Hasta Luego Mexico

This will be my final blog about my time in Mexico. I have had some great experiences here and it is going to be hard leaving some of the people I have met here. There are lots of things I will miss, and of course not miss; but that is part of the expierence.


Things I am not going to miss:

Pollution, I am entirely used to it and it is terrible. When I used to walk home from the gym my nose would burn from all the car exhaust. The city has made some regulations but there are so many people here I think it would be really hard to fix the problem.

On Sunday I went to the royal palace here in the city. It was the last thing left to do from my guide book. When we got to the palace located on the top of a huge hill, I looked out over the enormous city and could see the snow covered mountains. I knew they existed but there is always smog so they are never visible. It was really cool to finally see them after 4 months. The problem is the city is so high, 10,000 ft, these mountains trap the pollution and unless it is windy there is no visibility of the mountains.

I can't wait to breathe in the clean air in Minnesota.

Poverty

I will not miss seeing all the elderly woman begging on the streets on my way to work. Every day I see kids from ages 1- 8 that are either selling gum in the streets or just laying on the cement next to their begging mother. They obviously don't go to school and it is weird to think they probably can't read. If I were one of these people making 50 pesos a day I would migrate to the United States illegaly in a second.

The US can build all the walls and border protection it wants, but the problem starts in Mexico and the extremely corrupt government needs to solve the problem internally, the US is only a heaven for these people. The idea of making 7 dollars an hour in a field in America has a lot more appeal than making the Minimum wage of 50 pesos a day (about 3-4 dollars). When you see the immigrants don't blame them for wanting the same things we do, they just had no options in Mexico. It doesn't mean we can open the border by any means, but have some empathy.

This weekend we went to the tree lighting on the main street in the City. It is supposedly the tallest tree in the world. I found it funny that the government spent thousands of dollars (with sponsership from Pepsi)on this christmas tree when this country lacks CLEAN WATER and almost 50 percent of the people live in poverty.


Things I am going to miss:

Friendliness:
Mexican people are so friendly. They say please and thank you all the time. At work any time I finished a project or research something I would always get an email saying Gracias. We are quite polite in Minnesota, but the manners and human relations skills required to live in Mexico are high.

Everyday in the gym I have a conversation for at least 20 minutes with the trainer and then when my friends enter I can talk with them for up to 40 minutes. This doesn't happen much in the US because we value time differently and we always seem to be busy or in a hurry. I am going to miss these long conversations because Americans are known for being superficial.

I had to watch a video before studying abroad my freshman year and the video contained interviews from foreign students whom lived in the US. The main thing they didn't like about our culture was the shallowness we have with everyone. If you dont believe me think about it for a moment.

On campus everyday at Concordia we will say "Hi, How are you" the typical response is "Good" how are you "good". After these moments you continue to pass by them and go on your way. This would be considered very rude in Mexico because you would have to stop and actually have a conversation. Americans just say hi and pass by without having to really converse. The Mexican way of stopping and talking would sometimes be annoying because I would walk through the university hoping I didn't see anyone I know because I would rather just go to class and not have 15 minute conversations with everyone. I guess somedays it is nice being antisocial.

Not to mention you have to shake hands with men everytime you see them and give one kiss to each woman. In a group of 6 people it could take at least 2 minutes to greet everyone. In the US if we saw a group of friends we would say hello and pass by without having to touch and formally greet each person. If you don't believe Americans are superficial in this way try to have a 5 minute conversation with everyone you know next time you see them in public. One of the persons will probably be in a hurry or need to do something and the conversation will seem too long.

Cheap Food:

I am going to miss how cheap everything is here. A coffee is a little more than a dollar at starbucks. Donuts are only 33 cents. You can get a full lunch for around 5 dollars. Groceries here are really cheap and I hate how in the US if you want to buy anything it only comes in family size. If I want to buy spinach I always have to buy a family size bag for 3-4 dollars that always gets old because I am the only one eating it.

I noticed this in Spain too. The groceries are much cheaper and you don't have to buy in such big quantities. Groceries in the US cost so much money, no wonder everyone goes out to eat all the time. I will miss eating for little money, but drinks cost a lot in the city here, I'd say like New York City in many of the nice places.

Conclusion:

I have seen a lot and met many people in Mexico. I am not sure when I will come back, especially to the city. I learned here that I really don't know if I would want to live in a huge city. I have been to New York but I think growing up in Minnesota really makes me appreciate space and the quietness of our neighborhoods. I also and glad I don't live in a developing country. In the US we have opportunities to go to school, drink water out of the tap or get a loan for a house.

Americans can get cocky sometimes about all the things we have, but if you realize the amount of credit we have and use it is shocking. Latin Americans usually own everything they have. I would like to meet an American who owns their house, car or degree. I understand how great credit is, but the idea of actually paying for something in cash is interesting.

I think I will be done with blogging for a while. Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions about anything. I have now lived in three very differnet countries and can't wait to get home and settle down for a few years. If I feel the need to move again I will go, but after I get my feet on the ground.



Have a great Christmas and don't be so hard on the immigrants, they just want the same things out of life that you do. The idea of a country is just imaginary lines drawn on a map. I am pretty sure God doesn't know what a country is, it is something made up by man.

Some Photos

This is the forecast. As you can see, perfect weather. It never changes and never gets too cold or too hot. People here typically don´t have air condicioning or heating.





This is the supreme court building. The city center has many buildings constructed like this.






We climbed on top of the cathedral this weekend. This is the view from the roof of the cathedral overlooking the city center. It was awesome the first time I have ever been to the roof of a cathedral.




This is a micro bus. I take this every day to work. It costs 3 pesos and there are many times you will stick your hand out for the bus to stop and it will zoom by you without even noticing. During rush hour it will be packed with people and the bus will still stop and swurve like crazy. I have almost fallen over many times and the ceiling is quite low, I often have to duck. I am considered tall here, so I can´t imagine anyone over 6 feet riding this bus.







If you think parking is hard in the US come here. This is a real photo of how a car parked. There is maybe an inch between the car the two cars outside of it. You do not have to take a test to get your license here, in fact you really don´t even need a license. I don´t know where they learn how to park so well though.



Sweaters anyone?




These are tacos dorados. ¨Golden Tacos¨
They are deep fried and filled with a shredded meat. Served with creme and avocados.


Real Mexican Food. I have to say, I have never eaten real mexican food until I came here. We eat similar things in the US but the main ingredients change completely. I would like to go to a Mexican restaurant when I return and see if they have anything that is actually Mexican. The whole chimichanga, fajitas, gorditas are very different here and people may not know what they are. My friend had never heard of a chimichanga until he went to the states.

LIME:
Everything here is served with a lime. IF you order a soup they will give you lime to squirt into your soup. If you order rice they will give you a lime. People even put lime on their popcorn.

TORTILLAS:
It isn´t common to eat corn flour tortillas here. You can sometimes ask for them but they will use regular corn tortillas which taste very different from the Tex Mex ones we eat with out meals. I have grown to love the tortillas here and they are often made fresh in front of you. They eat them just plain with salt as a snack too.

QUESADILLAS:
They are serves with a different type of cheese than we use. It is white and has a very distinct taste, kind of a spoiled taste. I really like the taste.

SALSA:
You are served salsa with everything, even soup! It is usually green or red. They green is usually much spicer than the red and is made from chilis. The red has more of a chipotle taste. It is hard to decide what salsa to put on what. They do serve the Pico de gallo salsa we have in the states, so we do have one salsa that is similar.

MOLE:
This is a black sauce that is made from chocolate and chilis. It is served over tortillas and numerous things. It is difficult to make so most people buy a paste and then add more ingredients to make the sauce. Pronounced ¨Mole LAY¨, so you don´t get it confused with the brown spots us white folks have.





Sidenote...Texans always say folks, and so do my coworkers. I am trying to teach them how to say things correctly, but we all have accents. Just say the words Vague, Bag, Bagels or Boat and listen to our accent.

It is interesting how you will naturally acquire the accent from where you learn the language. They speak with Texans all the time so they have a little drawl mixed with the Mexican accent.

I obviously have an american accent when I speak, but it is not as strong as some. I learned how to roll my R´s in Spain and if you can´t do this it is very hard to pronouce many words. Everyone can roll their r´s. You have to have a anatomic problem to not be able to do it. If you want to learn just say the word BUTTER LADDER several times fast.

After a few times, try to say

BUTTER BUTTER BUTTER LADDER LADDER LADDER
BUTTER BUTTER BUTTER LADDER LADDER LADDER
BUTTER BUTTER BUTTER LADDER LADDER LADDER
BUTTER BUTTER BUTTER LADDER LADDER LADDER
BUTTER BUTTER BUTTER LADDER LADDER LADDER

You will find it really hard to say this phrase quickly. You should notice the hard R your tongue is making on the roof of your mouth.

If you can say it fast and correctly you will develop the correct position of the tongue to roll your R´s. Practice for 5 minutes in the car saying this simple phrase and your tongue will eventually find the proper motion. This simple letter is important in speaking any Spanish. Just the word gracias is pronounced differently. GRACIAS should be said like gDacias.

Photos

This is what tequila is made of

The day of the dead this weekend.

Sickness:

Last week I had stomach cramps that got worse every day until I could hardly walk. I went to the doctor at my university and got some medicine. The medicine made me feel like I was wearing a heating pad on my torso. Almost all of the Americans with me have had some stomach issue like this. It is really hard to trace what causes the sickness because the bacteria will enter your body from some dirty apple or cheese and then the germs can take weeks to grow into your stomach until it causes problems. That is why everyday my cramps got worse. I am better now and have more fear of the food here.

Either way I am usually really careful, but juice or what not in restaurants is not always safe. Either way be thankful for highly regulated food in the US. Our regulation is world famous and that is why after deaths in China from spoiled milk, US food and drink companies invested highly in countries in Asia.

Not Minnesotan:

There is one thing a lot of Latin woman do that is quite annoying. They will often ask for a picture of themselves. You could be with a girl from somewhere in Latin American traveling or walking around and they will ask for a picture of themselves. They will hand you their camera and say ¨will you take a picture of me? This has happened several times here and with my Hispanic friends in Europe. My German friend and I always made fun of it, and it looks like it is present here as well. I am not sure if it is just a manner of being conceited or just culture but it is so annoying and viewed as bad in MN. It may be hard to picture exactly what I am saying but maybe one day I will ask you to take a picture of me alone even if I am with you and other friends.

Paying the Police:

I was told the only place in Mexico where you can pay off the police for a traffic violation is in the City here. I have been with friends who are pulled over and they usually only have to pay the police officer 200 Pesos to evade the tickets, that is less than 20 dollars. It is funny because they say they only need a Sor Juana to pay off the police. Sor Juana is a very famous nun from Mexico whom is presented on the 200 peso bill. Kind of ironic using a nun to pay off the police.

I wonder what would happen if one day the police stopped accepting these brides. I think there would be a major civil uproar if the rich society in Mexico couldn´t continue to use it´s money to evade laws. People think Mexico is a poor country but it certainly isn´t. It is correct to say it is a rich country with poor distribution, considering the BMW´s and $8,000 watches people own you would understand. In the US we have a huge difference in money distribution but in most cases everyone can go to college and get a degree if they work for it. If your parents wash windows at the stop lights here, it will be very difficult to have enough money to go to a school with a NAME and get a good job.

I might sound bitter in this section, but sometimes the arrogance of the rich here and how they address the corruption is hard to block out.

Pesos:

I always forget to mention this about the Mexican Peso. It is a really annoying currency. 13 pesos is worth about one US dollar. The reason the peso is annoying is because no one ever has enough change. The other morning I needed 4 pesos to ride the morning bus, and I only had a 100 peso bill. I had to go to the gas station to break the bill. I tried to buy some gum costing about 10 pesos and the gas station didn’t have change for me. The 100 peso bill is worth less than ten dollars and the gum costing a dollar. I then had to go to the newspaper vendor in the street to break my bill.

Imagine going to a gas station with a ten dollar bill and trying to buy some 1 dollar trident and the attendant saying, ¨sorry I don´t have change.¨ The American would be quite irritated, but here it is quite normal and most business never have enough change. Even when I went to American express to cash a traveler´s check, the bank didn´t have enough currency to give me. In conclusion the peso can be irritating, but the dollar is quite strong against it, so that is a nice benefit.

Work Trip:

For the first time in my life I feel asleep in class yesterday. I was sitting up and after several minutes of excel spread sheets I fell asleep. I was tired due to a 5 day work trip to Guadalajara that began on Saturday and ended yesterday. Guadalajara is a city North of here, about an hour plane ride. You all should know of this city because it is the home of Tequila, or at least the small town next to it is the home.

The event was on Tuesday and we went early to visit the town and tour a tequila factory. I now have a new appreciation for this alcoholic beverage and know what makes tequila good and what kind NOT to buy. We visited the Jose Cuervo Mansion and learned all about this world famous Mexico drink. We had to take about an hour cab ride out of the city to the facility, but the green mountains and scenery were worth it.

The hotel we staying in was modern and we all had rooms on the top floor. I had a view of the city and my own king size bed along with some 8 dollar bottled water. The rooms were just like IKEA and reminded me of the hotel in Barcelona. We never had to time eat lunch so with per dium money we could order room service. First time in my life I have ever had room service.

The event went well as usual, more information about investing in Texas. My job was to organize the raffle tickets and stamp valet tickets. There were all new speakers at this event so it was interesting to hear some new information. I met these two businessmen whom sell really expensive homes. They kept telling me I need to go to law school and somehow get into immigration. It is great meeting new people because they all have great insight into completely different career paths.



Halloween:

Halloween is celebrated in a different way here. It is called the Day of the Dead. Many families and businesses create large altars that can compose of entire rooms. The altar is dedicated to a deceased person, there is usually a photo of them and then lots of their favorite items are placed in a pit of colored sand below the picture. Many skeletons and traditional decoration also make up the altar, and some families even put the dead person´s favorite food out for them to munch on as their spirit passes through the altar on Halloween night. I have always found this holiday interesting as it is a day in which many people think of the deceased and actually make their favorite meal. Mexicans can be very mystical and this is one great example of their culture.

I think it would be cool to do this one year at home to one of my grandparents. I really don´t know what their favorite dishes were but it would just be a cool dedication to someone important. My roommates and I might make an altar in our house just to celebrate the holiday. We think making one to Michael Jackson would be funny, but we might not want his spirit roaming around out house.



Have an awesome Halloween and eat some candy corn for me.

Please do not mail anything to me

My mom recently tried to send me a package and even though it was with UPS, it failed to get to my house due to tax issues and because I didn´t have time to get there last week, it is now being sent home. I called the company numerous times last week and emailed several times. They never responded and now I am a little angry. Mexico isn´t the US and the more I live here little things frustrate me, like how some business operate, even US companies like UPS. I was told don´t us US mail but it looks like private companies like UPS are terrible too.

I will be home soon so there is no need to mail things. Thanks though!

Work trip, Hiking trip, Traffic and so on.

Sleeping in today was a nice present after a very busy last 2 weeks. I have been on several trips and have been preoccupied with school and lots of friend outings.

WORK TRIP:
This week I was fortunate enough to be asked to go with my work on a business trip to a city North of here. It was about an hour flight and we walked around the colonial city and had an investing in Texas event. We were only there two days but I really enjoyed my time. They paid for everything: food, flight, transportation and so on. I had to help register clients for the event and make sure all the folders and supplies were ready for all the speakers and clients.

The town was colonial and it reminded me a lot of where I lived in Spain. It was different, but the old part of town was free of traffic and lots of small shops selling Mexican candy and coffee. There was also none of the pollution burning my nose and people seemed to move slower.

We went to some great restaurants as usual and I had some great steak. They also eat bone marrow here. I have eaten it in the city here before, but at this retaurant they served it with the bone. It was interesting and probably the most greasy thing I've eaten.

HIKING TRIP WITH FRIENDS:

About two weekends ago I was invited with some of my friends from school to go to a small town about an 45 minute outside of the city. The city is called Tepoztlan and it is a small town where an ancient pyramid lies ontop of a mountain. We got there and changed clothes and climbed up this huge mountain. It was stairs for about 45 minutes. After sweating my life out we reached the top and this old aztec pyramid appears in the middle of a lush forest. We climbed around the pyramid (which wouldn't be allowed in the US because some child would fall off and cause a law suit) and took some pictures of the view. I guess there have been numerous UFO sightings there but I couldn't find ET.

After climbing down we had some authentic mexican cocktail that was basically an American margartita but served in a clay mug. We hung out by the pool at our hotel and bummed around the town. The streets were all cobblestone and all my friends were amazed at how calm it was, but after growing up in Randolph it seemed a little more exciting. We ate at the market and I had some spiced grasshoppers that these indigenous looking women sold out of woven baskets. It wasn't too delicious but it was edible.

We headed home on Sunday and stopped to eat some coffee place and everyone ordered a Moka, which is like a mix of coffee and hot chocolate. It has just the right balance and probably my favorite beverage here so far. Of course we ate somee quesadillas here too, but the cheese they use is white and kind of tastes spoiled, but I am started to like it.


WORK BIRTHDAY PARTY:

In Mexico birthday's a quite a big deal and it was my coworker Vanesssa's Birthday a few weeks ago. In the US they might bring in a cake but here they go all out. They ordered balloons and printed 50 colored signs and bought tons of confetti. Her cubicle was overloaded with decorations and we had a two hour lunch that day where we ate cake and just talked. It was interesting because everyone was on the clock but they greatly value their employees.

Another funny thing was that they will talk about age here. Vanessa turned 33 and all her signs said how old she was. I told them how it is rude for us to even ask and how here it is something you write on all the posters. I guess they just aren't as touchy as we are about age, even in the office. Her office party was on a friday and we went out for lunch on Monday, a two day birthday party. Too bad mine isn't until June.

MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY:
It was the independace day on the 15th and we didn't have work so we ate a typical Mexican Soup called Pozole which had corn and rice and beans and huge chunks of meat. It was good but nothing amazing. They always eat soup here, usually with every dinner and I just am not used to that.

I bought a Mexican moustache for the occassion and we went of with friends to some parties and came home pretty late. It was fun our host mom made us all wear some authentic decorations, I had this weird bow thing and the girls had these shirts. They are really patriotic here.

SWINE FLU:

Swine flu is on the rise and the entire city is getting ready for another incident. At my university they require all the custodians to wear surgical masks and just today at the grocery store all the employees were wearing masks. Another precaution is that whenever you enter a restaurant or bar there is usually someone at the door with a huge bottle hand sanitizer. When we traveled on the plane Claudina, a coworker wore a mask on the plane. She doesn't have swine flu but it is just expected of ill people to be extremely careful in preventing the spread of sicknesses.

I am not too worried about swine flu and I actually think many people are going a little bit overboard. Mexicans don't need prescriptions to get drugs here. I have heard of Americans liking this because they buy drugs here and bring them home for their family so they don't have to go to the doctor. After learning about biology this is a terrible problem and a reason why Penicillin, which used to kill everything when it was invented, is now almost obsolete in killing infections. Antiobiotic resistance is a big deal and someone from my work just had the sniffles and got 3 home injections of penicillin! Don't get drugs unless you need them. Read this article if you don't believe me.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/14/20090917/tpl-obsolete-penicillin-poses-eu-wide-ri-81c5b50.html

TRAFFIC
The city is wearing me out lately. I really like it here, but the traffic can be frustrating. The roads are a free for all and people have no respect for eachother. While on the bus the other morning an SUV on a cross street pulled out in front of the bus. The bus slammed on the brakes and the SUV backed up into their lane. I look at the woman driver who was a little shaken up and she was waving her finger at the bus, acting like it was the bus' fault. I am glad I don't have a car and I would NEVER drive in this city. It is like the whole road system is some sort of grocery store parking lot and you can drive around where ever you want. I like the public transportation, the subway however is usually around 85 degrees so I usually don't shower if I know I am going to use it.


Tomorrow is the big Vikings game and we are trying to find a place to watch it. American Football is quite popular here and just today a bunch of guys were playing it in the park. I miss the fall, and now the rainy season is officially over. That means no rain ever and lots of strong sunlight. My Scandinavian skin really doesn't handle it all too well.

CAREER
I had coffee with a Minnesotan the other day who works for the US embassy here. I met her at the event at the residence and wanted to talk with her more about the foreign service. I asked a million questions and learned a lot about the process of getting into this service. I think this is a great long term goal for me. I have always wanted to work for the government and the life stories I learned from her made the job sound awesome. There are numerous sectors of the foreign service but a lot of work goes into applying.

I will have to start reading. You must take an exam before applying and there is a reading list of over 30 books. Many of the officers attend grad school so that could be in my future too. Not for a few years though. Apparently a lot of the foreign service officers are retiring so there are good opportunities. I will need to start learning some more languages though. After graduation I will try to find a job for a multinational corp. but a long term goal could be the foreign service. It will be quite a challenge though.



That is all for now. Enjoy October


To See Photos