Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Conclusions

2009-08-06T12:43:00.006-05:00

NOTE: If this is your first time reading my blog I encourage you to start from the beginning - it will make a lot more sense that way. If anybody knows how to get blogspot to show the oldest post first, please let me know.

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Well, it's been an unforgettable two months. For those of you who are haven't been counting the days, anxiously awaiting my arrival, I'm leaving for Milwaukee in four short days. I am certainly going to miss this amazing country, but at the same time I am happy to return to my home and see my friends and family.

I would say this blog has been a great success. According to my statistics, as of right now 325 different IP's have visited my blog, with 948 total visits. Note that this does not mean 325 different people have stopped by, but I would estimate the number to be between 75 and 100, at least. I had no idea I was so popular!

Nevertheless, I am not one of those people who writes a blog all about his boring life for no apparent reason. As such, barring any groundbreaking events that may occur between now and Monday, this is going to be my last post.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this blog as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Goodbye.

Mexico City, Part 3

2009-07-28T19:23:00.009-05:00

I'm back. I haven't been posting much because I've been quite busy preparing a paper on my work, and am hoping to submit it for publication by the time I leave (can anyone say "pipe dream"). Moreover, I want my posts to be meaningful, and as such I don't post unless I have something interesting to report.

As I'm sure you're all aware, the US soccer team had a, how shall I put this, less-than-satisfactory performance when they came here to play Mexico. They put the game on in our house, and at halftime, the score being 0-0, a friend and I decided to head out to a bar downtown to catch the rest of the game. Once we got to the bar the score was already 2-0 Mexico. At that point we decided it would be a waste of time to watch the rest of the game as soccer games rarely score above two, especially with less than a half remaining.

So we walked back to the bus. On our way to the bus we walked through the town square. There were TVs everywhere and I noticed the score had changed to 3-0. While we walked through the artisans' market on the way to the bus stop, Mexico scored another point. By the time we got back the game was over, Mexico having beaten the US by an astonishing five points.

Of course, before the game we had been sure to talk plenty of shit to our host family about how the US was for sure going to win and Mexico had no chance (after all, we did beat Spain). And as you can imagine, when we showed up for dinner we were subjected to all sorts of ridicule. Whatever; who cares about soccer, anyway?

Today, Dr. Ramos took me to la Universidad Nacional Autónomo de México (UNAM), one of the most prestigious universities in Mexico, along with one of my coworkers, one of our collaborators from another university, and another professor from Tec. Initially, I was under the impression that we were to attend a conference there, so I was all set to put on my "I'm totally not bored right now" face that I have gradually perfected after viewing Powerpoint after Powerpoint of biological tedium.

But there was no conference (I must have misunderstood; apparently, my understanding of Spanish is even poorer than I had initially thought). The actual reason we went was because Dr. Ramos wanted me to see UNAM and the surrounding neighborhood, Ciudad Universitaria (CU). He devoted his entire workday to this end.

So this is basically a repeat of the last post on Mexico City. Once more I was shuttled about town, wined and dined, again without paying a penny. And once again I had a great time. The team and I bonded, talking about everything from Taco Bell to US and Mexican politics to Canada and its merits as a country (i.e. I made fun of Canada a lot).

I still am in awe of the incredible hospitality and kindness of the Mexican people. People here have consistently gone out of their way for me. I'm sure going to miss Mexico when I'm back in Boston being treated like an average Joe.

Mexico City Redux

2009-07-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was my second trip to Mexico City. Having been informed that I had family in Mexico City (a great uncle, I think?), I decided to meet up with them. After hitching a ride to the city with my friend/coworker Diana, I met my relatives.

When I first talked to them about meeting, I was under the impression that I would go explore the city on my own, meet them for lunch or dinner, stay overnight at their place, and be on my way. But they had other plans. Soon after picking me up they informed me that they had cleared their entire weekend for my visit.

They then proceeded to chauffeur me all over the city, taking me to all sorts of amazing museums, cultural attractions, and restaurants. Hannah and Zelik, if you're reading this, thank you so much for an amazing weekend - you really went out of your way for me and I appreciate that.

On the topic of chauffeurs, by now I've been driven around quite a bit. The driving here is quite different from the US, mainly due to the fact that nobody follows the traffic laws. Taxi drivers consider stop signs and red lights to be purely optional - I call it the "no cop, no stop" mentality. And it should go without saying that the residents of this country have a fervent passion for speeding.

Mexico's solution to these driving issues is to put huge speed bumps EVERYWHERE. This is easily one of the most irritating things ever. God Bless America; while the streets surely aren't paved with gold, they are at least not riddled with speed bumps.

Photos:

The view from my relatives' apartment. (!!!)

Everybody at Chapultepec, the Central Park of Mexico City.

At the Museum of Natural History.

Panorama taken from the castle at Chapultepec.

...And that's about it. Now I'm off to the gym for some much needed exercise.

Ennui

2009-07-10T18:27:00.008-05:00

Hi all,

Lately I've found myself with very little to do, so I'm going to post a few cool/funny sites I've encountered as a result of my boredom:

First and foremost, E-Mails From an Asshole. This has to be the hardest I've laughed in months. Basically this guy responds to craigslist ads and gets into ridiculous discussions with the craigslist posters. Highly recommended.

Post-it stop motion

Best oragami ever

Cool sculptures made entirely from pencils

Obama has much better taste in women than Clinton

World's most amazing beards

Awesome new species discovered; this is why I love the life sciences.

That's all, folks! Buenas noches.

Indecision 2009

2009-07-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

Hello everybody,

It sure has been a while. To be honest, I haven't had much to write about recently. I've fallen into a routine and as I'm sure you're aware, a routine does not make for interesting blog posts.

Yesterday was election day in Mexico. Having spoken with many Mexicans about the election, I have concluded that the politics in Mexico differ significantly from American politics. The resounding sentiment among the people I queried was that they were going to vote not for the best candidate, but rather for the "least bad" candidate, or in many cases, that they weren't going to vote at all. Unlike the US, there are no major policy differences between the parties, so there is little basis on which to cast your vote.

Most of the people who said they were going to vote were taxi drivers, bartenders, or other random people. But most of the professors and students at Tec told me they felt disenfranchised and decided it wasn't worth the hassle to vote. All the parties follow the same politics; namely, the politics of greed and corruption. That's not to say we don't have our own corrupt officials, but here they take it to another level.

About 95% of police in Mexico accept bribes, the majority of which are actively solicited by the officer. Politics and business have a much closer relationship here than in the US and politicians routinely receive kickbacks. And let us not forget those police and politicians who are actively involved in drug trafficking. How Mexico functions as well as it does is a mystery to me.

My creative juices have run out for the day. I want to keep this blog up and running so help me out - let me know if there is some topic you want me to address or if you have any questions about Mexico or anything for that matter.

EDIT: Also kind of funny, there is a law stating that no alcohol may be sold the day before or the day of the election - apparently there have been issues with fighting at the polls. But of course, the third store I visited sold me a six pack in a black plastic bag :)

Almost Famous, Part 2

2009-06-30T14:36:00.005-05:00

The newspaper article I mentioned in a prior post has now been published (click to enlarge):

Translation: "Charlie Zien, an MIT student collaborating with Dr. Fernando Ramos's team, comments: "What we propose is less invasive than a pap smear, so that more women will want to go through with genetic testing to detect proteins present in the cancer virus [HPV] to predict [cancer]. This project will help my career; I like doing this kind of research because it applies to the real world. I can make a difference and that brings me a great deal of satisfaction."

I'm kind of a big deal.

More Photos

2009-06-30T14:20:00.007-05:00

An awesome fort in old Havana.

Caricature of Ronald Regan, part of the "Wall of Cretins" in the Museum of the Revolution.

Enlargement of the sign next to Reagan.

My first ever Cuban cigar. Though I still do not see the allure of smoking cigars, this was the best one I've had thus far.

The Forbidden Island

2009-06-29T23:00:00.005-05:00

Hello everybody. I'm happy to say that I was able to get out of Cuba, and arrived in Mexico safe and sound. I was asking the hotel staff what to do and none of them had any idea. At this point I was starting to get really worried, but then my guardian angel showed up in the form of a bus driver. He was to drive the guests at the resort into Havana. When he overheard his coworker telling me there was nothing I could do and that I was totally screwed, he mentioned that, while the US and Cuba do not have diplomatic relations, we do have a consulate in Havana. He was even nice enough to drop me off right at the consulate!

At the consulate I met one of the US consuls, who was also very helpful. I was there outside of normal business hours and she had come in in her gym clothes because she had forgotten her iPod. But when she saw me sitting in the lobby, waiting for the on duty person (not her), she was happy to help. She explained that I could have my parents wire some money to the US State Department, and they would forward it to Cuba. But, since the US State Department does not do business on weekends, I had to wait until Monday to get my money. So I wasted the entire day Sunday sitting around at my hotel due to lack of funds.

But I am thankful for the time I did get to spend in the city. I have never been to a dictatorship before, so it was really interesting to talk to the natives about their personal lives and communism in general (I didn't exactly have to pry; they were fairly forthcoming with the fact that they only made $15/month, in hopes that I could give them some tip for doing something or other). Of course, I was the wrong person to ask for money!

Once I got my money, I wanted to buy some cigars to take home; even though I don't smoke, I figured I could make an exception in this case. Now, when people talk about Cuban cigars they're most likely referring to Cohibas. Cohibas are widely considered to be the finest cigars in the world; Castro himself prefers this brand.

I was very dismayed to learn that a box of 25 Cohibas would run me $400. Knowing that there are two types of money in Cuba, I asked a cab driver if he could use his money to buy me some cigars, for which I would then pay him back, plus a generous tip. The Cuban government has apparently already thought of this; Cohibas may only be purchased with tourist money.

Instead, he took me to a friend's house. Mind you, all I had seen of Cuba thus far was the whitewashed tourist version. When he turned the corner into real Cuba, I was astounded by the destitute poverty. This particular gentleman worked in the Cohiba factory and would occasionally take his work home with him, if you catch my drift. He offered to sell me the box for $100, which is a great deal (Cohibas sell in the US for $50 per cigar). He also offered to throw in his niece for a nominal fee. I politely declined.

I need to get to work now, but expect to see some pictures soon.

Trapped in Paradise

2009-06-27T20:39:00.004-05:00

Greetings from Cuba! I have so much to write and so little time in which to write it (internet here runs $0.10/min) so I will be quick.

If you're bored and are looking for a great way to use your time, I highly recommend losing your Mexican immigration card. Apparently I needed this card to depart for Cuba. And when I didn't have it, I had to spend 45 minutes (and $40) wading through Mexican bureaucracy. What a nightmare.

Speaking of nightmares, I'M STUCK IN CUBA. My idiot of a travel agent told me that Cuba was cheap, much cheaper than Mexico, and to only bring 2000 pesos. But what she didn't know is that there are two types of money here. Pesos Cubanos, for Cubans, and Pesos Convertibles, for tourists. Prices are 10x higher in Pesos Convertibles. Higher than in Mexico or the US for that matter.

So I have a problem. I'm broke! And I need about $30 to leave the country. I do not have it. And since my bank cards are all American, I have no way of getting money here. I am going to call the US consul to sort this all out, but until then I'm pretty much screwed.

Fortunately, alcohol at my resort is free. So once I emerge from my drunken stupor I will write more. Until then, goodbye.

Meh

2009-06-24T10:30:00.018-05:00

Hi everybody. Sorry I've been so quiet over the last few days; I've been pretty busy and haven't had the time to make a proper post. I think the title of this post accurately summarizes last weekend's trip to Mexico City. I went on an organized trip with some other international students. To be frank, I do not think I will be going on any more organized trips for the remainder of my stay here in Mexico. When I go somewhere, I like to be free to explore and see the sights I want to see. That's why I like traveling alone or in groups of two or three - I get to have a say in where I go and what I do.

Not only was my trip to Mexico City underwhelming, it was also very expensive; $150 USD for a tour guide, a van, and one night in a shared room in a hotel, not even including food! Compare that to my upcoming trip to Cuba, which includes a round trip flight, three nights in a hotel, transport, tours, visa, and food for $575. I think I got taken for a ride. That said, I did enjoy bonding with my fellow internationals, and some of the places we were taken were truly amazing. I'm going to return alone or in a smaller group so I can have a better chance to freely explore the city.

Here are some more photos:

Panorama taken at Xochicalco a few weeks ago.

Amazing ruins at Teotihuacan.

More Teotihuacan.

A painting by Frida Kahlo called "Viva la Vida." The lead singer of Coldplay had visited the Frida Kahlo museum for inspiration prior the release of their latest album of the same name.

An amazing restaurant in a cave! Too bad we didn't eat here because our idiot tour guide thought it was closed.

Crystal, Andre, and Sharon - some of the other internationals.

Drag queens posing for a photo - there happened to be a huge gay pride parade in Mexico City that day.

That's all I've got for now. Until next time...

Public School

2009-06-19T19:02:00.006-05:00

If you've been following the plot of this story, you probably know that I had to give a presentation today. Luckily, I finished working on the presentation long before the deadline (by noon yesterday, in fact), so I was all set to speak about the development of cervical lesions and how they give rise to cancerous tumors. The presentation was to take place at the public university of the state of Morelos (Tec is a private school) located on the other side of town.

My presentation went over very well (or so they told me) and it was time for the next presenter to speak. After ten or so minutes of listening to what was by far one of the driest presentations I have ever attended, we were startled by an extremely loud marching band outside. We closed the windows, but the presenter had to yell to be heard over the noise. Nonetheless, the presentation went on. Five minutes later the music gave way to screams.

I looked out the window and saw this:

That's right. Apparently today was graduation over at Morelos U and this is one of their traditions. And they say an education at MIT is like drinking from a firehose.

Almost Famous

2009-06-17T23:03:00.004-05:00

Today at work, Dr. Ramos was teaching me about Petri nets when he suddenly realized that he was missing an appointment. Turns out that appointment was an interview with the statewide (pop. 1.6 million) daily newspaper, La Unión, and that I was to participate in the interview! It would appear that these people think I'm much more important than I actually am. They have been treating me like an academic god descended from the Mount Olympus of education. More details (and hopefully a link to the article) to come.

Travels

2009-06-16T20:45:00.003-05:00

When I first found out I was going to Mexico, one of the ideas that popped into my head was flying to Cuba, as it is impossible to do this from the US. I looked into it and discovered that it is in fact legal for US citizens to travel to Cuba, but it is not legal to make any purchases there per our trade embargo. This complicates things, as I could not use my American credit card to purchase tickets to Cuba. With that in mind, today I went to a travel agency in downtown Cuernavaca to inquire about traveling to Cuba. Before I knew what was happening, I had shelled out 7720 pesos ($575) in cash for a trip to Cuba next weekend.

This sounds like a lot of money but it's actually an incredible value. The $575 includes a round trip non-stop flight to Havana, Cuban tourist visa, transport within Cuba, a tour guide, three meals a day, three nights at a very nice hotel, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit an island frozen in time. To say I'm excited would be a gross understatement. Rest assured I will take plenty of pictures. For all you cigar afficionados, now is the time to place your orders.

Work and Family

2009-06-15T17:03:00.011-05:00

As a biology major, I was excited to be assigned to a team studying the genetic regulation of cervical cancer. From my education at MIT, I know a fair amount about cancer and quite a lot about gene regulation. But when I arrived and met my Primary Investigator (PI), aka boss, I was surprised to find out that I would not doing the lab work to which I am accustomed.

Professor Ramos leads a team largely consisting of computer scientists in the field of "systems biology," whatever that means. I am the only person on the team who knows anything about the physical science of biology (as opposed to the more abstract biological concepts employed in systems biology). The upside of this arrangement is that, since I'm not working in a traditional "wet" lab, I get my own office! The downside is that I am scared shitless and have no idea what I'm doing. That said, Dr. Ramos is a very friendly man with a great sense of humor. He took the whole team out to lunch that day so they could all meet my colleague Rafael (also from MIT) and me. I think I will enjoy working for him.

My first task is to give a 30-minute Powerpoint on tumorigenesis in Spanish, which is going to be a hassle. Oh well; part of the reason I'm here is to improve my Spanish, and to that end Dr. Ramos informed me that he has advised his team never to speak to me in English. He has also sequestered me from Rafael so we can't speak English together. I know he has good intentions but at the moment it's quite a challenge.

By contrast, my host father, Francisco Téliz, prefers that I speak to him in English, as he is trying to learn and has nobody with whom to practice. After a long day of speaking nothing but Spanish, I am happy to oblige.

My host parents are a quaint old couple with grown-up children who live on their own. Francisco is a retired helicopter pilot and Irma is a homemaker (and a very good one at that - the food here is wonderful). There is constantly extended family staying at the house; they even have their own rooms here despite the fact that they have homes of their own.

I've grown particularly fond of the Téliz's two grandchildren, Ángel, age 9, and Paco Jr. (aka "Paquito"), age 11. They are very friendly and seem to have an obsession with guns. Whenever they are here they constantly browse YouTube for videos about guns, shooting people in video games, what have you.

And on that pleasant note, I'm signing off. But don't touch that dial! I'll be posting frequently so if you have suffered some sort of traumatic brain injury and find yourself wanting to hear what I have to say, you should subscribe to my RSS feed. Reading my blog is a great way to waste time, should you be looking for something to do at work. For those of you who don't know how to do this, go to the URL bar and look all the way to the right. There should be a small button with a "broadcast" design. Click on it and select "subscribe to this page." Basic stuff, I know, but my grandma reads this blog so bear with me. Hasta luego.

Photos thus far

2009-06-15T11:59:00.009-05:00

For your enjoyment, here are a few photos I've taken thus far. For the blurry ones, you can click to see the high-res versions:

At Xochcalco

Gigantic statue in Downtown Cuernavaca

In front of a pharmacy in Tepoztlán

Grasshopper Taco

More to come.

Beginnings

2009-06-14T22:35:00.013-05:00

Hi! If you're reading this blog you probably already know me, but allow me to introduce myself just in case you don't. The name’s Charlie. I’m a rising senior at MIT majoring in Biology. This summer I am lucky enough to be participating in the MIT International Science and Technology Initiative (MISTI) program. For the next two months, I will be living in Cuernavaca, Mexico, a city of approximately 300,000 inhabitants located about an hour from Mexico City in the state of Morelos. I am working at Tecnológico de Monterrey (hereafter referred to as "Tec"), a private university, with a team that is attempting to model the complex biological processes involved in the development of malignant tumors of the cervix.

During the five days I’ve been here, I have made a number of observations, some of which I will share with you here. Mexico, while in close proximity to the US, is absolutely nothing like the States. Some would say this is obvious but in this case I am referring not to the differences one notices immediately after getting off the plane but rather to the subtleties of everyday life in Mexico:

The first thing I noticed was that the Internet was suddenly in Spanish! I was automatically connected to the Mexican versions of Facebook, Yahoo!, Google, etc. Tragically, Pandora (one of my favorite sites; you should really check it out if you haven’t seen it), does not work here for legal reasons.
Things in Mexico are cheap. Really cheap. Today I took a ride in a taxi that would cost $10 plus a tip in Boston for approximately $1.50. Then I got a haircut for about $2.50, including a 40% tip. Looks like I’ll be living large during my stay in Mexico.
PDA is rampant in Mexico. I’m not sure why, but everywhere I have been I have encountered couples in the throes of passion. One of the more extreme examples of this was when, while on a tour of some ruins, I saw two of the coordinators from the International Program at Tec holding hands. That is to say, this couple did a PDA while on the job. I think Mexico’s casual attitude with regard to PDA might be due to the fact that children tend to stay at home much longer here than in the US, and the majority of the families in Mexico are observant Catholics who do not allow their children to come home with members of the opposite sex.
Along the same lines, the people here are very “touchy-feely.” It is customary to exchange kisses on the cheek when meeting a woman, as opposed to a handshake (for men, thankfully, the handshake prevails).
There is a significantly greater effort toward conservation here than in the US. Virtually no houses or businesses use air conditioning. Tiny fast food joints and stands use reusable plates and silverware. I wish we could do things this way in the US.
I’m always tired. In fact, everybody here is always tired. I now understand the concept of a siesta. The Mexican sun really does a number on you, and when combined with a severe food coma from lunch (traditionally the largest meal of the day), puts you out like a light.

Yesterday I visited Tepoztlán, a small town located about 30 km from Cuernavaca and home to a famous Aztec temple conveniently situated atop an extremely steep and perilous hill. My host family told me that the walk up the hill would take about two hours (this does not include the trip back down) so I lazily decided I would just observe the temple from afar as opposed to making the arduous trek up the hill. So I followed signs to the pyramid, thinking they would point me in the direction of a good vantage point so I could take some pictures.

After fifteen minutes of climbing up stairs I realized that I had inadvertently embarked on the aforementioned trek. This was obviously not what I’d had in mind but alas, I like to finish what I start, so I decided to keep climbing. When I reached the peak an hour and 45 minutes later, I found that the reward was indeed worth all the effort. The view from the temple was nothing short of spectacular. What’s more, I climbed the entire way in Birkenstocks, as I hadn’t brought good shoes for climbing. Suffice it to say I am very proud of myself.

Also of note: I had my first ever grasshopper taco. Delicioso. And by that I mean it wasn’t so disgusting that I had to spit it out.

I would also like to take this opportunity to debunk some myths about Mexico that have recently come up:

Don’t go! Mexico is dangerous. Not really. Some parts of Mexico (mostly along the border) are dangerous, and those particular places are much more dangerous than anywhere in the US, but that’s all the media shows you. Cuernavaca happens to have a lower crime rate than most cities in the US.
Don’t go! You’ll catch the swine flu! No. We can blame the media again for this one. While the number of cases reported in my home city of Milwaukee rapidly approaches 2000, only two cases have been reported in Cuernavaca. In fact, some people at my old high school caught the virus so I would actually be at much greater risk if I stayed at home. Moreover, swine flu is seldom fatal. It’s just the flu; in other words, it sucks but it most likely will not kill you. I cannot imagine the frustration those in the tourism industry must feel right now over this ridiculous media frenzy.

Anyway, that’s it for now. For those of you who are still reading, I hope this post made for an interesting read, and be sure to leave a comment! ¡Adiós!

[Note: photos coming soon.]