A busy, busy weekend here in SMA and the larger state of Guanajuato. On Saturday we actually ventured out to Guanajuato, the capital city of the aforementioned state of Guanajuato. It was a short (but very nausea-inducing) hour and fifteen minute bus ride from SMA. Jon and Aaron from the JR group met up with us and showed us around, since they had visited the city their first weekend here in Mexico. The teatro (theater) in town was pretty much incredible. From the outside it was impressive (columns, statues, that sort of thing) but inside was the real treat. The interior architecture and decoration was Moorish in style, with green, gold, and red coloring and intricate details. Lots of six-pointed stars, that classic keyhole shape to form the opening around the stage (like a giant door in the Moorish style), with no surface left unadorned. Apparently the theater is still in use, so I imagine that seeing a show there would be quite an experience. I’ll have to redirect you to facebook and Lauren’s pictures because none of mine turned out, but it was one of the most different and exquisitely detailed theater interiors I have ever seen.
We also checked out the Museo Iconográfico del Quijote. I know what you’re thinking – Don Quijote is a Spanish book, why the heck is there a museum about Don Quijote in Mexico? Well, a famous Spanish expatriate donated his collection of paintings depicting Don Quijote to the city to create the museum and to celebrate the Spanish expats in the area. Guanajuato has even achieved the title of “Ciudad Cervantina,” second only to Alcala de Henares in Spain (where Cervantes was actually born). Anyways, this museum was so cool because all of the artwork portrayed Don Quijote – different interpretations, different media, different styles, all from different artists around the world throughout history. After studying in Toledo, Spain, where every story and all of Spanish history was compared to the journey and the character of Don Quijote, I really enjoyed seeing the different works. It’s fascinating that the figure of Don Quijote continues to capture imaginations and that readers continue to identify with him and his struggles. Anyways, I took pictures of my favorite paintings (which means I took pictures of 70% of the museum), but this is one that I really liked. |
| Just waiting for my Media Naranja to come and kiss me! |
Other highlights from Guanajuato: lots of fabulous churches, lots of colorful buildings wedged onto the hillsides, great views of the city after a steep climb through narrow city streets, the University of Guanajuato with a ridiculous amount of stairs to reach the entrance (that’s one way to weed out your applicant pool), and the famous and fabled Callejon del Beso. Apparently this little “kissing alley” or “alley of the kiss” (sounds a lot less romantic in English) is where you and your true love should share a kiss. Lovers have come to kiss here (and have their photograph taken) for many years – and while there may be other streets of similar dimensions and descriptions in other cities throughout the world, this is the original one. One thing that the med school curriculum at UNC has emphasized is “integration,” or, putting it all together on your own (sounds nice, but often means students are piecing together the big picture from a whole bunch of disjointed syllabi the weekend before a test). Anyways, to integrate Callejon del Beso with another cultural tidbit from our time in Mexico: Our favorite lunch spot is called “Media Naranja.” In Spanish, this is a phrase used to describe your soulmate (or, the other half of your orange, since “media naranja” means “orange half”). Thus, if you kiss your lover in Callejon del Beso, that person is your media naranja. Integration! Boom!
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| Still feeling inspired from the Quijote Museum, apparently! Michael Quijote and Jason Panza |
Enough about that – suffice to say, we had a great day in the lovely city of Guanajuato. Way too many pictures to post here - everything was just so colorful. Today we caught Mass at la Parroquia, made a final purchase from Don Jose in the market (yes, more keychains – you can never really have too many), and headed back home in time to watch Spain DECIMATE Italy in the Eurocup finals. One unfortunate aspect of the elections here in Mexico (aside from propaganda interfering with our health fairs) has been the law that no alcohol can be sold or served on the day before nor on the day of the election. I mean, I guess it is good to prevent people from voting while intoxicated, but if you are an American trying to order a beer with dinner after a long day in Guanajuato, or an American trying to watch a soccer game in a bar, OR an American trying to cook dinner for your host family and your recipe calls for red wine… it is mostly just frustrating. Anyways, we watched the soccer game at home sans beer, and went to the store to buy dinner ingredients sans wine. The groups from UNC that have stayed with Alex and Kelly in years before had started the tradition of cooking a meal for the family, and so this evening we carried on the tradition. Luckily for the family, we did not have to rely on my cooking skills but rather had the talents of Lauren, Michael, and Jason. We made a Bolognese sauce and pasta, along with salad (something I could help with, although washing lettuce required antibacterial drops for the water) and garlic bread. Alex came to the rescue with the red wine (take THAT, Mexican Election Day Law!), and a delicious dinner (we hope!) was enjoyed by all.
Tomorrow we’re headed back out to the communities – the elections are over so there shouldn’t be any more issues. Hard to believe this is our last week here, and that we only have two more days of health fairs. Where has the time gone?
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