I meant to write last week about the Internet cafe I was writing from. It was around the corner from my house, opposite the large graveyard, Panteon San Miguel y General.
All the businesses on my street and this street are for the graveyard.. either flowers or coffins or tombstones... and of course sculptures of Jesus and Saints. It is common for businesses to double up, I was entertained in Guadalajara with a Shoe store selling Nikes that also had a popcorn machine. The internet cafe I was in was a two stop shop - I was surrounded by angel statues as fortunatley, the tombstone business isn´t booming.
This one I am in now has chickens in it. I am not sure why.. especially since it is in the middle of the city and is very modern and clean... not that I mind the chickens.
This morning I was caught in a protest... don´t know what for, but it was hbundreds of Uni students.. I thought it was for fees but it is free here so my teacher thinks they just don´t want to study.
Uni´s here are different... they aren´t really Ünis but specialty schools.. there is a Tourism one, a Criminology one, A Law one... they have uniforms but it is just a polo top with a logo (the criminology one being similar to Te Papas fingerprint)´and jeans. They are in classes with only like 10 people and they are with the same teacher and students for 4 years.
They go for 3 or 4 hours a day generally, and there are different shifts - morning, afternoon or night. It is good because they can work and study... although it´s a big load it is kind of necessary for most here.
Yesterday I found myself at the Hospitality uni for the cooking class. Those students are doing a English for Tourism course, there are only 3 of them in the class but 2 of them work in hotels during the day and then study English in the tarde-noche (afternoon-night).
We made big Oaxacan pizzas (not official name) which is basically a large tortilla with some oil (they used pig.. not a fan), frijoles (beans) negro, cabbage, cheese and quacamole... So good!
I make my own mini pizzas efveryday, but in a pan.. they were really good folded over on the grill.
We went and got the foods from the market first.. the market is really neat... there are SO many herbs and spices available.. and I managed to avoid the meat section which is something I failed to do in Cambodia...seeing animal heads and such...
Too days ago when I was in the centre of town watching a salsa demo by elderly people (a great pastime), there were multiple small protests.. I have become used to seeing protests because I see at least one small one everyday here, but the first one were all ladies in a traditional form of dress... red with weaving so I think they are indigenous from a nearby town...
But the next one freaked me out, young guys wearing balaclavas with spraycans. One man next to me was yelling at them with quite a bit of agression.. I was nervous they were going to spray in his face. I didn´t see them spray anything until we visited the market the next day for the cooking class.
They defaced the large pictures that are in the square of the people important to the Independence! I couldn´t believe the nerve... I was actually upset. It was so rude... They also spraypainted on the countdown to the independence clock. They do the Anarchy sign.. I¨ve asked around and apparently they don´t have a cause. They are just younguns.
They also must of made their way around, becuase they got the maroon restaurant across from the school too - who quickly painted over it in white. I realised that they must write quite offensive things, hence the reason there are so many grafitis covered up in the wrong colours... the business owners want to get rid of it right away. It is so frustrating and sad.
I am waiting now for a Salsa class at my school, and then I am going to visit the Cultural Centre at the Santo Domingo Church... free with my ID card woooo.
I am planning to head to Monte Alban, the Arquelogical site tommorrow.. I am taking my umbrella, like a middle aged French Tourist, for the intense sun.
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