Cuernavaca: Days 3 and 4

I did not write yesterday. I was too tired. And it is really hot here. Like record breaking heat. Cuernavaca is known as la primavera eterna, place of eternal spring because of the year round moderate temperatures. That is not the case - it has been at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit every day since I have been here which means lots of water and sunblock!

I am getting a bit more comfortable - I even walked home by myself today after school. But it is still perpetual newness and my brain always feels like it is working at full capacity.

The small things are so interesting to me. Yesterday we went to a market to eat and there were bowls upon bowls with at least a dozen different types of salsas. I was surprised to see all the salsas but to the Mexican people I was with it was nothing special. Today my teacher and I were working on vocabulary and somehow camping and outdoor fires came up. So I of course mentioned s'mores. She had no idea what I was talking about and after I explained them she was excited. She wants to try s'mores. And I want to eat every type of salsa that exists in this country. 

Yesterday was an excursion to Tepoztlán: It’s known as the reputed birthplace of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec feathered serpent god, and for its weekly craft market. A steep trail leads to the Aztec Tepozteco pyramid, on a clifftop above the town.

I did not make it to the top of the pyramid because of the heat but it was still a trek. So beautiful with so much history. There was also an outdoor market and stores with local artisans. Handmade objects made by the local people.

Today we went to the Museo Regional de los Pueblos de Morelos in Cuernavaca: The Palace of Cortés in Cuernavaca, Mexico, built between 1523 and 1528, is the oldest conserved colonial-era civil structure in the continental Americas. There is a giant mural painted by Diego Rivera, famous Mexican painter and the husband of Frida Kahlo, at the museum. The mural is a linear portrayal of Mexico's history, focusing on the city of Cuernavaca, painted in a chronological sequence. The mural depicts the invasion of the Spanish and the colonization of the Indigenous peoples. The mural is spectacular. For so many reasons. It is vivid and colorful and beautiful and sad and tragic and true...

I am signing off for the night. I am going to indulge myself in some Netflix in English and a shower before bed. We can do hard things. This experience is amazing, but hard!