ate it... despite that it was beef, cooked on the ground, directly on top of coal. No problema. (-------> turn head to the left to view pic)

So, I thought that going up was hard????!!!!! Down was even worse! The most dangerous and precarious situation I have ever been in. Imagine... straight down, no trail, bushwacking with out hands (no machete), sliding down on our rears, constant sticking of cactus in my legs and arms (did I mention I was wearing shorts and my open sided Keen sandals?), branches of plants we clung to that contained thorns, oh and the fun continued. Early on in our descent, one of the teachers, Veronica, slipped and sprained her ankle, and had to use 2 sticks for support to get down. She was a trooper!!! We walked/slid/fell down for more than an hour before we finally found a trail (albeit a questionable one). We made it down all in mostly one piece, and I finally got a look at my arms and legs, covered with scratches, mosquito bites, thorn punctures and sunburn (I DID use sunblock, but I sweat it off 1o times over and no time to stop and reapply). It's a miracle we were all alive (again with the drama), and if I hadn't been so exhausted and dying to use the restroom, I would have celebrated more. The buses had all stopped running to the village, so we had to take a taxi back to Oaxaca at 7:30 pm (remember we started on this journey at 9am). There was only ONE taxi available and he had to come back because the taxi only fit 5 people and there were 10 of the students, so we had to divide up. I decided to play the "old age" card, being the oldest adult there, and I used that to guarantee my placement in the first taxi. The ride was about 45 mins. which brought us back to torrential rain (no umbrella or jacket of course... I thought I would only be gone a few hours). I ultimately made it back to Perla's place at 9pm, and she was nice enough to see how miserable I was so she made me some dinner and brewed a special tea for me after my shower.

Lessons learned???? I can do more than I think I can.... Being 40 is not a reason to give up, but rather a reason to continue... Always carry an umbrella during the rainy season regardless of how long you think you might be out... When in Rome, go hiking with the Romans! And lastly... when hiking in the mountains of Mexico, on the verge of tears and complete exhaustion, composing a blog in your mind is a good way to pass the time.
Thanks for reading!!!

Climb Every Mountain

I am happy to say that this morning I awoke WITHOUT a headache or hangover. I did have a questionable stomach, and lackluster energy, but am quite proud of my avoidance of a hangover from hanging out with "the young kids" last night. After another delicious breakfast from Perla, Mike, Vanessa and I, met Jeremy and Christine at the school for a trip to Monte Alban, a significant archeological site here in Oaxaca, just about 20 minutes away. Getting going wasn't easy, but once we were there, it became obvious to me that it was well worth it.

We paid our 50 pesos ($5) to enter and chose an English speaking guide (for $25 for all 5 of us). Though none of us got his name, his English was somewhat comprehensible, and he was certainly knowledgeable about the site. So, as it is... Monte Alban was the site for 3 different civilizations, the Olmat, Zapotec, and Mixtec (spellings all questionable). It's huge, it's old and more than that, I can't really tell you because of my self-diagnosed Adult ADD which kicked in. Actually our guide told us many interesting things that I could share, but without being there, it wouldn't make any sense. If you're interested in ancient civilizations, google "Monte Alban". This time, differently from my visit to Chichenitza (sp?), I climbed the pyramid (see photo). The stairs weren't as narrow as last time and it wasn't as tall as in Cancun, but the stairs were tall, and it was a strain on the cardio-system and the knees. Still... I made it with our whole group and we celebrated at the top. It was VERY hot while were at Monte Alban, and despite an effort to cover with sunblock, I managed to get a lame "red neck" and probably added to my still unrelenting "farmer tan". It's humid today and I could take a few more showers, but it's such a production in my place, with the 5 streams of water spraying down, and water on the bathroom floor, etc... I probably won't do it again... just a wash down before we meet up with the others for dinner tonight.

Speaking of dinner, have I mentioned that Oaxacenos eat 4 meals a day??? Yes, it's trouble for me... and I am trying to make good choices but it's getting pretty hard because the food is soooo good here (have I mentioned that one or 10 times yet?). I just finished eating my favorite meal, a latte and the mushroom empanadas at Los Cuillos (where I am now), and Mike and Vanessa stopped by to iron out our plans for dinner at 7pm. Aye curumba!!!!

Tonight we are getting a new house mate... a woman named Susan, who is a teacher (join the club Susan, we're all teachers here). I suppose we'll be getting to know her better tomorrow. We are supposed to be hiking up a mountain nearby with our school's director, Enrique. He's bringing meat and charcoal (his words, not mine) so I guess we are BBQing at the top. I don't know about it, because it's supposed to be pretty steep, but CLEARLY I need to be hiking after all the eating here. It's just really HOT now, and you all know me... and how I (don't) tolerate heat.

I'm getting ready for Mom to come next Wednesday (miercoles). I've been holding off on shopping pretty much so that I can do most of my buying with her. Today at the ruins, I bought a beautiful Zapotec mask to hang on the wall, and of course there was all the rediculous mezcal that I bought last night (got to watch out for that "drunk shopping"). I'm not really keeping track of my spending because there are approximately 10 pesos in $1, so it doesn't seem like much to spend 50 pesos when you know it's only $5. It all adds up though. I'm off for a siesta before the next meal...
Adios!

Food and Drink, Part 2

I am lucky to have had a very full and rich 24 hours! I, with the great group of friends I have made here, have been very busy seeing sights here in Oaxaca and enjoying the "fruits" of such an amazing place. Hmmm.. where do I begin????

Yesterday we visited a town called Ocotlon. They are famous for their Friday market day and people from villages all over the Oaxaca come here to buy and sell their wares, and catch up on the recent gossip in each other's village. We visited the beautiful church and museum that was preserved by a man named Rodolfo Morales. He was sort of the town philanthropist and tried hard to improve Ocotlan by preserving their church and creating an art museum of his work, where he painted to honor mainly the women of the town. His museum was beautiful and it it clear that he did a lot for his city by offering art classes and culture to the people. Afterwards we walked through the market, which was so alive and busy with people! It was here that I tried my first "street food". Up until now I have been very cautious and perhaps overly concerned about eating food that is not prepared in the house I am staying or in a restaurant. But they had these amazing things in the market called "tlayudas", which really seems like it was just a name for a HUGE quesadilla in a massive tortilla, stuffed with goodness (in this case it was amarillo mole and chicken and parsley... see photo). I was with Jamie, Christina and Jeremy, and we all three got one. Certainly NOT Weight Watchers, but... it was worth it. In this market we saw everything from plastic shoes, to saddles, to dried fish, free samples of Mezcal (more on that later), pottery, jewelery, and soooo much more. We didn't have much time there, but it was all worth it. Jamie and I even got a little lost, and were late back to the bus, thus adding a bit more adventure to the day.

Upon our arrival back at the school, we met up with Mike and his girlfriend Vanessa (whom he had just picked up from the airport). We all jammed into a cab at about 6pm and went to The Mezcal Festival, being held at the Convention Center, a bit aways from the center of town where we stay. I have to start by saying that this event, surprisingly to me, was the MOST fun I have had in a long time, and for sure while in Oaxaca! This festival was a celebration of mezcal, the drink of the Oaxacenos. For a measly 15 pesos ($1.50) we got to "sample" a bazillion kinds of mezcal... everything from straight, clear, strong mezcal, to fruity, creamy, flavored ones. I had NO IDEA what could be done with the agave plant! There were about 30 booths, and each one offered pretty much limitless samples in little teeny cups of all their different kinds of mezcal. In an effort of "full disclosure", I must admit that by the 3rd booth, we were all sufficiently buzzed, and by the 5th one... just plain drunk!! And believe it or not, we made it around to almost ALL of the booths over the course of about 3 hours. When all was said and done, I had bought 2 bottles of flavored mezcal, and a shot glass made from some red clay, received a sporty straw hat, which I wore all night, took pictures with some real caballeros, and ate some more, yet to be identified "street food"!!!! It was a blast!!!! We laughed through the entire thing, danced a bit and when we thought we were done drinking... started up again. It was completely opposite of the "usual" me. We ended up leaving around 10:30 and then going out to eat at the same pizza place as the night before. Oh boy, I am really not weight watching and need to get ahold of this eating thing... well, maybe when I get back. We didn't get back to our place till after midnight, when I proceeded to drink a lot of water and take 2 aspirin. A good time was has by all!!! Si!

Come to Oaxaca

Good morning! Buenos dias! I have a few minutes before I have to go down to breakfast this morning. Today is Mike's birthday (his 30th) and his girlfriend is arriving, so even though she'll be staying here, I'm sure I'll see much less of him now. Yesterday was a day chock-full of activities and experiences. School was fine... I am kinda over being a student now and frankly am counting the days till I don't go anymore. I think I am depending on it mostly for my social life here in Oaxaca, so I am not eager to be away from the school, only not sitting in a classroom for 3 hours a day. Teachers are usually the worst students, and this teacher is NO different.

So after lunch yesterday I found an adorable hotel for my mother and I. It's more of an apartment with 2 floors, full kitchen, living room, private bathroom, etc... run by a cute older couple, called La Casa de los Abuelos (the house of the grandparents). Luis and Rosy are adorable, and although they don't seem to speak a lick of English, I understood that we could have the apartment for only $50 a night, for 2 people. It's a total steal! Sadly, I read on the internet yesterday that tourism is down like 60% here and the occupancy rate in the hotels is only 40%. This is a city that depends on tourism for it's livelihood and I guess that since the news was overblown that it was unsafe to be here, people just aren't choosing Oaxaca like they used to before the riots and uprising that happened here last year. It's very sad. The people here are SO nice (muy amable)! So that leads into the other thing I did yesterday... we (the students) watched a documentary at the school, about the events that happened here last year, when there were teacher protests, rioting and people killed during those events. The governor of Oaxaca is apparently somewhat of a crook and he had his people quieting down the protestors by killing them, throwing tear gas, and completely unnecessary violence. It was supposed to be a peaceful protest. Anyway... it's complicated and I don't have time to get into it now, but the film was very sad and very informative. Afterwards, the teachers were invited in to have a discussion with us about our opinions and their feelings about what goes on here. The good part of the discussion: it was passionate and lively and was encouraging to see people with strong feelings about their government. The bad part: ummmm it was pretty much 100% discussed in Spanish and I only understood a small portion of what was being said. Big bummer! After the meeting it was almost 9pm so Mike, Jamie and I went out to dinner with the director, Enrique and one of the teachers, Veronica (I think they're a couple). We had yummy pizza (something I never have at home anymore). The conversation was half in English and half in Spanish, and was very fun.

So now today, I am off to school and then we're taking an excursion to a nearby town, Ocotlan, which has a hugely popular market day on Fridays. Tonight we will go to the Mezcal Festival to celebrate Mike's birthday. I don't know if I will be around to post anything before then so I wanted to write this little bit this morning. Tomorrow we're going to Monte Alban, a significant archeological site for Mexico, with pyramids, etc...

Have a great day!!! Thanks for reading!

Food and Drink

Hello again from Oaxaca!

This is what I like about going to language school and staying in a city for more than a few days. Today I woke up and for a moment, I thought I was home... but home being here, in Oaxaca. It translated to me that I am beginning to feel normal here and getting used to all the huge changes that I have been acclimating to in the last 4 days. I think I might have found "my groove today". I wonder how that would be translated into spanish??

So last night, Mike and I met up with the other Mike (from NYC) and Jamie, a girl from NC who is staying here in the same apartment building as Mike#2. She is quiet and is only 24 but is a math teacher in Charlotte who teaches ESL students. So far she is the only other solo female traveler that I have met at my school. All the others are either guys or actually mostly just couples. The four of us set out to find the Mezcal festival, a tasting festival that happens once a year. We quickly learned though that it was too far away, so we decided to walk around the city in search of a good bar to try the mezcal. Did I write about mezcal yesterday? I think so. It's pretty much the drink of choice here and most Oaxacenos drink it with pride and swear that it is "muy diferente de tequila" (the drink of Jalisco). Well, after much searching we finally chose a cheeseball bar, and Mike and I each had 2 shots... frankly... tastes like tequila. Plus the fireball that exited my mouth after the shot went down was a unique experience but subsided quickly. We had a nice time together. They are all considerably younger than I am, and honestly I barely remember the last time that 1) I was in a noisy bar, and 2) drank a shot of anything. I am reliving my college life here and living vicariously as a 20-something. So, I didn't really get drunk or anything from the 2 shots and eventually we all left and walked back to our respective places. I'm glad to have Mike living in the same house as I am, even though it feels very safe to walk here... it's much better walking around town late at night with a guy (and by late, I mean 11-ish).

I am having a rough time sleeping here unfortunately. I don't think it has anything to do with the bed or the living arrangements, but rather the spanish that rolls around in my head when I lie down. I am unable to stop thinking about how to say things and it drives me absolutely crazy!!! My mind won't rest!!! I don't fall asleep till nearly 1am each night and still wake up at 7:30. I guess it could be worse.

Then today... first off... got out of that teacher's class. I talked with the director and now have a private hour with Andres, the teacher that I have in the morning. He is very sweet and thank goodness he speaks pretty good english. So even though we speak mainly in spanish, he will clarify things for me in english when I ask. It REALLY helps me so when I think I might know what he's saying but aren't sure... I ask in english and usually I was wrong. It's a much better deal now and the hour goes by "muy rapido"!

Later I spent some time looking at hotels and B & B's for when my mom comes. Nothing yet, but have some good leads. Tomorrow will inquire about some more. The best part of the day was the cooking class though this afternoon. Mike, Jamie and a young couple from NYC, Christina and Jeremy (both teachers... actually we're ALL teachers now that I think of it, wow!), we all walked about 20 mins. to this woman's house (as set up by the school for $15), and we cooked mole (pronounced "moe-lay". I am learning that by far the greatest thing about Oaxaca, is the food here. And mole is the main reason. There are 7 main kinds of mole, which really is just a sauce that is made from chiles. In America we think the only kind of mole is the one made with chocolate. But NOOOOO... there are yellow moles, red moles, and tonight we made the Mole Coloradito, once with these 2 certain kinds of chiles, and tomatoes, and oregano and garlic, and sesame, and thyme.... We helped cook the whole thing and then we all ate together. MUY DELICIOSO!!!!!! It was with chicken and rice and fresh tortillas... aye! I have the recipe and it wasn't too difficult, so i'd love to try to make it at home.

Lastly all 5 of us went out to a bar (I know... 2 bars in 2 nights.., my record for the last 5 years). We had a great time and I was grateful the whole time to have met all of them and have cool people (or actually "any" people) to hang out with.

Yikes, this has gotten so long again. I just have so much to tell from all of the interesting experiences I am having on this adventure. If you're still reading... thanks for sticking with me. It feels like I am in touch when I read comments... so keep them coming if you're reading this. Buenos noches mi amigos y familia!!!

Finding my way...

<------ my school, Vinilugaza. Today is Tuesday. Once again I am in Cafe Los Cuiles, though I am glad to say that when I moved into a different room in Perla's house yesterday, my computer began picking up a wireless connection (hooooray!). I feel more connected now and it makes the times that I am alone, a little bit easier to be able to email, or send instant messages. Last night for dinner, Perla made a soy dish with Oaxacan flavors, peppers, etc... She even served us brown rice. She tends to buy organic food if possible and I can tell that she is a healthy eater. So far I have liked all of her food, except for breakfast, which was my problem because I don't like plain yogurt or mango, and so that was served with granola. Breakfast today was YUMMY... she made whole wheat pancakes with banana and organic syrup. Delish! This isn't at all how I thought I'd be eating here in Oaxaca. I also have included a picture of my plate from yesterday of the empanadas (only 1 is left here). The cheese here is very different from home. It's very thick and when it melts it's still a little tough. But it still is delicious in the fresh made tortillas they serve them in.

After dinner, Mike and I ventured out after the rain (I am sensing a pattern with rain here during the summer months). Now I will plan accordingly. We walked not too far to the zocolo, the city center, for what was supposed to be a festival for the Guelegetza. We saw fireworks, but since there had been a lot of rain, it seemed that most of the people were gone. This being the center of town, I'm sure I'll be back many times. By the time we got back it was 10:30 so I painstakingly did my homework (with a dictionary close at hand), and went to bed.

Now today... I met another guy named Mike. He was at the school and I started talking to him (see? I can do it!) because he has the same Macbook that I have and I told him about the free wireless at the cafe I had been going to. Actually my reason for going to the school this afternoon was to talk to the director to see if I can get out of my 3rd hour spanish class because I DON'T LIKE the teacher. She talks WAY too fast and I don't understand her. Plus, she's boring and doesn't smile. My teacher in the morning, Andres, is very friendly. This morning we played that game where you get a person's name that is written on a slip of paper and you don't know which one you are, and you have to stick it on your head and ask questions about who you are. Ironically, today I was Arnold Schwarzenegger. Very funny. It was a blast and from a teacher's perspective, a great way to learn conversational skills. But the teacher in the 3rd hour, just makes us read our homework out loud while she corrects it in front of everyone. Then for fun she asks us to describe someone else's essay. Like to check a) if you were paying attention (which inevitably I am not), and b) to check our comprehension (which I usually don't). Sound like fun????? Today I felt totally deflated and was ready to quit. So I decided that I am not going to her class anymore. I am going to ask Enrique the director if I can have a private lesson for that hour (for obviously more well-spent money). So... back to the new Mike... cute, from San Diego, goes to grad school at Columbia, a photographer... blah blah, nice guy, young. Nevertheless he joined me at the cafe to meet my room mate Mike and we all three hung out this afternoon. Tonight after dinner we are all meeting up to go a Mezcal Festival (free samples of a tequila-like alcohol). Yikes!!! Must remember to drink lots of water before I go to bed tonight. I hope we'll be able to find out way back tonight...

So, apparently I look like a tourist when I am walking around because I am looking at everything around me. I guess he's right, but how else can I learn my surroundings. Plus everything is so colorful and animated. It's gorgeous and ugly all at the same time. A beautifully colored building might be next to a building that hasn't been painted in a hundred years. I guess by the time my mom gets here I will know my way around better and won't have to look like a stranded tourist. Then she will... hee hee hee.

This last picture may be hard to see, and you have to turn your head to the left, but it is of my private bathroom in Perla's house. Notice how lucky I am to be able to sit on the toilet AND take a shower at the SAME time. Not every house in America has this added convenience. Seriously... we should consider this when building. Adios! Hasta manana!

Teacher Goes to School

<----- I can't figure out how to turn this picture... sorry. You'll have to turn your head to the side. It's me at my school. Hola! Sorry for the last post being so long. I was writing in my room and had plenty of time to think about each teeny tiny moment I had experienced (you can't imagine what I had to leave out). So at this moment I am sitting in Cafe Cuiles (?), a cafe recommended to me by the director of the school, because for some reason, my computer won't connect to the school's wireless. Darn it! I'm going to keep working on it! So school today... ahhhh school... I recall that I am not the best student and when you are in a group class it's even harder to be a pain in the butt because then you piss off other people too. I walked to school today with Mike, my new pal, and turns out he is a high school teacher from Milwaukee (waiting for his girl friend to arrive on Friday). He's very nice and since he knows more spanish than I do, he helps me out. We're going to bum around this afternoon. My teachers (yes teachers) are fine. They talk pretty fast and I am in a class with 3 other people, all about the same place as me with their spanish... or so. I quickly realized the problem with group classes though: everyone is on a different level and they know some verbs and phrases that I don't know, and vice versa. I don't feel like I am getting personal attention at all and am slightly embarrassed to ask questions. I think I will take a few private lessons from Enrique, the director, next week. Luckily 3 hours went by pretty fast. There is another teacher from NYC in my class who is very nice. Everyone wants to speak spanish over our breaks, and it's driving me nuts. I'm not feeling super motivated to struggle at this point in the week. BUT... one guy from my class later told me that he was glad I came because there is a guy in the class who is VERY slow and he said my presence really livened up the conversation. Nice to know... I ended up paying for my homestay for all 3 meals each day, although I doubt i will take them. Today I brought my backpack and followed the directions to find this cafe and BOY am I glad I did, because I found a beautiful part of town where the huge Santa Domingo church is (pictures later). Also, THANK GOODNESS... I found the SHOPPING!!! OH MY... the alebrijes!!!! (The Oaxacan animals that I collect). They are everywhere and I really have to use self control because when my mom gets here we will go to the village where they make them. They are beautiful though!! Mom... I'm gonna try not to buy any... we'll see what happens. Today is the Guelegetza, the world famous dance festival here that has been bringing some protests and uprising. I saw some police on trucks in riot gear ride through town but I don't think there are any problems. Tonight Mike and I are going to go to the Zocolo (the town center) for a Guelegetza celebration. Our school director said it was a festival and it would be safe to go. Hopefully it won't rain like it did yesterday. YIKES it was massive. Well, again, this is getting too long. I'm going to finish up here. The nervous stomach is subsiding, and I am beginning to feel better about things. There is a full schedule of activities in the afternoon starting on Weds. I'll be doing all of them and will write about them later. I just took a picture of the empanadas championes (mushroom empanadas) that I just ate. YUMMY, but greasy... I'll have to really walk this afternoon. I am moving to a different room in Perla's house today. She has one that has a private bathroom (just in case .... ya know what I'm saying???). Hasta manana... (anyone know how to get the little swirly thing over the "n" on the computer? I can't remember.

All things happen for a reason…

So today I came to Oaxaca. Getting here was interesting, but I understand now why it happened. So it turns out I was right… a non-stop/direct flight to Oaxaca doesn’t exist. I called Mexicana Airlines before I left and they assured me that I would not have to get off the plane when I arrived in Mexico City. They said that I would be able to stay on the plane, and go through immigration in Oaxaca. That seemed fishy to me, but they guy said he was sure (do you see where I am going with this?). Thankfully I was able to get about 3 hours sleep on the plane (it was only a 3 ½ hours flight). I woke up upon landing, and sort of missed the announcement that all passengers going on to Oaxaca would have to get off the plane. When I was the last person, I rushed up to the front to talk to an attendant, and they basically called me an idiot (without saying those words). Very long story in a shorter version: Our flight had left LA about 30 minutes late and it made it even more impossible for us to get off the plane, go through immigration and then trek across the Mexico City airport in enough time to get to the connection to Oaxaca (you know, the one I was told I wouldn’t need to get). There was no way humanly possible to get through all of that even if our plane had been on time because the line through immigration took at least 30 minutes. During all this time, I met a woman named Ann from San Francisco who was also coming to Oaxaca to meet with some friends for a week. We ended up sticking together and sharing complaints about how stupid the airlines were for lying to us and even leading us to believe that we’d get to Oaxaca when they said we would.
I told her about how I was being picked up by the woman I would be staying with and I hoped that even though our new flight was going to be 3 hours later, I still hoped she’d show up. Ann told me that her friends were meeting her and should my ride not be there, she thought she’d be able to help out. SO, after a short flight to Oaxaca and a long line to pick up our early-arriving luggage, I found no one to meet me at the airport. No surprise there. BUT… waiting for me outside the front of the airport was Ann (who I had lost in the crowd), with her friends and an offer to take me to my house. Not only that, but they said it was VERY close (around the block-close) to where they were going. Lucky me… all things happen for a reason.
So they took me to the address I had and no one answered, so they took me to their place which is a bed and breakfast/ school owned by an American ex-patriat named Gary. We called, and left a note for Perla (the woman I would be staying with), but no answer. So I just hung out there with them, talked, took a tour of the cool place, and relaxed (on my heft 3 hours of sleep). Gary also had a vacant room in his B and B so I knew that if things didn’t work out tonight with Perla, I could stay at his place with the others. Sounded like a fine idea. Ultimately, after about an hour, Perla had received the note we left on her door and she came to pick me up. All things happen for a reason…
Then began the next part of my adventure. Perla and her aunt drove me the 2 blocks to her house. The front of her house has big wooden doors and on the front of the house reads “Casa Perla Mer”. Inside I walked into a hallway covered with artwork, which she explained was done by her ex husband, the artist. The courtyard in the middle contains a table with an umbrella and then I followed Perla up the small winding stairs to my room. She opened the door to my adorable room that contains all the necessities, a bed, a desk, an armoire, night table with lamp and a fan. The bed is comfortable and dainty, and I love the fish sculpture with a mirror in the middle that hangs on the wall. Even the bathroom that I will be sharing with my soon to come roommate was just fine. I knew that I would be comfortable here. Later on, Perla and spent the day together while her 2 daughters Paula (9) and Maria (4) were gone to their godmother’s house. Did I mention that Perla speaks pretty decent English? She does, and thank goodness. Probably not so great for my Spanish, but nonetheless, we had a wonderful day talking about our lives and her sharing Oaxacan cooking secrets. She explained about all the different kinds of mole`. We took a walk to the local Mercado and bought some fresh tortillas and “flor de calabaza” (pumpkin flower). YUM! Every so often I would attempt to answer or speak to her in Spanish and then she’d go off in Spanish and that would get out of control and I’d have to say “whoa!! Mas despacio, por favor”, (slow down).
Later it started torrentially raining so we moved into the hallway with the table. After we thought it had stopped raining, we went for a walk so that she could show me around me. Sadly it started pouring again while we were outside and that was a mess. I had my umbrella but that turned futile since it was sort of raining sideways. We were drenched when we got back, so we said goodbye and I went to my room to dry off, change and take a rest before dinner. Dinner at 8pm was some pasta noodles with some corn and flor de calabaza. Pretty good… rather flavorless and somewhat disappointing after the whole afternoon discussion of the rich food choices available in Oaxaca. During dinner, Mike arrived. He’s a friendly guy from Milwaukee here for about a week and going to the same school as I am. It was nice to converse in un-broken English, but and his spanish is better than mine. Now, off to bed soon. I have no internet connection at the home, but have discovered that listening to my iTunes and playing the backgammon game that came on my computer are a decent way to put off bed time, so that I don’t wake up too early. More tomorrow. SCHOOL!!!

Travel Day... On to Oaxaca, Mexico

As per usual, I have my pre-travel stomach. I'm leaving to Mexico tonight, and I have all day to get ready. I can't explain why I get nervous... after all, I LOVE to travel! I planned this whole thing myself... I WANT to go. But still, the nature of the beast is that I will be traveling to a foreign country, where I barely speak the language, am getting picked up by a total stranger, and then living in her house for a week. Eek!

Oaxaca, Mexico... this is a place I have wanted to go for a long time. The current situation there is a little un-nerving (google "oaxaca" if you want to know what I am talking about). I'm sure it will be fine; after all, I've been to Israel and Guatemala. This should be a piece of cake compared to those two.

Well, need to do some more packing. Perhaps will add more later. Thanks for all the support. Wish me luck, and check back often. I'm bringing my laptop with me.
Holly