1st Blog from Liam Mc Name in Mexico
¡Hola desde la Ciuidad de Oaxaca!
Me encanta Mexico! ive been in Oaxaca city for nearly two weeks now and enjoying every bit of it. When I arrived in mexico city (after delays in Newark) i was brought to my comfortable hotel by Carmen, one of the coordinators in Mexico. I managed to sleep very well despite the honeymooners next door! Refreshed after a long journey, the next day I got a lovely mini tour of the city by the other coordinator Cecilia. I was quite surprised by how much i really liked the city. I felt very safe there and the horror stories that i heard about the city back home didnt reflect my experience of the city at all! Its a beautiful city packed with culture, history and art. unfortunately some of the exhibits were closed (in particular the murals) for renovations in preparation for the bicentennial of Mexico’s independence in September (a date im very much looking forward to!). For my second, and last, night in Mexico city, Cecilia took me to an authentic Mexican wrestling match with her Irish husband, Kevin, who works for EIL, and their two Irish friends vacationing in Mexico. It was a fantastic experience, well worth seeing! i´d describe it as a mixture of pantomime and an acrobatics show!
The next day it was onwards to Oaxaca. Part of me didnt want to leave the city but i was excited to continue my journey. Next time (and there will be a next time) ill stay there longer! The bus to Oaxaca was probably more comfortable than either of my flights! I didnt sleep on the bus as the landscapes were amazing and i didnt want to miss anything! I didnt think in one short 6 hour bus journey you could pass through the 2nd biggest city in the world, lush forests, arid desert and massive mountain ranges that dwarf my familiar Dublin mountains.
I arrived at my host families house in the centre on Oaxaca city near to the impressive church of Santa Domingo. I felt bit uncomfortable when I arrived and quickly realized that my host family couldnt speak any English and i certainly could´nt speak any Spanish! Luckily I had some American housemates who could translate for me until my Spanish became comprehendible! Its kind of embarrassing when an American is translating Spanish for a European! One of my housemates took me out the first night with some of her Mexican friends she´d made here. It was a great way to be broken into a new city and i even got to sample the famous Oaxacan "Mezcal", kind of like rocket fueled tequila! Thankfully the next day was Sunday so I could recuperate and adjust to this new but relaxing lifestyle. The food was great but no matter how much I liked it, the feeling wasnt always mutual! I started classes in the "Instidudio Cultural Oaxaca" the next day and was put in my beginners class with 4 Americans and our lovely "profesura" Marlen. Even after the first day I could see my Spanish was coming on nicely. I found the that the best way of learning the language was to speak o the locals (plus, a whole lot of perseverance!!). I managed to have great conversations with my new Mexican friends despite having very little Spanish and them having no English. Here Ive learned that communication transcends language. Its the effort that you put in that really counts here.
My accommodation is very comfortable and once I got my head around puting the toilet paper in the bin and not the toilet bowl, I felt completely at home. The only thing that didnt agree with me here, (or rather agree with me too much) were the mosquitoes, who took a strangely keen interest in my feet! Ít hindered my salsa dancing slightly, but certainly wasnt enough to hinder my experience! The salsa classes were organised with the institute and once I got over my initial embarrassment, i´ll admit, I quite enjoyed it! Our salsa class, including our instructor, Roberto, went to a salsa bar on Thursday night called "candela", and after a few pulques (fermented cactus juice) i found salsa a lot easier! The next day we went to "Cafe Central" and there was also salsa there before about 1am when the live band left and a dj took over. The night life in Oaxaca certainly isnt to be missed! Just be cautious about rain storms, got caught in a few nasty ones myself. Going out when drenched isnt much fun! At the weekend myself and a couple of other students went up to the ruins at Monte Alban. A must see when in Oaxaca! I only had a couple of bad experiences in the city. There was quite a lot of racism against the indigenous people. There is a definite hierarchy here which can be difficult to watch. There was also an issue where myself and a couple of other students saw someone being mistreated but the staff in the institute were extremely helpful and took care of the situation with great professionalism.
Overall my experience in Oaxaca city has been thoroughly interesting, extremely enjoyable and Ive met many great people here. Like Mexico city, i want to return in the near future. However, for now its off to La Ventanilla on the coast to start my actual volunteer work. I´m really looking forward to getting started!
¡Adios!