I just wanted to take the opportunity to inform you that I had a most wonderful winter term on the Spanish LSA in Puebla, Mexico, while you all froze in Hanover. I understand it was quite the winter around here. The most inclement our weather got was that it rained a total of two days the entire term. Also, there was a little bit of snow in Mexico, but it was very neatly confined to the tops of the volcanoes where it looks pretty and no one has to trudge about in it.
Which are but a few of the many reasons that I suggest we uproot Dartmouth and transplant it to Mexico. New Hampshire is cute, but let's admit we could do a little better climate-wise. Also we could do better on the money. Mexican minimum wage is about U.S. $3.50 per day. Even supposing that Dartmouth paid five times that (I have heard that four times minimum is about the living wage, and add another time over onto that for good karma), I imagine we could afford at least half a dozen dorm custodians for the price of one here. That would certainly be enough to deal with all of our laundry. Food court could have waiters and mariachis, and it would be legal for said waiters to serve all of us Corona or Sol (about $1.30 per six pack plus refundable deposit) complete with the limes that cost $1.20 a kilogram.
And supposing you got tired of the campus area of "Dartmouth II," you could take a 30 cents combi to other parts of the city. "Combi" is Spanish for "small VW van the size of a shoebox that nevertheless is already carrying 17 other tired sweaty people when you have to get onto it." Well, the translation is somewhat rough, but accurate nonetheless.
If combis don't sound quite like your idea of fun (and they seriously are a good time, believe it or not), you can always hop a $2 cab, which will promptly convey you to parts more interesting, such as the bus station. Which brings up another excellent reason to relocate Dear Old Dartmouth: said bus station will cheaply launch you out to other fun and/or cultural places in Mexico, of which there are scores. Among the places our group liked:
Guanajuato. This was definitely my favorite city, full of mysterious alleys, aqueducts, and tunnels, which promptly become ever the more mysterious when you inevitably get lost in them. Guanajuato has some fabulous museums, including a museum of artists' interpretations of Don Quixote and a gallery of Diego Rivera works. Also the public health standards are not to be missed. We were particularly impressed by a meat deliveryman who flung a raw bloody hunk of cow the size of a sofa across his shoulders to make a delivery. For his health and that of prospective diners (the cow was long beyond any concern at that point) there was a protective layer of t-shirt between his shoulders and the cow. Coincidentally enough we ate elsewhere.
Mrida. Also high on the list of nice places in Mexico, although I personally only saw it for one day. In addition to a beautiful cathedral and a good anthropology museum, some of Mrida's vendors have the most interesting cockroaches known to humankind (admittedly a dubious claim to fame). The cockroaches have little fake jewels glued all over their backs, and they regally stroll about in a cute little cockroach display bucket. Think two dozen walking broaches.
Teotihuacan. Near Mexico City, the archeological zone of Teotihuacan contains some of the most amazing pyramids in the world. If your inner Michael Johnson/Florence Griffith Joyner so desires (and hopefully your inner Flojo is currently somewhat more alive than the real one), you can race all the way up the giant Pyramid of the Sun, although you will definitely be beaten by the little kids visiting from the first grade. There are some tough little kids down there.
Chetumal. Actually, there is absolutely nothing to do in Chetumal, but the taxis are certainly the seven-and-a-half-th wonder of the world, in that they all cost about 60 cents. Chetumal is definitely worth a visit just to ride the taxis about.
Palenque. Among the most stunning archeological zones in the world, Palenque is high on the list of awesome destinations in Mexico. Also, if you like German and Danish people but don't want the bother of flying all the way to Europe, you can hang out with several hundred of them in Palenque. Apparently we visited on Half Price Teutonic Day or something.
Between the fabulous, unforgettable travel destinations, the prices, and the non-Hanoverian weather, I think Mexico is the perfect home for our little college. I'll see you all in Food Court II for some DBA-funded Corona con limn.
