Michoacan Day 1: Waterfalls

Things started off perfectly today: NO CLASS!!! On the downside, we had to meet at Jardín Cantador super early for the bus ride. After 4.5 hours, we finally made it to Uruapan. We didn't go to the hotel first though; we traveled directly to the waterfalls, Tzaracua and Tzaracuita. After waiting forever to let the girls change into their swimsuits (that included me...it took forever because we had to find a bathroom! And in Mexico, they have a habit of making you pay 3-4 pesos to use a public bathroom. After much debate, we just changed on the bus), we finally set off to the waterfalls.

It had started off as a pretty cool morning, but it quickly turned into a very hot day when the sun came out!!! We had to climb up and down hills and stairs the whole time, so when we arrived at the first waterfall, the mist felt so good on our face! This was the biggest waterfall called Tzaracua, and they didn't permit anyone to swim in it. It was really beautiful though, and we took plenty of pictures (of course!).

my friend noelle and i went across the water

After seeing Tzaracua, we continued hiking to get to the smaller waterfall we could swim in, Tzaracuita. We didn't know that we had to hike that far! By the time we got to the waterfall, we were exhausted and very sweaty. They told us the water in the waterfall would be freezing cold, so I was afraid to get in (if you know me, I really can't swim in freezing cold water! I'd rather have it be a little warmer...like how water feels after it's sat in the sun all day in 90-degree heat). This time, however, it didn't matter to me at all! We were soooo hot, so by the time we got in, the freezing cold water felt perfect! Swimming in the waterfall was one of the best things I've ever done, and it really was liberating.

yes, we swam in this waterfall

We really didn't want to leave the waterfalls. I could have spent my whole day there. By the time we got back on the bus, we were all exhausted! It was so amazing...

The tour

The tour was really long, and we walked so much! I'm glad we have to walk everywhere in the city, and I'm also glad that there are hills and steep callejones. At least I'm getting some kind of workout, even though it's small. My legs and feet were hurting, and I might be a little sore tomorrow.

It was great to walk around the city. There are always so many people out in the streets, and the city is so lively. You'll never see the same thing twice, and you'll always see something new, even if you take the same route every time.

First we went to El Pipila, which is a statue that historically honors a military official. I don't really know the story behind it yet. The view from El Pipila is very beautiful though! I love it.

El Pipila

The view from El Pipila. The big, white building is the University of Guanajuato

We saw plenty of plazas, gardens, and churches on our tour today. Another one of the attractions that we saw was el Callejon del Beso (the alley of the kiss). There is a legend behind this attraction: 2 different families lived in the homes on each side of the alley. One family had a daughter, and the other had a son. The daugter and the son began to fall in love with each other, but the daughter's father forbid her to see him. As you can see, the homes are very close to each other, and you can easily reach the person on the other side. And that's what happened...the son and the daughter saw each other by meeting at the top and talking through the windows. Most importantly, they kissed there. One day, the father caught the daughter and son kissing, and he tried to shoot the son but ended up killing his daughter instead. Then he proceeded to kill himself.

It's a really depressing story, and I'm not sure if that's how the legend goes exactly. Someone told me that story, but I have yet to have a child tell me (there are always kids there who want to tell you the legend). I'm sure they know exactly how it goes.

El Callejon del Beso

Every night, there are musicians that play songs and tell stories in the streets. They most commonly pass through the callejones in the center of town, and that would include ours. These musicians don't stop coming through the streets until really late at night: around 11 Monday-Wednesay, and very late into the night Thursday-Saturday! They are really good, entertaining, and fun to watch though. Sometimes it's hard to get to sleep because they are playing so loud, but it's fine with me. I like listening to them, and if I really do need to get to sleep, my Senora has offered me earplugs to use!

Me with the band (la estudiantina)

Well, I have homework to do. I've already procrastinated for an hour and a half, so I need to go ahead and start.

Un saludo de Mexico!

First Day of Classes

It's going to take a long time for me to feel comfortable finding my way to school! We walk through so many callejones to get to our class, and it really is confusing. After this week, I should be ok though. Oh yeah, since this city is built in the mountains, some of the callejones are very steep. I'll be getting a little workout by walking to and from class every day!

This morning, we had our orientation as a group with ISA, and then we started our classes. I was able to switch from my Business Spanish class to the Contemporary Music class, and I can say that I'm very glad I switched! This music class is going to be so fun and interesting, and I am happy that I get to learn about the popular artists and groups. I don't really know anything about music in the spanish speaking world, and I know I'll come back to the States with plenty of new music to listen to! On the syllabus is a list of artists and groups we will cover extensively, and Daddy Yankee, Fat Joe, and Pit Bull were on it. I thought that was funny, and it is sure to be interesting when we talk about them in class!

I am also in a class that covers Mexican Literature from Prehispanic to Modern eras. Of course, we are only going to have a general idea about the literature because we can't get too specific (we only have 5 weeks). In this class, our professor said he wouldn't judge any of our thoughts or ideas. We can say anything that we think about the literature, and none of it will be wrong. Honestly, that's how it should always be in a literature class, and I'm glad that it's going to be that way here.

For both of my classes, I have group and individual presentations to finish. Of course, we'll have tests, regular homework, and work to do during class as well. These classes shouldn't be that difficult, but I'll definitely have to manage my time since most of the presentations and tests fall on the same day.

Here are some pictures from today. The weather has been perfect!

The view from our classroom

Our classroom

My classmates looking at the view