These last few weeks have been great. No homesickness, not too busy, great conversations in Spanish. I went to a friends´ concert violin performance and also rode on a mo-ped. These past nights have been filled with gatherings that included not only people from Mexico, but also from France, Slovenia, Canada and Denmark. I filled myself up with crepes and other french food last night at the home of several French students.
Recently I have been thinking about stereotypes and judgement
In my Mexico-US relations class a girl was talking about how her boyfriend has a strong dislike for the US as well as the people, the culture, the English language. It was uncomfortable to hear this even though I am quite aware that others dislike the US. I also thought about how although I have serious problems with the government of Mexico, I dont relate the government to the Mexican people. However, the government of Mexico and other nations often dont have an obvious affect in my daily life in the US or my culture. I feel that our nation is infringing upon the culture of Mexico, and of course the government and business ventures also have great affects on the economy here. Thus, I can see how hate could be directed towards all things US.

Also, last night I was at a gathering of people from France and there were many people from Mexico as well. I was the only American and I heard the term gringa, which doesnt bother me that much. Later I got to talking with the same guy. Before talking for more than a minute, he told me that I, along with other Americans, only like the discos in Mexico and do not care about the culture. He also said that Americans are just spring breakers. And to finish it off he said that all Americans are racists. I responded that first, I do enjoy dancing but that I am learning about Mexican culture and am living with a host family, traveling around the country, and would not be staying a year in Xalapa (as opposed to cancun) if I did not want to learn about Mexico, more than the beaches and discos. I agree that a lot of Americans come to Mexico for the beaches, but it was rough for him to tell ME that I was one of them without knowing me at all. I also told him that there is racism in US, but that in Mexico, Americans and lighter skinned persons get into clubs easier, and are treated blantantly different. Later, I became pretty angry when returning to my house.
However, it was a thought-provoking experience, because judgement for Mexicans in the US is a big problem. Sometimes I feel like people think that it is ok to judge and poke fun of Americans in Mexico because we are the US and we are the hegemony. However, I think it is wrong in all cases. But it was a wake-up type of experience.

BUT, all in all, the people here are VERY nice and this guy was an exception. I feel like many of these thoughts are common, but others try to approach these types of conversations in a different manner than a of pointed accusations and blanket statements. It was a very interesting experience and although it is a learning experience, it does not make me feel any less angry today.

Feel free to comment with any thoughts, opinions, questions

Off to eat the last meal of the day, la cena which is always scrumptious