Week 1
"Create a blog this week on your experience with Mexico or Guatemala, Belize, Honduras ...meaning have you been there? Are you from there? Whether you have or have not been there...give me three things that come to mind when you think about any of these countries and then explain why those things remind you of that particular place. "
All of these places are beautiful from all of the pictures I have looked at. I hope one day I can see the beauty in person.
When I think of Mexico, I think of food, culture, and Poverty.
I think of food because, I know if I ever go to Mexico, I will be extremely excited to try Mexican food first hand. In America, Mexican food is delicious, but I'm sure the real deal is 10x better. Also when I think about Mexico, I think about the culture. There is so much to be learned. Mexican culture is well respected for its folk art and music traditions,
many of them handed down from the early indigenous cultures. My grandmother has a bunch of Mexican art around her house that her father gave her, but she doesn't know much about it. I would love to learn more. Poverty also comes to my mind, because I've heard of a lot about how people are on the street selling things for so cheap trying to make a living. I just articles about it and it breaks my heart that families are living on less then two dollars a day. Some things in our world are unfair.
Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI am afraid that I agree with you about the extreme level of poverty in Mexico. I have not visited there except for a day trip to Tijuana many years ago. The poverty there was evident in the tourist areas; I can only imagine what other parts of the city were like. It seems like we see in the news everday that many of the cities and towns are almost terrorized by cartel factions competing for money coming to them from the drug trade. It must be terrible to live in such an environment.
Like you, I too wish to see the beauty in person...and as for the food I can't wait!! I have a friends whose mother is from Mexico and the food that comes through her kitchen is amazing and she even admits that she has americanized it a little. As mentioned by the other poster, poverty is very evident in tourist areas with children running all around just to sell you a stick of gum. And it doesn't get much better the further out you go. There are many poverish villages where people spend all day on their hands and knees to farm their land just to get by. It breaks your heart to think about.
ReplyDeleteA side not: It would be cool if you could get some pictures of the art your grandmother has and post it on your blog...maybe the class/cynthia can figure somethings out about it.
I would have to agree with you, when you mention the mexican food. My parents are from Mexico and i love mexican food, i love to cook all the delicious meals, but the food does taste better there. There is also a lot of poverty like in any other country it is sad how some people live and dont have the same opportunities as we do in the US.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of my relatives are from Mexico so I've visited multiple occasions. I therefore agree with all three of your thoughts when Mexico comes to mind. The authentic food is extraordinary in comparison to what Mexican food here in America is. The culture is incredibly unique and inspires me to learn more about my heritage. It's sad that such a beautiful country is going through such a rough time with it's people in poverty. You're right, it truly is unfair how some people live but it gives me a much greater sense of appreciation for my life and that my relatives in Mexico don't have to go through such hardships.
ReplyDeleteHey Natalie, Reading your post reminded me that one of the very best things about Mexican and South American culture is definitely the food! I totally forgot about the lush nature of the environment down there in the equatorial region that allows for a hugely diverse selection of fruits and vegetables and other exotic foods that are absolutely delicious, so much so that entire civilizations can be built around their production. One of the things that stuck out to me when doing the reading this week was the lack of the domestication of animals in the ancient world, the environment was naturally abundant and could support its native people well.
ReplyDelete