Departure Phase

It has been an unforgettable summer in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, but as all good things come to an end, so will my
Mexican immersion here. The summer session at my university, Alliant International University, will close out, August 13, 2009.
Till now, I have maintained a 4.0 GPA. My Managerial Marketing class was a challenge for me, as marketing is NOT my cup of tea. However, when I began to view myself as the product or brand to be marketed, everything clicked! I will end the semester with my International Organizations class. I think I will take the "RED PILL" ! Awesome class! Ghaleb Krame, PhD, a post-modern pedagogical professor that advocates "thinking out of the box"! My kind of philosophical logic. I have truly enjoyed the class.

My time here in Mexico is coming to a close quickly. I will miss this place, but mostly, I will miss my network of friends and colleagues that I have established here in the city and at the university. One in particular, friend and colleague, Jenn M. Rose, JRose! A tiny and petite, street smart white girl with the book sense and intelligence. The tough-cookie type from the East Coast... my "Bmore" buddy!!! The best roommate a person could hope for! We've had awesome times and interesting moments here! I will miss her tremendously. "Do you want to verbalize your non verbals???" LMAO! Soon to complete her Masters in Clinical Psychology, then she is back off to her home in Baltimore, which will sure become a frequent stop of mine!

I have been blessed with many wonderful experiences and have seen mucho beautiful sites like the Pyramids in Teotihuacan. I climbed to the top, and trust me, it was no easy feat! (Click the photo to enlarge and see how mountainous this pyramid is.)

However, after climbing 425 massive, steep steps to the top, of this Pyrimide del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun), I celebrated my triumphant victory with a group of guys from Indonesia that only spoke their native language of Bahasa and Spanish!

After learning that I was from the United States, Sebastian, the young man to my right, standing shoulder to shoulder with me, joked about being the "Indonesian son" of President Barack Obama as all of his friends laughed and remarked how he he looks very similar to him!

XOCHIMILCO!!!

(PRONOUNCED ZO-CHEE-MILL-CO)

Located in The Valley of Mexico, I traveled to Xochimilco, which means "flower field place", with my home stay family. Better known for its extended series of canals, that is all that remains of the ancient Lake Xochimilco. The area has kept its primitive culture, even though its proximity to the capital, Mexico City. All the inhabitants there travel in colorful trajineras, Xochimilco boats (pronounced trah-hee-nay-raas) covered with flowers. We were on the Lupita!

The trajineras are propelled with a long wooden pole that is thrust into the canal bed and pushed in the desired direction.

As we were floating down the lake, a local Xochimilco Senora, also floating in her trajinera, approached us selling food. So interesting, as this is her way of life and how she generates her income. She sells food to the passer-byers. I wanted to get a closer look, so I yelled, "Que vendes?"..."What are you selling?" She said, "Tortas, huevos, arroz, tacos con carne, queso, pollo y salsa. Quieres?" I said, "Siiii, claro!" I ordered rice (arroz) and eggs (huevos) with cilantro and a manzanita (a small apple soda). The cost, 12 pesos...less than $1 USD! Then, everyone else followed my lead (hahahahah) ;-)! Then she floated away to the next trajiera.

The title says "Departure Time" because that is just what I am now preparing for. Noooo, not to return to the U.S., but to return back to AFRICA!!! I will be flying out of Mexico on August 20th headed to Cairo, EGYPT!!!

Time to move on to the next track of my international program! I will be attending The American University in Cairo! I am extremely excited about returning to Africa...this time, the Northern region!

STAY TUNED!!!

STAY IN MOTION...