The Second Week: Anthropology and Pool Parties

    This past week was pretty fun. We are learning about the conquest, colonization, and independence of México in Dr. Brooks´class, Modern Mexico. We supplement our history lessons by reading legends and folklore that say a lot about the culture in which we´re immersed. My roommate and I went to Mambocafé again to salsa (this makes it about the fourth or fifth time). On Saturday, my host family had a reunion with about twenty loud, happy people. They stayed up until five in the morning talking and singing. Sunday, we had to be at school at eight to drive into Mexico City, where we saw the murals of Diego Rivera, the cathedral built over the Temple Mayor, and walked past the Palacio of Bellas Artes. Then we visited the National Museum of Anthropology. There were hundreds of artifacts from major civilizations that have lived in México over the centuries, giving us a new picture of what life was like ¨back then.¨ There was also incredible fried ice cream! Yesterday we had a pool party to celebrate Memorial Day, complete with hamburgers, hotdogs, and volleyball. I´m looking forward to another exciting week.