In this interview Mr. Duran goes into more detail about his trip to Mexico!
Q: What is the biggest takeaway you think people should take from the video?
A: I think the biggest takeaway from my video would be how grateful I am to know another language that allowed me to go immerse myself in a different culture and share that experience with my wife and also use all my experiences on my trip to bring a deeper knowledge and understanding to my students.
Q: What do you think is the biggest misconception about Mexico?
A: I think a big misconception about Mexico and maybe Mexico City is how unsafe people may think it is. It was really eye opening to go to a city with three times the population of New York City and how welcoming and safe and how easily navigable it was in terms of using the bus system and the metro system and walking around. We felt very safe and comfortable. Now there are places in Mexico that are more unsafe than others, but just how beautiful and culturally rich Mexico City is compared to what people may think. It’s more than just beach towns and resorts.
Q: Favorite dish you had during your visit?
A: My favorite dining experience was on our first night, we went on a guided food tour where we got to go to 11 different street vendors and try everything, but my favorite bite might be a quesadilla filled with huitlacoche.
Q: What is your favorite monument you saw?
A: I really like the National Anthropology Museum, but seeing the Pyramid of the Sun and the Moon both from a hot air balloon and boots on the ground is probably an experience I’ll never forget.
Q: Is there anything you think you learned on the trip about Spanish?
A: There are little colloquial terms and vocabulary that are different than what I used growing up and studying abroad in Spain. Just being in a place where I was able to communicate in Spanish was meaningful because I don’t get as many opportunities to do that with native Spanish speakers in Mobile. It made me very excited to share all this with my students.
Q: Favorite Spanish slang term?
A: Que chido means “how cool.” And I also I like the greeting and response ¿Què pasa calabasa? ¡Nada nada límonada!, which when literally translated means, “What’s up squash? Nothing, nothing lemonade.”
