Day 23/24 - Takin' It Easy

I just returned from walking around a bit and was able to catch the final moments of the official Guelaguetza celebration for this year. A large fireworks show went on for about 10-15 minutes, lighting up the sky and capping off this awesome time of festivities. Pretty soon Oaxaca will return to normal, and the majority of the tourists will be gone. In fact, I will be one of them, as I leave for home on Saturday early in the morning. I have mixed emotions about this fact. I'm definitely ready to get back home to see everyone I've missed and be around familiar faces again, but I will also be sad to leave Oaxaca behind. It has been such a great experience so far, and I only hope this week can solidify my experience into an unforgettable one. Something tells me it is already past that point. Now on to the happenings of the last couple days. Comparatively speaking, they were pretty relaxed.

Sunday
- Sunday started off meeting up with Dani, Sarah, and Shan-Shan at a Café before making our way to the Santo Domingo plaza, where we were joined by Lauren. Our goal for the day was to check out the museum at Santo Domingo, a huge collection of displays showcasing the art and culture of Oaxaca. Admission was free for me, and the center had plenty of sights to see to keep us busy for almost two hours. Here are pictures of some of the cool things I encountered:



A fountain in the first courtyard near the entrance. The entire building contains beautiful architecture as seen here.

"My apartment smells of rich mahogany and old leather-bound
books...I'm kind of a big deal." - Ron Burgundy

A shipwrecked boat in a rocky sea/courtyard.

 

 

-After Santo Domingo, we all went home for la comida before venturing out to Plaza Oaxaca to watch El Llanero Solitario (The Lone Ranger, with Johnny Depp). It was in English with Spanish subtitles, so that was a nice feature. It was a pretty good movie, and it was a great way to spend a hot afternoon, inside a cool, air conditioned theater. After the movie, we hopped in a cab back to the centro, then found a puesto to eat at. I had tacos dorados covered in guacamole, lettuce and cheese. ¡Muy rico! I then topped that off with some hot cakes, miniature pancakes covered with various sauces and spreads such as nutella, strawberry marmalade, dulce de leche, etc. Another fantastically delicious treat!

 

Monday

- Another free day, in the morning at least, that was met with walking around the city. I met up with Dani, Lauren, and Sarah at the same cafe as yesterday. After some good coffee, we walked around some markets before heading back home for la comida. I had Spanish classes from 4-6, and after these were done we all met back up and headed off to a Chinese restaurant. It was actually pretty dang tasty, and I again found myself searching for some dessert after we left. Naturally I had the same hot cakes from the previous night...they were too good to pass up again. The hot cake stand also happens to be on my way home, so chances are I may stop there again between now and my departure.

 

- The Guelaguetza has finally come to a close. Lots of people will be leaving the city, so I finally won't have to suck it in as I walk through the streets. I'm really glad I was able to experience this celebration during the past couple weeks. There is a wealth of culture and tradition down here that is so interesting to see and learn about. All the parades and dancing was truly a sight to behold. I will say this, I most definitely will not miss all the fireworks at 6 am!

 

Tomorrow morning I begin work in Hospital Civil, the largest hospital in Oaxaca. Hopefully I get to watch some surgeries and continue to learn medical Spanish, all while improving my speaking abilities as well. I'm very excited for all the opportunities that I will encounter, and will be sure to share them with y'all. That's all for now, so long and good night!