Oaxaca is hot.
Literally, 100 degrees by midday, and as of lately (summer is starting to hit full force) we are usually still sweating when we go to bed.
Nonetheless I love it. The city is old, romantic, and on a grid network of streets so it's harder to get lost!!
Our mornings start with a hearty "Mi Niña!!" from our host father at 8am, a quick breakfast (with coffee of course) and a 15 minute walk to the Unitierra-the small independant university we've been using as a classroom/workroom/playroom/meeting area for the last three weeks. We are then in class and more class, usually including a guest lecture or a field trip, and then we're out for lunch and that's it for the day.
Vacation was brief but amazing. We hung around our professor's spare apartment for a couple of days to catch up on some work and sleep in a bit, but in two days we hopped on a bus (80 pesos, 8 dollars) and hit the beach, Zipolite specifically, for the rest of the week, a slice of paradise. During the day we were out in the sun. When the sun was high we'd sip cold drinks in the shade or tiptoe across the sand to play in the giant waves. I read 100 Years of Solitude from cover to cover. In the evenings we ate until we were ready to burst, did cartwheels in the surf, and fell asleep in our hammoks at 9:30 at night. Pure bliss, despite my now itchy and peeling back.
Oaxaca was hotter when we got back, and we've all gotten caught up in the crazy life traffic jams: registration and housing and summer plans all in one hand, while 8,000 deadlines and projects and life in Mexico all in the other. Siestas are God-sent. Laundry services are abounding. Beds are soft. Oh, and Mezcal...well that's just a whole other story. Let's leave it at that it's 50 pesos per liter ($1.20) and stronger than tequila.
Other than that I can tell you that learning here is very different than anywhere else we've been. The issues we discuss are much closer to home, and new things are going on everyday, so we're trying to get the background while keeping up with the times. We leave for Chiapas tomorrow-off to spend some time getting to know the Zapatistas. Should be a good time.
|
