Posts (page 2)

-          Today, after bio class, we went to Casa Catherwood.  This was the home of an English artist Frederick Catherwood.  He along American diplomat John Lloyd Stephen explored Maya area during 1839 to 1842.  They made a number of voyages throughout the Mayan area and assigned the cities they discovered back to the Mayas that were still there.  This would give them credit of being “the ones who gave them back” to the Mayan people.

-          Throughout their expedition, Frederick Catherwood had made a bunch of sketches of the various sites that they had visited.  The sketches were very beautiful. (insert picture)   The sketches were not only accurate but Catherwood had also added a romantic touch to them.  It gave the ruins this mysterious yet romantic feel to them.  One of my favorites was the one with the Mayan sculpture that fell in the water.  It was very nicely done.  I wondered how he was able to get such accurate sketches and Catherwood had used a lithograph to project the image on to paper so that he was able to trace it.  I thought that that was a brilliant.  That would produce a perfect sketch every time.

-          After our visit, we had Maya class in the park.  During Maya class, we saw pigeons mating in the park.  It was very interesting because we had just had a lecture on bird mating and how the cloacae of the birds would meet in order for sperm to go from the male to the female.  It was a spectacle.

-          Today we had our second Maya course.  For the Biology course, we had an interesting lecture on animal sex.  It was a very fascinating to find out how birds mated.  Birds have what is called a cloaca, which is a small chamber in which the urinary, digestive, and reproductive tracts meet, meaning that when the bird needs to poop, pee, or have sex, it goes through that chamber.  Male birds do not have penises, so when it mates with a female, the two cloaca meet and sperm is transferred from male to female.  The sperm then swim up the female reproductive tract to fertilize the egg. In order to transfer the sperm, the male must maneuver himself and orient the female so that the transfer could take place.  I thought that that was really interesting and I couldn’t wait to see it actually taking place between two birds.

-          After class Ashley O, Caitlin, Aakash, and I went to El Palacio de Gobierno to see the murals.    We had originally planned on going to see MACAY, the modern art museum, but it is closed on Tuesday, a fact that we did not know.  We then went to El Palacio de Gobierno because everyone but me had yet to go inside and really examine the murals.  (insert picture)

Today was the first day of Maya course and Bio course.  It was a very interesting class.  Rebecca was a good teacher and explained everything nicely.  This was going to be a very fascinating course.

-          Today was a boring day.  I just stayed in and worked on my bio project, reef herbivory.

-          It Saturday and that means that it is time for another excursion!

-          Today we went Oxkintok to see more Mayan Ruins.  We also got to meet Rebecca Hill, our instructor for the Maya course.  This day trip was going to be a mix of bio bird watching and Maya.

-          When we arrived we were given a crash course on using binoculars and bird watching.  Oxkintok is a short-tree semi-deciduous forest/grassland.  While birdwatching, we saw a tropical mockingbird, a tanager, the great tailed grackle, the turquoise motmot, groveilled ani, and turkey vultures.  When we went on towards the ruins, we saw swallows, kingbirds, and cave swallows.

-          At Oxkintok, we the Mayan architecture that was used to build the ruins was the puuk style with very long elongated buildings.  Rebecca also showed us an example of a corbel vault.  The corbel vault is a special arch that the Mayans used in their buildings.  I was really amazed with the intelligence of ancient Mayan architects.  The corbel vault is a like a curved triangle-like roof.  This was achieved by placing really long stones on top of one another so that the weight of the stone was in the back, allowing for the Mayans to have an arch in their roofs.  This was really impressive.

-          The final structure that we saw was the ball court.  I am very fascinated with the Mayan ball game.  It is so much like basketball, and I love basketball.  I found it interesting that they had a ritualistic game the involved placing a very large and touch rubber ball through a hoop.

-          After Oxkintok, w went into a cave, Usil.  This was once a cenote but the water had drained out of it.  There were two men who guided us throughout the cave.  They were the ones who had discovered it.  One thing that I found interesting was when they took us into a crevice in the back of the cave and showed us the head from a Mayan figurine.  The space was really small and only 4 people could go at a time.  As the tour of the cave went on though, I did get a little bored.  The two men did put on a show for us, as if we were tourists, rather than students interested in learning about Mayan culture.  The things that they showed us, like the skeletal remains of an animal, were too perfectly placed there.  It didn’t seem real as the tour went on.  Thought the things they were showing us were cool, like the carvings on the cave sides and ceiling, it did feel a little patronizing towards the end because if felt more like we were being entertained rather than being taught.

-          After exploring the cave, we go to swim in a cenote.  This cenote was different.  This cenote was in the backyard of someone’s house.  It was really interesting because the entrance was through stairs that went to a well.  Though this cenote was smaller than the ones that we had gone to, it was still pretty cool.

-          It’s Friday and this means that it is time for the Spanish final.  I can’t believe that it’s our last Spanish class and that it has been three weeks since we arrived in Mexico.  It was sad to know that Spanish class is over.

-          Tonight was a very interesting night.  Tonight, I went to El Teatro José Peón Contreras to see La Orquesta Sinfonía de Yucatán with Caitlin, Dana, Ashley, and Amanda.  We bought tickets earlier that afternoon.  We sat in the second level balcony on the left side. 

-          The theater was really interesting.  The place was a bit small.  It wasn’t like any of the theaters in New York, but it was still a very nice theater.  I really liked the chandelier in the center of the painted ceiling.  It was really beautiful. (insert picture)

-          Before the performance, we all saw the Dawleys walk into the theater. (insert picture)  Both Ellen and Robert were all dressed up and sitting in the ground level at the center.  We all started to stare at them.  It felt like we were naturists closely monitoring an animal.  At one point, someone started commenting as if we were making a documentary about the Dawleys. It was hilarious.

-          When the orchestra was on stage, they were a bit small.  The first and second violin string section was barely 20 people and the woodwind section was barely ten people.  It was the same for the brass and percussion section as well.  However, when the conductor step on stage on to the podium and gave that down beat to start the orchestra’s first piece, the sound was enormous.  The orchestra really filled the whole theater with beautiful sounds of each instrument.  Each piece was better than the previous one.  Most of the pieces also had a 2 ballet couples dancing in the front of the stage.  There were also a few pieces with a soprano and tenor duet and a featured soprano soloist.  My favorite piece out of the whole performance was symphony’s finale, Opus 314, The Blue Danube.  When they played it, it was like hearing the New York Philharmonic or the Boston Symphony or many of the other orchestras that I’ve heard play this piece.  The beautiful thing about classical music is that it is the same in all countries.

-          It was a little disappointing to see the only a few people from the group had gone.  Classical music may not be as interesting or upbeat as pop or rap music, but it still very beautiful music.  I also found it disappointing to know that not the many people had gone out to see some of the performances that Merida puts on during the Festival.  There was a ballet performance that was really interesting, and a couple days ago, there was a guitar concert that was amazing.  Most of the performances were free also.  It just saddens me to find out that the youth of today is just not in to the arts anymore.  Having played many instruments and seen many concerts and performances ranging from ballets to orchestral performances, not that many young people are interested.  The performance that we heard was a lot of fun.  The conductor had played a piece that got the audience to clap along with one orchestra.  The whole theater had fun.  At the end, there was a standing ovation, which was well deserved.  They did a good job of entertaining the audience throughout the whole time.

-          After the performance, we met up with the Dawleys and talked a bit about our impressions of the whole show.  It was also a photo-op with the Dawleys also.  Afterwards, Caitlin, Ashley O, Dana, Amanda, and I went to Panchos for a bit before going home. (insert picture)  This place seemed a bit shade in the front because there was a store but when we went inside, it turned out to be a very nice place.  We had the option of either sitting inside or outdoors, but we decided to sit outdoors.  We sat in this very nice area in the center.  It was situated like someone’s outdoor patio with couches and a small table.  I was not expecting this from a restaurant/bar.  It much different from all of the other places that we had gone.  It was very upscale.  The place had a very relaxed atmosphere.  The music was nice and it was nice to sit outside at night under the stars.  I really did not expect this place around the central district.  Most of the places around the center that were restaurant/bar places were very shady.  Anyplace in the center that said they were a restaurant/bar was more like a bar setting.  Panchos had more of a lounge type of setting.  I really did not expect this at the central district.  I expected this more up north at the more developed and upscale area.  The five of us did have a good time though.  It was a nice way to end an evening of music and fun with the Dawleys.

-          In lecture class and in culture class, we just reviewed for our Spanish final that was tomorrow.  Honestly, I am a bit worried about this exam.

-          When Aakash and I got home, we just reviewed for our exam.

-          Later that evening, our host brother, Jose Luis, took us out to TGI Friday’s.  Our host mother, Emy, is widowed with 2 sons.  The oldest is Jose Luis, who is 30, married with two boys, and is in computers.  The youngest is Enersto, who is 28 and works at City Hall.  Emy had another son, but he died in a car accident when he was younger.  He was the middle child.  Jose Luis has a tradition of going out to TGI Friday’s with his friends after work for some food and to just relax and catch up with one another.  Aakash and I had a good time.  Jose Luis and his friends were very nice and friendly.  This was also very good practice for the two of us because none of them spoke any English.

-          That whole experience did make me realize how Mexico is not that much different from America.  There were many guys there, all of them at the bar, chatting, drinking, and watching sports.  It just reminded of a typical guys night out.  We all got to know one another.  We talked about where Aakash and I were from and what we were doing in Mexico.  Then, Jose Luis and his friends talked a little about themselves and where they work.    For a moment, I felt like I was back in the states, hanging out and chatting with friends at a restaurant.  One thing I didn’t like was that when a beautiful girl would pass buy, every guy would start whistling.  Mexico is very machismo, vey male dominated.  I find myself looking when a beautiful girl passes by, but I do not make catcalls or whistle.  I find it a bit awkward, but that is the culture in Mexico.  Men around here are very macho and that is what they do when a beautiful girl passes by.  However, I did have a good time with Jose Luis and his friends.  The food at Friday’s was really good too.  It was less greasy than those back in the states.  The food at Friday’s back in the states is usually very greasy, but this wasn’t.  It was nice getting to know him and his friends.

-          In lecture class, we reviewed more tenses en el subjunctive.  We also finished watching El Crimen de Padre Amaro.

-          For culture class, we went to La Plaza Grande.  We visited all of the locations there.  We tried to go into El Catedral but it was closed. (insert picture)  It was erected in 1598 and is the oldest church in the New World.  El Catedral was made from the stones of Mayan temples.  I could not believe that the Spaniards would have wanted to destroy some of these temples.  Having gone and seen some Mayan Ruins, I don’t understand why one would want to destroy them.  These structures are amazing.  This goes along with the notion that whatever is different from “our way of life” must be strange and not correct.  The Spaniards saw the Mayans as these primitive people with a pagan religion.  Because it was different from the European way of life, it was wrong and they had to be conquered.  Then the church came in to replace their religion and force on to them Catholicism.  By building over the Mayan temples and using their stones to build the Catholic churches, it was replacing the old religion with a new religion.  Though El Catedral may be a beautiful building, it still boggles my mind as to why one would want to destroy these Mayan temples.

-          We then went to La Casa de Montejo.  It was in interesting place.  The architecture was a bit strange because the windows had Greek sculptures on the sides, but I guess that may have been due to the European influence. (insert picture)  The sculptures above the door were also very interesting.  It was of Montejo showing his conquest by standing on the heads of the Mayans.  It got even more interesting when we went inside.  The place had been turned into a bank with a very nice garden.  I thought that it was very strange that something historical like La Casa de Montejo would be turned into a bank.  I found it a bit upsetting.  I could not believe that this historical place was turned into a bank.  It should have been preserved and turned into a museum.  Montejo was the one who founded this town and now its people turned his house into a bank.  The city should have at least done something other than turn his house into a bank.

-          Afterwards we went inside El Palacio de Gobierno.  I really love this placed because the murals are just unbelievable.  The murals are just so beautiful.  They were all done by a single artist, Fernando Castro Pacheco.  His murals are so beautiful because they are so simple.  He used very little color and that added such dramatic effect.  Also, the facial expressions on the people are so moving.  The subject of the paintings (the fight and conquest of the Europeans over the Mayans, the enslavement of the Mayans, the inquisition of the Mayans, and the overall mistreatment of the Mayans) is so very dark and somber that it also adds to the dramatic effect.  I just love the murals, and I of course took lots of pictures.

Later in the evening, Emily and I went to Plaza Fiesta to buy clothes but the sizes were very different.  The clothing style was very different as well, much different from those in the states.  In Mexico, the guys’ jeans are very tight.  I felt like I was wearing spandex, but that is the style here in Mexico.  The shirts were also very tight.  Throughout Merida, I’ve seen men wearing tight clothing, shirts and jeans.  The style here is that men want to show off their bodies for women.    Though they were tight, the clothes were the same design as in the states, which was very surprising.  I couldn’t believe how chic they were.  The men’s jeans that I tried were a tight fit, unlike in the states where jeans are a bit looser.  I had to go 2 sizes more just so that they fit comfortably, but by doing so, it just looked awkward and long on me.  It was really hard to find a pair of jeans, so I ended up not buying anything at all.  However, Emily did manage to find a pair that fit her.  She did buy it, but only because she had to.  She ran out of clothes and needed to buy some more.

-          In lecture we reviewed more verb tenses: presente perfecto, pluscuamperfecto y preterito perfecto.  Afterwards we continued watching El Crimen de Padre Amaro.

-          For culture class, we just talked again.  This time topic was more or less street smarts in the Yucatan, what to say and what not to say to people.

-          In lecture class, we read the stories that we wrote for homework. We had to take a classic story and change the genre.  For example, make Romeo and Juliet into a science fiction tale instead of a tragedy.  For my story, I changed Pinocchio into a horror. 

-          We then reviewed presente, pretérito y future.  We also reviewed comparativos y superlativos.  Afterwards we started to watch the movie, El Crimen de Padre Amaro, which is really good.  I got to see it in Spanish class last year and I liked it.  The whole movie is about la iglesia (the church) and the corruptions committed by los sacerdotes (priests).

-          The plot is about a recently ordained a priest, 24-year-old Father Amaro is sent to a small parish church in Los Reyes, Mexico to assist the aging Father Benito in his daily work. Benito, for years a fixture in the church as well as the community, welcomes the young priest. Upon arriving in Los Reyes, the ambitious Father Amaro meets Amelia, a beautiful 16-year-old girl whose religious devotion soon becomes helplessly entangles in a growing attraction to the new priest. Amelia is quickly following into the footsteps of her mother, Sanjuanera, who has been engaged in a long-time affair with Father Benito. Father Amaro soon discovers that corruption and the Church are old acquaintances in Los Reyes. Father Benito has been receiving financial help from the region's drug lord Chato Aguilar for the construction of a new health clinic.  Another priest in the diocese, Father Natalio, is assisting guerilla troops in the highlands and is communist himself. Maenwhile, Amelia and Father Amaro have fallen in love and have begun a passionate sexual relationship, and eventually impregnate her. As things become increasingly more complicated in the small community, the walls around Father Amaro begin to crumble. Torn between the divine and the carnal, the righteous and the unjust, Father Amaro must summon his strength to choose which life he will lead.  In the end, the couple, faced with no other option, goes to a small clinic to abort the child.  However, there were complications and Amelia begins to bleed uncontrollably.  Fearing to lose her, Father Amaro drives off with Amelia to find the nearest hospital, but as he drives Amelia’s life slowly fades and at the break of dawn, passes away.

-          For culture class, we switched teachers.  Our new teacher was a woman named Svet.  The class was very relaxed.  All we did was got to know one another.  She would ask us about ourselves, like our interests, our love life, etc.  We spoke in Spanish, of course, but she didn’t want us to use the dictionary.  It was very hard.  We had to explain what we wanted to tell her and then she would give us the word in Spanish.  It was a really interesting class.

-          After class, I just went and stayed home to study for the taxonomy quiz on arthropods and to work on my bio presentation.