Ok, ok, it's been a little while since an update, and then all I managed to do yesterday was upload a bunch of pictures with no explanation. My bad...I'll catch up the best I can now. (There is an address at the bottom of this that anyone not on Facebook can use - the pics there have tags on them).
First, my impressions of Puebla and the Spanish school overall: What's not to like? I'm fed three times a day, the city is very clean, safe and walkable, my teacher is excellent, the host family is beyond hospitable, and there is free internet everywhere. The only down side is it's pretty damn cold, and the buildings (and the people) just aren't equipped to deal with it. I'm seeing a lot of gloves and winter jackets around, but today was gorgeous so maybe the weather has broken.
The most interesting thing last week was the celebration of "Dia de Tres Reyes" - three kings day. Not a celebration I had ever heard of before, but huge here, in celebration of the 3 wise men bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. Remember the pics in the Zocalo of the balloon vendors? Kids write letters to the "Three Kings", attach the letters to helium balloons, and then release them from the plazas the evening of January 5. It's quite something to see thousands of balloons in the air over the city. There was also a huge parade with floats, marching bands, superheros, etc that night throughout the city.
That night, the kids put out their shoes, go to bed, and then in the morning receive gifts, etc. Apparently they hate clothes - toys are the best. This celebration traditionally was the Mexican version of Christmas - they celebrated the arrival of the 3 wise men, rather than the arrival of Santa Claus. For most kids today, it's a double whammy and they get both parties. The rule here seems to be, if in doubt, throw another fiesta!
At the school, we had a "Rosca" for 3 Kings Day - a bread ring with fruit in it that has inside a couple or more tiny dolls, representing the baby Jesus. Each person cuts their own piece from the bread ring, and the one that gets the first doll invites everyone sharing the bread over for a breakfast or dinner of tamales and hot chocolate on Feb 2. (I don't know the significance of that date).
After Rosca, we took a little walk to the Zocalo - we had an assignment to actually talk to people on the street - ask directions etc. - and learn to listen to the answers. Not as easy as it might be - first of all, normal people don't answer like they do in class, and second, apparently Mexican people hate to say "No". So rather than tell you they can't help you, they'll make up directions that might not quite work out. So the second part of the assignment was to ask three people for the same directions, and then compare the answers. T'was fun.
At the Zocalo, every kid in the city must have been lined up to receive (MORE!) gifts from the 3 kings...quite a site to see, all paid for by the local television station.
Still Wednesday, we took off on our first excursion - out to Cholula, a nearby town famous for the presence of the Temanapa Pyramid. This is thought to be the largest pyramid (not the tallest) in the world, and was already abandoned and grown over by the time the Spanish got here. Not knowing it was there, they built a big church right on top of it. From the top, we had amazing views of the city and of the local volcano.
We also toured two churches: San Francisco Acatepec - in baroque style from the 18th C and Santa Maria Tonantzintla from the 16th C.
It is impossible to describe the majesty, grandeur, and the 'over the top' style of old churches, and for that matter the pyramid. The most interesting thing to think about is how these structures were built over in some cases hundreds of years, without the benefit of machinery. Just people and donkey power.
We will be taking excursions every Wednesday, and seeing Tlaxcala, Cacaxtla and Xochitencatl, and Tecali and also taking a little road trip into Mexico City next weekend, seeing either the largest cathedral in the Americas or the Government Palace (not time for both). Oh, and the largest skating rink in the world apparently - the Zocalo in Mexico City is turned into a skating rink each winter.
All in all, an amazing experience. For anyone with the patience to have read all the way to here, I have a reward: tonight, a bunch of us are heading to Las Luces (sp?) - wrestling Mexican style. We have ring side seats, and the vendors are already setting up outside with their wrestling masks and other souvenirs (3 hours prior to the match). It should be a blast, and my camera batteries are freshly charged.
To refer to the pics I posted yesterday, with descriptive tags, try this web address: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=187637&id=570675329&l=01ba2dbdf9
It should work for those of you not on facebook.
Hasta luego!
