No town is complete without a local video game arcade. Yesterday I discovered the one in Guanajuato. Not a very popular place (not surprising in a town with history, culture, music & fine art at every corner). The only revenue generator was the extremely interactive performance-based game (coupled with a light show and latin music) called PUMP IT UP!

Now, if anyone asks, this is NOT the same as Dance Dance Revolution (although it can be easily mistaken for it). Obvious to the natural eye (LOL), unlike DDR, the arrows on the dance pad of this game are positioned on the corner diagonals. A BIG difference.

The pad is rarely vacant. One guy played a perfect score during the advanced (VERY fast) mode of the song "Fuego!" which (to my deep surprise) had a montage of the World Trade Center fires as its backdrop to the scrolling arrows! No one else, but me, thought this juxtaposition to be disorienting. Had this game been house in the United States, I'm almost certain it would have been inappropriate. Dancing to the Twin Towers burning down? Does anyone else find this disturbing?

¿Holistic Health?

I was on my way to my regular afternoon pit stop - the internet cafe - when I saw this product in the window of a small health food shop (aka Trader Joe's of Guanajuato).

What do you make of this product?

A Hiking Excursion

Since we had a free day on Friday (we only have a 4-day school week during the summer), Elias (faculty teaching Spanish) and I led a hike outside of town to a place up on the mountain-top called Valenciana. Historically, Guanajuato prospered because it used to be a mining town. Today, many ruins from these mines are left throughout the outer parts of the town for people to see. On our hike, we came across the Elephant Mine (not that you can miss it), a HUGE old mine known for its structural significance and its flying buttresses.

I remember seeing this mine when I first visited Guanajuato. The only difference was that 10 years ago it was surrounded by trees, bushes, the trail was faint, and people were able to sit on the walls of the mine. Now, the perimeter is entirely blocked off, the area is under construction to make room for a golf course and a five-star resort. Figures.

Stitch and Bitch

Last week I saw a poster on a store front of a used bookstore promoting an informational discussion on leukemia and thought I'd inquire inside. Turns out, not only was this an enchanting little place, but a center for those living with cancer to convene weekly for informational sessions and activities. In fact, every Thursday evening, a handful of ladies get together and spend 2 hours working on arts & crafts projects. Rosita, the lady coordinating these sessions, says "it's a way for these ladies to take their minds off of their pain." Apparently, once an art project is completed, it is sold in the bookstore and the money is spent towards funding other activities for the group.

A few students and I joined the ladies this week, participated in their conversations, and got involved in our own little craft-work.

PHOTO: Eddie is learning how to knit a scarf from Estelita - an incredible women in her seventies who has seven children and has lived in Guanajuato for over 40 years!


I also had never knitted before. A few of the ladies were gracious to show me how to get started on a scarf, too. I had never realized how soothing and peaceful knitting could be! I might even consider taking up more of this activity, perhaps it might curb my extreme moments of enthusiasm and help calm me down.

PHOTO: Elaine (right) and Rosemary (left) work on making heart-shaped pin cushions which turned out very beautiful, I might add.

I will definitely go back next week! Afterall, I have to finish my scarf, right?

Biray Versus the Volcano

Let me preface this blog post by saying that Tom Hanks has got nothing on me when it comes to dealing with volcanoes. During our weekend excursion to the state of Michoacan, we were presented with the (optional) opportunity to climb one of the largest, dormant volcanoes in Mexico. Being one to pursue most-things-active, it was a no-brainer that I would jump on board this outdoor excursion. However, nothing prepared me for the challenges that I was to physically, psychologically, and spiritually face. (PHOTO: You can see the volcano way in the back. If it looks far, far away... well, it was! And we were headed to the TOP of that.)

For starters, take a look at our guide! The kid was in pants and a t-shirt, wearing nothing but old shoes! He had NO water bottle, NO backpack for a change of clothes, NO poncho, NO energy-boosting snacks, NO first-aid kit. It seemed that the expectations for this hike were set low from the beginning. Clearly, there was NOindication of a life-threatening adventure, at all. Afterall, the kid claimed he’d been climbing the volcano since he was 10 years old (he is 16 now, btw). In the event one was to get swallowed by the crevasse of lava rocks, our guide was certainly not equipped to save anyone. Actually, no one was. Only later did it become evident that this was going to be a test of the survival of the fittest. Period.

The 7-hour hike (yes, you heard right – SEVEN hours, at least) started off quite peaceful and enchanting. The trail took us through some of the most luscious parts of the area. Lots of greenery, colorful insects. The sun was beaming with pride, the breeze cradled a fresh scent. The clouds floated happily above our heads. (Feel free to insert any other personifications of nature here). The students were gleefully sharing stories and telling pointless jokes to pass the time.

About an hour into the hike, the trail – *poof* – disappeared! In fact, there was no trail, just a sea of lava rocks. Knowing where to step became a conscious and arduous process. One false move would've resulted in a nasty fall, a bad cut on your arms and legs and perhaps paralysis from your journey to the cone. The increased intensity of the hike was evident by the conversations detailing horrible dying scenarios in which one of us was expected to volunteer our bodies for consumption, in the event we needed to eat someone to continue living. THAT'S how scary it became. Between the black lava rocks and blue sky, our true colors definitely began to shine. (PHOTO: No incline setting on a modern treadmill could've prepared one for the experience the glutes and quads had to endure)


Luckily, the positive energy of our group and collaborative efforts helped our perseverance (at least until we arrived to the bottom of the volcano). (PHOTO: Darin helps our photography instructor, Robert, up a difficult climb) Our water supply half drained, our nutritious samplings mostly consumed, we were told that climbing up to the core of the volcano was to be the most mentally grueling and physically taxing part of the journey, but (we were hoping) the most rewarding. Rewarding? As in, there’s a massage parlor, Antonio Banderas playing a guitar, and a smoothie bar at the top? Yeah, didn't think so.

Literally, stuck between a rock and a hard place, we slowly ventured up the mountain – trading two steps forward for one long slide back. Although it seemed like a significant period of time, it took about 30-45 minutes to finally reach the peak from the base of the volcano.


So, was it worth the bruised ankles, bloody palms, spider bites, and altitude-induced light-headedness? Good question. Philosophically speaking, (and I’m sure it could be different for everyone) it's not what's at the top that matters – it’s the journey there, right? (PHOTO: Wendy, Biray, Jessica, Adrienne at the core of the volcano)



But c’mon, who is kidding who? I was waiting for the host of the Amazing Race to tell me I'd won the million dollars. Since he wasn't there, I had to settle for the savoring taste of a TWIX bar. Good thing Jaime wasn't there to steal it from me this time! (PHOTO: I'm kneeling purely for the aesthetic framing of the shot, NOT because I was entirely exhausted.)




As you can see, we were all in good spirits once we made it to the top. In fact, we were so delighted, we had to send a shout out to all of our YouTube friends!







No less than 5 minutes after reaching the top, the clouds formed quickly, fog surrounded the volcano, and like clockwork the rain began to pour. It was as if mother nature had said, “So you think you’re tough, eh? I see you’ve made it through my lava rocks and climbed up my volcanic walls. Let’s see if you find your way in thunder and hail.”

What was this - Labyrinth, the movie? Was David Bowie awaiting our downfall, threatening to send us all to the bog of eternal stench? Geez!

Surprisingly, coming down from the volcano was entirely more entertaining than going up. A slide of fine volcanic ash created the pathway down. Only a five-minute fumble down the mountain, eating dirt along the way, we reached the base. Sounds crazy, but I never laughed so hard in my life. I wanted to scream “As Youuuuu wiiiiiisshhhh!” as I toppled down, but didn’t have the breath to yell and wanted to keep my mouth closed to avoid eating the mudslide.

(PHOTO: This is a shot of the volcanic mud/ash-slide)

(PHOTO: Although it's hard to tell from the picture, you can sort of see the people sliding and falling down.)

This was truly an experience I will absolutely remember forever!!

Es muy "FUNKY"

Guanajuato is unbelievably rich in art and culture. The University of Guanajuato has an arts program that attracts many talented students from theater arts to all types of music. As you can imagine, there are many guitar players – classically trained musicians by day, friendly mariachis by night – no joke! (Granted, they all don´t look like Antonio Banderas and play sexily on bar tables like in the movie Desperado, but close enough.) Since June is their semester end, the students' final recitals for parents, patrons of the arts, and locals in the community highlight most evenings' agendas.

One evening I attended one of the student musical performances. Although the technical elements were still amateur, the passion behind the music was unmistakenable. This was entirely evident through their selections of music and arrangements of songs. It´s always so refreshing to see such tremendous support for the arts!

The above is a picture of a three cats doing an incredible jazz trio (a piece, I regretfully, don’t recall the name of.)

¡Vamos A Comer! (Let´s Eat!)

Virginie (our University of Guanajuato liason during our stay) was gracious enough to offer the students of the healthful living class a cooking course in her home. When we arrived to her house, she suggested we start by dressing in matching aprons (an ensemble I rarely get caught wearing, seeing as I’m not much of a cook), but the kitchen-attire seemed to have suited the students quite fashionably, don´t you think?


Virginie guided us through 2 different types of salsa (a jitomato-based and a frijole-based) and also taught us how to make an amazingly delicious (pudding-like) mango-dessert. She directed the entire class, speaking only in Spanish, which definitely helped the students get familiar with cooking terminology (especially for me, since the words “taco” and “margarita” were my only food-related ammunition. Up until now, I had been surviving only by pointing to pictures on menus and saying "Quiero por favor."). Virginie was very mindful in making sure every student had the opportunity to be involved in the culinary experience.

Here, for instance, we witness Emily and Eddie cutting into a ripe tomato. Indeed, in Mexico it actually takes 2 Americans to cut a tomato properly. Despite their hilarious struggle, both made wonderful contributions to the magnificant salsa! Good job, guys!








Wendy also stepped up to the hot plate to stir the pot...








...but then Nic went "Emeril" on everyone and took over (in a good way, of course). Look at him go! BAM!!









And Nicole seems to be having way too much fun cutting.






I wish I could post the actual foods for your sampling, but the current internet technology limits this possibility – so you’ll just have to image the goodness and recruit your senses virtually.

Thanks for a great experience, Virginie!

Enjoy!

Dia de los Muertos!

In an attempt to gain a deeper appreciation for the cardiorespiratory component in fitness (and apply the physiological relationships between intensity and heart rate), I took my students to ‘una clase de Spinning.’ Luckily, each of them had already calculated their training heart rate zones and were anxiously wearing their heart rate monitors when we arrived to the Guanajuato Gym (which they pronounce ‘him’ in Spanish because the g is silent… lol.) The class started at 8:30am, give and take a few minutes (this is Mexico, afterall… things flow at a much more relaxed pace here).

Students Leslie, Emily, and Eddie are smiling with enthusiasm (little do they know they are about to embark on the ride of their lives!) Monica, the Spinning instructor, guided us through a strength ride – which they call “fuerza”. Barely five minutes into class, she had us in a standing climb. (Cringe… I’ll leave my thoughts regarding the physiological implications of such an intense start, to myself.)

Here are students Nicole and Nic on a seated climb... look at the intensity in their faces!
“Arriba, Arriba!” Monica would yell repeatedly (btw, the instructors at this club do not use a mic, making them difficult to understand – nevermind the language barrier). Every once in a while we would hear Monica loosen her reigns and yell “Abajo, Abajo!” which was our cue to sit our asses back down into the saddle. Dios Mio!

Students Hayley and Rosemary take a break to recover from their last hill.

Needless to say, it was a challenging ride, but we all survived! Good job to everyone who committed to an intense workout!

Where the Magic Happens!

I couldn’t have dreamed of a more breath-taking location to teach a health education course. Our room is conveniently located on the top floor in University of Guanajuato’s outstanding administrative building (the campus, like most universities, is spread out around town). I, of course, encourage my students to take the stairs, but as you can see, this can be quite an overwhelming challenge – even for me. Despite our intimate classroom setting, the view from the window into the city is an absolute vision (and often is the cause of my losing a train of thought while I’m lecturing…lol). There aren’t enough minutes in a day to soak up all of the colors in this panoramic sight.

I am delighted to note that U of GTO implements a recycling initiative across their campus. As you can see in the picture, they have designated containers for plastics & glass, paper & cardboard, trash, and biodegradable items (like apple stems, banana peels, and flowers).

Down the hallway from our classroom is a patio overlooking the east side of town – once again, breath-taking! Twenty minutes before the end of class, I’ll take my students to el patio to practice breathing techniques, engage in mindful meditation, incorporate movement through chair yoga and tai chi. The students seem to enjoy this portion of the class… so I’m told (perhaps it’s a chance for them to enjoy a brief siesta after a night of fiesta.)

Have you seen this man?

Jaime, the Director of the MCC Guanajuato Study Abroad program, plays such an integral role in the success of our Mexico experience. On top of many responsibilities, he is essential in facilitating the arrangements between the students and their respective host families, as well as, assisting the faculty with their academic needs. This year Jaime accompanied us through the end of the first week to ensure all transitions were smooth.

Being that we are hospitable people who happen to have a spare 3rd bedroom in the apartment, an offer to accommodate Jaime for the duration of his short stay was made (since the 2 daddy-long leg spiders passed on my initial offer).

Jaime left Friday afternoon, but on Saturday morning I noticed something was amiss in the apartment…

Now, most of you know I have a weakness for sweets, specifically, anything-chocolate. The other day during one of my hypoglycemic episodes, I had a desperate need for a TWIX-fix so I bought one (lucky for me, TWIX in Spanish is the same as in English) and wanted to savor it as a dessert after an upcoming delicious meal.

Well, now it’s gone! And all evidence points towards Jaime.

To Jaime: Although I absolutely appreciate everything that you do for this program, nobody takes chocolate away from me! If you’re out there reading this – I’m coming after ya!

To my dedicated readers: If you see this man, let him know I’m looking for him.

I´m Gellin-Gellin´

In a city which sits in the depths of a small valley between steep mountain ranges, you’ve got to be prepared to do a lot of uphill & downhill walking. In addition to Guanajuato’s rugged uneven terrain, add to it: cobblestone streets, flights of stairs lurking around every corner, an altitude of 7000+ feet, and bouts of summertime downpours! Naturally, my pedometer and I were looking forward to taking many steps together (and yes, I just personified my pedometer), but let’s just say, my two pairs of running shoes were hardly adequate for our extreme adventures. (Where’s an REI when you need one?!) I’ve already fallen once coming down the stairs, slipped several times walking downhill, tripped on loose gravel, am constantly out of breath, and now I think I might be developing plantar fasciitis. (Aren’t I supposed to be the one healthy & fit? And here I am breaking down!)

On the second day of my stay in Guanajuato, I had to resort to Dr. Scholl’s sole inserts for my shoes. And now, ladies and gents, I’m officially gellin-gellin’ – gellin’ like a melon! And I’m happy to report, I have comfortably returned to my anthropological explorations…

My Living Quarters

When I came to Guanajuato 10 years ago as a student of the program, I stayed with a host family. But as faculty, we get an option of staying in our own private living quarters. This summer I’m sharing a 3-bedroom, 2 bath, 2-story apartment with a colleague, Robert (who is teaching the photography course), and 2 daddy long-leg spiders (who prefer staying upside down on the living room ceiling, despite my offer to house them in the spare bedroom).

I’ve received emails from some of you asking to see what the apartment looks like, so I’ve included those photos in this blog post.


As you can see, it’s quite tiny. However, it suits our needs quite effectively. Just like Vegas, we seem to only use the apartment to sleep and shower. But unlike Vegas – what happens in Guanajuato goes directly into my blog (muah-hah-hah)!

A Little Pressure Gets You Going

Getting out of the hustle-bustle of Mexico City required a five hour drive out of town towards our main destination – Guanajuato. On the way, we stopped for lunch in a town called Queretaro. It was a quaint, rich town full of much activity. The first thing I noticed in the town square was a nurse volunteering her time by taking blood pressure readings of the folks sitting in the plaza. She evaluated BP status and explained the risk factors for cardiovascular disease to each individual. I was so impressed – it was a site entirely unexpected.

The picture above is of our Foreign Language faculty, Antonio, getting his BP checked (which came out normal, in case you were wondering...)

I´ll write more details about Guanajuato in another post.

Timely Time through a Timeless Time

Mexico City is known for their Museum of Anthropology, clearly depicting many of its historical ancestors (Mayans and the Aztecs). In fact, the original Aztec calendar is held there, quite an enormous and breathless display. Although I wasn’t very knowledgeable about Mexican history or its rich culture, I was definitely able to appreciate the significance of its evolution.

I’m much more of an art connoisseur, I enjoy looking at paintings, sculptures, and photography. Luckily, Robert (the faculty teaching the photography course) has interests that complement mine in terms of seeking art & music-related adventures. So we ventured south of Mexico City (practically went to the end of the metro line) to La Casa de Dolores Olmedo Patina. Dolores was a patron of the arts who intimately knew Diego Rivera and Frida. She kept many works from both artists and her collection is beyond captivating. It was quite overwhelming experience to sink it all in. I had heard of Diego Rivera and studied him in my previous humanities classes, but never truly understood the extent of his talent. And Frida – I had only heard of her when Selma Hayek characterized her in the movie Frida a few years ago. Because of her tormented life, all of her paintings were self-reflective, depicting the physical pains of miscarriage, her back reconstruction from childhood bus accident, etc. It was quite devastating. I’m definitely putting Frida on my Netflix queue. (Anyone want to watch it with me?)

Three Steps forward and Two Steps Back

One of the highlights of Mexico City was the archeological destination (aka tourist trap) called Teotihuacan. We visited the great pyramids of the Sun & Moon (which, don’t get me wrong, were absolutely amazing!) Here is a picture of Pyramid of the Sun – the tallest pyramid in Mexico city. Naturally, I had equipped all of my students with pedometers and reminded them specifically to wear them on this day – the day for many, many step-taking opportunities.

Below is a picture of the group modeling their fashionable generic Blue Cross Blue Shield pedometers. I’d like to pretend they were all deliriously excited about relishing in the counting of their steps (so don’t ruin that fantasy for me…LOL.)

Although we never actually reached the sun, the pedometers certainly reached well over 10,000 steps.

When we finally made it to the top, a few students and I did a 10 second heart rate check. It wasn’t surprising to see that we were well above our anaerobic threshold and clearly grasping for air (it didn’t help that the altitude was over 7000 feet.) While we were resting to gain our strength for the way down, we were also welcomed by 2 flittering butterflies (I wonder if that is some kind of sign…)

Something "Plane"

Before landing in Mexico City, I had to take the obligatory shot of the city from the plane window. I don’t understand why people take these pictures. Do they think it will actually capture the essence of what the viewer is feeling? You tell me. I personally don’t think so, but in case you were wondering what Mexico City looked like from thousands of feet high… well, I’m willing to bet that it looks like every other major city.



Being that this trip revolves around the healthy living course, I thought I’d pay extra close attention to all-things health & wellness. For instance, check out this spanish ab infomercial I saw the night we checked into our hotel in Mexico City. My how so many things change yet stay the same from culture to culture.

Enjoy!

International Keyboards

I´m back! After a weekend in Mexico City (experiences which will be highlighted on a different post), I have finally arrived in the town of Guanajuato - and today is my first opportunity to be back online. I´m here sitting in a tiny internet cafe with no more than 6 other computers surrounding me. It is 10 pesos per hour to use the internet (that is roughly 1 dollar an hour - and I´ve heard there are cheaper cafes, those I have yet to find.)

Everything in this internet cafe seems normal... a PC is a PC is a PC, right?

Well, not quite. Since everything is in Spanish, it´s a bit disorienting when you log onto Google and you´re presented with "buscar" and "ir" instead of "search" and "go"

Logging into my hotmail account was interesting because I couldn´t find the "@" symbol on the keyboard to type in my email address. Shift-2 renders ´quotation marks´ so it took me several shift-this and alt-that to finally find which combination completed this puzzle. That ate 50 cents, I mean, 5 pesos.

Popups are another thing... usually I´ll accept, accept, accept when random "do you trust this site" popups appear . But now, I´m not even sure what I´m actually accepting. I guess when my bank account appears to have ZERO value, I´ll know that I had accepted one of those "a third party can view" or "some items on site not secure" popups.

Well, I suppose this is one way to learn spanish.
Just wanted to send an "hola" to everyone!

Bags are packed!

My resting heart rate is 20 bpm above normal - a clear indication of an entirely anxious individual. I'm totally packed and ready to go on my trip! Looking forward to seeing everyone there in spirit!