Kick, Punch

If you read my blog post about “A Life in the Day” you may have seen that I’m currently taking boxing classes! It’s really fun, although it’s only an hour (but three times a week!). I get nice and sweaty too. My boxing wraps smell like cheese if I don’t wash them (tmi…??). ANYWAYS, the coach of my class is a funny man, and students who don’t know that his name is Juan just call him Señor fácilisimo because even when we’re working out and sweating a lot he just says “fácil! fácilisimo!”. Which is just “easy! super easy!” I asked him the other day where we can watch boxing on TV, and he invited my roommate and I to visit a guy he trains at the gym. Of course I said yes! So on Friday, my roomie and I went and visited. Apparantly this fighter is a world kickboxing champion!

My roommate is really into kickboxing back home, so I was glad that she came too. This is my roommate on the right:

We got a badass over here

I was really glad I went because I feel I got a new aspect of Queretaro (albeit small) that wasn’t necessarily geared towards tourists or students or selling stuff. It was a new little niche that gave me more perspective of what makes up this city. The gym was it’s own little community, with kids running around. I felt it was almost like one of those Italian mob family places, with these tiny kids, really done-up momma’s and younger kids who would come in and kiss all the adults politely on the cheek before starting their training. Okay maybe I was projecting my own stuff onto them but whatever. Still awesome. The taxi driver who took us told us it was a rougher part of the neighborhood. I am yet to be able to figure out which parts of Queretaro are rough and not.  Nonetheless, here is a view of the outside.

My boxing coach told me it was sort of a master class for the students, and so some of them got to spar with the champion. It was really cool, and my first time seeing live boxing! Before they start fighting I noticed that all the fighters cross themselves. The large majority of the country is catholic so this makes sense, but I still thought it was culturally interesting. And seeing young men who are all tough and stuff but also religious is interesting and paradoxical to my small mind. Anyways, before they even get into the ring, the coach puts Vaseline all over the face and arms of the fighter. Apparently the punches are supposed to now just slip away….I don’t know how effective this is because those guys punch HARD! By the end, one of the students had a bloody nose and was dripping everywhere. Omg intense.

Boxing is an interesting sport, because the fighters are so tough and strong, but once they have their gloves and head-thing put on for them, they’re so helpless in a way. The coach has to pour water into their mouths, wipe their sweat, take their mouth-guard in and out. It’s kind of funny how they can’t do anything but fight once their gear is on.

After the champion fought two separate fights with different students, he started his training. Who knows how he had any stamina left but I guess that’s why he’s a professional.

Love what the interior decorator did with the place.

Look I’m helping

Afterwards, I went home to my family’s house once to find out that my host mom was making Oaxacan style tamales! She had taken the banana leavess from our backyard and wrapped up some chicken, salsa, and a mixture of corn masa and pork fat with it. This was then steamed for an hour. I had them for breakfast the next morning. Very delicious. Tamales are a breakfast food here for some reason. **Once I know what makes a tamale a Oaxacan style tamale rather than a regular kind, I’ll let you know. Afterwards, that same night I also watched a lovely-strange film called Como Agua para Chocolate [Like Water for Chocolate]. Even after watching the film I still don’t understand the grammatical structure of the title. So don’t ask. I want to say that I watched it in Spanish with Spanish subtitles but that would be a lie. I watched it in Spanish….with english subtitles. But hey, I’m working on it aight.

And thats it for now folks! I have a post on my trip to Sierra Gorda last weekend coming up, so stay tuned! Next weekend, I’ll be going to Oaxaca for my first organized school trip. We leave at midnight on Thursday evening! WOW!

And on a different but very important note: Much love to all the Canadians out there who are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend! I miss you. And I miss turkey. Out of the three kids in my family, two are not in the country this year, but I think it will still be a great thanksgiving for my brother and mom (and my bro’s gf and roommates I am guessing with be there haha). I’ll be studying for a partial and dreaming of gravy and rice:)