I went to this town called Mazamitla (Mah-sah-MEET-lah), about two hours south of Guadalajara (which apparently I can't say very well; today Jessi's friend Flor was picking on me about it). The gang that went was Jessi, Teo, Teo's friend Jenny, Britta (still don't know how to spell her name), Eva, Omar, some of Omar's friends, and Edgar for one of the nights. We stayed in a really nice cabin where we could cook and hang out and sleep without springs in our backs and watch a bazillion cable channels--I even saw part of the USC-Florida game! I'd rather not talk about the outcome but it was SO fun to see even just a little bit of it. Here are my loves:
And here is the cabin:
We left Friday evening after school, and I'm trying to remember if we did anything that night...I think we just watched futbol and ate various Mexican chips that I'm really hoping you can get in the United States. I went to bed early but then everybody else went to hang out with our upstairs neighbors, some other Tec kids that were there. Oops.
Saturday morning we slept in gloriously late, I made some rather successful quesadillas, and we all walked to this waterfall maybe 30 minutes away. Both the walk and the destination were fun...nothing too exciting but it was pretty and with good company. Here's what was at the end:
After we came back, we did more sitting around (that's what vacation is for, right?) and had an amazing carne asada-- grilled meat, sausages, onions, and tortillas, plus guacamole and other delicious things I'm sure I'm forgetting. Then we went to hang out in downtown Mazamitla which was very picturesque, as los centros of Mexican towns/cities tend to be. Except I don't have pictures of that part, so you'll have to imagine it. Not too hard, it fits the general Latin America plaza formula: a block containing a sweet church, gazebo, and lots of people of all ages hanging out. Then we came back and busted out the tequila and a pack of cards... :) Ah, and just kidding about the church; I stole a picture from Jessi:
Sunday we slept in super late again and were going to head downtown to rent some 4 wheelers, but everybody else was doing the same, so it was faster and cheaper to rent horses. So we rode around for an hour, which was pretty and pretty fun. However, my tushy is just now recovering.
So that was our trip, very relaxing and very fun. We did the whole thing because we had Monday off because I think today (though I could be wrong) is the anniversary of the Mexican revolution, when some important historical figures overthrew the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz in 1910. Though I learned this in three of my five classes, I have obviously forgotten details, so if you would like more info, consult Wikipedia or my father.
Monday we were already back, so we didn't really need the long weekend for that trip, but it was a nice day off anyways. Edgar, Jessi, and I went to Plaza Galerias, a very American looking mall for lunch, where I had some amazing pasta with chicken and spinach. And then we split a ginormous tiramisu and had to roll ourselves out of the restaurant. After that, Jessi and I went to San Juan de Dios, a big market here. I was hunting a wristlet so no one steals my crap again, but I didn't find anything, maybe because a lot of places within the market were closed for the holiday. We spent the entire afternoon there, though we didn't mean to. It was actually kind of exhausting...and overwhelming. That place is huge! Here is a picture of Mystery the gnome (explanation below) and the food floor of the market. That particular floor cracks me up...if you're just walking through to get to your leather goods or pirated movies, a bazillion people tell you to sit down and start rattling off the menu. Anyways, picture:
Tuesday, I went to visit a house/family I was thinking about moving to next semester. I like my house that I'm in now, but I also think it would be neat to try out a completely different living situation. It seemed like a lovely place, but I decided to go potluck with the Tec, so I'll let y'all know when I know who I'm gonna be with.
Wednesday, I didn't have class till late so I just hung out at home and did some homework-- one final paper done! Then I went to my once a week night class (I guess Mexican International Relations would be the translation) and the birthday party of my friend Heather in the dorms on campus, where we did girly things like eat pizza and cake and watch How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. After so much Spanish, it feels weird capitalizing that much-- they just do the first word and then proper nouns. Bet you enjoyed that tidbit. Ooh, speaking of random tidbits you probably don't care about, today Flor (after picking on me for my accent) told me that almost all Mexicans have O+ blood. We were going through our wallets and and came across insurance cards...that's how that came up. Anyways. So after Heather's party, Jessi and Edgar and I went to this bar called Purgatorio, which made me giggle when I first learned of the place.
Today I went to my easy day of class and then the "feria gastronomica" at the Tec. It's this thing marketing students do every year where they host this food fair, but they have to set up their booths, get sponsors, sell tickets, etc. It seems like a pretty cool idea to me, if you're into marketing. Which I'm not, but I am into eating. For $25 (less than $2.5o US), I got a barbeque-type sandwich, horchata (aMAzing rice drink), and some jello. So I ate with Jessi and Flor, went to the CCI (library) to do some homework, and the UPS store to try to send this gnome of an inside joke to friend and ex-roomie Katie, who is currently in Italy. But that would have cost me like $50 US, so Mystery will have to settle for Spain and Great Britain (where the other roomies are). On the plus side, I now have a bubble mailer for just in case purposes......
Tonight, Jessi and I are going to Edgar's for a Pride and Prejudice and Pancake Party. It's been months since I've seen P&P (far too long!)...and hours since I've eaten pancakes (every. single. morning. here.) but I lost a bet or something so pancakes it is.
Mexicanism time! Mande (MAHN-day) = what? As in I didn't hear you. Literally it means "send." Spain and the rest of Latin America use "como" but yeah. It can also be used if you call somebody's name to get their attention to ask them a question...and they respond mande, but minus the question tone. As for anyone from home reading this, I just wanted to inform you that the word has worked its way into my English lexicon, so get ready for that...
Welp, I hope the fruits of my refined procrastination skills have informed and/or entertained... Now I shall read a tiny bit till chick flick time! Bueno, nos vemos! Hope all is well!
1 comment:
Your little vacation weekend sounded so fun! The cottage was so adorable.
Post a Comment