Carnival!

-          Today is Sunday and the fourth day of Carnival Maravillosa.  In Mexico, Carnival is a celebration that takes place during this time of the year.  Everyone has off from work and kids do not have school.  It is 5 days of celebration.  Aaksh, Caitlin, and I went to Paseo de Montejo, the main street in Merida, to see the parade that was taking place today.  If I could describe Carnival in one word, it would be insanity.  It was like Mardigra but better.  There were so many beer tents lined up throughout the street.  Each tent had piles of beer for the very thirsty masses.  There were lines of people getting beer to drink during the hot, sunny weather.  Mexico really loves their cervesa, or beer.  However, people weren’t getting drunk though.  Everyone was just having a good time and celebrating by drinking beer and eating food.  The food around Paceo de Montejo was delicious.  My favorite was the churros.  They were really delicious.  I had been dying to eat some ever since I stepped foot in Mexico.

-          The streets were packed with people, squished like sardines.  Everyone was here to see the parade.  The three of us had arrived an hour early before the parade started and it was already packed.  Bleachers were filled to capacity.  It was crazy to see so many people all in one place.  Our host mother said that throughout the carnival, the place gets packed, especially during the last day of Carnival, which was Tuesday.  She said that by that day, almost everyone in the city is at Paseo de Montejo celebrating.

-          Aaksh, Caitlin, and I, stood behind a group of people sitting on chairs.  It was a nice view.  Even if they stood, we could still see.  The three of us were tall enough that this was possible.  It was nice to be taller than the masses.  Also, because we were in the back, we didn’t obstruct anyone else’s view of the parade.  The parade was a spectacle.  The floats were really beautiful.  This year’s theme was the Seven Wonders of the World.  There were floats of the Taj Mahal, The Roman Coliseum, Chichen Itza, The Great Wall, The Pyramids of Giza, The Christ Statue of Rio, and Petra.  Everyone was in elaborate costumes and the floats were amazing.  They were also throwing beads at the bleachers.  The beads had on it one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  Everyone was going crazy for these beads, screaming and throwing their hands up in the air, hoping to catch beads from the various people on the floats.  Aakash and Caitlin managed to get a beaded necklace.  The parade lasted about an hour or so, but the three of us stayed there and hung around.  Aside from the parade, there were stages set up along the street for concerts and live music.  We had a great time.  We went from only staying at Carnival for an hour to staying there for 7 hours, from 11 to 6 pm.  We had a blast walking around and seeing the different performances.

-          Carnival was an amazing experience.  It was unlike anything I had ever seen.  I wish there was something like it in the US.  Even though there were so many people throughout the streets, it was like an organized chaos.  There were no riots or injuries throughout the entire time we were there.  Also, there were cops and EMTs walking throughout the streets in case anything happened, but throughout the whole time we were there the place was great.  We had a great time celebrating with people of Merida.

-          Afterwards, Aakash and I went home and watched SUPER BOWL XLII!!! The Giants were playing the Patriots.  GO GIANTS!!!  The whole game was intense, but in the end, the Giants won Super Bowl XLII!