It seems that I am caught in a very strange time warp. First, I can't believe I have only been here three weeks - it feels like a lot longer than that. Not that I am bored - anything but - it's just that I am very comfortable in my routine, meet and greet the same people at the same time on the street each morning, and have a somewhat normal life - albeit in Mexico. Second, I can't believe it's already been three weeks and I only have a week left here. I could easily stay a lot longer.
Those two conflicting senses of time are also shared by the other students - we are beginning to get a sense of the end, and are not entirely welcoming our departures.
The weather finally turned last Sunday, and we now have what is considered normal here for January - warm and sunny every day, and pleasantly cool at night. The struggle to stay warm has ended.
So what's next? I have a week free at the end of the session with Sipuebla, and have my eye on Hualtulco - a resort and beach community near the southern tip of Mexico in the state of Oaxaca. Sun, no precipitation in January, 30 degrees, on the Pacific. For $150 return, I can be there in less than 90 minutes from Mexico City. (Or I can take a 7 hour bus ride through a very nasty stretch of mountain roads. Hmmm). So I could leave here at 10:00 AM next Saturday for Mexico City, and be on the beach in time for dinner. Sounds pretty good.
The trip to Mexico City and Teotihuancan last weekend was truly amazing - climbing the Pyramid of the Sun is not something to be forgotten. I picked up an interesting story about the Cathedral in Mexico City at the Zocalo: not only did the Spanish build it on top of an Aztec pyramid, they raided the pyramid for stone and other building materials! Nobody really noticed at the time, but now that people are digging around there is a bit of controversy. On the other hand, the Cathedral is sinking into the lake beneath it, so eventually justice will be served. It's a good thing we live in a different time now, with more respect for other cultures and history. Unless of course one considers the raiding of the oldest antiquities on Earth in the National Museum in Iraq. And the Taliban blowing up giant statues in Afghanistan because the statues honoured a different god than they liked and were distracting. Who am I to split hairs? What is interesting is the apparent need for civilizations of all times to build monstrous temples, cathedrals, pyramids, statues, etc to appease their gods. And a little human sacrifice here and there couldn't hurt either, whether casting virgins into a volcano or burning witches at the stake. We are a strange and fearful bunch.
So one more week. This weekend, I am going to take in an 'African Safari' just outside of town for giggles. I'm horrified by the idea, but everyone tells me it's great. If nothing else, it's a cheap few hours of entertainment.
Hasta Luego!
Oh - if I don't get around to posting pics from last weekend they can be accessed (for those not on Facebook) at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=190226&id=570675329&l=ae3afafa60
