|
The beautiful, rustic, old, colonial city of
Morelia is situated about halfway in between Guadalajara and
Mexico City and has a thriving population of around 1,000,000
people. It has everything from historical buildings and
monuments to modern-day conveniences, shopping centers,
restaurants, movie houses, universities and colleges, etc. What
makes Morelia special, though, is its people. Their backgrounds
vary from native Indian to French to Spanish and other
nationalities. Their greatest asset, however, is their warmth
and friendliness.
What Brought Me To Morelia
Most of my life I have studied foreign languages and other
cultures. I spoke Spanish as a child and then went on to other
languages. In 1996, I was attending Central Washington
University in Ellensburg, Washington for a degree to validate my
business experience. Then, one day, a visiting international
programs speaker came to one of my history classes and shared
her experiences about living in the
country of Sri Lanka (an island country just south of India). As
I was in a transition period of my life and needing a change, I
checked on nearby countries where I could go on an exchange
program to re-establish my Spanish language skills. My school
had such a program with Centro Mexicano Internacional (CMI) in
Mexico that really appealed to my sense of adventure and
interest in other cultures. So, I signed up for Spring Quarter
1997 and headed off to Morelia, Michoacßn, Mexico.
Morelia would be my home from March 1997 until I moved to
Guadalajara to enroll in a more advanced Spanish language
program in August 1997. Even now, though, if given the choice of
living in Morelia versus Guadalajara, Morelia would always win
out. The city is vibrant with a deep sense of culture and
history dating all the way back to the 1500's. Every day, on my
way to school and back, I walked by old colonial style
structures, buildings, statues, monuments, fountains, and parks,
each with a story about the past. For instance, an aqueduct
(called El Acueducto in Spanish), built in the 1700's to carry
Morelia's water supply goes right through the center of town (El
Centro). I passed this marvelous structure every time I walked
the avenue (Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel) leading up to my
school. Next to the Calzada is a wide cobblestone pathway with
benches to sit and relax, read, or visit with friends. On one
side of Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel are churches and
schools. The other side has shops, art galleries, and a
restaurant or two. All of the buildings appear to be at
least as old as the Acueducto or older and are fairly well
maintained.
Paying the bills
When I first arrived in Morelia, I was depending on financial
aid from my school in the US. Within a week or so of arriving at
my new school I was asked to substitute for an ill teacher to
teach Mexican students enrolled in CMI's ESL (English As A
Second Language) program. I found out that I loved teaching the
Mexican students. And, as the school was very impressed with my
teaching skills, they offered me a part-time job teaching all
levels of English and Linguistics classes. Also, I began to work
in the school's computer laboratory as a supervisor in the
evening after classes were done for the day. Together, both of
my positions paid about $3 per hour. With the surplus from my
financial aid and from what I earned, I lived on approximately
$500 a month or less. Out of this amount I paid for rent, food,
travel, entertainment, and obligations I had back in the US.
After paying my US expenses, I usually had about $300 or less
for my day-to-day living.
My monthly expenses generally amounted to approximately: $50
rent, $150 food, $25 clothing, $25 transportation, $50 other
personal expenses (laundry, haircuts, entertainment, etc). Now,
some people may think one can't do too much on $300 or $400 a
month. It can be done if one does not have to worry about the
ownership and upkeep of an automobile. Granted, things were
tight at times, but I always managed to go see movies at least a
couple of times a month. And, I went to a
lot of free or other low cost events such as concerts put on by
some of the local schools or musicians. Movies, haircuts, and
restaurant meals only cost about $2.
Finding a place to live
Before I even left the US, I checked Morelia's hotels on the
Internet and asked for recommendations from officials at my new
school. The first place I found that I liked and stayed at was
the Mintzicuri Hotel at Vasco de Quiroga No. 227. The rooms were
very clean and comfortable at a rate of about $8 a night. Within
a week of arriving in Morelia my school's housing director,
Charly (a dear, sweet lady), took me to look at local
apartments. I found one at the Posada de Villa located at Padre
Lloreda No. 176 for about $150 a month. Then, after a few weeks
I decided to see what was available in the local paper. I found
a rooming house that offered a room for about $50 a month at
Vincente Santa Maria No. 1925. When I went to check it out, I
found a large, comfortable room with a bath shared by 3 other
roomers. We also had access to cooking facilities as well as a
mini refrigerator in each room.
Day-to-day life in Morelia
I lived a basic, simple life. I would stop at a local bakery and
buy rolls, bolillos (small loaves of bread), and/or galletas
(large cookies) for breakfast on my way to school. Then, I ate
sandwiches and fruit at my school's snack bar for lunch. For
supper, I would either eat at a local cafe or buy groceries and
fix something in my room. My favorite item at the cafe's was
milanesa, a thinly sliced beefsteak, chopped up and mixed with
fresh avocado and eaten with tortillas. Or, I would have
milanesa sandwiches and other local dishes. Usually, if I cooked
at home, I would eat spaghetti type meals or fruit and
vegetables.
Routinely, Monday through Friday, I took Spanish classes and
taught English between the hours of 8:00 AM through 2:00 PM.
2:00 to 4:00 PM was siesta (break) time. Afterwards, I taught
and worked in my school's computer lab from 4:00 to around 9:00
PM. After 9 was suppertime. Saturdays, I taught classes
half-day. I devoted the rest of the weekend to either resting or
other personal activities.
When I wasn't busy working or studying, I oftentimes walked
around town or took a combi (Morelia's VW Van Mini-Bus system)
or taxi to various cultural sites such as the city library, the
government buildings, other buildings of historical interest
(ex: Mexican Patriot JosÚ Morelos' birthplace and house), or
mercados (open markets either outside or housed in large
buildings) and did a little exploring.
I almost always felt safe in Morelia, not because of the visible
presence of gun toting policemen, but because of the very low
crime rate. El Centro (downtown) was generally always crowded
and busy. Many of the side streets off of Avenida Francisco
Madero (Morelia's main downtown street) had shopping bazaars and
mercados with every imaginable item from food to clothes to
leather goods to electronic items and much more. The one area I
did not care much for was right around the bus depot (long
distance buses). There are x-rated theatres and other nefarious
activities close to that location.
One thing I came to really appreciate in a hurry, was that I did
not have to wash my own clothes. There are no self-service
laundries that I am aware of in Morelia. I usually took my
clothes to the laundry service in the block just down the street
from my room. The two young ladies that ran it were efficient,
prompt, and always welcomed me with smiles.
The people of Morelia
Generally, the people of Morelia were very friendly, warm, and
caring. Two of my friends at a local Internet cyber cafe were
especially helpful to me. When I first went to Morelia, my
spoken Spanish consisted of only being able to speak in the
present tense. I had never really learned how to properly
conjugate verbs. Even though I could read and understand Spanish
very well, I was very limited in my ability to converse. At
first, I carried 2 very helpful books û Practical Conjugation of
Verbs and a Spanish dictionary, both published by Larousse. For
2 months I carried these books everywhere I went and referred to
them almost constantly. One day, my friends Genaro and Marcos
took me aside and told me to put the books away, try to think
and talk as best I could in Spanish and let them help me to
correct errors in my grammar. That was the very best thing I
could have done. It worked! It was not long at all before I was
able to converse fairly freely. The key is immersion in a
language your thinking, speaking, and living in.
Other people and families also befriended and "adopted" me. Two
of my students took to me like an older brother and included me
in their family activities and meals and recreation and also
acted as my personal guides around Morelia. One of their
favorite activities was gathering around a big-screen TV and
watching fotbol (soccer). Sometimes, we would go to a local park
or concert. Another of my students took me to events like the
local fair and flea market.
Places of interest for tourists
Places I would recommend for visitors to Morelia to see: The
sidewalk cafes and food stands, the shopping bazaars and
mercados, Morelia's Zoo, the annual Feria in April-May (the
local fair), the cyber cafÚs, local book stores, church and
government buildings, museums and art galleries, the parks and
fountains (ex: Bosque CuauhtÚmoc and the Three Sisters fountain
in El Centro), the local universities, movie theatres (generally
$2 or $3 for an adult ticket), musical entertainment û one place
that comes immediately to my mind is El Colibri restaurant
(located in El Centro just off of Francisco Madero). El Colibri
has a live band that plays both local music and soft rock as
well as a show called El Baile de los Viejitos (The Dance of the
Little Old Men), a delightful presentation and musical score.
The shopping bazaars and mercados have all kinds of clothes,
leather goods, electronic gadgets, and food items. They even
sell birds - big birds! There are shopping areas or mercados all
over Morelia. Some that I frequented are: 1). on the way towards
the central bus station - several shops selling food items and
leather goods; 2). Mercado Revolucion - between Francisco Madero
and Plan de Ayala in El Centro; 3) Mercado Independencia - on
Avenida Lazaro Cardenas just off of Vincente Santa Maria. One
word of caution - when eating at the local food stands, make
sure the food is fresh and has not been sitting out for an
extended period of time. And, always, always ask for agua
purificada (purified water). One more word of caution, this time
to women, Mexican, American, or any other nationality - always
take along a companion or stay in a group.
Morelia's weather
I was not there during winter months; however, I have heard that
the winters are fairly mild. The summers can be very hot at
times, but, for the most part, I found them moderately warm to
hot. I have heard that it is wise during late summer, fall, and
winter months to carry an umbrella, though.
Do your homework before you go
If you are really serious about visiting Morelia, do your
homework before you go. Many excellent hotel deals, information
about sites to see, historical background, information about
language schools, etc. can be found by looking on the Internet.
Other great sources of information are travel guides you can
either purchase or find at your local library.
My experiences in Morelia were generally positive mainly for the
following reason. I went there expecting to live like a native,
not a foreigner and I kept a good attitude and sense of humor.
If you are looking for a place to start a new life or to seek a
little culture and adventure then, this little hidden gem,
Morelia, could be your ticket.
About The Author
The author, David Wix, lived, worked, and traveled extensively
in Mexico during 1997 and has degrees in history and languages.
Currently he is working as an insurance broker in California. He
and his wife both have articles or books that have been
published in their areas of expertise. David Wix is the author
of the article "Living Like A Native In Morelia, Mexico."
Article Source:
http://www.articlealley.com |
