So you want to know about Mexico

Welcome to the first installment of Riley's Blog. I've been in Mexico for about three weeks, and due to popular demand (well, "popular demand" is really just Liz Rickles) I've started my blog a bit early. Some of you know that I'm headed to South America for 15 weeks this fall--I leave Sept. 20 for Lima, Peru, and return from Buenos Aires, Argentina Jan. 3. Well, I always intended to record my trip to the southern hemisphere online, but I figure it can't hurt to write about Mexico too. So here we go.

The back story: I'm spending six weeks in Mexico this summer "studying" in Queretaro, Mexico. It's a city about two hours north of Mexico City, population around 1.5 million. Like most Mexican cities, Queretaro seems to go on forever--for an Oregonian used to the urban growth boundary and limited/planned development, it often seems totally unregulated and more than a little crazy. Of course, that's to be expected. Queretaro has been around for nearly 500 years, and I'm not sure there's any other way for such an old city to be. It's heavily industrial: Ford and a bunch of other American companies manufacture goods for export here, thanks to NAFTA.

That said, I see little of the city during my daily routine. I live and go to school in "Col. Central," which is downtown. (I'm a 15 minute walk from campus.) I consider myself very lucky--many of the other exchange students are scattered all over the city, and have to bus in every day. The part of the city I live in is quite beautiful, full of colorful colonial buildings and little shops selling pretty much everything you could need. (And cheap food!) Everything I need in a given day is within easy walking distance.

I'm living with a wonderful Mexican family: My host parents are Jose and Aide, and they have two children: Paula, 20 and a law student, and Emmanuel, 12 and a aspiring professional futbolista. (But that seems to be the life goal of most 12-year-old Mexican boys. It's kind of the Mexican equivalent to wanting to be an astronaut.) Their home is quite large and reasonably comfortable, but like many of the other houses in the area, it's of a seemingly indefinite age. I get the feeling that rooms have been tacked on throughout the centuries, which makes navigating at night pretty damn dangerous: unpredictable steps abound. (A related note: Mexico is not designed for people who are six feet tall. I hit my head all the time.)

Jose and Aide run a nursery in the basement--every day, 8-10 toddlers invade the house from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's a lot of fun, but occasionally totally overwhelming. There is no peace nor rest in this home when the little ones are here, but I enjoy it. While silly, I've filled in a lot of gaps in my Spanish thanks to them: as Aide teaches them basic words, I listen and occasionally learn a new one myself. (Photo at left is two of the kids, fascinated by this new gringo with a big camera.)

Ah, classes. That "ah" is not one of satisfaction: I'm trying for something that expresses resigned frustration. See, my classes are totally ridiculous. So far, my classes are unquestionably the worst part of this trip. On any given day, they are either, 1) boring, 2) insultingly easy, 3) repetitive, or most often, 4) all of the above. But oh well. I'm only in class about 4 hours a day, so it's hardly the end of the world.

Most of what I've learned in Mexico I've learned on my own. I spend a lot of time walking around the city talking with shopkeepers, bartenders, waiters, etc. It's the best way to learn Spanish, and I like meeting new people, even if I never see them again. I also do a lot of reading in Spanish, and watch a good bit of TV, which is helpful.

I've traveled every single weekend I've been here. Before I came to Queretaro, I spent a day in Mexico City, which is bigger than Los Angeles and New York combined. It was quite intimidating.The following weekend, I went to Bernal with the entire group. Bernal is the third largest monolith in the world (The Rock of Gibraltar is the largest), and the town at its base is pretty but super touristy but nice anyway. After that, I went to Michoacan state (once again with the whole group) for three days and visited the best-known sites there. This weekend, I traveled on my own to Guanajuato, a town about three hours northeast of here.

I won't go into much detail, but Guanajuato is stunningly beautiful. My guidebook describes it as a "human rabbit warren," and I can't think of a better image. The town was build in the early 16th century because of the area's mineral wealth (mainly silver), and the mines continue to operate. (However, its main industry is now tourism.) can't think of many places worse to build a city: it's very hilly and hemmed in by steep mountains on three sides, but those natural features are what make it worth visiting. The town was simply built around them. It kind of felt like a much older southwest Portland: there are no straight roads. Strangely, I didn't get lost once. But the "rabbit warren" comparison: basically, think about Boston's Big Dig. Guanajuato has a similar system of underground roads, but its are much older and much crazier. And pedestrians use them too. Currently, TV AZTECA (one of Mexico's main TV stations) and the Mexican Government are running a contest to determine Mexico's 13 wonders, and Guanajuato's underground roads are in the running. I think they might deserve inclusion.


Until next time,

Riley