My first week in Mexico

In this entry I will tell you about my first impressions and experiences here in Mexico. Enjoy reading :)

09/03/2022

A week ago on Saturday, I was sitting on the plane to Mexico with 13 other volunteers. To be honest, I hadn't really thought much about what to expect here (partly because I didn't have time), but I can say that I have been very well received here so far.

The Arrival

Apart from a one-hour delay, our flight went smoothly and we landed in Mexico City at around 10 p.m. local time. Alejandro, our coordinator here in Mexico, picked us up at the airport. We then took a bus for almost two and a half hours through the darkness of Mexico City to Puebla, a city located south of the capital. Our host families were waiting for us there. Carmen and her 21-year-old son Fernando greeted me enthusiastically. I will be living with them this year. We drove to Cholula, a small town with a population of 105,000, where my new home is located. I am staying in a room with a private bathroom, which is separate from the main house. Normally, Carmen rents it out on Airbnb, but now it is my kingdom for a year, with a bed three times larger than the one I was used to in the student dormitory. So, the accommodation here is almost like luxury for me. We live just outside the city and from our property, I have a view of Mexico's second largest volcano, Popocatépetl.

The First Day

After getting some sleep and recovering from the flight, Carmen took me on a bike tour with her friend Ingrid on Sunday morning at 9 o'clock. Our tour took us along a main road that connects Cholula with the center of Puebla. On the last Sunday of every month, the road is closed to cars and families and sports enthusiasts use this day to walk, inline skate, or, like us, ride a bicycle. On the sides of the road, there are stands where advertisements for events or institutions are displayed, as well as small snacks and refreshments. The idea of opening a main road once a month to pedestrians and cyclists is completely new to me, but the local people seem to like it.

Ingrid, Carmen's friend who accompanied us on the bike tour, has lived in Mexico her whole life, but she is German. So, communication with her was not a problem. In general, there is a relatively large German community here in Puebla, partly because of the Volkswagen factory located here. But even in the late 19th century, there was already an immigration wave from Germany to Mexico due to industrial reasons. My host brother can actually speak German and he has already spent 6 months in Germany because he attended a German school in Puebla, which was founded by German families in 1911. Apart from German classes, the instruction there is now conducted in Spanish. (As you can see, I encounter German and Germany here more than I thought xD)

The Preparation Seminar

After getting acquainted with my new surroundings on Sunday afternoon after the bike tour, we had a three-day preparation seminar from Monday to Wednesday to prepare for our stay here in Mexico, as the name suggests. The seminar took place in the conference room of a beautiful hotel with a swimming pool. During the seminar, we talked about where it is dangerous in Mexico, what rules apply to us, and what differences exist between Germans and Mexicans and our cultures. For example, Mexicans like to hug and have physical contact (even as a greeting), while Germans don't prefer it; Mexicans always try to say everything in a kind and nice way and don't like being direct, while Germans value directness; and Mexicans are usually very spontaneous, while Germans love to plan. We also discussed and took care of some organizational matters during the seminar and had the opportunity to try Mexican food for the first time, but we ordered it without spiciness so as not to upset our stomachs in the first few days.

Other Experiences

Here are some of the things I have experienced so far apart from the preparation seminar:

On Monday evening, Carmen took me to her singing lesson. It was a small, sweet group that welcomed me warmly.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the seminar lasted a bit longer, so there wasn't much time, but on Thursday, I went to a shopping mall with Fernando, his friends, and another volunteer. It was very impressive because this mall is not just a shopping center like I know from Germany. In the mall, there is a climbing hall, laser tag, a trampoline park, an ice skating rink (:o), and even a mini amusement park with a few rides. Crazy. A few hours earlier, I was still shopping in a small market on the outskirts of the city, and then going to this "Centro Comercial" (shopping mall in Spanish) felt like entering a different world. Personally, I have to say that I liked the world I had experienced a few hours earlier a little better.

On Friday, Carmen took me to the city center of Puebla after work. We explored it on foot. The city of Puebla has around 1.5 million inhabitants and has a lot to offer, from Spanish colonial architecture to history and art. What I particularly like here in Mexico is that the houses are painted in so many different colors. It makes everything look so much happier, and I don't understand why we don't do the same in Germany. Puebla is also called Puebla de los Ángeles. Why? According to legend, angels helped with the founding and construction of the city. During the construction of the cathedral, everyone thought it was an impossible task to hoist the heavy bell up to the church tower. But the next morning, the bell was magically hanging up there. It is said that this was the work of angels. When I was there with Carmen yesterday, everything (I mean everything) was decorated in the Mexican colors, in honor of September 16th, Mexican Independence Day. We visited a small exhibition where giant figurines made of wax and individual pearls were being sold. I can't imagine how much time and effort it took to make them. We also walked past the market, and Carmen showed me the Talavera ceramic, which was introduced from Spain to Mexico during the colonial period and has grown in prominence in Puebla due to the availability of clay. Beautiful, colorful artworks are created using this technique, which are now considered traditional Mexican.

This is new to me

Of course, many things are new to me, but there are a few things here that I still need to get used to. One of them is the "fireworks" here. When I heard such a loud bang for the first time at 9 o'clock in the morning, I thought there was a shooting on the street. But no, it's not that bad. Fireworks, often just loud smoke cannons, are lit at all kinds of times for religious reasons. The loud bangs are supposed to drive away evil spirits. So, I need to get used to the noise. Another thing that is very unusual for me is the limitations on my freedom. I should not be out alone here, especially not at night, and often rely on Carmen or Fernando to take me places. This situation makes me think a lot about the privilege I had in Hamburg. In the middle of a big city, with all the freedoms and a thousand open possibilities of where I could go alone next. But I also think that I will get used to the circumstances here and that everything will fall into place over time. One last thing that is new to me is, of course, speaking Spanish, which is still very awkward for me at the moment. But I'll get there. (I'm lucky that Carmen speaks English very well.)

Two days from now, on Monday, September 5th, I will have my first day of work. The village where I will be working is called San Jéronimo Tecuanipan and is located a little further outside Puebla, so I will have to take a slightly longer bus journey. I am very excited to see how it will work. And of course, I am also very excited about the work and look forward to being able to tell you about my first experiences in a few days.

Until then, lots of love

Sandy