Visible Differences: Mexico (LRW)

Visible differences between Querétaro, Mexico and Meadville, Pennsylvania: All of them

I wish I could have written this post two months ago, back when everything I saw and experienced here seemed so strange and new. Now, in the beginning of March, life in Mexico is the new normal, and I am struggling to think about what the most obvious differences are from my "old life" in Pennsylvania.

Pirámide de el Pueblito, the pyramid in my city

For one, the weather here is always perfect: mid 70s and sunny. I am told that now that "spring" is beginning, it will start to get a lot hotter, but regardless, the perpetual comfortable temperatures are a far cry from the snowy, sloshy winters of northwestern Pennsylvania. Because the climate is warmer, all the plants that grow here don't come close to resembling the flora on the east coast: I have become accustomed to seeing all types of cacti on my way to school, and not being able to identify the flowers blooming in the bushes and vines in the streets of my colonia.

Street tacos from the barrio right near my house

Street vendors are common, especially people selling food right out of their home. For whatever reason, Mexicans have a fascination with jello, perhaps because it's cheap to make and surprisingly refreshing, and you can find it sold in small plastic cups on many alleyway corners. Street food is the best: tacos, tamales, atole, and elotes and much more- all of it is much cheaper than any restaurant and typically much more delicious (you just have to be careful if you're a gringo, too much street food can make you sick!).

Almost every meal is served with tortillas, which can be bought fresh from any number of tortillerias in the neighborhood, and salsa goes well with everything. Believe me, everything. Including pizza, popcorn, and potato chips. I will miss Mexican food immensely when I return to the states, especially now that I realize the "mexican food" we have doesn't come anywhere close to the real deal (burritos and nachos, the hallmarks of "tex-mex" don't hold a candle to gorditas, tortas, or enchiladas).

My own personal visible difference: I can't wear shorts, or clothing that reveals much leg. It's practically an invitation for catcalls, and moreover, most Mexicans wear jeans (regardless of how hot it is!) so wearing shorts would only call attention to the fact that I am a foreigner. This is probably the "visible difference" that bothers me the most, however I am also surprised at how quickly I grew accustomed to it. One day I wore shorts to go to practice with an ultimate frisbee team I joined in the city, and I felt strangely uncomfortable exposing my legs in pubic, especially after only wearing jeans for so many months.

Visiting the waterfall in Xilitla

What else? Less than a half hour from my house is a pyramid from an ancient civilization. On the weekend, you can travel to nearby hot springs, the rainforest, or the beach. Most candy here has chili in it. People greet each other with kisses on the cheek.

The truth is, although I could write a long list of all of the visible differences between Mexico and the United States, I could never encompass everything that entails living here. Being in different country is just that: different, and when you return to your home town, it's hard to put a finger on the little details that made up that other world. It's not just the funny-shaped electrical outlets, or the old cars on the street, or the weather, or even how the people here greet and converse with one another: it's all of those together, as well as a million other factors that you might not even recognize or notice. I won't try to explain the visible differences between Querétaro and Meadville any more: you simply have to come here and experience it for yourself.