Jeff's first week in Oaxaca

Hola de Oaxaca!

Here are some highlights from my first week in this beautiful exciting city, where I am working to improve my Spanish speaking abilities.

I'm staying with a host family (Nicolas, Veronica, their 15-yr old son Carlos, and their house helper Dominga) just on the edge of downtown Oaxaca City. Veronica and Dominga make me an incredible breakfast every morning, and everyone in the house is a pleasure to talk with. They give me good Spanish practice. More about Nicolas and Veronica later.

Here's the view from my bedroom. Note the mountains in the background, as Oaxaca City sits in a large moutain valley at 5000 feet above sea level.

I live about a 20-min walk from the Cultural Institute of Oaxaca, where I take my Spanish classes. Here's my walk every day:

I go down my street...

...and say hello to the requisite Mexican dogs...

...then down this street...

...past one of my favorite houses on the block...

and then past Jesus...

...and finally down this street to the Institute.

Oaxaca is known for its food, and for good reason. There is much greater diversity and complexity in the food here than other parts of Mexico I've visited.

Perhaps it has something to do with all the chiles?

Yes, food in Oaxaca. Enfrijoladas, chilequiles, chile rellenos, moles moles moles, salas and more salsas.

In school, I'm taking a cooking class as part of cultural workshop. It started with a trip to the market (hey, how'd that penis get in there?):

Here's my cooking instructor Soledad, overseeing a new friend at the Institute (Kimberly) make memelitas.

In the States, both Alex and I generally combine vegetarianism with seafood. Thankfully, there are plenty of vegetarian options in Oaxaca:

But as is customary for me when I travel, vegetarianism flies out the window in favor of experiencing the regional culture through its cuisine. So, I can tell you I've already had my share of beef, pork, and chicken! Here's one of my favorite little spots where you can some great chicken moles for little money.

In the next post I'll share some photos from my walkabouts.