Afternoons in Language School

I think I mentioned already that during the afternoons, we are set up with a local college student who acts as a guide around the city.  We can pretty much do anything with them, the idea being that we´ll get to chat and practice what we´ve been learning with a native speaker/non-teacher who can also show us around the city and tell us stuff that you might not find in the guidebook.  The first day, we just walked around the city for 2 hours, on Tuesday, we went to a few ex-convents (they are everywhere in mexico) and a church. 

Yesterday was a school trip to a artisan factory where they make more or less anything you can think of of onyx and marble... everything from tiny carved elephants to giant outdoor tables.  Literally anything. We actually watched a guy make an elephant right in front of us in about 10 mintues total, from a block of onyx to a polished elephant.  It was pretty incredible (and a bit scary): he basically had a giant wet circular saw and cut out a template that was the basic shape of the elephant.  Then, without anything, he cut all of the detail into the elephant,  including all of the little ribs in the trunk.  It was fairly amazing.  The scary part was that he did it all without any safety gloves or eyewear.  When he was finished, he actually washed his hands in the thin spray of water coming off of the saw by holding his hands about and inch away from the spinning blade.  Crazy.  But he had 10 fingers, so I guess he knows what he is doing.

Today I went to the black market where they sell everything from pirated computer games to pirated movies to televisions to knock off clothes.  I found some jeans there :)