Last Days in Veracruz

Well, Veracruz is officially over (and by the way I’m post-dating this entry due to the whirlwind travel at the end that eventually got me to Ecuador). The last week was definitely a busy one. Mostly what kept me busy was the 25+ page paper I had to write for the class, but also some partying (not gonna try and lie there). All in moderation, right folks?

There is much I could say reflecting on Veracruz, but for the sake of this being a simple blog I will just say that it was nice to get the chance to do a study aboard program. I had always regretted not being able to do one as an undergrad in college and this program gave me the opportunity to have that experience. It was great getting the chance to travel with cool peoples for once instead of solo and learning as much as we did at the same time was an added benefit of the program.

I felt a real sense of loss as people departed during the final days, but it was nice that Gilbert, Vanessa, and I had at least one last day and night in Veracruz together. It sucked that I was still editing a draft of my paper, but I had to get a decent draft into Profe and wanted to get it done before getting to Ecuador (although I had to make some final correction in Quito before submitting another draft). I don’t wanna bore anyone with the details of the paper, but basically I traced out the path of slavery in Mexico and then went into the reasons why people of African descent are no longer recognized in Mexico today, even though the African population was for a time larger than the Spanish population during the early colonial period.

But back to the last Veracruz story. So Gilbert, Vanessa, and I had a nice chill last day and night. On Saturday we went to the Veracruz Aquarium, walked around the city, and partied a bit that night into Sunday morning. At the aquarium we saw fish, turtles, birds, lobsters, jellyfish, eels, stingrays, sharks, coral, etc. Basically, if you can find it in the ocean we saw it there behind the glass. We also had a good time joking around. We tried to get cheaper prices with a student discount (didn’t work), tried to get in other peoples pictures, and attempted to leave through the entrance (that didn’t work either). I also touched a baby stingray (probably not the smartest move), Vanessa got to touch a dead lobster shell (ouchiees!), and Gilbert got to reminisce about being back out in the wild blue sea with his underwater friends.

That night we gave each other mud facials, watched Björk videos on YouTube, and finished off most of the rest of the drinky-drinks that other folks had left behind (killed off Mr. Johnnie Walker too, that was some nasty stuff). I stayed up all night making sure my things were packed and also that I didn’t miss my morning flight. All in all, iIt was a good trip. A study abroad and vacation wrapped in one. Still, it was educational in more than just the scholastic sense and fun in more than just terms of partying and gettin down on the dance floor.