¡CULTURE SHOCK!

This blog post is about all things culture shock, a term used to refer to cultural and societal happenings that may 'shock' travelers in a foreign country.

To be honest, I haven't really been incredibly 'shocked' by anything here... Just, amused. Haha. Having grown up in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in Vegas my whole life, I pretty much know Mexican culture and some of the intricacies that go with it. So let me just give you a brief list of some of things that have 'shocked' me while I've been living and studying here in Mexico:

- DON'T FLUSH THE TOILET PAPER
Yeah, thats what I said, just deal with it! The sewer system here in Mexico is not the greatest in the least. Its so bad in fact that most people should not and do not flush their toilet paper when they are finished answering the call of nature. Thus and henceforth, the majority of the public toilets here have garbage cans on the side of the toilet for your leisure. Also, most of the toilet paper brands have 'scented' toilet paper to make your business just a little less unpleasant. It has been a learning experience for me, and I still do ocassionally drops pieces of toilet paper in the toilet at my peril.

- DON'T DRINK THE WATER
Most of you are probably thinking that this is a 'duh' moment, and very much is, BUT this means so much more in my everyday life that I had first anticipated. This means no complimentary water in the restaurants, you can only buy the water in bottles. This also means that all glasses and silverware needs to be completely dried off before you can use it. So you can't simply wash out a cup and immediately drink out of it unless you have a (clean) dish towel handy. It also means no public fountains ANYWHERE. So sad...

- TRACK SUITS
No, I am not living in Wes Anderson's 'Royal Tannenbuams'. Track suits (or 'pants' as the Mexicans call them) are everywhere. What especially funny is that VERY non-athletic people wear them; grandmothers, the morbidly obese, babies and the middle-aged. People even mix-and-match track suits, it really is quite the phenomenon. I really need to get a track suit soon so that I can blend and be further enculturated into Mexican society.

- THE DRIVING, OH THE DRIVING
Have you ever seen a bat fly out of hell? Neither have I, but I'm fairly certain that it is equatable to driving here in Mexico. I would never drive a car out here because I just know that I would immediately my life or the lives of others. Many drivers do not obey traffic lights and lane dividers. Cross intersections at your own danger because a green or red light mean nothing to some people. And its not just small personal cars that wreak havoc on the roadway, the bus drivers are the worse! I have to commute to school because I live almost 5-miles away from my university and must take the bus at least 2 times a day. Each time is a harrowing experience and I always have a dose a adrenaline and thrill to start off and end my days. Because of the dangerousness of their driving, many bus drivers here have various religious paraphernalia adorning their vehicles which are usually pimped out in some way (like skull clutch handles and black lights). Its funny when the bus driver cuts off three drivers while running red light as Jesus and Mary sway below the review mirror.

- NECK BRACES?
What the eff. Neck braces are an epidemic here in Mexico. Me and my friend count track suits and neck braces everyday here because of the great profusion of them that invade our everyday lives. I initially thought that I was going insane when I began noticing the said presence of neck braces until one night in a Cholula bar and I saw two different women with two different groups BOTH rocking neck braces. This led me to further inquire about neck braces with my (host) family members and faculty at my school. Most of them said that Mexico has many car accidents and as a consequence many people wear neck braces. I found two faults with this argument, first, I have rarely seen car accidents here, less than in Vegas actually, and second, people in the United States only wear neck braces when they are on death's door usually. I've seen couples making out with at least one partner wearing a neck brace, so they musn't be TOO injured now, could they? Thats when I inquired about the aforementioned neck brace epidemic with my Spanish professor Noé Blancas Blancas and he gave the best answer I have thus found:
"The doctors here in Mexico like to slap neck braces on anything; if you tweak your back while picking up an M&M, you get a neck brace. Neck braces are also a sign of lujo (luxury). Poblanos are very proud people and if you have money, people like show it off, sometimes even by wearing neck braces which are a bit expensive here in Mexico." Sometimes I see too many neck braces and I just freak out laughing, but now I don't feel too bad because many of them have probably brought it on themselves by choosing to wear something (ridiculous) that they don't need.

- DID I MENTION THE KISSING?
Oh yes, people like to makeout here in Puebla. People of ALL ages (regretably). Although most of them are young high school students, many of them are also middle-aged couples, and that is just weird. Now usually I don't have a problem with seeing people making out, but there is something about the making out here thats different... Its just so... PASSIONATE. Its not like a little goodbye, but a drawn out farewell that lasts for almost an hour (I've counted before in a park). Its like their doing it with their clothes on and they're doing it in front of everyone! Very strange indeed...

- TIGHTY WHITEY - PANTS
In addition to the abundance of neck braces, there is also an explosion of white pants here (why do I notice these things?). I guess it complements the neck brace if you're wearing a white one (oh yes, they come in many colors). I guess its just a fashion thing, but strange nonetheless.

That's all I can think of right now, I'll make sure to add amendments and additional commentary in the months to come.