March 14, 2016
11 de marzo
We started off the day with our normal classes at Cuauhnahuac where students learned everything from the most basic forms of Spanish the most advanced. We have been split into groups by ability level and some of us even have a one-on-one class.
After our classes, we had a cultural lecture about the foods of Mexico. Here, we learned about main ingredients used in Mexican food and some of the more common to the eat here. We help make salsa for Sophie, a Mexican food similar to an enchilada, except the tortilla is open. Then, we piled into taxis to go to the ruins of Teopanzolco. At the ruins, we got to experience a little bit of what pre-Aztec architecture was like. However, the ruins were not in good shape due to the Spanish stripping them down to build their own structures. Teopanzolco is located in Cuernavaca itself, and the site is quite small. It includes a main temple and several smaller ones. From the top of the temple we were able to see one of the volcanoes that lays in between here and Puebla. Alumn Nick Johnson ‘08 joined us on the excursion. He is here in Cuernavaca teaching English at Cuauhnahuac.
Next, we went to a Mexican Bilingual School for a cultural exchange. We talked with kids about the US and about Mexico, and we played many games such as soccer with them. They were very excited about our visit as we were the first school group from the US to do an exchange with them. Their school is a bilingual PreK-9 school — half the day is in English and half is in Spanish. In Mexico, “la secundaria” is like Junior High. From there, students go to “el preparatorio” which is like High School but it has a college-like environment.
Finally, we finished off the day by going to see Zootopia in Spanish at one of the big malls. We experienced their VIP room which includes recliner chairs and waiter service. I know my Spanish must be getting better because next week I will be in a class on my own!
