The more time that passes, the more obvious it becomes that learning Spanish would have been an extremely useful endeavor prior to this trip. Nevertheless, I’m sure that I will be learning plenty as I go! The people of Puebla, in general, seem to know very little English, making Puebla a perfect place to pick up Spanish. First thing this morning, for example, a smiling man at the coffee shop helped me distinguish between cafe fria and cafe caliente. Later, thanks to some miming on my part, and plenty of patience on the part of the Wal-Mart employee, I was able to find some huevos (eggs), which were hiding from me by not being in a refrigerator.

Although we were grocery shopping in Wal-Mart, I still felt that it was an experience authentically poblanos (Pueblan). After all, who knew that Campbell’s made canned tortilla soup? Kristina and I quickly agreed that the produce section, specifically the pile of guavas, was the first good smell of the many new scents we’ve encountered since arriving in Puebla, and we were even feeling adventurous enough to buy a cactus leaf! We will have to look into how to properly eat it…

Our next adventure was to take a cab to the main square, or zocalo, of the city. Apparently Mexican cabs do not have any seat belts, which I suppose makes sense when you consider how many people just ride around in truck beds, but we are still in one piece nonetheless. The zocalo was a bustle of balloons, clowns, music, and soapbox speakers, centered by a fountain and surrounded by colourful buildings.

Although there was no special event or occasion going on, the square was incredibly busy. There were many families with young children, many of whom had their faces painted, and every other person seemed to be enjoying some ice cream coated in ground chilies, a treat I sampled but wasn’t partial to.

Next to the square is a beautiful cathedral, which brought me back to my European travels. However, it has a Mexican touch – the center archway is decorated with an amazing piece of art made entirely of cactus leaves. We couldn’t take photos inside the building, but it was absolutely incredible, from the numerous statues to (my personal favourite) the giant organ pipes.

Continuing to explore, we viewed the fascinating frescas of the Casa del Dean, the oldest house in Mexico, bought some freshly made churros, and wandered the open-air markets, which feature everything from antiques to jewelry to hand-painted dishes. We finished off our little adventure by trying mole poblanos, a Pueblan specialty of shredded chicken in a spicy dark chocolate and nut sauce, in a restaurant overlooking the square.

I’m so glad we had the day to explore Puebla before we begin our duties tomorrow, whatever those may be. I feel at least a little more prepared now that I have practiced handling the language barrier and have seen experienced some of the culture in this new place. Plus it was just lovely to be out in the sunshine!