first poli sci class

yesterday was our first class, POLI 332.
Max, our prof, asked us to sit in the main plaza for 30 minutes and write a paragraph of what we saw and felt, to emphasize the importance of documenting this observations.
This is what I wrote:

I've been thinking a lot lately about power and priviledge, and how they affect life in San Cristobal. Sitting here in the plaza for five minutes, I've seen lots of different people from different social groups. As we came to the plaza 31 de marzo, we saw two large military vehicules driving down calle Guadalupe-Victoria. We wondered why they were here, downtown on Monday afternoon and then we supposed that maybe its just to remind everyone that they exist. This to me was such an open display of power, which is more present in Latin America than North America. An example of this is the armed police in the streets. The large guns that they carry may never be used and are probably not necessary, however they are a constant reminder of the military/police presence and power here in Mexico, maybe as a reminder to the citizens to oblige/behave. This brings me to the point of priviledge.
As foreigners, and like all of the backpackers and tourists that I see here in the plaza, we are able to observe the police presence without really feeling its reprocussions. As long as we play by the rules, we as outsiders will probably not see much of the military. For this I guess we have the power and priviledge as foreigners to come, observe and return home when we want.