Only Day One!

by Seaera Carney

So here I go, about to embark on this amazing trip like none I have ever experienced before. To begin, I must mention the newness of everything for me. I have never been on a commercial airplane nor have I traveled to another country. This trip was full of many firsts before I had even stepped foot in Oaxaca. Obviously there are a thousand exciting experiences to share of the first day in Oaxaca, Mexico, nevertheless there were a few that stood out to me more than others.

Firstly, the views from the plane flying into the city were beautiful. I spotted lava from volcanoes, huge, full clouds, a small lightning storm, and tiny dots of the street lights of the city. My first impression of Oaxaca was magical and I can not wait to leave after two and a half weeks with a camera full of pictures and a head full of wonderful memories. After landing, I was surprised with how easy customs and immigration was to get through. I had this vision of long slow lines and way too many people, but everything went smoothly and I didn't come across anyone rude. Once settled in at the hotel, that I fell in love with at first sight, I joined with several others in the group on an adventure to discover our next meal. This lead us, after many blocks, to a quaint little place with some surprisingly tasty tacos. And then I realized, this is my first bite of authentic Mexican food, I can get used to this.

Another thing I noticed immediately, was how many people spoke English or at least tried to. This reminds me of how oftentimes the opposite can be said about the U.S. Here, people are so willing to make you feel welcome and part of the community. That's not to discount how it is so evident that the group sticks out here. I can't count how many stares I've gotten already and the many more I will receive. There was even an instance of a man trying to take a picture of all of us standing together gawking at one of the many beautiful churches. Nonetheless, I don't mind the stares at all. I am here with an incredible group of people and experiencing Mexico in the most unique way.

The first night was not hardly a peek at what was to come the first full day spent in Oaxaca. Day one was like nothing I had previously experienced. The colors! Everything was vibrant shades of orange, red, blue, every color. There was brilliant wrought iron on nearly every building as well as new foliage I have never seen before. I think traveling abroad is almost like visiting another world. Everything is different but there are still many similarities to home. I could go on and on for many more paragraphs and not cover half of the amazing things I saw on the first day. I do however want to emphasize the churches that the group visited. The history, gold plated walls, intricate figures, every detail was worth capturing. I really found it interesting how symbolic all the designs were. There was not one piece of architecture or statue without a meaning. Specifically, there was a common theme of duality throughout the church. Duality of indigenous people and conquerors, of man and woman, of heaven and hell. All of it fascinated me.

In closing my post, there is one last thing I would like to mention. Oaxaca is nothing like I read in class. Reading of a place in books and studying it for a semester only scratches the surface of what it truly is. As Mariah said on reflecting the first day here, (paraphrased of course) it is nothing like in the books and I can start to understand how they feel when coming to the U.S. with such a language barrier. The rest of this trip is going to be filled with unforgettable memories. I cannot wait!