More fun in Mérida

(Again, this didn’t post until the next day, so by “today” I mean Tuesday and by “yesterday” I mean Monday)

Well, it’s now week number two in Mérida!  I thought that after doing a ton of stuff the first week, things would settle down a bit and I would be taking more siestas.  But luckily, it hasn’t happened yet! 

Here is some proof that Bieber Fever has indeed spread to Mérida:

Yesterday, I went to La Gran Plaza (a mall) with two of my neighbors and afterwards, we decided to take a taxi back home.  We were running a little behind and we weren’t totally sure where the bus stop was.  Well, it ended up costing 30 pesos (about $2.50).  Only 10 pesos each isn’t bad.  And we realized we live close enough to the Gran Plaza to just walk next time.  :)  There is a supermercado in the mall, so I went on a search for bandaids.  One of the girls in my program told me that they’re called “vanditas” so I asked someone in the health and beauty department where the vanditas were.  She was super impatient and annoyed as she asked “para qué?” (for what?)  I was a little confused she didn’t know what a bandaid was for, so I said, “para el piel” (for the skin) and she asked again “para qué?” but this time she was even more annoyed by me…so I pointed to the infection on my hand.  Apparently, they’re called “curitas” here…vanadita means bandaid in Spain…here it just means bandage.  At the gran plaza, there is this big pool of water with giant inflated globes floating in it...it's an attraction for kids...they pay 40 pesos ($3.50) and then they get to play around inside the globes on top of the water:

That same day was FHE.  We have six girls and two guys…one of the guys met us quite a bit later and both left way early haha.  So basically, we have six girls.  We went to El Centro for the Vaquería.  It’s a lot like the serenata we went to last week.  There was a live banda playing traditional music as dancers in traditional dress performed traditional dances.  The dresses the women are wearing are called "terno."  It's a fancy, nicer version of the "hipil," which is the traditional everyday dress of the Mayan women.  Here are some pictures:

  

We got to El Centro way early so Laurel and I went to look in some of the plenteous stores with souvenirs and keepsakes.  I tried to barter for a few things but I’m not very good at it.  It’s also super hard since we’re white.  The people just assume we’re rich and have no idea what is going on.  Since neither is true, it’s a bit frustrating at times.  Tomorrow, my conversation class professor is taking us to the mercado and she’s going to teach us how to REALLY barter.  That’s what we’re doing for class.  Sweet, huh?  I’ve heard the conversation classes at BYU are fun, but there’s no way they’re this cool!

Conversing with people has gotten a little bit easier and more fun.  Sometimes I talk to the person I’m sitting next to on the bus.  At times, it’s great and I learn a lot.  Other times, the person really doesn’t want to talk and it makes for a super awkward bus ride.  Yesterday, I sat next to this 21 year-old kid who was on his way home from his university and he was really difficult to talk to.  He gave super short answers and wouldn’t look at me haha.  After answering five or six questions, he angrily told me he couldn’t understand me.  Although I’m sure it was partly true, he understood and answered each question…I think he really just wanted me to shut up haha.

Today, I had class and then went to El Centro again.  We tried to go to the art museum but it was closed for Mother’s Day.  Why on earth would a business be closed on a Tuesday for Mother’s Day??  It seemed super weird to me.  So we went to the Palacio del Gobierno (govenment's palace) instead.  It was cool.  It’s the location for the offices of the government of Yucatán still, over a hundred years after it was built.  I believe it originally was the residence of the Governor, hence the name.  There was a ton of artwork and pretty much all of it depicted the suffering of the indigenous people (Mayans) when the Spaniards arrived.  It was really sad.  Here are a bunch of pictures I took from El Palacio del Gobierno.

 A street view from the palacio:

After the palace, we went to institute!  It was super fun!  I’m trying to force myself to talk to the Mexican members instead of just hanging out with the BYU group…we tend to congregate, creating an intimidating sea of white and no one talks to us.  So I sat by a couple of people as we waited for class to start.  And guess what?  I made two new facebook friends!  That’s what life is all about, right?  Haha….  Anyway, institute was good.  I had a hard time understanding at points, but I'm getting better.  The building is close-ish to El Centro but today was really hot, so by the time we arrived, we were sweaty and thirsty.  Allison especially….

  

After institute, we went to a little chocolate store/restaurant.  It sold all sorts of Mayan chocolates and spices.  It was way too hot for a warm drink so I got a vanilla milk shake.  Waaaaay foreign, I know.  But it was different than I expected.  First of all, it was super strong and second, it was really just a cold liquid...not thick and frozen like milkshakes in the US.  But it was really really good and I’m currently wanting another one.  Several of the guys in the group bought the mayan hot chocolate.  I tried it and did NOT like it.  It’s too bitter and strong for me.  It basically tasted like cocoa powder and some type of chile pepper. 

Today is Mother’s Day here in México.  It’s a way bigger deal here than in the USA.  Many schools cancel class.  Mari and I bought some flores (flowers) for our mamá.  Another thing about her…yesterday, Mari and I told her how much we like her “aguas” and today, she had three different types in the fridge waiting for us.  And she kept refilling our glasses, even when they were 3/4 full.  It was super nice and super funny.  Apparently, compliments go really far here.