The past month

I know that I have not updated in quite a while, and instead of chronicling every single event that has happened in the past month, I will give the cliffnotes.
About two weeks before exams, we had "Semana Santa", or Holy Week, in which we get a week off from school. As most students went to Puerto Escondido, my friend Barry invited me to his aunt and uncle's in Merida in the Yucatan. His Aunt Jan and Uncle Fred, who after a few minutes became MY Aunt Jan and Uncle Fred, rented a house on the beach on the Gulf of Mexico in an expatriate town called Uaymitun (pronounced why-me-tune) though they live in Merida, about half an hour away. There we travelled to the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, toured the city of Merida and slithered down a mango swamp gondola-style to a cenote, a water hole. Aunt Jan and Uncle Fred are young retirees who were inspired by Aunt Jan's daughter who was then living in Mexico. They are some of the friendliest people I have ever met, and their kindness could be seen in their website, mexicoanswers.com, a website that offers guidance to people who are considering moving or spending part of the year in Merida or other parts of Mexico. Barry and I went to Cancun and Playa del Carmen where we met up with our friends Cedric and Joel. I had to fly out of Cancun to meet my parents.
That Thursday I flew to Mexico City where my parents came to visit me. We visited the Aztec ruins of Tetotihuacan, and the nearby city of Cuernavaca. It was absolutely wonderful to see my parents after not seeing them for several months. They also got to see UDLA and Puebla. It was certainly a new experience for me, even though I had been to Mexico City, Teotihuacan and Cuernavaca. It was a bit of a role reversal, as I was in charge and had to translate menus and what people were saying to them.This was their first time in Mexico, and it was interesting to notice their different experiences. My mother found a learning experience in the challenges that came with visiting a different country with a different language and different customs (She even learned a few phrases in Spanish!). Like most non-Spanish-speaking travellers to Mexico City, my father, on the other hand, was frustrated by not being able to express himself to whomever he wanted. Nevertheless, I knew that they enjoyed catching up with me and meeting the friends that I had told them about in our emails and telephone conversations. One evening, my parents and twelve of my friends had dinner, and it was a great way for my folks to meet my friends, as well as a first way for all of us to reconnect after a week of vacation.
Well, it's hard to believe that my semester abroad is over. I met some great people with whom I hope to keep in touch. My friends Kevin, Cedric and Andrew organized a final party, Gringofest, which was an excellent way to end an exciting, dynamic semester.

Neil's Visit

I really should be in bed as I am going to Brown early in the morning to participate in a conference, but my friend Marina has scolded me for not posting.
A few weeks ago, Neil one of my good friends from Brown, visited me here in Mexico. We had a great time wandering around Cholula, Puebla, Mexico City and Cuernavaca. Perhaps one of hte most memorable occasions of my time here was his visit. I took my Thursday classes off, and on Wednesday night we spent it in Mexico City. We wanted to go to a soccer game, and with our big bags, we bought our tickets at the Estadio Azteca. However, the area around Estadio Azteca did not seem too safe and we wanted to stay in the Historic Center anyway. So we took the Metro from the south of the city to the historic center, paid for a hostel for a night and booked it to the south. Well, by the time we got back, the game was already over. Although I was disappointed we missed the game, we got something to eat and went back to the hostel. Later that night we went out to an Irish pub that was quite dead. The only life in it was this drunk Mexican lady who came over to us, put her arms around us, and asked me in English where I was from. She then asked Neil the same but in Spanish. Neil reached back into the recesses of his high-school Spanish to tell her that he was New Jersey in the U.S. Neil is of Indian origin, and has dark brown skin and long, curly thick hair. No me chinges, guey, eres chilango, she replied. Quit fucking with me, boy, you're from Mexico City, she said in her Mexican slang. She continued in her rather rude Mexican slang/curse words. I told her in Spanish that she should probably stop, and she told me in English that she was just a "Mexican curious." In Spanish, the adjectives come after the noun. You mean, a curious Mexican, I said to her, gingerly correcting her English. Si, I'm a "Mexican curious". Hopeless. She did invite us to dance as the entire pub "ay, ay, ay"-ed away. They could have used a little more life, and we sure provided it. Later that night, we went to a club in which there was live music, and it was so much fun to dance/attempt to dance to the live, energetic Latin rhthyms. There I met Liliana who actually studied at the Universidad de las Americas, Puebla last year and was a friend of my friend from Brown, Pablo, who attended UDLA for a semester. What a small world it is!
The following day, we went to Cuernavaca. On the Metro to the bus station to Cuernvaca, I could tell that people were staring at us. How often do you see a tall Black man standing next to an Indian in Mexico? Well, the curiosity of these three people overcame them, and they had to ask where we were from. When Neil said New Jersey, they asked where his parents were from, and he said India. One gentleman in Spanish jokingly asked if he was bringing a bomb on the Metro. I don't think that Neil picked up on it, but he did hear when someone said in English at a party in Puebla that he looked like "the people of the bomb." In his typical politeness and grace, Neil brushed it off. I was a bit disgusted at how insensitive some people could be. In any event, Neil's visit was awesome. My friends (especially the ladies!) fell in love with him, and I was so happy that my friends at UDLA could meet one of my coolest friends at Brown.

Robert and Brett's visit

I think I had the most fun since I have arrived in Mexico with Robert and Brett. I met them as they walked out of the Immigration terminal in the mammoth of an airport that is Mexico City International Airport. After getting them a bite to eat, we made our way to Acapulco for three days of fun in the sun! When we arrived in Acapulco we lost our reservation because the travel company didn't pay for the room. It was just annoying that we couldn't relax immediately after taking a four-and-a-half hour trip to Acapulco. The only hotel that was open was at the opposite side of the Acapulco. All the others were filled because the Mexican Tennis Open was occuring. In any event, after getting a bit to eat, we headed to the Paladium, which is one of the most famous nightclubs in Mexico. They played predominantly techno, which we weren't big fans of. What was amazing was that out of no where, a light shone on a bald-headed man in a suite and thick glasses with a congo drum. He was beating to the music, and everyone was absoltuely loving it.The congo drumming over the techno music was awesome! I had spotted a friend from Brown in the club from afar, but I thought that there was no way that could be since Brown was still in session. But, I swore it was Alex, and eventually we made eye contact. He was as shocked to see me as I was him. He graduated in December and is travelling around Mexico. What are the chances that I would be in the same club in the same city in a foreign country as Alex?
The next day, we went back to the hotel we were supposed to be staying in since it was cheaper. We spent the day on the beach just relaxing, taking in the rays and the warmth. I think that they particularly enjoyed this as this was a welcome escape from the arctic Northeast! Brett and I even went on jet skis, and it was Brett's second and my first time, which many find hard to believe since at home in Nassau, we could pick, choose and refuse which jet ski we want. Robert scolded us on the beach when one of the beach attendants promised to get us something to drink as it would be cheaper at the drug store than at the hotel. He took a little bit longer than expected and Robert thought that he and his frend were having a cold one on us. Fortunately, they came back, and Brett and I were glad that Robert wasn't right. After getting a nice dinner, we went to see La Quebrada, men jumping off of cliffs into the crashing waves below. It is a traditional--and dramatic--custom in Acapulco. The men climb up the steep mountainside, pray and kiss a shrine to the Virgen. As they lept off of the cliffs, you could hear the multitude of people gasping for air. It definitely got my pressure up...Oh just jump and get it over and done with, as they were doing their many, little rituals. Well everyone survived and emerged from the violent Pacific. One even decided to jump off the cliff with flaming torches in his hands. We then went to the club Alebrije, which was AMAZING! We had so much fun that Rob told Brett and I that he was leaving even if we were not going to join him! We all went together right then under boss' orders.
That Monday we went to Cholula, Puebla so that the boys could see UDLA and my friends. They stayed at Hotel de Las Americas which is more of a hostal. After paying, I couldn't even go in to wait with them as they changed because you pay for how many people are staying there and not the room and so I had to wait in the lobby. The hostal was just about a 15 minute walk away from UDLA, and I could tell that for Robert and Brett, the dusty streets in Cholula filled with stray dogs didn't compare to the beautiful beach and the magnificent mountains that loom over Acapulco Bay. Nevertheless, we had a good time with my friends that night and an overall incredible time during their short visit!

Carnaval

Although I had a lot of fun, Carnaval wasn't quite what I had expected. I think that I'll use my friend Christen's method in describing Carnaval (If you want a good laugh every once in a while, go to desertlifedubai.blogspot.com):

Highlight: Actually getting on the right bus and not a stank, five-and-a-half-hour bus ride with no air conditioning and no bathroom as we did when we went to he Puerto de Veracruz the first time. Our gang of five got on a bus, which later grew to 7 and made our way to Veracruz.

Lowlight: One of our friends promised us that we could stay at "una casa por la playa" (a house by the beach). Well, this same person promised over 20 people the same thing. I had imagined one of the mansions in Nassau West since so many people were staying there. Lo and behold, It was a three-room apartment with little ventilation and grungy, dusty mattresses strewn on the floor. My shirt got immediately soaked, and I could feel the blood pumping in my head. Is this really where we´re staying? People were laying all over the mattresses half-naked sipping on tequila. Well, I guess I'll have to be wasted to stay here. It's only three nights right? Cedric screams to all twenty, barely-clothed party revelers on the sticky mattress that we're going to buy some tequila. A huevo! someone shouted. Fuck yeah! As soon as we go around the block, Cedric told us that that was an excuse to find a hotel to stay in. What a relief that it wasn't just me who felt that way! I could have stuck through it if my friends were with me, but I was too happy to get out of there.

Highlight: Staying at a four-star hotel in the busiest weekend in Veracruz: Hotel Novo Mar. The hotel itself didn´t have any rooms but there were scalpers outside selling rooms in the hotel. It was expensive but after you split it 7 ways, it was incredibly cheap. Having a pool and an air-conditioned room didn't hurt.

Highlight: A 4AM jump into the beach. The water was extremely shallow and calm, and you´re only young once, right?

Highlight/Lowlight: The parade itself. The parade was cool except that it went by way too fast. I thought it was more like Junkanoo or the Carnaval in Trinidad where people dress up in colorful, flamboyant costumes and dance in the streets for hours. It was great to see the decorations on the floats (and the beautiful women on them!), but they zoomed by. To me, the parade was more like a drunken Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Perhaps if I had understood the history behind it all I would have appreciated it more. But it all seemed so commercialized with floats of Sol (beer), Coca Cola and Pepsi, and it lost what the original culture may have been.

Highlight: Joining the parade! We were celebrities. We did have a very diverse group with 1 White gringo, 1 White Canadian, 1 Black Bahamian, 1 Black American, 1 Black Canadian, 1 Asian American and 1 White English. But you would swear that we were from a different planet. People wanted pictures with us, and everywhere we went that night people were coming up to us to take pictures to get kisses on the cheek or just to dance. The camera on national Mexican television even shone on us a couple of times. An experience that I will never forget is having a herd of people following us singing: Caribe, A huevo! Canada, A huevo! Gringo, A huevo! Inglaterra, A huevo! We eventually lost the drunken pack of wolves when we escaped under the bleachers.

Lowlight: Complaints! We all got along fine in each other's company, but we never agreed on what we should do where and at what time. The complaints got old after a while.

Lowlight: The thunderstorm. The Sunday when there was supposed to be the most festivals that weekend. We ended up going to the mall instead, and all 7 of us crammed into a small Volkswagen. Charlie (aka Tinkerbell) and I sat comfortably up front as we heard moans and groans behind us. Charlie and I have this unspoken rule that if we ever have to cram into a cab that we'll sit together up front. They were calling us Will Smith and Joan Rivers the whole ride...I guess we sort of look like them, huh?

Highlight: All in all, though this was the first trip that had mixed reviews, I'm glad that I went so I actually know what the Carnaval is actually like.

Mexican Spontaneity

Adventures abound south of the border. I was speaking with my father last night, telling him that one of the reasons why I am enjoying my experience in Mexico so much is because everyday is something new, sometimes frustrating, often exhilirating, but the novelty of it all hasn't worn off--even though I have been here for nearly two months (Gosh, how times flies!). In any event, my bags are packed from another expedition: Carnaval. I am very excited, as it seems very similar to our Junkanoo celebrations in the Bahamas of people dancing in the streets in flamboyant, colorful costumes. Assume that the next post will be about that...
Last Friday my friend Cedric woke me up out of a nap to tell me that two friends that we met last week had invited us to go to Cuernavaca. I had already been there, but I wasn't about to turn down another trip to this great city. So we quickly packed our bags and hopped on a bus from Puebla to Cuernavaca (I know my Aunt Kim will smile when she reads this as she often says that all you have to say to me is "Let's" and I say "Go!"). This weekend was the stuff memories were made out of. We drove around and around the area southwest of Mexico City, past gorges and valleys and mountains and cascades and lush vegation and dusty plains. On Saturday, we went to Taxco, an colonial city in the state of Guerrero known for its silver. But just getting there was something I have never seen. We scooted around this mountain, and almost out of nowhere this city appeared perched on the side of another mountain. All the buildings in Taxco are white, and it looked similar to what I would imagine Monaco to look like. We got a guided tour in one of the cathedrals, one of the most famous because of its controversial religious iconography of the Virgen Mary pregnant and of the circumscion of Christ. We walked around the city in small alleyways and up steep hills. It is a small city, and definitely one worth visiting. The next day we went to Tepotzlan, the hippi pueblito that I had visited with Martín and Diego a few weeks before. Everytime I tell someone that I went to Tepotzlan they ask me if we climbed Tepotzeco, the pyramid on the side of the mountain. Well, we did a little better this time with my three friends as we went half way up. Maybe my next visit, I'll make it all the way up...just don't hold your breath. I know that this past weekend was one of the most memorable that I've had here, and I'll be talking about it for probably the next forty years.
The Sunday before, just before I was about to grab some lunch, I got a call from my roomate Hector, inviting me to go to Orizaba, Veracruz with his sister Barbara, her boyfriend Pedro and their two friends Carlos and Cama with their baby boy Carlitos. True to form, I ran back to my room to grab a coat and a few things to read in the van. Carlos's father owns a chain of restaurants in Orizaba called Boca del Río that sells primarily seafood, the type of food for which Veracruz is famous. After waking up hungry and a long van ride, the food was a welcome treat! They had absolutely mouthwatering crepes filled with shrimp, crab, lobster, crawfish, fish--the works! Carlos showed us around Orizaba as noone else had been before. There, the Mexican dictator Porfirio Díaz built a palace made entirely out of steel (or maybe it was iron...it doesn't matter!). What is so interesting about this palace is that he could be built and broken down in one day. I did ask why, and the response I got was so that it could be built and broken down in one day. I didn't press it. Carlos also showed us an old train station. They were and still are privately owned, and Carlos had to work some magic to let us get in. The trains stopped carrying human cargo in the 1970s after the companies became bankrupt and the government didn't have the resources to help out. And so, as far as I know, you can't go anywhere by train outside Mexico City in this country. I was very grateful for the trip as it was another opportunity to see another part of Mexico.
Anyways, I need to run to make sure that I have everything packed and ready to go. Loading the pictures isn't as easy as I had imagined, but slowly but surely, they'll be up!

Mi casa es tu casa

I first have to say that I'm sorry that I'm writing about this past weekend over a week late. In any event, midterms and my social life didn't leave much space for writing on the blog. So here we go... Last week, my amigos Diego and Martín inivited me to their houses in Cuernavaca. Diego is one of my suitemates, and Martín is Diego´s best friend from Cuerna, and we play tennis about twice a week here at UDLA. Last Monday in Mexico was a holiday so I went with Diego and Bernardo another friend from Cuernavaca who is in my hospitality class on Friday and came back on Monday. We first went to Bernardo's house, and there he has two dogs, two large Golden Retrievers. I don't mind small dogs, but it's the big ones that just annoy the heck out of me. One was very old and on it's way out. But the other is young and spunky, and just wouldn't leave me alone. The pest and I had a very embarrassing encounter in which he kept chasing me around and around Diego as he was talking on the phone outside. As I went one way, he went the other, and when I went the other way he turned around. Fortunately, only Diego saw what went down! We later went to Diego's house to meet his very kind father who made us some very tasty Mexican food. Later tht night, I went to Barbazul, a club in Cuernavaca. Outside, there was a crowd of people shouting to the club managers to let them in. "Two couples and a man!" Martín and I found two girls outside the club and Diego went in solo as that´s the only way they would let in three dudes! It was a little like what I would imagine Studio 54 in New York being like in the 70s. The managers were turning people away because some men had´t shaved or because they "couldn´t see" the women. It actually turned me off quite a bit because on several occasions they let White Americans just walk right in even though they were at the back of the crowd. In any event, it was a good time.
On Saturday, Martín, Diego and I went to a ¨hippi pueblito" called Tepotzlan. There, the mountains rise up in sharp, silver stones, and it´s said that because of the rocks there is a lot of "good energy". We had lunch at the market and had some of the most delicious quesadillas I've ever had in Mexico. At the quesadilla stand, I tried chapulines, or grasshoppers. It's an indigenous treat, and not as bad as you would think. Well, I'm not running back to try any more grasshoppers, but it was no "Fear Factor." We walked around the village, and later returned to Cuernavaca. I'm probably not doing the town justice, but it was one of the coolest places I've been. It was quiet and quaint, with vibrant, buzzing spirit . We later returned to Cuernavaca. Martín, Diego and their friends from high school are in an intramural team, and they invited me to play. I haven't played soccer for years, but I wasn't the disgrace that I thought I was going to be! Unfortunately, we lost 4-5, but it was a fun match. It was great to meet their buddies and socialize with them after the match. They are such a fun, chill bunch. They remind me of my crew from Nassau. Like us, they all grew up together. Many of them even go to school together here at UDLA. We went back to Diego's house, and his parents were hosting a dinner party with their aunts and uncles. It's great meeting new people here for they have such curiosity about the Bahamas. They asked me about the history, the politics, the women, the food, my family, everything! But it was fun to exchange stories and experiences with such warm people. I grabbed my things to spend the next two nights at Martín´s. We went to the zócalo in Cuernavaca to meet his friends Ana-Marie and Donna to listen to live music and have something to eat for dinner. Unfortunately, Martín got very sick with the flu so we didn´t stay out too late. I really appreciated that he showed me around even though he was so sick. I needed to catch up on some sleep anyway. On Sunday, we just lounged around watching television and movies. Though I wanted to watch the Super Bowl, Martín really wanted to see March of the Penguins, which was incredibly slow. I didn´t get what all the fuss was about that movie. I later got to meet their parents who are so kind and were returning from a wedding in Acapulco. They kept saying, "Mi casa es tu casa." I thought that this was something that just English-speakers say who are trying to sound international. Even Diego´s mom kept repeating that their house was at my "servicio". Diego and Martín´s parents really meant it, and the kindness that was extended to me is amazing.
One of the things that I really enjoyed about this past weekend, other than the nice folks, is that it was a complete Spanish immersion. As much as UDLA is a Spanish immersion, I have many friends who know very little Spanish and so we speak in English. But, sometimes there was a language barrier. For instance, Martín was telling a story about a party to Diego, and Diego kept saying neta, and Martín would speak, and Diego would go neta...neta...neta. This neta confused me as I had never heard of this word before. So, I thought that it was some hot girl that Martín met at a party, and I ask who is Neta. Neta in Mexican Spanish means really? or for real? or right... They explained it to me without even cracking up or poking fun. I couldn't imagine what my friends and I would do if someone said to us, "Who's Fo? You know, Fo Real?" In Tepoztlan, Diego bought a bracelet, and I said that it was rico, which means delicious here in Mexico. But the fact they they just corrected me is a testament to how nice they are. They know what it is like to learn English and have some difficulty. It's a part of the experience to sounds like the village idiot as that's the only way my Spanish will get better: by making mistakes.
I loved Cuernavaca, and Diego, Martín and their families have invited me back. It´s a beautiful place, and the rich and famous came there to live as it is truly one of the most gorgeous cities in Mexico. Conquistador Hernán Cortés had a summer palace there near the zócalo, and Emperor Maximiliano had a chateau where he and his mistress La Buena India had some fun. One of the most interesting things that Martín's parents pointed out to me was that in the 20s Barbara Hilton, an American woman, wanted to live in two of the most beautiful places in all the world. One was a city in Japan and another was in Cuernavaca. But the estate in Japan had Mexican architecture and Mexican plants and flowers and the Mexican estate had Japanese architecture and Japanese plants and flowers. Now that I know Diego and Martín´s families and friends, Cuernavaca, this small city 1 hour SW of Mexico City, may become my home away from home!
Well, I finally have some pictures on the web: http://community.webshots.com/user/cturnquest. I have hundreds more, but putting these few up was as much a feat as putting a man on the moon. Stay tuned for more Mexican adventures...

Puerto de Veracruz

What an exciting weekend! Yesterday, I returned to Puebla from spending the weekend in Puerto de Veracruz with twelve of my friends from UDLA. On Friday, we made our way to the CAPU bus station in Puebla. Four of our friends were able to reserve bus tickets for the three o'clock bus, but by the time we had gotten there only four out of the nine of us could get on the three o'clock us. So we decided to take the five o'clock bus. But soon we realized that there was another bus leaving at three going to Veracruz--and it was three dollars cheaper!! So we exchanged our tickets for the three o'clock bus. I should have thought that something was wierd when one of the baggage handlers asked if I were going to Veracruz. I said well, this bus is going to Veracruz right? He nodded. It was not until we got on the bus and was pulling out of the bus station that we changed the direct, three-hour trip to Veracruz for an indirect, two-stop, five-and-a-half-hour bus ride. Not only that, the bus was cramped, hot, stuffed and smelled of body odor and cigarrettes. At least the ride there was absolutely beautiful. We passed through mountain chains and climbed through the mist. Looking out of my window I could see the colorful valleys below as the mist was descending onto the plains . I was wowed. When we arrived, we checked into a nice hotel (at least on a student's budget!), and searched for a restaurant. The restaurant that the hotel recommended was awful! The food and drinks were tasted off. Our luck was surreal. I was the only one, however, who had a decent meal. We later went to Paradise, a nightclub, that had a cage of lions above the dance floor! When we were there, the lights on the cage were off, but when we left, the party revelers could see a pair of lions´pacing above them! The following day, we took it easy by laying on the beach, going in the pool and simply enjoying each other´s company. The terrrain reminded me much of that of The Bahamas with the humidity, the coconuts, the poinciana trees and the colorful flowers and trees. It´s funny to notice what others appreciate. My friend Cedric thought it was fascinating that the hibicus at the hotel was closed when we got there at night and was open the following mornng. Everyone except me was in awe at seeing the coconut trees. I couldn´t help but think of my grandfather at my cousin Brett´s graduation picking up acorns and taking them home for Christmas ornaments or him taking pictures of the bright yellows and oranges and brown on the trees in Providence when he and my father visited me at Brown more than two years ago. So, Saturday night we ate at a great restaurant that we all enjoyed immensely. It made up for the meal the previous night. Apparently, Mel Gibson ate there frequently when he was filming the Passion of the Christ in Veracruz. That night we all stayed in the hotel and laughed and talked and shared our experiences until well into the morning. On Sunday morning, when the girls went shopping, Juan, Cedric and I went to the zócalo, the main square, in Veracruz which was a welcome change from the touristy beachside of the town. We later caught a (DIRECT!) bus to Puebla to continue our experiences at the Universidad de las Americas.

Teotihuacan and Coyacan

On Sunday, I went on a trip with the university to Teotihuacan and Coyacan. The bus left at 7AM, and we made our way to the pyramids in Teotihuacan north of Mexico City. We stopped at the dry, dusty city, and met our tour guide. He was a large, rotund man, and the translation of his indigenous name is ¨Indian Gorilla.¨ He led us up some of the pyramids and explained the significance behind many of the ruins. There were pyramids, or temples, for human sacrifice, for the sun, moon, the seasons. Perhaps the most interesting part was when he led us in one of the pyramids turned off the lights and asked us to sit Indian style on the ground with our eyes closed. ¨Indian Gorilla¨ told us to imagine a civilization living among the pyramids with kings and queens and courts and ceremonies and traditions and customs. He asked us to imagine thousands of people living in that very space. Our tour guide told us that Teotihuacan was the religious place of many of the pre-Hispanic, pre-Columbian indigenous. Now, it respresents a civilization lost. We were given free time to hike up the Pyramid of the Sun, and the walk was definitely worth it up the mountain. I had breathtaking views of the other temples, and the mountains that ring this uninhabited city. I am going to post my pictures on Webshots as soon as I put together my albums.
We left this city of ruins for Coyacan, an artsy, well-to-do community north of Mexico City. We first went to the Museo Frida Kahlo, which was where she lived. I want to watch the movie Frida to learn more about this emotionally and physically tortured artist. In her house, her bed is very central and there are more beds than normal because she was often bedridden because the pain was unbearable after she was in a car accident at a young age. Unfortunately, there were only representations of her most famous artwork up as many are in museums in Los Angeles and Mexico City. There was some artwork of hers as well as that of her husband Diego Rivera and others. We then went to the Museo Leon Trotsky, the house where Trotsky and some of his family lived in exile. This was also the house in which multiple assassination attempts were commited against Trotsky and his family. A friend killed Trotsky in this very home by stabbing an ice pick into his skull. His house was a bit smaller and more simple than Kahlo's. We then went to the market for some free time, and I ate some of the delicious street snacks in the zocalo. There were musicians playing, people selling food and artwork, and clown entertainers. One particular clown captivated the attention of about 200. So, I walked up to the crowd out of curiousity with a tamal in my hand. So, the clown looks right at me and shouts, ¨Ay, caballero, ¿de donde eres?¨Being tall and obviously not Mexican, he asks me where I was from. Oh gosh, I really don´t want to be made a fool out of in front of all these people. After telling him where I was from, the face-painted man with a red nose and bright-blue overalls had a perplexed look on his face as if to say: I have no idea where that is. There were murmurs in the crowd. ¿Donde? ¨It´s a small nation south of Florida,¨ I shouted back in Spanish. ¨Ah,¨someone in the crowd shouted. ¨Las Bahamas.¨ The clown who now understood walked toward me jokingly asking to see my passport and papers. Everyone erupted. ¨If you want a job, you can take mine,¨ teased the clown. Further eruption. I didn´t get it, but I laughed anyway. Mexicans love to laugh, and I end up laughing along with them even if it´s not that funny. I sometimes wonder if I missed something in the translation. But no, the people in this country love life and are able to poke fun at themselves and others.
We made our way back to campus to start another week of classes and good times.