Cervantes, outdoor theaters

After my first genuine low point since I´ve been here two days ago, I decided I had to get out of the house after class yesterday. At 6:30, a bunch of my friends met in this plaza, outside of a church. One of the girl´s host fathers was on a board in teachers and intellectuals who were introducing some recently written book. The panel started late, of course, but it was only until the speakers began did a man bring them bottled water and then cups. My friend joked that she wouldn´t be surprised if a waiter soon brought out a plate of steaming tacos. Maybe it´s a humor that only comes after experiencing Mexican culture, but it was truly hilarious.

After their talk, there was a play of a part of Don Quixote. The play took place in the plaza outside of an incredibly old church, while the audience sat on a set of bleachers. The play must have had at least sixty people, dressed in full costume, including tons of children, horses, and donkeys. The only indication that we were living in 2008 was the audience, but otherwise it truly seemed like another era. It was very dark outside when the play started and torches were lit along with a light that followed the main characters around the plaza. Though sometimes the actors spoke themselves, it was often a narrator talking through a loud speaker that eerily filled the night. Right as the play began, the moon rose above the buildings and I was able to see the lunar eclispe. It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life, and as I sat in the bleachers a shiver went through me.

Afterwards, I finally was able to find an internet cafe where skype worked, which was a big relief and quite exciting. I got to see and hear my parents, which is an indescribable relief after seeing solely new faces for two weeks straight. Speaking of, it´s my two week mark here today. Seems like I have been here forever and not at all. Tomorrow I am going with the other kids on my program to Mexico City for three days, which I think will be great. In much the same way I enjoy learning at NYU and then living in the places where what I learned occurred, learning about Mexican history and then seeing its evidence is thrilling.

In regards to learning, today was a much better day at school. Some days I feel as if I´m being taught as if I were a 10 year old, but at other times it´s much better. I particularly enjoy the history portions of my classes, which take up a fair amount of time because they are so relevant to understanding anything about Mexico. It would be a huge mistake to try and live in Mexico without knowing some of its history. Although I already know a lot of what we´ve been learning, it´s still fascinating and can always be learned in greater detail. I´m trying to refrain from describing all the great things I learned today, but I may get on it later.

I´ve been talking with the guy that works at the internet cafe I´m at, because he was watching the movie "Friday" in English. We talked a lot about music and he just showed me all his English movies. He lent me "Booty Call," which will be hilarous to try and watch without my host parents seeing and asking me what the hell ít is.

Anyway, I´m off, but I will post lots of pictures when I get back from Mexico City.