Me munching on some chapulines

Assorted pitchers

Me working the asada

With Hidalgo himself!

A trailer with two llamas being pulled through the streets of Santana

Exactly what it appears

Note the Ñ and ¿ keys

A chile vendor at a market in Cholula

Interesting story

Thoughts and Observations

One thing that I think we as Americans underestimate is the wealth of México, or at least the viability of living there. One thing that has repeatedly astounded me is the stratification of society here. For example, I would drive every morning on a dirt road that made me feel carsick every morning in order to get to my brand new, still under construction private school, this one:

I don't go there anymore, but yes, I did look exactly lke that. Another example, though I don't ahve pictures right now to prove it, is my current school. It's really nice, an outdoor type campus and everything, but it's surrounded on all sides by fences and barbed wire, with some (what look like) government housing hih rises right next to it. I was walking around afterschool one day in the neighborhood and noticed that o one side of the school there is a huge shopping plaza, but on the other side, where the high rises are, there was a dead dog in the street. This is not a new concept, and is definitely prevalent in Buffalo, but it's doubly shocking to see it in a different setting.

   Regardless of the negative aspects of such stratification, however, the universities here are a lot better and more viable than many of us believe. A lot of Mexican students go to the US to study, but it seems to me that the main reason is to learn English, because the universities here are awesome. One example is Universidad de las Américas de Puebla, or UDLAP. The campus is gorgeous, and the curriculum, from what i understand, is up to any standard. Very interesting and eye-opening. I would definitely love to study here.

Updates!

Hey everyone, sorry it's been a while since I've updated this, but I guess that just means that I'm settling in!
     Since returning from Acapulco, things have been pretty tranquil, school is becoming routine, and I am feeling more at home with my family. That said, there is really nothing quite like a Buffalo fall day, make sure you enjoy that slight nip followed by some Bills games and apple cider.
     In terms of interesting things that I have done lately, I went to a fair in a nearby pueblo named Cholula, and had some delicious elote, which is corn on a stick covered wih mayonnaise and chili and lime. Excellent. The fair was really interesting too, with all the vendors selling pretty unique items from coffee mugs to earrings to coconuts with the top cut off that you could drink out of. Very cool scene. Possibly some presents too. Anyway, a really interesting take, but I couldn't help being reminded of some good old American ones, such as these http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/07/state-fairs/keillor-text.

I also wandered afterschool one day to find a cemita restaurant, which is a huge sandwich native to Puebla, very cool to find those local sorts of things. Other Poblano cuisine includes tacos arabes, or tacos wrapped in pita bread instead of a tortilla, and chiles en nogada, an incredibly strange looking dish that I still need to try.

One of the coolest things about the tacos, at least here, is that the meat is apparently shipped in a huge compressed stack, and the people in the restaurant cut it with a sword looking knife while it sizzles. Watching it makes the wait longer, indeed.




I'll take some pictures of the pueblo, or small town, right near me, because it's really very interesting due to the very open and entrepreneurial service sector scene, anyone with any sort of trade or skill can just rent out a little store and paint something out front and have a thriving business! An interesting departure from the prohibitive permit system.

That's all for now, but thanks for reading if you're reading, and of you're not, then you're not reading this. Regardless, enjoy!