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| September
22–28, 2004 Number 28 ParentNET—A
Student Abroad
We have a 16-week semester here at Tec de Monterrey (compared to 14 at Michigan Tech), but we get a total of two days off the entire semester, for the Mexican Independence Day, September 16. So, last week was a welcome break from classes, with no scheduled classes on Thursday or Friday, and my two Wednesday classes cancelled. The International Programs Department organized a trip to Guanajuato to celebrate the holiday, and about 100 international students went. There is such a contrast between Monterrey and Guanajuato, about 10 hours to the south. Monterrey has a population of about 4 million, and is a very industrialized city. It is also quite “Americanized” because it is so close to the US border and has many American businesses, everything from OfficeMax to Applebee’s to Sir Speedy. In fact, a Burger King is currently under construction just a few blocks from campus.
Wednesday night was the famous “grito” (or shout) at 11:00. (I had actually heard three different times for el grito from many different people, 10:30, 11:00, and 12:00. We showed up at 10:15 to make sure we saw it.) This is the main event for the Independence Day. By my best guess there were about 10-15,000 people gathered in the center. There was music and singing until 11:00, then a speaker came to the microphone. With all the background noise it was difficult to understand him, but we nevertheless were aware of what was happening. The speaker said several phrases like “¡Viva México!” and “¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!” and after each statement the crowd responded with “¡Viva!” After about five or six statements came three “¡Viva México! ¡Viva!” exchanges, getting progressively louder. Once that was done, people started to disperse. That was it. We walked back to our hotel and went to bed. (Most of us had slept poorly on the bus the previous night and were exhausted.) I guess I should rephrase my “That was it.” sentence. That was all there was for the organized celebration, but the parties began about midnight, probably continuing until nearly daybreak. Parties in Mexico typically last all night. A few weeks ago there was a party in the street just outside our house. It started about 11, and according to my host parents it didn’t get over until 6. My parents also went to a wedding about a month ago. It began at 9:00 at night, and they got back about 5:00am. Personally, that’s a little late for me! The next day we went on a tour of the city, visiting several churches and statues. The churches were fascinating in the fact that during their construction many indigenous features were incorporated in them. For example, there are carvings of Mayan gods and Aztec warriors on the walls of the building, right next to crucifixes. We also went down in a mine from several centuries ago and stopped and saw mummies at the Museum of the Inquisition. The museum displayed mummified remains of people killed during the Inquisition and the actual torture chamber, with all the instruments, where they were tortured to death. It’s a part of Mexico’s history, but it’s truly horrible.
Many people make a living selling artisan crafts or food from carts in the street. In one small town we stopped at there was a woman with seven or eight young children around her, all going out trying to sell dolls to the tourists to raise money. You would not see this in Monterrey, just as you would not see it in Green Bay. In the end, the trip to Guanajuato allowed me to see what the majority of Mexico is like. I love it here in Monterrey, but at the same time it was good to get away and see what poorer, non-industrialized towns in Mexico are like. This trip to the center of the country has broadened my perspective of Mexico, and is definitively one of the most memorable parts of my stay here so far. Wishing this vacation would last just a
little longer,
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Guanajuato,
on the other hand, is an old, unmodernized city. In the entire city
of about 100,000, I only saw three US companies, small storefronts of
Dominos, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Baskin-Robbins. All the streets are
paved with cobblestone, and there isn’t a single stoplight in
the city. Most streets are very narrow, and so they obviously are one-way.
Because the city is in the midst of the Santa Rosa Mountain Range, many
of the streets are extremely steep, and there are numerous tunnels through
the mountains.
Most
of the Guanajuato’s commerce is made up of small shops and street
vendors. There is a large indoor market in the center of town, with
booths selling mostly souvenirs and touristy-things. There were also
a number of food stands for the locals, which sold fruit, vegetables,
and sides of meat. One stand we saw had a head of a bull lying right
next to the meat slicer, its eyes glaring out at you.
The
rest of the trip was mostly free time, wandering around the city, experiencing
Mexico. I felt much more in “Mexico” while I was in Guanajuato
than I do in Monterrey. Monterrey is such a prosperous area that it
is hard to really see the cultural differences between the US and Mexico.
There are so many American influences in the culture here. In Guanajuato,
though, it was much easier to see the differences, especially the level
of wealth. 