March 26, 2008

Time is flying. Today we did a fun activity called the market basket activity. It was our first real taste of what life is like for local Mexicans in Curenevacca. We divided into teams and were given a certain amount of money and a list of items to purchase at the market place. This activity was a lot of fun because we really got to get a taste of what the city was like on our own. The amount of pesos we received was 100.00. This is how much an average Mexican worker brings home on a daily basis. With that money, we were told to be frugal and use the barter system because a little bit needed to go a long way. Going to the market was a unique experience. It has never seen anything like it before. The vendors at the market typically have there own shops and they are run by the family. To have your own shop in Mexico is considered high status. The market was broken up into divisions. You had people selling clothes, shoes and electronics in one portion, others were selling artwork, pottery and dishes. Fruit stands, diary products, and meat were another part of the market as well as dry supplies. I was amazed at how big the market was. I smelled lots of delicious foods cooking and was really excited about trying it. In a few moments, we will have a guest speaker come and talk to us about the current economical situation in Mexico. Fun day.