Summer Fun

My grammar class at the university. The man in the middle is our professor :)
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So... in six weeks, what did the 23 IUP students do? A lot.

Every weekend we had an excursion to a new and exciting place, usually something of archaeological or historical importance. We hiked up pyramids, strolled through museums, oohed and ahhed over the huge church at the center of Mexico City, and saw a protest related to the upcoming presidential elections. We took pictures - lots of pictures. Most of us went to Acapulco for a weekend (not me, though. Too many tourists, not enough Spanish) and all of us hit the bars and clubs at least once a week. I can't speak for everyone, but I loved Mexico. The people, the culture, and the language are absolutely amazing.        The thing I enjoyed most about my six-week stay was living with a host family and having the chance to practice Spanish in a non-academic environment where my mistakes weren't graded. I was lucky enough to stay with a roommate who was at my level of Spanish, and a host mother who spoke no English at all. The practice we got was very helpful and I was thrilled when I began to understand what everyone around me was saying. I also loved learning how to bargain with the many vendors whose stalls dotted the city center and side streets. However, there was also a downside to visiting the colorful markets: it's hard to ignore the reality of poverty when it surrounds you.     The most surprising thing I discovered about Mexico during our daily wanderings was the disparity between rich and poor that exists in most of the country. Mexico City was an especially grand example of this, in terms of scale. The Distrito Federal (equivalent to Washington, D.C.) is a city three times the size of NYC and just as busy. There are grand houses, hotels fit for royalty, and shops that would make Macy's jealous. There are also street vendors. Wherever you look there are tired men, women and children selling cheap jewelry, hot food made on their tiny carts or packs of gum, phone cards, and toys. Many times they will brave the city's streets (the traffic is deadly to pedestrians, and the city's speed bumps don't slow people down for long) to walk between lanes of cars, pushing their wares through windows. They target Americans - apparently, we are known for having money.        In other areas, the housing reminded me of what I had been shown in my World Geography class - tin roofs, blanket walls, dirt paths with stray dogs lying in patches of shade to escape the heat. The people who live in these conditions are the ones who are likely to try for a new life in America, and they are the ones George W. Bush wants to shut out of this country by closing the border. Having seen how they live, and how little they can afford, I know that we can not expect most of these hopeful immigrants to make a legal crossing. However, it is wrong to deny a child the hope for a better life just because they don't have the money to buy it (transportation, processing fees, passports... my passport cost $100 - that's 1,100 pesos, and a pack of gum bought from one of these street vendors is 1 peso).     I gained a lot of insight into the problems that Mexico has along with learning about its rich culture and tumultuous history. What I learned is that there are many people willing to help themselves by whatever means necessary, and that if given the chance they would raise themselves to a higher level of education and wealth - but most of them never get that chance. Why does the US refuse a chance to help its neighbors? According to the stereotype, immigrants fill the jobs that most of us are "above" working, and that job market will never be full as long as our population continues to grow. Would it not be a better idea, instead of closing the border, to open it to any person willing to work for their citizenship? It would take a lot of people and dedication to succeed, but it's a better idea than shutting out hope for so many people.     The Mexican people are really worth getting to know, too. They are charming, sarcastic, lively and best of all, patient with American students. As with all countries there is a fraction of the population who is really indifferent, but for the most part I found interacting with the people in Cuernavaca to be enjoyable and amusing. My favorite learning experience was the Salsa lesson I took at a club called MamboCafe. The instructors were great - I usually tell people I have two left feet, but by the end of two hours my roommate told me I had a flair for Salsa that she couldn't quite get, and that's quite a compliment coming from someone who's danced for years. Even the worst days in Mexico were good ones, if only because they made great stories. Like the time our taxi lost a wheel: that was a day I don't want to relive, but it was a better story than I could ever make up.     I want to come back to Mexico some day, because I fell in love with the country and i haven't even seen most of it. What I did see, including the breathtaking mountain views, the colorful marketplaces, the ancient ruins and the modern skyscrapers, will follow me forever. Everyone should have the chance to visit another country. You might even learn something you never expected to know.

I can't speak for everyone, but I loved Mexico. The people, the culture, and the language are absolutely amazing.