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.