Los Primeros Dias

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The first days in Guanajuato. Just writing this is a bit mind-boggling as I keep having to remind myself that Spanish is not required. As I expected, the Spanish aspect of the trip has been, and will continue to be, a challenge. However, I do think that my comprehension is already improving - perhaps because my host family refuses to speak to me in English, they simply babble on in Spanish until I understand, or at least pretend , to understand.

Everywhere you look someone is selling something. I am amazed at the number of hole-in-the-wall stores and restaurants (I’m not sure if they really qualify as restaurants) in the city. Within one block you can find over 10 ‘stores’ selling what seems to me the very same items. I guess the owners have very little overhead as the stores are in their homes for the most part. In addition to the stores there are countless street vendors around the city. They too sell variations of the very same thing. Your hunger can be satisfied by a myriad of tacos, tortillas, bread, sweets, fruit, and other unrecognizable options. A popular snack seems to be some version of a nachos. It’s served in an opened snack-size Doritos bag, I think the chips have a salsa and meat concoction poured on top of them. I have not braved much of the street cuisine. I have tried the tantalizing looking fresh fruit cups, and they are muy delicioso! I haven’t ventured to try chili on my fruit, mostly because I’m scared that the chili will ruin the deliciousness. I have however, tried dried fruit with chili and that is an interesting taste. I’m not sure if it’s for me or not.

My favorite dish so far at my house has been Caldo de habas, a soup made from a “big yellow bean”. I think the beans are comparable to fava beans at home. Mexico operates on an entirely different meal schedule. Breakfast tends to be simple, eaten at 8 or 9am, the main meal of the day is a late lunch, around 2 or 3pm, and then dinner is late and light. My stomach has not quite adjusted to the large gaps in between meal time yet. I’m guessing that is how the street vendors make money, snacks between meals. Just like Disney strategically places gift shops at the exit of rides, ladies set up shop directly outside of primary schools’ gates in the morning and when the final bell rings. The kids running around always have something in their hands, some sort of trinket or sweet. There are no prices anywhere and I have a feeling that the price changes depending on who is asking. Change is also a foreign concept. If you give a vendor too much money, they are likely to shove gum or potato chips your way instead of pesos.

In the city, the going rate for using the bathroom is 3 pesos (30 cents). The attendant rations your toilet paper too. I am not a friend of the Mexican sewer systems as I, out of habit, tend to throw my toilet paper in the toilet, not in the trash-can beside the toilet. This is a no-no in Mexico. Another well known no-no relates to the water. Lucky for me, my Senora lets me refill my water bottles with her ‘fresh water’. I have no idea where it comes from, but it’s not sink water. Men roam the streets early in the morning and shout in a very low tone, “Agua” or “Gas”. Mexico seems to busy at all times. The days start early and end late. Los perros (the dogs) bark all night. There are lots and lots of stray dogs and cats. But, according to my orientation leader rabies is non-existent in Guanajuato. So, worry about scorpions (but don’t worry too much, there not that venomous) and drinking the water, but don’t worry about a dog bite. Between the guide books and instructors, there are many ‘rules’, but I’m learning that some can be discarded quickly. Not eating fruit without a peel was one of the first rules to go out the window for me. Strawberries and apples are way too good to be forbidden.

This afternoon a group of students went to Cristo Rey, a giant statue of Jesus outside of Guanajuato. Surmounting the winding, very bumpy, mountain road made my stomach a bit unsettled, but the final destination was a must see. The statue is huge; my Senora said that it was 30 meters tall. Religion is quite prevalent here, all of the buses and taxis have rosaries hanging from the rearview mirrors and placards of various religious icons. The city center has several beautiful churches and I’m hoping to make it to mass one Sunday just to see what it’s like. I’d love to go to a wedding and/or Quincierra while I’m here, but I’ll have to wait and see on that one. The houses on the way up to the statue are quite different from those in the city. The area is far more isolated and appears to be more poverty-stricken. Still, there is a plethora of roadside stands offering tourists a crispy fried snack or some religious knick-knack. There aren’t that many beggars within the city, more so people offering to perform some small task for money. Costumed performers roam the plazas offering to sing a special song for you and children offer to recount the legends of Guanajuato for you, in English or in Spanish.
Overall people are very patient with clumsy Spanish. I have been struck by how genuinely nice people are and how laid-back the culture seems. You really have to try to be late to something. The atmosphere is extremely social with people appearing to be simply milling around, dipping in and out of friendly conversations. Many people also know at least some of the most common catchphrases in English. I went to salsa lessons last night and the teacher switched between English and Spanish. Unfortunately, even the English directions could not improve my uncoordinated steps. I am truly horrible at dancing, but it was a lot of fun. And if I thought I was being adventurous for a)studying abroad and/or b)taking salsa lessons, my brave spirit was dashed when I met a guy who has biked (not on a motorcycle, but a old-fashioned bicycle) from Vancouver to Guanajuato. Guanajuato is not his last stop, he’s headed down south to Argentina. He has stayed with random people along the way, including a dental fraternity in San Francisco. I had a terribly hard time packing for this trip, I don’t think I could survive on a backpack for months. When we asked how much he carried with him, he replied, “Well, if you see me wandering around in a couple days, I’ll be wearing this same outfit.”

I’ve found a gym and I want to try spinning classes, I’m hoping those are more my speed than the passionate salsa. My classes start on Monday. I’ll have four classes from 9 am to 1 pm. Two of the classes (grammar and conversation) are everyday and the other two (history and literature) are four days a week. I’m hoping to find somewhere to volunteer too, but I guess that will all come in time. I feel lucky to have the Internet at my house, some of the host families don’t have the Internet. However, the signal is not strong enough for uploading pictures, in any speedy fashion anyways. So, I’ll have to mooch off Starbucks’ (yes, there is a Starbucks and a Domino’s, but I haven’t spotted a McDonalds) signal at some point. One of the gyms also offers the Internet for free, go figure.

Apparently there is a fair in Leon, a bigger city about 45 minutes or so from Guanajuato, this month, so a few friends and I are making tentative plans to head over there this weekend. This trip requires navigating the bus system however, which has thus far eluded me. I am not sad about not having to drive here, not sad at all. The driving is absolutely nuts. Most of the cars are small and a bit beat-up. One minute in the street can show you why. The parking is insane and the cars squeeze through tunnels and spaces that make me cringe in fear. My host brother drives a fire truck through all of the chaos? At home shifting lanes for a emergency vehicle is at least possible, if not desired, here I’m not so sure. Along the lines of fire fighting, I attempted to explain to my host family that my mother’s job deals with prescribed fire, however I’m not sure if my point was understood given my limited Spanish….fuego en los arboles??
Although I miss home, I’m having a great time here so far. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m here for 5+months though, not a week or two!

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