My Host Family and Scenes of Merida

For the three weeks that we had class in Merida (yes, in the state of Yucatan), I was placed (as all other Level II and Level III students were) in a host family's home. Generally, my stay with Dona Hortensia and her grandson Felix Antonio was great. The food was also pretty scrumptious and I was so thankful to be the only student with air-conditioning (and it was in my bedroom!!). So this is Dona Hortensia's house. I loved the cactus and maguey plants that were just outside the front doors. I had to include a picture of Dona Hortensia and me, and also a picture of us with her daughter Sorida (Sor-Ida) and Sor Ida's son Felix Antonio. And, of course, I befriended the family dog Pancho, the cutest and sweetest little chihuahua that I have ever met. I was so thankful to stay with such a nice family.

The last full day that I spent in Merida I walked around the centro, taking pictures and doing the whole touristy thing. After spending three weeks in Merida, I realized that I had not taken many photos because I have been to Merida twice before and I felt like I had already taken the pictures that I wanted to. Anyways, the bright pink building is the Palacio Municipal. Throughout its history, it has been painted different colors, the latest iteration of which is this pink color. It sits on the opposite side of the Plaza Principal of Merida, a beautiful zocalo or town square where the Meridianos casually pass the day as they try to avoid direct sunlight and the hot, hot humidity of the state of Yucatan. I've also included a few pictures of the huge cathedral in Merida, "La Catedral de San Ildefonso," built from 1562-1567. Its architecture resembles the typical Franciscan Renaissance style and I must say that it is enormous inside! Another photo shows the facade of Casa Montejo, dated to 1549 and attributed to Francisco de Montejo, the son of the supposed "conqueror" of Yucatan. I thought that I would also put up a photo of the street I walked down to catch my bus after classes to make the half-hour trip to my host family's house in the neighborhood of Mexico Oriente.

Here is the so-called "Monumento a la Patria," or "Monument to the Homeland (Fatherland)." Created in 1956 by the Columbian artist Romulo Rozo, this fabulous stone sculpture showcases with several images the various epochs of Mexican history from pre-Spanish invasion to the Colonial Period to Independence and then the Mexican Revolution from 1910-1921. It's a beautiful monument that appears quite unique (and I find it fascinating that it was sculpted by a Columbian and NOT a Mexican!!). Anyways, the sculpture incorporates Mexica iconography (like the eagle devouring a snake as it sits on a cactus), Maya imagery, and a collective, nation-state endorsed collection of images. I had to run across the street and avoid being hit by the many cars that traverse this roundabout on the famous street in Merida called "Paseo de Montejo" (where a bunch of old colonial mansions have been restored and are used for offices, stores, restaurants, etc.). 

Excursion 1: San Jose Oriente, Kimbila, and Izamal

So our first excursion (levels 2 and 3) was last Saturday. We first went to San Jose Oriente, a pueblo of about one thousand people, then to Kimbila (my teacher Ismael's town), and then finally to Izamal. I enjoyed the day apart from the horrific humidity. Really, once you're out and about, you just have to accept the weather as is, and as we all know, complaining about it doesn't change a thing! Again, I do not understand this new blogging template because my pictures are out of order! The first four pictures are of these three boys (somehow related to Ismael, but I'm not sure exactly how) with whom John and I played for about an hour. While everyone else was enjoying Ismael's aunt's cooking (and the several fans in the room), John and I became friends with Alejandro, Isidoro, and the third kid's name (lol! I cannot remember his name!!). Anyways, they were entranced by John's phone which takes pictures and then, because it's a touchscreen, you just swipe from photo to photo (something they just loved). Isidoro loved showing me each and every single toy that he owns. We played catch the flying toys for awhile before I became so sweaty that I had to take a break. These boys were so much fun and it was nice to take a break from trying to speak Maaya and talk with them in Spanish.

 These next three pictures are of San Jose Oriente. This was quite a revealing experience because some of the Maya people here told me that they (in San Jose Oriente) do not speak "real Maaya." But of course they do! It's fascinating how certain people devalue their own language! Anyways, we split up into two groups: one group stayed with a nice family to practice their Maaya, while my group went to speak Maaya with a little, tiny Maaya woman who never left her hammock. I only understood like half of what she said, and I didn't feel comfortable asking her to take her picture; so, that conversation (what I understood of it!) and experience will remain only in my mind (sorry!). Her little granddaughter kept bringing me one puppy after another (there were 8 of them!) and they were all so very cute, but you're never sure if they have any diseases or fleas or whatever else, so I would just say hello to them and then put them back on the floor. After we left her house, I stopped and spoke with two gentlemen outside of the little 'tienda' in San Jose and our conversation was in Maaya and Spanish (so I understood everything! hahahaaa). It was a great way to begin our day and it was nice of the people of San Jose Oriente to open up their homes to us (Ismael knows a few of the families so he was our way into the town--some towns are so conservative that you would not be allowed in without knowing someone in the town).

The final place we visited last Saturday was the beautiful (and so yellow!!) town of Izamal. Now, I've been here before, so I didn't take too many photos and I refer you to my earlier post about Izamal from a few years ago. It was such a humid and hot day, so I was surprised when a small group of us decided to do some yoga on top of the pyramid here in Izamal. I suppose no one else does yoga on a regular basis because they all wanted me to lead our little 15 minute session. I have to say, I felt really good about instructing my fellow students and perhaps this could become a side project for me (to become a yoga instructor!). Anyways, Izamal is known for it's mustard yellow color; almost all buildings in the centro are of this same yellow color (in fact, I think it's a law that ALL of the buildings must be yellow). The Senora de Izamal has reportedly performed a few miracles, so Pope John Paul II visited in the early 90's (there's even a statue of him in the church's courtyard--again, I refer you to my post from a few years ago; it was so humid and hot that I had to sit in the shade while half of our group visited the church; I just wasn't up to it). Overall, it was a fun first excursion with Levels 2 and 3!

Snapshots of Level 2

I love being in Level 2 this year because there are only three students. Because our class is so small, Ismael, our "profe" (our native Maya instructor), was able to bring us to his friend Yoli's house for a traditional Maya dinner. Although I am vegetarian, Yoli was, of course, so accommodating and made me my very own panuchos (the round, fried tortillas with avocado, beans, onion, lettuce and cheese). They were absolutely delicious! Plus, as we all sat down to eat, we were able to practice our Maaya T'aan (literally "Maya Speech"). Yoli also made tamales wrapped in chaya, an autochthonous evergreen shrub of Yucatan that people in Yucatan use like spinach (the tamale was veggie but it had eggs and a bean paste, which I did not really like, but I love chaya!!). And we also had homemade horchata which, in small amounts (for me), is delicious! I'm not sure why, but I just previewed this blog entry and it has been split up (my pictures and commentary should not be divided the way it is!!) so continue reading to find out about the dessert we had that night.

So this is where I study every day (Monday-Friday) from 9am until 1pm. Our second level consists of me, Laura, and Cate. Our instructor, Ismael, has such presence in the classroom and I have learned so much from him already in the two weeks that I've been here. The building we are in is part of the UNAM system here in Merida, Yucatan. The building, I have been told, is of the "Neo-Maya" architectural style. Anyways, I love the air conditioning in this building! I also thought that I would include a picture of this young guy on the bus I take to school and then again back home. I've only seen him once, but I must say that his voice was completely incredible! I cannot believe his talent! So I told him that and gave him twenty pesos (which, of course, was the reason he came onto the bus: sing a few songs and then hopefully get some money from all of us. And he certainly deserved more than we all gave him).

 Emily, this year's director of the program, came with our class to enjoy the meal and conversation. Emily has the red hair, then there's Laura, Cate, and our Maya teacher, Ismael May May. For dessert, we had "k'oopte'" (I don't remember it's name in Spanish), and it was so yummy! After you eat the fruit dipped in honey, there is an added bonus: the seed inside the fruit actually contains another, smaller seed, that is seriously so good!! It's a small seed, but it was absolutely scrumptious! I love being here in Mexico, meeting people like Yoli (an urban Maya woman of Merida) and her hospitable family. What a great evening of speaking Maaya and eating such tasty treats!

A visit to Utah

My visit to Utah in early May finally arrived (it just came and went!). I had planned on going to Utah even before winter break in December because I hadn't seen Tricia in such a long time and because I wanted to spend time with Kelly as well. Jared, Kelly, Aveleen and Izzy were such wonderful hosts and hostesses. Kelly and Jared introduced me to Cafe Rio, we saw "The Avengers," Kelly, Aveleen and I went to the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City (because I wanted to visit the fifth floor which is dedicated entirely to Native Voices), we played games and read stories, and did so much more! I was able to visit with my good friend Joe Pierce, and I also spent time with my friends Tricia and Margaret. Kelly and I went up to Hyrum and visited Archie and Janel, which was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Now that I'm writing this, I'm surprised by all of the things I was able to do in just six days! I loved spending time with lil' Eva; she loves to sing, dance, and play (a good example to us all!). And boy can she talk! I truly enjoyed spending time with her. And thanks to Kelly and Jared for having me stay with them; they are, indeed, the consummate hosts. Thanks for the memories, my sweet Utah family and friends!

One of the highlights of my trip was spending an afternoon at the Masons' beautiful home. Tricia and I had not seen each other in eight years! How the time just flies by! I truly treasure the time we spent together that afternoon; I finally got to meet Tricia's last three kids. The Mason kids are so creative, well-behaved, funny, entertaining, energetic, adorable, and loving. I am such a lucky uncle! Tricia and Mark were wonderful hosts and it was wonderful seeing them. We had a great time playing dominoes with almost the entire family! What a special occasion it was to hang out, joke around, and just enjoy each other's company. My thanks go to the Masons for having me!! (And nice right hook, Kell!)

And how could I have forgotten about the glorious mountains of Utah? The landscape is truly breathtaking out west. These few images may not do justice to Utah's beauty, but I didn't even think about taking pictures of the mountains until Kelly was driving me to the airport when I was on my way out of Utah! Oh well. I often think about those naturally sculpted leviathans, their majestic presence seemingly boundless and omnipresent. I miss seeing the mountains!!