Blogs from Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, North America - page 3

Acclimation and a Mexican Sunday I have spent the past couple days walking around “el centro” or center city with my host mom Yolie. My days have been less than eventful, most of them consisting of long waits while she runs errands in stores and talks to people on her phone, but I’m seeing lots of the city by spending time with her. From what I’ve experienced with my host family, it appears no one in this place can simply undergo a money transaction without heavy debate and discussion. I tagged along as the family went to Costco to buy a few things that are cheaper in bulk (not always the case in Xalapa) and every item selected from the shelves underwent harsh scrutiny before being awarded a place in the shopping cart. I looked on ... read more

Hello Everyone, I have arrived and settled in at my new home in Xalapa, Mexico! I arrived Wednesday night around 8pm after a five-hour plane ride to Mexico City and another five hours aboard a bus to Xalapa. The plane ride passed in a sleepy daze but the bus ride was beautiful, cutting through the expansive countryside of eastern Mexico. Incredible fields of green vegetation stretched as far as the eye could see though in the past couple weeks the region has been slammed with rain turning many of the fields into vast lakes. Nearing Veracruz, the terrain became quite mountainous and a thick mist sat above the tree line due to the damp weather. Veracruz is a very beautiful region for what I’ve seen thus far. My host mom "Yolie" and her daughter Jenny picked ... read more

UntitledThis morning we went to the Universidad Veracruzana to hear two different lectures. The first was by Dr. Rodríguez who presented on “The Impact of Climate Change in Veracruz”. There were many different aspects presented on the enviornment and how much of a negative effect man has had on the area of Veracruz and the need for conservation. Interestingly most of the research is being done by the U.K. and other European countries. The second lecture was by Dr. Rivera on “Politics and Society in Contemporary Veracruz”. There was a lot information given out, which only touched on some of the issues and successes of Mexico. Some facts are: There are three main political parties in Mexico- PRD (left-wing party); PRI (old regime party); and PAN (right-wing conservative party) that currently holds presidency. Currently 11.5% of ... read more

Hey everyone, we are in the mountains on the gulf coast in the capital of veracruz. We arrived here yesterday after a day of driving from xilitla. In xilitla, we stayed in a castle on the top of a mountain, with a beautiful view, pool, marble tiled wide hallways, an orchid garden, and a 40 min. walk to Las Pozas. A man named Edward James built himself a castle in the jungle with amazing architecture, and waterfalls leading to crystal clear pools. After his passing, the jungle took over the place, so it is just crawling with interesting sites. Before we arrived there, we came to a road block. It was a small town protesting in the street for clean water. Apparently they were promised this, time has passed, and nothing. Rob took the liberty to ... read more

Etter nokre dagar i Xalapa att, der me tok nokre tattoveringar og piercingar, reiste Sarah, eg, Laura og Shamira til Catemaco. Eg kjem sannsynlegvis til å ta med mamma og pappa hit, for det er ein nydeleg liten by ved sidan av ein stor innsjø som er brun (ikkje av forurensing men av algar). Catemaco har óg eit rykte på seg for å vere full av hekser, "shape-shifters" og...UFO'ar. Bra utgangspunkt. Det var varmt då me var der, nesten som Acapulco, og maten er stort sett sjømat. Den fyrste dagen reiste me til Las cascadas cristal, nokre fossefall som er ein times tid utanfor sentrum. Det var ein organisert tur, men det var berre me jentene og ein chilango (=ein som er frå Mexico City) som reiste. Fantastisk natur, berre denne dagsturen var verdt alle ... read more