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!
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!
posted by Jen at 7:17 PM
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