i have a very boring class now, so i am gonna use the time somehow, at least. (wow, this "gonna" thing must be the effect, that i no longer speak any language properly, not even Hungarian, though my Spanglish is cool...)
i would like to write about some cultural differences and the continental gap between Mexico and most countries u and me live/have lived in.
1. it is forbidden to throw the toilet paper into the toilet due to some pipe-problems in Mexico, so there is always a trash next to the toilet. sometimes i become really frightened what will happen when i forget that i am in mexico and not in any other country, and i throw the paper into it..
2. as i have already told u, ITAM is private school with a fancy building and garden. according to these, the toilets are also beautiful, with leather coaches and so on. the other interesting fact about the restrooms is, that all of them at the university have an automatic sensor, which notices if u stand up, so u don't have to pull anything. i don't want to think about what will happen to me after going back home...
3. this city is not for pedestrians. there are hardly pavements, or if there are, they are sooooooo thin, that a normal adult can hardly walk on it without feeling the closeness of the passing cars. there are no pedestrian crossings, it is necessary to risk our lives every time we would like to go to the other side. the buses are smaller and they don't have bus stops, they stop where someone stops them.
4. it is a must to tip everyone here. the person who helps u pull out the car, who puts the products in the bags in the supermarket, the lady in the university buffet, waiters who lighter ur cigarettes...and so on.
After a very long night, at 3. a.m. Sunday morning, Lenka and me were taking a cab home from Polanco (it is a neighborhood) back home (San Jeronimo, this is our neighborhood). During the night, u have to be very careful with taxi drivers, the tariff is different than during the day, it is necessary to negotiate before entering the taxi. The taxis either have the taximetro or the price is agreed with the driver after telling him the direction. So, knowing all these facts i asked the driver if he had a taximetro, he said yes. We get into the car, paying attention - trying to pay attention - to the route, and telling the driver where to go. After a while i realized that the taximetro is blank, so i ask what happened. He tells me it is on, everything is okay. (If u have any doubts about my Spanish, i can assure u, that level of Spanish i can understand!) So we got lost, then we find the way and after 25 minutes, we arrive at home. The driver switches on the display again, which says 03-25. So i ask him, how much is it, and he says, it is 325 pesos. Okay, i have to admit that Lenka is blond (sorry, very bad joke) and we are extranjeros, but please, we are NOT STUPID. So we were negotiating about the price, but to be honest i didn't want to pay at all. I have done it already, i don't know how could i be so brave, but i was so pissed.....so maybe the taxi maffia will look for me...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
a bit of culture
Today, Lenka and me went to the house of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. It was amazing.
Firda Kahlo was a remarkable artist of the twentieth century in Mexico. She had a very serious bus/accident when she was 19, which had a strong impact on all her life. Just to mention some: even walking was painful for her and making love was almost impossible.
She painted using vibrant colors in a style that was influenced by indigenous cultures of Mexico as well as European influences that include Realism, Symbolism, and Surrealism. Many of her works are self-portraits that symbolically express her own pain. Kahlo was married to and influenced by the Mexican/Spanish muralist Diego Rivera and shared his Communist views. Although she has long been recognized as an important painter, public awareness of her work has become more widespread since the 1970s. Her "Blue" house in Coyoacán, Mexico City is a popular museum, donated by Diego Rivera after his death in 1957.
On 17 September 1925, Kahlo was riding in a bus when the vehicle collided with a trolley car. She suffered serious injuries in the accident, including a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. An iron handrail impaled her abdomen, piercing her uterus, which seriously damaged her reproductive ability. Though she recovered from her injuries and eventually regained her ability to walk, she was plagued by relapses of extreme pain for the remainder of her life. The pain was intense and often left her confined to a hospital or bedridden for months at a time. She would undergo as many as 35 operations in her life as a result of the accident, mainly on her back and her right leg and foot.
After the accident, Frida Kahlo turned her attention away from the study of medicine to begin a full-time painting career. The accident left her in a great deal of pain while she recovered in a full body cast; she painted to occupy her time during her temporary state of immobilization. Her self-portraits became a dominant part of her life when she was immobile for three months after her accident. "I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best" reflects her inner feelings about both her art and her psychological state. Frida's mother had a special easel made for her so she could paint in bed, and her father lent her his box of oil paints and some brushes.[6] Drawing on personal experiences including her troubled marriage, her painful miscarriages, and her numerous operations, Kahlo's works are often characterized by their stark portrayals of pain. Of her 143 paintings, fifty-five are self-portraits, which frequently incorporate symbolic portrayals of her physical and psychological wounds.
As a young artist, Kahlo approached the famous Mexican Diego Rivera, whom she had previously admired, and asked him for his advice on pursuing art as a career. He immediately recognized her talent and her unique expression as truly special and uniquely Mexican. He encouraged her development as an artist, and began an intimate relationship with Frida. They were married in 1929, to the disapproval of Frida's mother. They were often referred to as "The Elephant and the Dove." The nickname originated when Kahlo's father noticed their extreme difference in size.
Their marriage was often tumultuous. Both Kahlo and Rivera had notoriously fiery temperaments and both had numerous extramarital affairs. The openly bisexual Kahlo had affairs with both men and women (including Leon Trotsky);[2] Rivera knew of and tolerated her relationships with women, but her relationships with men made him jealous. For her part, Kahlo was outraged when she learned that Rivera had an affair with her younger sister, Cristina. The couple eventually divorced, but remarried in 1940; their second marriage was as turbulent as the first.
Sorry that I copied so much about her, but I found extremely touching to be in these two persons' houses - 'cause they lived in 2 separate ones, which have a connection - and all their things. Frida had the smaller house, the blue one, and Diego the bigger brown one. Both have a roof terrace, and these 2 terraces are connected with a bridge. Knowing how rapsodical their relationship was, and seeing these buildings was
Firda Kahlo was a remarkable artist of the twentieth century in Mexico. She had a very serious bus/accident when she was 19, which had a strong impact on all her life. Just to mention some: even walking was painful for her and making love was almost impossible.
She painted using vibrant colors in a style that was influenced by indigenous cultures of Mexico as well as European influences that include Realism, Symbolism, and Surrealism. Many of her works are self-portraits that symbolically express her own pain. Kahlo was married to and influenced by the Mexican/Spanish muralist Diego Rivera and shared his Communist views. Although she has long been recognized as an important painter, public awareness of her work has become more widespread since the 1970s. Her "Blue" house in Coyoacán, Mexico City is a popular museum, donated by Diego Rivera after his death in 1957.
On 17 September 1925, Kahlo was riding in a bus when the vehicle collided with a trolley car. She suffered serious injuries in the accident, including a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. An iron handrail impaled her abdomen, piercing her uterus, which seriously damaged her reproductive ability. Though she recovered from her injuries and eventually regained her ability to walk, she was plagued by relapses of extreme pain for the remainder of her life. The pain was intense and often left her confined to a hospital or bedridden for months at a time. She would undergo as many as 35 operations in her life as a result of the accident, mainly on her back and her right leg and foot.
After the accident, Frida Kahlo turned her attention away from the study of medicine to begin a full-time painting career. The accident left her in a great deal of pain while she recovered in a full body cast; she painted to occupy her time during her temporary state of immobilization. Her self-portraits became a dominant part of her life when she was immobile for three months after her accident. "I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best" reflects her inner feelings about both her art and her psychological state. Frida's mother had a special easel made for her so she could paint in bed, and her father lent her his box of oil paints and some brushes.[6] Drawing on personal experiences including her troubled marriage, her painful miscarriages, and her numerous operations, Kahlo's works are often characterized by their stark portrayals of pain. Of her 143 paintings, fifty-five are self-portraits, which frequently incorporate symbolic portrayals of her physical and psychological wounds.
As a young artist, Kahlo approached the famous Mexican Diego Rivera, whom she had previously admired, and asked him for his advice on pursuing art as a career. He immediately recognized her talent and her unique expression as truly special and uniquely Mexican. He encouraged her development as an artist, and began an intimate relationship with Frida. They were married in 1929, to the disapproval of Frida's mother. They were often referred to as "The Elephant and the Dove." The nickname originated when Kahlo's father noticed their extreme difference in size.
Their marriage was often tumultuous. Both Kahlo and Rivera had notoriously fiery temperaments and both had numerous extramarital affairs. The openly bisexual Kahlo had affairs with both men and women (including Leon Trotsky);[2] Rivera knew of and tolerated her relationships with women, but her relationships with men made him jealous. For her part, Kahlo was outraged when she learned that Rivera had an affair with her younger sister, Cristina. The couple eventually divorced, but remarried in 1940; their second marriage was as turbulent as the first.
Sorry that I copied so much about her, but I found extremely touching to be in these two persons' houses - 'cause they lived in 2 separate ones, which have a connection - and all their things. Frida had the smaller house, the blue one, and Diego the bigger brown one. Both have a roof terrace, and these 2 terraces are connected with a bridge. Knowing how rapsodical their relationship was, and seeing these buildings was
Saturday, February 9, 2008
hello
Thanks to everyone for the nice wishes on my nameday...maybe it is a very Hungarian thing...
I put some new photos, my favourite is the bike!!! I wish we would have them at the Balaton!!! It is still very cold during the night, by the days are warmer. I really should study much more, but there are so many interesting things to do! A Mexican Film Festival is just about to start, and there is a beautiful exhibition in the very center of Mexico City.
I haven't told u yet, that on the way back from Ixtapa, in the middle of the night, right in the middle of nowhere, our car stopped....we had to wait for the trailer, go to nect bigger city, which was Morelia, and take a night bus to Mexico City.
School on Tuesday, and Lis's birthday party, shopping...class, tough day. Oh, I wish I would have some photos of the so-called Pinada. It looks as if it was a Fasching ornament, or a huge Christmas-thing, u know. So, in Mexico, if someone has birthday, it is a tradition to fill it with sweets...well, to be honest we also put some other useful stuff in, u can imagine. Too bad that some people stole the chocolate flavored condomes...
Anyways, school again on Wednesday, the killing investments course, my worst presentation ever in my life...and then cinema with my lovely polish ex-roomie, Juanit, ohhh sorry, Joanna. The Hunting Party, not bad, Richard Gere's new movie. On the way to the cab, a Mexican Gentleman asks for our phone numbers to give English classes to his daughter,....?!!!??? We will see. And Thursday, thw ITAM parties, with loads of free alcohol, and the almost-surprise-party for Doris.And my first nite in Alpina, with new roomie, Lenka!!!!!!! (Tato, I hope u will read this sometime).
I put some new photos, my favourite is the bike!!! I wish we would have them at the Balaton!!! It is still very cold during the night, by the days are warmer. I really should study much more, but there are so many interesting things to do! A Mexican Film Festival is just about to start, and there is a beautiful exhibition in the very center of Mexico City.
I haven't told u yet, that on the way back from Ixtapa, in the middle of the night, right in the middle of nowhere, our car stopped....we had to wait for the trailer, go to nect bigger city, which was Morelia, and take a night bus to Mexico City.
School on Tuesday, and Lis's birthday party, shopping...class, tough day. Oh, I wish I would have some photos of the so-called Pinada. It looks as if it was a Fasching ornament, or a huge Christmas-thing, u know. So, in Mexico, if someone has birthday, it is a tradition to fill it with sweets...well, to be honest we also put some other useful stuff in, u can imagine. Too bad that some people stole the chocolate flavored condomes...
Anyways, school again on Wednesday, the killing investments course, my worst presentation ever in my life...and then cinema with my lovely polish ex-roomie, Juanit, ohhh sorry, Joanna. The Hunting Party, not bad, Richard Gere's new movie. On the way to the cab, a Mexican Gentleman asks for our phone numbers to give English classes to his daughter,....?!!!??? We will see. And Thursday, thw ITAM parties, with loads of free alcohol, and the almost-surprise-party for Doris.And my first nite in Alpina, with new roomie, Lenka!!!!!!! (Tato, I hope u will read this sometime).
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
vaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
mar olyan regota akarok irni, de annyi minden tortenik.
epp a befektetesek hazin szenvedunk, a csapattarsam meg fog olni vmikor....
pedig annyira szeretnek meselni Ixtaparol
Hi everyone, hallo leute, hola todos!
From now on, i will try to write in some common languages than Hungarian, so that more people could understand...First of all I have to admit, my language skills are really bad now, as most of the time I am using a mix of GermanEnglisSpanish.
Well well well, where should I begin. I won't start from the very beginning, sorry. So, we went to Ixtapa last weekend, the ten of us. It is a 7 hour drive from Mexico City. By the time we got there, everyone was sweating, longing for a shower and then directly running to the sea. I have to admit that Ixtapa is veryvery touristic, full of AMericans, and big, expensive hotels. Our nice and cozy hostel was in Zihuatanejo, which is a bigger city next to Ixtapa, with more opportunities to go out and eat in a decent restaurant for a reasonable price. The beach is nicer in Ixtapa, but with the help of the small buses, which go every 5 minutes, it is really easy to get there. And, literally there are no bus stops at all, so they might stop at the corner where u are, just for u.
First day, we went to Ixtapa beach, second day was for the Ixtapa island, and the most beautiful beach we visited, was Playa Linda, the last day. We also went partying both in Ixtapa and Zihua.
epp a befektetesek hazin szenvedunk, a csapattarsam meg fog olni vmikor....
pedig annyira szeretnek meselni Ixtaparol
Hi everyone, hallo leute, hola todos!
From now on, i will try to write in some common languages than Hungarian, so that more people could understand...First of all I have to admit, my language skills are really bad now, as most of the time I am using a mix of GermanEnglisSpanish.
Well well well, where should I begin. I won't start from the very beginning, sorry. So, we went to Ixtapa last weekend, the ten of us. It is a 7 hour drive from Mexico City. By the time we got there, everyone was sweating, longing for a shower and then directly running to the sea. I have to admit that Ixtapa is veryvery touristic, full of AMericans, and big, expensive hotels. Our nice and cozy hostel was in Zihuatanejo, which is a bigger city next to Ixtapa, with more opportunities to go out and eat in a decent restaurant for a reasonable price. The beach is nicer in Ixtapa, but with the help of the small buses, which go every 5 minutes, it is really easy to get there. And, literally there are no bus stops at all, so they might stop at the corner where u are, just for u.
First day, we went to Ixtapa beach, second day was for the Ixtapa island, and the most beautiful beach we visited, was Playa Linda, the last day. We also went partying both in Ixtapa and Zihua.
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