This past week was full of getting acquainted with my new school, UPAEP (Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla)! We had a Notre Dame only orientation on Monday, during which we received our trip calendar for the semester and received a tour of the university. I was very excited to learn with have seven planned trips this semester, some with UPAEP International and some just with our Notre Dame group. The rest of the weekends are for exploring Puebla or for planning our own visits to other parts of Mexico!
(note the volcano in the distance)
On Tuesday, we had a Notre Dame bonding day at the local “Gotcha” course, or as we call it in the United States, paintball. We hilariously donned the sweaty paintball protective gear and laughed as our host moms did the same. It was quite the day of bonding for all and concluded with a potluck lunch provided by our host moms.
The remaining three weekdays were international student orientation days. As we sat down on Wednesday, there was a Colombian student to my left, a German student in front of me, and a girl from France behind me. It’s been incredibly interesting getting to know everyone: my Notre Dame group, the other international students, and the Mexican students. These days were full of laughs, stumbling over Spanish, playing volleyball, and playing cards. We were also able to explore the nightlife in Puebla, with the help of our new Mexican friends.
On Thursday, we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption. When I walked into church that night, almost everyone in the congregation was wearing white. I looked down awkwardly at my black dress and thought I must have missed the memo on their tradition. As I learned later, it was not a general Assumption tradition, but many of the people in the community had taken a 6 week course on the life of Mary and were consecrated to her at the Feast of the Assumption.
On Friday, our orientation assignment was to explore Puebla. We went back to El Centro and walked down some more streets and tried new restaurants. Each time we go, I feel like I familiarize myself more and more with the beautiful tile clad buildings and sweet shops and markets.
On Saturday, we woke up ready to explore more of the history of Puebla. We started the day taking a cable car (el teleférico) to an area with many museums. I love how with any view here, you can see mountains and volcanoes in the distance. They never cease to impress.
Although Cinco de Mayo is celebrated all across the US, Puebla is actually the only city in Mexico where the holiday is celebrated. This is because it is not, in fact, Mexican Independence Day (which is September 16). It is actually the day that the Mexican army in Puebla won the Battle of Puebla against the French. We visited the Fort of Guadelupe where the battle was fought, which has now been turned into a museum. To be honest, much of what the guide said went over my head (she was speaking very fast Spanish), but the Mexican army was able to win the battle as they had two forts (the other is the Fort of Lorena) and a system of tunnels between the two. This allowed them to attack from behind the French.
After we left the museum, we went into El Centro for our first non-Mexican meal. Although the food here in Puebla has been fantastic, I know we all enjoyed our Italian lunch for a little variety.
On Sunday, we woke up in time to attend 10:00 mass in the neighborhood. Now that we’ve gone to three masses here in Puebla, I’m starting to feel like I am learning the responses and songs. The church in the neighborhood is beautiful. It is always full and the sun pours in through the rainbow of stained glass which sits behind a large statue representation of the Anunciation.
Afterward, a big group decided to visit the pyramid of Cholula (a town adjacent to Puebla – think Dallas and Fort Worth). It was built between the 3rd and 9th centuries and was first occupied by the Olmecs, later by the Toltecs. It was abandoned in the 9th century for unknown reasons. In the late 1500s, the Spanish found the pyramid and built a large Catholic church at the top. The beautiful orange church is called Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios. After walking up the many, many stairs, we were able to see a fantastic view of Puebla and Cholula, as well as a mass being said in the church.
The majority of the pyramid has been covered by grass and shrubbery, so it now looks more like a hill. However, there are various ruins and one part on the back side of the pyramid that is still intact. We enjoyed (carefully!) climbing to the very top of those steep stairs and imagining what it must have been like 1500 years ago. We were also able to enter the tunnel system below the pyramid. Standing at 5’10”, I had just inches of clearance in the tunnel, and it was fascinating to think about making such a system. We walked for about 10 minutes in the tunnels on one marked route; there were plenty of other pathways and rooms blocked off.
After exploring the pyramid, we got a quick bit to eat in Cholula. Warning: Mexican milkshakes are different than US milkshakes. The texture is more like a foam. They’re still very good, just very different from what I thought I was ordering.
Finally, much of the “not notable” downtime has been incredibly special. Because we all live within blocks of each other, it’s so easy to make quick plans to visit each other to play cards or talk or walk to the park. Also, because it’s just Rocío and me in the house, I’ve been able to have extensive conversations with her, especially over dinner. Sometimes we’ll sit at the dinner table for two hours, conversing about our lives, day, families, religion, or anything else. And it’s this downtime that has been just as meaningful as the planned activities we’ve done. More to come 🙂
En Puebla Bailan Así 