Hello again,
As I mentioned, there was more to my Saturday than what I included in my previous post. During our journey around the city, we came across two very friendly people...
The first was a woman, probably late twenties, who overheard Sasha and I talking in English at one of the stands. As we began to walk away, she came running after us and began to talk to Sasha. After a minute, they both come up to me and Sasha simply says that she wants me to give her English lessons. I have to admit that it was a little weird that this woman would just ask a stranger for lessons, but she continued explaining to us that she can read well, but has no one to practice speaking with. She then takes out a piece of paper and pen and asks for us to write down our phone numbers and e-mail addresses so she can contact us.
The second encounter took place on the metro back home. Someone was selling bubbles (the kind that don't pop) on our car, so Sasha and I decided to buy some. The woman standing next to us saw us joking around, and asked where Sasha was from (at first, she thought I was showing him around). We explained to her that we were both exchange students from Russia and the United States respectively. Her eyes lit up: apparently her daughter always wanted to study in the united States. She went on to ask us about grade requirements to study at our Universities, and how we liked Mexico City.
So, we go to get off at our station and she followed us off, and wanted to know if we could give her our e-mails and phone numbers!!! Before we know it, she pulls out her cell phone to call her daughter. Even though she had no credit left on her phone, she was quick to explain to us that we had about ten seconds to talk to her and ask for her e-mail as well. It was kinda funny; she woman first yells "tu correo!" and then hands the phone to Sasha. not knowing what to say, he hands the phone to me, where I hear a quick "who is this?" before the phone dies. Even though we didn't get her address, the woman said that we could get together one weekend. Her family owns a house outside of the city and told us that they could take us out there to experience life outside of the city. We finally managed to go our separate way, where immediately Sasha and I ran out of the station before someone else asked us for our contact info.
One side note: During our initial discussion the woman asked if we had to pay to attend our home universities. I was honest and told her that we do have to pay, and immediately she said never mind. Apparently her family could not afford to send their daughter to the US. Although I explained to her that there are scholarships available to students, she still said it was unlikely it would be enough. Little things like that make you really appreciate the opportunities that you have the fortune to have, and to take advantage of them while you can.
Showing posts with label randomness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label randomness. Show all posts
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
A Very Random Saturday
Hello everyone!!
Like I said in my last post, I am ready to catch-up on my lack of posts. This past Saturday, my friends Julia, Sasha and I went to see the play Oedipus Rex. It was interesting, the play was filled with chanting and tribal-like dancing with painted sheets.
After that we went out for lunch where I discovered a new combination of foods that is quite tasty: salsa and eggs! Luckily the salsa wasn't too hot, unlike the salsa they serve as appetizers.
Following lunch, Sasha and went to go sight-seeing in the City Center. Although we both have been there before, there is so much to see and do that we didn't mind going back. When we got off the metro, we came across a small comic book convention, so we decided to go check it out (for only 5 pesos a ticket, why not?). Below is a picture of the poster outside of the convention (forgot my camera, so all of these pics were taken from my blackberry):
Although the place wasn't huge, we still had a great time. Sasha ended up buying a SpiderMan comic book and I found an original Japanese version of Pokemon Gold (for the very high price of 150 pesos, how could I pass it up?)
After the convention, we headed off to the city center. I took these next two pictures on the way there. The first is a picture of one of the few skyscrapers in Mexico Ciy. One of the greatest differences I noticed between New York and Mexico City is how they are laid out. New York, especially Manhattan, has taller buildings but is more condensed. Mexico CIty, on the other hand, doesn't have many skyscrapers but is far more spread out. The second is a picture of another building we passed on the way (I believe it is an opera house).
<\span>
After quite a bit of walking, we finally got to the city center. There we did... more walking. It really is a great place to go, there are always stores to walk through, especially used book stores, and street vendors selling souvenirs (if you want to see more pictures, look up in my past posts about the city center). Even more so, now that we are approaching the holiday season all of the stores were all decorated from Navidad. I took the picture below just for fun.
We also got to see the rehearsal for El Evento de las Luces, which is supposed to take place November 11. Since I have class Thursday nights I probably won't be able to see it, but you never know. At least we got to see the rehearsal!
In addition to all the sightseeing, we came across some very interesting people. That, however, will have to wait for another post...
Like I said in my last post, I am ready to catch-up on my lack of posts. This past Saturday, my friends Julia, Sasha and I went to see the play Oedipus Rex. It was interesting, the play was filled with chanting and tribal-like dancing with painted sheets.
After that we went out for lunch where I discovered a new combination of foods that is quite tasty: salsa and eggs! Luckily the salsa wasn't too hot, unlike the salsa they serve as appetizers.
Following lunch, Sasha and went to go sight-seeing in the City Center. Although we both have been there before, there is so much to see and do that we didn't mind going back. When we got off the metro, we came across a small comic book convention, so we decided to go check it out (for only 5 pesos a ticket, why not?). Below is a picture of the poster outside of the convention (forgot my camera, so all of these pics were taken from my blackberry):
Although the place wasn't huge, we still had a great time. Sasha ended up buying a SpiderMan comic book and I found an original Japanese version of Pokemon Gold (for the very high price of 150 pesos, how could I pass it up?)
After the convention, we headed off to the city center. I took these next two pictures on the way there. The first is a picture of one of the few skyscrapers in Mexico Ciy. One of the greatest differences I noticed between New York and Mexico City is how they are laid out. New York, especially Manhattan, has taller buildings but is more condensed. Mexico CIty, on the other hand, doesn't have many skyscrapers but is far more spread out. The second is a picture of another building we passed on the way (I believe it is an opera house).
<\span>
After quite a bit of walking, we finally got to the city center. There we did... more walking. It really is a great place to go, there are always stores to walk through, especially used book stores, and street vendors selling souvenirs (if you want to see more pictures, look up in my past posts about the city center). Even more so, now that we are approaching the holiday season all of the stores were all decorated from Navidad. I took the picture below just for fun.
We also got to see the rehearsal for El Evento de las Luces, which is supposed to take place November 11. Since I have class Thursday nights I probably won't be able to see it, but you never know. At least we got to see the rehearsal!
In addition to all the sightseeing, we came across some very interesting people. That, however, will have to wait for another post...
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Long Time No Post
Hi everyone!
I know it has been a long time since my last post. October was certainly a busy month work wise. My group project presentation total is now 11, with about half of them just in October. I also had three exams, two of them in one weekend (to make it even more exciting, I decided to get sick the day they began). In case anyone is interested, here is a brief review of what's going on in my classes:
- Administracion Internacional- We are continuing our reading of the book The Ascent of Money, which recounts the financial history of the world, from the origins of debit and credit to the establishment of the stock and bond market all the way up to the current financial crisis. If this sounds interesting to anyone, I highly recommend you pick it up, or feel free to drop me a line for more info. We were supposed to have our second exam based on the book, but he has decided to change it into a paper (I have no complaints!).
- Mercadotecnia Ambiental- Despite the fact that this class is supposed to be about marketing, it's really about approaching environmental issues as any other business problem, and business can improve both their balance sheets and the environment at the same time (impossible? I think not). We are currently working on our final project for the semester, which is to chose a company, investigate their environmental efforts, and apply it to what we have learned throughout this semester. Our group has chosen Apple, and I am responsible for investigating their manufacturing processes and supply chain relations.
- Mercadotecnia de Servicios- Similar to my other marketing class, we are currently working on our semester long project. In our group is my friend Sasha, and our friend Beto from Mexico. We had to come up with our own service concept and develop a full marketing plan based on what we have learned throughout the whole semester. We have decided on a newspaper in the native language Nahuatl, given that there are millions of Mexicans who still speak this language today. We feel that this would help preserve Mexico's pre-columbian heritage.
- Administracion de Operaciones- For the first half of October we concentrated on designing graphs to see if manufacturing processes are under statistical control, meaning that they stay within predetermined limits set my the company. It actually isn't as bad as it sounds once you get all of the formulas. Since then, we have learned how to locate the optimal location for a new facility within a distribution network, and are currently working on linear programming (despite the name, there is actually no computer programming involved). All it really is is determining the optimal solution given a certain amount of limits. For example, which combination of products A and B should be produced given a fixed amount of raw material to maximize profits?
Monday, September 6, 2010
Catch-Up
It's Monday, hope everyone had a good weekend.
So, today's post is mostly a catch-up about what has been going on here since my last post last week. Although I didn't go away this weekend, I still had a good time. Saturday night we went to see the Last Airbender, my first 3-D movie. It was an interesting movie, I liked seeing some of the action sequences in 3-D. This is kind of a rant, but I always wanted to know why just within the last year or so that movies have been made in 3-D? It has been around for a while (wikipedia says it started to gain popularity in the 80's). Maybe it's just me.
Sunday, we went to a local ranch to ride horses and go shooting. Unfortunately, it was raining all day so all we could do was shoot pistols at glass bottle in a bullfighting pin. I shot my first gun! Like my Facebook status said, I was a little deaf by the end. I came close to hitting a bottle, but that was all. After we finished shooting we had a big lunch with the other people at the ranch.
I have definitely enjoyed all of the food I've had here so far. The produce here is fresher than back home, plus I've been told they don't use pesticides like home. I never saw orange egg yolks before I came here! Plus, I know we've all heard about how spicy the food is here, and now I am setting the record straight: it's true. The dips for chips are SO hot! One little bit (and I'm talking like a flake) and my mouth feels like it's on fire! I've also gotten used to seeing chili powder and lime juice on everything. I have to admit it was a surprise one day when I asked for popcorn and I was asked if I wanted lime juice on it. The peanuts with chili powder are good though :)
Classes are going well; I have my first exam this Friday in my Operations Management class. For my International Business class, we are reading the Ascent of Money (or el Triumfo del Dinero) which is really interesting. It's about the history of money and how it has involved into what it is today. I just finished reading the section on how bonds were used by the English to finance their war against Napoleon. The readings for my Green marketing class are just as interesting. Today I read about how our economic and scientific systems fail to include sustainability, waste or social welfare in their models, and how "grey marketing" has helped promote over-consumption. While I'm not saying that I agree with everything I read (or maybe I do... :-D), it has been eye-opening.
So, that's all I have for today. I know there were no pictures or videos, but I hope you found some of this interesting. If not, that's ok because I have rewarded you again with this clip of two cats. Apparently they are having some martial issues...
So, today's post is mostly a catch-up about what has been going on here since my last post last week. Although I didn't go away this weekend, I still had a good time. Saturday night we went to see the Last Airbender, my first 3-D movie. It was an interesting movie, I liked seeing some of the action sequences in 3-D. This is kind of a rant, but I always wanted to know why just within the last year or so that movies have been made in 3-D? It has been around for a while (wikipedia says it started to gain popularity in the 80's). Maybe it's just me.
Sunday, we went to a local ranch to ride horses and go shooting. Unfortunately, it was raining all day so all we could do was shoot pistols at glass bottle in a bullfighting pin. I shot my first gun! Like my Facebook status said, I was a little deaf by the end. I came close to hitting a bottle, but that was all. After we finished shooting we had a big lunch with the other people at the ranch.
I have definitely enjoyed all of the food I've had here so far. The produce here is fresher than back home, plus I've been told they don't use pesticides like home. I never saw orange egg yolks before I came here! Plus, I know we've all heard about how spicy the food is here, and now I am setting the record straight: it's true. The dips for chips are SO hot! One little bit (and I'm talking like a flake) and my mouth feels like it's on fire! I've also gotten used to seeing chili powder and lime juice on everything. I have to admit it was a surprise one day when I asked for popcorn and I was asked if I wanted lime juice on it. The peanuts with chili powder are good though :)
Classes are going well; I have my first exam this Friday in my Operations Management class. For my International Business class, we are reading the Ascent of Money (or el Triumfo del Dinero) which is really interesting. It's about the history of money and how it has involved into what it is today. I just finished reading the section on how bonds were used by the English to finance their war against Napoleon. The readings for my Green marketing class are just as interesting. Today I read about how our economic and scientific systems fail to include sustainability, waste or social welfare in their models, and how "grey marketing" has helped promote over-consumption. While I'm not saying that I agree with everything I read (or maybe I do... :-D), it has been eye-opening.
So, that's all I have for today. I know there were no pictures or videos, but I hope you found some of this interesting. If not, that's ok because I have rewarded you again with this clip of two cats. Apparently they are having some martial issues...
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Ramdomness
Hi everyone!
Hope everyone is having a good weekend! I decided to download a couple of pictures I took with my blackberry and talk about them. There is no specific topic today, just thought I would write about how everything is going so far.
I can't believe I've been here for over two weeks! Classes are going great, I can understand almost everything that is going on. Most of the books are in both Spanish and English, so what I like to do is go to the library and read the Spanish and have the English as backup. That way, if there is a word or phrase I don't know, I just look to the English version! I think it's the best way to improve my reading skills.
This is a view of the street where I live. Most of the back streets are cobblestone, which I really like. Around the corner there are small open stores where I can buy snacks, fresh produce, and my personal favorite, fresh tortillas!!! The tortillas are made right there, and when you get them fresh, they are so warm and soft!! I have to admit, it's a pretty nice substitute for gluten-free bread.
This picture was taken the Saturday we went to the market. From left to right is Julia, Marta and Sasha. This was the first time we had lunch at a Mexican restaurant. We decided to share a big pot with different meats (chicken, pork, beef) and vegetables in this hot sauce. It was very good!!!
Alright, so this is really random. Here we are at a HUGE supermarket called mega. Just imagine a Super Wal-Mart, take another one and place it on top. Anyways, you can take your cart from level to level with these long escalators; they are specially made so the carts will stay put when going up and down. The mall we went to is the same way, you can take a cart from store to store.
Now for something completely different. This picture was taken on the way to the Tepoztlan last weekend. After we left the city, the scenery was so beautiful. We passed a lot of small towns and farms. Since we left so early, once we started heading toward the mountains, we could see the clouds ascending, I never saw anything like it.
So, that is all I have for today. I'm kinda tired, but that's because Marta and I went with some friends to play pool and we didn't get back until after 3:30. Hope everyone has a good weekend, and I look forward to your comments!!!!
Hope everyone is having a good weekend! I decided to download a couple of pictures I took with my blackberry and talk about them. There is no specific topic today, just thought I would write about how everything is going so far.
I can't believe I've been here for over two weeks! Classes are going great, I can understand almost everything that is going on. Most of the books are in both Spanish and English, so what I like to do is go to the library and read the Spanish and have the English as backup. That way, if there is a word or phrase I don't know, I just look to the English version! I think it's the best way to improve my reading skills.
This is a view of the street where I live. Most of the back streets are cobblestone, which I really like. Around the corner there are small open stores where I can buy snacks, fresh produce, and my personal favorite, fresh tortillas!!! The tortillas are made right there, and when you get them fresh, they are so warm and soft!! I have to admit, it's a pretty nice substitute for gluten-free bread.
This picture was taken the Saturday we went to the market. From left to right is Julia, Marta and Sasha. This was the first time we had lunch at a Mexican restaurant. We decided to share a big pot with different meats (chicken, pork, beef) and vegetables in this hot sauce. It was very good!!!
Alright, so this is really random. Here we are at a HUGE supermarket called mega. Just imagine a Super Wal-Mart, take another one and place it on top. Anyways, you can take your cart from level to level with these long escalators; they are specially made so the carts will stay put when going up and down. The mall we went to is the same way, you can take a cart from store to store.
Now for something completely different. This picture was taken on the way to the Tepoztlan last weekend. After we left the city, the scenery was so beautiful. We passed a lot of small towns and farms. Since we left so early, once we started heading toward the mountains, we could see the clouds ascending, I never saw anything like it.
So, that is all I have for today. I'm kinda tired, but that's because Marta and I went with some friends to play pool and we didn't get back until after 3:30. Hope everyone has a good weekend, and I look forward to your comments!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)