San Miguel, Independence Day, and Bernal!

Going on a towel scavenger hut was a blessing in disguise. The strangers that we met while doing that are to this day, still our friends. Roberto and Eder are their names. The following day, they took us to San Miguel, another beautiful town. We took a taxi to the bus, an hour bus ride to the city, and then a bus to the downtown area. I love using the public transportation system in another country, it makes me feel accomplished, but of course, we had a lot of help. The bus station was the first place that I had seen where we had to pay (5 pesos) to use the bathroom. When did necessary needs such as using the bathroom become a privilege? Granted, 5 pesos isn't a lot, but if you had to choose between using 5 pesos for the bathroom and saving it for food, the choice becomes a battle between two needs....Speaking of privileges, the water here (as been warned by many) is not safe to drink. I had a similar problem in China, but for different reasons. The water in China contained metal that our stomach was too weak to handle, whereas the water here contains bacteria that will make us sick. Having clean, purified, natural water with the push of a button that was made available in most public places is something that until you don't have access to, you will take for advantage. It was a lovely sunny afternoon. Coincidentally there was a marathon occurring when we arrived and we cheered with the rest of the crowd. The largest attraction here is a huge, ancient church where visitors are welcome to witness the traditional catholic ceremony. We wandered around the streets, eating local's favorite flavored ice cream and dancing in our carefully selected hand made flower crowns.

        

With 3 days off of school, it still hasn't felt like I'm here to study, but as Wednesday came around and a presentation was due on Thursday morning, reality hit me. Tuesday was Kelly's birthday and of course, we went out to celebrate her 20 years of the Earth's rotation and Mexico's Independence Day. Every night, the streets were filled with food vendors, children, and couples. Every night, the sky lit up with fireworks like I had never seen before; spinning designs of a bell, a cross, and so much more. On the night of Independence Day, we arrived early, our teacher had warned us that the gates closed due to a maximum amount of people. Then we got caught up in the chaos, the music, and the rain. It down-poured for a couple of minutes and we stood outside of a store, eating a Milky Way candy and watching the heavy drops fall. Eder and Roberto met up with us and Christina and I went through the first gate to enter the gritar (the traditional event where everyone shouts "Viva Mexico"). Keaton and Lucas turned around, deciding to do their own thing. When Kelly finally reunited with us, the police officers were not allowing anyone else in. I could see the disappointment written on her face, as the tears streamed down. She so strongly desired to witness this once in a lifetime experience. Emotions were high that night because Christina and I, along with Roberto and Eder were the only ones that were able to get in. However, we had to surpass another gate. Ten minutes before 11, I begged speaking in broken Spanish for them to let us through, claiming that I was from the U.S. and that I was only here for 3 months. They finally opened the gates... In awe, unison, and celebration, I watched as the leader spoke about the history of Mexico, shouted along with everyone, listened as their strong voices sang, and stared as the colorful fireworks were shot into the sky; so close to us that I could see the burnt ashes flowing down on the people. We went out later that evening and ended our night at a fancy restaurant where I and along with 2 other people did not order anything. But when we received the bill, it came to over a 1,000 pesos. They charged those who didn't eat a 100 pesos each for listening to the live music. I was furious and irritated because they had taken advantage of Lucas...apparently the waitress had told him this before coming here, but as a foreigner (and somewhat under the influence), he did not here this important piece of information. This was a lesson learned.

 

Today, Saturday the 19th, was the first excursion planned by the program. I think that they do this every term with entire group. A bus picked us up at 9 this morning and took us to Bernal. Bernal is considered a pueblo magico. In English, this is translated to "magical town", but there are several required characteristics for a town to be included in this special title. I won't go into specifics, but Bernal definitely tops that list. Maintaining its unique cultural and historical traditions with architectural buildings, and churches that are specific to this clean town, Bernal also has one of the world's largest monolith. A monolith, as defined by the dictionary is "a large geologic feature made up of a single massive stone". We hiked the Peña de Bernal Natural Monument and man was the view incredible. I rushed ahead, pushing myself through the burning feel in my legs from yesterday's work out and loving the clean air, I wanted to enjoy this moment alone. In the presence of my own thoughts, I was blissful and fully satisfied. I had been desiring to hike and be with nature ever since I arrived here. This was the perfect trip.