Random..

Its been a busy weekend here in Oaxaca. This Friday we met down at the school at nine o’clock to go on our excursion for the day. We took a public bus to a taxi terminal in a different part of the city. The taxi terminal was simply a dirt and grass parking lot where a lot of “collectivos” were parked. Collectivos are the taxis which go into the smaller country towns. From my understanding they are called “collectivos” because they will pick up multiple people. Our taxi definitely would not have been able to fit any more people. We had two guys sitting in the front passenger seat next to the driver, and three more people in the back. I looked around for my seatbelt only to discover that there wasn’t one. Our taxi took us to a tiny town where all the roads were either cobblestone or dirt. Along the sides of the roads there were tall dense stands of bamboo, every now and then a patch was being hacked away by a guy with a machete perhaps clearing space for a fence. In the town there were a surprising number of red collective taxis traversing the dusty narrow streets, there were also tiny three wheeled taxis, and a long public bus which could hardly fit around the tiny corners. We walked a little way up a slanting cobblestone street where we were met by a man who let us into the gated courtyard of a house. Here we were met by a tiny old lady dressed in a traditional skirt. She kindly ushered us to her work space where she started kneading a hunk of black clay. She put a big lump of it on her pottery wheel which she turned by hand and started making an array of beautifully shaped dishes and plates. She would create on masterpiece and then casually collapse it in order to demonstrate another piece for us. It was amazing how she made it look so easy to create such beautiful art. She told us that she had started learning how to work clay when she was eight years old and that it is an art that has been passed down in her family. You could see the continuation of the tradition in her young grandson, who was watching his grandma with his own piece of clay in hand copying her movements.

Later we took the taxi back to the city where we again took a public bus. I was standing in the isle when I heard a little girl say to her mom “look at all the gringos!”, gringo is a slang term for Americans, she then commenced to count how many of us there were. It was a little bit funny because they just assumed that we didn’t understand Spanish. I just smiled and look right at her, I think her mom could tell that I knew English. It was just an interesting scenario but really illustrates how much we stick out here, especially when all nine of us are together. Despite the weird looks I really enjoyed taking public transportation, it allows you to see a more authentic look of the city. It also made me really homesick for Costa Rica, because I absolutely loved taking the public bus there. When we got home from the excursion the really sweet cook who works at our house was awaiting us with Tacos. These are not the American style tacos you are imagining! Instead mine was a rolled up tortilla with cheese inside which was fried and then covered in smooth black bean sauce crumbled Oaxacan Cheese and lettuce. It was delicious, but completely different than what we consider to be tacos in the USA. In fact, since I have arrived I have never had any type of salsa that resembles what we eat in the USA, instead there is normally a spicy sauce that goes on the table with every meal, but the chunks of tomatoes and veggies are sorely lacking I’m afraid. I have learned that authentic Mexican food is something altogether different than what is served at Chipotle. I haven’t eaten any giant flour tortillas; burritos don’t seem like a very big thing here. Also enchiladas don’t normally have the red floury sauce that I’m accustomed to in the US, instead they are normally smothered in some type of Mole. The most common type I have had is green, which is made out of some type of chile, it must be an acquired taste which I have not yet acquired because it is a little strong for me. Another popular sauce is “Mole Negro”, which is a sauce made out of cacoa and chiles. It has a very rich flavor and is a little bit bitter like dark chocolate. I like it, but it is a little bit intense when it is all over your enchilada. Something else that I have really enjoyed here are chiles rellenos. Our host mom served them to us the other day and they are chiles which are filled with a smooth black bean sauce and lots of creamy cheese, despite their spiciness I loved them!! I also tried a very interesting drink last week with my intercambio. It was called “Tejate” and it is a drink made of boiled corn which I ground, and mixed with water and chocolate. It is cool, and a little gravely to drink. The corn has a texture almost like sand in water, and then there are chalky white pieces of the corn mixture that float at the top of the light brown drink. It is a little interesting to get used to but it has a rich chocolatey flavor which I enjoyed. It reminded me slightly of chocolate milk, but with a cornbread after taste which was a little uncanny at first but oddly pleasant. Saturday we had more tours, this time we took a tour bus. Our first stop were ruins called Yagul. They were far into the country, our group were the only ones there at the time besides some archeologists and maintenance workers. After being in cities for so long it was nice to feel a little closer to nature for a while. We kept hearing an owl calling, along with other birds. One of the ruins was a maze of what used to be different rooms where you could easily get lost. Our tour guide told us that the floor used to be stucco and painted red which was difficult to imagine. We were able to hike up a steep path to see a view from higher up which was absolutely gorgeous. We got a view of the entire valley.

The second archeological site we got to explore was called Mitla. It was super pretty because the stone carvings were still in place after over 1,000 years.

Saturday night there was a huge parade in our town, inviting the public to attend the Galeguetza which is a huge event here. Everyone has been telling us about it for weeks. It is a huge party/show where there are traditional dances from each of the eight regions of Oaxaca. The parade was extremely festive and fun.

Sunday morning we went to church at the huge cathedral near the center of town called Santo Domingo. It was a beautiful church with ornate gold decorations. The service was also quite beautiful. They had a handout with the words of the prayers on it which made it easier to follow. Although I didn’t understand every word of the sermon it was a good message. It was a cool experience to go to mass in such a beautiful place.

We have one more week of school starting tomorrow followed by a week of vacation. Which seems a little crazy after such a short time in school, but hey I’m not complaining :) P.S. Today we had our first day of cooking class we made delicious tacos with cheese and potatoes topped with lots of guacamole and tomato noodle soup. Recipe for Tacos Dorados: Tortillas Mashed Potatos Onion Queso Oaxaqueño (similair to string cheese) Onion salt Quesillo (Crumbly cheese for topping) Oil for frying To make the tacos mix the onion with the mashed potato and Oaxaca cheese and salt. Put a spoonful in a small tortilla shell and spread in a line, roll up (like its lefsa). Fry in oil until its golden on both sides. To serve put two on a plate and lather them up with Guacamole and sprinkle with crumbly cheese! Guacamole: Blend Avocado with garlic salt and cilantro in a blender till it has a very smooth almost soupy texture. Sopa de Fideo y tomate: Small noodles (we used teeny-tiny bowtie noodles) Tomato Onion Parsley Garlic Salt Water Oil Puree the tomato, onion, and garlic in a food processor till smooth. Saute the noodles in a pan with oil stirring constantly until they are a dark golden/light brown then add the tomato mixture. Let simmer for around five to ten minutes then add water. Let cook for another 20 mintutes or so, add chopped parsley, stir and serve.