I am back at school and surrounded by at least two feet of snow. Quite a difference from the sunny beaches of Acapulco! Anyway, I have yet to recount my findings in Oaxaca and my trip back to the States.

A week ago today, I and two other bandies, Melissa and Cathy, set out on a bus from Acapulco to Mexico City. Five hours later, we arrived and had to take a taxi to another bus station to get a ride to Oaxaca. It is advised to not trust just any taxi in the city, or probably anywhere, so we found the authorized taxi booth in the bus station and ordered up a ticket for a taxi. We paid a total of about $7 for a 20-min ride across town, and then the driver also charged us 30 pesos more for our luggage. We later learned that the luggage fine was complete nonsense and nothing but a rip-off for unsuspecting gringos as ourselves. Oh well.

At the other bus station, I got 3 tickets for the 3pm bus. We had to wait 1.5 hrs, so we took the time to make some PB&J sandwiches with the resources we brought. Who would have thought we’d be picnicking in a Mexico bus station?! The bus loaded on time and soon we were off. Unfortunately, some passenger slept and *snored* during the first 4 hours of our
6-hr bus ride. We found it quite amusing.

Around 9:30pm, we arrived in Oaxaca, the 4th-largest city in the country. After getting our luggage, we headed into the small, busy terminal. We needed to call the orphanage so they could come pick us up, so then began our adventure in search of a phone. We found some outside, but after much confusion we realized that one must have a phone card to use it. So then I went back inside and found a worker who spoke English. He told me that next door is a hotel with a phone for local calls. Melissa came with me while Cathy watched our luggage. We found the phone and got a hold of someone, but that someone did not speak English. After much exchanging of words, I finally understood her. I had to call back in 5 minutes, giving her enough time to find an English speaker. After a 2nd call, an American voice responded on the other side and soon we were picked up.

The orphanage, Casa Hogar (a house that is a home), is located on the outskirts of town. Carol, the lady who is currently is in charge and has been for a number of years, lives just a stone’s thrown away in a house that was built for her, by some volunteers from TX, a year ago. With her live her husband and hopefully their soon-to-be-adopted son. We were housed a short walk away and across the highway in a bungalow. A group of about 7 people from St. Olaf also flew down for an Interim break trip to help out at the orphanage, so we all stayed together.

After a good night’s sleep, we woke up and walked over to Casa Hogar. The orphanage houses about 70 kids and constantly has projects that need to be done, with the help of volunteers that come down. During my 4 days there, some of the projects included sorting and folding tons of donated clothes for an upcoming sale, tearing down a roof, learning how to put cement on a wall, Mexican style (i.e. probably more complicated and time-consuming than how it’s done here with all of our specialized tools), painting those walls, laying a cement floor, and tearing down a chicken coop.

The rest of the time was spent playing with kids. We all learned a good amount of Spanish from the kids, who are great teachers. One boy, Daniel (about 7), took a liking to me (I think). Everytime I saw him, he would come up to me and let me know that he knew my name (which, btw, I introduced myself as Kat, which is ‘gato’ en Español – the kids found this very amusing) and give me a hug. I had a great time teaching him cat’s cradle one afternoon, during which I learned the Spanish words for fingers, cradle, and saw (one of the figures).

Another kid, whose company I enjoyed (and vice versa ), was Esther. Esther is 11 and blind. I met her on the swing set and ended up pushing her on the swing. During my times around her, it was fun to describe things to her as well as the happenings around us. She enjoyed meowing every time she said my name. We brought markers, crayons, and paper for the kids, so a lot of coloring and drawing went on. Daniel and I did an exchange of drawings; he drew Mickey Mouse and I drew a collage of items that represent Kansas (such as the state flower, state bird).

On our free afternoon, the group of us volunteers went to Oaxaca’s zocalo and market. With 4.5 hours to wander around, I did a lot of my gift shopping there. The market was the cleanest one I’ve seen on this trip. It was indoors, everything was very tidy, and we got this feeling that we shouldn’t bargain. That didn’t stop me, though; I always haggle.

We 3 bandies, encountered a few items native to Oaxaca at the market. The first is chocolate. Many chocolate stands were set up, selling many differently sized packages, types, and forms of chocolate. The chocolate is much different than what we are used to; it has more texture with very grainy salt, and some of it isn’t as sweet and smooth as a Hershey’s kiss. The second finding are these carved wooden figures of various animals: pumas, horses, armadillos, porcupines. They are brightly painted with many colors and various designs. The third and most interesting finding was that of fried grasshoppers. Native women, in their hand-made dresses and braided hair, walk around the market with shallow woven baskets filled with grasshoppers. One can buy minute, small, or big grasshoppers. They are seasoned with chile and probably with a few more ingredients. That evening, we all commenced in a grasshopper-eating ceremony. Mmmm, crunchy!

Thursday evening, after saying goodbye to a few of the kids (they were watching a Spanish-dubbed Veggitales movie), I hopped on a bus en route to Mexico City. The ride lasted from 10pm-4:30am, and sadly I couldn’t sleep very well. After arriving, I got a taxi to the airport; I was ripped off again, being charged 95 pesos, but I wasn’t in the mood to find the words to argue in Spanish. At the airport, I checked in, exchanged my money back to US $, and waited for my 7am flight. On my flights back to Minnesota, I found myself wanting to talk to the flight attendants in Spanish. On the other hand, it was great to land in Houston and use a clean bathroom. I finally arrived safely in MSP at 1:00pm and got a ride back to school where I took a nap.

It’s been good to be back and just take it easy. If only school didn’t start tomorrow…

So what will I miss/not miss about Mexico?

Miss:

•   limonada (lemonade)
•   sangria
•   cheap meals
•   help with carrying my suitcase at hotels
•   seeing the word ‘bodega’ since it reminds me of the Philippines
•   being put into situations to speak Spanish
•   the huge and enthusiastic crowds at our band concerts
•   the slower pace of life

Not miss:

•   pollution!
•   having to pay about 20 cents to use public bathrooms
•   throwing the used toilet paper into the waste basket so as not to clog
•   the 2-in. pvc piping
•  not having toilet paper
•   the constant honking of car horns
•   cab drivers and vendors ripping me off
•   speed bumps everywhere

And with that, so ends my trip to Mexico. When I post the photos on the band’s website, you’ll receive another email. Until then, come to our home concert this Sunday, Feb. 14 at 8:00pm in Skoglund. And if you really want to catch the band off guard, chant “o-tra, o-tra” (lit. ‘another!’) over and over for an encore. )

Thanks for reading; hope you’ve enjoyed it!

Adios,
Katherine

Well, I made it to Oaxaca. I’m in my 2nd full day here, and it’s been interesting so far. But let me lead up to where I am from back in Acapulco.

So, most of the band left on Friday. On Saturday, the 25 of us that were well were invited on a yacht! A lady, who had read the paper and saw our concert advertised, 15 min. before the performance began, decided to come hear us. She is originally from Minneapolis, but then came down to Acapulco for a water skiing competition and has been here ever since for the past 40 years. She started her own yacht company “Fish-R-Us”, and so after the concert she offered up a ride to us. That Saturday afternoon, we piled into 5 VW Bugs (the old-school kind, not the new, “cute” ones) and headed over to the pier. Christina was waiting for us. When the yacht came in, we got on board and headed out.

First, we were taken to some shallow water near a beach. The water was so *perfect*, warm and clear. The crew gave us snorkeling equip and some floating boats w/paddles. I had never snorkeled before, so I put on some flippers and the goggles. I had difficulty getting the hang of it, at first, but I ended up really enjoying it. We saw some schools of fish as well as the bottom of the water. After about 30 min, we all got back on and headed out to the edge where land meets vast ocean. As the sun was setting, the crew took us by where the famous Acapulco divers perform.

Then the boat just drifted as we enjoyed a colorful sunset. Afterwards, we headed back inland and circled the bay before finishing our 3-hr cruise. We found out that our free trip was a $700 cruise, but we gave tips. That afternoon was a perfect way to end the trip and turn the previous negative happenings of Acapulco into something enjoyable.

That evening, I went out with 6 others to a place called Carlos and Charlie’s for dinner. What an interesting evening we had… We all ordered things like nachos or chicken fingers, as well as some pina coladas and sangria. Then during our meal, one of the male waiters dressed in a crazy costume and wig got up on the counter and did a dance to some music. Then another bartender proceeded to pour a thin stream of sangria down his throat for 2 min straight. As I said, it was interesting. If you want to know what else happened, you’ll have to personally ask me. )

That night I packed, and at 7:20am the next morning the 3 of us heading to Oaxaca took a taxi to the bus terminal.

Because I’m in a hurry to let someone else use the internet, I’ll wrap this up probably when I return to St. Olaf (*if* I return!).

Hasta luego,
Katherine

The next day, everyone was on the beach, soaking up the sun. The ocean is nice and warm, but the tide can be *very* strong! I got pulled under as one wave was coming in and another was coming out. Scary. I now have lovely, and painful, sand scratch from being dragged up the beach by the wave, as many other bandies do. Of course, we are dealing with sand-stuffed swimming suits and salty water since this is the Pacific Ocean.

The pool is a nice way to relax in clean, calm water after a couple of rough hours on the beach. The other day, a bunch of us were exposed to the wonderful game of tequila volleyball. While we were playing pool volleyball, the bartender came over with a fruit mix of tequila; everytime someone made a bad hit or missed, the guy would shout “tequila!” and swim over to pour the mixture into the ‘unfortuate’ person’s mouth. Only in Mexico…

We have found out that being on the beach of Acapulco is a great way to shop. Countless vendors of sunglasses, hats, and other trinkets comb the beaches for shoppers with weak souls. Also, many ladies advertise their braiding skills with little picture booklets of how they can braid one’s hair. About half of the bandie women spent an hour getting corn rolls. Kaicy McLeod, who has probably the longest hair, spent 3 hrs in a chair! Alas, I chose not to get my hair done.

Yesterday, Thurs the 29th, was our last concert. Mahr took the officers out for lunch and we worked on the Band Awards. At 3:30pm, we loaded the buses and drove across town to Fort San Diego to set up for a 7pm concert. The weather was very hot (I think I heard a high of 98F), so it was exhausting for the truck crew. I gave my devotional before we took the outdoor stage located in the middle of the fort. During the concert, though, bandies started dropping like flies, leaving between songs to go puke in the bathrooms. If I can remember, by the end of the concert, we had lost: 2 clarinets, 3 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 of 5 bass clarinets, 2 trumpets, 1 percussion. Later that evening, a bunch more became sick. Before I go into that though, the concert went well. The crowd wasn’t too enthusiastic, but I enjoyed the accoustics. I felt that the big bass drum hits were like cannons firing from the fort. )

AND, afterwards, a couple came up and asked who in the clarinets is from Larned, KS. ME! For those of you who don’t know, I come from a town of 4800 in the middle of the state, anyone knowing where Larned is is a miracle.

The sickness:
It is hyphothesised that about 5 people, who had all eaten the chicken mcnuggets from McDonalds were sick from that. They threw up and felt better. The rest, perhaps 25 total, are thought to have suffered from heat stroke and exhaustion. Some had pale faces, Anne Murphy had to be carried halfway back to the bus, Kaicy went on a search for anyone with plastic bags,

in case some didn’t survive the bus ride back the hotel, others were really weak. The sick people were dropped off around 10pm, while the rest of us went to the other side of town for a fancy farewell dinner. We’re all a bit disappointed that tour ended on a downfall, but I don’t think anyone could have foreseen this scenario. We ate at a very fancy place with floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the lit bay. Caesar salad (mmm, salad! finally!), seabass with mussels, and tiramisu were on our menu. It was around 11pm when we ate, and by then people were a bit exhausted. A few more people broke down and we’re too hungry.

Back at the hotel, around 12:30am, I got straight into bed to get a good night’s sleep. Then my phone rang around 1:15am and was summoned to Lindsey Austin’s room.

My deviation:
I and 5 other bandies have planned to visit and volunteer at an orphanage in Oaxaca. Yesterday morning, we went to the bus station to buy tickets for the ride there. Upon finding out that no direct trips to Oaxaca exist, we bought tickets for a 5-hr trip to Mexico City where we will have to then take a taxi to another terminal and buy another ticket for the 5.5-hr ride to Oaxaca. Although this seems complicated, it is actually a shorter trip through Mexico City rather than taking very windy roads to Oaxaca. Lindsey and 2 others had planned to go this morning (Friday), and I and 2 others bought tickets for Sunday. Last night, though, Sarah DeMoss (who had planned to bus today) fell ill. It was decided, in our late-night meeting, that we would all just take the Sunday bus and hope that Sarah would be better by then. This morning though, Lindsey was sick too. She was really torn up, because out of the 6 of us, she has been very excited for this deviation.

Two-thirds of the band left for the airport at noon today, so Lindsey dragged her tired body along in order to check out her flight options back to the U.S. on Sunday. I am hoping that with a day-and-a-half of rest, both Lindsey and Sarah will recover, and all of us will get to Oaxaca together. One of the girls, though, is deciding to fly home anyway, if the price is right.

I came down to see the band off today. A few people were still having to walk very slowly, and poor Shelly Wipf was not looking good at all. Hopefully, when they are all on plane, everyone will be able to just rest. Dr. Mahr and his family went with this first batch, while Rich and Sylvia are staying until the Sunday group flies. It was really sad to see people tired and lacking enthusiasm, and I was just depressed to say goodbye everyone. I felt like I wasn’t going to see these people for a long time, when in fact school starts up in just over a week. It hit me that my senior and final tour has come to a close, but I consoled myself by looking back through the 500 digital photos I’ve captured.

Obviously, since I am here typing away I am puke-free. Thank goodness. In fact, my whole hotel quad is healthy. I am looking forward to the next couple of relaxing, snow-free days in Acapulco. The trip to Oaxaca will be an adventure, and I’ve always wanted to give myself a shot at traveling in foreign country with me as my own leader.

Hope everyone in Minnesota is staying warm. We’ve heard about the 20-30 below windchill. Brrrr! You’ll hear from me again, probably when (cross fingers) I’m in Oaxaca.

Take care,
el gato

Well, there’s much to say that is very interesting, so let me begin from the beginning…

Mexico City to Cuernavaca, Sun. Jan 25:
The bus ride took only 1.5 hrs, and we arrived in the city around lunchtime. We were given a couple of hours to find food and to explore around. Cortes’ castle still stands, but I didn’t go in because of an entrance fee.

After our freetime, we met back at Jardin de Borda (Borda’s Garden) to set up, rehearse, take a short siesta, and perform. This was probably the most interesting venue yet and gave the truck crew a bit of a challenge. The stage is really small, so no risers were set up. In addition to that, a moat runs between the stage and the audience (this is an outdoor venue), which is home to ducks and geese. We had to truck our equipment down and around the moat, and a special podium was built over the water for Dr. Mahr. ) During rehearsal and our performance, we had a few of the fowl voice their opinions, BUT by our astounding run of luck, they were quiet for Amazing Grace. We had yet another big crowd, and they enjoyed the concert.

When the performance and trucking were finished, we had time to eat dinner. Many section dinners were had, including the clarinets in which we planned our skit for “no-talent night.” We had a riotous time, and I think I wore myself out from laughing so much.

Around 10:45pm, we finally left for our hotel. The place we stayed at is the Hacienda Vista Hermosa, which was Cortes’ hacienda back in the 16th century. It was also used in many films, including Butch Cassidy. What an *amazing* place. I spent most of the next day exploring around. First of all, my room opened up into a big bedroom with one big bed. Then through another pair of doors was a bigger room holding three smaller beds in a row. This is perhaps the size of Fireside (a lobby at St. Olaf Student Union), and maybe a bit longer. Next, both corridors of the first and second main floors are like huge, underground tunnels, except the first floor opens to the outdoors on one side. The main walkway between the main section of the hacienda and the restaurant/pool is lined by tall palm trees. The pool is huge with the old aqueduct running thru the middle of it.

Because the hacienda is spread out, there are many nooks and crannies to find. In addition, the place has a stable with horses to rent for rides, a big pond, a gigantic main lawn in front where we held class, peacocks (even 3 albinos!), and so much more. It was a place providing much-needed rest, and we took advantage of it.

As for class, we had our second (and last) group meeting since the beginning in Guanajuato. The time went much better than our profs had expected. So many people stood up and shared their experiences, and it was very worthwhile to hear different stories. Many commented on how their views of Mexico and its people have gone from negative to positive. Some shared really touching stories; for example, one of the bandies from California felt so good to finally understand the people who have been looked down upon in her HS and city. I think we are all lucky to have experienced this tour with an academic twist, otherwise we would have been ignorant tourists. I feel like I know more about Mexican history than U.S. history.

Anyway, after a day of relaxation, we were on our way to… ACAPULCO! The bus ride was thankfully split into two sections. We first traveled for 2 hrs to the town of Taxco. Taxco is a town similar to Guanajuato in that it was built on Spain’s acquisition of Mexico’s silver deposits. Many silver shops are found in this town, and the prices are very cheap compared to in the U.S. All actual silver items are stamped is ‘92.5′ meaning that it is 92.5% silver; if one wants to be sure about getting the real deal, then one goes to a silver store, because the stores are certified. I only had time to buy two items, because the rest of my visit was spent at the traditional senior lunch in which the seniors take Rich and Dr. Mahr out. Monica, one of our tour guides showed me a place, and later I led the group to this restaurant in which we sat on the 3rd floor, out on a balcony with a great view of the town. The weather was perfect, we had table umbrellas, and the food was good. In the end, I was surprisingly given a free meal because I was the one who led the group there. Excellent!

After leaving Taxco, we still had 5 hrs before arriving to… ACAPULCO!

to be continued very soon…

Katherine

It’s been awhile between emails, because I either haven’t found time or places to send messages from.

If I recall, my last email came from before our departure to Puebla. We reached Puebla in the late afternoon and were dropped off at a small market (items for sale, not food). After 1.5 hrs of browsing around, we met at the city’s zocalo to get back onto the buses. About 30 bandies went to the Holiday Inn hotel, and the rest of us went to the Centro Escolar school to meet up with our host families. Gretchen Riewe and I had signed up together, but apparently they couldn’t fulfill every pair. In other words, I flew solo with a host family.

My host father, Alberto, picked me up. Alberto is a chemistry teacher at the school and thankfully speaks some English. The house is a short 10-min. drive from the school. At home, I met his wife Lulu (nickname) and his 24-yr-old son Alberto. They fed me dinner and then I spent what seemed like an eternity listening to Alberto (the younger) talk. He has really good English, and his stories were funny, but I never really said much back.

This family is pretty rich in Mexican standards. They have a 2-story house with a rooftop and garage. They own 3 cars. The floor is tiled, and the house is well furnished, esp the living room. The parents both have their own bedrooms, which our tour guide Monica told me is more of a sign of wealth and old age than marital problems (Alberto is 73). They own TVs and at least 1 DVD player, VCR and CD player (probably 2 of each). Before I went to bed, the younger daughter, Claudia (33) came home from work. I slept in her bedroom, but we had separate beds.

The next morning, the homestay students went to Centro Escolar to see the school’s marching band perform. This was the marching band that marched in the Rose Bowl Parade this year (the first from Mexico, and think how long the parade has been going on!). They weren’t musically magnificent, but they did put on a great show, especially the drum corps. The sousaphones were even impressive in their movements.

Afterwards, we grouped with English-speaking students and they showed us around the school. Centro Escolar holds grades K-12, so the place takes up a huge block. After looking around the school, we walked to the zocalo. The people I was with just wanted to rest, so we sat in the zocalo for a good hour or so. Then we all met at a nearby restaurant to receive money to take us and our guides out to lunch. The hotel bandies spent the morning at a side-by-side with an area band of Puebla (they had less fun than the rest of us ). In the afternoon, we rehearsed at our indoor venue and then had a group dinner back at the hotel. Our evening concert went well; the place was pretty full (prob. more than 1,000). Only my host dad came, and afterwards, I invited him to the reception at David Brye’s house.

The next morning, after farewells to my host family, I was driven to the school and we left for Mexico City. When we arrived, we just had time to bring luggage to our rooms and eat lunch before going to the Teatro de la Ciudad for rehearsal and a 6:00 performance. The Teatro is one of the best/most beautiful venues in Mexico, but it lacked in reverb. The place holds 1,500 and the count was 1,354! (haha Ole Choir; oh, this is being posted?) That evening, we were all tired, and didn’t want to go searching for a restaurant, so many went to the hotel restaurant. I and 6 others ordered in Domino’s Pizza and had a great evening in the 4th floor lobby eating, chatting, and laughing.

We were off once again the next morning to Cuernavaca, which I will begin in another e-mail so this one isn’t drastically long…

Katherine

I forgot to mention that while in Mexico City, we also attended a Ballet Folklorico performance of traditional Mexican dances and music. What an interesting performance! The company danced different types, from an Aztec stag dance, to revolutionary dances, and the more familiar ones with Spanish influence. La musica was fantastic, with a phenomenal harpist (no pedals) and some pieces with 5 men on one marimba-type instrument.

Well, the last time I sent out an email, I left to go pay the cafe workers. The two guys there invited me to stay for a bit. I ended up sitting for an hour chatting with them! They weren’t fluent in English, but it was better than my Spanish. I learned that the older man loves the Allman Brothers, and I told them that I am touring Mexico with a band. It was interesting trying to explain what a concert band is; they were impressed that we consist of 80 members! I really enjoyed chatting with them, since my main goal for this trip is to interact with the locals as much as possible.

Yesterday, we left on a 7-hr. busride to Cuetzalan (I believe SE of Mexico City). We traveled through the Sierras Madres, reaching an altitude of 10,000 ft. The weather was clear, so we had excellent views of the two mountaintops Popo (active volcano) and Itza. We also saw the tallest mountain in Mexico which rises to 21,000 ft. It reminds me of home… (haha! I’m from Kansas).

As we got closer to Cuetzalan, the vegetation became more rainforest-like. We were climbing through the mountains by way of very windy roads (I’m glad I don’t get carsick), and soon we could see the blanket of clouds hovering in the distance at a lower altitude than us. We finally reached the clouds and went under, so we had no sun the rest of the day. In Cuetzalan, the roads are like cobblestone, so the buses had to travel very slowly so as not to bounce all over the place.

Our hotel is very rustic compared to the one in Mexico City, but still it’s very nice. The courtyards are very colorful and lush with green plants and colorful flowers. The rooms have small balconies that look out onto the street. Yesterday was more of a normal tour day, meaning drive there, set-up, rehearse, eat supper, then perform. We played in this big open auditorium, so our sound was very boomy. The town had made this long sign of wood that said “The St. Olaf Band” which was up against the back wall behind us. 400 chairs had been set up, but perhaps 600-700 people were in attendance! Reid Wixson, one of the student teachers who will be staying here for 4 months to start a music program with the donated instruments, was there, as well as some students from Luther College who are here for a month.

The concert was really interesting in that some of the audience was talking during our pieces, and street dogs were wondering in and out of the crowd. Two of the dogs even got into a fight and barked for awhile during the very appropriate section of “El Salon Mexico” in which a drunken bar is being depicted. ) After the 8pm concert, we were presented with some plaques and a beautiful painting of (we’re guessing) a person in traditional garb. A reception was held for us, but first we trucked our equipment away. At the reception, a band (Mexican style) was playing, food was laid out, and small shots of something stronger than Tequila was served. ) Yes, Dr. Mahr had at least one.

Today, we traveled 4km to the village of San Miguel Tzinacapan. This experience was at the opposite end of the spectrum from the business world of Mexico City. Many people there speak Nahuatl, the Aztec language, although I believe all people learn Spanish except for the elders. To get there, we had to take trucks which have a manmade roof over it, because the roads are too bumpy for the buses. It took about 15-20 min to go the 4km because of the slow travel. We had an outdoor concert right next to their church. As we set up, I took the time for some photo ops.

San Miguel is a village right out of National Geographic, so I’m excited to get my film developed (I’m already on my 5th roll). We were scheduled to begin at noon, but we have learned to start a bit later, as Mexicans are not punctual people. It’s very possible that the whole town was there. We shortened our program to about an hour, since most of the audience was standing the whole time. My small solo on “Hello Dolly” was excellent, as it has been, and I think the audience really liked the two marches (every time we announce Zacatecas and St. and Stripes, a small murmur and applause bubbles up from the crowd).

Afterward, David Brye, the St. Olaf alum who came up with the donated instruments idea and put this part of the itinerary together, presented the instruments. Because the instruments are still on the U.S. side of the border, we just held up our own instruments to show the crowd. Then a few of us from each instrument spread out to demonstrate. I helped out with the clarinets.

Then as the truck crew was tearing down, the town put on some cultural acts for us. A couple of groups of kids did some traditional dancing with colorful costumes, and then we also got to see the voladores. Voladores: a 60-ft. pole in the middle of the square is danced around by five men in outfits while one also plays a small drum and recorder. Then they climb up the pole to the top, fasten themselves with rope. Then they hang off from the pole, and while they spin around the pole on the ropes, the ropes unwind and they descend to the ground upside down. Pretty cool!

At about 2pm, we were served lunch. Then we got to see some globos sent into the sky. Globos: are big balloons (about 5ft tall and wide) made of colorful tissue paper and boosted by a candle, just like hot-air balloons… but much more impressive! Finally, we split up into groups to interact with the town. Some went to the hospital, others went to a school to teach, a group went into homes to learn how to make tortillas, and I went with the artesania group.

Our group split up into smaller groups and went into different houses. Six of us came into a house to learn how to make woven bracelets. This house is made of wood, has a dirt floor, and the front room was about the size of my pod’s living room, with two beds. The mother was really kind and showed us, with the help of some kids, but we had such a difficult time learning! We had an amazing experience, though, and stayed an extra half-hour to keep trying to learn. After saying our goodbyes, we took a truck back. The brother of the lady who showed us, came back to the hotel with us and actually stayed with me all evening figuring out the design and then teaching me. I am more knowledgeable now, but it’s still pretty hard!

So tomorrow, we leave for Puebla, which means a homestay for Gretchen and me! I think that after our wonderful interaction with people today, the homestayers are really excited for Puebla.

Until next time…

Katherine

Where to begin? First of all, I forgot to mention something from our first concert. During the piece La Fiesta Mexicana, we played the movement titled “Mass” in which we have chimes depicting the church bells. Just as we finished, the church next door began its 12 tolls announcing mass. Dr. Mahr paused for it to finish before we continued with the last movement.

On to Mexico City…..

After a 5 hr drive, we arrived and went straight to the Museum of Anthropology. We looked primarily at the Aztec exhibit of artifacts. It was fascinating to see the Aztec calendar, which is carved on a huge round stone (http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/images/sungod.gif). There was also a built replica of Tenochtitlan, the main Aztec city which is where Mexico City now is. We had a very eloquent tour guide, and it was all really interesting to learn how advanced the Aztecs were.

After the museum, we went to our hotel, a place that none of us would be able to afford in the U.S. The next day, we went to our performance site. We were scheduled to play outside, but because of predicted bad weather, we were moved indoors. On the contrary, that day was one of the most perfect days, as far as weather, temp, no smog. Still, it was a good deal that we were inside because this was the concert broadcast to the whole nation of Mexico! We were crunched for rehearsal time, and since Shelly our piccolo player wasn’t feeling well, we had to run through piccolo parts for Megan, the recruit (and of course we happen to be playing Stars and Stripes, which is a HUGE solo for the pic! i.e. Megan was really nervous). We had a really good crowd, and throughout the whole performance, people kept streaming in.

Now for the WOW! part. I cannot even begin to describe the response we had. Holy cow! For you bandies, this crowd was more enthusiastic than any concert I’ve been in, including home concerts, and that’s saying a lot. First of all, they loved our last piece, Zion. After we played our first encore (yes, we have 3 encores… kinda), they stood up and whooped like crazy. So then we announced our next encore, Zacatecas (famous Mexican march) and Star and Stripes. After another huge enthusiastic uproar, we played our final encore, followed by MORE clapping. Mahr left and came out twice, and by then they had started chanting a word similar to “encore.” We didn’t know what to do, since we were completely done! One man shouted out the title of our soloist’s piece (Al was very flattered), and another shouted “Amazing Grace”. So Mahr said we would play “Amazing Grace” a second time. It was UNbelieveable!!!!!!! Afterward, I gave out 4 autographs, as did many other bandies. WOW!

After our high, we went by bus to the zocalo, which is the city’s main square (just like Tiananmen Square). We first toured the National Palace and got to see many of Diego Rivera’s murals. They are so fascinating, because each one contains so much history. Then we wandered around. I first saw some Aztec dancing being performed in the zocalo
(http://www.math.nmsu.edu/~ctrenado/photosmex/zocalo.jpg), (http://www.aems.com.mx/zocalo.jpg).

Then I went through the huge cathedral, the largest in Latin America. If you know what the Washington Natl Cathedral is like, it’s long like that, but it’s three times as wide! Next to the cathedral is the ruins of Tenochtitlan (the Aztec city) which was discovered in 1978 when the subway was being built. After that, I spent some time wandering through the vendors and spent some money on a woven shoulder bag. All in all, a great day.

Today, we left at 9am for some touring. We first stopped at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is another HUGE church. It’s shaped like a gigantic, circular circus tent (one pole up the middle). Background info: I think in the 1500’s, Guadalupe revealed herself to Juan Diego, a Mexican. From this vision, he converted to the Spaniards’ religion. Guadalupe is key, because she is dark-skinned like the Mexicans and spoke Diego’s native language. (Since this tour is also an academic class, I must share my knowledge with you )

Anyway, inside the church, you get on a short moving walkway, and look up at the picture of Our Lady, which is supposedly the original (kinda like the Shroud of Turin). The walkway keeps the flow of people moving. Further on, you get into the huge sanctuary, which is round (remember, shaped like a tent). Mass was in session when we were there. Outside is another big main square. To the left is another church. At the top of a hill behind it is where Juan Diego saw Guadalupe. There are other churches that are leaning because the city was built on water (many buildings in the city are the same way, and the huge earthquake of 1985 didn’t help either).

Afterwards, we headed out to Teotihuacan, the site of the Aztec “pyramids.” I quote “pyramids” because they really aren’t pyramids. The Egyptian pyramids were to bury people in. The Aztecs built these platforms to put their sacrificial shrines upon (http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/teoti_i.html). The weather was perfect for climbing steps to the tops of both the Moon and Sun ‘pyramids’. The Moon has 110 steps, and the Sun has just over twice as many, so it was a good workout.

After a tour of some of the other sites around there, we had a 2pm lunch nearby where we were serenaded by 4 musicians with guitars. Next door to this restaurant is a store that specializes in cactus fiber. We were given a talk about the famous cactus (known to us as the century plant) which indigenous people used for paper, needles, thread, cloth, and most importantly to make pulca (sp?), a fermented drink. We all got to have a shot of it afterwards, and our guide also showed us how to drink tequila. The whole 79 of us got a shot, a piece of lime, and salt on our hand, and partook all together!! (This is where our profs and conductor look the other way ).

Tomorrow, we leave early for Cuernavaca. A 7-hr drive will end with an evening concert, so it will be a long day for all of us. But if the audience is as receptive as yesterday, we’re all ready for them!

I’m sitting in an internet cafe here in the city of Guanajuato. Although the keyboards are different, they are at least less confusing than those I encountered in Japan two Interims ago. The keyboard has upside down ¿ ¡, as well as a key for ñ Ñ.

In our studies during the first 1.5 weeks back at St. Olaf, we learned a saying “Algo sucedio” meaning “Something came up!” We were warned to be ready to just go with the flow of whatever would happen to us. Good thing! From the beginning…..

On Wednesday the 14th, the 79 bandies, plus the Mahr family (band conductor), and Rich (our manager) and his wife loaded the buses at 6am. Upon arrival at MSP (Minneapolis/St. Paul airport), everything went smoothly as far as security and baggage check (yes, I remembered to take my reed knife out of my clarinet case and stow it away in my checked baggage!).

Finally came time for us to board the plane. It took awhile for people to get their instruments and backpacks stored in the overhead bins, but finally we were situated to go. But then algo sucedio. The pilot announced that a severe problem was found with part that lifts and lowers the plane’s wings. Rather than wait on the plane for over an hour to have it fixed, we got off of the plane and transferred to another one. This time, we were all much faster in boarding! At 11am, 1.5 hrs later than our original take-off, we finally left.

After a short layover in Houston, we boarded our second plane en route to Cuidad de México. I sat next to a Mexican businessman who I really wanted to talk to but was just too nervous to do so. About 20 min. before landing, he finally spoke up. We had a good conversation, talking about Mexico and the U.S. including Bush’s recent proposal for worker visas. From above, México (Mexico City is referred to as México in this country) is huge, sprawling endlessly, as far as the mountains will let it.

In the airport, customs went quickly and we met our two buses outside. The smell of smog was apparent, and cars (lots of VW bugs, Nissans, and other familiar cars) were buzzing around. So thus began our 5-hr drive to Guanajuato. We did a lot of sleeping along the way! We arrived in the city just before midnight. We had to transfer to smaller buses because some of the streets go underground where a riverbed used to be and our buses wouldn’t have fit! On our walk to the hotel, the streets and some of the buildings were lit up and it was so beautiful! Many colors. We all sat down to a midnight dinner and then hit the sack.

On Thursday, we learned that our truck of chairs, stands, risers, large instruments, donated instruments for a Mexican village, etc. etc. was not able to make it thru customs in Laredo. Rich, our manager, has speculated that because the U.S. makes it so difficult for Mexican trucks to pass, Mexico has kind of retaliated back. We have all been very upset that we would not be able to give the donated instruments away or get our stuff. But thankfully Rich and Terra, our itinerary planner, and our truck drivers were able to get thru today by transferring our stuff to smaller trucks. They plan to arrive at 4am tomorrow morning before we leave for Mexico City.

Thursday morning we took a walking tour of the city. How beautiful the houses are with pastels and brights of blue, orange, red, yellow, green, etc! We visited the mercado where they sell everything from fresh fruits and meats (and I really mean FRESH) to small statues of the Virgin de Guadalupe and t-shirts. We have all realized that Guanajuato is a very quaint and inviting city. People are always bustling about, even late at night. We have all been enjoying the food here: guacamole, refried beans, carne, flautas, enchiladas. NO quiero Taco Bell!! All the foods are very layered in flavors, even their hot chocolate. I personally have enjoyed using my Spanish here and there, even though I don’t know too much.

This Friday evening, we just finished our first concert. Because we didn’t have our truck of stuff, we were so fortunate to scrounge all over for instruments and chairs, etc. We played in the Teatro Juarez which is so magnificent, with tiers and balcony boxes. We had a really good crowd, filling two of the upper tiers. We are all very excited that we were able to pull this off!

Tomorrow we have breakfast at 7am and leave for Mexico City soon thereafter. Pardon the extremely long email. Hopefully I can summarize next time!

Buenas noches,
Kat (el gato)

p.s. the billboards for “The Cat in the Hat” say “El Gato”!