Polito #7 (Semana Santa)

Para disfrutar la semana santa, pasé la primera parte de ella conociendo el Caribe mexicano. Me encantó ver el agua azul, las palmas, y meter mis pies en la arena. Esta parte de Yucatán me parece muy tranquila, especialmente Isla Mujeres.- In order to have a fun Holy Week, I decided to spend the first part of it in the Mexican Caribbean. That part of the Yucatán seemed really tranquil to me, especially Isla Mujeres (Isle of Women.) 

Fui a Tulum e Isla Mujeres con Hannah. Me encantó ver las ruinas de Tulum. Cuando vi el templo grande, pense en el Relato de Gonzalo Guerrero y traté de imaginar cómo era ver mayas matando unos de sus compañeros.- I wen to Tulum and Isla Mujeres with Hannah, the other Hannah in the program. When I saw the large temple, I thought about el Relato de Gonzalo Guerrero and tried to imagine what it would have been like to see Mayans sacrifice his comrades 502 years ago.

Después de ver las ruinas, fuimos a la playa para conocerla.- After seeing the ruins, we went to go see the beach.

It turns out that iguanas eat human snacks.

Después de Tulum, Hannah y yo fuimos a Isla Mujeres para pasar una noche allá. Me gustó el ambiente tranquilo de Isla Mujeres; la única parte que no me gustó era la cantidad de lugares turísticos. Siento que la isla ha perdido una parte de su cultura a causa de esto.- Afterwards, Hannah and I went to Isla Mujeres to spend a night there. I love the peaceful environent, the only thing that I didn't like was the mass quantity of tourist hot-spots. I feel like the island might have lost a part of its culture due to them.

Era una semana santa linda y estoy feliz por haberla pasado en Yucatán.- I had a great Holy Week and I am happy that I got to spend it here in the Yucatan. 

Polito #6 (Uxmal)

Impresiones de Uxmal- Impressions of Uxmal

Me gustó mucho Uxmal porque les permiten a los estudiantes escalar ciertas ruinas y realmente sentir que están conociendo la sociedad maya. Es menos turístico que Chichén Itzá, aunque no está tan conservado. Después de almuerzo, fui a ver unas partes de las ruinas y me senté a mirarlas. Me impresiona la grandeza del sitio.- I really like Uxmal a lot because they allow students to  climb certain ruins and really feel that they are getting to know Mayan society. It's a lot less tourist-y than Chichén Itzá, although it is not as well conserved. After lunch, I went to see some part of the ruins and I sat to look at them; I am impressed by the magnitude of the site.

La Píramide del Adivino

Uxmal arches

Historia del sitio- History of the site

El sitio de Uxmal fue construida en la época clásica. El guía, el señor Carlos Sosa, nos dijo que existían unas partes del sitio en la época en la cual vivía Jesús. Declinó la población de Uxmal alrededor del siglo X y casi no hay construcciones después del siglo XI. Pero había evidencia de cerámicas que indica que Uxmal fue poblada aún mas tarde, hasta la llegada española.- The site of Uxmal was constructed in the clasic period. The guide, Carlos Sosa, told us that some parts of the site go as far back as the time in which Jesus lived. The population of Uxmal declined around the 10th century and there are barely any constructions after the 11th century. However, there was evidence in the form of ceramics that indicate that Uxmal was populated far longer, up until the arrival of Spaniards.

Our fearless guide, Carlos Sosa.

Inside the ruins

Leyendas de Uxmal- Legends of Uxmal

Por lo menos una de las leyendas tiene base en la realidad. Supuestamente una bruja encontró un huevo en el bosque y un enano nació del huevo. Él llegó a construir la Píramide del Adivino en una sola noche, de acuerdo a la leyenda. En realidad, sí existía un enano que gobernó a los mayas de Uxmal. Se nota por su escultura en uno de los edificios, en el cual él está de pie sobre el trono.- At least one of the legends surrounding Uxmal is based in reality. Supposedly, a witch found an egg in the forest, and a dwarf was born from the egg shortly thereafter. That dwarf constructed The Magician's Pyramid in just one night, in accordance with the legend. In reality, there was a dwarf who ruled the Mayans of Uxmal. The evidence ca be found in a sculpture of him on the wall of a building in Uxmal, in which he is portrayed standing, rather than sitting, on his throne.

This is the image of the dwarf- leader.

If you look at the square in the center, your eyes will eventually come across a circle. That circle is the body of the dwarf- leader. His head is directly above it, and the horizontal block that he is standing on is his throne. 

*Short people can be powerful!!!*


This is what happens when I am asked to draw a map... (I am NOT an art major, nor could I be).

Sadly, that is the best iguana that I have ever drawn.

Can you spot the actual iguana? There were tons of them at Uxmal.

Want to climb a tall Pyramid? Sure!

I don't think my picture does it Justice.

Brian and me holding a sign that says "Hola HTC! Bienvenidos a Uxmal!"

The very top of the pyramid.

It's a long way down.

We are an adorable group.

Shortly after climbing down the pyramid and walking to the edge of the platform (Mayan buildings were often built with a couple on each platform) I fell down the steps of the platform. MUCH BETTER than falling off of the pyramid itself. =)

Polito #5 (7 weeks/ semanas en Mérida)

In my first post I mentioned that I was recently informed that I should make a blog. As a result, you will have to forgive me for posting this late. Anyways, this was my reaction to being halfway through the program (7 weeks) in Mérida! I wrote it on March 2nd, 2013.

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Mi vocabulario ha aumentado y expandido con palabras mayas y yucatecas además de dichos específicos a la región. Ya no me cuesta tanto decir "camión" en vez de "bus" y puedo comentar que solo queda el xix de la Coca Cola.- My vocabulary has expanded with Mayan and Yucatecan words in addition to sayings that are specific to the region. I now find it easier to say "camión" instead of "bus" and I can comment on how only the xix (tiny remainder) of the Coca Cola is left.

This picture has nothing to do with language ability. I just really like cannons. And the ocean.


De todo México, lo favorito ha sido la historia que he visto. Aún quedan edificios mayas, templos, iglesias coloniales, etc. Me gusta caminar por el centro de Mérida o por las ruinas de Yucatán e imaginar cómo se veía hace 500 años. Después de leer de ciertos lugares, me encanta verlos y pensar en todo lo que aconteció allá.- Out of all of México, my favorite thing is the history that I have seen. There are still Mayan buildings, temples, colonial churches, etc. I like to walk through the center of Merida or around the Yucatecan ruins and imagine what they looked like 500 years ago. After reading about certain places, I love getting to see them and think about all of the things that occurred there. 

Cathedral in the center of Mérida, where I do archive research.

Building at Dzibilchaltun.

That temple is a LOT taller than it looks in this picture.

Issac, me, and Brian.

On top of the roof of a temple. Panorama!

Mi lugar favorito de México es Izamal. Me encanta la arquitectura, la catedral, el ambiente, las ruinas, y la ciudad en general. Como es mas pequeña que Mérida, aún puedo sentir algo del ambiente y me encanta.- My favorite place in Mexico is Izamal. I love the architecture, the cathedral, the environment, and the city in general. Because it is smaller than Merida, it's still easy to feel the colonial atmosphere and I love it.

Church made by Friar Diego de Landa, one of the men I am studying.

This church is nearly 500 years old and it is gorgeous.

Me alongside Diego de Landa's book, which I am reading for my tutorial.

Pope John Paul II

Let's climb some ruins.

Yes. This is a horse in a sombrero!

Final thoughts at 7 weeks-

1. I really like Mérida. I miss my car, my printer, and my cats, but other than that, I have no signs of homesickness.

2. I have been to a LOT of places. I hope that I get to see a lot more as well.

3. I don't think I could ever get sick of Mayan ruins or cenotes.

4. It is HOT. 

5. Going back to living with a family, after spending a while living on my own, has its frustrations.

6. This program is really awesome. Thanks for the great option, OU!

7. I'm glad I came.

Polito #4 Visita a la UTM

As a program, we went on a field trip to the UTM (la Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana) and I had fun meeting university students. I was too busy having fun chatting with students to take pictures, so all of the pictures that I have on this post are lovingly stolen/ borrowed from Dr. Daniel Torres' Facebook, with the exception of one. All credit goes to him, and I think I will go with the term "borrowed"...

Anyways, the UTM.

Mi lugar favorito fue la biblioteca, donde había docenas de libros escritos por autores yucatecos.- My favorite place in the school was the library where there were dozens of books written by authors from the Yucatan. 

 Not the library. But it is on campus!

Hablé con varios estudiantes de la UTM en una mezcla de español e inglés, dependiendo de cuál idioma el estudiante quería escuchar. También hablé con un muchacho (creo que era un profesor joven) en portugués porque él había estado en Brasil antes.- I spoke with varios UTM students in a mixture of Spanish and English, depending on which language the student wanted to hear. I also talked with a guy (I think he was a young professor) in Portuguese because he had been in Brazil before. *I was super excited to have someone to practice with!*

My group!

Mi profesor, Carlos, comentó que hay más problemas problemas económicos y sociales en el lado sur de la ciudad, y que no se creía que era posible tener una universidad tan grande y desarrollada allá.- The most interesting thing that I learned about the university is that few people thought it would thrive, based on it's placement in the South side of Mérida. The North is considered the nicer and more affluent side of the city.

Almost all of the group for 2013 

The funniest part of the visit -->

 Me encantó el apodo que los estudiantes daban a un señor que vende comida al lado de la universidad. Le llaman "señor cangrejo" como el personaje avaro del programa infantil "Spongebob Squarepants".- I loved the nickname that the students called a man who sold food next to the university. They called him "Mr. Krabs" from "Spongebob Squarepants." 

Why?

Apparently he often butted into conversations in an attempt to sell students more food in such a manner that it was clear that he was interested in earning as much money as possible.

Polito #3 (Carnaval)

No, not the cruise ship. Nor is it the carnival scene of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (although that's closer).


Carnaval es la fiesta de la carne antes de la cuaresma.- Carnival is the celebration of the flesh that comes before Easter.

What does that mean?

Well, in practice it has a lot of women dressed in scantily-clad clothes dancing in order to promote coca cola and other products. As a feminist, this was a little bit difficult for me to get past, but the parade was awesome nonetheless.

Float representing "sol," a brand of beer that is popular here.

El carnaval en el mundo hispánico tiene base en las celebraciones de la antigua Roma, en las cuales los hombres usaron disfraces.- In hispanic culture, carnival has roots that go as far back as the celebrations that took place in ancient Rome in which the men put on costumes.

The costumes, accompanied by the booths in which Merida citizens sold food, drinks, shirts, masks, and tons of other kinds of trinkets added a sense of magic to the carnival. My personal favorite was watching little kids run around in their costumes and get excited by the pretty lights that accompanied parade floats. 

Adorable Child

También me interesó el tema del carnaval, la mitología, incluso minotauros y sirenas. La influencia de la mitología europea que vino a Yucatán con los españoles aún tiene lugar en la cultura. - I was also interested in the carnival theme, mythology, including minotaurs and mermaids. The influence of European mythology that came alongside the Spaniards to the new world still holds a place in Mexican culture. 

Ellie and me.

Polito #2 (Chichén Itzá)

Visita a Chichén Itzá- Visit to Chichen Itza

Me alegro por haber tenido la experiencia de estar en una ciudad maya. Siempre me ha interesado la conquista de los mayas, y pude ver uno de los sitios que he estudiado. - I'm happy that I got to the chance to be in a Mayan city. I've always been interested in the conquest of the Mayans (at least since 5th grade history class) and I got to see one of the sites that I have studied.

The Great Temple of Kukulcán (the snake god)

Traté de imaginar cómo se veía hace ochocientos años, pero es imposible visualizarlo perfectamente. - I tried to imagine what the city looked like eight hundred years ago, but it's impossible to visualize it perfectly. 

The Temple of the Warriors

Estar en el puro centro de una ciudad maya me impresionó y ahora puedo entender mejor el asombro que los españoles sentían cuando veían esta sociedad por primera vez. La grandeza de los edificios acompañada por la belleza de los adornos es increíble hoy en día: sólo puedo imaginar cómo se veía antes. - Being in the very center of a Mayan city impressed me and now I better understand the wonder that the Spaniards felt when they saw this society for the first time. The magnitude of the buildings accompanied by the beauty of the decorations is incredible today: I can only imagine how they looked before.

Mayan glyphs as well as a sculpture.

Carving of Mayan warriors. 

On the way to see the cenote (sink hole), some venders called out to my friends and me screaming "princesas mayas! Vean lo que vendemos; son muy buenos precios". "mayan princesses! Look at what we are selling! They are good prices!"

Ok- does light hair, blue-eyed me really look like a Mayan princess? 

Polito #1 (First Impressions)

Mis Primeras Impresiones de Mérida (My first impressions of Mérida)



Me gustó ver los bailes típicos en el centro- I liked seeing typical dances in the town center

Y saqué fotos de mis compañeros bailando- and I took pics of my classmates dancing.

Pero mis primeras impresiones tienen que ver con lo que he notado en los lugares que he conocido. Percibo la pobreza de la gente maya que vive por el centro. - My first impressions really have to do with what I noticed in the places that I have visited. I saw the poverty of the Mayan people who lived around the city center.

No es una exageración decir que todas las personas que se me acercaban con la intención de vender cosas son de descendencia maya. Mis impresiones no son que no haya personas de descendencia maya que sean ricas, sino que la gente que tiene los trabajos mas desfavorables usualmente son los mayas. - It's not an exaggeration to say that all of the people who came to me in the street with the intention of selling things are of Mayan descent. My impression isn't that there are no Mayan people who are rich, rather that the majority of people who hold the most unfavorable jobs are usually Mayan.

Mérida me dio la impresión de ser una ciudad que se está desarrollando con las décadas. Los ciudadanos me han dicho que la ciudad ha crecido mucho en las últimas décadas tanto físicamente por el incremento de la población como tecnológicamente con la llegada del internet, el teléfono celular, y los avances en transportación. -Merida gave me the impression of being a city that has developed over the last few decades. Merida citizens have told me that the city has grown a lot in recent decades both physically with the increase in population and technologically with the arrival of the internet, cell phones, and advances in transportation. 

El Comienzo- The Beginning

Hi. My name is Hannah and I am a sophomore Spanish major at Ohio University. As most of my friends speak English rather than Spanish, I plan on writing the majority of my blog in English, so that they can understand. However, I will include lots of Spanish tidbits. I figure that the best place to begin describing my experiences this semester is from the beginning, so I will explain the important things that you should know in a list.


Listos???


1. I'm doing a study abroad program through Ohio University while at the same time doing some independent research for my undergraduate thesis on the colonization of the Yucatan in the 16th century.

                                          Hola

2. I just got assigned this blog as homework. So, if you are wondering why I am writing towards the end of my semester about what I was doing in January and February, that would be why.


3. I speak Spanish like a Costa Rican.

 Por qué?

Well, I spent my junior year of high school abroad as an AFS foreign exchange student in Costa Rica.

                    http://venconmigoacostarica.blogspot.mx

4. Why Mexico? Well, I'm really interested in the colonization of the Mayans. Also, this program was cheaper than traveling to Spain which also seems awesome.


5. I am taking a lot of tough classes- so if my stories involve homework/ thesis ideas/ research, it's because I really do spend a lot of time doing that.

                 (Image from http://gailshepherd.blogspot.mx/2011_08_01_archive.html)


6. When I am not buried under a pile of books, I like to go on adventures. And I have been on a LOT while in Mérida, México.

                                          Isla Mujeres


7. I love Mayan ruins. Maybe it's the historian in me, maybe I just like climbing temples and imagining what mayan sacerdotes saw when they looked out over their cities more than 500 years ago. Or, maybe I just think ruins are really cool.

                                         Ek' Balam

8. As this is a school blog, there are a lot of minor stories that I won't bother to put on here. However, if you are interested in learning more about studying abroad in Mexico, OU's program, or have any questions about my experience, feel free to email me at exyarur@yahoo.com


9. One of the things that this blog is supposed to cover are polito entries (like a diary that I write certain reflections in for my professor to read). So some titles will say 'polito', and they are referring to those entries.

This would be my polito. I didn't pick the design, and I am not really sure what the monkey is up to.


10. Studying abroad is awesome. Everyone should do it!


Hasta mañana!