In this entry, I will talk a little bit about what I saw in Mexico during the past few days and then I'm going to finish up my Semana Santa vacation in the next few entries.
The situation in Mexico has been a bit precarious this past week, to say the least. On Saturday, I heard the first real news about the swine flu and realized that something serious was going on Sunday afternoon when I stepped out of my house to tons of people wearing surgical masks to protect themselves from the new virus. Later that afternoon, the Mexican government had closed all the schools in the country until May 6th in order to prevent any further infections and I began to worry that the imminent cancellation from WMU would soon follow...unfortunately, my worst fears were concerned and here I find myself back in chilly Michigan.
I have to say that one of the reasons I am upset about the suspension of the program is because of the fact there are mixed reactions to the flu outbreak from various educated people in Mexico. Some older, wiser friends and professors have told me that these are necessary precautions and, in the end, I have to agree. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Others, however, doubt the severity of the situation and believe the media and government are exaggerating the entire outbreak because in reality, 2000 sick people in a city of 25 million is hardly a pandemic at all. Still others believe this whole epidemic is a government conspiracy that is meant to distract the Mexican public from the true current events that might upset the nation (i.e. the financial crisis in Mexico). As you can see, it's hard to form my own opinion with such contradictory information floating around in my head. In the end, airing on the side of caution is always best and, as they say, hind sight is 20/20 so even if this "epidemic" of influenza peters out in the next week, at the very least we are not in Mexico wondering, "what if...?"
Okay. Well, enough influenza for today. After staying in Merida for a week with my friend Michael, I met up with another girl in my study abroad group (Katie) and her parents in Mexico City (before the flu, I assure you). Mexico City isn't exactly what I expected it to be, though I'm not entirely sure what I expected in the first place. I suppose I imagined DF to be a bit gruffer than what I encountered, but I'm sure those parts of the city exist.
Michael and I arrived in the early afternoon and took a cramped subway ride to the Zocalo/Cathedral in the heart of downtown Mexico City. I have to say, I'm rather impressed by DF's subway system because, unlike the Queretaro buses, the trains come often and reliably.
Even though DF emptied because of the Semana Santa vacations, a good amount of people were still in and around the cathedral and Zocalo area. Given that Easter Sunday was just around the corner at this point, a lot of religious ceremonies were going on, both indigenous and catholic. Of course, tons of people flocked into the Cathedral for a good solid pray at the altar, but outside the Cathedral, there were dancers in indigenous garb cleansing people with incense smoke.
Definitely an interesting contrast. Just next to the Cathedral lie the ruins of the Templo Mayor (Great Temple) of the Aztec civilization in the city of Tenochtitlan. Though not nearly as impressive as the ruins of Teotihuacan, Chichen Itza, or Palenque, Templo Mayor has a certain charm and an incredible history given it's importance in the Aztec capital hundreds of years ago.
The above sculpture is a replica of the one found in the 1970s (? I'm a little fuzzy on the date) that led to the excavation of these beautiful ruins of a religious Aztec temple that was used for the most important rituals in the Mexica culture, like human sacrifice!
Well, I was hoping to finish off the rest of Mexico City this evening, but I must go take care of some family business. Tomorrow I'll be back to finish the rest. Until then, take care!
Kaitie
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