¡Salsa!

Salsa is a much different dance than anything I'm used to, and I'm really starting to enjoy it.  As one of three other guys taking the class, the pressure's on for me to learn the part of the lead.  Like any other dance and even more so, the lead has it all.  If I don't know my part, it makes it very difficult for the girls to learn their part.  Here's the problem: Since there are only 3 guys and about 15 girls, the teacher takes the time to carefully show la mujeres part, but shows los hombres the part a few quick times.  Do you see the problem?  However, all in all, the salsa is a very fun dance and the spanish songs are catchy.  I am learning my part fairly well and am just about ready for the salsa club.  Roberto, the instructor, is very good and has so good tips on how to lead and make the dance suave.  Salsa club, bring it on.  

Los Alebrijes

An Awesome Weekend

After what seemed like a very long week, the weekend finally came.  Even though I have been here only a little longer than a week, it seems like I have been here a month.  As a celebration for finishing the first week of classes, we played Spanish Pictionary during our hour of conversation at the end of class on Friday.  It was very difficult to guess the names of actions, phrases, and things in Spanish, but our team had a secret weapon: our teacher Abraham (pronounced abraaaam).  It can be debated that our team cheated a bit by having a native Oaxacan on our team, but it surprisingly ended up being a very close game.  Instead of Salsa class that day, we had scavenger hunt (Juego de pistas), around the city.  The purpose of the game was to familiarize ourselves with the city and where useful stores and places can be found.  It was fun, but we were all exhausted afterwards because of all the walking.  With all of the trips home and around the city, I think I walked 5-6 hours.

Because of the home stay situation, going to a house with the group is not recommended.  Therefore, hanging out happens around town at restaurants, cafes, bars, discotecas, etc…  Friday night our group walked around town to explore and found that Oaxaca has a very vibrant night life.  The lack of youth in the day is made up in the night. Crowds of people go to hang out in the bars, clubs, and in the streets. This was a completely new concept as Palmer and Parkland have close to nothing in this area.  When we go out as a group at night, we stick out like a sore thumb as a gaggle of girls and one guy.  We are the definition of gringo, except that we can speak the language more or less.  Being the only guy in the group places me in a strange position.  I feel responsible to look after all the girls, especially during the night.  I guess that’s the way it’s going to be. 

On Saturday, the group gathered at the ICO for our first excursion to the ancient Mixteca City of Monte Alban.  What a sight!  The Valley of Oaxaca used to have a thriving population of Mixtecas, with the central city of Monte Alban.  It was crazy to think that the city was built before the time of Christ!  This city was probably used for religious purposes based on the pyramids and inscriptions.  From its position on the top of a great hill, the ancient Mixteca people of Monte Alban would be able to see any threat coming from any side.  This city even had a playing field of a ball game similar to the game in “El Dorado,” once used to resolve conflicts instead of going to war.  We all took way too many pictures and had a great time. 

Following the trip to Monte Alban, we drove to a small town at the base of Monte Alban, famous for the making of painted wooden animals called Alebrijes.  Although these animals are found all over Oaxaca, this pueblo is where they are made in the traditional method with simple tools and a certain wood.  It was amazing to see the creativity and patience that goes into making them.  In addition, this craftsman made specialty animals not found anywhere else in the world, such as a dog over 9 feet tall and a peacock with about 40 different painted feathers made of wood. 

The day ended with a huge meal at a traditional Oaxacan restaurant.  I ate coloradito mole with chicken and rice, which was delicious.  Oaxaca is famous for its mole, which is very hard to describe.  If you want to know more about mole, just google it.  After eating way too much, the group drove back to the ICO where everyone went to their houses to siesta.  Overall, this was the start of a great weekend.  

Lluvia como una cascada

This post is entitled Lluvia como una cascada (rain like a waterfall) because that's what we had today.  The day started out very nicely, with temperatures in the 70's-80's and partly cloudy, but around 4 o'clock, the weather changed very suddenly and the rain came.  Luckily we were at the ICO (Instituto Cultural Oaxaca) for our salsa class and could go under the roof.  When I jumped out and stood in the rain, it was like standing under a waterfall, there was so much water.  It was even complete with a lightning display.  I have never used an umbrella before, but they are very handy here.

El Intensivo is going very well.  The class can sometimes be long, but I am learning a lot.  Depending on the speaker, I can pick up most of what the locals are saying.  Speaking is coming more slowly because it takes me a while to think about what conjugation to use, but I'm hoping that will come with practice.  My teacher is young, but is a very good teacher who knows spanish grammar and how to teach it.  Part of the class is an hour long period called "La Mesa," where we forget grammar and only talk for an hour about anything we want to.  This is very helpful because we can learn more about the culture and what most Oaxacans' say apart from the textbook.  Salsa class is very fun, but it's much more difficult than I imagined.  There are about 15-20 girls and only 4 guys including the teacher, so most of the class is aimed for the girls part, since two of the the guys know most of the moves already.  This leaves me, who is supposed to be leading, high and dry.  Still, I really enjoy the class and hope to learn lots in the next two weeks.

Last night I tried the famed chatulines, or fried grasshoppers.  They are served in a sauce called mole with tortilla chips that really isn't a bad combination.  I am eating my way through Oaxaca and enjoying every minute of it.  And the best part is, it is very healthy food and with all the walking I do to get around, I can work most of it off.  It is also very cheap if you don't go to the tourist places and stick to the local cafes.  For a filling meal, I pay anywhere from 40-80 pesos, somewhere between 3-7 dollars.  Friday we are doing a picture scavenger hunt as part of our orientation and Saturday we travel to Monte Alban.  I'll keep posting en todo lo que pasa.
Adios!
~Bryan

Arrival and adjustment to life in Oaxaca

Hola a Todos!

This is my first blog, and for now it will be in english for your benefit.  I'm not sure anyone will read this, but it will serve to let people know how and what I'm doing in Oaxaca, as well as keep record of what I did so I can remember when I am old and can't remember things.

I am writing this on my third day in Oaxaca after I have adjusted a little to life here.  At first I wanted to go to someplace like Spain, Costa Rica, Ecuador, etc. because Mexico is so close to the United States and isn't as interesting.  I now know better.  Oaxaca is more diverse and unique than any other place I've visited, and I'm glad I chose Oaxaca as the place for my studies.  First of all, I am down here primarily for language immersion.  I was tired of taking spanish classes and not internalizing the language.  I want to be a missionary doctor some day, and I felt that I needed a aprender el Español.  Many other spanish immersion programs offer classes in spanish, but this program is TOTAL immersion.  There is almost no English spoken here, and we are not supposed to use any English at all in our conversations.  Sometimes that rule gets broken, but only in special cases.  My host mom and dad are very patient with my spanish riddled with grammatical errors, but they stand fast and use no english.  (They only know a few phrases anyway).

Life here is very different than the US.  Everything is very compact in the city and the streets wind every which way and dont seem to have any pattern to them.  Directions are hard because the streets are not arranged into blocks or are named in any order.  My house is about 20 minutes from the ICO (Instituto Cultural Oaxaca), so I get a lot of walking in each day.  During the the first part of the day, I have a class called Intensivo (Intensive), in which I study the spanish language.  At one we have a break (siesta)  and resume classes at 4, when I take a Salsa dance class.  I have only taken one class, but it is a very fun dance.  I hope to get better, but If I went to a discoteca now, i would definitely stand out if I tried to dance the Salsa.  ¿Qué mas?

Oh, the food here is amazing.  My mom stays in the house all day and so my food is prepared very well. A typical breakfast (desayuno) consists of fresh cantaloupe (melón) or papaya followed by some type of tortilla dish, usually with a delicious cheese called quesa fresca and beans or mole.   I also get a cup of freshly ground homemade coffee.  My family buys the beans from the market and roasts them in the oven, to produce an amazing cup o' joe.  Today, I tried chapulines at a restaurant in the Zócolo, the town square.  Chapulines are fried grasshoppers which were surprisingly good.  My house here is very nice for Oaxacan standards and I feel very spoiled.  I have my own room and bathroom, with a big bed and hardwood floor.  I have a TV, but I don't watch it.  The house itself is built in the colonial fashion, with archways and a patio.  I'm very blessed to live with such high standards.  Thank you for following my trip, and keep me in your prayers!  Letters, postcards, packages, etc. are always welcome here!  If you need my address, just write me or post a comment.

~Bryan

P.S. I really like oatmeal cookies :)