Saturday, May 29, 2010

Intro Time

So my name's Melanie and in about 5 weeks, I am going to Mexico City. I've never been to Mexico, my Spanish sucks, and I have the street wisdom of a spoon-fed kitten. So, why do I want to go to one of the largest, most populated, fastest-moving, dangerous cities in the hemisphere? Good question, nonexistent reader that I have created to interview me on my motives. It's a combination of things.
I've always loved learning about Mexico. From the Aztecs to the EZLN, the history and the culture have always intrigued me. Also, I apologize for the generalization, but I think that the people of Mexico are some of the most passionate people I have ever met. Anyone who's watched a Mexican soccer game or a telenovela knows what I mean. But every cultural product of Mexico has that same zeal. Music, food, murals. It's so alive, and I love it all. But if you are like my mother or sister you think, why not go for a vacation? Why not go to a more crime-free area? That's where we come to the next reason for my trip: culture shock.
I want to be slapped in the face with what many of my suburbanite comrades call, "the real world". I would like to be violently shoved out of my comfortable college nest where everyone thinks and speaks like I do, and fall sightlessly into a thriving and diverse metropolis where I understand little to nothing but am forced to learn on the way down. Life in Mexico City is very different than the trimmed-hedges, rustic tiled roof, gated community world in which I came of age. I've never had to worry about which cabs I got into or whether I wore jewelry to the movie theater. I've also never been confronted with the level of poverty that exists throughout the city, despite the vast wealth in the hills only miles away. The U.S. is, for privileged white kids like me, a land of unprecedented opportunity where we're spoiled by our high standards of living. I want to see how the majority of the world lives. I want to learn. As much as I've studied and read, and despite the many travel shows I've watched, I'm not very worldly and I can't escape the feeling that I'm just another pretentious know-it-all college kid who hasn't experienced anything. That's why I'm going to Mexico City. New experiences, new knowledge, and hopefully a bit of fun. Kind of a serious first entry, but give me a chance, it's just an intro.