Stop 1: San Miguel de Allende
Saturday morning I hopped on a Primera Plus bus, destination: San Miguel de Allende. After spending the first two hours of my trip in stop-and-go traffic trying to get out of Mexico City (welcome to Semana Santa in Mexico...everyone on the go/vacation) and trying to get the chatty-kathy nun sitting next to me to give me a little bit of peace and quiet, we were on our way. I arrived in San Miguel, in the state of Guanajuato, about 5 hours after we left Mexico City. I took a taxi to Calvario street, a few blocks away from the town centro. As the taxi came to a stop, out of the door walked the shining face of my dear aunt, Cynthia Yoder. She and her husband, Bob Gravelin, had just moved about a week before to the city of San Miguel, where they will be for the next few months. And let me just say, am I ever jealous of them. I pretty much fell in love with the town...its architecture and small town feel were a big draw for me, someone used to big city living. (ha, that feels funny to say...) If it weren't for the huge gringo community, I would seriously say sign me up to live there!
Besides taking in the sights and sounds of San Miguel, my aunt, uncle, and I also took a day trip to nearby Guanajuato. Highlights - El Museo de Las Momias (mummy museum), the childhood house of Diego Rivera, coffee and crepes (mmm), searching for paintings that Bob had donated many years ago, seeing the university where one of my fav movies was filmed (El Estudiante ... English synopsis), and checking out a book fair. It was a delightful day, and if I don't sound redundant, I seriously would love to live in Guanajuato. For more info on the town and the mummies, check out my uncle's blog on the trip.
I also had the honor of experiencing Semana Santa and all the festivities that that entails in San Miguel. I went to parades, saw altars, and watched the Mexican people prepare for the risen Christ. It was quite an experience, and I was somewhat disappointed to not be able to experience San Miguel on actual Easter Day. We spent the rest of our week hanging out, walking the adorable cobblestone streets, looking for a guitar, swimming, eating great food, and moving into my aunt and uncle's new apartment (SO freaking cute).
After spending a fun-filled week, I hopped on another Primera Plus bus Friday morning for the trip back into Mexico City.
The following pictures are from my time in San Miguel...
1- Jesus on his donkey on Palm Sunday
2- Diego Rivera's childhood home in Guanajuato
3- phenomenal crepes
4- Bob in classic form, with Cynthia
5 & 6 - mummies
Stop 2: Karen Graber Roth
Friday night, after a potentially disastrous terminal/meeting point mixup, I miraculously found my dear friend Karen in the grandiose Mexico City airport. We spent the first night in Mexico City, waking up in time to make some delicious orange-craisin scones for breakfast. Then we headed to Cuernavaca, where we at some rocking comida corrida and I showed her around the zocalo. Sunday we head south out of Cuernavaca towards Xochicalco. Maybe I'm a terrible history teacher but those ancient ruins all just start to look the same to me after awhile...but it was good to go because I have been told since I got here that i HAVE to go. It was a good adventurous daytrip. Monday morning we headed back to Mexico City...sadly Montezuma decided to get his revenge on the both of us in those two days we had left, and he didn't quite let us do anything too far from a toilet. So we spent our last two days hanging out at the MCC Office and Guest House, watching movies, etc. etc. I felt terrible because one of Karen's main goals was to eat as much phenomenal food possible, and then she only had two days in which to do so! Sorry Karen! It was a delight to have another (and the last...) visitor come hang out with me and see what life is like for me.
Stop 3: Relaxing in Mexico City
After dropping Karen off at the airport Wednesday morning, I headed back to the Office where I would spend the rest of the week just relaxing and doing whatever. Although I didn't quite let myself relax....instead someone came up with the bright idea that I should organize all the books (mind you, we seriously have a mini library there), which then turned into rearranging the furniture, and organizing/cleaning out the kitchen. Granted, I had Elizabeth (another MCCer) to help me out, but it was seriously a lot of work! But work that I enjoy at least. I also went on a reading fest an interviewed the MCC rep for the project I'm working on. The highlight of my time was helping Elizabeth move into her new apartment in Mexico City. We had some genuinely entertaining times and some seriously great laughs. I need those sometimes.
The office library after I had my way with it.Stop 4: "Home"
I came back to Cuernavaca Sunday evening, not exactly ready to be heading back to school. I decided at the end of my vaca that I seriously love Mexico, but that I don't always love going to school everyday. Such is life I suppose. So now I'm back in the swing-of-things, and really starting to get into this project I'm doing even more. Lots of interviewing to be done, lots of writing, and lots of keeping our fingers crossed that it all gets done before I leave in three months (what!).
p.s. the picture behind the title of my blog is of San Miguel de Allende
Only now after hearing of your's and Karen's experience with Montezuma do I realize how fortunate your mom and I (and you) were, being there for 9 days, eating wherever and whatever we wanted and not being visited by the dreaded Montezuma.
ReplyDeleteY.A.S.S.