Orientation

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Hey all,
Well, here is my second blog. I have made it to Oaxaca, but have yet to get in touch with my host family. That is because I barely managed to get myself onto the bus to Oaxaca yesterday. I thought that I had an amazing plan to go to the bus station to shop around for the best price to Oaxaca. Well, the cheapest bus was leaving in 3 1/2 hours so that barely gave me time to make it over to the Frida Kahlo house. The metro there seemed to stop at every station for a good five minutes. It was really annoying. Then of course I had to figure out how to get there from the metro stop--the maps in the book seem to be difficult to orient or maybe I´ve just lost my map reading skills (as you will see in a minute). So I did manage to make it to the house, it was cool, looked just like in the movie! I did see the house they bought for Trotsky when he came to stay with them, but that one wasn´t open. Wanted to get to the Trotsky museum but alas, there wasn´t time. Then I had to make my way back to the metro station. Well, by this time the metro was really full. ¨"how full was it, Dina?" I mean when it rolled into the station there was no more space between people. Then as soon as the doors opened, people are shoving you from behind as you are smashed up against people in front of you. Literally, I had never been in such a small space with people. You assume that there is no more room, but oh, there is. Then, of course, as soon as the doors close, people are pushing to get to the front so that they can get off. You pretty much don´t even have to hold yourself up, since your weight is being held up be everyone around you. So then there is the fight to get off at your stop and you pretty much get catapulted out and you are lucky if you are still standing on your own feet. Of course, whatever was in your pockets is no longer there.
So, that was a fun, true Mexican experience. I had thought that everyone was exagerating about how busy it gets on the metro, but now I realize that I just hadn´t gone at the correct times.

Oaxaca is alright. I actually was really getting into Mexico city, and the hostel that I was staying at had a pretty nice community going on. Oaxaca certainly has charm and looks pre colonial.. However, it is a town that operates like a city. Everything seems to be falling apart or under construction. The buses fly past you on the miniscule streets and you are lucky if you don´t walk through dirty puddles or get sprayed from the street. The whole Zocalo (center plaza) is under construction and there are tourists every where because there is a really big festival coming up. Aparently, July is the busiest month. Well, great, I´m just another white face in the crowd. In Mexico city, among the oh, 25 million people, you barely saw a foreign face, and basically, no one seemed to even notice me on the street. Here, they are doing the typical Latin guy thing yelling and whistling at you.
Well, that´s all for now. I took my placement test this morning after walking pretyt much up and down the length of the city trying to find the school. I walked for a good hour. Hey, its exercise. I´m in 2A, somewhat intermediate. Teh guy told me I have good comprehension, bad grammar, which I guess i already knew. Not too many people seemed to be placed in that class so we´ll see on monday.
Have a great weekend eveyrone.
Love,

Dina

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Comments

[daveeed]

sounds great
hey deen, wish i was travelling! i met a strange brazilian businessman who has some kind of company in mexico. he says it's cheaper to get to the isle from mérida than from cancún. about the spanish, remember, you have to learn HOW to learn! (you know, i never thought about how this is an infinite regress) diviertate! (i think that's right...) besos d

[dad]

blog
hey dina, just read yr entries on the blog. Grate stuff. Can you add me, [e-mail] to the addresses? thanks. Your jcomments abt the metro in Mex City remind me of some of my experiences on the ny subway this summer. Im sure its worse in MC, but i dont even pay attention to it so its good to notice it after yr communique. Ive been going to some entertainmt in NYC. Went to see Swan Lake, the ballet, last Sat afternoon Standing Room, at the Met. And last nite i saw an Indionesian Creation myth, inspired by Sureq Galiga,, an epic poem from S Sulawesi, Indonesia. It had abt 15 Indoniesian musicians, and 35 actors, dancers, etc. It was vry differnet, but i really enjoyed it. Only problem was cheap (and crammped) seat, 3 hr performance, no intermission. One of tghe students in my gimmel class invited a few of us overy for shabbos dinner tonite. I have to bring the challah so need to reknead the dought now and will sign off now. Mom is coming this weeked, w Deb and Art. Good eatging and good times. I had to make 3 oral presentations this week, incl telling 2 jokes in Yiddish.dina, plse forward this to all. thank you and shabbat shalom. xxoo Dad (aka Daled Man)