June 24th, 2009
Chris and I had another very eventful day with our host family. It seems as if our daily conversations continue to evolve into more detailed explanations, which are extremely enjoyable and altogether preferable to the choppy one word answers from Level I. Chris tends to lead all stories into a tone of melancholy which I gladly reverse into a fit of laughter. Today Donna Francisca taught Chris to eat “the Maya way” with no utensils, of which I managed to avoid at all costs. Somehow eating pureed squash with your bare hands isn’t a skill I’m looking to perfect. Several times throughout the meal Chris offered his habanera pepper to me, which I flatly refused in Maya. Donna Francisca quite enjoyed this exchange of antics, which made our visit seem like old friends that have known each other for eons. Before we departed she offered us mangos to take for later, handing Chris three brilliant orange fruit, before presenting three to me. I smiled and politely asked my host for the yaax mangos, which caused a huge grin on her face and three shiny green fruit of my very own.
After class Tim and I went for a very relaxing dip in the pool at the Pickled Onion. It was extremely refreshing and once again I felt the weight lifted from my lungs and the task of breathing eased. We spent a little over an hour soaking in the warm sun, and the delightful feel of the water before returning to the Sacbe and my evening class.
We began our lesson by discussing every body part imagined in Maya, Connie standing up in her Hawaiian print capris and pointing to her buttocks as she asked Don Humberto the appropriate terminology. Afterwards my class left to partake in the Festival of Saint John, listening to the lighthearted music of the jarana and young Maya girls dancing in their brightly embroidered huipils. The colorful parade seemed to walk on for hours before returning to the small bright blue chapel where the many children enjoyed the spoils of five piñatas, though hidden among the many treasures was the dead carcass of a large green frog. Soon it was launched into the crowd from one side to the other, Allison and I running for cover to the side of the field where a row of small houses stood with dozens of Maya women dressed in their traditional huipil. Mark on the otherhand couldn’t contain his laughter and nearly rolled to the ground in a fit of giggles, which even today when timed perfectly with a sip of limonada can produce a scene that is altogether very enjoyable to watch as he struggles to contain his laughter. During these proceedings the many children decided to place the dead amphibian on Connie’s backpack, which she did not notice until many minutes later when she realized that they were all staring at her back.
Since the festival seemed to drag on into the hours of dusk I finally snuck off to return to the bungalow for Tim and our walk to the Chac Mool for dinner. As I walked along the main road back to the Sacbe, a minivan halted beside me and the smiling face of Don Alberto and Donna Francisca waved from inside the small interior saying, “Ola Flor.” They asked my destination and gladly offered a lift, which I accepted and thus mere minutes later arrived back at the hotel. Dinner was a traditional breaded chicken dish with fresh vegetables and rice. On our return to the room we did not have any run-ins with Simon, who we named after Simon from American Idol since his bark his worse than his bite. Once again our bungalow proved to be nearly bug free thanks to the continued spraying of doors and windows, with only a few specimens to whack with the flyswatter. Our major complaint is that with the windows tightly sealed during the night, the air is quite stifling and altogether unpleasant. As such we plan on returning to Merida this weekend for a bit of a break from the heat.
June 25th, 2009
My daily wish for pancakes was finally answered this morning with a stack of three fluffy hotcakes, along with a dish of pineapple and banana. Even though they were delicious and satisfied my pancake urge for today, I have a feeling I will still wish for them tomorrow. During class I developed a migraine and after a dose of Tylenol still felt the throbbing pain in my forehead. At the conclusion of class it had peaked into a full-blown migraine, so I took several Excedrin and tried to sleep it off in the semi-darkness of my bungalow. Since any form of bright light only caused more pain I stayed at the Sacbe instead of venturing to Donna Francisca’s since it would only have made the situation worse.
Several hours later, another dose of Tylenol and my second class of the day, Tim and I walked to the Pickled Onion for some pool time and something a bit more familiar for dinner. The pool was extremely refreshing, except of course when an enormous beetle the size of my hand emerged from the cloudy depths before disappearing again. Needless to say we stayed at the opposite end of the pool. I had an amazing bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with French fries and a chelada Montejo, while Tim enjoyed a Caesar salad and a Corona. Obviously we both ordered a brownie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Afterwards we used the internet which is available for the first time at the Pickled Onion, though there is only one laptop available for use, which is enough as long as the entire class doesn’t go at the exact same time. It was so nice to have an evening all to ourselves to enjoy the pool and our long awaited time together.
June 26th, 2009
Once again breakfast consisted of an egg and chaya omelet with whole wheat toast and a glass of mango juice. As usual, group activities seem a bit disorganized as the itinerary listed a seven thirty departure, yet breakfast was just being served and the van did not arrive until eight fifteen. It was very frustrating to sit in the very back of the van since Level I pre-boarded at the Flycatcher before it picked up Level II at the Chac Mool. Not one speck of cool air found its way to the back since the last vents were positioned above the second to last row, which meant it was equally as hot inside the bus as outside.
Our first stop was at Labna were once again Tomás lectured for far too long in the blazing sun on topics of rather little interest to the majority of us. Before we arrived at the municipal center of the site we stopped in some near shade to discuss the colonial occupation of Labna. As the group moved on Tim wasn’t feeling too great and at my request sat down to regain his strength. I am quite use to Meg getting dehydrated and recognized the blurred vision immediately, forcing him to drink as much water as possible. As his strength returned the driver found a baby parrot which he scooped into his straw hat and brought over for us to admire. Instead of rejoining the group, I took Tim back to the entrance where I purchased more water and two cans of peach juice for us to enjoy while getting some much needed sugar into our systems.
We walked back to the archway at Labna where Allison took our picture before slowly making our way down the sacbe to the palace. Mark and I discussed the few calendrical glyphs, which is always fun to practice with other students. Then Tim and I found a shady spot to rest during the never-ending lecture from our resident archaeologist. The large van would have been a welcome retreat after the heat and sun had it not been for the lack of air conditioning making its way to our row in the very back. Our next stop was the small town of Maní famous for the Book of Chilam Balam of Maní in which they prophesize the arrival of the Spaniards. Tomás delivered another rambling lecture at the cathedral where the sun was so intense that you could feel the skin on the top of your feet burning. When we walked into the interior of the church, which was in the process of being retiled and restored, it was my turn to feel weak from the blistering sun and lack of food. After locating the well from the Old Lady of Maní myth, Tim leaned over to take a picture of its dark depths for me, before we found a bench in the chapel to relax our tired bodies. It was very exciting for me to discover that the well actually exists, and would have been even more exciting if I had a chance to locate the church archives concerning the well since it was built during the days of Bishop Landa.
Lunch was served at the Titul Xiu Restaurant in Maní famous for its Poc Chuc. The tall glass of jamaica was particularly refreshing and my stomach was pleased to finally get some food. The last stop of the day was Uxmal, an hour ride from Maní, where my first task was to purchase a phone card as I had done on my trip last year. It was so good to hear Cherylie’s voice and to spend a longer time catching up on events not yet posted in my blog. As the group departed for a tour of Uxmal, Tim and I decided to treat ourselves to an ice cream before I took him on a private tour of Uxmal, slipping around the Nunnery to avoid the rest of the group who were still at the Pyramid of the Magician listening to Tomás. It was so nice to get pictures of the site with a brilliant blue sky instead of the gray clouds from my previous trip. Tim seemed glad to see more of what I study and impressed by the size and complexity of the site compared to Labna. When we completed the tour, the group ordered drinks at the bar, Tim and I having a cold Sol, before cooling down in the large swimming pool, which had a few too many dead bugs for comfort. Level II and Level I stayed largely separate, with Level I behaving a bit immature given the amount of alcohol they consumed.
The light show was as odd as last year, yet the silhouette of the ruins as each building was lit during the narrative was quite beautiful with flashes of lightning on the horizon and a drizzle of cool rain splashing on our bare arms and shoulders.
When we returned to the Sacbe after nine o’clock the driver had to return to Merida and so Pablo, who was returning to the city as well, asked if we would like to come instead of catching the bus in the morning. We packed an overnight back as quickly as possible, not even really knowing what I had packed, and soon we were on our way to Merida. It was after eleven o’clock when we arrived and finally settled into our air conditioned room at the Hotel San Juan.
June 27th, 2009
After a very restful night sleep snuggled under the sheet with a wave of air conditioning holding the heat at bay, we showered and went for coffee and tea at the Maya Chocolate Café. Before we left I also purchased a little something for Joe, walking another block to what I would consider the Maya version of Lush for specialty soap, one crafted especially for my mosquito bites made from indigenous plants and fruits. We spent much of the morning basking in the sun while remaining in the cool, glistening water of the pool. We even managed to get a few pictures with the camera placed on a nearby lounge and set to automatic capture. Lunch was near the zocalo and consisted of quesadillas for Tim and a ham and cheese sandwich for me.
I spent the afternoon completing the mass of homework that John assigned so that the rest of the weekend would be free to enjoy with Tim. What started as a simple hug turned into perhaps thirty minutes of tears and a never-ending embrace as I tried to push back the eventual departure of Tim and the tears that would accompany it. I had hoped to wait until Monday to cry after he left, but I know that it will arrive sooner rather than later and I will once again be alone. It is amazing how a complete stranger can grow so quickly into someone you love and cherish and I know that when he leaves it will feel like someone has violently ripped out a part of myself.
I wanted to have an enjoyable dinner somewhere that was secluded and romantic; hence I knew right away that I wanted to go to Pancho’s from last summer. It has a huge patio overgrown with palms and soft lighting that makes you forget that you are in the hustle and bustle of the city. I had my first margarita of the trip while we snacked on plantain chips with a honey barbeque dipping sauce. We also ordered a plate of four cheese empanadas, and a chaya artichoke dip with more plantain chips. Everything was top notch, including the flaming coffee that Tim ordered and they prepared tableside. As they lit the coffee on fire the waiter transferred it from metal pitcher to metal pitcher, the honey brown liquid accented by a dancing blue flame along the stream of coffee. The top of the glass was rimmed with sugar with a final touch of ice cream floating in the middle. Sometimes you almost wish you liked coffee just to order something like that. When we returned to the room it was already late and we were ready for bed.
June 28th, 2009
I spent much of my morning trying to catch up on my blog before internet disappears once again. In fact, as I completed each day I made a new posting just to make sure that nothing got left simply because I ran out of time. Tim and I went to a nearby hotel for breakfast, overlooking a small park while eating eggs with ham and toast with strawberry jelly. We showered and packed before checking out, using the internet one last time to purchase tickets to a White Sox and Orioles game when I return. And yes, I am going to wear black and orange.
After we checked out, it was a short taxi ride to the bus terminal where we had to wait nearly an hour for the buses departure at two thirty. I was feeling a bit dizzy and having some trouble breathing, so it was Tim’s turn to force water down my throat, along with a can of peach juice, and a pack of crackers. The bus was not very cool and smelled strongly of piss, so I was very pleased when I recognized Santa Elena and we disembarked for the rather long walk back to the Sacbe. Tim was surprised at the distance that I walk nearly every day to reach Donna Francisca since it was his first time seeing the center of town.
Once again, we spent some time consoling each other and drying tears since tomorrow we will probably not get a decent goodbye when the bus arrives. We went to the Pickled Onion one last time for dinner, Tim ordering quesadillas, and I a cheeseburger with fries. Of course I probably don’t have to say that we ordered brownies with ice cream. The evening was much cooler than the last few nights so we sat holding hands as the sun set below the horizon and the sky was painted in the colors of dusk.
The walk back to the Sacbe brought another first during this trip, the sudden appearance of a large am on my ankle, a load yelp from me and sinking even closer into the side of Tim as we unlocked the door to the bungalow and ducked inside. Still there was nothing too unmanageable in our room…though a careful reader will notice the bit of foreshadowing as the spiders tend to be getting a bit friendlier each day now that one has actually crawled up my leg. It was extremely hot in the room and I am sure it was a combination of sadness, heat, and tears that made sleep quite difficult.
June 29th, 2009
This morning Tim and I cuddled for one last time before we got dressed and walked the short path to the main road. Since Tim’s arrival at what would have been the most stressful and emotionally painful portion of my trip I have been able to remain positive and in good spirits. Already his departure has taken its toll as the heat, bugs, and lack of any sort of creature comfort becomes ever more obviously lacking. At night I could sleep peacefully knowing that he was there to protect me and now I am constantly worried about what I will find. I only managed to get to breakfast after some time in my room trying to compose myself. As I walked back to my now empty bungalow Allison gave me a much needed hug to let me know she was there if I needed anything.
Returning to my room after class I had the unfortunate luck of discovering a very large spider, nearly the size of my fist. Chris and Mark noticed me standing in the doorway with my can of Raid and came to lend a hand, first locating the sneaky critter as it ducked behind the curtain before chasing it around the wall with my flip flop and smashing it into the white tile as I covered it in a pool of the toxic spray. Its shaking body was enough for Mark to laugh nearly as hard as when the dead frog was tossed into the crowd. At least I am good for a bit of a laugh. I am off to my host’s for lunch and have just lost electricity to the ceiling fan and light, which I pray will be restored before my return. I just want my Tim back so my mind can be at ease and the tears can stop rolling down my check. Three evenings of this seems practically impossible and I am sure that sleep will be very difficult. I did not expect it to be this dismal already, but I feel as if I am missing a half of myself.
On a happier note, Chris and I have each been given our own family this week, with me continuing to visit Donna Francisca and Don Alberto by myself. I assume that means things are going well. I made the very long walk to Donna Francisca’s by myself, walking slower to keep from getting too overheated. It took some time for them to realize that Chris was not coming back this week until we moved on to some real conversation. We talked about my weekend in Merida, Tim’s departure and my family, aided largely by pictures that I had on my memory stick. They thought that Tim was a very handsome guy and that I looked stunning with straight hair. Donna Francisca was especially shocked to discover that I was twenty four, since I do not look my age. The picture of Megan and I made equally as much commotion with every member of the family wanting to see the identical twins, and of course hear her life story as well, the first question as usual regarding her marriage status.
My return trip to the bungalow proved to be quite miserable as I suffered from a full bladder and a lack of water which meant walking even faster in the blazing sun. My breathing was significantly heavy and as I finally arrived at my bungalow, now known as “the palace” I collapsed on the bed with the ceiling visibly spinning above me. I am certain that if the walk had been just a bit longer I would have blacked out from dehydration. Since Mark and Chris have seen my bungalow after this morning’s am (spider) hunting mission, I have been informed that what I consider to be the rough conditions of Bungalow One are even worse in the single rooms of my classmates, hence earning it the ever appropriate name assigned by Mark.
I barely had an hour to recover before our evening class, which I spent trying to cool down and drink as much water as possible. The two hours of class felt more like six hours with its conclusion being a very welcome event. After class we had a lecture by John on the milpa which I unfortunately was already familiar with from last year along with Christa, as well as Pablo who has been absent all day, not surprisingly taking an extra long weekend since he went to Progreso with his friends.
I was happy to have Allison return to my bungalow if only to borrow my flyswatter for a pesky critter of her own, but it was nice to have someone there as I searched for any unwanted visitors. I awoke several times during the night with leg cramps, the last occurring at about five thirty and lasting nearly thirty minutes. I simply laid there cradling my leg, while tears rolled down my cheek and I prayed for the muscle to suddenly relax, but nothing seemed to relieve the tension. I am guessing that it is due to the lack of water that I obviously did not drink during the day, but perhaps that is because I am crying it all out. Needless to say, my leg is very sore and walking extremely difficult until it stretches back out.
I forgot to mention that the final count of mosquito bites was nineteen for Tim and so far seventy four for me. Of course his will heal much quicker given that he is much more disciplined in leaving them alone.
