- Oaxaca just feels like home. The city itself is very safe for gringos such as myself...even the women of the group have commented on how secure they feel while walking about the city. What makes this city so easy to like has got to start with the people. The oaxaqueños are very helpful, and will without a doubt welcome you with open arms. Just sit around at la Plaza de Santo Domingo and, within five minutes, chances are you have struck up a conversation with a complete stranger. In fact, I ran into a gentleman selling tickets for tours on la calle Alcalá, the pedestrian street connecting Santo Domingo to the zócalo. We had a quick conversation in Spanish, when all of a sudden he starts talking in English. He said he had only been to the US once, and had visited Cincinnati many years ago. I then pointed out that the Reds were my favorite MLB team, and that he picked a good city to visit. Turns out he is also a Reds fan. We talked for a good five minutes before I continued on my exploration of the city. But this type of interaction is not atypical in Oaxaca...it happens all the time! Very friendly people make for a very enjoyable stay!
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| Looking up la calle Alcalá. Santo Domingo is off to the right in the distance. ¡Qué bonito! |
- It's incredible to see the amount of diversity down here. Where I volunteer, I have been working alongside Lauren and Shan-Shan in addition to two women from Germany and Sweden. So that makes two Americans, a German, a Swede, and a Taiwanese all working together...in Mexico. Many of the language classes attract students from all over the world, and it shows! On Wednesday night, we went to a couple different social cafes with members of another school in town where the German, Lara, studies. Sarah and Shannon, who stay at the same house I do, are also a part of this group. Anyways, this group introduced me to two guys from Switzerland and another from Germany. So we made up a pretty diverse group as we walked about the city! Lots of nationalities, in addition to indigenous cultures, meet in Oaxaca. It is really cool to experience it firsthand and talk about the differences that exist between our cultures.
-My host mom's birthday was today (Thursday). Apparently it is a very big celebration as well, because she is either having breakfast, lunch, or dinner with a group of friends for the next 3 days! The food continues to be phenomenal. I had some cactus (delicious!) and today had some onion soup and fish covered with peppers, onions, red sauce, and olives. I also ordered some tostados del pollo when I was out with our group and they were so good! Not only is the food good, but it is so inexpensive! For example, at the restaurant/bar Comala, I had the Tostados del pollo and two margaritas (the best margaritas de fresas I have ever had!) for about $12 US.
- I did have a nice Skype session with my dad and sister tonight. It was great to see them again! Naturally, my dad had a lot of questions but I enjoyed every one of them. My mom did miss out, so she'll just have to wait until next time to see me!
That's all for now. ¡Hasta luego amigos!
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