The University transport chugged along through the mountains from Mexico City to Puebla. We were high enough that my ears popped 2,240 meters (7,350 ft). I never had altitude sickness thank God, but some of the students did.
Arriving in Puebla, I shared a room in a boarding house with a fellow traveler, Lela from Colorado. She was blond where I was dark. We both had four siblings and were raised Catholic. We even unpacked the same perfume. As a Spanish major, her Spanish was much better than mine. We became fast friends. The room included meals which were an introduction to Mexican cuisine. I’d never eaten tortillas in my life. Their fragrance was nothing I’d ever experienced. I found it strange at first but later it meant Mexico and home to me.
The university was closed for summer break. In order to receive credit for a full semester we had a three-week class called Introduction to Mexico. It was an amazing three weeks. Week ONE covered pre-Hispanic Mexico. We learned about the Aztec, Olmec and Mayan civilizations. We traveled in the little green bus to Teotihuacan outside of Mexico City. We dined on traditional mole (MO-lay, like guacamole) Poblano, a bitter spicy chocolate sauce poured over chicken or vegetable filled tortillas. The recipe has more than 20 ingredients and is kept secret, handed down for generations.
Our Week TWO of Mexican Culture covered Colonial Mexico, Spanish influence, cathedrals, indigenous rights and revolutions. Stay tuned next week for more adventures part three.
DOS TORTAS
the adventures of dos tortas 
What a wonderful, life-changing trip you took. I can see why it would influence you later to move to Mexico. I would have loved to do something like that in my earlier days. Thank you for sharing it with your readers!
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And those three weeks were just the beginning. It’s so much fun to tell this story.
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Very cool!! Can’t wait for next week 😊 see you in March:)!
Lorrie Jones
Simple Serenity
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Thanks. Hope you are well.
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Enjoying your trip down memory lane. Thanks for sharing . Unfortunately I think our GW ration had the the best of travel experiences . I worry for my grandkids not being able to see the world like we did .
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GW ration?
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A life-changing experience – amazing!
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It was that. When I returned home, I felt like a stranger in a strange land. No one understood my experience or my longing to return.
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I agree, when you return, no one understands your experience. “Hey, how are you? How was your trip?” But they really only have a short attention span about it.
I was such a purist that I decided NOT to take pictures, one, to not appear like a Gringa Tourist, and two, that I would ALWAYS remember the details. Ha!
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The same happened after two years in Japan. It was hard to acclimate. I think that was my first experience with depression.
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I sure wish I could have had a year in Mexico when I was in college!
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We’d have been friends. ❤️
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Likely!
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