Week 2 in Oaxaca has provided more entertainment through sights, sounds and tastes than the previous week. All Program Advisors (Keith, Anna and Julie) have now settled in, and Scott joined us for a week and departed early Monday.

It's easy to say that we have become very comfortable in our surroundings here in Oaxaca. The city is so friendly and enticing that it is no wonder international visitors often plan to come for a week and stay forever! I'll get right into the action:

This past week's highlights include a visit to Monte Alban, home stay accommodations (yes, even we Advisors like to immerse ourselves), an "office parade", surprising culinary experiences, and a scavenger hunt.

Monte Alban was a spectacular sight and the photos can't do it justice. A group of us departed for the incredible archaeological site with expectations to see the monument, take some photos, and leave with some visual souvenirs. We got a lot more out of it than that, however. While I can't divulge the site's total historic value in one entry, our tour guide was phenomenal and explained some of the intricacies most tours may not include. One of the more intriguing anecdotes was that of the ritualistic death match sport.

To describe this as best as possible: two teams of two players each whack a ball with their shoulders, elbows or hips within a steeped stadium outlined by stairs. The objective is similar to tennis in that the ball cannot bounce twice. To put this into historical context, imagine tens of thousands of people watching this match, awaiting to see which team comes out victorious...the captain of whom is then sacrificed! That's right, the winning team's captain is offered to the gods, as excellence is the best form of sacrifice. I'll try to leave the photos to do the rest of the explaining of Monte Alban, which isn't easy...

We have all stayed in home stays with Oaxacan families for a week or two now, and it is the best way to get immersed in the culture. My family is a newly retired couple with five children total. One of their children, Victor, is an engineer and living at home. He has been kind enough to take me out to explore the town and meet his friends on multiple occasions. Julie's family insists on directing her to any new place she goes, and was kind enough to show her what is arguable the largest tree in the world, just outside of Oaxaca. Anna's host mother shows off her culinary expertise every morning to make sure Anna's day starts right.

Earlier this week, during an office meeting (which perhaps we will admit was running a little later than it should have been), we were rudely interrupted by a parade! It was literally right outside of our office and totally unanticipated. It consisted of a large group of young people marching alongside a band and two huge, inflated doll-like people. Because occurrences like this are fairly frequent, we were unable to come up with an explanation of the parade...I have a photo and video to highlight, which you can find on our Facebook Fanpage at:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=8614312&ref=profile#/pages/Jacksonville-FL/IEP-International-Education-Programs/43851834244?ref=share.

The Oaxacan cuisine is delicious and ranges from great soups, salads, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, tortillas, tlayudas, all adorned with cheeses, moles, and salsas. There is one item that can't be missed by the curious visitor: chapulines, or as translated, grasshoppers. That's right, these protein-packed critters come in a variety of spices and are a local tradition. Pick up a bag at the local market, or order them in a bread bowl at a nice restaurant.

Our office scavenger hunt allowed us to visit unexplored sites in and around Oaxaca. Sites of interest included: the zocalo (large, main plaza in the historic center), the llano (beautiful park that hosts a bustling market each Friday), the Santo Domingo church, former residence of Benito Juarez, the Cerro del Fortin (a spectacular view that is worth the hike), and the organic Pochote market (which also has a free cinema).

Be sure to stay tuned for my next entry when I highlight the local life, getting our hands dirty, and some of the many festivals in and around Oaxaca.