Major Update!

I've been getting requests to update my blog, and I finally found the time to do it! Since I haven't been travelling much I think that the things I have to share are boring, but I'm sure my daily experiences are foreign to many of my family and friends!

After my family came to visit for Christmas, it was back to the grind with my research. In February I went back to the field in Puebla (this time with 2 field workers!) to collect my data, which consisted of interviews and observations with 8 families in semi-urban communities. I've just now gotten the interviews transcribed, so I'm working on analysis. I hope to finish some sort of written report of my findings before leaving Cuernavaca so I have something to work with later if I decide to try to publish an article. So far, the information in the interviews and observations seems promising, so hopefully I will have some good analysis.

I've also been working on some quantitative analysis of dual-burden households using data that was collected in rural communities last year. I'm learning how to use statistical software and rounding off my days (8 hours of coding and analyzing interviews is waay too tiring!).

Eduardo has been here with me since January. He landed a job teaching English at a private institute and loves it. He can only get part time hours, but he's okay with that. We both like the slower pace of life here!

I'll be in Cuernavaca for 2 more months, and then the next step seems to be a move to the Washington, DC area. Eduardo and I are both avidly looking for jobs and temporary housing to get set up there, but so far nothing has materialized. Eduardo is hoping to leave in May to give him a head start on the job search and check out some apartment options. It would be great for him to have a job when I get there in June!

But life continues as usual here. Street vendors shouting outside my house every morning, men of all ages shouting at me in the street (heard a new one today: bomboncito), and fearing for my life in those old buses. But there are also still fresh, hot tortillas, beautiful weather, and friends to have a BBQ with. Speaking of which, it's time to head to the BBQ. Our friends are making carne asada and fresh salsa, and I'm making apple pie. Wonderful blend of cultures, don't you think?

To the field, Part 1

At the beginning of December I went to visit some field sites in the state of Puebla to scope out the area for my study, which will take place in January. They are already semi-permanent field workers in these communities administering nutritional supplements to participant families, so it was the perfect opportunity to tag along and get to know the communities. I stayed in a hotel in Acatzingo, a town about 45 min from the city of Puebla. Perla, the field worker there, is great and we really hit it off. I visited a total of 6 communities in a week and saw some very interesting things. Here are some highlights:

1. Every morning there are women on nearly every street corner selling tamales (corn-based mass flavored with everything from chile to pineapple and wrapped in a corn husk) and atole (flavored milk/water drink thickened with corn starch). Absolutely delicious. Note: a glass of atole will keep you full for 8 hours.

2. The bells in the church ring every hour, all night long. Every little town in the state of Puebla has a beautiful church. It's really impressive.

3. Tuesday is market day in Acatzingo, known as "tianguis." All the streets are filled with people who've set up stalls to sell everything from fresh produce and dairy products to clothing and kitchen supplies. People come from all neighboring areas to do their weekly shopping. There is only bus transportation to come outlying areas on Tuesdays. The other days they just don't come into town or have to walk (it's really far, I wouldn't walk). In neighboring Tepeaca, the tianguis on Fridays is the largest in Mesoamerica. I didn't see it while I was there, but I definitely want to have a look in January when I go back.

4. Puebla is cold.

5. To get to some of the houses to deliver the supplements, we took buses to outlying neighborhoods, then started walking. Where it looks like the road ends, we keep going straight. Sliding down a dirt hill, we have to cross a stream with a bunch of trash in it and a putrid smell. Luckily there were rocks to step on. Then it's back up the other side of the bank and walking through a dry, cracked field to get to the woman's house. I can't believe that's the way she has to walk every time she goes anywhere. And I can't imagine carrying things through there!

6. In neighboring Amozoc, the current public health clinic used to be a mental health clinic. But they closed it down and converted it into a general health clinic, kicking the mental patients out onto the street instead of sending them to another institution. Well, these (former) mental patients are still around, and they still think it's their clinic. Judith, another field worker, said that once she was there talking to the staff when she felt something hitting her. The mental patients were throwing rocks at her! Apparently the health center staff don't do anything about it, which I find hard to believe. How can they just ignore these poor people? But anyway, it's still kind of funny that they throw rocks at random people in the street.

Honestly, a week was enough. I'm still working out the details for my trip in January, but hopefully it will be another in-and-out deal. Cuernavaca has never felt so much like home, so I have to thank Acatzingo for that. Now I'm just hanging out and waiting for Christmas, my birthday, and New Year's!

Taxco and a Change of Seasons

Erin and I went to bed on Saturday night planning to go to Teotihuacan the next morning, and woke up on Sunday to rain. The internet said it was also raining in Teotihuacan, and we didn’t want to get all the way there and not be able to climb the pyramids because they were wet and slippery. So we decided to go to Taxco, which is only about 1.5 hours south of here, instead. Just as Erin was stepping out of the shower, all the electricity went out. And it didn’t come back like it usually does. We continued getting ready, and bundled up well because it was cloudy, drizzly, and chilly. Our timing was really bad, and we just missed the bus to Taxco, so we had to wait another hour. But when we got there everything was fine. Taxco is known for its silver, and you can buy pretty much any kind of silver jewelry you can imagine for low prices. In the market and in the stores they weigh the piece you want and price it in grams. You have to be careful to make sure what you’re buying is really silver, which is confirmed by a little stamp on the side of every piece. Erin and I had great shopping luck, and we both came home with our pockets full of silver. Unfortunately, we also missed the bus on the way back, and had to wait another hour. Grrr. We got back to our apartment to find that we still didn’t have electricity! Francois (the landlord) said that he called the electrician and he didn’t know what was wrong (some electrician!), so we probably needed to call the electric company. Unfortunately it was Sunday, so they don’t work, and yesterday was a holiday, so they didn’t work either. Francois asked the neighbors to hook us up, and he ran extension cords all the way through the yard so we could both plug in our refrigerators. As of this morning, we still don’t have electricity, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the electric company doesn’t come until tomorrow. But we can plug in a lamp to the extension cord, and even our modem so we can still get online, just as long as our computer battery lasts. Luckily the gas and water have nothing to do with electricity, so we can still use the stove and over, flush the toilets and take hot showers. It’s not too much of an inconvenience, but when Erin and I are taking our contacts out by candle light in the bathroom, we kind of feel like we’re camping.

This weekend also appears to be marking a change of seasons as the temperature has plummeted. Lows in the single digits (Celsius) and highs barely reaching 20 (again, Celsius, where do you think I am?). Usually our apartment warms up during the day when the sun shines in, and before this weekend it had never dropped below 19 C/67 F in my bedroom. But since we haven’t had sun in a couple days, and the low overnight temperatures have been accompanied by uncharacteristically strong winds, we woke up to 15.5 C/60 F in our room this morning. That’s how cold my room in Madrid was all the time before I moved to a new house. We got some extra blankets and pushed the beds together because cuddling really helps keep us warm! We’re leaving the beds that way until further notice. We checked the weather forecast and the temps should go back up a bit in a couple of days, with lows only in the teens and highs in the mid-20s. Apparently the coldest months are January and February, so I think this weather is atypical for right now. It honestly wouldn’t be that bad if the sun came out every day because it would warm up the house a bit. The only heat in Cuernavaca is solar heat. Now I was told that this was the City of Eternal Spring, so I have a total of 4 long sleeve shirts, plus a few light jackets. I went and bought another sweater yesterday, but if anyone wants to send warm socks or sweaters, email me and I will gladly give you my address. While you’re at it you might also send some stuffing and cranberry sauce since my Thanksgiving meal may end up being a bit sparse. I guess I can always serve turkey tacos.

Halloween, Mexican Style

Erin and I went to Mexico City the weekend before Halloween for a costume party being thrown by some other Fulbrighters. The three girls have a big apartment in a nice part of the city, and they told us we could spend the night with them and go back to Cuernavaca the next day (it’s only about an hour bus ride). We took advantage of the day by going to the Frida Kahlo museum (very cool), and going to the Zocalo. Of course we went to the Zocalo on the one day the Palacio Nacional was closed (there were “events” going on in the square, so they closed it off!) so we didn’t get to see all the famous murals by Diego Rivera and company. We also had the good fortune of seeing the Mexico City Metro in action. It only costs 2 pesos to ride (less than 20 cents), and it goes pretty much anywhere you’d want to go. But there were so many people on it, and when you stop at a station people literally shove you out the door. We found the people in Mexico City to be in more of a hurry than down south in the ‘burbs. We didn’t like it. But when we asked for directions they were just as friendly and helpful as the people in Cuernavaca, only they have a different accent, so that was fun.

The Halloween party went great. The girls decorated the whole place and we had tons of food and drinks. Erin dressed up as an 80s rock star, and I was a girl at a slumber party, slippers, pig tail braids, stuffed animal, and all. There were a few Fulbrighters that showed up, but most of the guests were the hosts’ coworkers, so we didn’t really know very many people. We still had a good time though. The costumes were really cute.

The other exciting part of the weekend was seeing Sara, my friend who I met studying abroad in Spain. She was in Mexico City for the weekend for a wedding, and we luckily got to meet up for lunch on Sunday. It was great to see her, and kind of crazy to see how paths cross.

November 2 is Day of the Dead in Mexico, honoring the family members who have died. The best celebrations are in the state of Michoacan, so Erin and I trekked out there to have a look. We went to Patzcuaro, which is a cute, old town near a lake. Supposedly there is a ceremony every year where they row out to an island in the lake with candles on the canoes. We heard that it was breathtaking, and we were really looking forward to it. But when we got there we found out that there was no such ceremony, I guess they don’t do it anymore, I’m really not sure. We went to the island at night and all we found were a bunch of drunk Mexicans. Not our idea of fun. We went back to the hotel and the women who work there told us that there were better places to go, so they took us to a cemetery in a nearby town. The biggest celebrations are in the people’s homes where they make “ofrendas”, which are kind of like altars to their deceased relatives, and in the cemeteries where they decorate the graves with flowers, candles, and food, and hold all-night vigils. The cemetery we went to was really impressive. It wasn’t very big, but it was beautifully decorated, and we were glad we went. Unfortunately it wasn’t the experience we were hoping for, but at least we got to see some ofrendas.

We went to Morelia, the capital of Michoacan, before returning to Cuernavaca. There were also a lot of exhibits and events going on there, so we spent the day roaming around the city, and had a delicious meal of traditional “comida michoacana.” Because the only accommodations we could find in Patzcuaro were way out of our price range (but we stayed there anyway), we decided to save a little and stay in a crappy little hostel in Morelia. It wasn’t dirty except that the first room we stayed in had a leak in the sink, but the next room was fine. But there were no seats on the toilet, no shower curtain, no door on the bathroom, and pillows that felt like old cotton balls. They also only gave us one towel for the two of us. When I asked for another one, the reply I got was, it’s only one towel per room. But there were two beds!! Oh well. Erin and I got back to the hostel at 11, got up at 6 and went straight to the bus station. Not something I’d like to do for more than one night, but in the interest of money, it wasn’t that bad.

It was a Friday when we got back to Cuernavaca, and we decided we wanted to spend the entire weekend at home because we had been traveling too much. So we bought some food, did our laundry, and rented some movies, and then just sat at home. We sun bathed a little bit in our yard (it was 85 degrees in the shade), cooked some good meals, watched a bunch of movies, and talked to our boyfriends online. Not a bad way to spend two days at all I think. We needed to recover a bit.

America 2, Pumas 0

Erin and I had the pleasure of attending our first soccer game in Mexico, which just happened to be a huge rivalry between America and Pumas, two Mexico City teams. The Fulbright Commission organized everything, so we just had to show up in Mexico City and they took us (there were about 20 of us who went) to a restaurant for lunch and then to the soccer game (and paid for it all, too!) The restaurant was pretty nice. They had three tables lined up for all of us to sit, but really it was too much, so they decided to take a table away. Now comes the good part. Which of the three tables did they take away? Yep, the middle one. They took all the plates and silverware off the middle table, then picked it up and carried it over the table that was on the end, nearly hitting another Fulbrighter in the process. Then they picked up the end table (with all the plates and glasses still on it!) and moved it over to meet with the other table. Now wouldn't it have been easier to just take one of the end tables away? Apparently not in the Mexican pysche. Well, anyway, it was hilarious to watch, and none of us could quite believe that it was happening! Then Tim (the Fulbright coordinator) told us that the Commission would pay for our first alcoholic beverage, but that we would have to pay for any more after that. The automatic response was: TEQUILA! I'm not sure who picked the bottle or if the waitor just chose it for us, but we all had shots of Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, and huge bottle of dark tequila that was absolutely delicious (you sip tequila in Mexico rather than just shooting it down). Well it should have been because when the bill came we found out that it was about $20 per shot! Never again will I taste such fine tequila.... Needless to say, Tim was not pleased. The meal ended up being way more expensive than expected, and he would have to justify to the Commission buying $20 shots of tequila for everyone!

The soccer game was quite an experience. We had good seats and it was a pretty good game, even though I didn't always understand all of it. And forget about understanding the chants that everyone in the stadium seems to know. When we first got to the stadium, we had to go through security. Apparently this can be a dangerous game because it's such a big rivalry and sometimes the fans get violent. That's why I couldn't wear my belt into the stadium, so I had to check it at one of the shady tents outside the stadium. I said good-bye to my belt because I really doubted that I would ever see it again. Then we went through security and between there and my seat, I had my ticket checked and scanned by 4 people. Now seriously, could I have made it that far if I didn't have a real ticket? Well we finally got to our seats and I got to sit in a huge cloud of cigarette smoke. Behind our seats was a little walkway about a foot wide, and that was evidently where all the vendors would walk by to sell their beers, tacos, potato chips, and Ramen noodle instant soups. The bad part was when two of them came in opposite directions and had to pass each other. One of them would step down on my arm rest, practically spilling the contents of his food or beverage tray all over me and my seat, while the other would pass by. This literally happened not less than a dozen times. And a couple times, I did get a bit of beer spilled on me. I was a little frazzled by all the people (Estadio Azteca holds about 100,000 people and it was nearly full!), but my beer helped. I just felt dirty and cramped the whole time. When we left we walked past the midget police barricade. Yes, the police officers were midgets. Okay, not exactly midgets, but not a single one of them measured more than my chin. Very strange to see.... They were all lined up with their plastic shields and helmets. They kind of looked like oompa loompas. Hehe. I did end up getting my belt back, which made me really happy. And we fortunately didn't see any violence erupt, which also made me very happy (we were a little concerned when the taxi driver said, "aren't you afraid to go to that game?"). I'm not sure if I'd go to another soccer game in Mexico. I think it's one of those experiences I can cross off the list. Unless I get persuaded by a certain someone....

Pura Basura

So the news from Cuernavaca is that the landfills are full. Yep, full. For about a week now there has been no where to put all the trash (Mom, basura is trash), and the garbage trucks have just stopped passing by since they have no where to bring the garbage! So what are they doing with all the garbage you ask? Well, they're piling it up in small side streets all over the city. Too bad these are also streets that people live on or near. I'm lucky enough to live a few blocks from the nearest trash pile, but walking to work everyday I see the hundreds of garbage bags piled up on the other side of the street. The smell is overbearing, and all the food waste and used toilet paper (yep, you can't flush toilet paper here so guess where it goes...) is just rotting in the sun. And it only gets worse by the day. I simply can't believe what's going on. People are going to start getting sick, and soon. Yeah, it's bad, and I don't know what they're going to do about it.

Other than that life continues as usual. Erin found a job teaching English but unfortunately her hours are opposite mine, so she's home in the mornings and then doesn't come back until 9:30 or 10 pm. It kind of works out because we get time to ourselves, but it also prevents any sort of social activity for the two of us in the early evenings. Oh well, at least we have the weekends! Not sure what we're doing this weekend, hopefully go see some ruins nearby or something like that. Eduardo and I will be celebrating our one-year anniversary on Saturday from afar, but hey, what can you do.

I really love Mexico and Cuernavaca, but the one thing I will never get used to is the stares, shouts, and cat calls that I get on the street every day. Guys driving by in cars, guys walking by on the street, construction workers (they're the worst everywhere, aren't they?) shouting, "gua-pa", "hola bonita," "guera," and some other, not so nice things (as if I didn't already know I was cute and fair-skinned?). I also get lots of whistles and hisses. And honestly, it's too much. I've never felt more like a piece of meat in my life. Guys slowing down as they drive past me, or sticking their heads out the window to look at me after they drive by, it's obnoxious! Apparently the best response is no response, but Mishel told me I can yell at them if I want to (except when they're in their cars because they leave too quickly to hear), and they will probably stop. I'm at the point where I'm about to snap and I just might start yelling back! Or kicking them in the nuts. One of the two. It's unfortunate that such a hospitable culture has such an unwelcoming and alientating custom. But it's just the way Mexico is I suppose.

And then there were two...

So after almost a month I'm starting to get a feel for the town and learn where to buy my groceries, do my laundry, get my hair cut (well, I think I need to find a different place...it didn't turn out that well...) and slowly but surely, where to go out at night. The friends I've made here have been really helpful in terms of answering my dumb questions and taking me to the best bars and clubs. I don't think I've ever met such nice people in my life, especially because they don't have to be so nice to me. The hospitality is nothing like I've experienced anywhere else.

So on Tuesday Erin arrived from the States. I went to pick her up in the airport but she ended up getting through customs before I even got there on the bus because the traffic was so bad (I don't really like Mexico City...). But it ended up okay, and we got to Cuernavaca late but safe. It's really nice to have some company around the apartment. We stay up late talking like little girls at a slumber party, but hey, there's a little girl in all of us. It's her birthday this weekend so we're going to get a cake and celebrate tomorrow night with Elizabeth (the other Fulbrighter here) and her roommates.

Last week was Mexican Independence Day, so to be part of the festivities I participated in the famous "grito", or call to independence. Everyone gathers in the main plaza of every town in Mexico and shouts "VIVA MEXICO!" at midnight on September 15. There were lots of families there, and after the grito they had fireworks. Unlike the U.S., the safety precautions are not as extensive, and the crowd was so close to the fireworks that the debris was falling on top of people!! Luckily I was far enough away that it didn't fall on me, but I definitely didn't feel like I was outside of the danger zone. I kept an attentive eye on the show because I didn't want that to be the day a stray firework landed on my head. But I had a great time. Now I'm looking forward to the other festivals and holidays coming up in October and November...this country loves an excuse to celebrate!

Mexico (finally!)

Last week was full of Fulbright orientation activities in Mexico City. We literally went nonstop from 7:30am to about 11:00pm on Wednesday and Thursday, and Friday from 7:30 to 5:00. But it was all worth it. The people I´ve met are amazing, everyone is doing such interesting things and is so excited about their work. The Fulbright Commission put us up in a fancy hotel in downtown and paid for our meals in nice restaurants. We also went to the National Archaeology Museum, a "folk ballet" show (it was actually a series of traditional Mexican dances), the pyramids at Teotihuacan, and the Chapultepec Castle. We had guided tours of everything. We also had some lectures on Mexican history, politics, and relations with the U.S., and a formal reception in the U.S. Ambassador´s residence. All the Fulbright grantees were invited, there are about 60 of us, as well as Embassy staff. It was pretty intimidating and I didn´t really know what to say to anyone, so I mostly just chatted with other Fulbrighters. I did talk to the Ambassador for a little while, though, which was cool. Apparently he´s pretty close to Pres. Bush and when Bush was reelected there was talk of him getting a cabinet position; but apparently he got Mexico instead. I wonder what he thinks about that...

The weather in Mexico City was less than ideal, pretty cloudy, and rainy during the afternoons. Because the city is built on top of what used to be a lake, the drainage system leaves much to be desired, and there was some pretty bad flooding on Wednesday and Thursday. I was in a cafe with my roommate, Alder, when it started raining, then hailing, and then the floor of the cafe started to flood. We don´t know where the water was coming from because it wasn´t high enough on the street to come into the cafe. But there was about an inch of water on the floor! Eww. It did stop raining, but later that night when we were en route to the ballet, we drove through flooded streets about a foot deep! We saw shop keepers bailing out their stores with buckets, and there were mounds of hail on the sides of the road, which kind of looked like snow. It was pretty amazing to see all the cars just driving through the water.

I arrived in Cuernavaca yesterday, where the weather is much more pleasant. It rains, but at night, when I´m already nice and dry in my bed. It´s been sunny all day today, and warm, but not hot. Mmm, eternal spring. I think I picked a good city. So Cuernavaca is bigger than I thought, about 350,000 permanent residents (like double that on the weekends when there´s a mass exodus from Mexico City). I´ve been exploring the downtown area today, which is actually quite small. That makes it nice because I can start to learn my way around and not feel like I´m lost for 2 months like I did in Madrid! But I eventually learned my way around Madrid, so I´m sure I can figure Cuernavaca out. The bus system seems to be pretty extensive, although I found out today that there are 3 different route #3s, and I have to make sure I take the right one home! I´m staying with Rafael´s relatives until I move into my apartment on Tuesday. I found a cute one-bedroom apartment close to the National Institute of Public Health, where I´ll be working. It´s close enough to walk to work, and the buses to the center of Cuernavaca and also to one of the malls pass really close. There are also two Walmarts in Cuernavaca, which is apparently one of the cheapest places to buy groceries (except the market, where the quality can be questionable). If I´m going to start shopping like a local I´d better make a stop at Walmart... kind of counter-intuitive, I know. Also close to my apartment is a track where I can run. It´s away from the road so it will be nicer, although I would much prefer a pool. I´m still on the lookout for a pool, a yoga studio, and a place to take cooking classes. I think sometime this week I´ll explore the university here; I think I might be able to find some of that stuff around there.

Hopefully I´ll get internet set up in my apartment in the next week or two so I can post some pictures. Until then these descriptions will have to do!