17.10.09

Visual highlights



As the big trips with touristic pictures were done in last December and January, now Im getting too lazy to carry my cam around all the time. So now Im capturing things that simply cannot be left uncaptured - Mexican flags all over before Independence day, heart breaking views with palm trees, real iguana, so called parties that in Latvia would have a title of biggest event in Riga, local Octoberfest - Fiestas de Octubre, procession of Zapopan virgin and some more.
Very limited due to the first test of cool video service that I just found :)

More: My Picasa (including some albums from Dec and Jan almost a year ago)

7.10.09

Contrasts & conclusions: first month in Mexico

From a very subjective and personal Latvian perspective.
A month and a half in Mexico. With different time flow and different turn of many other things. Some of my observations and conclusions.
  • There are places not mentioned in tour guide books, that you almost cannot find in Google, that no one really talks about it but that also is Mexico. Next to perfect beaches, greenest mountains, the most expensive houses and highest office buildings with small airports on them there are also simply poor neighborhoods with a very real life there. Even if there is only one little sentence in Wikipedia that says - among the most criminal places in Mexico, please, trust the information of this un-academic resource.
  • Blond hair is a luxury, nature gift and obstacle simultaneously, as well as blue (ok, actually grayish blue) eyes. All that makes you different, strange or special. Everything depends on the situation but you can never become local. Perhaps it's not even necessary to become one but a day without weird looks to you would be nice.
  • On the other hand, simply beauty very often is not a successful combination of the correct genes but a result of carefully planned operations (starting from adolescence, why to wait until your body is completely mature...), tons of make-up (for going out but none in the next morning) and other things you can get with certain amounts of money.
  • Just a Bachelor degree gives you a magical abbreviation before your name - Lic. (Licenciado). If you become exceedingly successful (as a result from status in society or position at work, i.e., being born in the right family, years of hard work or simply luck), it serves as second name and address. Quite similar to what we would say for a director, manager, boss. Something higher for others to know their place in hierarchy which here is stronger than anywhere. Master or Doctor degree is meant for academic careers.
  • Tropical climate in the beach cities brings sun and paradise worth views - that is totally true, but also tons of animals and things you never know existed. In the ocean live little fleas that bite invisibly but terribly and itch for a week, normal mosquitoes do not buzz like in Latvia but bite harder than in Līgo Midsummer eve, in the room iguanas are often guests, ants are the owners of sidewalks and in the bathroom in the middle of the night you can encounter huge cockroach saying hi to you.
  • But if you complain about Latvia's changing weather, spend some time in Mexico city summer - one moment hottest sun, next ice cold rain, then all into smog. Stars and romantic sky can be found in other cities. The metropolitan side effects.
  • Do you think that it's very normal and even recommendable to start your own life after high school or university? No way! Why to live in a cheap apartment and save money for food and going out and take care of your own life if you can live with your parents until getting married...
  • Modesty is not a virtue here. Strong self confidence and loud voice - that could be the first means to conquer Mexico. If you are quiet, it's a bit weird. Yes, I'm not really fitting here :P
  • Also cooking and other housekeeping skills are desired, but definitely not required, here a woman doesn't need to combine all possible roles - perfect career, perfect housewife, mother, lover, etc. Not good or bad, but simply as it is. Here getting a maid and a gardener to do everything seems much easier than breaking oneself apart with all the responsibilities.
  • Silence here can be found only in deep forests, high mountains or far deserts. But even then if there will be at least 2 Mexicans, peace is gone. As well here it is not common to respect one's personal space or privacy, or sleep in early mornings. Collective culture with all the strong family links and deep traditions brings some side effects as well.
  • Chili, salt and lime (as here there are no yellow lemons as we have, lime in Spanish gets name of lemon - limón) is a classical combination in many dishes here and surprisingly I'm starting to love it more and more each day, though at home tried to avoid spicy food as much as possible.
  • Time here is very relative - "I'll call you in one hour" might also mean calling the next day or just a polite way of saying "no" and not being able to say sorry. But on the other hand time here flies faster than in Europe.
What else?
Hmmm... Yes, it is sunny and each day more and more the weather is getting different from home, but rain and thunder is much stronger than in Latvia and Mexicans themselves don't appreciate the sun as we do, ocean is quite far and seeing truly white sand is not my every day view as many are thinking, no one knows about a place called Latvia but then also no one knows anything about our economical situation and I can make the first impression...
Many things here are different and as I've discovered everything has at least two sides to look at. To be happy about some things and to get angry and not being able to accept that. But that's what I wanted to prove to myself.

Hopefully will be continued.