Month Anniversary!

Yep, I´ve been here for a full month and one week. Time flew -- well at times. I`m already finished with 3 weeks of school, have written over 5 essays and read 2 short stories of course all in español. I`m finally feeling comfortable in the city, I know where the internet and coffee cafes are, where the mall or speciality shops are located, it`s really cool to finally feel like you`re getting in the hang of things. I`ve met so many people from all over! My favorite class, believe it or not, is conversation (I absolutely hated conversation class at school, back home because my professor was as intimidating as hell and was rude) ... the class is so chill here and my professor rocks. She thinks of the most interesting topics to talk about. My least favorite class is history, which is weird because I LOVE history.

This weekend I am going to Leon to see a fùtbol game (aka soccer) ... very excited. YAY! Well this entry is really short, I don`t know why considering I´ve not updated in awhile. As they say here nos vemos! (see ya later)

Casa Nueva!

In the last week, I've moved houses, been scared out of my mind, took a zumba class with Mexicans, toured museums and learned how to use a washing machine in Mexico. 

First ... yep, I moved! I'm now living closer to school however I live on an inclined hill which is a mile long. Definitely, getting a great workout. My new host family is so awesome, very friendly and they love to talk -- which is awesome, however my Spanish really is rusty and sometimes I feel bad for them because I'm fluent whatsoever. But they're very patient and understanding plus they're funny too. They have 2 daughters, one is a zumba instructor and I don't know the other daughter's profession. Both are super sweet and speak a fair amount of English. I have my own room and my view is breathtaking. You should see the city of Guanajuato at night, absolutely beautiful! 

As for my classes, ehh they're going alright. Like I said before, 8 am classes are NOT my cup of tea! And it's so hard to pay attention and analyze stories so early in the morning, especially since everything is in Spanish. The last few days have been horrible, weather-wise and so I've been walking to school when it's raining and trust me, sitting for 2 hours in a dark room is NOT the most fun. At least my professors are nice.

Ok going back to my new host family. On Sunday they threw a BBQ party -- the entire familia showed up ... I met uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, friends, boyfriends, neighbors ... I was SO scared! Totally lost my appetite. It's like my Spanish went out the window. I couldn't breathe at one point. It was so overwhelming. I guess Sundays are family days here... we sat and I listened for 3 hours, didn't talk much. However, my host family did ask if I was ok, because I wasn't eating my meal. And it's very offensive if you don't finish what's on your plate. Well, I didn't finish my lunch and I think I offended the matriarch of the family aka abuela (grandma). Great first impression Meg! 

I also learned how to use the washing machine in our house. It's very ghetto, a great story too! Most houses have at least 1 washing machine, my family has 2. However, no one in Mexico has dryers. It's unheard of here! Everything is hung up on hangers outside. That's not the "ghetto" or old school part. The washing machine doesn't fill up. I have to go outside bring a hose in and fill the washer up. Hahahahaha! It's so great. I tried not to laugh as my senora was showing me! It was cute. 

This weekend I went to the mummy museum and a torture museum. Let's just say ... I was not pleased. Very disturbing and disgusting. I felt so bad staring at dead bodies that were so badly decomposed even though they were mummified. There was one exhibit that had 3 mummies that died horrible deaths. That was really sad! 

Al-righty, I know this blog entry is short and random! But I gotta fly. Ciao! 

Como?! Mande?! ... Not feelin' the 8 am classes, en serio?!

On average, I learn at least 5 to 8 new words or phrases a day. I've studied Spanish for so long and always thought the appropriate response to a question you don't understand would be ¿Qué? but little did I know there are a few more words that mean "what?" (ex. como? mande?...etc).

Yesterday, I had a full day of Spanish, read, wrote, spoke, listened ALL in Spanish. My roommate, Emily and I try to speak Spanish to each other. Well I try, she's pretty amazing at the language, I am so desperately trying to pick up. I seem to forget, I'll be here for 4 months and I'll get better ... slowly but surely. I had salsa lessons yesterday, one word: WOW! I had so much fun ... salsa is so sexy and what a great workout. Afterwards, some of us, along with 2 dance instructors went out for drinks and ice cream. It was definite good times.

As for my classes, they're ok. I like my professors but I have to wake up so early, it kills me! Seriously it does. I had to take a nap today and I never take naps. Hopefully, I'll get used to waking up early (highly doubt it). Oh yeah -- I am moving houses. I'm saying goodbye to my mansion on the hill. I like my host family but their house is so far from everything and everyone. I feel like I can't go out at night and hang out with my friends without calling a taxi (and taxis can get expensive). So I am moving out this Friday. I'm moving in with my friend, Shaina -- her family lives on a hill too, so yes I will still be getting a great cardio workout. But they live closer to town. Their house is beautiful too -- very nice a lot of levels. I'll have my own bedroom there too. Hopefully, I'll get moved in this Friday *crosses fingers*.

This weekend is going to be interesting, we're going to 3 museums in town: a mummy museum, torture museum and mining exhibit. Yep, should be quite entertaining. I am getting accustomed to Guanajuato -- really I am. At first, I had my hesitations and I still don't feel 100% informed on the customs and language but each day is getting easier. As they say: Ojala (God willing). I better get off my computer it's storming and lightning like crazy.

Hasta Luego

Oh Leon Leon Leon

Well I've been in Guanajuato for 2 weeks! Classes start tomorrow -- and I am freaking out. I have an 8 am class, meaning I will have to leave my mansion on the hill by 7:25 (my house is 2 miles away from the university). At least I will be walking with a friend, the walk won't feel as long. I am taking literature, history, grammar (which I hate, even in English), conversation and a seminar entitled: US Relations with Mexico, that class should be extremely interesting considering this year is presidential elections. 

Yesterday, I went to the city of Leon. It's also in Guanajuato, just a 45 minute bus ride. I woke up at 7 am and met my friends by 9. We took a local bus to the bus station, bought first class tickets ($3.50 which included a beverage, snack and movie for the road), and once we got to Leon, we started shopping. Leon is known for its leather products. The "tiendas" (stores) are lined up on the streets, think of a HUGE flea market. Once we got off the bus the smell of leather hit us. Believe it or not, I didn't buy a single pair of shoes -- it was that overwhelming. Not only did we check out almost all the little shops but we walked to a 2 story mall -- of SHOES. Afterwards we took a taxi to a clothing mall which had some really nice stores but everything was more expensive. We didn't get back to Guanajuato until 8 something. It was a full day of shopping -- well window shopping for me. I am sure we'll go back before December.

Alrighty, enough for now. I better get some sleep -- I have to rise and shine at 6:15 am. Who said studying in Guanajuato was a good idea?  

Pictures of Michoacan!

Here are some pictures from Michoacan I took over the weekend. Surprisingly, I didn't go "photo-happy", maybe because I was on a horse that loved to trot, therefore, it was super hard to take 'em

The picture of the volcano -- oh what a story and sight. The hike took 20 to 25 minutes because people were trekking through ash. And if you've ever experienced walking on ash, it's quite a workout. It's like sand, there's no friction but instead of a flat beach surface, it was a straight up hike, every foot you put forward, you fell back two (steps). People were covered in ash, so were their shoes and pants. Then it started to pour ... and that's when our fun horse adventure turned to hell. There were church ruins 45 minutes into the horse ride. I had to take this even though it was very overcast. Still breathtaking. Some students decided to climb -- I didn't, wasn't convinced that a wooden beam could support all the weight! That was the only way up and down. I think I would have peed myself. 

Bienvenidos a Guanajuato!

A big “hola” for those who are reading my blog, I’ve never had one before – so yes, I am a newbie. I thought it would be a perfect way to update and stay in touch with all of you.

Well I’ve completed 1 full week here in Guanajuato! According to my visa I have 126 days left. I don’t even know how to describe the city, I know many who’ve already visited and studied here, I think they would agree that it’s an eclectic, unique, vibrant city – peaceful but lively. I live with Senora Emma she lives very far from the school, about 2 miles one way. The good thing is…I can eat basically whatever because I walk (on average) 6 to 7 miles a day. The first few days alone, I walked 10 miles each day (mostly uphill). Guanajuato is very hilly and most roads as well as sidewalks are cobble stoned, so good walking shoes is an absolute must!

The first week was orientation – usually they’re boring, tedious and useless. However, I am really glad we had an orientation, it was ‘Guanajuato 101’ – where to go, where to eat, don’t do this or that (a lot of common sense things but useful information too). There are 22 semester students, we’re from all over: California to New Jersey, to Wyoming, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Michigan. There’s even a girl from Canada. We seem to get along quite well (hopefully it continues), we’ve definitely had some laughs. I have a room mate, named Emily. We don’t share a bedroom (she lives down the hall) but share one section of the house. There are 11 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms here (no joke). The house also has wireless but it is very bipolar, it works whenever it wants to.

I survived my first excursion in Mexico! We stayed in Michoacan (4 hours from here) for the weekend. On Friday we hiked through mud, slippery rocks, bushes and sand for 2 miles. Some of us swam in the waterfalls (I didn’t because the water was brown and I would have had to climb up, barefoot on jagged rocks to get to the water). My tennis shoes sucked, they kept on falling off especially when we would go through wet mud or when I jumped from rock to rock. I am surprised I didn’t sprain my ankle or break something.

On Saturday, we rode horses to a volcano – 3 hours there and 3 hours back = 6 painful hours on a horse. Oh yeah, I’ve never rode a horse until now. My entire body is in pain. The ride to the volcano wasn’t bad; our horses were slow and galloped slightly. We stopped after 45 minutes to climb to church ruins that were left after the volcano erupted. It was breathtaking. We continued to ride our horses for another 2.5 hours afterwards. But, on the way back it down poured: lightning, hail, thunder, buckets of rain. I couldn’t see the sky or mountain range. It was awful, a lot of people got hurt, some were thrown from their horses and others got wounds and purple bruises. Since, I am short (surprise, surprise) the stirrups didn’t fit me properly, so my legs and knees faced inwards instead of outwards, I felt like my legs were going to fall off. And when my horse ran, I thought for sure I was a gone-er, there were many times where I thought I was going to flip forward off my horse. Fortunately, I didn’t and my horse was a definite exception. My horse knew where it was going however; I got separated from the group for about 20 (very long) minutes. I started panicking, not going to lie. There were 60 students who went on the excursion (summer session students came with us too) and so there were pockets of groups throughout the wilderness in the torrential rain. I was one of the first 10 who got back to the ranch. The rest of the 50 students came an hour or so later. Once I realized I was alone, I didn’t know what to do, by then, the rain stopped (which was a blessing) but I was totally alone, I couldn’t see in front of me for miles and when I looked back, no one was even close by me. God was truly merciful because a guy appeared out of no where, I don’t even know if he was guide from the ranch or if he was just riding a horse for pleasure. He appeared to be indigenous though. I didn’t understand him well, by the time my horse caught up with him, I was exhausted, panting, panicking, cold and exhausted (when a horse cantors, they just take off – and you get the wind kicked out of you, it’s a bad feeling). My legs felt like jelly because I tightened my leg muscles when my horse took off. My Spanish also went out the window, the only thing I could say was “ayudame, por favor – yo perdi mi grupo” (“help me please, I lost my group”). To make a long story short: I am ok, I finally got back to the ranch and I did catch up with some of the students. Needless to say, I never want to ride a horse for 6 hours again.

Sunday was very low-key. We visited a national park (reminded me of Costa Rica) and went to a town called, Patzcuaro in Morelia. There, we ate and shopped. Surprisingly, I didn’t buy any souvenirs. I think I’ll start buying for family and friends in November; I have a lot of time. No worries. Even though my excursion to Michoacan sounds like hell, it wasn’t – it was interesting and at times dangerous but a once in a lifetime experience. Fun fact: Mexico is so green! I never knew the landscape was so beautiful and luscious.

I don’t start classes until next Monday. I have no idea what I will be doing this week. I am really excited about starting class, it will give me something to do and I will have a daily routine. As of now, I am enrolled in 5 classes: literature, history, grammar, conversation and a once-a-week seminar.

I will try to update my blog weekly. I have a flickr account and plan to post my favorite Guanajuato pictures there, like I said the wireless at my home is weird, sometime it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I have over 50 pictures already and tried to upload them last night but it wouldn’t let me.

Please keep in touch with me too – I would love to hear from you all.