Merry Grease Feast and Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving......I wish was at Betty's Farm partaking in all the crazy festivities of Thanksgiving and the Grease Feast. Have Fun and I will be thinking about all of you.

This it the second professional soccer game I went to. Merida has a team called the Venados or Deer. "Fear the Deer," that is that motto I came up with. I find it clever....haha. That mascot would fit well in Montana. We has a lot of fun at these games cheering our heads off and throwing confetti....regardless if I know any thing at all about soccer. I have know idea what is going on, but when that ball goes through the net, I get crazy. We were hoping to make playoffs, but no such luck. The crowd is insane with drums, chants, noise makers. After we scored in a game my friends Jill, Sara, and I got an entire glass of beer spilled on us.....crazy crazy. Above are some of my friends cheering. I think my all time favorite this was a guy who had a a hat with real deer horns coming out.....classic.

Pictures from Tekax

View of Stadium
Construction of Stadium
Sara with a fighting Rooster...poor thing
With our friends on top of the hill next to the Church
Random people who wanted to take pictures with us.

Taco-40 cents, Popcorn-50 cents, Beer-$1.20, Cock Fight-$2.00 Spending Time at a local Fair in Tekax-priceless

This past weekend 3 friends and myself went to a small pueblo called Tekax. We went for their yearly local celebration. We went with some of my local friends It was basically a fair. While we were at the fair people just wanted to talk to us and show us they knew some basic emails. We were the only non-Mexican people there, so we were stared at a lot, but the people all loved us. We had people coming up to us asking us to take pictures with them. My friend Sarah was basically like the fair queen. She was a celebrity. People kept saying she was the most beautiful person they had ever seen. It was a crazy. My friend Kyle has this problem where gay men always want to talk to him. This is fine but at Tekax this one man was really drunk and really liked Kyle so we has to get security to get the guy to leave Kyle alone. It is the most bazaar thing. We also met a guy who wanted to tell us he has 3 wives. It was very weird. He thought he was so cool, but it is part of the culture and many people lead to seperate lives with 2 families. We went to my first bull fight....don't worry they do not kill the bulls here. The stadium itself was an adventure. It was made of small looking bamboo posts and tied together...The whole time I was praying that a bull did not come through the stadium. After that we had a very cultural and gross Mexican experience. We saw a cock fight. It was the craziest thing ever. People were crazy and so involved in the rosters fighting to the death....I have to tell myself that it was a cultural experience, otherwise I would feel wrong, guilty, and disgusting, which I still kinda so, but back to this cultural experience. The people make bets, scream at the rosters, the owner kiss and blow blood out of their rosters eyes. One fight got called a tie, but it was clear that their should have been a winner so a table was thrown in the arena, a man jumped in the ring a screamed down the refs face. People threw beer in the ring. It was so crazy. We met some of the owners and this one guy had my friend Sara pick the rooster for him to bet on. It was just bazaar. The next day, we got up and had breakfast at a church that is on a a hill that towers over the rest of the town. It was very fun and relaxing. It was truely a very local cultural experience.

Note to self: Toilet seats are a luxury.

Dia de los muertos

Dia de los Muertos is a national holiday in Mexico. In English it is called the Day of Dead. It is a three day holiday from Oct. 31-Nov. 2 when they remember, celebrate, and mock the lives of their loved ones. It is ok to make fun of the deceased because it is a way to remember them. They set up alters for their loved ones. They have food, pictures, alcohols, candles, and flowers on their alters. The food is there to show that their loved come back for these 3 days and eat their favorite food and drink their favorite drink. It is very interesting. The different days represent different happenings. The first day is to remember deseased children, the second day is for deseased adults, and teh third day people go spend time with their loved ones in teh cemeteries. In the Plaza Grande they had very elegant alters set up. It was beautiful. We also ate the traditional Day of the Dead food. It is called molbi pollo. It was very interesting but good. We have also been to many churches and hacienda lately. Hacienda are huge henequen plantations from the past. Some still run on a much today on a much smaller scale. I will have more to come shortly.

At Kabah Ruins in the Puuc Hill Region.
In an extensive cave system that we went through called Loltun. It was so beautiful. The Maya used to partake in religious rituals in these cave. It is huge.
Being a dork at Chichen Itza..

Sorry....I clearly need to update

We I do not really even know were to get started. All is well and I am truely enjoying my time in Mexico. Lets see.....I have be to Chichen Itza, one of the New 7 wonders of the world....very impressive even though we do not really know if that is how in looked backed in the ancient day....that is how the archeologists think it looked. But nonetheless, it was really great. I am have also been to the ruins of Uxmal in the Puuc Hills region. Their mosaic wall facades are amazing and very extensive.
The other weekend I helped to start fixing up a area in the working class part of town. It is going to be a safe place for children to go play. I painted the bases of trees white because it helps keep the bugs/ants off. It was really hot and itching.....my legs were all bit up, but it was really worth it.
This past weekend I traveled to Cancun with Emily and Cassie to meet up with Cassie's parents, who are the most geneorus people in the world. We stayed in the Flamigo Resort and had a great relaxing weekend. It was full of laughter and pool volleyball. I do not like how americanized Cancun is. We had to ask people to talk to us in Spanish. I got really tan, for once in my life my skin is not fall off my body two days after returning from the beach....this is a big deal. I can actually sleep with my face making me want to scream because it hurts so bad.I also boogie boarded on the massive waves at Cancun....I am thinking of going professional.
Yesterday I had the most enjoyable basketball practice. My kids are still late and never listen but they are fun and and are getting better. I told them I am Micheal Jordan's brother. They got a kick out of that. We have a hand shake and they call me Jalapeno. It really funny.
So the other day i bought a dvd of the street...it had 3 movies in one. I was pretty excited....i only paid 2 dollars....lets just say it was definently pirated. You can see people stand up in the theature and hear them laugh. It is so great.
I want to thank everyone who has been send me letters. It has been so enjoyable to get mail down here. Miss and love ya all.

I will try to be better about updating!

Note to self: Never force anyone to eat eggs everyday for an entire semester.....mom that means no eggs over break, I will puke.

Re-enacting a Human Sacrifice
Look at the amazing statues at Mayapan
Playing soccer with the locals.....I have never played soccer...to say the least, I was awful, but I had fun.

Entrance to a Cenote (My favorite one)
Cassie, Em, Me, Kyle in a Cenote
Transportation Baby! (Me, Val(our director), Em, Cassie)
Climbing Vines in a Cenote....I am higher than I look
Lluvia.....Rain

Cenotes of Cutzma

The past weekend we went to the most beautiful place on earth.......I did not want to leave. We went to the Cenotes of Cutzma. There was literally a small hole in the ground that we climbed down to get to these amazing places. You will not find prettier water......Cenotes estaba muy bonita. Our means of transportation was quite the contraption. We were pulled by a horse on a cart along small railroad like tracks. It used to be used to tranfer henikan plants. The land used to be part of a large hacienda, or large farm. It was bumpy, but so fun.

On Sunday, my host sister, Kyle, Dave, and I went to the Ruins of Mayapan. Mayapan was one of that last flourishing Mayan civilizations before the Spanish Conquest. It was beautiful even though we got down poured on. My host sister and I brought umbrellas, but Dave and Kyle didn't. They got soaked. Turns out I had to extra ponchos in my bag. It reminded me of Dumb and Dumber when Loyd was like, "Here Harry, you can borrow my extra pair of gloves." "You've had two pairs of gloves this whole time." haha. Miss you all and think of you often.

Basketball Practice

Well I had my first basketball practice with 12 year old kids in the working class part of town....organized....i think not. Turns out kids don't really listen anywhere....do i really want to be a teacher???? Nonetheless it was an amazing experience. It was stressful because I clearly do not know many basketball terms in Spanish. I have just never studied them. I really why would I ever know what a 2-man rush or a v-cut is called in Spanish...i wouldn't. I had about 15 kids...15 kids that are definitely on the Mexican minute and show up whenever they want. I can't really discipline them for being late because it is completely optional. One of my students came to practice the other day smoking a cigarrette...really, really. I turned my head this time, but next time I will make sure to say, "No fuma, esta joven." I think that is how I would say it. We have alot of work ahead of us. Who knew it was so hard to teach layups...... I will keep you posted on progess. If you have any tips, send them this way.

Pictures from Tulum/Coba

Beach Bums

Before

After

This is me in a ball court hoop. It was an ancient game they used to play.

@ Tulum Ruins

Group outside a Cenote

Tulum or Bust

Sunrise
Crocs @ Coba

This past weekend 8 of us ventured to Tulum. (if you ever get the chance, go there, can you say beautiful) We stayed at the best hostel ever, by best hostel ever I mean my first. There were four people to a room. The rooms were like tree forts with thatched roofs, known as Palapas. It was very cool. The marketing logo the place uses is Bicycle, Bed, and Breakfast. We has a phenomenal breakfast that consisted of fresh fruit and a main dish. The beds were nice, but the best thing of all was the bicycles. It is nice to have them because you save on taxi/bus money. We arrived late so the next morning we decided to go visit the Coba ruins. It is 30 miles away and we were going to take the bus, but as soon as we got on our bike we dicided to go the full 30 on bike. These were not your averaged mountain bikes. They had baskets in the front for gosh sakes. And of course this horrible, yet sweet idea was mine. So we started off. After about half way, we re-thought this adventure, so the first 5 of us decided to get a bus in a small town and leave our bikes to get later. We figured the other 2 driving would take a bus sooner or later. After we arrived at the ruines we walked around. The ruins are cool because they are not restored and you can still walk on them. After making it to the biggest pyramid, the grand finale, we met up with Cassie and Bram. Come to find out, they rode their bikes the whole way. We felt awful. We also saw large crocodiles.... After we returned from Coba, we went to the beach. Tulum has the best white, sandy beaches I have ever seen.

The following day, the guy who owns the hostel, to us to cenotes for free. Cenotes as underground, freshwater rivers. The have the most beautiful blue water you can ever imagine. They are my new favorite place. In these cavern type cave places, there are many bats, fish, and tunnels to swim through. I loved swimming through the tunnels. It was amazing. I someday want to learn to scuba dive, so i can explore more than 30 seconds at a time. After the cenotes, our guide took us to the ocean to show us where the fresh water meets the salt water. Here I was swimming through underwater tunnels with tons of tropical fish. I wish I were still there.
We were so exhausted from swimming we were all in bed by 8:30.

The next morning 5 of us went to watch the sunrise on the beach at 5:30 in the morning. It was great. Then we went to breakfast. After breakfast we went to the ruins of Tulum that were located on the beach. After walking around, we spent the rest of the morning on the most beautiful beach with the ruins overlooking us. It was surreal. That afternoon we ventured back to Merida to get back into the daily grind. I love Tulum.......

Note to Self: Beach Bikes are not intended for physical activity.

Dia de la Independencia

Wow....what a celebration. Mexican Independence Day is so great. We all went down to the Plaza Grande for the celebration. All the streets were blocked off and there were so many people you were always shoulder to shoulder with someone else. They had a huge stage with what we thought were women singing, but they were definitely women....weird. After the band was done playing the Governor came out of her window from above gave a speech and then we all shout, "Viva Mexico." It was a very cool moment and then tons of red, white, and green confetti fell from the sky. Fireworks were let off. This in called "el grito." It happens in most cities all over Mexico. In one of the cities a bomb was set off, luckily, it was not mine. Afterwords we went and danced the night away in a club called Tequila. A band we liked called Dayron y el Boom was playing. It was just a great experience to be a part of. I have never been to a Independence celebration in the US that even compared to "el grito." It had to have taken so much preparation. VIVA MEXICO

Playa de Carmen and a whole lot of sunburn

This past weekend I went to Playa de Carmen with my two friends Cassie and Emily. Playa de Carmen is very beautiful with the postcard white sandy beaches. When we arrived we settled in to the hotel and went dancing and a beach club called Coca Maya. It was very fun and very sweating. I truly have a sweating disorder. The next day we got up and went to the beach to lounge for the day. Consequently, now I am in excruciating pain due to the fact that I must not think I burn easy and since I have been living in Mexico for 3 weeks I think that I no longer have fair skin….the consequences is that my face is blistering from the hot Mexican sun…..how did I ever think only re-applying twice and sitting on the beach for six hours was ever a good idea.

I am currently getting ready to go to church. Some of us students go to a small Methodist church that is very warm and inviting. I do not always no what is going on, but I sing my little heart out in probably horribly pronounced Spanish. Then on Sunday nights we go to a small youth group type bible study. They are great and welcoming and luckily one person is able to translate if we do not understand everything said which usually happens.

This next week is going to be celebratory in Mexico. It is Independence day on Sept. 16. We are all going to go to the Plaza Grande to shout the traditional “Viva Mexico.” It is called the “grita.” Until next time I hope you are all doing well and I think of you often.

Note to self: Just wear long sleeves, pants, and a face mask when in Mexico....

The picture is of the boat ahead of us traveling through the mangroves to see the fresh water spring. The other picture is a Senora setting up dragon fruit to sell outside of her home in a small pueblo (town).

This picture is not from camera, but if it were this is what it would look like. My zoom is just really bad.......so I borrowed one from the internet.

Celestun and Violence in Merida

Hola from down south,
This past Friday our group took a field trip to Celestun. Celestun is a small beach town that is home of a Flamingo nesting ground. The flamingos are protected here and only live and fly between Celestun and one other ecosystem in the Yucatan. I t was a very great time. We rented out a boat and drove to look at the flamingo....to be honest I thought they were kinda ugly. We also to boat rides through small little trails tucked back in the trees. They are called mangrove and we went to a fresh water spring. It was beautiful. After that we went to the town and ate seafood and a place called La Palapa. It was so great...Garlic Salmon....yum. After that we went to the beach to swim, jump off a pier, and to get our feet, legs, and hands cut to shreads by barnacle.....it felt good...not. Then we packed up and went home. I crashed when we got home. That sun will do a number on you.
Today we went to a large Hyatt hotel. We sometimes sneak in to use their pool. It is very relaxing. Then tonight we went down to an event they hold every Saturday. It is called Noche Merida or something to that extent. We had planned to walk around, BUT, Valerie, or director called me and told us to be home by twelve because if the chief of police did not resign by 12 tonight, some people were going to shoot the first 50 people they saw in the North part of town.... we were in the south, but we live kinda in the north....but we are all home safe. You have nothing to worry about. There was also a shooting two nights ago that left to people dead. It is related to the drug dealings and what not. Merida was a one time considered the safest city in Mexico....i think not. There has been nothing but violence. Our local friend Mauricio says Merida is normally like a safe small town. It is just that the drug lords are starting to move inland away from the normal hots spots along the coast. But like I said do not be worried. We are fine....just pray for all the violence and corruption in Mexico and anywhere for that matter. Well I hope you are all doing well. Do not be worried. Love ya all.
Hasta Luego

Me gusta bailar (I like to dance)

We had our first official dance....and boy did a sweat.....it is quite the workout. We have a instructor that comes in and teachers us to shake it. You have to be prepared cause she doesn't really break thing down....you just have to go with the flow. Holy aerobics...it is hard. But we are all very excited to show off our moves in the clubs....we will probably still look ridiculous. O well...it is what it is.

The other day we went to the state of Yucatan orphanage that I may possibly doing my service learning at. We did not get it because the lady was busy, so maybe another day.

Tomorrow we have a field trip to a place called Celestun. Celestun is a huge flamingo refugee. Believe me, I will be reapplying the sunscreen every hour.....

note to self: Living with four labs sucks......

We do not travel alone in Mexico so we have a buddy system, kinda like at camp, but in a city of a million people. These are my buddies Emily and Cassie. We were pretty excited about this pic.

Mi Casa
Entry Way

Homestay

My homestay had been going very well. I only have a few complaints. My first complaint is that the 4 large labs never stop barking. Taking a nap is not easy with continuous barking. The dogs also live right outside my window, therefore my room always wreaks of wet dog....yum. My next complaint is hotdogs for breakfast. Don't get me wrong, I love hotdogs over a campfire, but for breakfast not so much. My house is about 12 minutes from campus, so I will get a lot of exercise in each day. So by the time I get to class I am drenched in sweat. My host dad works in development in the poor part of Merida know as Colonia. My host dad invited me to attend a reflextion on the past six years. He has helped develop a community center for this community. There are many classes offered to children and adults. It is a safe place to be at for people not living with the best circumsances. We are all truely blessed and some times are not pleased for what we do have. After breakfast at Colonia, small groups formed to discuss what has went well, what has not, and goals for the future. I just helped watch kid. I also helped the kids paint a tree out of their hand prints to symbolize hope. I met this nice girl from Chicago who had been living in Merida for 9 months and has been working at the Community Center. She was my translator, but most the time when we talked she made me speak in Spanish. It was a great day in Colonia and I plan to spend some time there each week for my service learning project.
On Sunday night we were all feeling pretty wore out, so me played ultimate spoons which consisted a hiding spoons in ceretain rooms up stairs and running up the stairs to find them. It was so much fun. On my way home that night, 3 ladies were trying to figure out how to jump a car. I do not know much about cars but I was able to help them. Dad, you would be proud. They told me I was their hero. It was really funny.
So my class schedule is really rough. I do not have class till 7 at night on Mondays and Wednesdays and my on Monday my dance class was cancelled. On Tuesdays and Thursdays my first class starts at 10:15. To top off the sweet schedule on Fridays we go on all field trips. I am taking Latin Dance, Intermediate Spanish, Art and Architecture of the Yucatan, Mexican Civilization, and Service learning out in the community. I had my first official day of class today. I am in way over my head in intermediate Spanish.....o well. It can only get better. Well I should get to bed. I hope you are all doing well.

Note to self: If a local says that they will be there in a minute.....it will be ten. Our friends that live here call it the Mexican minute.

Week One

Hola

Today I sit with muy rojo (very red) skin. We went to a small beach resort called Progreso. The sun just fried my skin and I even put a tone of sun screen.....o well I am going to have to get used to it. We also took a bananas boat ride.....seemed fun...i think night. There is nothing worse than having salt water blasting you eyeballs.....it feels so good. Last night we went to a small local bar where the have live music every night. The same bands plays and we just loving going there to listen the the music. We are such dedicated fans that the band knows us all by name. The newest hit in Mexico is called Matame, which is a great song. Today was a relaxing day for me. I needed it. There is currently some violence going on in Merida. Twelve bodies without heads were found in the area. The think that beheadings have to do with drug trafficking. None of you have anything to worry about, we are safe and they will not bother us. You can read more about it on this site.

http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/n29473218-mexico-drugs/

I just moved in with my host family tonight. My Spanish is going to improve so much. They wanted me to move in early because they want to take me to some type of event in the morning. My host dad Don Aurthur workes in the poor part of town working on development. I will help him some this semester. Senora Maria is my host mom. They have 4 large labs that never stop barking. A girl for Kentucky and a different program will be moving in on Sept. 10 so that will be nice. We my host parents and I were walking to the store tonight, we saw and ton of people in all white. There had been a huge protest about the beheadings. We are not allowed to go to any protests or we will get thrown in jail.....crazy. Everything is going great. Miss you all. Take Care.

Isaac

note to self- Too much sunscreen is never enough...........

Buenos Dias

Merida is very well know for it hammocks, which I just bought. All houses have hammock hooks. It is the best way to stay cool when sleeping. I am super excited. Last night a group of us went out to a local bar. We may not have the same dance moves as Mexicans, but we had fun. There was a local band, and they loved us. They brought us on stage to dance. It was so fun, i cannot wait till we actually start taking latin dance. Don't worry, but Merida is currently in stage green of a hurricane that may potentially hit the Merida area. We should be fine, but nonetheless it is crazy that I am living in an area that can get hit by hurricanes. So in the bathrooms you will find a large trash can next to the toilet. Believe it or not, this is for your tp. The plumbing is not real great here, so we are prolonging a backed up bathroom. Tomorrow we are going to the beach....

Adios

note to self: Greeting with a kiss is normal.

Buenos Dias
So working out is a hole new ball game in Mexico. First of all it is so hot that there is not real good time to run. We of course have been going at 4 in the afternoon, which is like the heat of the day....the second challenge is getting to the stadium we run at. All the rumors about Mexicans being terrible drivers...they are true. A speed limit is more of a guide line or suggestion. So once we get there it is a relief, but it sucks running 4 miles on a track. There are 5 other students that are on track teams back at their colleges. We are thinking about calling ourselves the Central Casa Corvelas (Cobras). Last night we all just kind of hung out. We were all tired. We did walk to Wal-Mart, yes Wal-Mart. Have a great day.'

Isaac

note to self: Except the fact that you may smell and sweat the entire day.

Sings "Summer Nights" at a karaoke bar called Canta (to sing) Mexico.
Believe it or not we got a standing ovation!
Hola.....tengo calor
It is still hot, humid, and sticky.....I got soaked in my first tropical rain storm.......very cool. Orientation is great. Last night 12 of us students went to the Plaza Grande to watch authentic dances. It was fun to watch. It was all older couples over the age of 55, and boy can they move. We also talked to the locals that were working at there small displays set up around the Plaza. I also tried this thing where I threw a stick with two other sticks....not as easy as it looks. My Spanish is slowly coming back. The other students are so great. I have been scoping out a bunch of different churches I want to attend on different Sundays. They are huge and beautiful. I have three hours a week of service learning which will either be done at an orphanage or a free school that teachers English. I would like to do both, but who know. Today we took a tour of the city on a bus....it was very fun. I do not remember any of the name of the buildings, but nonetheless it was great. The bell just rang, it is time for lunch.

Buenos Dias

Not to self: Never complain about cold showers again.....they are truely a blessing .

Arrival in Mexico

Buenos Dias..........

Wow, I cannot believe I am really in Merida, Mexico. I am clearly in over my head, but i am here. It was a long day of traveling, but I made in safe and sound. My mom and I left Chester at 2:00 AM to get to the airport in Great Falls by 5:00 AM. I first flew to Salt Lake and then to Mexico City, and finally to Merida. Mexico City was and experience in itself. It is huge and I had no idea where i was suppose to go because my flight did not have an assigned gate and people just point, but I made it. I will be spending the rest of the semester tih 14 Americans mostly from the Midwest. Four including myself are doing home stays and the rest will live in a central house. The central house where I am currently living is a mansion. It is where I have all of my classes, including Latin American dance. The weather is really freaking hot. I feel really sticky all the time and we definetly do not have air conditioning. We took a small tour of the neighborhood. I saw where I will be living come Sunday. It is about a 7 minute walk. I am really overwhelmed right now. My Spanish will hopefully come fast. A long summer counseling kids at bible camp definetly makes some of the knowledge disappear. Well I am here. I hope you are all doing well. If you have some addresses of people I should add to the list, send me there addresses. Mom I would like of the aunts and uncles addresses. If you feel so inclined to write me, I love snail mail.

Isaac VanDyke

Central College Yucatan Program

Calle 20 No. 112 x 31

Colonia Mexico

Merida, Yucatan, 97128

Mexico

Take Care and God Bless

Isaac