My trip to Mexico happened in early 2008 when I was still in high school.
When my grade 12 Spanish class was offered the chance to go on a school trip to Mexico (and Panama) and I was so excited! Since the age of 7 I had been learning Spanish (yes, Spanish is actually my second language, and not German). It was my first taste of the languages and I fell deeply in love, eventually studying it for 13 years.
The experience there was, of course, a culture shock. For the first time in my life I actually needed to use the language I had been learning with ACTUAL native speakers (what great preparation for moving to Switzerland ?).
We visited numerous culturally significant places but the highlights for me, hands down, were: Xochimilco and Teotihuacan.
Xochimilco: The Floating Gardens
Xochimilco, or as it’s named in English “The Place of Flowers” boasts many lovely canals and waterways. The highlight of the area, of course, is the”Floating Gardens”, which features many colorful (I mean where in Mexico isn’t colorful?) boats that take passengers down a long river to enjoy the scenery. Some of these boats had people selling food while others had singing Mariachi bands (live music entertainment!).
Teotihuacan: The Sun & Moon Temple
Teotihuacan is the famous site for two special Mesoamerican pyramids, the Sun and Moon temple. Our group was able to climb to the very top of the Sun temple (the bigger of the two) to see the vast scenery below.
Colourful Culture
Throughout the trip I observed the beautiful and colourful nature of the Mexican people (I suppose it reflects in their equally colorful art and architecture). The streets were always abuzz with life as everyone went about their daily lives. There was always authentic Mexican culture to be seen. One of my favorites were the green buggies (VWs) that seemed to overrun the streets!
¡Viva México!
Overall Mexico was great! The culture, the people and the beautiful colors everywhere was an amazing experience to gain as a little ‘ol Jamaican girl.
I’ll quit my banter now and leave you with some images from my trip. I dedicate this photo album to the beautiful country of Mexico ¡Feliz cinco de mayo!
