Oxxo

Oxxo.

It is a beautiful word (pronounced 'AH-ksoh' if your are American and 'OH-ksoh' if you are Mexican). What is it? Good question. Oxxos are basically gas stations here... minus the gas. It is a little quick-mart, akin to 7-11, but comparing it that way is almost a crime. Walking into the doors of Oxxo is like walking into a wonderland of Mexican junk food. You are guaranteed to spend at least a few minutes ooh-ing and aah-ing over all of the things that you want.

My Oxxo staple is the Kfreeze. They are these little slushies, and one is capuccino-flavored while the other is white... some sort of sugary, creamy, marshmellow-y something. I LOVE Kfreezes. I think I probably get one almost every day. At first, I got them like you are supposed to: mostly capuccino with the white slush on top... but I quickly gave that up after I realized how good the white by itself is. When I first walked up to the counter with a cup full of white, the guy took one look at me and said: 'You know you are supposed to mix that, right?' I just nodded and paid. I think he now thinks Americans are weird.

Now, the Kfreeze has evolved. If you put a little bit of brown on the bottom, then fill the rest of the cup with white, you can make it look as thought it is mostly brown. Plus, it gives your sugary yummyness a little bit of that coffee-ish flavor. Can you tell I have spent some time perfecting this?

10 Things

So today is March 10th... wow. I guess that means my time here is drawing to a close. I have ten more days until my work is done and I move out of my house forever :( I am sad about this, but I am also excited to go back to the United States. I miss my family and friends SO much (and a certain someone who will go unnamed at this time). Because a few people have asked me, I have compiled a list of things that I miss about the United States. (Family and friends don't count!) These are in no particular order, either, because I can't decide which I miss
most!

1. Pizza Salad. There is a shortage of good pizza here, and lettuce is not a good idea to eat, not to mention the fact that it is rather scarce.
2. Kettle Corn. Where is it?! They have every other kind here! Chile, caramel, butter, natural... everything EXCEPT the one I love most!
3. My bed. My bed at home is so comfortable and my bed here... not so much.
4. English. Enough said on that point.
5. Timliness. Americans have it! We get places quickly, do things on time, aren't late for appointments and we walk at a rate that is quicker than a few feet per hour ;)
6. Green. I bet you guys miss it too, actually, it being winter. But I am ready to see green landscape again, and I am coming back just in time!
7. School. Crazy huh? This whole experience of working and not taking any classes has made me appreciate what little time I have left at the university.
8. Clean water. It isn't that they don't have it here, because they have it in abundance... but I miss not having to check everywhere I go to make sure the water AND the ice is purified.
9. Playing outside. Here, they just don't do that sort of thing. We go and play games outside at school in the fall and spring, and I really miss that a lot.
10. Peace. I miss being able to walk down the street without the honks, whistles and cat calls! It gets really old, especially when they do it for... well, anything female.

Now, for your reading pleasure, I have also drawn up a list of things that I will miss in Mexico. Again, family does not count, because I will really miss my mama! Note the similarities and differences in these lists. I think sometimes great assets can also be a source of
great frustration... some of the things on my lists are the EXACT opposite... read on :)

1. Weekend Adventure. I love getting on a bus and wondering what the road will bring me each weekend.
2. ALL THE FOOD! Every last bit of it. Mostly I will lament the loss of fresh avocados and horchata. Those cannot be aquired in the USA.
3. My hammock. I already miss it because Miguel used it when he was sick and it is broken now, which I am super bummed about. I LOVE sleeping in that thing!
4. Spanish. It is soooooooooo pretty! And interesting. And fun, when you aren't accidentally calling people bad names.
5. The quiet. Their lifestyle here is so laid back and tranquil, and that I will miss a lot.
6. Lunchtime. Food excluded (see #2 over and over again) I will really miss that time when you get to relax, kick back and just talk for an hour or two in the middle of the day.
7. Work. My job here has been really exciting, educational and fun. I feel like I wouldn't mind hanging out and doing this till my kids kids have kids.
8. THE BEACH! Bwaaaaaaaaa! (that was me crying) I don't ever want to leave it ever ever ever!
9. Palm trees. I know it will sound stupid, but there is something about palm trees that just does my heart good to see. I really want a palm tree someday.
10. Dancing. Everyone here can and does. I am not just talking about clubs and stuff, I am talking about... if there is music at a restaurant or in a shop or in the street... people stop
and dance!

Meh, it gives you an idea anyway. Leaving is always a bittersweet thing. The good thing is that I get to stay here for spring break... six more days and no work?! I am pumped!

Mexico and Drugs

I don't think I have yet addressed the issues of Mexico and the problems they have been having here with regard to drugs. Sometime in the last week, I received an advisory from Ohio University warning all students to avoid Mexico as a spring break location. That is a little bit uncomfortable for me becuase... I live here! Not to mention the fact that one of the people I love most will be coming down on spring break to visit me.

So what is it like? Well... it doesn't really affect my daily life. Drug violence happens a lot, and I hear about it almost right away because I work at the newspaper and because I keep up on U.S. news very closely, even while abroad. It is hard to ignore news that tells so many Americans to stay away, because I feel like I am ALREADY in the middle of it! But at the same time, it hardly feels like it at all... I live in one of the safest cities that exist.

I am not afraid to spend spring break here in Merida, simply because I feel like I am safe here. I AM nervous about the fact that John-Curtiss will be flying into Cancun, because there will be a lot of spring breakers there, and a lot of stupid people looking for trouble. It is dangerous to be in places where there are drugs... period. I am shocked and amazed at some of the fellow OU students here in Merida that are open about the fact that they are using drugs here. It is almost like asking for seven years in a Mexican jail (which is what you will get, no questions asked).

In short, as long as I am staying in a safe place, hanging out with the right people, and making smart decisions (all of which I am currently doing) I will be very safe.

No, I Didn't Fall of the Face of the Earth

All I have to say is that Mexican illness will do a number on you. I won't go into details, but.... Imagine sick. Then multiply that by, say, 50 gajillion. That's me :) And I always have these creepy Tim Burton-esque dreams when I get sick. Just Nightmare Before Christmas, Beatlejuice kind of dreams that creep me out. Hopefully, that is done with!

The good thing is that... I AM FINALLY FEELING BETTER TODAY! I think I might be able to eat something besides gatorade and a half a piece of toast! I am soooo excited! I am going to the beach with Elizabeth, Molly, Emily and her friend Linda, who is in town visiting for spring break. Maybe my little spots will tan over! It is going to be a good day. Even if I pass out on the beach it will be a good day... as long as I wake my pathetic self up to flip myself over and tan my tummy... it's gonna be good.

Also, you may have been wondering... where are all my cartoons? If you are asking that, you are asking a good question that I often ask myself. I hope to put another one in this week, but I just feel like things here have been so crazy busy that I haven't made a lot of time for it! So this week's goal is to do two more for the last few weeks here.

I will be working for less than two weeks, and that is a really weird feeling, because I feel like I am just getting rolling. I designed a page for my trip to Calakmul that they will be publishing... I even helped write some of it! Unfortunately, I have to accomodate their style, so I don't really like it that much, haha, but OH WELL!

How is Ohio/Minnesota/Wherever you are reading this from? (HAHAH WEATHER IS PERFECT HERE nah nah nah nah nah nah!!)

Ew.

I have no idea what the heck made me so sick, but I am pretty ill right now. I can't figure out where I would have eaten that would have been bad food, but in any case... I am pretty bad off. I fiinally got some antibiotics and I am hoping to feel better by tomorrow, but no lies, I feel preeeeeeeeeeettttttttttttttttttyyyyyyyyyy awful. Just the thought of eating is enough to make my stomach wince. I have been working hard all day to get some water into my system, but since dinner time, I have only finished 2/3 a bottle of gatorade (and I am trying really hard to keep it down!) Probably, I will just settle in here, start a movie, and hope I fall asleep during it. This is probably the most boring entry EVER, but I wanted you all to know why I have fallen off the face of the planet! At the very least, I am sick in a warm location... that is a plus, right?

What is that Strange Language?

So there is a language that I don't understand here in Merida... and that would be English. People hardly speak it, and if they do... they don't speak it well. Here are some of the things we have seen here:

"Tourists, take care of yourself."

"Be careful, rocks are slippering."

"Dont' throw paper in to toilet."

"Rock all through night and stop until dawn." (Something like that)

"Thank you for travel with us."

"Be careful, down head."

MY FAVORITE OF ALL: the shirt I bought today. It says "Because the night ready steady underground?" Any guesses? If you want to guess mystic song lyrics or poetry, I am sure the second-rate translator would be flattered. It was just so funny (and actually so comfortable) that I could hardly pass it up!

The Biggest Mayan Pyramid Discovered

What does it feel like to lay eyes on one of the largest Mayan pyramids ever built? You can't see the top. This past weekend, we bit the bullet and went to Calakmul (kah-lahk-MOOL), a major Mayan center that is now in an ecological preserve on the border of Guatemala. Getting there was more than half of the battle. We first had to take a second class bus, bobbing and weaving our way to Hopelchen, a small pueblo about two and a half hours south of Merida. This was the last stop for gas so to speak... where we were going was OUT of the realm of civilization. Hopelchen is the last chance for anything... including money. We hopped on a bus straight from there and headed south for Xpujil (Ish-poo-HEEL) and ended up getting of two and a half hours later in a tiny town called Zoh Laguna (Soh Lah-GOON-ah). Now by tiny, I mean maybe 30 houses. And a public library that has a total of about 50 books. There we stayed in some very shady cabañas until morning...

There is no way to get around in the south of Mexico... no buses, no collectivos, no combis, no nothing. We hired a taxi triver for the day for 1000 pesos to take us wherever we needed to go until 5:00 pm. He came and picked us up that morning at 7:00 and we were on our way to one of the biggest and most important sites ever excavated. To get there is two hours more. We had to pay a hundred some more pesos to get into the ecological reserve, and pretty soon we were making out way through the jungle, spotting the occasional turkey (which are super colorful there... more like peacocks or parrots!) When we finally arrived... guess what? It was another one kilometer walk to the ruins on a jungle path.

After a rough total of 9 hours of travel time, we were standing there in the centro of Calakmul. This ancient city shows well the ongoing attempt by the jungle to trump stone architecture. There are trees growing right out the middle of the temple steps. The buildings themselves are all huge... many are at least the size of Chichen Itza's world wonder, El Castillo (though perhaps not as elegant). They are all very close in proximity... it really does feel like an ancient downtown area!

Calakmul is Mayan for 'Two Mounds.' This name was given to this site by a botanist who first spotted the city while flying over it. Believe it or not, Calakmul's existance was known in the 1930's but remained untouched until 1982. The excavation of the site still continues today... it is probably only about 15% excavated... even the grand pyramids. This city reached its height around 500-700 A.D. It was as powerful capital in its heyday, affecting other giant centers like Tikal (Guatemala), Palenque and Copan. There are all sorts of legends... many of which include a Mayan princess of Calakmul who was forced into a marriage of alliance with the king of Tikal, a city not far to the south. Because research on this city is so recent, there is not much known about the history, and many enlightening artifacts, sculptures, buildings and stelas are still being excavated.

As in its name, Calakmul has two major pyramids. They are the two biggest pyramids ever found in Mexico. The base of the second larges is 5 acres... and you can't see the top from the bottom step. There are said to have been several incarnations of this temple... which I believe simply because it is so huge. Excavation of this temple still continues. Workers were pushing around their wheelbarrows and going in and out of the door in the middle of the pyramid's giant steps. Rumor has it that there is a fabulos frieze inside of the temple that has in-tact stucco work to rival any other work ever found. Just my luck... that wasn't open to the public! When we got to where we thought was the top, we looked up... and there were MORE stairs... a temple on top of a temple! I don't know how high up we were... but from where we stood, we could see the temple of Tikal across the border of Guatemala. Guatemala's border is about 65 kilometers away, and Tikal is at least another 60 after that! The wind up there was amazing!

Just behind THAT pyramid is the larger one (if you can believe that!) This pyramid is much more typical (as opposed to a temple on top of a temple), and the steps are much narrower and steeper. A tumble down that one and you are a goner for sure!

I guess if I could use one word to describe Calakmul, it would just be 'GIANT.' You feel like a little ant there. We had a limited time to explore the site, unfortunately, because there were many others that we wanted to see. Calakmul sits right in the region known as the Rio Bec Region, which has 45 known ruins (there are probably more undiscovered!). All of these ruins are a mixture of Peten and Puuc architecture style (Peten being more stern-feeling, and Puuc being very geometric and ornate). We ended up making it to four ruins in all that day... a personal record for me... the most I have seen in a day is three!

We went to Chichanná (Chich-ah-NAH), Becán (bay-KAHN), and Balamkú (Bah-lahm-KOO). I felt like a little spider monkey, crawling all over ruins, trying to scale walls and sneak up onto closed-off levels of old buildings... but it was fun (and I am still alive, which is definitely a plus for me!) Each of these sights held something of interest...

Balamkú: This only has one main temple, similar in style to Ek Balam, which is just north or Chichen Itza. On the left side, one can enter the temple and see inside an incredible facade that was once the outside of the building. The stucco shows the earth monster, as well as portrayals of the undersorld and the main Mayan god, Itzamná (Eats-ahm-NAH).

Chicanná: The first temple is a three story building that is done in Puuc style with the rain god Chaac adorning all corners. You can climb all over this little building, which made it fun, hopping through mysterious doorways and such. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a way to get to the very top floor... well, I should say: it would be easy to get UP there, but getting down would have been impossible. One slip of the foot, and you would fall 30 feet to the rocks below... so that put the kabosh on that! There were two other buildings at Chichanná. One looked like a palace where a Mayan princess (aka ME) might live. The other was a long building that still had red, blue, and yellow paint on it. In the center was an image of Itzamná, whose wide, toothy mouth was the entryway to the building. We had some camera fun there, pretending that we were getting eaten by a Mayan god for a blood sacrafice... 'cause we're mature like that.

Becán: This site was huge, with buildings easily as large as those of Uxmal! The buildings were Peten-style... and very large. This was the last site we saw, so by the time we climbed the largest pyramid there... we were tuckered out. The cool thing here was that it has a super-long tunnel that once served as a road (who knows WHY they needed a tunnel instead of an open road??) Anyway, there are small niches in the tunnel where the Mayans used to leave sacrificial offerings to the gods of the underworld. This site also had a ball court (though the rings can't be found, so they suspect they were wooden, as was done in many Peten cities), and a large frieze showing some sort of somehting that I couldn´t make out. The problem with Becán was that there were SOO many people there (What?!) and the glass in front of the stucco was almost opaque, you could hardly see it! It was a cool site, though, for sure!

Having run out of money with no banks in site, we returned to our little hotel of cabañas. I stopped by a little quick-mart and bought a tomato, a red onion and an avocado and made my own guacamole for dinner (I think that and the chips cost me about 20 pesos). We were all so tired from traveling from site to site and climbing things that we all passed out almost right away...

Getting home was equally as ridiculous as getting there... if not more so. There was only ONE bus leaving to go back toward civilization, and that was at 4 in the morning! We talked to the owner of the hotel (who was SUCH a sweetheart!) and he took us out to the bus stop at 3:30 and waited for us. The stars are easily the most beautiful I have ever seen... even more so than in the Grand Canyon. The closest city is Chetumal... an entire STATE away! The bus was filthy at best... and we ended up getting back into Merida around 9:30, which was pretty good timing! I had hardly slept... so I went to mass in the Cathedral in the centro... and then went home and slept.

It was a crazy weekend, and a perfect way to punctuate my trips to Mayan ruins. Perhaps not though... there may be time for more, I guess we will have to see! We are busy making plans to go to Calcetok, the much sought-after caves that have been so illusive for so very long!