A Weekend of Mexican Hospitality

My four-day weekend can perhaps be best summarized with one word: platicar, or to chat. On Friday my friend Manuel and I attempted to go swimming at a nearby water park. The water was so cold that neither of us lasted more than 5 minutes, but we still make use of the day by snacking on sandwiches, cold drinks and chatting well into the late afternoon. Afterward I went out to coffee with another friend, Nalley, who studies international relations. Since her family is from Oaxaca, she gave me a few recommendations of places to visit during the first week of my spring break.

On Sunday Jaime and I went to los Fuertes, the Cinco de Mayo battle site in Puebla—a must-see during my semester abroad in Puebla. The site itself resembled more of an abandoned convent atop a hill, but at least there was a spectacular view of the city of Puebla. Los Fuertes has potential to be a thriving cultural center; in addition to the battle ruins, there are a few museums (such as the Museum of the History of Puebla), a planetarium and natural reserve spaces. However, over the years los Fuertes has fallen into neglect and the sight of trash on the ground definitely takes away from the overall appreciation of this monument. Supposedly the local government of Puebla will begin a clean-up project shortly, but one can only hope that this project will actually be fulfilled.

Monday was another holiday so my friend Felipe invited me to his house for breakfast. His family exudes Mexican hospitality. When I arrived, his mom, dad and two older brothers all greeted me with a kiss on the cheek and assured me that their home was also “mi casa” from that point onward. Over a large breakfast of hot chocolate, guayaba juice, papaya with honey (from their own honeybees nonetheless!), chilaquilas (tortillas with salsa and chicken) and pancakes, we discussed social entrepreneurship and problems of credit availability in Mexico. This was followed by a tour of the mother’s doll-making workshop across the street. For the past 20 years she has owned a business of handmade dolls that range in size from 5 inches to 3 feet, and wear all sorts of outfits from Cinderella to Mexican abuelitas (grandmothers). She even gave me a doll wearing a traditional Yucatecan dress as a keepsake to bring back to the States. The rest of the evening slipped by chatting until it was time for another meal, la comida (“lunch”), around 4 pm. I gave them a small box of Japanese sweets before leaving, but it seemed insignificant compared to the generosity with which they welcomed me into their home.