Los estudiantes

It is a quiet Sunday morning along the streets of Morelia, as you can see in the photo. Today it is clear, and the air is crisp and chilly; we can sense the high altitude (we are above 6000 feet here). Weekdays, the city wakes early, and there is dense traffic everywhere, even along our narrow street. The air quickly turns murky with exhaust. Happily the drivers are patient and usually generous to pedestrians. Sunday morning is quieter.
Quiet is a relative term, since December 12^th is the fiesta for the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, and all week there have been special church services and gatherings. Fireworks are set off at odd hours, beginning as early as 6 am and continuing until well after dark. So on top of the cacophony of daily street life there are sporadic booms that shake the walls and rattle our concentration.
Our daily routine revolves around Spanish classes, which occupy the morning and early afternoon, and roaming around the city. We are pleased and impressed with the classes, which are moving along at a challenging pace. Already we can make ourselves better understood in the markets and other conversations. Both of us find that searches for Spanish words have crept into our dreams. This little monk decorates one of the doors in the school – maybe he is a patron saint of los estudiantes. Regardless, we are immersed in Morelia, and finding it remarkable.