Monday, May 18, 2009

The Gondola Ride

"Yo soy canadiense, no americana."  I say to the other people on the gondola ride.

They laugh.

Everyone on the gondola is from Monterey Mexico, except me.  "You're not a gringa," someone says.

No, no americana," I say.

But, you look like a gringa someone says, and laughs.

"Yo digo a mi estudiantes, necisito decir, no americana.  Pero mexicanos no necisitan no americanos.," I say.  Which means I say to my students,  unlike Mexicans I need to point out that I'm not American.

The people from Monterey, like me, are tourists having a good time.

Zacatecas is a tourist destination, more often a tourist destination for Mexicans than a tourist destination for Americans, and I suppose, Canadians for that matter.

Zacatecas is about 8,000 feet above sea level.  Mexicans call Zacatecas "la estacion de frio,"which means the place (or season) of cold.  Indeed, it was chilly in Zacatecas.  Some of the people were wearing winter jackets, although I think a light summer jacket would be warm enough.

The photo was taken while we rode a  Swiss made gondola which gives visitors a chance to get a birds eye view of the city while traveling from the top of one cerros (hill) to another.

1 comment:

Theresa in Mèrida said...

Huh?
"Pero mexicanos no necisitan no americanos."
Mexicans don't need any Americans?You lost me there. I simply don't understand why you would say that and what that has to do with you being Canadian. Do they dislike Americans where you are living?
Around here gringo means you are from nob, (north of the border) so it includes Canadians, though I guess you are nonb, north of the northern border?
I am always amused to be called a gringo, since I tend to think of gringos are being WASPs like Husband not LARCs like me.
regards,
Theresa