Horizontal Zigzags

This is the best visual I can come up with for describing Cuernavaca, my new city. It is a formerly quaint (now booming, population probably around 1 million) colonial city that resembles a community of multi-colored lego block houses situated in streets that snake up and down an intricate maze of hills and “barrancos.” Let me give you an image of the hills. Yesterday I walked to the supermarket, which is about 6 blocks from my house. Within these 6 blocks, I climbed 3 hills and went down 3 hills. That is how steep and frequent these hills are. Kind of like San Fran, but with narrower streets.

I was expecting a little town square and some scattered housing, since all the research I had done described Cuernavaca as a small city. I failed to take into account the size of nearby Mexico City, which is about 25 million. Of course Cuernavaca, a city of 1 million, would seem small compared to the grand capital city. But Philadelphia is also a city of 1 million, something to consider for a comparison.

I arrived here on Tuesday to torrential downpour, and could only “smh” as we passed the welcome sign: “Cuernavaca: Ciudad de la eternal primavera” (City of eternal spring). What of all the 70 and sunny talk? My tutor (supervisor/boss at the university) assured me that this weather was an anomaly, that the rain typically comes only at night during the rainy season. Sure enough, the next day also greeted me with heavy precipitation. The good part about this rainy season is that the abundant vegetation is in full bloom. Trees, grass, shrubs, and beautiful tropical colored flower bushes adorn every inch of the city, and complement the various colors of the houses and buildings. Both yesterday and today have been beautiful, sunny, borderline hot days.

My apartment is located just outside of the Zocalo, the center of the city and hub of action. I am very happy with this location, which will minimize the amount of taxis and buses I’ll take when going out for dinner or cultural events in el centro. My apartment consists of two rooms—sitting room/kitchen and bedroom—and a bathroom. Fully furnished. Backyard/garden area. Internet. Not a bad setup.

Today was my first day at work, La Universidad Tecnologica Emiliano Zapata, or La UTEZ. It is located in the smaller town just outside Cuernavaca called Emiliano Zapata. The school was founded in 2000 and built in 2001, so I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful new campus. It sits on top of a hill, at the end of the bus routes, and through a large red and yellow stucco gateway which announces your arrival at La UTEZ. There are about 8-10 buildings, all of the same type stucco, with lots of green lawns and palm-ish trees. From campus, the view is stunning. Visible for miles and miles are valleys, framed in the distance by mountains. Within the green valleys, some hills comparable to the one that is home to La UTEZ house small towns and villages, comprised of architecture much like that of Cuernavaca. It is colorful and lovely. The bus to La UTEZ passes by a street just 2 blocks from my house in Cuernavaca. It takes about 45 minutes, which I don’t mind at all. I am actually looking forward to some ipod/book time on the morning and afternoon commutes.

I will be working Monday-Thursday (Fridays off, holla!) for about 3-4 hours each day, giving talleres (workshops) on English. Most will be conversation and speaking, but I would like to give some writing and literature sessions as well. Today I started the work I will be doing all next week: interviewing the students who are interested, in order to sort them into their proper level (beginner, intermediate, advanced). The students I met today—about 10 individuals—are very friendly, and I can already tell that they want to improve their English, so the classes should be fun and easy in terms of behavior. The ages ranged from 20-24.

(That is a picture of me waiting for Raquel to pick me up for work today- first day of school!) My tutor Raquel gave me an extensive tour of the university, which I cannot wait to show my mom and dad (especially Dad since he works in academia and attends conferences at various schools). Raquel has been superhelpful so far, picking me up in Mexico City on Tues., taking me to the Migracion office when I first arrived, showing me her house (“Mi casa es tu casa”), giving me tips on the city, and taking me to La UTEZ by car for my first day today. She introduced me to all the faculty at school and made me feel very comfortable.

La UTEZ tiene muy buena onda. (kind of untranslatable: La UTEZ has a very good feel to it). The student body seems vibrant and active. The campus is gorgeous. The faculty is very welcoming and helpful. Overall, I am looking forward very much to my time working there.