A Mexican Thanksgiving...take 2

So as you all are probably aware Thanksgiving was last week.  This also marks my second Thanksgiving in Mexico *GASP*.  As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I often can't wrap my head around how quickly the time flies as a volunteer.  It seems like only yesterday when I was preparing for my first Thanksgiving away from family and friends.  Now I am a seasoned pro spending holidays away from the family...a distinction I am not too proud of, but sometimes that is how it goes in life!

As you  may recall, last year in Ciudad Guzmán Whitney hosted a Thanksgiving at her house where we invited friends from around town to come and experience the American holiday.  We had such a good time last year sharing this American custom with our Mexican friends that this year we decided to do the same, only this time the hosting duties were left to me....albeit with a lot of help from Cassie and other visiting volunteers who came in town to celebrate.

All the cooks in the kitchen! (with Alicia and Cassie)

A few weeks ago we began the planning for this event.  Between Cassie and I, we were going to have to make a full Thanksgiving dinner.  I was in charge of Turkey, stuffing, a vegetable/celery dish (it was good I swear), gravy, and pumpkin pie.  Cassie made the cranberries, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, bread, and an apple pie.  Alicia, a visiting volunteer from Querétaro, contributed by making some jalapeño poppers and a peach cobbler. Needless to say, we had an excellent selection of dishes...and ALL of them turned out well.

Turkey is ready for the oven!  Unfortunateyly, I don't
have an 'after' photo

I was pretty nervous about my side of the meal.  I had never made a turkey or stuffing before and these are pretty significant staples of the meal.  It would be one thing if I were in the U.S. and had not made these dishes as I could have chosen pretty much any recipe and been able to find the ingredients at the grocery store with no problem.  Now I can find most ingredients in my city, but not all, so I do have to be selective in choosing recipes to ensure I will be able to find everything.  This just means you have to put a little extra thought and care into planning the meal.  Anyways, probably the most interesting adventure of making the meal was the turkey.  In order to maximize available oven time (we have small ovens here) I decided to make a 'quick turkey' recipe that would only require the turkey to be in the oven for 1.5-2 hours.  This is made possible using a method called spatchcocking (I learned so much making this meal).  In a nutshell, spatchcocking entails sawing/cutting the backbone out of the turkey and then breaking the breastbone of the turkey to allow it to lay flatter. This allows it to cook faster because the heat of the oven doesn't have to penetrate such a thick bird as it cooks. It is not a pretty or gentle process, but let me tell you it worked!  A few broken bones (the turkey's, not mine) and two hours in the oven later- we had a one of the best turkeys I have ever had. It was moist (sometimes that pesky bird is a bit dry) and packed with flavor from the seasoning.  I was very pleased and relieved with how the turkey turned out.

Spatchcocking the Turkey (sawing out the spine)

With all the food preparation out of the way, now it was time to enjoy the feast!  We estimated that 18 people were going to come...this in and of itself is pretty large number and we were hoping there would be enough space...but it turns out 25 came!  This was unexpected and we were JUST able to fit everyone inside.   My couch and everything else in my living room had to be moved into the hallway to make room for 2 long tables.  My aunt, who has been to my apartment before, saw the photo below and asked where it was taken because she didn't recognize the place...my house was temporarily transformed into a party space to make way for everyone.

The crew...but we are missing 5 in this photo. There was another table to the left
where we were able to squeeze in for people to eat at

All in all the meal was a success.  Attendees began to arrive at 7pm and the last people left at 1am after enjoying good food, spirits, and company! 

With another Alicia, a visiting volunteer who came from
Guadalajara to celebrate  with us for the night

And here comes the part in my blog where I mention the national park, I apologize for the redundancy, but I think it gets mentioned so much because I get good photos while I'm up there and I like to share them with you all!  This aside, my friend Alicia (yes, there are 2 different Alicia's mentioned in this blog if you have been a bit confused) who is a volunteer in Querétaro stayed the whole weekend with me to explore Cd. Guzmán.  Fortunately, we were able to go up to the park the Saturday after Thanksgiving while she was here.  We were blessed with a beautiful day to hike to the summit of the Nevado de Colima.  The skies were clear, it wasn't too cold, and we even got to see the Volcán de Fuego erupt on our way down.  This volcano erupts daily and you can see the ash plumes from the city, but it is even cooler to see it erupt when it is so close to you!  As a disclaimer, this occurs daily and there is no danger for us to be up there at this point so no need to worry about me!

At the summit with Cd. Guzmán in the background.
My third time to the top!

The summiters!  With Manuel and Alicia at the peak!

Volcán de Fuego erupting in the background

That is all I have for you now.  I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends.

The long goodbye...

As always, it has been a little while...there are many things that have happened since my last post, but I will leave you with the highlights version.

First off...I now have a cat...something I am not sure how I feel about.  About a month ago this little guy showed up at my doorstep and after a brief courting period of 2 days, a time in which I tried to resist her advances, we decided to move in with each other.  Gone were my proclamations that I would never have a cat (I prefer dogs), forgotten was my mild allergy to cats that now leaves me waking up with a scratchy throat, and left behind are the days where cat hair did not adorn my clothing.   What can I say? When you know, you know and now we are in the process of learning how to cohabitate. Prayers welcome ;)

Me with the cat...still working on a name

Also in October, I made a quick trip back to the states to check out some grad schools.  I wasn't back for long and didn't get back to Tennessee, but I did get to see my Mom for a few days as she met me in Pittsburgh!  I have since made my decision on where to go to grad school and I will find myself back in South Carolina this time next year as I pursue an International MBA at the University of South Carolina.

In Pittsburgh with my Mom. It was great to see
the beautiful fall leaves!

Also, because it was October...aka festival season in Ciudad Guzmán...there were many parades going on throughout the month to honor our city's patron saint, Saint Joseph.  Here are the famous Sonajeros of Guzmán on one of their many pilgrimage parades to the cathedral! Click HERE for the more detailed post I wrote about these festivities last year.

Sonajeros of Guzmán

México REALLY loves parades.  They love them to the point where I can't even begin to keep track of the significance of each parade.  It isn't uncommon that I will be walking downtown on a weekend and some sort of parade is happening.  Just one of those cultural quirks...it does keep life interesting as I often have to take detours due to streets being blocked off for parade traffic.

Me watching what seems to me like my 127th parade in Mexico :)

Here is a pretty picture of the Ciudad Guzmán horizon at dusk.  You can see the ash plume from the Volcan de Fuego's latest exhalation.

Cd. Guzmán at Dusk

And now on to why my blog is entitled the long goodbye...

There were three volunteers living here in Guzmán for the past year, but today one of the 'Guz Gals' (as we have monikered ourselves) completed her service and returned to the U.S.   Whitney is on her way back north as I write this. While I am excited she has completed a productive and fulfilling served and is embarking on her next adventure, it is always a bit sad to say goodbye to someone you have come to know well.  I have spent the last 1.5 years knowing I could walk a few blocks down the street and say hello to a friend. I have not known a Ciudad Guzmán without Whitney so it will be an adjustment for us remaining volunteers to not have her here.  That said, I am thankful for all the adventures we had together and wish her all the best in the future!

The 'Guz Gals' in our 2015 Halloween costumes.
We are the Mexican flag, get it?!?

In true Mexican fashion, we could not say our farewells to Whitney without first having several parties in her honor.  These are called despedidas and in total I think she had 4 official despedidas. One was hosted by her office, one by the Scout organization she helped with, one by the soccer team, and one by a friend. Essentially, every organization and friend group she was a part of in Guzmán threw her a party.  These parties began weeks ago, each one honoring Whitney for her time and service here.  I attended many of them,  which made for a very long goodbye. At times, it seemed like her despedida tour would go on forever and she would never leave (my secret hope!) as there always seemed to be another one around the corner. But alas, the time came today to say our final goodbyes.  I do not have photos from all of the despedidas, but the following photos are from the party our soccer team hosted.  This team gathered for food, dancing, and a touch of karaoke after sending Whitney out on a 7-0 victory in her final game.

One of the 3 'gatorade baths' Whitney received after the final whistle

The banner the soccer team made for her final game

Photo-Op with Whitney

The Soccer Team...¡Vamos Spartans!

Everyone taking their turn to dance with the guest of honor

Ciudad Guzmán will not be the same without Whitney, and her departure reminded me how fleeting our time is as Peace Corps Volunteers.  It is amazing how long 2 years seems when you first arrive in country, but between meeting new people, learning a language, figuring out how to be productive, and just overall building a life from scratch in a foreign city the time does fly by.  Whitney's departure has inspired me to take advantage of every last day I have in this city.  Before I know it my own despedida tour will arrive and I want to make sure I have no regrets when I return to life in the United States.

From my first visit to the park with Whitney

We will miss you down here in Cd. Guzmán Whitney, but wish you all the best.  Como dicen en Mexico, no es adiós es un hasta luego :)

Summertime

Summer always seems to fly by no matter where you are!  This summer that has held particularly true for me.  Summer is the busiest time of the year for my office.  Our office hosts weeklong courses where people from all around the country come to learn about ecotecnias (inexpensive eco-frindly technologies such as wood-saving stoves), the management of natural resources, and any other topic you could imagine regarding the environment...for example this week someone is coming to give a talk on birds.  Anyways, I guess summer is the best time for people to come to these events because it seems we squish them all in during the summer, sometimes having 3 courses going on simultaneously. After September, however, the office becomes calm and quiet again, well at least until next summer comes along. So I am happy to say that I have made it through my second, and final (GASP, I can't believe I've been here for over a year) summer at my office. 

In addition to it being high season at my office, it was also a busy time for me regarding my Peace Corps duties/obligations.  In June, my Peace Corps Group had its mid-service training, or MST.  This is a weeklong training where our group comes together after completing one year of service. This is an opportunity to catch up with members of my group I had not seen since September and also for us to plan for the year ahead which also happens to be our final year (again GASP).  It is always so fun to get back together as a group. There are not many volunteers that live close to my site (we are fairly isolated here in the Guz) so it is always great to have a chance to catch up with my amigos.  Also, a few weeks later I took part in another training that Peace Corps hosted.  They organized a workshop to teach about rainwater capture systems and any volunteer who had a counterpart interested in attending was able to come.  It was fun to meet other volunteers' counterparts, learn a little something about water capture systems, and explore more of México as the workshop was in a city I had not been to before.  So that was another week I was off traveling this summer!  

After MST, a few of the volunteers went to Guanajuato
for the weekend.  Love this group!

One of the main reasons summer is a busy time is we host 2 weeks of Cursos de Verano (summer courses) for kids supposedly ages 8-12, but in reality we ended up having kids come that were ages 3-14.  Talk about an age range! The kids learned about reforestation, biodiversity, forest fires, pollution, recycling, water conservation, and planted some trees too!  I had to plan a few activities for the kids, as well as be around to help corral the kids during all the other activities.  We hosted 2 courses (each 5 days long), the first was held at my office and consisted of 106 kids while the second course took place in a small community (population ~700) that is 45 minutes away and consisted of 50 kids.  This is a lot of kids to handle and it makes for a very busy and exhausting 2 weeks, but we made it through in one piece! 

Planting seeds during the Curso de Verano at my office

Decorating their notebooks made from recycled paper and boxes

Playing Lóteria while learning about biodiversity with kids in the small community.
Shoutout to Whitney and Cassie for helping out and bringing activities
such as this to entertain the kiddos.

Me with some new friends during a break in activities

I taught a 3 year old to take selfies! She was so excited and
entertained by my camera...adorable!

Aside from work and Peace Corps happenings I also joined a soccer team this summer.  It was by chance that I found this team and I am so glad that I did.  It is a brand new team, so I joined at the same time everyone else on the team did.  It was very refreshing to not be the 'new girl' for once. We were all new to each other and we all had to get to know each other and learn each others' names...it wasn't just me having to do this!  Whitney also plays soccer so I invited her to a game one day and she has been a part of the team ever since.  Let me tell you, we make quite a site in Ciudad Guzmán when walking to our games.  You could say we stand out a little with us both being gringas and wearing our BRIGHT lime green uniforms (see below).  It's great for if we ever need a self-esteem boost as we get a lot of cat-calls during our weekly pilgrimage to the soccer field.

The team, Spartans F.C.  Our uniforms are definitely brighter in person

So there you have it...an update on my happenings over the summer.  In a few days I am off to the U.S. for a 2 week visit!  I'm excited to see my family and also my best friends from college who I have not seen since before I arrived in México 18 months ago!  And of course, I can't wait to eat some Chick-fil-a.  That seems to be the only thing I crave from the U.S. these days after getting used to the culinary options afforded to me in Guzmán :)

From the last time my friends and I were together
...they wanted a shoutout, but didn't specify
what kind of shoutout so this is what they get!

a little bit of everything

Remember me???  I feel like I start out the majority of my blog posts apologizing for the delay in getting a new post out.  My absenteeism between blogs this time made me reflect on why it has been such a long time since I sat down to write a blog...I don't have an excellent excuse, other than to tell you time is a strange thing when you are a Peace Corps Volunteer. Time seems to pass by in weeks rather than days down here

So now I will recap a few things that have happened since I last posted...

First, we have a new batch of volunteers in México which means my group is no longer the new group in town!  These guys arrived in March and were sworn in last week meaning their 2 year gig starts now. As part of their training the Environment volunteers came to Guzmán in April to learn about ecotecnias, tour the Parque Nacional Nevado de Colima, and learn about other environmenty things that may be handy to know during their service.    

 New volunteers at the Nevado de Colima

New guys learning how to make a solar dehydrator

It was great to have the Peace Corps trainees come out to Ciudad Guzmán, which is not a normal destination on the training calendar given how far away we are from Peace Corps' headquarters in Querétaro. This week provided an opportunity for not only the volunteers in Guzmán to meet the new group, but many of the volunteers whose sites are also in western Mexico came to participate in the second-ever Peace Corps México storytelling event. Cassie, my fellow Guzmán volunteer, came up with this storytelling idea last summer in order to provide volunteers an opportunity to prepare and perform ~8 minute stories.  There are so many moving, hilarious, and unexpected events that happen throughout your service that make for storytelling gold. This storytelling platform provides volunteers with the chance to choose a story, prepare a draft, rehearse it, and then perform it front of fellow volunteers. It's a fun way to share with each other some of the things you get up to as a volunteer.  With the new group of volunteers coming to Guzmán, Cassie decided this was a good opportunity for us veteran volunteers to share some of our stories with the new kids. So we all gathered at my apartment (a little tight with ~30 people inside, but it worked), made pizzas, and told our stories.  Everyone had a great time while we welcomed the new group into the fold. We look forward to hearing the adventures those guys get up to at a future storytelling event!

*the stories were recorded and will be made into a podcast-type broadcast which I will share when available

Storytelling night, all packed into my apartment

In other news I've also been back to work at the schools around here.  The past few weeks I have been visiting 2 schools teaching them about about reduce, reuse, and recycle (among other topics). Here we are making a recycling receptacle out of old water bottles.

Just hot gluing some water bottles together

Me with one of the 6th grade classes

And the last notable event I will get you caught up with is my brother Tom's visit to México.  He came down a week or so ago for a visit.  We spent a few days in Guzmán where he marveled at the amount of candy available for purchase here (it is rather impressive), tried some pitaya sold on the street (a cactus fruit), made a quick trip with me to one of the schools I work with, visited my office, took a hike in the local park, learned the art of just smiling and nodding your head when someone talks to you in a language you don't understand, tried probably one of the worst IPA beers he has ever had (from the only micro brewery around...he stuck to Pacificos after that), and upon seeing that they sell Duncan Hines' yellow box cakes here proceeded to buy one and make our family's traditional yellow box cake for me as an early birthday celebration for me...it was just like I was home!

Hiking in Guzmán, the city is behind us

Birthday Cake in Guzmán 

For the second part of our trip we went to Guanajuato, Guanajuato; a city & state northeast of Guzmán.  I had not been before and my brother's visit gave me an excuse to go visit.  It is a city with a deep history and culture, home to the first battle of the Mexican revolution.  It first became famous in the 15-1600s when the Spanish discovered its silver and gold mines.  The Spanish came over they took advantage of these mines, enslaving the Méxicans to work under harsh conditions to provide for their silver and gold needs. 

Mine shaft tour. This mine was active
in the 1500s. We could descend ~40 meters.

Guanajuato is also known for its large collection of naturally occurring mummies which you can see at a museum located on the grounds of the cemetery in which these bodies were exhumed. Click here for more info on that: Guanajuato Mummies.  

The city is built into the mountain side and consists of steep and narrow streets, tunnels and callejones (alleys). It is very easy to get lost here as you enter an alley and have no idea where you will pop out after following the twists and turns.  It's like wandering around a giant corn maze all day...which makes walking around much more of an adventure, in a good way!  

 

Narrow alley (callejón) in Guanajuato

One of the many alleyways in Guanajuato

We were also able to go on a bike ride that had us start at one of the highest points in Guanajuato, ~3,000 meters to the city center which is ~2,000 meters tallying a distance of about 25 kilometers.  It was neat to see the changing landscape as we descended, passing by abandoned mines, dams, and rural villages situated in the countryside.  Biking is always a great way to cover a lot of ground and get the lay of the land in an unfamiliar place.

Biking through the mountains

We both really enjoyed this city as it is unlike any city either of us had visited before.  If you ever get a chance to visit México I would definitely recommend Guanajuato as a destination.  So much to see and do here!

We ended our trip with a night's stay in Guadalajara.  We enjoyed an evening strolling around the city's historic center and spent a morning walking through the artisan shops in Tlaquepaque that I had previously visited when my parents/aunt/brother Mike came to visit in January.

Tom sitting outside Mom's favorite art
gallery in Tlaquepaque

 We both had a great time on this trip (well I'm speaking for Tom a little bit there, but I'm pretty sure he had good time!) We definitely kept ourselves busy, never having much idle time as we packed in as much as we could in the 5 days Tom was here.  I am glad that he was able to visit and get to experience a little bit of my life south of the border.   I'm always happy to show anyone around México who wants to visit!

I think that gets you caught up on my happenings in México.  Until next time...

Tom and I overlooking the city of Guanajuato

I think that gets you caught up on my happenings in México.  Until next time...

living in the shadow of a volcano

As the title of this blog suggests, I thought I would share my thoughts on what it is like to live...you guessed it...in the shadow of a volcano.  Guzmán is nestled in a valley that is overlooked by 2 volcanoes, one active and one not so much.  Lucky for me, the active volcano, aka Volcán de Fuego or Volcán de Colima, just happens to be the most active volcano in México.  You cannot see much of the active volcán from the city as the Nevado blocks most of it from view, but on a clear day you can see the top of the volcán peeking out from behind the mountain ridge.

Normally, this volcán has several mini-exhalations of ash every day.  These are nothing major, just little 'burps' as I like to call them.  Here you can see one of those little 'burps'.  I took this photo last summer.

View of a mini exhalation from the Volcán de Fuego
 as seen on a day in the Parque Nacional Volcán Nevado de Colima.
~5 kilometers as the crow flies

Now you may have noticed that I said 'normally' the volcano has these mini-exhalations.  This is because starting in November, the volcano has decided to remind us that it is our living, breathing, and very much geologically active neighbor.  Since November it has not been uncommon to look towards the volcano and see ash plumes between 2,000 and 3,000 meters tall, sometimes even reaching 5,000 meters tall, interrupting the skyline. It is now mid-March and the volcano is still treating us to spectacles such as this:

The snowy Nevado peak with the erupting volcán in the distance as seen
on my morning commute to work- not a bad way to start the day!

On average, this volcano has a major eruption every 100 years.  The last major eruption was in 1913- a little over a hundred years ago.  This likely explains why it has been more active of late. When I first heard about its 100 year eruption cycle and then the volcano started having these bigger 'burps' I became slightly concerned. This makes you think a little bit about what you would do in the event of a volcano eruption.  This is not a natural disaster we prepare for in schools.  Somewhere in the middle of all the tornado drills, earthquake drills, and fire drills we had in elementary school they forgot to include the volcano drills! I guess I'll let my school off the hook on that one though considering it is not a situation we really have to worry about in the U.S as there are not many active volcanoes around...

Side note: This got me curious about which volcanoes are closest to East Tennessee.  I found that there was an active volcano in Virginia 47 million years ago.  Incidentally, the remnants of this volcano are now known as Mole Hill.  I must say I kind of feel bad for this volcano, nothing takes the wind out of your sails like being named Mole Hill as this is not exactly a name that makes you quake in your boots. Volcán de Fuego (Or Fire Volcano) is a name much more befitting of a volcano.

Ok tangent over- So these bigger exhalations made me reflect somewhat on what to do if there really was an eruption and my conclusion was that there really seems to be no excellent option other than to just get out of there.  I even asked my neighbors, native Guzmanites, if they knew what they would do in the event of an eruption and they just chuckled and said 'go inside I guess'.  Not exactly a fool proof option. 

However, I don't mean to worry anyone. With today's technology if there were any significant eruption that seemed to be on the horizon, we would be given sufficient warning to high-tail it out of there (no big eruption is predicted anytime soon by the way).  After 4ish months of bigger exhalations I am no longer on edge about this lovely volcano neighbor of ours. I think he just wanted some attention, which he has received.  When he first started acting up I would receive texts from family and friends at home saying they saw an article or news clip in the U.S. news about some volcano in México erupting and wondered if I lived near it.  Peace Corps staff have also checked in on us just to be safe.  If attention is what it wanted, the volcano gets an A+ for its efforts.  Now the act has gone on long enough that seeing exhalations like this signifies just another normal day...which is too bad as it is pretty neat to see the ash plumes decorate the sky.

Ash plume being redirected by the wind

However, given that the volcano is so near to us, there are a few drawbacks to these larger exhalations. Aside from the potential danger, when you have a large amount of ash filling the sky, eventually it will start to affect you.  

Exhibit A:

 I ride my bike to work most days, and one day as I was returning home I noticed I was inhaling what seemed to be a lot of dirt and it would also get in my eyes.  This was in the early days of these exhalations, so I didn't immediately connect the dots, but eventually I realized this 'dust' was actually ash.  On the 'ashier' days you will see people on the streets with face masks, sometimes I wish I had one as inhaling ash can irritate your throat and nose a bit.  

Exhibit B:

On occasion, the ash will put the city in a haze that you may mistake for just a cloudy day. However, this misperception is cleared up when you go online and see that sure enough- there has been a big exhalation that day.  

Exhibit C:

At times I have even seen the ash fall from the sky and onto my arms.  I will also return to my bike after it was outside all day and have to wipe the ash that has accumulated that day off my seat.   On occasion, you will also notice that all of the cars in the city appear that they have just returned from a day of mudding or something.  It took me a second to realize why all the cars in the city looked like this one day...hint: it's the ash.

Ash residue on a car

There you have it...those are some of the tales that come from living near a very active volcano. After making peace with the fact that this volcano is just having some fun being noticed :), I find it pretty remarkable that on any given day I may get to see a volcanic eruption.  

Also, I wanted to mention that this past week marked one year since my arrival in México.  My group arrived for training on March 19th, 2014.  It is hard to believe I have already been here one year.  It has certainly been full of adventure, lots of learning, and many surprises. I can't wait to see what excitement and experiences the next year brings!

1 year in México!

A tourist in México

Well...I'm back!  Sorry it has been quite awhile since I posted.  Since I last wrote, Christmas has passed, a new year has begun and I am 2 months older.  My bad on that...hopefully the phrase "absence makes the heart grow fonder" applies here and you will love this blog more than ever after reading this post.  Fingers crossed.

So to catch you up on what has happened...

December- Went back to the states for Christmas.  Split my time between Tennessee and Florida so I could see all my family.  It was great to be back and see everyone after 9 months away from the homeland.  I was sure to gorge myself on all the American food I do not have available to me here.  Papa Johns, Barbecue, and Panera were some of the highlights.  Oh and Christmas cookies as well!

January- My office is pretty slow over the winter months so nothing to note work wise.  However, At the end of January my parents, aunt and brother came down for a visit.  This is where my blog picks back up again as I will fill you in on this adventure.  I played the part of host and tourist on this trip as I showed them around Ciudad Guzmán where I live, while also visiting many places that were new to me as well.

The group at the Pyramids of Teotihuacán (outside México City)

The first few days of the trip were spent in Guadalajara, which is the closest major airport to me and a 2 hour bus ride from Ciudad Guzmán.  After meeting them at the airport and checking into a hotel and we promptly headed for a Mexican cantina where fittingly a live mariachi band was playing. This allowed them to experience in its full glory how loud Mexicans like their music, something I have the pleasure of enjoying daily.  We stayed in the artisan Tlaquepaque area where we enjoyed walking the pedestrian streets while exploring the galleries and artisan shops that it is known for.  We also ventured out to Guadalajara's Centro Historico (Historic Center) where we saw the Guadalajara Cathedral and the murals by the famous Mexican muralist, José Clemente Orozco, who incidentally, is from Ciudad Guzmán. 

Guadalajara Cathedral in the Centro Historico

Sitting outside of Mom's favorite
gallery in Tlaquepaque

On one of our days in Guadalajara we took a day trip to the town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco (which is a big state and the one I live in). This is the birthplace and home of that beverage that maybe has caused you a headache or two, but only after it  provided you with a few good stories first.   In order to be called Tequila the drink has to be made in the state of Jalisco (with Tequila being the epicenter of where the distilleries are located) and the beverage has to be 100% made from the blue agave plants famous to the area.  While in Tequila we took a tour of the distillery Herradura to learn about the process of making Tequila.  If you go on a tour of a distillery this is the one to go to, it is the only distillery still located in its original location.  So while they have the modern-day sophisticated Tequila-making distillery, you can also tour the original factory built in 1870.  We had a great time learning about the agave plant and the entire process of making Tequila, from plant to bottle.

While it is still not my favorite alcohol, I have a much greater appreciation of Tequila.  I also know the kind of Tequila I prefer now thanks to the tasting they give you after your tour of the distillery...I prefer the blancos (white) to the reposados (amber).  Fun fact: the only reason that some tequilas are the amber color is because they were aged in barrels, whereas the blancos were not.  Knowing this, you can kind of taste the slightly smoky flavor the barrel aging process gives this type of Tequila.  So I guess I am one step closer to being a Tequila snob, perhaps a requisite for anyone who has lived in México.

Preparing the blue agave for the ovens

Loading the agave in the ovens where it bakes and
the sweet juices are then used for the drink

Blue Agave juices post baking...it is very sweet!

Barrel aging process for the Reposado variety

Final step- taste testing!  The blue capped bottle is my favorite

After our exploration of Guadalajara and our newfound expertise in Tequila.  It was time to continue on with our trip by heading south to Ciudad Guzmán so the fam could see where I call 'home' these days.  It was great for them to see my apartment, city, and work and get some perspective as to what my daily life/living is like.  Now my family knows has an idea of what it means when I say "I just got home from the market".  Ciudad Guzmán is no longer a mythical place they have to imagine in their heads.

Mike checking out produce at the market.  They were
impressed by the low price of berries here.

I enjoyed showing them around the city, despite it being an extremely hot day.  Family being family, a subject of much concern upon seeing my apartment was that I didn't have any decorations on the wall in the living room.  It seemed as though if I did not fix that soon, the trip may be derailed, so we went out and bought double sided tape so I could put decorations on the wall.  With this problem resolved we could all breath easier.  I will say upon reflection that it is nice to have something on the wall, makes the place seem more homey.

 Kitchen tour, they brought me
spices and Reese's cups from the U.S.!

After our tour of Guzmán the next leg our trip took us to México City or D.F. as they call it here. México is home to between 23 and 26 million people depending on who you ask, making it one of the biggest cities in the world.  I had only ever been to the airport before so I was excited to explore the big city.  We went to museums where we learned about the history of the Mayans, Aztecs, and other indigenous groups who at one point called México home.  We also visited México's national history museum...of note there was that México considers the annexation of Texas to the U.S. one of its greatest losses/national tragedies in its history, so be sensitive if the topic ever comes up in conversation with a Mexican national.   We toured the city's historical center and Zócalo plaza (this is the main city square in México City, one of the largest in the world), wandered around the Bosque de Chapultepec which reminded me of Central Park in terms of size and its location in the middle of the city, visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Pyramids of Teotihuacán, walked around the Polanco neighborhood, saw some of Diego Rivera's famous murals and enjoyed some fine dining.

The tilma, or cloak, with the image of
the Virgin Mary

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage destination in the world.  Six million people visit the church on Our Lady of Guadalupe Day on December 12.  On a normal day, thousands are there and Mass is celebrated on the hour from 6am to 8pm.  It is an impressive amount of people to see visiting the site.  Having attended Catholic school, I have heard the story behind the significance of this place many times, so seeing this landmark was a big deal.  The jist of the story is the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant named Juan Diego on top of a hill and told him to build a church in her honor on the same hill.  The church elders were skeptical of Juan Diego's story so in order for Juan Diego to prove to them he had really seen the Virgin Mary, she provided him an assist by making an image of the herself (the famous painting of the Virgin Mary you now see everywhere) appear on his cloak, or tilma. To this day, the image has not faded even though it should have given that this ever occurred in 1531.  I believe this is what they call a miracle.

Avenue of the Dead at the Pyramids of Teotihuacán

We also were able to visit the pyramids of Teotihuacan. Located 30 miles outside of México City they were built in the Pre-Columbian period.  The city was established in 100 BC and fell in 550 AD.  At its zenith, Teotihuacán was the largest city in Pre-Columbian America with a population of 125,000 people.  They are still excavating new sites, only a fraction of the city has been discovered, while also restoring the pyramids you see today.  The pyramids don't look particular steep from afar, but when you are standing close you can see how steep they are.  I am happy to report that we all made it to the top where we enjoyed a bird's eye view of the ancient city.

Pyramid of the Sun: The biggest of the pyramids

Park in the Polanco neighborhood of México City

On Sundays in México City they shut down one of the city's main streets and allow bicycles and pedestrians to walk around care free that day.  This is quite a big deal considering México City has some of the worst traffic in the world.   This was our meandering around the city day so it made for a very pleasant walk as thousands of bikers took advantage of the car-free street.  We walked around Polanco, which is a nice neighborhood with great restaurants and enjoyed the leisurely atmosphere that only a Sunday can bring.  México City has a great cosmopolitan vibe, which inevitably is a result of its size.  Maybe it is because I live in a place so opposite of it right now, but I really enjoyed exploring this big city.

Guacomole with chapulines (crickets) on top

Crickets are a popular appetizer in México so I made sure we tried them on our trip.  We had them on top of our Guacamole.  They don't taste like much, just crunchy and slightly salty.  The main thing they add to your Guacamole is a crunch.  Maybe this could on the menu for next year's Super Bowl Party!

Evening view of the Zócalo in the city's Centro Historico.
To the left is México's Parliament building

"Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central"
by Diego Rivera

We were able to see a couple of Diego Rivera's murals including his famous "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central".  Fittingly, we saw this mural after walking through the same Alameda (a park) on a Sunday afternoon.  It is quite amazing how much historical significance is behind all the images in the mural.  I loved the bright colors in this particular mural.

An Evening in México City

I think that covers most of the highlights from our trip.  In true Soike fashion we made it a busy one, but we were able to experience a lot in just 8 days!  I joke that I consider a vacation unsuccessful if you don't feel like you need another vacation to recover from your vacation as we really try to see all that we can when visiting a new place.  We all had a great time and I enjoyed showing my family around México and also exploring places that were new to me as well! 

If anyone is feeling a trip to México is in order I'd be happy to show you around!