Mexico Day Dos

Day Dos Today we woke up and looked out off the balcony onto the grey day. We dressed in somewhat warm clothes. Now, literally a day before this trip I was told that it wouldn't be as warm as we thought it would be. I had flown out to visit my parents before this, so all my pants and sweatshirts were back home in NY. I went out the day before this trip and bought a hoodie which saved me so many times.

Anyways, we walked around Mexico City this morning looking for a place to eat. We settled on a place called condesa Origenes. It was a healthy natural place. I ordered biscuits with mushrooms, spinach, and cheese melted on top. It was so freaking good. Meals during the trip ranged from 50 pesos to 250 pesos, so everything was actually really affordable.

After breakfast we had marked a couple of places that we wanted to see in the city so we started walking around, exploring. We passed shops that sold anything and everything. Eventually we came across a giant square that hosted a MASSIVE flag, the metropolitan cathedral which is the oldest and largest church in latin america, and some other great architectural buildings. The church was like a regular catholic church, massive, gorgeous, and filled with natural light. We were able to climb on the roof and get a tour (in spanish) on the bells and bell tower. The view at the top was incredible.

We also spent a good portion of the day trying to figure out our phone situation and trying to get a working phone with minutes on it. (the best part is we got one, and once we were in Ceracaly, it didn't work there. HA)

We viewed another building that was adjacent to the church that was filled with art murals of when the europeans overtook the land. The murals were huge and it was amazing to see the representations of the european culture. They painted them deformed looking to emphasize their evil-doings.

At this point we had walked a ton so we searched for a place to eat. I fell into a hole in the concrete on the way, falling onto my camera (thankfully it was okay), and it was shortly after this that we just found someplace to sit and eat. I opted for pasta and learned what chorizo is (sausage).

The rest of the time here we spent walking around the city, trying to get back to the apartment. We walked through an incredible market browsing for gifts and making plans to come back to buy our souvenirs. We took the underground which was only 3 pesos and was applauded by some locals for trying that experience; but honestly it wasn't bad at all. I was quite impressed with our navigators, Sarah and Melissa.

For dinner we got dressed and met with a friend of Melissa's who's going to grad school with her in the fall. He brought his friend, I tried a strawberry margarita made with mezcal (to die for), and we ordered some food. FINALLY, at long last, I met the last girl from our Akosia group, Esme.

After we got home we all wondered what would happen next, what the place we were staying at was going to be like, and how this journey was going to fold out. Tomorrow, we set out for Ceracaly.

Mexico Day Uno

So, I've had the opportunity for the last two weeks to embark on a journey to teach kids about multimedia storytelling. I came across this opportunity from a facebook post on my schools facebook and applied on a whim. Sure, I know storytelling, of course, I can edit. Do I know Spanish? no. So now that I have internet and to soothe my sadness of leaving, I'm going to be posting about my journey, posting photographs, and trying to illustrate the amazing experience of Mexico.

Days Uno

My trip started with me leaving my parents house in St. Louis and flying to Texas. The flight was slightly delayed so I rushed right onto my flight for Mexico without even a second thought. Our plane took off and it was about halfway to Mexico when I realized I didn't have any address for the place I was staying at, no excuse for being in Mexico, and I wasn't entirely sure I was going to find Sarah, who was scheduled to meet me in the airport.

I got to customs and told them I was just visiting Mexico, and like magic, I was let in. After fumbling around because my knowledge of Spanish is non-existant, I finally found my bag and the exit. Luckily Sarah found me right away. Glad she knew what I looked like because I didn't recognize her at all.

We took a cab to our host house in Mexico City, took one step into her apartment, and fell in love with it. It's a one bedroom with two bathrooms, an entire wall that's a glass door and leads outside to the small balcony. It was gorgeous, in a fantastic neighborhood, and was modernly decorated. We all fell in love with the place.

Sarah and I then went out for my first taste at real mexican food. We each had a few tacos, I had one with mole sauce, pollo (chicken), and a third one. The difference was the corn tortillas instead of flour. After we asked for the bill, the waiters brought out complimentary rice pudding. We paid, and they brought out six small cups each containing a different liquid. One was fermented oat juice, another was fermented cactus juice, one tasted like mud, two were fruity. They were really odd but it was great tasting all these new things.

Finally they brought out one more free thing. It was a margarita but it was made from mezcal and not tequila. I couldn't even bear to take more than a few sips it was so incredibly bitter and weird tasting. We left with barely drinking it, and left a good tip for the guys who brought us all the free food we tried. I know they got a kick out of our attempts at spanish too.

Sarah and I went back to the apartment and met person number two on the trip: Melissa. She had our leftovers and we enjoyed her overabundance of energy because she napped for her whole day flight into Mexico.

Melissa on the left and and Sarah on the right showing off their courage bracelets.