Touristing

I promised myself to be okay with feeling a little sad/lonely/homesick for my first two weeks here. Two weeks ends tomorrow, which is kind of fitting because tomorrow I start my first class, and the following day I do my first official school observation, so I should be establishing something of a routine. (More on both of those activities later.)

In the meantime, besides wandering around San Cristobal...

... I've been doing some site-seeing. My Fulbright friend here scoffs at tourists, but I'm pretty sure, seeing as how we're taking advantage of a cross-cultural opportunity in another country where we don't officially live, we are tourists. And I'm okay with that.

Tuesday we went to an indigenous town close by - San Juan Chamula. The most stunning thing about San Juan Chamula (and given as how I didn't know anything about the place, I was definitely stunned) is the church. It isn't allowed to take pictures in the church, but if you do a google image search, you'll find that some people have. Outside, it's like any colonial church, and inside the walls are lined with glass-enclosed statues of saints. However, there are no pews. The people stand, sit, or kneel on the ground, which is covered with pine needles... and candles. There are candles everywhere! Rows and rows of them stuck to the floor with melted wax and on tables all throughout the church. Some people are participating in religious ceremonies with incense, music, and pox (crazy-strong grain alcohol) and sacrificing chickens. The place is crowded and certainly a fire hazard but stunning.

Graves at a cemetery in San Juan Chamula are mounds covered in pine needles, flowers, and offerings of Coca Cola.

Friday we went to the festival at Chiapa de Corzo. Although it's only about 30 miles from San Cristóbal, it´s about 20 degrees hotter. In the festival, people dress up in traditional outfits, and the men wear wooden masks. They parade to different houses wear they stop, dance, and drink. There is a lot of drinking that happens - every block has several stands selling giant micheladas. With the heat, the heavy clothes, and the quantity of alcohol, I´m surprised we didn´t see anyone pass out. But then, we only stayed until 5.

Even the piñatas are dressed up for the feria.