Back to Mexico I go!

Mar 27

5 min read

Mexico City

Despite all of the amazing things I saw in Central and South America, I was excited to be going back to Mexico. I was starting to seriously miss tacos and salsa!! I decided to go back to Mexico City for a few days to see more of the humongous city. Since I arrived super early I went to drop off my bags at the hotel and then grabbed breakfast. That first order of Chilaquiles was sooooo good!! I wandered the neighborhood a bit before meeting up for a taco bike ride. We had so many tasty tacos and learned a lot about the Roma Norte and Condessa neighborhoods before ending the tour with a nice big michelada.

The Monarch Migration

Day 2 was super special for me. I had dreamed of going to see the monarch migration in Mexico, and this was that day!! We heeded out on about an 1,5h drive to a little town where we hopped onto the beds of two trucks and were guided into the forest by locals. From there we had a nice little breakfast with fresh fruit and yogurt and learned about the monarch migration. Then, another 30 minute truck drive to the drop off point where we started our hike. Just like anything in nature, you can’t really plan where the creatures will be or for how long. So, as we were climbing up the hill and started seeing more and more butterflies fluttering around, our guides got a message from their colleagues stating that the monarchs had moved to a clearing. So, we turned around and headed straight there. It was a fascinating sight! High up in the trees you could make out bushels of butterflies with their wings closed up. They looked like bunches of brown leaves. But then, as soon as a ray of sunshine hit them or a gust of wind came through, one by one the butterflies filled the air and flew around the clearance in search of water. Because there were so many of them, you could actually hear their wings flapping if you listened closely. Unfortunately, the pics didn’t turn out too great. They are quite small creatures after all. But it was an amazing phenomenon to experience!

We continued our hike to a beautiful clearing for a short little break before heading back to the campsite for our pozole lunch - yum!

Family & Friends

Day three I decided to go back to the cemetery where my great-grandmother’s sister and niece had once been buried. I absolutely love that cemetery. Despite the vastness of it, once you’re inside it’s so calm and peaceful. And that in the middle of Mexico City!

For lunch I had plans to meet up with some family friends from Switzerland. We had a nice lunch at their house and got to spend some time walking through the beautiful Parque Mexico where people gather for all kinds of activities: frisbee, dance classes, dog sitting, boxing, you name it. For dinner I treated myself to the famous El Moro Churreria for some cinnamon churros and hot chocolate - yumm!

Museums & Lucha Libre

My last day in CMDX I spent wandering around checking out different museums, walking through Chapultepec Park, and having the BEST filled concha I have ever had (sweet bread filled with cream and maracuya jam)! After a quick stop at the hotel it was time to head to the meetup spot for tacos & Lucha Libre! We had great food, excellent guides who gave us an intro into the Lucha Libre world, and a super good time at the actual event. It was so fun to feel the excitement in the stadium, with people yelling and screaming, cheering on their favorites and booing out the bad guys. A blast!

Puebla

After a wonderful time in CDMX I headed to the city of Puebla. It’s a pretty big city (ca. 1,5 million in population) with a nice, walkable, old city center. I enjoyed wandering the streets, exploring the museums, and sitting in the beautiful parks watching families and friends visit and chat. Puebla is also very well known for its handcrafted tiles called Talavera and for some iconic dishes like Mole Poblano and Chile en Nogada.

But what will really stay with me is the International Women’s Day marches that were going on while I was there. I’ve been to IWD celebrations and marches in the US and in Switzerland. But what I saw and felt in Puebla was completely different. The messaging wasn’t focused on equal rights, wages, or breaking the glass ceiling. The main message was: stop domestic abuse - stop sexual abuse - stop femicides.

Not only were there huge crowds of women, but it seemed like the majority were carrying signs with a message talking about themselves or a friend who had been hurt by a man. It was extremely powerful and made me feel so many things, from sadness and hurt to anger and disgust. But the most impactful were all of the posters and print outs with information of people’s predators. The plazas and parade routes were lined with them. And the info on the sheets included photos, social media handles, and even telephone numbers. I later saw groups of women walking by the posters with their phones out. I suspect they were either searching their social media to see if they knew the listed predators, or they were creating a list to check every time they meet a new guy.

For the next few days I was deep in thought, reflecting on my own experiences and the many stories from friends and family that I have heard. The scary thing is, you don’t have to look far to find a woman who has a story to tell. And that’s just not ok.

I could go on and on. But what those marches really did was highlight just how good we have it in Switzerland. Yes, there are absolutely still issues we need to address and equality has not yet been achieved. Even Switzerland is still a country deeply rooted in patriarchy and misogyny. However, we do not have to fear for our lives simply because we are women.

Tehuacan

Tehuacan is a small city (350’000 population) where my next volunteering gig was. I arrived after a comfortable 2h bus ride from Puebla and was picked up by the school’s director. We dropped off my things at the hotel, then went straight to the school where I got to learn more about what I would be doing, figured out my schedule, and got to see where I would be teaching. This was a pretty cool gig - leading conversation classes for the English and German students. Besides classes, there wasn’t much to do in Tehuacan… it doesn’t have much to offer in terms of historical sites or attractions. However, I enjoyed seeing what the day-to-day looked like in a simple little Mexican city.

The highlight of my stay in Tehuacan was meeting the Cumplido family. Yeimi was in one of my classes and super interested in learning about Switzerland. So, she invited me to hang out with her and her family. We had so much fun eating tacos, drinking micheladas, playing pool, and filling each other in on cultural norms, expectations, etc. It was super interesting and just a great time!