Busy Busy!

So this week has been going and now gone. I just went to classes nothing crazy involved although on Monday we did travel to Puebla to see a museum and that was interesting but that has so many restrictions on where to enter at so we were very confused. As for Wed. I got food poisoning we think from the food the hotel served, because around 8 other people got sick as well. It was not a pretty picture. But I did get to see the eclipse. Just now I am very weary of the food that they serve us.

So I had the chance of going to Veracruz this weekend but I opted out because I have lots and lots of work to do that i have been putting off! But I did walk around Cholula today to an area that I had not been before. With a nice little church on a hill. The wind was blowing and the flags that are always hanging on the churches were flapping around. It was so nice to be up there, it was like a roaring sea. It made me want to fall asleep.

Tonight we are going out to our usual night club, where we get our VIP treatment. And this crazy silver guy will be there dancing putting on a show. If only you guys could see it maybe I'll try to get the video that one of the girls took. It's halarious! Right now i'm just chilling out, eating my fav snack food, roasted pumpkin seeds that ladies sell on the side of the road.

Sunday I think i'm going to be going into Puebla to watch the soccer game! So that will be a really awsome experience! I'll keep ya updated!

Oaxaca and Mexico City

Ok so I have been a bad blogger. I have not been on here partially because it's been so busy here traveling and doing homework and also because my internet has been acting up and not so reliable. In Oaxaca we went to see Monte Alban which is an area where there are pyramids. It was beautiful. On that Oaxaca trip we also went to Mitla and Yagul which are also some ruins which were amazing. I did some hiking up around the Yagul ruins which was an amazing view. In the town of Oaxacca they are known for their crafts so I got some handicrafts and a woven purse. They are also known I guess for their Mezcal so I got a bottle of that I think it's like tequila just a different part of the plant and it also has the worm at the bottom. So that's exciting. Oh when we were out in a little town getting lunch a lady came up to us and wanted us to come to her house, so we did and she showed us how she weaved and spun yarn and where she cooked her food everyday. It was really interesting and that's where I bought my purse. We also went to a paper mill and a couple of museums. And saw the huge Tule tree! Which they said was one of the 7 wonders of the world..but I don't think it is. I mainly did a lot of hanging out at the Zocalo there!

Also back in Cholula on the 2nd was Nino Jesus day which was for the people who got a little baby jesus in their bread on January 6th had to buy and cloth their baby jesus and take it to church to get baptized. So I helped out with that for the people that got the little baby jesus and they had to hold a party with hot chocolate and tamales. We added a pinata in there as well in the party.

The next day was Carnival. In which we went to Huejotzingo to watch a parade of people in costumes and shooting off guns. It was sooo loud I felt my ears would bleed. So I didn't stay around that area for too long. When we were there we went to an old convent and looked around there and the mummies that were still there on display! There still had their hair..it was pretty crazy.

In Mexio City is was pretty short since we only spent 2 days there. But it was a really good time..although I do feel that we went to way too many museums and art places. I was in major museum mode and I was so tired from walking around so much. Outside of one of the Anthropology Museums there was the flight of the Voladores. Which is has to do with a legend of native people trying to attract the gods by acting like birds. So these 4 guys tie themselves to a rope and go around and around this high pole. It's great to see! But it was all good! I got to see Teotihuacan which is a major site the pyramids are huge! I love that place so much so we better be going to it again when ma and pop get here! We also went to a Salsa dancing bar. It was awsome! This guy was teaching me some salsa and it was soo much fun and I was dancing up a storm. Super fantastic. Overall I really liked Mexico City..nothing happened...nobody got robbed. It was a great experience so I wish I go back and see some more!

Oaxaca

Just got back from Oaxaca last night from a week of fun and learning and no computer. I will update you with all the details soon.

Hike

Saturday I didn't end up going to Puebla's flea market. Some of us stayed behind and worked on graphic design. But I hear its a fun time and they are sure to go again, so I will go some other time. At night we went out to this local bar right down the street from the hotel. A little hole in the place but it was very comfortable and we played rummy while chatting.

This week so far i've just been doing classes and chilling with my people. Working on my printmaking and graphic design. Today though we went for a hike up over the hills around Choula. You could see below the vast town of Choula and in the distance the gan piramide. It was beautiful. There were fields of cactus and corn and weird looking melons on our route. It was very hot today 80 degrees F. There were workers working in the fields up there. At the paths smelled delicious of manure. I would like to go up there and just sit all day.

Atlixco

So today was an adventure. This morning I woke up and went down to the laundry place to drop off some of my clothes. It ended up being 30 pesos (3 USD) for doing it. Very nice! You can't even get that done doing it yourself for that cheap. Then we had a quick meeting with the whole group on how everything was going. At 4 our adventure begain, we headed our way on our way to Atlixco which is almost an hour away. We took the bus to the CAPU which is the central bus station. And Erin I found where you would be dropped off if you were to take Estrella Roja to Puebla. Anyway...this CAPU was huge bigger than the columbus airport. From there we took a bus to Atlixco for 18 pesos (less than 2 USD) it and was a pretty sweet town. There was a really nice zocalo and a big market. At night it seems that the younger people just walk around the zocalo in hopes to meet somebody. After walking around and having some dinner and some ice cream, I had pina colada which was quite tasty, we took the bus back to Cholula. And now i'm trying to figure out what to do now!

So as some side cultural notes:
The police here in Mexico are scary, and there is one on each corner it seems. At Atlixco they were carrying big shot guns, although I think they do in Cholula as well but it seemed more apparent in Atlixco. But they are really scary and you feel like you don't want to mess with them or say hello.
The stores and shops: it's so nice to go to stores for select/ speciality items instead of going to WalMart for everything. In Cholula they don't have that so everyday they go to the market to get all their veggies, fruits and meats for that day. And all the litle hole in the wall restaurants are great too.
And of course it has been apparent to me but I am telling you now, it is very hard to blend in. It's not like Europe, here everybody notices you. It's very difficult sometimes when you just don't want to be noticed.

Just Around

Hello! Nothing much has been going on except class stuff and getting projects to work on. Like I said we are redoing the Pedro Paramo book so I have been walking about Cholula lots for that taking all different kinds of pictures. We are going to the cemetary in a bit. For printmaking we are making Reliefs (my fav.!) and making a little book out of them. My is hopefully going to serve as a book and a poster. It has pattern on is and church steeples, it's going to be pretty sweet. I'm going to take my laundry to the laundaria tomorrow. Hopefully they don't lose my clothing! It's pretty weird having random ladies washing your laundry, but that's the only way they do it here! It's like 10 pesos (1 USD) for 2 pounds of clothing, not too shabby. Ooo for lunch we had tostadas yummy..it's like a little flat flour tortilla fried and you put beans, chicken and cheese and lettuce on. Very yummy. Dunno what's going on tonight! Don't have an class tomorrow, just our usually friday morning meeting. We were talking about going to a Bull fight this month but I think we will be in Oxacca at that time. Hopefully I will be going sometime! I also walked with a group to the cemetery. It was packed full of crosses and small buildings. I have pictures so I will post those up soon.

First Day of Classes

Monday was the first day of classes. Got up for breakfast and Senior Graphic Design started at 10. We are starting a Pedro Paramo redesign for the whole book. We have to use pictures or drawings to convey our concept throughout the book, so after class some of us girls walked around a new part of town that we had not been to taking pictures. I got some nice pictures but i still don't have a clue what i'm doing yet for the book. Art History was after lunch and a break (we took pictures at that time) it starts at 4 and goes till 6 I think. It was a little difficult to understand Raul because of his think accent. We only have that once a week and hopefully it will be ok. The rest of the day I just chilled out worked on my computer and watched some of a Korean film that JongGill brought. Today I have Printmaking I think we are starting out making little books and making them for the whole class. Then I really have to be thinking about a concept for Pedro Paramo.

Oh and I keep forgetting to tell you guys that we live a block down from a Prison! It's pretty crazy! I walk by it pretty much everyday.

So I posted more pictures! If you click on the slideshow it should direct you to my Picasa Site with the pictures from before and such. If not please notify me.