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?

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!

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…