This summer I went on an overseas study trip to Mexico for six weeks.  I lived with a family in the Yucatecan city of Mérida, which is the political capital of the Yucatan, and the largest city on the peninsula after Cancún.  I study anthropology and Spanish.  My Spanish increased dramatically from living with the family and conversing daily with them.  We also got chances to talk with people in the city and in the country on our weekly excursions to various ruins, beaches, and towns.  The experience of living in a foreign city where many of the customs are different from your own was one of the best that I have and so far, and would definitely do it again.  The city that I lived in, as a large political and economic city, was not very different from the US.  There were all the conveniences that one would have in the US.  The public transportation was efficient and cheap, whether you are riding the bus around town (about 10 cents) or across the peninsula to the Caribbean area (about $10 for a 4 ½ hour trip).  About 33 to 50% of the population in the Yucatan still speak the native language of Mayan.   But speaking Mayan, and being Mayan, in the cities is looked down upon by the people for a number of different social, economic, and political reasons.  The economic situation in Mexico is very grim, with the weekly salary averaging only about $12.  Most of the small country towns have an agricultural basis, as does most of Mexico, with additional cottage industries such as shoe, pottery, and hammock making.  Luckily the family that I stayed with for the trip was very understanding about me being vegan.  Actually it was the first thing that we talked about when I arrived in Mexico.  My family ate much less meat of any kind, mostly due to my host mother wanting to watch her diet and her weight. Other students had a much harder time with their families, who continually offered them meat at every meal throughout the duration of the trip.

        If you are vegetarian/vegan and considering taking a trip to Mexico…Being vegan in Mexico is really hard because I really don’t think that many of the people had much of a conception of not eating animal products.  For many of them, they eat the food they grow in their fields, and the chickens or turkeys that they raise in the their yards, supplemented with a few items from the local market.  There are no health food stores in the rural areas and I only found one in the city where I lived.

        The store was in the mall and larger than I expected.  It carried some staples such as soy powder for soy milk and tvp.  I found two vegetarian restaurants in Mérida and both were extremely good.  The regular restaurants, whether in the city or in the country, were usually very good about accommodating me and my very strange dietary habits.  Unfortunately, I only discovered towards the end of the trip that I could ask them to make just about anything that I wanted (usually a sandwich with lettuce and tomato…) and they would gladly oblige. This came in handy at the many ocean side restaurants that mostly served fish.

        There are vegetarians in Mexico and most of the people understand the term.  However one has to be careful by saying that you do not want any meat because many people will take that to mean red meat, not including ham, chicken, turkey, etc.  Not eating dairy products is just about totally foreign to them, unless you say that you are allergic to them, then they will make all efforts to accommodate you.  The local markets are a great place to get fresh fruit and vegetables, though was the food with bottled water before you eat them.  You should also avoid the meat sections of the market, which have dead everything hanging out in the hot Mexican air.

        Besides visiting the local markets there are many ruins and underground springs, called cenotes, that are incredible to see.  There are many beaches close by and, of course, the Caribbean area (Cancún, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres) is not far (about 5 hours by bus) from Mérida.  In the Caribbean area there is spectacular diving and snorkeling opportunities.
One last note…If you do happen to get into trouble, you can bribe the police very easily without getting into even more trouble.  The police actually rely on it that you will bribe them because the bribes constitute a large part of their income.  For example, a host brother of one of the students was driving under the legal age, driving drunk, and making infractions upon many different driving laws.  He was able to get off with 30 pesos, the equivalent of about $4.
 

As you see yourself, I once saw myself; as you see me now, you will be seen.
Mexican Proverb. Quoted in: Richard Rodriguez, Frontiers, "Night and Day" (1990).

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