Chayanne, Sunsets and More

I learned three very important things this week:

1. There are JAGUARS and PUMAS in the state I’m moving to!
2. The non-Spanish-speaking world needs to know about the artist Chayanne, perhaps the very best thing my host family has introduced me to!
3. The Plaza de los Fundadores is an excellent place to see a beautiful Querétaro sunset!

Sunset on a windy evening. 

To be fair, I learned many more important things this week but these were three definite highlights.  This was a busy week with lots of information about climate change, habitats and biodiversity in Mexico.  I had no idea how rich Mexico was in terms of biodiversity: Mexico is the fourth richest nation in the world for species richness and almost all of the climates of the planet, and all the terrestrial ecosystems, are represented here. Next week I get to visit some national parks, and I’m even more excited to be here and get to see this beautiful country.  I’ve also been talking to a lot of current and former volunteers and getting a better sense of what life will be like after pre-service training, along with great tips on the best places in Mexico to visit.

Back in the states, I decided I didn’t have room for a lot of practical things like extra shampoo, conditioner, etc. so yesterday I made a 4-mile trek to restock for a more permanent existence here.  Despite heavy sunblock and a strategy to always stick to the shade during my 3 mile RT commute, I’m slowly turning a light shade of pink so now I’m wearing my hat from my friend Connie pretty much all the time for maximum sun protection. I definitely need some lightweight, flowy long sleeve tops for additional protection because this sun is awesome but also pretty much constant.

Sights walking around town this weekend. 

Once the sun started to set yesterday, my friend Becky and I took a trek to a new part of town to see the Plaza de los Fundadores, the templo y convento de La Santa Cruz, and the aqueduct at night. Along the way we saw many interesting sights including multiple young ladies celebrating their quinceañeras in amazing dresses (and with amazing entourages), lots of piñatas and balloons for sell, several lovely churches and statues, and some kids playing on the street with their pet hamster.

Super windy at Los Arcos!

Querétaro's aqueduct. 

Los Arcos at night. 

El templo de La Santa Cruz at night.

Now to the really important stuff: let’s talk music in Mexico!  I know, I know, you want to learn about my beloved Chayanne right away, so here’s a great link to a video that showcases his many, many skills.   My family also introduced me to additional noteworthy artists this week, including Natalia Lafourcade and Ximena Sariñana – and you can watch them perform together for additional awesomness! 

My host family and I continue to have many happy meals at the kitchen table with lots of laughter and delicious food.  Sometimes we laugh because I say something really wrong (like I had a crepe with cheese and soap, instead of cheese and ham) and sometimes it’s because we’re communicating enough to joke with each other.  My host dad told me I had a good sense of humor and that it was a good thing to have, and of course, now we can joke a lot about my beloved Chayanne :)

Celebrating Semana Santa

This week was Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Mexico, and it's an important holiday with lots of events both in the community and in all the churches.  It's also a big time for vacations which meant that I only had 2.5 days in the office this week and spent a lot of time with my host family talking about culture, traditions and the different meanings for words like sueño which can mean both to sleep and to dream.  

The famous Querétaro sign!

 Decorations out for Semana Santa

View from park bench while eating ice cream one sunny afternoon.

Local church with well manicured trees. 

View of winding streets on a rainy day. 

One of many beautiful buildings downtown.  For my cultural adventures this week, I got to know downtown Querétaro, went to a service with my family at their Catholic Church and attended the Procesión del Silencio with fellow volunteers.  The procession was quite the event and is a large display of different groups expressing great sorrow for the death of Jesus (including walking a long distance in a robe and hood with a large cross, no shoes and chains on the ankle).

Waiting for the procession with fellow volunteers

Table with a view!

Images from the procession below.

I also tried out new foods including tacos filled with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob with lime and salt, lentil soup with hot dogs and bananas (I know it sounds a little odd but it was really delicious) and pancakes for breakfast (those are exactly the same as at home!). After a hearty pancake breakfast today, my neighbor and fellow volunteer Natalie and I headed out to visit the Cerro de las Campanas which was a beautiful garden with a historic building where the emperador Maximiliano de Habsburgo was executed. Also there is a GIANT statue of Benito Juarez with a lovely view of downtown. 

The BIG statue of Benito Juarez. 

There are several museums in Querétaro and I made it to two of them this weekend: the Museo de Arte de Querétaro and the Museo del Calendario where we could see A LOT of cats on the neighboring roof, along with all kinds of interesting art.  Both buildings were beautiful and images are provided below for your viewing pleasure.

How many cats can you find in this tree? 
We counted 20 cats on this rooftop but only a few are visible here. 

View from the museum rooftop.

View from the museum rooftop.

My Spanish continues to slowly improve and I continue to feel very lucky and blessed to be able to embark on this adventure and to be a part of such an awesome family of both Mexican people and Peace Corps volunteers! 

Week one is a wrap!

My first full week of pre-service training is complete, concluding with today's "Mission Impossible" exercise that involved my first local bus ride in Mexico, a visit to the large Terminal de Autobuses, and a scavenger hunt with two other volunteers to find different landmarks in the city.  We had a grand time navigating our new home and met a chef who introduced us to a popular dish, enchiladas queretanas, and offered us a free meal!

 Sunset over a church in town. 

 Amazing architecture.

Los Arcos - the aqueduct. 

I'm getting to know my new city and really enjoying the historic streets, open doors and gates on the sidewalk that let you see into the lovely courtyards and homes hidden from street view, the many statues and squares, and the daily sunsets over various church tops.

 Interior courtyard view. 

 Sampling of daily street views. 

One of many beautiful fountains in town. 

 Amazing statues. 

 Another lovely statue. 

I take 3.5 hours of language and culture classes every day and live with a family that primarily speaks Spanish, so my language skills are slowly improving.  My host mom introduces new foods (and words!) to me every day and she is an amazing cook!  I love having fresh fruit, like papaya and pineapple, every morning for breakfast and finding out what's different and what's the same compared to home.  Even though we have a language barrier, we manage to communicate enough to share lots of laughs and make sure I know how to use important things, like the washing machine. It was a proud moment when I could ask someone at the store where the laundry detergent was and I am very grateful to come home to such a warm and friendly family every day.

 Downtown streets. 

Another statue downtown.

I also have internet and TV at home which is not a luxury everyone gets, so I am super grateful for that!  It means I've been able to communicate with family using my Google Voice number (free calls for both of us!) and to access important information for homework. I've also been lucky to see many hummingbirds, other birds and bees - some of which are huge! - and enjoy great, warm weather in the past week.  And of course, any time you come across a Harry Potter reference (especially one as good as this), life is good!