Yesterday was kinda an orientation day and my first opportunity to check out my new campus, Tec de Monterrey. The bus ride is 30-40 min and initially freaked me out a bit. I wasnt sure I was on the right bus and so I asked the lady next to me. She said the bus didnt go to Tec. Awesome right? So I stumbled to the front and asked the bus driver. His response was pretty incoherent but seemed to indicate we were heading that direction, although might now have understood me and probably just wanted me to sit down. I figured it was too late to do anything about it since getting off and finding the right bus would be pretty much impossible for me without the internet, so I reconciled myself to to the fact that I was about to be lost in a city of 6 million people. After traveling through the outskirts of town and through some dusty shanty towns that basically confirmed my suspicion that we were heading deep into no man's land (or at least no american's land), a dude about my age with a backpack told me we were at Tec even though I saw no signs of it. I was surprised he knew where I was going until I remembered how much a tall redhead probably stands out in Mexico. I followed him and indeed ended up seeing a friend from my IMBA program walking near me to Tec.
After introductions and touring campus we headed back downtown on a guided walking tour.
Guadalajara Cathedral, the main cathedral in the city and host to many sacred Catholic relics.
Famous murals by Gualajara's legendary one-armed genius painter, Jose Orozco. These were located in the Congress hall.
Remains of an old convent near our hostel.
Floating china man.
After touring downtown Sallie and I walked to a house a few blocks away where we had scheduled a walk-through. The place was absolutely perfect and the price was very low by US standards. It had too patios, a terrace from which you could view downtown, and a private bathroom with doorless shower.
Sallie got some good tips from the owner, Bill, on how to deal with the local guys who like to whistle, cat-call, and sometimes follower her through the streets the few times we've had to split up. Evidently, all the attention is meant to be less aggressive than if it was in the US. It's mostly meant as a compliment, and Bill said that if a guys is really getting fresh she just needs to state loudly "Quiero respecto!" and they will usually fall into the state of utmost respect towards women that has been culturally conditioned into them since childhood. After all the displays of machismo, most men usually turn out to be sweethearts when a girl gets serious.
This is the patio you see when you walk through the front door. Like many typical patios it is uncovered. The temperature here usually stays between 50 and 80 degrees, allowing most all restaurants and houses to be very open-air. Definitely a nice change.
However, at nice as the house was, the location was not as good as our hostel--being farther from Tec and out of the more artistic, active areas of town. So when we got back and the guys running our hostel offered us a discount if we rent for 4 months we accepted. Not only are the guys extremely helpful, but the place is right in the center of some of the coolest restaurants and bars we've ever seen (a few literally on our block). So here is where we will be living for our stay in Mexico.
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