I have not updated in quite some time, so in procrastination from my paper (EZLN, Atenco, and APPO: Social Movements and Their Relationships with the Mexican Government) I would like to give a brief update:

Tepoztlan: 2 weekends ago, we traveled to Tepoztlan to climb a mountain to see a pyramid. It was essentially a cliff; we climbed straight up for about an hour and a half...my asthma was not too happy. But we made it to the top eventually. It is a tourist hotspot, for Mexicans and Internationals alike, and it's free on Sunday, so it is a constant flow of people hiking up the mountain...it sort of felt like we were on a pilgrimage. But the view and pyramid were well worth the hike. It was pretty foggy, but still beautiful. And there was a big festival going on at a church in the town, so we could hear the music and see the floods of people. Since it was Sunday, the markets were also incredible, and I was able to pick up a few gifts along the way. Hilary, Justin, and I ate in a market for the first time. It was pretty squashed, but it was probably the best food I've had in Mexico so far. We ate Tlacoyos, which are sort of like quesadillas, but much better. They had "queso de Oaxaca" inside, which is the best type of queso...it's salty and stringy. Mmmmm.

This past weekend, Hilary and I decided we wanted to check out Cuernavaca for a day trip, so we left Sunday morning around 9, and took the 1.5 hour bus ride to Cuerna. We visited the Palacio de Cortes, which is an archaeological museum with ancient-modern artifacts, and also includes a beautiful Rivera mural that portrays the history of Morelos very accurately. Next, we went to the Catedral, and the Jardin Borda, which has lots of beautiful fountains and plants. We ate lots of yummy food (churros, helado) and we found a great cafe that had delicious salads and coffee. We also visited the Mercado Artesania, which had beautiful jewelry and artwork. Hilary found a great painting for her brother, and I bought birthday presents for my mom and brother here, whose birthdays are both today. My 14-year old brother received from me a "100% guapo" shirt (100% attractive, essentially), and my mom some silver earrings. Camila and I stayed up until 1 last night baking them a cake. We finished it off with the very Martha-esque "R" that I stenciled on with some cocoa powder....everyone was impressed.

We are all watching the election very carefully. I already sent in my absentee ballot, but it's still interesting to watch the debates. I think I'm more interested in it here than I would be in the US. It's really interesting to talk to Mexicans about the election. They don't really care that much but seems to prefer Obama. The economy is freaking me out a bit...I took out cash today, taking advantage of the sweet exchange rate, but who knows what the future holds....

Sunday we head to Oaxaca for a week of group travel. I am super excited...we are spending a few days in the city, and then a few days in San Antonio Huitepec, the pueblo in Oaxaca where about 100 Mexican immigrants in Richmond are from. I think it will be a really cool experience to be able to go back to Amigos in Richmond, and be able to understand where these people are actually coming from. After Oaxaca, Ilana, Brian, and Justin and I will travel to Acapulco for vacation, from Saturday-Thursday, and then return to Cuautla for a couple days before classes start up again. I'm pretty excited for the tourist experience of lounging on the beach and drinking pina coladas.

UNILA continues to go really well....my students are pretty upset that I will be gone for 2 weeks, but they understand that I need to go. I still feel weird about being here in general. Being in Mexico, teaching English. Proliferating American values is not something I'm sure I support. And my students' intentions are good; and I understand why they want to learn English. But the confidence I have walking around this town, and the way I know people perceive me makes me uncomfortable daily. I feel like we keep asking ourselves, "what are we doing here? what right do we have?" Especially when visiting "indigenous villages" to see "how they live." I understand that there aren't many better ways to become more culturally educated, but it's hard when you're always coming from a position of power.

Entonces, I'm very happy here, but currently digging into the harder stuff of what it means to be American in another country, and how as much ans I try to reject my identity, I am still not Mexican, and I will never fully be part of this culture I love so much. Neither will me Spanish be fluent at the end of this program. But I think I have come to accept that. I will just keep doing my best and we'll see where that leads...