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Published: December 9th 2012
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So here is my first blog about Mexico which does NOT contain my adventures in Mexico City! I finally managed to say goodbye to it and took a comfortable, albeit long, 6-hour bus journey to the incredible city of Oaxaca (pronounced wah-hah-kah), in the state of the same name. I arrived in the evening on the 17th November, and it did not take me long to fall in love with the place. A seemingly endless number of galleries, churches and random art exhibitions await in the city, each showing incredible works and/or architecture. However, while my first couple of mornings and afternoons were spent exploring the aforementioned cultural sights, my first couple of evenings were spent in front of the TV! I shall explain why before I am judged too harshly...
The hostel which I was staying at, called Hostal Pochon, has a big TV for guests to use, and on Sunday and Monday I was able to take over the TV and get my American Football fix. I met a couple of other people at the hostel who share an interest in the sport, although another English girl who I met there was truly bewildered by my enthusiasm for
it! Sadly my beloved Tennessee Titans were not playing so I didn't get to see them play (although to be fair they're not exactly having a good season anyay) but I did take the opportunity to talk about them as much as possible to those people who also shared an interest in American Football! There's a whole host of cultural events going on in Oaxaca most nights, and on one evening (when there was no American football on TV) I went with a guy from Austria who I met at the hostel to a free concert at the stunning theatre in the city centre. The grand theatre was a fitting stage for the concert which showcased the amazing talent of some international musicians. Afterwards we found a little bar where we tried some Mezcal, which is a traditional Mexican drink, similar to Tequila. He was quite a fan of the stuff, but I could barely finish mine. So I am glad I tried it at least, but I don't have any plans to repeat the experience!
The well-loved and respected Mexican president, Benito Juarez, spent much of his youth in Oaxaca, after travelling there alone as a young and
orphaned child. He was taken in by a book-binder called Antonio Maza, and their house is now open to the public as a museum. The house itself was interesting to see, and there was also a good art exhibition (surprise surprise!) upstairs. Indeed, it seems to be difficult to walk half a block in Oaxaca without finding a gallery of some sort, be it public or commercial, permanent or temporary. I spent many enjoyable hours in the Contemporary Art Museum, the Graffic Art Institute and the Photo Exhibition Centre as well as countless other galleries and museums. There's also some brilliant quirky street art in Oaxaca, which adds to the colourfulness and the character of the place. With a high indigenous population, the city has a beautiful and varied set of people. Indigenous arts and crafts can be seen all over, and many markets showcase the products which are on offer. I was feeling slightly guilty after I stumbled across a market and ended up going on a slight spending spree, buying a top, a backpack, two bracelets and a pair of evenings. However, I soon realised that the total cost of my purchases was less than £11, and I
figured I couldn't feel too terrible about that!
Aside from its incredible arts and crafts, the city is also reknowned for its brilliant food. Hostal Pochon runs cooking classes, which seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. Myself and a couple from Australia and a slightly crazy man from Bournemouth took the cooking class together one afternoon, which started with a trip to the colourful local market, where there is an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh and dry chillies, nuts, meat and dairy products. To those not familiar with Mexican markets, it can be slightly overwhelming, with all the noise, sights and smells, but luckily we had our teacher with us who guided us through the maze of market stools towering high with fresh produce, and selected all the ingredients we would need for the day's class. We put together a ridiculous amount of dishes, including chilaquiles (strips of fried tortillas with salsa and cheese), tacos dorados (tacos which are filled with ingredients like chicken or mashed potato, and fried) and chiles rellenos (roasted poblano chiles stuffed with chicken and cheese and then fried in batter). We also made two Mexican drinks: jamaica (made with
hibiscus flowers) and horchata (made using rice, milk and cinnamon). I certainly won't say that I have any flair when it comes to Mexican cooking but the experience was extremely enjoyable and certainly made me appreciate the time and effort that goes into a lot of Mexican cooking! We even made our own corn tortillas which was really fun. The end product was absolutely delicious although there was so much food that I could barely eat half. (I was too upset to throw so much food away so I ended up putting my leftovers in the fridge, but they weren't so appealing the following day so in the end I had to throw them away anyway!)
The archeological site of Monte Albàn, which was occupied between 500 BC and 1200 AD, is located about 5 miles away from Oaxaca, so I took a bus to the site and spent some time exploring the old structures, and taking in the view of the countryside. The Zapotecs levelled out the land and so Monte Albàn sits higher than the surrounding land, making for some wonderful vistas. The site was relatively crowded with tourists taking in the sights, which include tombs, a
pyramid, and numerous platforms and other structures, some of which are adorned with carvings. However, there were plenty of trees around the site, and it was easy enough to find a shady spot to eat lunch (jam sandwiches, of course) and take in the views.
On a sadder note, the city (and indeed the entire state) of Oaxaca is extremely poor, and many people live in houses without doors or enough rooms to fit them all in. Recognising the need to educate many of the state's poor and vulnerable young people, a group of Americans set up a grassroots organisation to sponsor children and ensure they have a quality education. Only one of the founding members (Cliff) is still living today, and he and the rest of the staff and volunteers do a great job providing food and classes for almost 600 children. As I had a couple of mornings free, I got in touch with the organisation and volunteered there for a couple of days. Each year the organisation, called the
Centro de Esperenza Infantil, runs a huge party around Christmas time, where the children receive food and presents, which include backpacks, clothing and candy. I told the organisation that I was happy to volunteer wherever I might be needed, and as Cliff was snowed under with stock which they were planning to sell at a bazaar, I got involved with sorting through the stock with him and another volunteer from Holland. Whilst there I had the opportunity to meet a number of the other volunteers and children who are sponsored by the organisation. Some of the stories that Cliff told about the children were heartbreaking as they live in such extreme poverty, but there were also many success stories, and indeed I met one of the students who, thanks to the organisation, had graduated from school and was just finishing her thesis for University. If I have the chance to go back to Oaxaca for a longer period of time, I would love to be able to volunteer with the organisation again, as it's clear that it makes a huge impact on the lives of the state's children. If anyone reading this is in the area, or planning to be, then you can get in touch with Yesenia Jimenez on yjimenez@oaxacastreetchildrengrassroots.org. Or, if anyone wants to find out more or donate and sponsor a child, their website is:
https://sites.google.com/a/oaxacastreetchildrengrassroots.org/en/ I think that covers my time in the beautiful city of Oaxaca. Thanks for reading!
Laura P
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