Reverse Culture Shock

I realize I haven't quite finished the posts about my trip, but I will get around to it eventually.

I have been back in the US for just under a week now. It is good to be home, it really is, but it is so weird. Reverse culture shock is crazy, almost worse than just regular culture shock. When you first arrive in a foreign country, culture shock is expected. Everything is new, different, foreign. Eventually though, it becomes routine. Coming back after an extended amount of time away is so strange. You expect to be comforted by the familiar, but instead everything familiar is foreign at the same time. Everything I do, think, feel, is followed by a "Oh, weird, I have been doing this thing this way my entire life? In Mexico we do it this way." It is a strange, almost unsettling feeling.

Other than getting around to writing about the last three days of the Oaxaca and Chiapas trip, not a lot will be happening in this blog until late January when I go back to Mexico for Part 2 of the year abroad.

The Great Adventure: Day 6

Day 6

We decided to check out Cañón del Sumidero, and take a boat ride through the river that runs through it. Not being able to find much info on hour to get there ourselves, we took a taxi to the national park where we thought the boats departed from. Our cab driver, Alex, was super interested in our lives. He told us that not a lot of Americans come to Chiapas (especially to Tuxtla), and asked us all about everything about the States during the drive there.

We got to the park, which is basically a road leading up a steep hill. Along the way, there are five miradores, or lookouts, which look down on the canyon. We kept crawling up the hill, and were starting to get really confused about the whole boat idea. Finally we got to the top, and there was nothing up there. Lisa asked someone about the boats, and we found out that they leave from a different city on the outskirts of Tuxtla. We had our hearts set on the boats, so we negotiated a cab fare with Alex to the city.

At the docks, we had to wait about thirty minutes for enough people to come to fill up a boat. We were ambushed by curious workers, they said we were the first people from the States they had seen in a very long time. They were even more curious than Alex about life in the States.

The boat ride through the canyon was incredible. We saw lots of crocodiles and a monkey or two! About halfway through, we reached an area full of trash. During rainy season, trash washes into the river and gathers in certain spots. Our boat driver said that at some points of the year, the trash is so thick that boats can't pass through it. It was absolutely heartbreaking.

After the boat ride we called up Alex to bring us home, then spent the rest of the evening hanging out in the house. We worked on the Thanksgiving dinner for the next day, watched Friends, drank some beer, and met a few family friends that had come to the house for their daily group yoga class.

View of the canyon from one of the lookouts

The Great Adventure: Day 5

Day 5

At this point I was starting to get a little worried, because what I thought were just allergies seemed to be turning into a bad cold. After being so sick for so long, I couldn't even comprehend the thought that I was getting sick again, so I just kept taking my Vitamin C and completely ignored the cold.

Day 5 was pretty uneventful. We flew out of Oaxaca into Mexico City early in the morning, and had a few hours to kill before our flight to Chiapas. We got on the metro and ended up at a pretty little plaza somewhere downtown where were sat in the sun for a few hours. We had the most amazing street tacos that I have had so far in Mexico, complete with some really delicious horchata, then got back on the metro to head back to the airport.

Somewhere between passing through the gate to board the metro and getting off the first line we rode, I DROPPED my wallet. I know for sure that no one stole it, because I was SO paranoid about it getting stolen that I guarded my purse like a hawk the entire time. I have no idea where or how I managed to drop my wallet, and since we had a flight to catch we couldn't loop back to look for it. Luckily, all that was in it was about $15 and my UG student ID. I'm more pissed about losing the actual wallet, I have had it since third grade. It is ancient, but I love it. I still haven't gotten around to buying a new one, but that is my mission today after I finish at least half of this paper.

When we got to Chiapas, Lisa's friend that we stayed with (also named Lisa) came and picked us up from the airport. During the ride home, she informs us that the international school she works at is having a Thanksgiving feast, and she was in charge of cooking 4 turkeys and mashed potatoes for eighty people and could use our help. We get to the house and start on the turkey, then head out to a dinner. We went to a little Italian place, and I had some of the best pizza in the world. In Chiapas.

The house that we stayed at was absolutely gorgeous. Lisa works at a school and lives with a well off family. They have an incredible house complete with a pool and multiple housekeepers. Most of the family was out of town, so we didn't get to meet them, but the older brother had stayed behind to work. Lisa warned us he could be really rude, but everything was fine and he was very friendly. He was a bit of a weird guy though. First of all, whenever he needed one of the housekeepers, instead of walking two seconds to find them, he would call them on a megaphone. It was super awkward. Second, every night from his room in the pool house he would have these raves with two of his friends, complete with blasting music, lights, and a fog machine. I would think that with three people that would get really boring, but they seemed to enjoy it.

Day 6 will come later, I should be writing my literature paper at the moment.

Capitan, the dog living at Lisa's friend Lisa's house

AMAZING street tacos in Mexico City. The french fries actually came on top...

The Great Adventure: Days 3 & 4

In case you missed it, I just added a post about days 1 and 2. So read that before reading this one :) I already wrote about day 3 a few posts ago while I was still traveling, but it was so amazing I have to talk about it again. Parts of day 3 are copied from the older post, but I went through and added more details.

Day 3

We woke up early, ate breakfast, and headed out to catch a bus to Mitla and then Hierve el Agua. The bus ride to Mitla was just over an hour, then we got in a collective taxi for the hour ride through a winding dirt rode up to Hierve el Agua.

First we hiked around and to the base of the waterfall, which was absolutely gorgeous. We hiked around for a little over an hour, taking pictures of the waterfall from different vantage points. The trail was full of staircases made for people twice my height, so it was a little exhausting (and my legs were so sore the next morning!). To cool down we went swimming in the pools at the top. Jumping in was one of the most relaxing moments of my life, I did NOT want to leave. The pool looks out over the edge of the waterfall from the top, and has a gorgeous view of the surrounding countryside. The water was a little murky and made me a tad bit nervous, but it must have a super high mineral content or something because afterwards my skin was ridiculously soft. Some people claim the water has healing powers.

We swam for a little over an hour, then dried off in the sun. We bought some tamales for the drive back into Mitla, which were delicious. One was with black beans and the other was some sort of plant of grass. It wasn't bad, but not as good as the black bean one.

We were still hungry after, so we walked around until we found a nice looking restaurant, where I had my first tlayuda. SO GOOD.

It was starting to get late, so we headed back to Oaxaca. The bus ride back had more stops and took twice as long. We realized we had no idea where we should get off (buses here aren't as easy as in the States. Especially in smaller towns. No published routes, and no real sense to the route). We randomly got off in somewhere that looked sort of familiar, and realized we were on a street that intersected with the street our hostel was on a few blocks down. It could not have been more perfect.

After that we just relaxed in the hostel, drinking some mezcal and eating bread in the lobby, trying to figure out what to do the next day. We talked about going to the beach, Puerto Escondido, but found out that it was a six hour drive. Not exactly doable for a day trip.

That night, we met a cool guy who has been traveling throughout South America and Mexico for almost a year now. He was middle aged and had retired from his job, but was so bored he couldn't handle it. So he works part time from his laptop for his company and spends the rest of his time traveling around. He has been to Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, and I think more but I can't remember. He was really inspiring to talk to.

Day 4

We got a slow start on day 4, taking a really long time to eat breakfast and come up with a plan for the day. We decided to head out of town again to San Agustin de Etla, a tiny town up in the hills of Oaxaca with a pretty museum. It took us forever to find the stop for the collective taxi up there, but it was well worth the search. The museum had a random display of Japanese art, which was a little weird, but the rest was pretty cool. The museum was a lot smaller than we expected and we finished in under an hour, so we headed back into Oaxaca.

We ate lunch (more tlayudas!), then headed to Monte Alban, ancient ruins on the outskirts of the city. We took a bus up, but no one told us the bus stops 2 km away and you have to wait for another one.The road is too narrow and windy to safely walk, so we had to wait. We waited, and waited, at this sketchy bus stop. Finally it came, and charged a ridiculous amount for the ride that lasted under a minute. But since we have school ID's for a national school, we got into the ruins for free.

I bought Tasia a postcard like she requested, but somehow it fell out of my bag (running theme in this trip, wait for day 5). There was just over an hour left until the site closed, and we basically had the place to ourselves. We climbed up a really tall staircase that led to a pyramid and looked out over the site, and decided we were perfectly happy just sitting there. We ate yummy oranges and relaxed. It was an incredible view.

After Monte Alban we headed back to the hostel to relax and enjoy our last night in the city. We went up to the rooftop terrace of our hostel to finish off our mezcal and chat with fellow travelers. We met Thor, the god of thunder, from Iceland, an Australian guy, and a girl from London. It was lots of fun. They all ended up going out that night, but Lisa and I had an early flight so we headed back to our room early.

Hierve el agua

At the top

Swimming in the pools at the top

Tlayuda and a beer after a day of adventuring

Lisa at the top of Monte Alban

The Great Adventure: Days 1 & 2

I know I already wrote a little bit about the trip, but I keep remembering things to add. So I am just going to write about it in more details a day or two at a time. Here we go.

Day 1

We left Guanajuato around one and took the bus to the bus station. I have never been on such a crowded bus in my life (I used to think Portland buses were crowded...that was nothing!).

Our bus to Mexico City was fairly uneventful. Primera Plus is the nicest bus line. They give you these adorable little lunch packs and play movies. The first movie we watched was Passengers, which is all about a plane crash. That felt like a rather ominous way to start the trip as we were boarding a plane the very next morning. Also, that movie was really boring. As were the others they played.

From the bus station we took the metro to our hostel in the Zocalo. We had no problems on the metro, but we got hopelessly lost once we got off downtown and wandered around for a little over an hour. It didn't help that there was some show or something going on, so there were thousands of people that we had to push through. Eventually we found our hostel, checked in, had an oh so healthy dinner of chips, guacamole, fried cheese sticks, and BARBECUE SAUCE!!!! That was the first time I have had BBQ sauce since getting to Mexico, it was amazing.

After dinner we went back to the room and passed out. The hostel was pretty nice but since it was right downtown, it was super loud, and I kept waking up. I probably only got about two hours of sleep that night.

Day 2

Our flight to Oaxaca left really early in the morning, so we were checked out of the hostel and on our way to the airport by 6 AM. I could not believe how many people were on the metro that early, it was so crowded.

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and had an uneventful flight to Oaxacca (thank goodness, Passengers had made me a bit paranoid). From the airport, we took a collective taxi (colectivo) to our hostel. I love collective taxis. They are vans that are going to the same general area, and the fare is split among all of the passengers. It makes getting around so much cheaper, as you will read about later.

By then it was almost 10 but we couldn't check into our room until 2, so we went for a nice long walk through the city. The 20th of November is a holiday, so there was a parade through the center (complete with an army of Spongebob's and Patrick's dressed up as revolutionaries). There were also about 80 different Kung Fu clubs in the parade, I kid you not. They just kept coming and coming.

Eventually we got bored of watching all the Kung Fu clubs walk down the street, so we went back to our hostel to eat lunch on the rooftop terrace, which has a pretty view of the city. While we ate there was the biggest man I have ever seen on my life sunbathing and randomly chiming into our conversation, which was not awkward at all. Finally it was 2 and we checked into our room. We were planning on going back out to explore, but we were so exhausted we passed out and took a two hour nap.

I already wrote a little about what we did after napping. Mainly we just went around town eating. Jicama with chile and lime, helotes, and mezcal sampling. We bought a bottle of it for us to share throughout the trip, and headed back to the hostel to wind down.

That is all for now. I have one more week in Guanajuato with nothing to do except for write a paper, so I will have lots of time to keep writing about each day.

Eating helote on the street

Sampling mezcal

In Love with Oaxaca

After a rough week full of essay writing and battling of another return of the throat infection, I´m finally in Oaxaca. Lisa and I left Guanajuato Friday afternoon, spent the night in Mexico City, and flew into Oaxaca Saturday morning. We walked around the city for awhile, checked into our hostel and took a nice long nap, then explored some more. Oaxaca reminds me a lot of Guanajuato except for the city layout is more planned out. It is absolutely gorgeous.

A specialty of Oaxaca is a drink called mezcal, which is made from the same plant as tequila and tastes pretty similar. Walking through towns, a dozen stores sell it, and basically give you unlimited free samples. There are lots of different flavors, and between all the samples I am pretty sure we tried them all. We bought a big bottle for the few days we are here (flavored chocomente) and I bought three tiny bottles to take home with me (coco, pina colada, and nuez).

Today was absolutely amazing. We left first thing in the morning to go see Hierva el Agua, one of two petrified waterfalls in the world. We rode a bus for about an hour into Mitla, then took a collective taxi from there to the waterfalls. First we hiked around and to the base of the waterfall, which was absolutely gorgeous, then to cool down we went swimming in the pools at the top. Jumping in was one of the most relaxing moments of my life, and when I was swimming around it was like all of the stress from this past term dissapeared. I wasn´t thinking about money, about tonsillitis, about final papers, any of that. I was enjoying the view. The edge of the pools look out over the hills of Oaxaca. It is absolutely gorgeous. I want to go back, right now.

When we were done swimming we bought some tamales for the road. We headed back to Mitla for lunch. Driving into Mitla I was not impressed, it looks like a tiny boring town in the middle of nowhere, but we walked a few blocks in and it was really cute. We had lunch then headed back to Oaxaca. Unfortunately we didn´t get to check out the archealogical site there, maybe another time.

One of my favorite parts of traveling is the food. I love trying new food. So much. Friday night we bought some jicama with chile and lime (that is not new, we eat it all the time in Guanajuato), then sat in the park to eat it. For dinner we went to a little diner type place and I had a chorizo torta (have I mentioned how much I love chorizo?). Afterwards I was still hungry, so I finally decided to try some helote, which is roasted corn on the cob slathered in mayo, cheese, chile, and lime juice. They sell it everywhere in Guanajuato, I just have never gotten around to trying it. And it was surprisingly good, even though I hate mayo. By far the best new food I have tried so far was the tlayuda, which is a little like a crunchy quesadilla filled with cheese, meat, beans, salsa, lettuce, and some other stuff. Washing it down with a cold beer after a day of swimming and hiking makes for the perfect day.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Oaxaca, and we aren´t quite sure what the plan is. On accident we budgeted for seven nights in a hostel when we are only staying four nights, so we have a little breathing room. We were going to go to the beach, Puerto Escondido, but it is a six hour drive both ways. Not worth it, sad. Instead, I think we are checking out the market to buy some food then headed to another place to hike and swim. This is the most relaxing vacation ever.

Off to Chiapas on Tuesday!

Can I just stay on vacation forever?

You may have noticed that the frequency of these posts have been increasing. Blogging is a great method of procrastination. I leave for my trip in three days and I still have tons to do, but now would be a great time to update everyone on what has happened in my life since my last post. Basically, nothing, but I can't write anymore about the 1968 student movement right now.

Today in my Spanish class we read an article about poverty in Mexico, and I learned some really disturbing facts. By far the worst is that in the state I live in, a large percentage of the population lives in levels of poverty comparable to sub Saharan Africa. In one town, Xichu, 83.6% of the population lives in the lowest level of poverty. I had absolutely no idea that it was that bad, because you don't see any of that at all in my town. We just have the occasional beggars in the streets. That threw me off a little, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all day.

We also briefly talked about immigration and its effects. In most of the villages that have such extreme levels of poverty, there are literally no men over the age of 13 or 14. They all went to the US to work, and only send home remittances in some cases. Next term I will be taking an entire class on immigration, which I am really excited for.

My throat seems to be healing nicely, as far as I can tell. Tomorrow I start the new antibiotics. I'm all stocked up on cough drops, Tylenol, and Vitamin C for the trip. Hopefully I can stay healthy for the week. That would be really nice.

In Chiapas, we are going to be staying with a friend of my travel buddy. Today she emailed us to let us know the plan, and closed the email with "there is a lot of outdoor activity, so bring tennis shoes and bug spray!" Since I have been locked up in the house dying for the past three or so months, when I read that I almost exploded. I am SO ready to get some nice hikes in. Also, it is going to be nice and warm, which will be a nice break from the freezing cold wind here. AND, as if it could get any better, her house apparently has a pool. This trip is going to be great!

Down to one week left of school. All I have left are my four final papers:

• History research paper: National and International Coverage of the 1968 Student Movement (specifically the massacre at Tlatelolco) (11/15 pages)
• Literature final paper: Alejo Carpentier: Afrocubanismo and Lo Real Maravilloso (1/10 pages)
• Cine final paper: Comparison of Todo el Poder with another movie, yet to be determined (0/5 pages) -by the 17th or 19th, not quite sure
• Spanish final paper and presentation: Tlatelolco (DONE! I just used the three pages of summary of the student movement from my research paper...mwahahahahah!)

Today was relatively uneventful. Had my last history class, which was super exciting.

Then I went to the bus station with Lisa and bought our bus tickets to Mexico City, we are leaving Friday at 2. We are staying the night in Mexico City, then flying to Oaxaca. On the 23rd we are flying to Chiapas, and then the 27th back to Guanajuato.

Now I need to stop daydreaming about this trip and Oregon (18 days!) and get back to my paper...

Writing, writing, more writing...

Down to one week left of school. All I have left are my four final papers:

• History research paper: National and International Coverage of the 1968 Student Movement (specifically the massacre at Tlatelolco) (3/15 pages) -technically due the 22nd, but since we have to present and I will be out of town then, it has to be done by the 15th.
• Literature final paper: Alejo Carpentier: Afrocubanismo and Lo Real Maravilloso (1/10 pages) -has to be emailed into the professor by the 22nd, but again, out of town, so it has to be done by the 19th
• Cine final paper: Comparison of Todo el Poder with another movie, yet to be determined (0/5 pages) -by the 17th or 19th, not quite sure
• Spanish final paper and presentation: Topic unknown (0/3 pages) -for Imelda, so it will be super easy. Done by the 19th.

So here is my plan of attack:

All of Friday, Saturday, and most of Sunday will be spent on history. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will be half literature and half cine. Thursday will be spent on Spanish, though that paper shouldn't take more than an hour. So I have a little breathing room with Literature and Cine. Friday I leave town just after noon!

So basically, this week is going to be horrible. I have banned myself from Facebook between the hours of 8AM and 9PM, and Skype is a no until I'm done with my first three papers. That is the plan, anyway.

Then, off to Oaxaca and Chiapas. SO EXCITED.

Then Oregon!

More Medical Adventures

Last night I noticed more white spots on my tonsils, back to the doctor this morning. He walked into the room, looked at me, then said to the receptionist "Please say Kelsey is not here to see me again."

Visit #7 in about two months. On antibiotics, with visit #8 on Saturday. Things better clear up soon, I'm headed out for my big adventure in two weeks and I will be very upset if I am still sick then.

More Notes on Food

Food. Seems I always have something to say about it.

Four months into my time here, I'm finally just now getting used to the eating schedule. Heavy breakfast in the morning, huge lunch around 3 in the afternoon, and either nothing or something like donuts or cereal for dinner around 9 at night. Very different, and for some reason it took me forever to adjust. It will be interesting to see how quickly my body reverts back to its regular eating schedule once I am back in Oregon. Not going to lie, I'm looking forward to having a nice big warm dinner instead of a donut.

I can't help but to start off yet another post expressing disbelief as to how quickly time has passed. The 9th will be my four month anniversary here. I will be back in Oregon in 29 days. Which means my time in Mexico is almost halfway over. Is that even possible? It feels like just yesterday that I was stumbling through Guanajuato, hopelessly lost and tripping over my words. On the other hand, it feels like that was centuries ago. Almost like that was a different Kelsey.

This is the last week of the International Cervantino Festival. I'm not going to miss the tourists that have been overloading the city for the past month, but I will miss all of the amazing performances and street artists. The living statues, the breakdancers, the hippie drum circles...it has all become such a part of the city that I almost can't imagine what it was like beforehand.

Friday I finish classes at 9, and we had Monday and Tuesday off for Día de los Muertos. Basically, a 5 day weekend! It has been a long, exhausting weekend with lots of ups and downs, but here are the highlights:

-Get invited to the first family outing with my family. A combination housewarming/graduation from dentistry school party. Amazing food, beer, a ridiculous amount of family members, and a gorgeous home makes for a great party.

-Cervantino event: Dancers on stilts. I have never seen anything like it, it was very impressive.

-Day of the Dead! SO COOL. This was one of the biggest reasons I finally chose to come to Mexico, I have always been fascinated by this. People have been selling marigolds and sugar skulls on the street for weeks now. My family didn't make an altar but they did buy lots of marigolds for the house. They also made atole (a drink made from corn) and cajeta de nuez and de guyaba to put on the pan de los muertos, which is absolutely delicious. I would upload pictures but the internet is being really slow right now, so I will put them up next time.

The next two weeks are going to be really tough. All I have left for my classes are papers, then I am DONE and off to Oaxaca and Chiapas. Here is what I have:

• History research paper: National and International Coverage of the 1968 Student Movement (specifically the massacre at Tlatelolco) (1/15 pages)
• Literature final paper: Alejo Carpentier: Afrocubanismo and Lo Real Maravilloso (1/10 pages)
• Cine final paper: Topic unknown (0/? pages)
• Spanish final paper and presentation: Topic unknown (0/3 pages)

I absolutely cannot believe how quickly time is passing. I just now am getting back into the swing of things after a bad month, and I will be back in Oregon in about 44 days. How is that even possible?

This week has been spent on homework. And more homework. Wednesday night I realized that even though I was feeling better, I hadn't done anything fun yet, so I went to my first Cervantino event. Like I mentioned in an older post, Cervantino is a massive international arts festival that lasts the entire month. There are dozens of performances every day, in theaters and on the streets. Living downtown, I hear the concerts at the alhondiga every single night, and they keep getting more and more amazing. So, Wednesday night after my Cinema class, Cassie and I went and bought donuts and coffee, then went to see Vicente Amigo (flamenco guitarist) at the amphitheater in the plaza in front of the alhondiga. It was absolutely incredible. Not only was the music amazing, but it was our first warm night in awhile. From our spot in the bleachers, we could see the beautiful city in the background. Best of all? It was free. You can buy tickets to be guaranteed a nice seat at most of the events, but they also set up bleachers for people who just show up. Free is good.

Today was the most productive day that I have had in a long time. After my morning class, I went to my favorite coffee shop, treated myself to a delicious mocha, and spent the entire morning working on my 15 page research paper for history that I hadn't started yet. After lunch, I got started on the health insurance claim process, and later in the afternoon Lisa came over and we started to plan our trip. Then we went to another Cervantino event in the plaza right outside of my house, which was some sort of interpretation of a book or poem through dance and song. We got there about an hour into it, so we didn't really understand the storyline, but it was still really interesting. I'm still confused about how they managed to set up such a massive stage and fit an entire orchestra in my little plaza, it is tiny.

The last full week of November is when Lisa and I will be taking our trip. We just bought our plane tickets yesterday, and today we tried to roughly plan out what we want to do. We are leaving for Mexico City on the 19th, staying the night, then heading to Oaxaca bright and early the next morning. We will be there until the 23rd when we leave for Chiapas, where we will be until the 27th. We haven't solidified any of our activities yet, but there will hopefully be some nice hikes, good food, and lots of adventuring. From the looks of what we have planned so far, Oaxaca will be spent wandering slowly through the city, and Chiapas will be more adventurous. It is going to be a really nice way to end the term.

Tomorrow I have to give a presentation in my lit class. In front of a room of native speakers. AHHHHHHHH. But I am not half as terrified as I would have been when I first got here. I know that my Spanish has greatly improved, and every day I realize how much.

After a pretty horrible September, things have been pretty amazing. I have been feeling fine (doctor's appointment on Thursday to get the results of my throat swab). Keeping busy with TONS of homework. Things with my family are going really well. Looking forward to a problem free (hopefully) end of the term. The next two months are absolutely going to fly by.

This week is the beginning of Cervantino, which is a massive festival in Guanajuato. Tens of thousands

of people from all over are flocking to our tiny little city for concerts, art shows, parties, etc.

It is supposed to be nuts. And since it is the bicentennial of Mexico, this year Cervantino lasts four weeks instead of three. Tomorrow is the official start date, should be fun. But I am a little nervous about how loud it is going to be. Apparently celebrations last all night. I live right downtown where everything is concentrated. My family warned me that this month I am pretty much just not going to sleep.

November will be crazy busy. I will be taking finals, writing a huge paper for history, going to Oaxaca and Chiapas with Lisa, then going to Guadalajara before flying back home to Portland for December and January. We have such an enormous break, I can't even believe it. But I am also very excited to see friends and family.

I love those little moments when it really hits me how much I have learned since coming here. Especially since I have basically been stuck inside the house for the entire month of September, these moments keep me going.

Last week in my literature class our professor randomly decided to give us thirty minutes to read a short story and give a presentation on it. Thirty minutes. 10 pages in Spanish. I probably would have died before I got here, but I tore through the story and wrote up an outline with time to spare. Luckily there wasn't enough time for me to present. That still makes me tremble in fear :P But on the bus ride home, I was thinking about what had just happened, and I could not stop smiling. It took me a good hour to read and understand the three page short stories in the Spanish 303 text book, and I had just whipped through a ten page story in a quarter of that time. Incredible.

So as much as this month has sucked, I am making progress. And October will be good. No more doctor's appointments please.

Strep Throat, Take 2

I am frustrated beyond belief. Not so much anymore, now that the new medication seems to be working, but it has been a very rough week.

I managed to drag myself to all of my classes last week. By Wednesday I was feeling healthy, so it wasn't as hard, but Friday I woke up with my throat sore again. By the end of the day, my tonsils were covered in white spots. Again.

Back to my doctor Saturday afternoon. It was pretty much the same routine as my first appointment. He changed my meds to something stronger and made a follow up appointment for Monday. That appointment was the first one that actually went well. He said that things had significantly improved. Three more days of meds, labwork next week, and a follow up appointment next Saturday. That will be appointment #5. For a case of strep throat. Yeah, I'm frustrated.

Even though I have been sick and dying in my bedroom for the past two weeks, I have still learned quite a bit. In Mexico there is an interesting belief that eating cold things when you are sick worsens your health even more. The first thing the doctor asked me each visit was if I had eaten anything cold. Same with my host parents and host siblings each time they saw me and I looked worse. When I have a sore throat, all I want is a popsicle to numb the pain. But that is a big no no here.

Also, no walking around barefoot. At all. That is understandable though with the amount of insects here. Especially scorpions. In this area they aren't dangerous, if you get stung it is no big deal. But I still would not want to step on one barefoot. So far I have only seen/killed two in my bedroom. But the whole no going barefoot thing is a little difficult, because I broke my flip flops at the doctor's office on Saturday. So I was sick and dying and limping around barefoot. I was getting some lovely looks. Also, my bedroom has a rough concrete floor. Being barefoot is not so fun. Search for new flip flops will commence as soon as I can get out of bed long enough to go to the store without dying.

Luckily we don't have school tomorrow, so I get another day to sleep (the meds I am on now make me ridiculously tired.) The 28th of September an important holiday here. It is the day that the revolution reached Guanajuato. All of the Spaniards had locked themselves inside the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, and Hidalgo's army busted down the door and took them all out. The cool part is that I live across the street from the Alhóndiga. I walk by it every day. It is pretty incredible to live so close to something so important to the history of the country.

That is all for now. This new medication seriously makes me exhausted. I just took a five hour nap and woke up to eat dinner, and I'm ready for bed again.

Strep Throat

Ok. So the last blog entry was very angry. That was a really rough night for me. I was sick of being sick. And when you are sick, it is really hard to not be homesick as well. I just wanted to be back in my bed in Oregon.

But I'm feeling a lot better. Sort of. Still really sick, but I guess I just have a better outlook right now. So here is a better summary of the last few days.

Wednesday my friend Lisa and I went to the Bicentennial Expo. It is this giant expo on the outskirts of Silao showcasing the history of Mexico. And it is enormous. We only saw about half of it. We only went to three showrooms and it took all day.

The first was the Pavilion of Identity. It was my favorite. It just traced back the history of Mexican identity in documents and art, starting from the conquest and ending in the present. The last part was a huge display which showed all of the different indigenous groups in Mexico and their artwork, which was incredible. There was also a cool visual about migration patterns to the US.

Next was the Pavilion of Memory, which recounted the history of Mexico. You go from room to room watching little shows about key moments in Mexican history in spaces decorated to mimic the event. It was really cool at first, but there were at least 15 rooms. It took a good two hours. Around this time is when I started feeling really sick, so I wasn't even paying attention. It would be cool to go back healthy and listen.

After that we had lunch. Tacos smothered in salsa verde. Coffee ice cream. Yummm.

Then we went to the Pavilion of Tomorrow. It was all about the history of humans on earth and our impact. By this point though I felt like I was going to pass out, so I don't really remember a lot.There was really amazing artwork here, and lots of cool stats about global warming. My favorite was this room that was completely covered in trash, and in the middle there was a sculpture made from plastic bags of a woman hanging. It was intense.

After the expo, I went to a little party that Lisa's mom had planned to celebrate Independence. It was super cute. There was a Mexican costume contest and some really yummy food. Her host dad (also my Cinema professor) reenacted the Grito de Dolores for everyone.

Then we decided to head to the Alhondiga to catch the official reenactment of the Grito, but our taxi never showed up to pick us up (the two of us have a history of bad luck with taxis. Sad). We got there just in time for fireworks, then met up with Charlie, Erika, and Lindsey for some more tacos. I felt like I was going to die but went anyway. I hardly remember that at all.

After getting home that night I passed out and didn't wake up until midday Thursday. I hardly remember that day at all. I was feverish, covered in sweat, had no voice or appetite, and could hardly get out of bed. My mom wanted to take me to the doctor, but being stubborn me I said I wanted to rough it out another day to see if I got better. The minute I woke up on Friday I knew that was a mistake. My tonsils were completely covered in giant white spots. So I gave in and went to the doctor.

The minute he looked at my tonsils he took a giant step back and said OH MY GOD. Then he made my mom look and she did the same thing. It wasn't pretty. He said he needed to inject me with high doses of a medicine, but I am allergic to it. So I got pills instead, and a follow up appointment on Sunday. He said that if it hadn't started to clear up by then I would have to go to the hospital, so I was pretty worried. I had a liquid only diet and was banished to my bed for the weekend.

My follow up appointment Sunday was somewhat exciting. My mom was going to take me again but she got hung up somewhere, so I went by myself. At first I was super nervous, but I had more confidence in my Spanish than when I went with Lalo or my mom. Maybe it is better that I do these things by myself. Anyways, he looked at my throat and was not very happy. It wasn't hospital worthy, but I have to keep taking medicine. In October I have to get some labwork done and I have another appointment with the doctor. Great fun.

This week will be spent resting and tackling the massive amount of homework that I neglected all week. Lots of reading, two papers, and a presentation. Plus I have to get started on that research paper for history. Hopefully the gross feeling I always have when I'm taking meds fades away soon so that I can focus.

Also, my trip to Oaxaca and Chiapas is pretty muched planned. I think I am going the last week of November with Lisa. Hopefully my insurance reimburses me soon for some of these medical expenses, because otherwise I am basically going to have money for the bus and nothing else. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Highs and Lows

It has been awhile since I have written anything (as usual). Went to the expo with Lisa and learned a ton about Mexican history and ate yummy tacos. Had another run in with my favorite doctor. This time for strep throat. Banished to my bedroom. Follow up appointment tomorrow.

Not going to lie, I'm feeling very...frustrated. I'm tired. I'm sick. Again. I'm homesick. This past week I have definitely wanted to call it quits and go back to comfortable Portland.

Hopefully the next entry will not be so angry.

Two Months

Today is the two month anniversary of my arrival in Mexico. I can hardly believe that. So far it has been amazing. There have definitely been a few rough patches, but I am still happy to be here. I have learned so much in the past two months, and I can't wait to see how the rest of the year plays out.

I haven't been up to much lately because of the stomach infection, but here are some random thoughts.

Tuesday I finished up the meds for my stomach infection and I can now eat whatever I want. Last night I went out with a few friends to our favorite taco place and got myself some delicious tacos and a beer. It is funny, when I first got here I couldn't even eat green salsa because it was so spicy, but now I put it on everything. It is so delicious.

My family just got connected to Internet a few days ago. It is amazing to be able to Skype with friends and family NOT in Starbucks, amazing that I can return to my usual morning routine of waking up and reading the news in bed for a little while. And so far, my homework productivity hasn't suffered. Hopefully that keeps up.

September is a very special month for Mexico. September 16th is their independence day, and this year is especially important because it is the 200th anniversary of their independence. The entire town is covered in flags and decorations, and there have been parades and celebrations almost every day. I can't even imagine what next week is going to be like.

Homesick

I miss the comforts of home. The daily phone calls to my family, my fluffy green blanket, the rush of the ocean, hours spent in Powell’s, peanut butter banana sandwiches. Being sick has made it especially worse. With no internet and no energy to move to the living room to watch TV, I have basically been sitting around thinking. And since I have been here a good amount of time, this past week I have definitely wondered about why I decided to come, whether or not I really belong here, if this is the right time to be here, if I have what it takes to make it the whole year.

The past year in Portland could not have been any better. I have an incredible group of friends and family there. I absolutely loved my job at the elementary school. Besides all of that, I am completely in love with the city itself. The riverfront, Laurelhurst Park, my many many coffee shops. Food carts and Pioneer Square. For the first time in a few years I really felt at home, and for some reason I decided to change all of that.

Right as I have convinced myself that all of this was a huge mistake, my mom calls me to the living room, where she has my favorite tea, some crackers, and a movie waiting for me. Or my brother spends hours teaching me Spanish tongue twisters and cracking up at how difficult they are for me (tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal…can’t even do it once). I walk down the street, distracted by the smell of delicious bread from my favorite panederia wafting through the air, and bump into a classmate or a friend and stop and chat for a minute. That night, as I get into bed, I am greeted by our little dog and my fluffy blue blanket. I’m finding my place here, slowly but surely.

Stomach Infection!

The past few days sucked. I have felt horrible since Sunday, and haven't been able to get out of bed or leave the bathroom. I couldn't eat anything either. Finally yesterday I caved and went to the doctor. It was not pretty. At one point when he was feeling my stomach my eyes teared up because it hurt so badly. Turns out that I have a stomach infection. Awesome.

I never remember to write in this...

The past few weeks have been pretty good. Time is flying, I can’t believe that I have almost been here for two months. Before I know it, it is going to be June, and I will be heading back to Portland.

I’m finally starting to settle into a routine, which is nice. I like having a routine. Mondays I have class in the morning, then I spend the afternoon doing homework. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, I am done with class by 9 am. I go running afterwards, shower, find somewhere to use the internet, eat lunch, then do more homework. Wednesdays I am basically in class all day.

I still haven’t quite found that routine for my weekends. Generally I don’t have any homework to do, since I spend so much time on it during the week. I try not to use the Internet too much. I feel like most weekends I just hang out at home and watch television/movies, which can be nice but sometimes it is mind numbingly boring. Especially because the same movies repeat during the weekend, and my family likes to watch them over and over again. I have seen Spanglish three times this week, and Amelie four times in the past two or three weeks.

My birthday weekend was really fun. Thursday night two of my friends took me out drinking. We went to a ton of different places, but finally ended up at the Grill. It was the most ridiculous night of my life, by far. I didn’t get home until 6 AM, so I slept almost all of Friday. At lunch my uncle made me take a shot of tequila with him, while he showed me lots of different Mexican musicians and talked about where I should travel to when I get the chance. That was fun. Friday night everyone wanted to celebrate again, but I needed a nice and calm night after Thursday. We ended up going out to this really cute little coffee shop and hanging out for a bit. They have the most amazing chocolate drink I have ever had in my life, it is my new addiction. I’m sure everyone has already heard me rave about it though, so I won’t spend any more time on that. Saturday and Sunday were really low key, I don’t even remember what I did. Probably just slept, I had a sore throat most of the rest of that weekend.

The next week went by really fast. Homework load was really light and I didn't have my literature class. That is all.

This weekend was good. I finally made it up to this nature reserve with a friend to go hiking. It sort of sucked though, there is a neighborhood with the same name wayyyyy on the outskirts of town, and the taxi driver took us there first. Then to the right place, which took him forever to find, and then he charged us for the entire ride. That was no fun. We made plans for him to come back and pick us up in two hours, then set of on the hike. The area is really pretty, but there isn't really a path or anything. It is sort of just a ton of sections of trail that randomly meet up. You end up going in circles, but it was still really fun. People go camping up there, that would be fun to do sometime. At three we went to go meet our taxi driver for a ride back into town, except for he wasn't there. An hour later, he still hadn't shown up. And we were sort of in the middle of nowhere. With no cell service. Luckily there was a road that led to one of the college campuses, and we were able to flag down a bus and get a ride there. It was an adventure.

Today I have a massive amount of reading to do for my literature class, but that is all. My family is making hamburgers for lunch, and my host brother is making sure that they will have bacon because I told him that was my favorite food. I am very excited!

Food

I never have any idea what is going on with my family. It can be a little confusing. Right now it looks like they are moving all of the living room furniture into the bottom floor, which makes no sense. I didn't know for like a month if my brother even lived at home or in D.F. Our grandma just randomly appears on our couch, but I'm pretty sure she is moved out for good now. I have no idea where my sister's bedroom is or how she gets in and out, because she never uses the front door. I feel like I am just constantly confused...especially when it comes to food. Half the time I have no idea what I am eating.

Thursday I randomly ran into my brother (turns out he is living at home and is taking classes at the university. At the same time as me.) and he walked with me for a bit. We were talking and he randomly decided to go buy me some juice. We end up at this super sketch looking juice stand, and I had the feeling that I was going to get ridiculously sick from whatever he got me. I told him to just get whatever was the best, so he got me the green juice. I have no idea what it was still, but it was very green. It was a lot like Naked or Odwalla, but mixed with grapefruit juice. And it was AMAZING. AND I didn't get sick. I need to find this place and try the other types.

On Sundays my family goes and buys mystery meat that comes in a plastic bag. It is really tender and juicy and has various organs floating around in it. I'm afraid to ask what it is because it doesn't taste horrible, but I can't eat lots of it because it just looks so nasty. Something vaguely resembling a tongue appeared on my plate, so far that has been the second thing my family served me that I couldn't even touch.

Usually dinner is some sort of bread or donuts with milk. I really don't like drinking milk, but I have been. Finally the other day I told my mom I would rather just drink water, which was really funny. She was very confused. She kept saying "Water? Really? What are you going to do with water?" Then she made me tea instead, which was yummy. But really, I like water.

For the most part, all of my food is really yummy. I love the quesadillas they make for breakfast, with the super spicy green salsa. Mangoes here are twenty million times better, they are a lot sweeter. So yummy. And I'm getting hungry thinking about them, so I am going to stop writing now.

Things are Picking Up!

Minus a huge shock from PSU financial aid, things are starting to look a lot better here (not that they were ever bad, they are just better now).

Today was my first class that actually happened. I was way too excited. It is just my spanish class through my study abroad program, but it is with the teacher that I had in my orientation course who I love. And there is only one other person in the class, so I am going to be speaking lots and lots of grammatically correct spanish.

Class gets out at 9 in the morning when it is still pretty cool outside, so I went for a nice jog today. There is a park nearby my house with a track-like path in decent condition, and I have tons of time, so I was there for a little over an hour jogging and walking. It was amazing, I needed to jog out some agression. My plan is to go after each spanish class (Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) and probably Sunday too. We shall see how closely I stick to this plan. I can{t use being too busy as an excuse anymore, so hopefully that works out.

I think one of the hardest things so far about being here has been adjusting to the food my family eats. Not that it is bad, it is really yummy most of the time, but it is just different than what I am used to. Quesadillas for breakfast, a really heavy and generally greasy lunch, and donuts or something really sugary for dinner. Lots of soda too, which I just can not drink anymore. Even though I have my pig out moments, in general I ate pretty healthily in Portland, so it has been a little difficult adjusting. Going to sleep after eating massive amounts of sugar is not so fun.

First week of class...fail.

So this week I was supposed to have my first two classes at the University, History of Spanish on Tuesday and Contemporary Latin American Literature on Wednesday.

The University has different campuses in the city, and so far we have only been using the one right downtown. My direct enrollment classes are at a different campus though, and I have to take a bus to get there. I had only been there once before, and we all took the bus together. Tuesday I left my house and went to walk to my bus stop for the first time by myself. It is really close to my house, but I could not find it anywhere. At all. So I finally just took a taxi to campus (taxis are really really cheap here), and got there just in time for class. Except I couldn´t find my classroom. Anywhere.

There is no map of the building, and the numbering doesn´t make sense. Each classroom has a letter (L for literature, H for history, P for philosophy) and a number, but they are in no order at all. I walked around the campus for a good 20 minutes trying to find my classroom. I asked around and no one knew . Finally a friend who is also taking that class came and found me. Turns out the classroom is kind of hidden behind another room that had its lights off and the door closed. Cool.

I get to class only to be told by the professor that since I hadn´t taken a few other classes I couldn´t be in that class. All of that work to get to class for nothing. SO FRUSTRATING.

Wednesday was only a little bit better. I found my bus stop. It was super crowded so I had to stand, which is terrifying because they drive ridiculously fast up a terrifying windy hill. I got to campus and found my classroom but no one was there. I sat around for awhile. Someone else in the class was sitting there for a few minutes then left, only to come back and tell me that there was a notice somewhere (still not really sure where) that class had been cancelled that day. Cool.

So that has been my week. No classes. I changed my schedule around so I am taking a Cinema class instead of History of Spanish, but now my schedule is so open. I have class from 8-11 Monday, 9-10 Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 9-11 and 4-6:30 Wednesday. I have no idea what I am going to do with all of my time. Especially from today until Monday...

Massive Update, sorry

I have been terrible about keeping this blog updated. Massive update. Here goes.

Our trip to Mexico City last weekend was absolutely amazing. It is about a five hour drive from here, which wasn’t too bad at all. We checked into the hostel we stayed at, which was right next to the main Cathedral, and left for our tour. The first day we had a terrible guide who walked faster than anyone I have met in my life and didn’t tell us anything about any of the cool places we saw. The only reason I know the names of where we went is because of the printed out itinerary we had. The first day we saw a ton of places right downtown that I can’t remember right now. It was pretty chilly and we were all tired, so we went back to the hostel early. That night I went with some of my fellow study abroad-ers and our horrible guide to see a lucha libre, which was SWEET. I don’t even know how to describe it.

The next day we went to La Plaza de Tres Culturas, the Basilica de Guadalupe, and Teotihuacan. The pyramids were by far my favorite part of the entire trip to Mexico City. The entire day it was raining Portland style, but that almost made the pyramids even better. The stairs leading up are ridiculously steep and my legs were sore for a few days after, but the view from the top is well worth the climb. The museum was closed though, which was really disappointing because I really wanted to see it. I will just have to go back someday.

That night I went out with two other girls to get food at a restaurant around the corner, which was fun. I ordered something from a picture off the menu because it looked good, and it was basically just a pot of melted cheese with chorizo mixed in and tortillas on the side. So yummy, but so greasy. The restaurant was a bakery too, so we went nuts and tried a little bit of everything. Unhealthiest meal of my life.

Sunday we went to some other place and Xochimilco. Two words: mariachi dance party. Then a long drive home, and an exhausting week. It was the last week of our Spanish and Orientation class, so there was a ton of homework. I did a ten minute presentation in my Spanish class, wrote a paper on the subjunctive for Orientation, and had tons of little essays, plus my final exam. On top of all of that, I was being a social person. Monday and Tuesday I was at Starbucks using their Internet with a friend (I also made a new friend there. Yay!). Wednesday was salsa lesson #2, and afterwards we hung out at the salsa bar and danced. Salsa is very difficult. Thursday night I went out again to an AWESOME bar that reminds me a lot of Portland. New favorite place in town.

Friday we all had to go to San Miguel to do visa paperwork. Really boring. Afterwards we went to nearby hot springs and swam and had lunch. Can I just make it clear how much I love being able to have a beer with my lunch? I was the most exhausted I have ever been when I got home and passed out until 9. Then I went to the International Film Fest. It was so cool. They set up a movie screen outside in front of the university stairs and played a ton of short films, all of which I loved.

Sunday I went hiking with a friend, which was really cool. We hiked La Bufa, right outside of town. At the top is a shrine to San Ignacio, and Sunday was his day, so there were hundreds of people hiking. Before the climb got too steep, there were tons of booths selling food and souvenirs, and even rides. After about 2o minutes, it becomes almost a vertical climb, so it was just us and the hundreds of people going to the top. It took almost 2 hours, but the view was well worth it. Going down was really difficult, I definitely fell a few times.

All of the summer people are gone now, so it is just the seven of us staying for the semester/year. Really small group.

Monday I went to the mummy museum with another student. THEY ARE SO COOL! There are a ton of naturally mummified bodies. Some of them still have hair or clothes, it is crazy. All of their mouths hang open, which is apparently part of the decomposition process, so it looks like they are smiling or screaming. There are little babies and toddlers, which was sad but even more interesting. I want to go back!

Haven’t been up to that much else. I am taking 2 classes with CIEE (Mexican History and Advanced Spanish) and 2 at the University (Contemporary Latin American Literature and something yet to be determined…probably a cinema course.) CIEE classes don’t start until next week so I have nothing to do this week.

Ok, that is all. PICTURES!

Another Quick Update

Just another quick update.

We went on a tour of the city on Saturday and saw some really amazing places. My favorite was Pipila, a giant statue above the city. It has an amazing view of Guanajuato.

Sunday my parents took me to the mall and then to the market, which was fun. Then my mom made cheeseburgers for lunch. I was very happy.

This week is going by really fast, and homework is piling up. The Spanish class and orientation session only have one week left, and I have a final essay for each. I also have two more mini essays and a presentation. I will be in Mexico City this weekend, and things start being due on Tuesday. Stressful! But everything is very interesting, and things that I actually want to be writing about. Hopefully that will make it go by faster.

I met my host brother! He lives in Mexico City, but I think he may have moved back into our house. I am not quite sure. He is really nice and funny, and even though my spoken spanish is horrific he still compliments it all of the time, which is very nice of him. I am excited to get to know him and my sister better.

Today my family had a ton of relatives over and we watched Sherlock Holmes. Afterwards, I went to a salsa lesson with fellow study abroaders, which was really fun. I think I am going to go again next week.

I am a little surprised by how homesick I am. I had a really bad day a few days ago where I was terribly homesick the entire day. Luckily it is not that bad anymore, but I definitely have my moments. And they come at the strangest times. Last night I was talking about the kids at Buckman with a fellow future teacher, and a huge wave of homesickness came over me. Today during salsa, I was remembering going out dancing with Faire, and homesickness again. But these waves are becoming further apart and less intense, so I hope as time passes they will just go away :) Because I am having an absolutely amazing time, and I can not even believe how lucky I am to be here.

That is it for now I think. Tomorrow I will be picking classes (I think I will be taking Migration & Contemporary Social Issues of Mexico, History of Mexico, Contemporary Mexican Literature, and either Latin American Cinema or Phonetics of Spanish). This weekend is Mexico City. Then it is the last week of Orientation. Then I start my real University classes. Crazy!

Getting used to it

Entrance to my room from the garden!

haven’t even been here a week, and I already started to feel like I was stuck in a rut. Things with my family felt a little awkward, I hadn’t quite clicked with the other students, and I was feeling a little under the weather. Yesterday I basically slept all day, ate dinner, then went back to sleep. This morning I woke up feeling pretty uneasy.

But today ended up being a very good day. Yesterday, our homework was to go to the market. We had to find a fruit that we had never seen before, ask about it, and bring it to class today. I bought a tuna, which I think we just call a prickly pear (that is what my dictionary tells me). My host dad told me all about it. It grows on a nopal, which is a type of cactus. Everyone brought their fruit to class, and we had to talk about it and then eat it. The tuna fruit is really sweet, with lots of seeds. I also ate a mamey, which I didn’t like at all. The fruit is the color of pumpkin and it has a really strange texture. Mangoes here are way sweeter and more delicious than back in the states, and also way cheaper. Right now I can go buy a mango for 1 peso, which is about 12 US cents. And they are soooo good.

After class I finally found a store that sells bars of soap and shampoo. I live right in the downtown area, so there are no supermarkets or anything like that. I finally asked my mom and she told me where to go. I followed her directions and found the store on my first try (which is AMAZING- have you Google mapped my city yet? It is unmappable and impossible to get directions that make sense.) I also found my way downtown from there, so I’m getting the hang of this. I think.

Then I went out with some of the other students, which was fun. We watched a creepy clown who liked to chase people down and kiss them, then went to a restaurant. Yay for being able to drink a beer with my food!

The best part of my day was after dinner, when I came home and had my first real conversation with my parents. So far I have been really shy about my Spanish, and our conversations have been really limited. Tonight we talked about learning new languages and about how Spanish is viewed in back in the States. It was the first time that I really felt at home here, and I feel a lot more relaxed.

Random side note- Today my mom made me hot dogs with avocado and mustard for breakfast. Interesting.

Quick Update

Just a quick update.

Moved in with my host family. My mom, Berta, is the sweetest little lady, and my dad, Jesus, is so adorable. I am excited to live with them. My sister is out of town and I don´t get to meet her until later.

The next three weeks are pretty low key. I have Spanish class from 9 to 12 and then our Orientation type class from 12 to 1. Then I go home for lunch and basically have nothing to do all day except homework. My house doesn´t have internet, which is really nice when I need to get stuff done. I end up watching a lot of Law and Order with my mom. Just like back in the States.

I live about 5 minutes from the university but I still get lost everytime I leave the house. I am getting the hang of it though. Today I walked home from class without getting lost. Hopefully tomorrow I can get there without getting lost. I live RIGHT next to one of the biggest tourist attractions in town, and just around the corner from the main plaza, so if I get super lost I just ask how to get to either of those. But getting lost is fun. There is a lot to see here.

For some reason we aren´t going on a tour of the city until the 17th, so I haven´t seen most of the landmarks of the city. That should be interesting.

That is all for now. Pictures when I find somewhere that I can get wireless!

Arrived Safely

Just thought I would write a super quick entry to let everyone know that I have arrived safely in the city. I got into town last night around 7, and our group had a big dinner at the hotel.

Today we all loaded onto a bus and went to a natural park on the outskirts of the city for orientation. We were there all day, and we ate lots of yummy food and drank a special type of coffee that I am in love with. The picture is a view of the city from the road we drove to the park.

It is only about 4 and I'm exhausted. Right now is free time. Lots of people are out exploring, but I don't want to get sick and lose my voice, which happens a lot when I travel. So here I am in the hotel room, on Facebook. We have a Spanish test at 6 and at 7:30 I get to meet my family. They wrote me a quick letter that I got earlier today. It says (roughly):

Hello Kelsey, and welcome to Mexico! I'm sure that you will like it here very much, especially Guanajuato. We have lots of fine things here! You're going to have a really good time. We are happily waiting for you to come join us in your house.

Pre-Departure

9 days...

With just over a week left in the States, I thought it would be nice to set this blog up so any of my friends or family who want to know what I am up to can stalk me. After a ridiculous year, everything is in order for me to spend the year studying in Guanajuato, Mexico. Even though I am so excited that I can hardly even comprehend the fact that I am really doing this, leaving Portland was really hard. I have had an amazing two years there, and I will miss it dearly. Special thanks to Kate for a ridiculous year at 535 and to my MUNers for an amazing two years.

This past week, I said my goodbyes to all my Portlanders, moved out of my apartment, and made plans to see a few more friends before I leave. Now all that I have to do is pack! My last days in Oregon will be spent bumming around the beach, hiking, kayaking, and reading in coffee shops. You know, being a stereotypical Oregonian. I fly out bright and early on July 9th, and will be returning sometime in late June 2011. I'm not sure how often I will actually write in this once I am in Mexico, but I'm going to try.