Questions, Thoughts, Pictures

A couple weeks ago, I had my mom ask around to see what people wanted to know about my life in Mexico. One of the topics that came up was "What do you see on your way to school?" So here is the answer:
My school is about 10 minutes away from my house. Classes start at 7 in the morning, so we try to leave the house by 6:40. We barely ever actually leave at that time, but hey, at least we have goals. This time in the morning it is usually still a little cool and it is dark. Leaving the house we pass by other houses, most of which are painted bright colors. All the houses have gates over their windows and doors. Some have small lawns, most don't. We also pass by little stores, such as a papeleria, or stationary store, which has everything from pens to gum to photocopies. There are restaurants selling picadas for around 6 pesos, about 50 cents in the U.S. My mom swerves to avoid potholes and abruptly slows, slamming the breaks to go over a speed bump, several times on every street. When we get on the boulevard, I see the ocean out of my window. The sun is starting to come up, and there are barges coming and going from the port. There is a lighthouse on an island that is restricted to the public.The sky is purple, pink, orange, and blue. It's something I never see at home, and it's amazing every day. We go under an overpass, passing by the plaza. I have no idea what the speed limit is, btu I'm pretty sure it's just a suggestion that no one abides by. We go really fast, and cars switch lanes whenever they want, only using the directionals when they can't find a spot to squeeze into. Stop lights are taken as a dare. When the green light starts to flash, it's about to turn yellow and almost immediately after red, so there's a mess of slowing down and speeding up. When there are 3 lanes, it's really more like 5, so people drive wherever they please. When I get to my school, the sun is halfway up, and I rush into my classroom. It's only 7:10, and already my day has been full of rushing around and crazy traffic.

Another question from my family was "Why are there so many women around all the time, and very few men?" Well here you go:
It has more to do with my family specifically than general Mexican culture. My host mom was an only child. My host dad only has one sister. They only had two daughters, and my aunt only had 2 daughters. My aunt is divorced, and my two cousins don't have boyfriends right now. It was really just by chance that there are so many women and basically no men. When the whole big extended family gets together, there are more men, but in general it's just my dad. My mom has 2 good friends who come to the house fairly often, so then even more women are around! If I had a different host family, I may have been around guys all the time. For example, my mom's friend Gina has 3 brothers, and 3 sons. In her family, she is almost always the only woman. Who knows what my next host family will be like! Obviously in any culture, women and men are both significant. There are different roles in every culture for men and women, and although sometimes it seems that one is subordinate, I think that is quite misleading. In Mexico, the women typically do the laundry, clean the house, make the food, and take care of the kids. That's not to say the men don't do anything, nor is it to say the women do everything. I think the women are actually in quite a powerful situation. They manage the household, they have a lot of responsibility. The women are an incredibly significant part of culture. All the history of a place can be found in the stories of the women- how they are treated, the food they make, how they raise their children. So anyways, it was just by chance that there are so many women around all the time, but I think it has provided me with a very interesting and unique experience.

Next, this wasn't a question, but I felt like talking about it. Part of being a Rotary Youth Exchange student is being a "cultural ambassador". It's kind of an ambiguous term, I mean, what exactly does a "cultural ambassador" do? As I spend more and more time in Mexico around Mexicans, I start to realize what the job of a "cultural ambassador" entails and how important it is. It's about correcting stereotypes and misconceptions, and showing a different side of your culture to people. I'm often asked, "What do Americans think of Mexicans? That we ride around on donkeys and drink tequila?" Well, responding for an entire country is a bit of a responsibility. I don't want to completely confirm the stereotype, but sometimes it is true. In this situation, I usually respond with something like, "Most people do not think that, although there are some. Many people know that Mexicans do not ride around on donkeys all the time and drink tequila." It's sort of an answer, right? Unfortunately, I do know people who think that, so I can't honestly say that no one does. Thanks to movies like Mean Girls, I usually am asked if girls are really like that in high schools. Now, this is not the time when I break out the stories about girls pulling hair and beating up each other in the hallways. I try to save that for another more appropriate time, which is well, never. I explain that most of the time, high schools are not at all like the movies. "Are cheerleaders skanky?" is another good question. Seeing as I was a cheerleader, it gets kind of personal. I'm quick to say it is not like that at all, but again, it's hard to define an entire group of people who are different in every school throughout the country. "Are there lots of pregnant girls?" Well, thank you MTV for spreading that wonderful stereotype throughout the world. This is another loaded question. How do I answer honestly, saying "Yes, it happens" while not confirming the misconception that all American girls are pregnant all the time? I try my best to explain that it happens, and it's relatively common, but it's not like every single girl in the high school has 3 kids. "Why are girls in the US so forward with boys?" Again, movies have really contributed to this idea of American women being really easy, and it's definitely a very negative stereotype. I usually just try to say it's not like that, although there are some, the majority are not the way they seem in movies. One of my proud exchange student moments is when people tell me, "I always thought Americans were very disconnected from their families and never spend time with them, but when I hear you talk, I can see that it is not like that for all families." Maybe I just got lucky having a family that spends time together and lives relatively close to each other, but it's a really cool thing to tell people that we do stay close to our families, we do care about our grandparents, and we don't just move away from our families and never talk to each other. It is a very different way of life in the United States, but it has been really cool to be able to tell people that it's not always like that. There are a lot of questions I am asked that I can't answer. It's impossible to respond for an entire country. I hope I am helping to correct misconceptions and being succesful in my job as a "cultural ambassador". Also, please keep in mind all the stereotypes there are of your own culture and how generally incorrect they are, when you hear or see a stereotype about another culture. Stereotypes are not a good way of judging a different culture- culture is made up of people who are each incredibly unique, and it cannot be defined by one simple observation that is generally not true. Before we judge another culture, it's important to remember all the misconceptions that can be made about our own culture, and how wrong they can be.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, some completely unrelated pictures!

Me with some soldiers!

Delicious food! It's a Gorda Dulce (Sweet Gorda, aka Fat) covered with cream and cheese. It's got a sort of black licorice flavor, and it's so good. Mexico has awesome food.



View of Veracruz from the top floor of a hotel! This is looking towards the port, and the tall building is the Pemex Tower. This view was incredible. There is someone in the background, but I don't know who!



RYE Event in Veracruz!

On Wednesday, September 14, all the exchange students in my district, 4190, came to Veracruz for our first event! Our event was from the 14th until Sunday, the 18th. I could go on and on about what we did, but that's not as exciting as the camaraderie and memories made. (If you want to see pictures, there are 200 of them at this link, I hope! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150299599079779.338009.540949778)

Quick overview:

Wednesday was a welcome party at a hotel in the center of Veracruz. Thursday was a tour of the Baluarte of Santiago, a couple museums throughout the city, the aquarium, and free nieve (kind of like ice cream). Friday was a pool party at a Rotarian’s house. Saturday was the naval museum and later the pool. Sunday was goodbye to the Inbounds from other cities who were visiting.

There are around 45 students in my district, from all over the world. Highest in numbers is Brasil, closely followed by Germany, and then it's a tie for the rest of the countries. We have students from Finland, Taiwan, US, Australia, Turkey, and Hungary to name a few. I went to a few Rotary events at home, and Grand Rapids is definitely one of the most amazing things ever, but it's quite different from being in a smaller group of students from all over, while in another country. All languages could be heard, some students switching between 2 or 3, if not more. We exchanged pins and business cards, took millions of pictures, and somehow we were all able to talk to each other, using Spanish, English, charades, whatever it takes. There is something that brings exchange students together so quickly. It's knowing they understand what you are going through, and that they are also taking part in the same amazing experience at the same time. I know this brief overview doesn't begin to explain what it's like, but it's kind of indescribable. If you comment and ask specific questions about this post, I'll be sure to answer them!

September 11th, 2011

I remember September 11th, 2001. I was 8 years old. I heard something bad had happened, and I remember that a classmate drew his understanding of the events on the chalkboard. I really did not know much about it until I was older, and although I will never understand, I know what happened.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the day that changed the United States forever. Every year in school, we have a moment of silence. After that short minute or so, life goes on. Maybe we talk about it in class, maybe everyone is a little quieter for a while. By lunch, everyone is back to normal, laughing and joking about whatever was on TV the night before. 

This year, September 11th means more to me than it ever has. This is the first year I have ever thought about how significant the day is, not just to Americans, but to the whole world. Hearing my host dad say, "I remember where I was when I heard the news," forever changed my perspective. An entire country was grieving, but what's more, the entire world was. When those Twin Towers were attacked, people everywhere were devastated. It was an attack on freedom, reaching farther than the borders of one country. As I watched movies and news reels depicting the events, I was so struck with emotion for the first time. The day changed everyone and everything everywhere.

A Little Bit of Rambling, A Little Bit of Life

So my family has been telling me that they want a blog post. I wasn't sure what to write about, because there is just so much! I would write on one topic, but then I get carried away and a post on food turns into a post on seatbelts. Better to just have a general update. I decided to just talk about everything that comes to mind, and I can't promise that all of it will be interesting to everyone. Feel free to read what you like, skip what you don't, and share what you love.

First, I'm going to talk about weather. I'll start by saying that it is hot, all the time. I'm not too great with celsius, so I don't know exactly how hot. The one day I checked the weather channel online, it was 90 degrees fahrenheit, but "felt like 100". That is not the sort of thing you want to ever read. Feels like 100? I thought it was a joke, or a typo, but unfortunately it was not. In my house, and most houses, we have air conditioning, but only in the bedrooms. Fans help, and if you're lucky there is a breeze, but really, I never could have imagined living somewhere where it is so hot we take at least two showers a day. Aunt Kathy, if you're reading this, I think I found an entire country who bathes as much as you do!

Second, there are bugs here, and lots of them. Itty bitty ants are always crawling around, but those are the least of my worries. I still hate spiders with a passion, but I managed to let a daddy long leg cross my path without freaking out. This is big stuff for me! The little salamanders still garner a little (okay a lot) of fear, but I do my best to just turn around and walk/ run somewhere else. I just try to ignore all of those little creatures. I have bug bites all over my legs, and I can only hope that they are from mosquitoes.

Next, time. This may not seem like the most fascinating aspect of my exchange, but it is definitely prevalent in my daily life. For comparison sake, let’s just say that arriving to an event between 10 minutes early and 10 minutes late is pretty typical. When it gets to be an hour in either direction, it starts to be a little rude.  In the U.S., I am pretty typical as far as timeliness goes. Although my mom may disagree, I tend to be on time. How many of you have heard, “To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is unacceptable.”? Well, I’m pretty sure no one in Mexico has heard this. It may be the opposite, in fact. Being early is almost unheard of, and being on time is extremely rare. “Late” practically does not exist in this society.  At first this was really difficult for me, as I would be ready to go somewhere, only to wait another hour or two. However, this concept is really kind of beautiful. We don't rush here, and quality time is a must. There is no agenda set in stone, and nothing is so important that it takes you away from your family. Now, I find myself enjoying this. Instead of checking my watch and rushing to the next activity, one of many on a never ending list, I spend lots of time with people who really matter.

Now I should probably talk about school. I'm technically studying "Communication and Publicity". My schedule :

Monday is Methods of Investigation, Social Psychology, Written and Oral Expression, and Computer class. Tuesday is Methods of Investigation, Drawing Techniques, and Written and Oral Expression. Wednesday is Written and Oral Expression, Social Psychology, Theory of Communication, and Computer class. Thursday is Written and Oral Expression, Drawing Techniques, and Theory of Communication. Friday is English. So, everyday is different, and every class is in a block of 2 hours, except Written and Oral Expression, which is only an hour. We have tons of breaks, at least between every class and sometimes the teachers just leave early. Monday and Wednesday I end around 2, and Tuesday and Thursday are around 12. I'm not really sure about Friday because I haven't gone to school on a Friday yet. I start everyday at 7 (which is so early in relation to when we go to sleep). My experience with the teachers has been pretty good. Some are really nice, and none have been standoffish or unfriendly. All in all, they treat me like all the other students, although I really don't have to do homework or pay attention in class. They know that my primary reason for being there is to learn more Spanish, and the content of the classes isn't as important. One thing that still confuses me is the conflict between the name of the class and the actual material. It seems like all my classes are really the same class with different names. This could just be my complete confusion as an exchange student, but I'm pretty sure I understand enough to know my teachers are all saying the same thing. I guess it's more about the application of the material than the material in my school, whereas I had a lot of classes in the US that had a lot to do with memorization. That is not to say my education in the US was worthless, quite the contrary. I have had many wonderful classes with incredible teachers- the kind who make you think, and challenge you to find meaning and application in what you learn in the classroom. The teachers and classes I loved were the ones that mattered outside the school building, that challenged my way of thinking or showed me how to use the information in my life. I did however also have classes where I had to memorize facts and figures for a test, knowing it would have absolutely no significance in four days, let alone four years. What I have experienced more in my school in Mexico is direct use for the information I am learning. This may be unique to my individual school, and these particular teachers, I really can't generalize for the entire country, or even just the entire city. I promise I will talk more about this as the year continues and I better understand what is going on!

Next, in my last post I said I would talk about nieves. A nieve is ice cream, but it is made with water and real fruit, instead of milk. Kind of like a sherbet. Flavors include guanabana, mango, tropicolada, limon (lime, not lemon), cacahuate (peanut), cappucino, chamoy, nanche, mamey, coco (coconut), chocolate, vainilla (vanilla), fresa (strawberry), and the list goes on. Nieves are sold everywhere, from a shop called Guerro Guerro, to carts that pass by on the street. This "food on a cart" aspect of the culture is really endearing, besides being very convenient! My personal favorite is guanabana. Wikipedia tells me that guanabana is called "soursop" in english. Never in my life have I seen or heard this word, but trust me when I say it's delicious! It evidently can only be grown in warm climates, any temperatures below 37 Fahrenheit will kill the plant, explaining why no one in Watertown even knows it exists. Nanche is also really good and completely new to me. The fruit is a small yellow ball, with a seed in the middle. More or less like a cherry in size, although not as soft, and tastes nothing like it. So, maybe not so much like a cherry. Also from the ever reliable Wikipedia, the nanche tree/ shrub only exists in tropical and subtropical climates. Next, mamey. I'm going to take this from WIkipedia too so there is a chance that none of this is true, but we're going to live on the wild side and use it anyways. Evidently it tastes like a combination of pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and maraschino cherries, with the texture of an avocado. Maybe it's just better if we say it tastes good, and it has the taste and texture of mamey. No surprise, it's also grown in Mexico, Central America, etc. However, Wikipedia does add that it can be grown in Southern Florida. Chamoy "refers to a variety of savory sauces and condiments in Mexican cousine made from pickled fruit". If that's not a little confusing, it is also described as having a flavor of salty, sweet, sour, and chile at the same time. The best way to explain the confusing combination of flavors is that it's just a part of Mexican food. Somehow every food has a million different flavors, none of which are exactly recognizable. It's really different than American food, but I am really lucky to have this firsthand experience with such a unique culture of which food is a huge part. If you wikipedia these fruits, there are pictures of each one, and tons more information!

My conclusion: Tomorrow I will have lived here 1 month (going from August 5th to September 5th) and that in itself is crazy. I am still adjusting to life, but missing my family has become more commonplace, and daily routines are starting to become "routine". Sometimes I'm a little overwhelmed, but that is not to say I'm not enjoying every moment. This is truly the experience of a lifetime, and I am so lucky to have this opportunity. I have been blessed with wonderful parents at home who support me in this, and an incredible family here in Mexico. If you ever get the chance to travel and live in someone's home, if even for just a week, please take that chance. You will learn so much about the culture, things that cannot be told. Besides that, you will see that this world is full of wonderful people. No matter where they come from, or what language they speak, they have a lot to share and they are more than willing. To every exchange student and their parents,  to every host family, to every kindhearted Rotarian- you are all amazing and I'm so proud to be a part of this. So, comment, tell me what you want to hear about, let me know how you are doing. Or just read, you don't have to take my word, in fact I hope you don't. I hope you are inspired, and instead of accepting what I say, you decide to go somewhere and find out for yourself exactly what possibilities the world holds.