An escape from day-effe...

Well, I am now a one month resident of DF and it feels fan-freaking-tastic. Actually, time has really flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was freaking out about living with a crazy señora in a prostitute-filled colonia. But alas, I have a little less than two months left now, so I hope things continue to sail semi-smoothly and that I can fully capitalize (get it?) on this opportunity.

This past weekend, I got out of the pollution-filled, dirty, yet uber-charming capital for a trip to the south. I went to the land of mole (moh-leh)--Oaxaca! Now, for those of you who don`t know, Oaxaca is also the land of chapulines (grasshoppers). I am all about taking an anthropological approach and integrating myself into the culture and community, but there is no way in el diablo that I would ever enjoy eating insects. I always say try things twice, but chapulines are an exception. I have had them before (encrusted in an empanada-like shell) and they were nothing to write home about. As such...no chapulines for me, gracias. Anyway, I flew down to Oaxaca on Friday night after work on Mexico`s version of Ryan Air (Click Mexicana) and proceeded to go to the hotel, where I met up with Melodie and her two French friends. (Yes, this Mexican summer I`m having is very much looking like a French one...but, c`est la vie.) We spent an hour or so lounging by the pool and enjoying the rain-free atmosphere, then went to dinner and explored a little of the city. We went to sleep fairly early because Saturday was going to be fun-filled. And that it was. We woke up at the crack of dawn, fueled our bodies with energy in the form of coffee, fruit, yogurt and granola and set off to the beach!

In Oaxaca, there has been a lot of uproar in recent years, as the teacher`s union went on strike for higher wages and called for the resignation of (corrupt) Governor Ruiz. Many civilians soon supported the strike efforts (including the abundant indigenous population in the state) and the peaceful protests soon turned into violent attacks, as then-president, Vicente Fox (amigos with Bush), ordered the federal police to occupy the area. Then, the EZLN (Zapata-minded revolutionary group from Chiapas, one state to the south) got involved and uproar ensued. Thus, the state has been a bit unstable the past two years. Things are better now, but since the government has literally tried to sweep the Oaxacan issues under the rug, political unrest will most likely plague the region for years to come.

So, on a lighter note...the beach. We went to the area called Bahias de Huatulco (Huatulco Bay), which is an up-and-coming tourist destination for Mexicans and perhaps eventually Americans and Europeans. It is located between the Pacific coast and Sierra Madre mountains, so the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. We rented a boat and driver for the day to take us around all nine of the bays of the area. We set off for the furthest away (San Augustin) and worked our way back from there. At some of the bays, we actually got off the boat to swim and go snorkeling, but the water wasn`t that clear in most of the area because there have been some really bad rains and subsequent floods this past month and all the aftermath is running down from the rivers into the ocean. Nonetheless, I saw my fair share of tropical fish and got some sun, so I was a happy camper. It was one of the girl`s birthday, so that night we went out for a really nice dinner at one of the coolest hotels in town. We were pretty much the only people there (since it`s low tourist season) except for one quasi-American couple. Well, the girl was American, but I couldn`t place the guy`s accent...the important thing to note was that he was a big jerk to the wait staff AND looked like Mr. Clean. Imaginate. The next day, the Frenchies went on a jungle tour, but I couldn`t go because my flight home was later that afternoon. So instead, I went exploring in La Crucecita (a small town near where we were staying), ate some delicious mole negro and chile relleno and did some shopping in the mercado central.

Now, I am back at work in rainy DF. The majority of my time here is spent sitting at a desk and computer doing research or research-related work, so I am trying to come up with things to do in my spare time. Today, I met with an intercambio-of-sorts. We basically just speak Spanish (and a bit of English) with each other over coffee. Today we talked about the genocide in Darfur and how difficult it is to read the novel, Ulysses. Even the cafe owner joined in the conversation--apparently he studied English literature at university. I started taking a drawing/painting class at the local community center, but after two sessions, I decided to drop out. It just wasn`t really a good use of my time and the maestra didn`t really know what she was talking about. Instead, I am going to take my sketchbook and draw on my own. There are some great little corners of Coyoacan that I`d love to spend a few hours in for some artistic therapy.

In terms of work, things are just fantastic. I have been working frantically the past few days preparing materials for the International AIDS conference that will take place in two weeks. I have created information handouts and media materials on the work Population Council does in Mexico, as well as the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean. As well, I am preparing an oral presentation that will be presented at the conference! Of course, I don`t get to present it, but poco a poco...an academic has to start somewhere. The presentation is on a study Pop Council conducted in various states in Mexico among women living with HIV. The main investigation was to understand the reproductive health status and services available among the women; their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors toward HIV; and if they have experienced violence or discrimination as a result of their HIV diagnosis. Some of the analysis I am doing is providing pretty disturbing results...I won`t go into detail, but it`s horrifying to learn what some of these women are experiencing. I can`t even imagine and am more and more thankful everyday for the life I live.

This weekend, plans are a bit undefined, but I think I will go to Xochimilco, a delegation of Mexico similar to Venice, Italy where everyone uses little boats to travel around. This is so because Mesoamerican agriculturalists used the fertile area to grow crops and the streets are more or less canals. I also may travel to Taxco, the former silver capital of Mexico with Melodie. Until then, I`ll be figuring out a way I can watch the Olympics that start in a couple weeks, enjoy the all-too-frequent power-outages and make sure to post some pictures of Oaxaca. Oh...and a shout out to SoReal Cru...I have been keeping up with my favorite TV show (America`s Best Dance Crew) thanks to YouTube and they are AMAZING. Yay-uh!