This week will be the start of my fifth week in San Cris. As of now, I’m feeling pretty settled, and I’m excited for the next few weeks to come. I also cannot believe time has gone by this fast. Looking back, as I was planning my trip in the spring, one of the main things I was concerned about was how I would find community. I would be traveling to a new country where everyone speaks a different language that I do not have fluency in. But since I’ve arrived here, I’ve found a lot of different opportunities to meet people – students, travelers, and locals. In this blog post I hope to share some of the experiences I’ve had so far during my time in San Cris with the people I’ve met.

Exploring the area with fellow Rice students

My Loewenstern partner and I were lucky enough that the times we planned the trips coincided with a Rice study abroad program  led by Dr. Loyo and Dr. Hunter that was also going to spend most of May in San Cristobal. It was really nice to have the company of the other Rice students, especially at the beginning of the trip when we were just settling in. Dinners with their groups and general hangouts have really made my time here in San Cris special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two weeks ago, we were also able to take a day trip to visit Cascadas el Chiflón y Lagunas de Montebello. We booked a trip with a travel agency that provided a tour van and guide. We left at 8 AM and drove about 3 hours to El Chiflón. We were able to hike up and see three waterfalls (so so beautiful!). Then we drove a couple more hours to a lake and spent some time kayaking. After that, we went to another lake that bordered Guatemala. We were able to walk a bit into Guatemala as well.  All in all, it was a really cool trip and a lot of fun to do with the other Rice students! I hope to do a few more day trips while I’m here.

The engineering study abroad ends this week, so the students will be heading back soon. I’ll miss having them around, but I’m so glad they were here at the same time as us and we got to meet!

Colleagues at Cantaro Azul

Everyone at Cantaro Azul, our host organization, has also been incredibly welcoming. From warmly greeting us every day to giving us restaurant and event recommendations, they’ve really helped us settle into the city. We’ve been spending most of our days working somewhat independently, but every morning we have breakfast together. Through my interactions with colleagues at Cantaro, I’ve realized that the hardest Spanish for me to understand is not the technical jargon –  most of the chemistry words are English cognates. It’s hardest to keep up when everyone is speaking conversationally. Nevertheless, I’m always grateful when they slow down to include us in the conversation, or inform us about certain cultural norms, such as greetings and other intricacies in Mexican Spanish.

This Monday, June 5, was Cantaro’s 17th anniversary. We ate a lot of cake together (Tres Leches is so so so so good), and it was really cool to see everyone in the organization come together to celebrate.

 

Classes/workshops

After my first day at work at Cantaro, I kind of freaked out at my lack of ability to understand conversational Spanish. That Monday evening I realized there was a Spanish school literally across the street from our Airbnb: Tu Mundo Spanish School. They offer a 5-day Spanish intensive (3 hours of class a day). During my classes, I learned a lot of grammar and also improved my conversational capability. But most importantly, my interactions with the instructors really smoothed my transition to San Cris. They told me about Facebook groups to join and events happening in the area. The Wednesday of my first week, they also have a little fiesta with tamales and traditional Chiapanese snacks and drinks. It was really great to meet the instructors and students, and we had a great time together!

Although my classes ended a few weeks ago, I’ve kept in touch with my instructors, and it’s been great to spend more time with them. Last Sunday, two of my instructors and another student (originally from Estonia) visited El Arcotete, a natural park about 20 minutes away from the city center. We grilled some veggies, corn, tortillas, and nopales, and had a really cute picnic on the mountainside. I think it was some of the best guacamole, pico de gallo, and salsa I’ve had. We hiked around the park after, and it was so beautiful. I wanted to paint it, so hopefully I can find some art supplies and take a painting trip to a natural park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two weeks ago, I also started belly dancing (mainly because I realized there was a belly dancing studio also literally right across from my Airbnb). I could rave on and on about it. Our instructor is fantastic, it’s such a good workout but also a lot of fun and visually stunning (very pretty costumes!). It’s also been a great way to meet some other people. The class is pretty small – around 5-6 people, and it’s made of both locals as well as a few international people like me. I’ve loved the opportunity to get to know some of the other people taking the class, and we’ve had some great conversations before and after classes. And I may have discovered a new interest to perhaps continue in Houston.

 

Final Thoughts

The thought of moving to a new place without really having an established social circle has always been pretty scary to me. Through these past few weeks, I’ve learned that when I am in an unfamiliar place, it’s important to be incredibly intentional when forming relationships. In a college setting, I’ve found it much easier to meet people and form friendships — I’m in a setting with a lot of people similar to myself, and I’m constantly running into them. In San Cris, I’ve learned that I need to place myself in settings that are conducive to forming relationships – like classes and workshops. I also need to be more proactive and intentional about reaching out to people to make connections. I’ve learned that the city itself is pretty friendly. In general locals seem to somehow all be somewhat connected to each other (kind of like the vibe of a small town). There are also a lot of international travelers who have been pretty fun to meet as well.  But the energy put in is definitely worth it. Times where I’ve taken a chance or been more outgoing or friendly have resulted in some of my favorite and most memorable experiences in San Cris.