Me encanta México

I LOVE MEXICO!!!!

This morning started off a little rough, we were all so tired in Spanish class - barely made it through! Monday hit us all pretty hard! Val's back!! Val got into Mérida last night, and it was nice to see her back at the Central House this morning. I chatted with her for a while - she had a great time in Boston and Iowa, and delivered me greetings from a few people at Drake that she met with! Today we were back to our Understanding Contemporary Mexico class with Val, and it almost brought me to tears. For a while we talked about May 8th, and discussed packing, going through customs, our last weekend here. So sad. I also sat there so boggled by how we already arrived at this point. I seem to remember sitting around the same long, green, wooden table talking as a group during orientation week which seems like last month.

Our class topic today was immigration. A topic that is nearly impossible to tackle or even attempt to solve. There is a spiderweb of issues and factors. Here are a few notes that I jotted down during our discussion, which was prompted by a reading we had for homework. --- 1) Iowa would have a negative population growth if it weren't for the Latino population. 2) For immigrants, their work has evolved from farms to cities, previously they occupied seasonal jobs but now they hold year-round employment. 3) Mexican immigration holds to the traditional immigration patterns that other cultural groups followed hundreds of years ago. This "problem" isn't something that's been presented just in the last 30 years, but instead something our nation has been exposed to since the first immigrants arrived. 4) 80% of those who come, are working. 5) We blame social problems on newly developing groups. The burden of United States issues is easily passed to one specific group. At times it seems that we're saying it needs to be somebody else's fault, instead of focusing on our nation's own mistakes. 6) Between the US and Mexico, it's not a "we have" and "they don't have" situation - it's just different. Not everyone wants to hop over to the US. We can't look at areas of the world and say "poor them, if only they could have the life that we live here!" because our standards are simply different, it's all based on what we're accustomed to. Families in Tinum (the Mayan village I visited) were not unhappy or eager to change their situation (although from our point of view it may have seemed that way). 7) Too much clumping is occurring. Mexico is a diverse country. And we must remember that what we hear and see on the news, is not true of the whole country. It's unfair to clump Mexico and judge its value based on single cases. --- Our conversation moved into discussing US views of Mexico, and ideas that people from home had about Mexico and our desire to spend four months here. It's now our job to advocate for this country, once we return. Sadly many people overlook or refuse study abroad programs in Mexico due to fear of safety, or desire to get farther away. I forget the exactly details, but before I came here in January there was a report on the news of someone being killed in Mexico. People clamored over this report, asking if I was going to be alright. What people overlook is the fact that this same week people had been killed due to gang violence in the Twin Cities. I know people were just concerned for me, and for that I am appreciative, but the point is that Mexico is often a country quickly judged. I can't recap all that we covered today, but I made a comment that I wish Kare11 or CNN could do a story about 16 American students that spent four months in Mexico, safely and enjoyably, learning about and experiencing a culture that you don't see on your television screen.

My love and passion for Mexico grew today - who knew this was possible? For some reason today I was just so energetic about my time here, this beautiful place, and all that I have discovered!! Over this semester, I have developed a deeper connection with this country that I've visited all of my life but never before known like this.

It was a scorcher today - and I can again validate myself in saying this, because the two news anchors on TV Azteca probably mentioned the heat over seven times while I watched today. The above 100 degree temperatures couldn't stop me. I went downtown for shopping and adventures with Lyndie and Katelynn after lunchtime. It was so fun to talk with different store owners and just breathe in the smells, and take in the sights of downtown Merida. It's a spectacular place. I'm so happy, and proud of myself for making the effort to get downtown and just explore. I can confidently navigate those streets better than any town in the world. Due to our energetic moods, we were very chatty with the vendors. We wont speak in English to them despite their insistent "Ladies, come look" "We have hammocks, not only good price, but good quality" "Do you like silver? I have silver. Cheap." or "Where from? Tequila." (this last one I have never been able to understand). So we always reply in Spanish, and sometimes when we really want to mess with them we say we're from Mérida. But today we went into a shop and had the nicest conversation with a man and woman who were working at the shop. He kept offering us all sorts of information on the city, and was so excited to hear what we're doing here. He said that my spanish is good - to which I told him, my parents would be glad to hear their money was well spent!! How about that, Ma and Pa? Today was the first time I realized that I have indeed been living in a city with one million people. I've always known it, but rarely acknowledged it. But as we cruised the streets on an early Monday evening, I was made aware of the absolute swarm of people weaving their way so gracefully and logically down crowded alleys, across noisy streets, through alluring storefronts, around impatient buses, and past every Hot Dogs Henry's (the ever-popular hot dog stands that line the streets). This is a big city. And it's exciting. A quick stop at the panadería for a snack on the bus ride home, and then back to Calle 38! In conclusion, a happy Monday, and I love this place.