Mole frijoles!

We're planning on taking at least one cooking class while we're in Oaxaca, and, so far, this one seems like the most fun and the best deal:

CASA CRESPO COOKING CLASSES

"Cooking classes are held at CASA CRESPO Restaurant. Casa Crespo is a cooking school devoted exclusively to the cuisine of Oaxaca and has become a "must-do" destination. What better way to learn more about this region´s culture than by savoring Oaxacan cuisine?

Cooking classes at Casa Crespo are a unique experience. The classes are designed for people who love to cook but are unfamiliar with the seasoning and cooking methods of Oaxacan cuisine. All classes are taught in English. Every class focuses on techniques and local ingredients, with an emphasis on dishes that can easily be recreated in your kitchen back home.

Your experience will include a guided visit to the "Sánchez Pascuas" local market, where you will learn firsthand about traditional ingredients. We explore indigenous herbs, vegetables, spices and the many forms of dried and fresh chiles.

Our 4 hour course can seamlessly fit into your daily travel itinerary. The class starts at 10 am and offers a tasty sampling of Oaxacan cuisine, including indigenous ingredients and cooking methods.

Here is what you´ll get:
Included in the price of all classes are that morning coffee and pastries, a visit to the neighbouring market, all class materials and ingredients and of course, full recipes for the dishes that you will prepare plus mezcal or beer. We have classes everyday at 10 am. The cost of each class is $US65 per person. There is no minimum class size. Meal ticket for non-students: $US25.

Classes are taught everyday, except Sundays, at 10 am at Casa Crespo restaurant at Allende 107, between Alcalá and García Vigil streets, two houses west from Santo Domingo church. Payment is in cash at the end of the class." (from their web site)

A continental breakfast, a trip to the market, cooking, and then lunch with mescal or beer -- does it get better?

Peso watch continues

Rats -- the dollar is falling against the peso:

1.00 USD = 12.8257 MXN

25 Reasons Why We Love Oaxaca -- Budget Travel.com

Images of Monte Alban, Amate Bookstore, and Santo Domingo via www.budgettravel.com




I'm making a list and checking it twice, and here are some of the things we'll be doing on our trip. We leave July 16 in the A.M., so it's T minus 12 days and counting!25 Reasons We Love Oaxaca - Budget Travel

Postponed

Hi, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth but have decided to defer my trip to Mexico until 2011 when I hope the NEH will be offered again. I will continue my studies of this area and will post Mexico-related info as it comes up.

El vuelo a Mexico

I'm making a conscious effort to think in Spanish as much as possible, so bear with me if it comes off as pretentious -- not to mention wrong in some cases! For example, which preposition do you use to speak about travel "to Mexico"? In Italian, you would say, "Viaggio in Italia," but "Viaggio a Roma." I can't remember if it's the same in Spanish because the last time I studied that language was in 1975. Oh, well, I have a lot of reviewing to do and a lot of Italian to forget!

Anyway, I've made flight reservations on Aeromexico for The Husband and I to fly together to Oaxaca on July 4 where he will spend a week with me celebrating our 20th anniversary then return home the next Sunday right before the NEH's welcome reception at the Casa de la Ciudad de Oaxaca. I stay on for another four weeks until August 8th.

I'm currently investigating cell phones, Skype and other ways of staying in touch while I'm gone. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. All I know at the moment is that the cellphone I have won't work over there, but I will have internet access in my apartment and a Netbook with me. It should be a lot easier than it was in 1994 when I spent almost six weeks away from home and phone cards were the only widespread option.

Advance planning

After I read the information for the NEH in Oaxaca, I was so psyched to go that I did some research and found a place I'd want to stay "just in case." There were several bed and breakfasts that were stunning but did not offer monthly rates, so I found some apartments in a wide range of prices. I wanted something far enough away from the Zocalo that it would be fairly quiet but close enough to walk into town several times a day. The place I decided on wasn't the most beautiful, but it had several things in its favor -- owners on-site, a private garden space, a kitchen, and a big ceiling fan in the bedroom.

I could have saved money by arranging a home stay situation or planning to take a roommate, but I wanted a nice place where The Husband and I could celebrate our 20th anniversary before the institute starts and where I could have some "alone" time once classes begin. Having done an institute in 1994 in Florence in which participants stayed in the same hotel, had all classes together, traveled everywhere together, and ate most meals together, I know that having a place where I can go and shut the door once in a while will be the difference between sanity and madness!

I had some friends who are familiar with Oaxaca check out the apartment's web site and location, and they green-lighted my choice, so the deposit has been sent and I've secured the space. Check out Casa de Mis Recuerdos to see where I'll be spending five weeks this summer.

Okay, we're off!

I received notification the week before spring break that my application to participate in the 2010 NEH Summer Institute, "Mesoamerican Cultures and Their Histories: Spotlight on Oaxaca," was accepted. I'll be joining 29 other high school teachers from around the United States in Oaxaca for four weeks this summer and am honored to be among the chosen.

The application process was pretty grueling. Unlike 1994, when I applied for the Florence NEH in two days' time, I began gathering materials and soliciting letters of recommendation right after the New Year and was still tweaking my own essay the day I finally sent it off at the end of February. My recommenders were kind enough to let me read their letters, and I feel that I was successful on the wings of their praise. I'll have to work pretty hard to live up to all the nice things they said about me!