Week 1

So now that I've sort of got my bearings here in the city and have started figuring out I think I'll just give you some more thoughts on life here, in no particular order.

1. The food has been excellent so far. Margarita is a great cook and lunch (la comida FUERTE) is consistently awesome. I'm actually starting to like soup here which is a big step forward for me and gives me hope that I might be able to enjoy a full course meal when I'm at the State Department in the distant future.

2. We stand out like sore thumbs in the city and any time we notice other gringos it's typically an event and we either introduce ourselves or make fun of them for looking even more out of place than we do. We ran into some drunk Brits the other night from Cardiff and got to hear how the bar they were in the previous night got broken up by police which made Matt "nearly shat himself" in the process.

3. Compared to the rest of the city and to the house Nathan and Alex are in, we are quite comfortable. Our house has internet, hot water, a garage, and plenty of nice furniture. We took a tour of the whole city on Wednesday and saw the extent of Oaxaca's underclass. Literally house after house made out of tin and sheet metal for miles. And the mexican public housing system which has the government building smaller and smaller homes to meet the growing demand. Really puts things in perspective to how good we have it in the States.

4. There is a lot of free time in the afternoons and on weekends and we've spent it exploring the city, watching a 6 on 6 futbol game, and doing a little clubbing and bar hopping. We've rapidly become VIP member at the bar right next to our house called "El Bicho". Their combination of closenessto home, a jukebox with American music, a pool table, and cheap drinks make it tough to say no to after a long day studying and walking a few miles across the city.

5. Transportation in Oaxaca is surprisingly reliable despite the aggressive driving habits of the locals and their lack of conception of what we in the States refer to as "lanes". Taxis and buses are really cheap and can get you pretty much wherever you want to go.

6. The markets in town can get kind of repetitive. Womens clothes, shoes, trinkets, mezcal, etc. But the market we saw in Zaachila on Thursday had just about everything food related and otherwise you could find in Mexico, including an animal market filled with pigs(yes i encountered pigs in Mexico and lived to tell about it!), horses, cows, and goats.

7. There are bootleg DVD stands all over town and sometimes they'll have movies that haven't come out yet in the US yet. They are also ridiculously cheap so we may be using that pumpline to kill some time as it goes on.

8. Everybody is organized in Oaxaca. Teachers, plumbers, electricians, waiters, cab drivers, etc. We noticed this phenomenon when we were walking home from class and the cab drivers basically shut down a block with their cabs and then proceeded to inform us of our gringoness and their opinions on the US.

9. Our house dad, Hector, is a really cool guy and we decided to get him a bottle of his favorite Johnnie Walker Red label for el dia de padre today. I'll also take this moment to say Happy Father's day to my Dad, my stepdad, and grandfather.

10. Mezcal is not for the faint of heart. Especially if you get the homemade variety our family prefers.

11. Most of the female population of Oaxaca(at least what we've seen thus far) falls into the categories of too young or taken, and those that aren't in those categories aren't typically attracted to a gringo college student with limited funds and limited spanish skills. That said if you go into a crowded bar be prepared to have your butt pinched about 50 times by these aforementioned ladies.

12. Monte Alban is an amazing sight and way more than what I was expecting. I came in expecting maybe a few ruins here and there but the whole thing goes on forever(it takes a good 3 hours to see everything) and you get to see ancient temples, houses, and two ball courts.

That's about all I've got for now. Hope everyone in the U.S isn't working too hard and having a good time.