Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Semana Santa

This week is Semana Santa, the week leading up to Easter day. Those with religion take this week seriously as an important religious time. For others it is a vacation week. Huge numbers of people leave the city this week, and apparently it is empty and boring in Mexico City. We thought we’d be there doing nothing, but then our neighbors, Erick and Miguel, invited us to Puebla.

We are staying at their grandfathers house, who has plans for four full days of sightseeing. We arrived exhausted last night, and found it really awkward here. We were in the city’s downtown for 7 hours today, and it isn’t much more comfortable to be around the grandfather. He is very controlling and kind of snotty. We weren’t allowed to choose when or where to eat today. The grandfather thought Jose should sleep in his bedroom in the spare twin bed. We left before nine in the morning and didn’t stop until 5 pm, the hour the grandfather had planned to return to his house.

Today we visited the fort where the 5 de Mayo battle took place, a few churches, and some plazas. We walked for 7 hours, and looking back, I’m a little confused about how we spent that much time for how little I feel like I saw. I was tired, hungry, and just about at my wits end with the grandfather who seems unable to be nice.

Tomorrow we are going back to the town of Cholula. I love that place enough that I doubt he will be able to interfere with my joy much. It will be Anna’s first time visiting and I know she’s been excited to go.

I think we are going to leave on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. Erick and Miguel’s mom told us she would pick us up and drive us home, but as I suspected would happen, she is flaking out. I don’t really mind because that will give us more flexibility for going home. Plus, the grandfather says dogs aren’t welcome in his house, and she is taking care of Cholula for us and I’d like to know that Cholula isn’t being left alone in an apartment.

Anna is happy to be traveling, but Jose and I are counting down until we go home. I just have to keep telling myself I’m having an “experience.”

Happy Semana Santa!
-Emma

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