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Published: March 6th 2012
Saturday 3rd March
So this is the start of my big adventure! Today I flew to Mexico, although I won't arrive 'til almost 24 hours after take-off. I am currently somewhere over the atlantic. Saying goodbye went OK, but the hour and a half I had inside the departure lounge at Heathrow dragged. I am sure I will get used to my own company quickly though. The first flight, London-JFK is going brilliantly. The plane is almost empty so I've snagged myself a window seat. I was really excited to fly, not just because I'm going to the other side of the wqorld but because I find flying in itself a big adventure. I last flew when I was 17, over London, the Channel, the Black forest and the Alps. I loved every minute. Today, as we took off, my face was glued to the window as the engines roared and we took off. My flight was just after 5, so we took off, quite literally, into the sunset. I never realised Heathrow was surrounded by so many lakes and canals, and the shimmered black in the evening sun. Once we were up and over Ireland, all I saw was a blanket of clouds below. I was bought my food - Chicken with spinach and gorgonzola. It came in a white cheese sauce but there was also a mystery orange stuff - cheesey mash? cheese? mash? who knows. There was a tiny slad, with a tiny pot of balsamic dressing, cheese and biscuits, bread and wine. I was quite impressed. I am just watching Bridesmaids, but I keep laughing - thank goodness there is not a sweaty fat sleeping man next to me like I thought there would be. I hope I'm not disturbing anyone. It looks beautiful outside. When you see ads for airlines, they just advertise either the service - a smiling flight attendant and a hassle-free passage, or the destination. You'd think they'd mention how exciting and beautiful it is!
Saturday 3rd March, New York
I've arrived in New York. The rest of the flight was tedious, until we passed over Boston and New England. Orange glows through the night sky dotted the coastline where towns and cities were. Coming into NYC was a little hairy - just when it seemed the Pilot had tilted the plane enough to make your stomach flip, he'd turn a few more degrees until it felt like you might fall out of the sky. Then there was some turbulence. At one point, I honestly thought we were going to land in some marshes and wouldn't make the airport. New York is an endless metropolis, but I missed all the skyscrapers.
After arriving, I queued for a bit through customs, was rude to ground staff who told me I was silly to get a trolley when the exit was right next to me ('I'm here til midnight!'😉 and I shunned a taxi driver. I made my way via a little train (MONORAIL!!) - the fact my departure was in a different terminal I only found out by chance. But I would have asked anyway. More waiting in the departure lounge - I can{t even eat to pass the time as they gave us pizza and ice cream before we landed. I don't think I can justify 3 evening meals, despite the jet lag. I can feel myself getting irritble and tired now. 2am UK time.
Sunday 4th March, Mexico City
7am here. 1pm home time. I've still not slept. The plane to Mexico City was smaller and busier. The plane to Mexico city was smaller and busier than the last. No TV in the seats offering movies, tv and games, and no food. But a window seat - although it is dark. A dull journey and now a long wait. My flight doesn't even appear to be on the Departures list. Everyone I've asked seems to think thats fine but I think they think I am just waiting for the gate, but I'm trying to tell them its not on the list at all! 1hr til I fly.
Sunday 4th March, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
My final flight was tedious but the take off and landing were still fun. After a slight panic following my early arrival, I was met by Teo, who works with OV. Middle aged, tanned and cheerful, he led me to a scruffy car where he phoned the coordinator, Tila. He sat on the phone with her for 10 minutes, which towards the end of an epic journey was quite frustrating. Merida seems cloudy but still hot today. We set off to the volunteer house. The road to town seemed quite Americanised, the approach to the city was littered with huge signs for car dealers, take-aways and hotels. We drove into town, past colonial-looking frontages and crumbling facades until we reached a dingy side street. The volunteer house is made up of a single room on the ground floor, which has been partitioned using room dividers to create two bedrooms, a lounge and an open plan kitchen. There is another room separate to it, a bathroom and then upstairs, two dorm rooms with a bathroom in between. I am in the largest of the dorm room, with 8 other girls. Outside of our room is a large flat roof, where you can sunbathe and hang out your washing, or sit and drink beer late at night. The kitchen is full of mismatchd opts and pans. The whole place is quite scruffy and cluttered and in need of a good clean. But it is OK. The hot water is apparently not working properly at the moment, and only certain loos can be used for number 2's! In the garden at the back, which is scruffy and green and bohemian looking, they seem to have started building a pool. Everywhere in Mexico seems to be a work-in-progress.
Not long after arriving, following some introductory chats with the 4 of the housemates who are currently home, I showered and made some attempt at unpacking. Another of the volunteers took me to town, and I stopped for a Quesadilla (my first proper Mexican meal!). In town we saw some huge impressive colonial churches, and crumbling grand buildings. Cool atriums were filled with modern art and there were bustling squares full of stalls selling all kinds of street food. We found an art gallery in a old building with large rooms and high ceilings and tropical gardens in the courtyard. Despite blisters from my beautiful blisters, I had a great afternoon and took some ace photos.
This evening I've eaten some veggie food cooked by one of the other volunteers, Kate, who is a bit older than everyone else and sounds like she's got some interesting stories. It was an awesome feast - spicy lentils, a potato and mushroom thing (I took the mushrooms out, obviously), a pepper salad and some spicy rice. Amazing! I am still staving off sleep until a vaguely normal time in an attempt to avoid the worst of jet-lag, but I might give in soon.
Monday 5th March
Insect bites everywhere! 3 on my FACE, 2 on my legs and 1 on my arm. But they're not itchy yet. Cloudy today.
Tuesday 6th March, Morning
Not really sure what I'll do today - I'm free until 3.45 when I need to leave for my project with another volunteer, Simona, who speaks Spanish (woo!). This morning I might either go to a local resort town where there is a beach, Progresso, or I might sit sunbathing in the park and have a look around the zoo.
Yesterday was fun. Tila came to the house (eventually) and spoke to Steph (the other new girl) and I about what we would be doing this week. Steph and I were just about to leave for an afternoon in Progreso when she was told she'd be on her project that afternoon. So I went with her and a load of others to check it out because I didn't wan't to sit around the house doing nothing. It was a 30minute walk into town for the bus and then a bumpy bus ride out of town to another place. No-one seemed to quite know where we were when we got off, which is apparently the OV way. The spanish speakers got some directions and we walked down some poor residential streets, again full of half finished extensions, blockwork buildings, faded paintwork and crumbling pavements. We passed families selling drinks and hot food, despite the lack of passing trade. There were lots of mangy dogs.
We got to the library. As we were running late, lots of children and their parents were waiting outside. I'm not sure, but I think the school system here is that you either attend in the mornings or the afternoons, and it seems the kids get bored and under their parents feet when they're not in school, so OV runs classes for them here at the library. Steph and I went with Simona, who looked after the kindergarten kids. First task was to get them to write their names on a small strip of paper and to stick it on their chests. This can be quite difficult when you are shy, three years old and can't make out what a pastey looking English girl is saying to you. We did some colouring in and jigsaws with them and i tried to find out what things were called in Spanish, like the things on the puzzles. Then we played outside. When the children went home we caught the bus back to Merida. I began to realise I had more bites on my face so went to the Pharmacy back in Merida for some antihistamines. From there we took a taxi home.
The newly arrived Welsh boys came over later and most of us sat on the roof drinking beer and chatting. Most of the girls seem quite excited for 'fresh meat' - one of the boys is a personal trainer and the other is a semi-pro rugby player. They're very funny, they live 2 doors away from each other at home and are BFFs who finish each others sentences. They are massive Ladz - when we first met them, they had no tops on like proper Brits abroad, and they asked us where the nearest gym was, where they could pump up their rugby ball and where was the best place to get a crate of beer. Classic.
Tuesday 6th March, afternoon
Today I am free til 4ish, and then on a project called Amore Y Vidas (Love and Life?) until 6 or 7. This morning Adam and I, and the welsh boys, Phil and John went to the Zoo. The taxi there was $40 and back just $21 - I think we were ripped off! But the whole morning (a taxi there and back, an ice cream, free zoo and a ride on a minitrain) came to 1.50 in British money. The zoo was good, although it looked quite dated - lots of flaking painted concrete, murky water, and small cages. Loads of animals though, and it was free! Afterwards, we bought lollies and for $1 each (5p) we went on the train around the zoo and childrens amusement park, which seems to be dead quiet during the day. We went to the cafe nearest our house for lunch - i think that will become a regular thing, and I had a chicken and cheese sandwich. Sat next to another volunteer, Madge, who is half pakistani and half turkish, with mahogony skin thanks to her 8 weeks out here, I was told I was SO white. I said 'I know, its amazing!'. 'It's not a GOOD thing!' she said. Pretty funny but I guess you had to be there. This afternoon, I have emailed mum and Dad, done a bit of sunbathing on the roo (but, if you're reading this Dad, I was only out for half an hour and wore factor 50 but I gave up cuz it was just so hot!) and now I'm gonna go write up my journal on my blog at Super Ts (the cafe, which does internet for 50p an hour) and then go to my project.
Mexico is brilliant so far. Really vibrant and interesting, with so many options of things to do. At the weekend, I'm hoping to do a sinkhole tour with Steph and maybe a daytrip either to Progresso or a coastal lagoon where you can see wild flamingoes. The projects seem really interesting, although what you do and how you get there is very much up to you to sort out. The house is scruffy and there are too many volunteers for its size, but I like it. All the volunteers seem friendly and interesting. I will try and update later this week.
Sarah
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Wooot....
So exciting to read your blog :-) keep 'em coming!! Hugs me and him xxx