¡Hola! I thought I'd check back in after a busy weekend and the start of yet another busy week. As I mentioned in my last post, I traveled to Zacatlán this past Saturday with four other ND students. I didn't know too much about Zacatlán going into the weekend, but it was a great time. Zacatlán was a small little town about 1 and a half hours from Puebla by car. It's nestled up in the mountains surrounding Puebla, so it has some great views around it. It also has a beautiful little plaza in the middle of the city with a small market and two very old churches, one of which is a Franciscan monastery founded all the way back in 1567. The city is also famous for the apples that are grown in the area and the apple products which they make there. It's one of many towns Mexico has designated as a Pueblo Mágico (magical town).
Our day there was very laid back. We got there early in the morning and warmed up with some coffee and breakfast. Most of the day was then spent just wandering around the city, going through the market, exploring the churches, and just walking around the town. Right before we left, we walked down a street we hadn't seen yet, and ended up at street that overlooks a canyon outside the city. Right next to it was also a cemetery surrounded by a mural commemorating the 300th anniversary of the city. It was a great find, and a great way to finish up a really fun and relaxed day. When we got back from the trip, we enjoyed the apple wine and cider we had bought there. Both were excellent.
Here are some pictures:
 |
| Giant apple sculpture/fountain in the main plaza |
 |
| Floral clock in the plaza made by the old clock factory in town |
 |
| One of the churches from the plaza |
 |
| Tons of flowers decorated the entrance to the church |
 |
Inside look at how tortillas are usually made in
Mexico. They are soooooo good. |
 |
| I also saw a lot of these in Zacatlan. A lot of the corners smelled like sausage. It was great! |
 |
| Mural at the edge of the city |
 |
| Beautiful view of the mountains surrounding the town. |
 |
| A picture with me in it for once! |
In other news, I started my hospital rotations yesterday at
El Hospital General de Cholula. I'll be there for about two months before switching to another hospital. My first day was fairly uneventful for me, I shadowed a pediatrician in urgent care. He was taking care of about 5 babies there who were all in pretty bad shape. Because he was so busy, I didn't get to have any in depth conversations with him. The language barrier didn't help. However, I did start to learn a little bit of medical spanish, and the doctor was still happy to have us there observing. The other students in my rotation group all raved about their experiences, so I am excited to go again tomorrow (rotations are Tuesday and Thursday every week).
 |
| The hospital I am doing rotations at |
Also, I think I'll add a quick description of my classes here in Puebla, since I mentioned them in my previous blog:
- Historia del Cine méxicano (History of Mexican Film): I had to take this class instead of the class about pre-Hispanic cultures that I really wanted to take, but I'm becoming more and more enthusiastic about it. This class has a great professor who's great at using the films we watch to illustrate the history of Mexico and show how it is viewed by the people here.
El diálogo
entre ciencia y religión (The Dialogue between Science and Religion): This class has started out pretty slow, but I think it's starting to get a bit more interesting. Our professor is really quirky and is always making us laugh. I'm excited to dig deeper into the topic of how science and religion are not in conflict, but in a mutually beneficial dialogue.
Física (Physics): This is my only class in english. Apparently it has been revamped by ND for this year, which means it is a lot harder than it was for students in the past. It's a lot of homework, especially since we have to write a report for our lab every week, but hopefully the increased difficulty will make my second semester of Physics easier when I get back to ND.
Histología (Histology): I wasn't originally planning on being in this class either, but it's been very interesting and I love our professor. This is (unfortunately) my only class that is not majority exchange students, so that is also an added perk.
Rotaciones (Rotations): Rotations count as a 3-credit course for ND. Every few weeks we meet with a doctor at UPAEP to talk about our experiences and to learn about the Mexican health care system. At the end of the semester we'll have to do a group presentation about health care in Mexico. As I said earlier, I'm really excited about this "class." It's one of the main reasons I chose to study abroad in Puebla.
That's all for now. This weekend I'll be going to Mexico City for two days with the UPAEP international student club. We've got a packed itinerary, so I'm sure my next update will be a long one with lots of pictures!
¡Hasta Luego!
No comments:
Post a Comment