On a run one morning during my second week in Oaxaca, I noticed the city was a bit more calm and quiet than when I first arrived. Now that Día de Muertos is over, there's no longer a constant buzzing in the streets of vendors, pop-up stages, and tourists. The artisan market is gone, tarp and all, transforming a the previously packed and covered tunnel into a normal, open street. My boyfriend arrived on Friday and on my way to check-in to our airbnb, I stumbled upon a new giant stage set up near Santo Domingo.

We walked by at various times throughout the weekend and stopped briefly for the different bands that took the stage -- effectively providing a background soundtrack for our walks around town. At night, it seems that Alcalá turns into a free-for-all market after dark. Then there's the normal, daily, seemingly regular stuff I stumble upon: the marching band practice and zumba classes in the park, the ballet folklorico practice in enclosed courtyards, the art openings, and the bands you can hear most nights from side streets.

When in a new place, it's hard to know what 'normal' is, but so far I'm enjoying this somewhat more calm version of Oaxaca, especially since I still can enjoy the arts, music and food happenings that seem to never stop.

Some highlights of last week:

Embroidery class at Miku Meko -- I learned different stitches and techniques for embroidery and even got myself some cute little swan scissors. I met some new ladies and got to hang out in a really cute, inspiring shop, which has art studios behind it and a fashion design/pattern studio in the entryway.
Finding a natural dye class I can walk to! More on that in the next post.
Wandering the market at Tlacolula -- we took the bus and then walked to the market. I didn't really enjoy it much more than the markets in Oaxaca, but it was a nice trip because it got us out of the center.
Getting stranded at Mal de Amor -- we went to this specific mezcalería because it was a recommendation, but it happened to be closed on Sunday because it was a fiesta day in Matatlan ('the capital of mezcal'). We walked around the palenque, found some agave plants, and attempted to take some photos when the owner arrived. He opened up the place and let us try a bunch of mezcals before giving us a lift into town.
Mitla! We walked around, I bought a shirt (with sleeves!) and a necklace made out of orange rinds, we had a michelada, and eventually found the bus back to Oaxaca.
Macrame on the streets by Textile Fever Dach.
Drinking cocktails. Everywhere.
Meeting up with a local artisan who designs and makes leather goods -- we'll be collaborating on a workshop soon.
Receiving a bouquet of (paper and co-designed) flowers.
Don Gato at Convivio.
Alright, Jeremy is hungry. Gotta go eat at Pochote!