Thanks, Oaxaca.

Every day I'm here is one more day that leaving doesn't feel like an option.

Sure, I wouldn't mind a night or two free of cuitones (fireworks) and campanias (bells). But I still encanta (love) hearing the tamale man, the 'gas de Oaxaca' man, the tortilla man.

Sure, I don't love that the water is scarce and not safe for drinking. But why should I care when the return is so much enjoyable culture, food, entertainment?

Every day, I'm reminded of how lucky I am.
Every day, I'm reminded of how beautiful I appear to be.
Every day, I'm learning something new.
Every day, I am surprised by something heartbreaking or heartwarming.
Every day, I remember fully what it means to be Nikki, and alive.

So - every day I'm here is one more day that leaving doesn't feel like an option.
But, of course that day will come.

And then, there will be no waking up for family breakfast at 8 AM. There will be no classes with Maestro Herman at the institute. There will be no culture classes, no political debates, no getting caught in the middle of fast paced traffic, no Zocalos, no random parade parties, no street vendors.

Today must have been a good day for me to be talking this way. :)

I went to school, had lunch, went back to school, and then studied at Cafe Brujula for 3 hours. Then, friends met up and we went to the coolest place - Nueva Babel - where I got a chocolate de agua!

It wasn't a particularly special day.
It was just a day that reminded me of the importance of community and connection, a day that reminded me where my passions lay.

It's amazing what you can learn about yourself when put into a situation completely unfamiliar - and it's nice to feel completely at peace with oneself.

Thanks, Oaxaca.

Monday, Monday.

What is there to say about Monday?

Well, it started off with suffering through class, but leaving early and seeing a doctor. But despite that small hurdle, the day was - of course - a success.

I really enjoyed class today because it challenged my thinking. We were actually learning concepts and ideas (specific to language) that I hadn't learned before. It stopped feeling like review, and turned into education.

At least for me. And, of course, every day - no matter what - I'm always learning new ways of saying things, or new vocabulary.

But it was exciting to practice using a new concept, and I also enjoyed the game we played where we had to describe a person in a picture (on an iPad) using the imperfect, and the person holding the picture had to guess who it was based on the description.

After leaving the school, I went home for a lay down and some lunch.

Lunch was a plate full of easy vegetables. Good for my sick little body. Dinner was definitely an antibiotic, and a cup of potato chips. Haha. Sometimes, you just need to eat the freakin' chips on the street, okay?

Anyway, after lunch was mask making class (for the day of the dead!) which was pretty exciting. We had to have our faces lathered in vaseline, and then these adhesives were molded around our faces....to form the beginning of our masks. It was especially entertaining hearing the boys cry in pain as they tried to remove the adhesive/masks from their beards.

The evening consisted of Francis and I looking for a laundromat (I can pick up my clothes on Wednesday), stopping in an intensely awesome shop with politically geared art/clothing (I bought a shirt & button), running into Jack (a guy from school), and eating potato chips in the Zocalo.

But, the highlight of the day was what I am going to call the "movie moment." I was crossing the street near the hospital when a man made eye contact with me. He said hola and I said hola and kept walking. I expected that to be the end of our interactions. A passing moment between strangers - like the gajillions of passing moments we have with people every day.

But then, about 3 minutes later, I feel a tap on my shoulder. Standing behind me is the man from the crosswalk. He wanted to know who I was.

Awesome. :)

Let's see what Tuesday brings!

Please Sir, I'd Like Some More.

You know at the end of the day, when you are laying in bed and you think, "Dang. Today was the best day of my life."....?

No. It wasn't. Today was the best day of my life. Or at least the most incredible day.

I woke up in a fever. My stomach hurt, my body hurt. But as I was laying in bed I thought, "Nikki. It'd be better to die trying to see Oaxaca than to waste your time here laying in bed." So I got up, took some meds, and went on my merry way.

Cordelia, Francis and I met up at the school. From there, we walked to the beisbol stadium where all the cabs pick you up for different places. We hopped in a cab to Tlacoloula and thus the adventure began!

Tlacoloula is home to a huge market full of all sorts of livestock, people, fruit, things, clothes, games, drinks, whatever you can imagine. We saw everything from bananas and lychee, to live chickens, to baskets of crickets, and more. We even got to watch a man making chocolate. I took a video.

We encountered a man who was very proud of his mezcal. He had painted the inside of his own store with the history of "the indigenous people." I put that in " " marks because there are different indigenous groups. Not just one. He was very excited to interact with us, and called Cordelia and I beautiful. He wanted pictures with us as well.

So, of course, we took pictures with the mezcal man.

After we tired ourselves out of this amazing, large, phenomenal, one-of-a-kind market full of colors and sounds, we decided to make way for a cab to Mitla (en route to Hierve el Agua). But first, I had to use the bathroom. I left my bag with my friends so I wouldn't have to carry it through the large crowd, only to discover that it costs 3 pesos to use the bathroom at a bus station...so I looked around helplessly until a man made eye contact with me.

He paid the 3 pesos. I'll be forever grateful. Otherwise, I'd have just wet my pants.

Our cab to Mitla was packed with 3 other people. So, 6 + the drive makes 7. How do all these people fit in cabs? I don't know. But it works. The further we got out of the city, the more obvious it became that we were in Mexico. Or, that we weren't in our home countries. That we were somewhere alive and green and different.

After we got out of the cab in Mitla, we climbed into the bed of a truck to Hierve el Agua. Winding up the side of a mountain in the back of a truck was tossy, turny, bumpy, hilarious, an experience of a lifetime, and oh-my-goodness the views were extraordinary. Never mind that occasionally we looked as though we might fall off the cliff....and never mind that I full on slid from one end of the truck to the other...

It was absolutely mind blowing.

But nowhere near as mind blowing as Hierve el Agua itself. What a phenomenal, living, breathing place. We enjoyed ourselves by swimming in the water, doing yoga on the mountain, and laying in the sun. I am not lying when I say that this is one of the most - in fact, is the most - beautiful place I've ever been in my life thus far.

I appreciate it when life throws gifts like that my way.

We only had two hours there before it was time to trek back down the mountain (this time, we sat in the cab of the truck)....but not before I bought some tortillas to snack on. We enjoyed conversation with a super friendly Argentinian couple (in Spanish, of course) and appreciated the novelty of sharing our road with several herds of cattle, dogs, goats...

We also shared a cab (totaling 6 people) with the Argentinian couple back to Oaxaca (city). They are musicians, and have a performance Wednesday night! Maybe we'll go to it.

We passed the rest of the night at Cordelia's (host family) home. Her host mother's home is a huge mansion with a giant yard. It's old and beautiful and amazing. It has an avocado tree in the back. It has a princess bedroom with a completely round bed. It has marble everything. It was a lovely evening to pass the evening - and, of course, the company was just as wonderful.

And now I lay here, with a strange stitch in my side...and I am considering how fortunate I am to have experienced everything I did today. It's amazing to think that these opportunities and experiences are mine.

That I definitely did yoga on top of a mountain in Mexico, and then laid in the sun.
That I definitely had a full conversation in another language with people I just met.
That I definitely experienced one of the biggest, varying marketplaces ever. That I rode up the side of a mountain in the bed of a truck. That I hung out in an old, amazing home for the evening.

I really wish everyone could have had my day today. I really do.

Benjamin Button

I'm going to go backwards. I'll start with what I did last, and work my way to morning. It's good to change things up I think.

I've just taken a shower.

Francis, Cordelia and I just walked home in the rain. It was a bit chilly, yes, but oddly refreshing. The rain here isn't harsh or aggressive. It's just rain. It's not slanty, like Japan. It's not a downpour, it's not misty and annoying. Just soft, regular rain.

Prior to that, we were in a cafe, but I was feeling quite ill (you know, achy bones and such). Instead of trying to push it and stay out for the night (especially with plans for a long day out tomorrow), getting to our casas seemed like a good plan.

We spent the evening sitting in the Zocalo, people watching. There was a traditional dance competition happening which was fascinating to watch. There are always people selling millions of balloons, scarves, bubbles, flowers, candy and more. Cordelia and I bought memelitas from this cute little family (street vending) and they were so amazingly tasty. And when I say "Cordelia and I bought" them, I mean I had mine paid for by a Mexican man who thought I was beautiful. He wanted to be my tour guide around Mexico.

It was only 10 pesos, but it was 10 pesos I didn't have to pay.

Francis ended up eating elote. So, the three of us with our food just hung out and took some time to recognize how fortunate we are in our own lives. It was a lovely moment. Which we totally deserved because we spent the earlier part of the afternoon at Cafe Brujula, studying our Spanish.

The street artist we met before in the Zocalo (the one from earlier posts) showed up there as well, and we had a little chat. But the majority of the rest of the time was spent practicing, teaching, and speaking Spanish. Francis came up with a clever way to remember when to use "estos, esos, aquellos" and we learned from his audio book that "go go" verbs (tengo) go "ga ga" (tenga) when put into the imperative.

But before all the fun we had practicing our Spanish at the cafe, Francis and I were at the organic market! It's quite small, but definitely awesome. I was able to get just over an 8 oz cup's worth of pomegranate seeds for 10 pesos. To put that into perspective, 20 pesos isn't even 2 dollars - it's closer to $1.50. So I paid about 78 cents.

I also bought an amazing scarf for 80 pesos and 2 little bracelets for 30 pesos. There were a million other things I wanted to buy, too, but decided to wait until next week. I did, however, inquire as to how one might get their hands on a poncho for a certain-about-to-be-born-baby-moses-maurer.

And it's a good thing I ate a hearty breakfast this morning, because I was in full-on Spanish mode at the market. I definitely wouldn't have been able to operate without Martita's miracle enchiladas. This morning, two other women joined me and my host mother for breakfast. They all talked about how the boys their daughters want to marry are usually not very motivated, unemployed, dropouts, etc. In Mexico, you don't get married without the permission of your parents. Paula (host mom) talked about how she'd rejected at least two guys for her daughter.

That's serious business.

Almost as serious as the fact that last night, I dreamt in Spanish. When I woke up this morning, I was definitely super excited about it.

And tonight, I'm super excited for tomorrow. We'll take a cab to Mitla, play there, and then - in the bed of a truck - be carted up to some water falls (Hierve El Agua). Hooray for adventures!!

Feeling 25 (Old).

This time last week, I was sitting in the Atlanta airport (freezing to death) and waiting, nervously, to board my flight to Mexico City.

Now I've been here an entire week, and I'm laughing at the fact that I was nervous at all. Oaxaca is an amazing, beautiful place with an amazing, beautiful culture (and subculture(s)). The people are kind, the food is great, the atmosphere is lively.

And there is a way that the clouds hang over the mountains that I've never seen before.

This morning started at 6 am (because apparently that's when I like to wake up) - stomach ache free! I woke up, showered, looked at the hazy mountain and then happily devoured a breakfast of watermelon and chilaquiles.

Every morning with breakfast, I get tea and juice. And, to top it off, Martita cooks the best food in the world. I eat the best food in the world 2x a day!! How lucky am I?

Then I went to school - and in class we watched a film-short called El Viajero which offered an interesting perspective on fear and race.

School was ordinary...lunch was amazing (seriously, I ate so much. Avocado, spinach, potato, celery, more chilaquiles, tortillas).

And now, I'm in my room unsure of where the evening will take me. Last night, however, the evening took me to a mezcal bar with my friends. It had amazing live music, and everyone was dancing cumbia and/or salsa. It was like something you only see in movies. Tiny bar, tons of people, everyone dancing, everyone happy.

But the last few days have been busy. It's like I hit the ground running the moment I stepped off the plane. I think tonight will probably be pretty calm [perhaps people watching in the Zocalo], we're all a little tired.

But it's the best kind of tired to be, by far.

Jueves.

I'm writing this post before the end of the day because I actually have some time to do it, and I hate rushing things. You know me.

So this morning started like every other morning.

0400 hours - wide awake
0600 hours - the children (or animals? I'm genuinely not sure) next door start screaming - as my host sister says, "they sound almost human."
0720 hours - Yo: "Martita. No voy a comer desayuno hoy. Me duele mi estomago. Necesito descansar un poco mas." ("Martita, I'm not going to eat breakfast today. My stomach hurts. I need to rest a little more.") Martita: "Si? No quieres fruta? Quieres te?" (Yeah? You don't want fruit? Do you want tea?) Yo: "Si, te por favor."
0725 hours - I take my "te" to my room.
0820 hours - I get ready for school
0850 hours - I give my mug to Martita...."Como te sientes? Ayuda el te?" Yo: "Si, si, gracias." Martita: "Quieres fruta? Platanos? Puedes tener dos!" Yo: "Okay! Gracias, gracias. Adios!"
0900 hours - Arrive to class.

Class is always really interesting. We end up talking about really random stuff, and then Herman (el maestro) finds ways to fit in a learning objective. So this morning, he asked how we were all feeling. Generally, we were all feeling quite tired/sick. He asked me specifically why I was tired, so I told him how we could hear the music from a huge concert up in the stadium (that didn't end until about 1).

Apparently, this stadium is called El Auditorio Guelaguetza and was built specifically for the guelaguetza. The guelguetza is an event that "showcases" the indigenous cultures - there is food, dancing, music. It used to be free, but now that foreigners use it at a tourist destination, they charge a price to enter. Only those who can afford to are allowed to appreciate indigenous culture, I guess. -_-

Then, we talked about about mezcal (an alcoholic beverage specific to the area). You can buy it at the bar, you can buy it at a mezcaleria, you can buy it in a bottle from a guy off the street (if you know what you're doing). It can come with a worm in it, it can come without a worm in it. It can be smoky or it can be more like tequila. While talking about mezcal, we learned the difference between "que" y "cual" - and then moved onto other exercises to solidify it.

I, and I'm very proud of myself, already knew the difference. (That doesn't mean I don't sometimes mess it up, though). In fact, today was the first day of my classes where I really opened up and just spoke Spanish freely.

I guess I'm getting there. :)

After class, I walked home with Francis. He wanted to go to the store to buy a notebook, first. So we did that. Then I came home, pet Pirata, went upstairs, looked at Facebook, and went back downstairs for lunch.

Martita (and my host mother Paula) are the best. Martita made two types of soup (perfect for a sad stomach!!) - a broccoli, cilantro soup and a chayote, tomato, and poblano soup. With it we ate tortillas that a guy from the neighborhood sells. About halfway through lunch, Paula showed up with - wait for it - a fresh guayaba (guava) for me!!! She remembered how much I liked the first one, and bought me another just for the helluvit. We talked a little bit about mezcal (I mentioned a discussion we had in class about worms - gusanos - in the mezcal) and local laundromats.

Then she told me to go upstairs and rest! So I did. And now I'm here, and I happen to know that Pirata was in my room because he left a perfect pawprint on my bed.

So, what's next for my day?
Well - at 4 I have my last salsa class. After that, a group of us are supposedly going out to a salsa bar as a goodbye party for Britt, who is leaving tomorrow. We'll see how long I last, though. Ideally, I'll be home early.

Sick, tired girls don't get to stay out late. I guess you'll find out tomorrow whether or not I make the right decision.

The United Nations

I think this post will be a little shorter, because it's midnight and I've just gotten home (and need to sleep)!

This morning started - yet again - with "Martita, me duele un poco mi estomago." Bananas for breakfast for me! My stomach hurt until about 11 - at which point I became annoyingly hungry. I waited and waited for 2:15 to roll around...

and then I got to eat delicious mole negro con papas and a little salad, y mas bananas (platanos). After that, it was off to intercambio where I learned 3 words in Zapoteca (an indigenous language here). And, apparently I have a really good Zapoteca accent. Here are the words:

Tortillas = get
Water = niz (sounds like niece)
Eye = lua

After intercambio was salsa, and after salsa was wandering around with my friends. We went to a really pricey place with a rooftop view, and then a group of us went to a taqueria. The experience at the taqueria was really strange.

When we got there, it was kind of busy. We put in our orders and waited and waited. A table was served before us, then a few of us were served, then another table. Then the rest of us. It was really frustrating because we were there for almost 2 hours. It took an unnecessarily long time, and we were a bit angry.

We had been patient and polite. We had ordered in Spanish. Why were they treating us like we weren't important?

It was a little weird. The food was good, though. I doubt we'll go again, simply based on the service.

After that, we found ourselves at Barracuda. The boys wanted to take advantage of a 3 beers/50 pesos deal. At the bar, we realized that each of us was from a different country (England, USA, Australia, Germany - and the waitress was from Spain). We appreciated how uncommon that situation was, and at the end we got a picture.

I think it's really up to Francis to post it.

Ultimately, it was another successful day in Oaxaca. Every day that I'm here is another day that I'm certain I'll never be able to leave.