An Adventure I Didn't Really Want to Have

So, the coolest thing about traveling is having adventures. Already I've met so many interesting people, seen so many different aspects of Mexican culture and scenery, learned tons of new Spanish words, and, of course, made an idiot out of myself a couple of times...(what else is new)

I have, however, had one adventure that wasn't so much fun: getting robbed. I think this is the first time I've ever been robbed. It happened on the bus from Palenque to Mérida. We traveled 8 hours overnight, and, of course, I slept the whole way. I had put my purse in my bookbag, but, at some point, one of the other passengers must have taken it without me hearing everything. I lost my wallet with every single identification I have, my cell phones, my toothbrush and toothpaste, AND my camera. I think I'm most upset about the loss of my camera because there were some AWESOME pictures.

Actually, I was surprisingly calm when I found out that it was gone. I left a description of my bag with the bus company and the number of one of my friends. I do, however, still have my passport, visa, and bank cards...so things could have been worse.

This is not something that could have happened in whatever situation in whatever country. It's just bad luck that it's all more complicated because I'm in Mexico and traveling. I do, however, have some great family and friends who are helping me with everything from sending me new stuff to letting me send texts to the US from their phones...not cheap. And I do hope that the thief at least spent something worthwhile with the money in my wallet and that he has some good laughs looking through my photos (because I would if I still had my camera).

This means that I'll have fewer photos of this trip than I hoped, which in turn means that you'll have to invite me out for coffee or lunch or something when I get back so I can relate all the rest of my adventures to you in person!!

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick update about my Christmas eve:

Lisa, Laura, and I were on a two day tour in the south of Chiapas, near the Guatemalan border, to visit two archeological sites of Mayan ruins and explore the Mexican jungle. The night before Christmas eve we stayed in an indigenous community that has been partially altered to include campgrounds. Yesterday, the 24th, we hiked over 5 hours in the jungle with an indigenous guide who showed us all the different native plants and how they're used for medicine, construction, etc. In the middle of this hike we spent a while swimming in a river (in the jungle in December!!) which was amazing...much better than any man-made pool. After all the excitement, I took a nap in a hut full of hammocks.

Hiking, swimming, hammocks...I'm pretty sure life doesn't get much better :)

Highlights from Puebla, Veracruz, and Villahermosa

Puebla:
-walking around the beautiful downtown area
-moving all of our stuff from one hostel to one right across the street
-trying tons of typical food of the area including cemitas, una pasita, y tacos árabes
-eating TWO crickets (this is absolutely for real...pictures to come)
-seeing tiles on every single building
-visitng the university where I would have studied had I not gone to Guanajuato
-getting to spend time with some great people :)

Veracruz:
-spending the first night there looking for Lisa's contact lens...which we never found
-hanging out with Pablo and his family
-not traveling in a single bus or taxi while in Veracruz (thanks Pablo)
-swimming in the beach for about 2 seconds before getting yelled at by the lifeguards

Villahermosa:
We arrived in Villahermosa at 6 in the morning when nothing was open, so we sat in Starbucks. We walked around the city for a little while and then left at 3pm. So, not much to report for those 9 hours...

Now, we are in Palenque Chiapas which is by far my favorite city so far on this trip. We're in the middle of the jungle and today went to explore the Mayan ruins which are so impressive. We're staying in a little hut that's part of campground and we're going to spend tomorrow night in an indigenous village in the jungle. Needless to say, it's AWESOME. We're going to spend Christmas in Palenque as well since we like it here so much. And then, on to Mérida...

Merry Christmas!!

Highlights from Mexico City

-being in the Mexico equivalent of NYC! (I love big cities.)
-riding the metro
-seeing the famous Diego Rivera murals in person
-meeting tons of interesting people, both from the US and Mexico
-having a conversation with Saúl about education in Mexico
-talking with a French girl about Middle Eastern and Asian literature...in Spanish (how global is that?)
-watching a bull fight
-attending a family birthday party (completely random)
-visiting the Frida Kahlo house and the Castillo de Chapultepec

Note: I can't possibly blog about everything AND travel at the same time, so this will be like the Cliff Notes version until I get back to Guanajuato :)

Goodbye Guanajuato

Tomorrow I am leaving to go travel for the next 5ish weeks! I'm so excited to go see new places, meet new people, experience new things...

It's a little weird to not be spending the holidays in NC with the cold weather (I'm still wearing tank tops here) and with my family, but I keep reminding myself that this is going to be an awfully big adventure! And I'm SURE that there will be lots of stories that come out it...

So, I will not be able to update much in the next few weeks, but it will give you something to look forward to!!

Some pictures of Guanajuato at Christmas time :) Merry Christmas!

"Why, I'd like nothing better than to achieve some bold adventure, worthy of our trip." (Aristophanes)

"One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure." (William Feather)

Status Update

Final history presentation? Check.
Phonetics exam? Check.
Cine y literatura paper (7 pages)? Check.
Lengua y redaccion paper (12 pages)? Check.
Literatura paper (10 pages)? Check.

Getting things ready to travel for the next five weeks? In progress!!!

:)

I should be writing my lit. paper

This afternoon I was walking downtown toward Plaza de la Paz when a car passed by me. Nothing out of the ordinary, normally, but attached to this truck was a giant trailer. On top of this trailer was a huge cage with a giant white and black striped tiger inside of it, pacing around. People turned to look at it, but I can't say they seemed very shocked. Come to think of it, I've experienced so many random occurrences that I can't say I'm all that suprised either.

True story.

It's beginning to feel like Christmas...

...well, only kind of.

In my mind, Christmas means the smell of fresh pine tree, hot apple cider, sitting at home all day in my pajamas, cold weather, Christmas music, etc. There are signs of Christmas here in Guanajuato: downtown there are all sorts of Christmas lights, poinsettias (I had to look up how to spell that) are everywhere, there's a Nativity scene in Plaza de la paz, and a GIANT Christmas tree beside Teatro Juarez.

However, I can still go outside in the afternoons with short sleeves and I ate kiwis and cantaloupe (looked up that word, too) for breakfast, which are certainly not Christmas-y foods. Also, I keep remembering that I'm traveling south for the winter which means the chances of me seeing snow and/or ice are about 0%.

I'm sure it will be a good Christmas, just different.

P.S. Mom, I've decided that, since I'll be deprived of one this year, I want a Christmas meal when I get back in June: potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pie...Mmmm :)

Thoughts About Thanksgiving

Well, the past week has been very different than past Thanksgivings. First of all, I had class every day (sad), and what was worse was that I had to hear about everybody being with their families and eating tons of good food. It made me think about Thanksgiving and all the things I missed about it:
-being with family
-eating tons of good food
-being in NYC and waking up at 4 am to go watch the parade
-riding the subway because there was nothing else to do
-disturbing the NYC citizens and wreaking havoc

I did, however, get to experience a lot of typical Thanksgiving day occurences. Shannon and I hosted a Thanksgiving day meal at her apartment. We invited a mix of North Americans and internationals. All the US students were going to contribute food; however, almost all of them backed up either the day before or the day of! Needless to say, Shannon and I were super stressed that we wouldn't have enough food so, while Shannon stayed to work on the turkey and stuffing, I ran all over downtown Guanajuato buying potatoes, drinks, and vegetables (I will never forget the Spanish word for green beans now: ejotes.)

So, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without all the last-minute stress and it wouldn't be Thanksgiving if something didn't happen with the turkey. In this case, we couldn't get it to cook. Ovens in Mexico are gas-operated and don't come with temperature gauges so we had absolutely no idea how hot the oven was. By the time everyone came the turkey still looked kind of raw in places. After much deliberation we decided to cut off the pieces that were mostly cooked and stick them in the microwave.

Despite the stress (and believe me, I laughed during it all because it was SO funny), everything turned out really well. I think everyone enjoyed it and it was really great to be able to celebrate the day in Mexico.











Oh yeah, the one thing I ABSOLUTELY DID NOT MISS EVEN ONE LITTLE BIT was Black Friday. Thank goodness it does not exist here.

This is me procrastinating...

I can't think of anything really interesting to say. My last day of the semester (exams and all) is December 7th and I have so much homework to do before then. I have at least 3 papers looming over my head...ugh. (Some of it MIGHT be my fault since I have procrastinated.)

I think my problem is that I can't say "no" to people. I mean, this has always been my problem, even in the US, but here it follows the trend of, "yes, I do want to ____ (insert fun activity here). And, even though I have homework, I'll come anyway!" While this is all well and good, and I have a really great time, it also means I have about no motivation to deal with my school assignments.

I really just want it to be break so I can go travel! Here is a picture that describes how excited all of us are for vacation (along with our well-loved travel guides)!!

It's gotten colder here in Mexico (although in the afternoons I can still go out in short sleeves), and now that I have appropriate clothing I am absolutely loving the weather! Actually, my favorite reason for the weather is that they are now selling champurrado in the streets. Champurrado is a hot drink made with corn meal, chocolate, cinnamon, and other spices. Mmm...delicious!

Also, my taste buds (and my stomach) have become used to being in Mexico. For example:

I can't eat pizza without salsa on top of it (it's soooo good).
I can eat tacos from the street vendors...without getting sick!
I regularly crave elote: corn with crema, cheese, and chili.

World Travels (at least through Mexico)

Yesterday Shannon, Lisa, Laura, and I all got together to plan a little bit for our travels during Christmas break. I am now so excited about all of the places that I'm going to see that there is almost no hope that I will be able to focus on all my schoolwork before we leave!!

We're going to start in Mexico City, pass through Puebla, and then head toward the Yucatan Peninsula passing through Veracruz and Tabasco. Then we'll go west and see various places in Chiapas and Oaxaca before ending back up in Guanajuato!

Of course not being home for Christmas will be a little strange, and I'm going to miss being with my family, the Christmas tree, the apple cider, the endless hours of reading for fun, etc. But, I am also really grateful for this opportunity to know more of Mexico, practice my Spanish, and spend a month with wonderful friends. It is going to be SO much fun!

I think I might be just the tiniest bit homesick :(

(And I've stared at "tiniest" for at least 5 minutes because I am convinced that I've lost all ability to spell.)

Some Things Don't Change

I just spent all day shopping in Leon (read: If you will remember, my personal hell is being stuck in a shopping mall).

It was such a strange experience. When we entered the city on the bus it was kind of like I was back in the United States. I saw Sam's Club, Walmart, Chilis, Applebees, Office Depot, Auto Zone, etc. The shopping mall we went to was super modern with air conditioning, a movie theater, an ice rink, a Starbucks, and a food court. I ate Chinese mall food for lunch which was pretty similar to what there is in America (with the exception of the chili served on the side, like any good Mexican meal). I kept expecting to speak/be spoken to in English because it was so similar to the malls in the US.

There were, however, some aspects of the day that were very unique to Mexico. When we left the bus station, there was a huge outdoor market full of shoes and bags (Leon is famous for their leather products). Everyone was calling to you from their stands to try on shoes, look at their merchandise, etc. I did see some "Lacoste" sneakers for 150 pesos (that's less than 15 USD) and tons of "Coach" and "Louis Vutton" bags. In the mall I had a difficult time figuring out sizes because shoes, pants, and even some tops are labeled very differently from the states. And of course, all conversations were held in Spanish.

This mix of Mexico/US was actually really confusing and exhausting. I did NOT like it and I'm so glad that Guanajuato is not so industrial.

All the shopping (i.e. torture) was necessary because I've been freezing the past two weeks, and so now, hopefully, I'll be a little more comfortable. But I've had my fill of shopping for at LEAST the next 6 months.

So, all this to say, that I hate shopping in Mexico about as much (if not equally) as I do in America. This means that it will probably take an act of God to get me to enter an Old Navy when I get back to the States.

I absolutely love love LOVE salsa dancing :)

Dia de los muertos

Sometimes it's kind of strange to see how the culture of Mexico and the influence of American culture in Mexico mix. For example, EVERYONE my age and younger celebrated Halloween on the 31st with costumes, parties, and trick or treating (for the younger kids). However, the traditional Mexican holiday around this time (Nov. 2) is Dia de los Muertos. I think I am definitely more of a fan of Dia de los Muertos. Here's why:

I love this tradition of going to visit the cemetery as a family

The Catrina is everywhere...

...even in the Jardin de la Union!

Altars like this one (for Diego Rivera) are placed all around the city

And there are stands full of sweets EVERYWHERE

Like this :)

Pan de Muertos=the best snack EVER. It's bread made with anis and then topped with cajeta made of sweet potatoes and guayaba.

Happy Dia de los Muertos!

y el cervantino se acaba

Today was the last day of the Cervantino. It has been so much fun the past three weeks. I went to so many events (Spanish rock concerts, string quartets, outdoor plays, dance performances, etc.) that I feel incredibly cultured; also, there were so many people here every weekend, that the free entertainment was just watching all of the craziness.

During this time, however, I've also done a lot of thinking. Performance groups from all over the world came to participate in the festival. There was so much talent and every event was so impressive. I can only imagine being so accomplished in one field that it becomes your career and your job is to travel all over the world to perform. WOW.

So, naturally, I think of all the time and effort I've put into dance and music. Twelve years of my life went into dance, and I had my dreams of being a professional ballerina. I decided to major in music and have spent the past 10 years or so working on piano and violin. That is a really long time, but it's nothing in comparison to what would be necessary to make a career out of it.

I always have a hard time watching performances of dance/music/musical theater/etc. because I still wonder if I could have ever "made it." Realistically, no. I don't have that kind of talent and I don't have the self-discipline to make it my life. And here comes the problem: will I ever be able to dedicate myself to anything very seriously? Prima ballerinas and professional musicians have invested their entire lives into their discipline. But I have never been able to commit myself to one thing for any amount of time. While I was dancing, I was still involved with sports, school, music, etc. I was not happy being a music major until I also added a major in Spanish. Now that I am in Mexico learning Spanish, I'm already thinking of my next language and will probably take a German class next semester.

Why can't I focus on improving myself in one area? I don't know that I have the desire to give up my varied life and the different experiences I have (because I think that when you commit yourself to something like dance or music you sacrifice a lot of life experiences), but I also feel like I just keep jumping from one thing to the next without taking time to really excel. So it come down to this: is it better to delve deeper in one aspect of life or do tons of different things without ever really settling down? Who knows.

Culture Shock

Recently, I've actually felt like I'm a college student; I've had lots to do the past week (which comes at a horrible time since it's still the Cervantino). For example, tomorrow morning I have to turn in a six page paper about auditory phonetics; if I don't have it ready to turn in, I can't take my phonetics exam in the morning. Of course, I procrastinated like any good college kid and stayed up until 3 am this morning working on it, which is a bit harder to accomplish in Spanish. I got most of it done and went to bed only lacking a conclusion which I was going to write this afternoon.

When I got to school this morning I was talking with some classmates and realized that I had formatted the paper wrong: instead of double-spaced the paper had to be single spaced. WHO IN THE WORLD FORMATS A PAPER WITH SINGLE SPACING?? THAT IS AGAINST EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER LEARNED ABOUT PAPER-WRITING!! As you can imagine, I was not too thrilled because I had six pages double-spaced. So this afternoon was spent doing even more research and stressing about trying to fill six single-spaced pages with information about auditory phonetics in Spanish. I got it done, but it's definitely not the most impressive paper I've ever written.

I realize that I am judging this from my background in schools in the States and that it's a horrible attitude to have. And actually, right now I've pretty much gotten over it. It just didn't make it a really great day.

P.S. On top of it all, my Spanish grammar was a disaster today. I'm NEVER going to master this language.

3 Months!

Today is my 3 month anniversary with Mexico! It's kind of weird to have an "anniversary" but I like to keep track of where I am from month to month.

It's amazing how much my Spanish has improved from Day 1. I always get really excited when I successfully have a conversation (the little things, remember?), use the subjunctive in the proper context, or understand everything that's going on around me. I keep reminding myself that this is such a good experience to have, especially if I want to teach ESL. I know that I'm not stupid...it's just the language barrier that sometimes gets in the way. And I hate when people think that I'm below-average intelligence because there are still so many things about Spanish that I don't know. Now that I know how it feels, I vow never to think the same of any of my future students or treat them in that way.

Also, the other frustrating thing about learning a language is that it comes and goes in phases. Some days I feel like I can hold my own with any Mexican and other days it's like I've never seen a Spanish textbook in my life. I'm realizing that by attempting to learn Spanish I've committed myself to an entire lifetime of fighting to maintain it.

So, back to my anniversary. Today I'm going to celebrate with several other exchange students with dessert and coffee (the tradition that Lisa, Laura, and I started), AND it's still the Cervantino so there's ALWAYS something to do/see!!

"Hola guera"

Disclaimer: This is one of those "I'm going to talk about guys from the perspective of a single girl" posts. It has to come at some point, right?

I've mentioned before that being a white girl here in Mexico is kind of an automatic indicator that you will get stares, whistles, comments, etc. I've grown accustomed to it and can definitely find the humor in the situation. And, I'll admit, at first it was kind of nice. It's very different from the US and I was flattered and felt like I was pretty.

But then your rationale and logic has to kick in, and you realize that none of it means anything. The problem is that it could be almost any white foreigner...you're going to get the same reaction. So, it's not that I'm special or noteworthy in any way, except that I'm white. This is completely unfair to the Mexican girls, as well. There are some gorgeous Mexicans that don't get the same attention/recognition simply because of their coloring. So, it goes to say, that if two comparable girls are standing next to each other, the one with the lighter skin is probably going to get more attention. How fair is that? Not at all.

My other observation is that the culture of relationships here is also very different. Boyfriend/girlfriend does not automatically mean an exclusive relationship; there are tons of guys who are going to flirt with you regardless of their other relationships. So do I even want to attract somebody who puts so little value in fidelity?

This also brings up the question of race. Once again, because I am white, I'm treated a certain way. I get more attention than some Mexican girls (although it could just be because of the stereotype that girls from the States are "easy"), although many times it's unmerited. So, many people are just looking at the color of my skin. But then, if I pass over white guys to pay more attention to people who are darker, aren't I doing the same thing? And, since this post is a huge generalization, aren't I labeling the Mexican guys the same way that I am labeled as a white female American?

This is why it's so much easier to be a feminist.

Meeting the Family

Yesterday I went with Eloisa to the weekly family gathering at her parents' house. It was my first time meeting the whole family (and it wasn't even everybody). You are free at this point to think of a rather stereotypical Mexican family gathering with TONS of food, lots of people talking all at once, and (of course) tequila since Eloisa's father is a fan. Eloisa is one of 11 children who are all grown and have their own children, etc. 11 CHILDREN!! I can't even begin to imagine it. Needless to say, yesterday's meal did not even compare to my family all gathered for Thanksgiving/Christmas/etc. Yesterday we were at least 15, probably more as people came and went. No wonder Eloisa thought it was strange that I only have 2 cousins. I'm proud to say that my Spanish held up pretty well and I understood way more than I thought I would. Her family is really interesting; I talked with one of her sisters whose daughter is engaged to an American and another sister who is a professor of piano in the university's school of music.

Yesterday also happened to be Eloisa's birthday which I didn't know about until the cake was brought out and everybody started singing. Today after class I went downtown to find her a little something as a present. I actually had a great time going in all the stores and looking at the jewelry, clothing, and artesanias. I gave her the gift at lunch today and it made me so happy that I could give something to Eloisa since she's done so much for me since I came to Mexico. I feel more and more everyday part of the family.

The Little Things

I hope that I never lose my excitement for the little things that happen in life. They're really probably some of the most important things. Some examples (in list format)!

-watching the fireworks for the inauguration of the Cervantino with Octavio from the roof of the house last night

-finally being able to eat normal food again after being completely nauseous for two days (I'll be much happier when my stomach gets with the program)

-having a conversation with my phonetics professor after class (and understanding everything!)

-sitting in a cafe downtown with friends, watching the people

-buying another novel in Spanish (I'm going to have some problems with the weight limit of my luggage when I return)

-being adopted by the family cat, Rita, who regularly comes into my room and sometimes sleeps with me at night

-the prospect of going downtown tonight with some friends to see a play in San Fernando Plaza (one of my favorite places in all of Guanajuato)

Life is good :)

El Cervantino

Today is the beginning of el Cervantino, an annual cultural festival in Guanajuato that celebrates the cultural contribution of Miguel de Cervantes. From now until November 1st there are all sorts of concerts, shows, and street performances...not to mention the people that come from all over the world. I'm SO excited!!!!

You can read a little bit about el Cervantino here (the official website is in Spanish):

http://www.guanajuato.travel/Cervantino/Default.aspx

It's all about the experience (and a little bit about don Pancho)

This past weekend I went with Shannon to visit Morelia and Uruapan in Michoacan. It was the perfect trip and I had the greatest time ever. At one point we were talking about how it's so much better to have experiences instead of things. I didn't used to think that way, but now I'm convinced that the experience of doing and seeing things is worth infinitely more than owning things. This weekend was full of experiences, such as...

watching Mexico qualify for the World Cup

seeing street performers in the plaza

listening to an African (Mexican) drum group

riding horses to San Juan, a pueblo that was covered by a volcanic eruption. The church tower is the only thing still visible above all the lava (you can see the volcano Paricutin in the background).

eating gazpacho (mixed fruit covered in cheese and chile)

watching a fireworks show at Morelia's catheral two nights in a row

spending time with friends

Don Pancho: Our guide to San Juan was don Pancho, a man in his 80s who witnessed the volcanic eruption when he was 13. He's probably one of the most fascinating people I've met so far in Mexico. First, Spanish is not his native language since in his village everyone speaks an indigenous language. He's lived all of his life in this village near the volcano and told us that he's only been to one other city in Mexico. His only job is guiding tourists on horseback. When Shannon asked him what he did during the week when there weren't many tourists he said, "I wait for them to come." All of his family lives in this village and there's nothing that prompts him to leave. I'm intrigued by don Pancho. Imagine living your whole life in one place with extremely limited contact to the rest of the world. Imagine never traveling and never seeing more than what you grew up with. It makes me feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to go to university, to live and travel in Mexico, and to understand that there is so much more to life than what I know.

Why I Want To Be A Teacher

Well, it's October. In NC, this would mean sweaters, pumpkins, lots of coffee, and leaves changing! In Mexico, this means less rain, but pretty much just as much heat. This also means that I've been in Mexico for over two months. This also marks probably the longest period of time in over four years that I have not had any contact with students. Sure, I go to university every day, but I don't have an internship in a public school, I don't tutor, and I don't have camp where I'm surrounded by 70-100 kids EVERY SINGLE DAY!! I miss it. I don't remember when I decided I wanted to be a teacher (it certainly wasn't my original career choice), but I'm so excited that teaching is what I'll be doing for at least four years of my life.

In Mexico, there is, as in every country, a lot of poverty. I don't really see it too much here because I am a university student, I live with a upper middle class family, and Guanajuato is a pretty wealthy, tourist-y city in comparison with other places in the country. Poverty still exists, however. The thing that I have the hardest time with here is seeing all the child beggars. You can sit in a restaurant or in any place downtown and, in the period of an hour, there will be around 5 different children, all under the age of 10, asking you to buy gum or flowers for a couple of pesos. You have to say no, even though it breaks your heart. What struck me when I first arrived in Mexico was that children would come in to bars and clubs trying to sell these things, sometimes even at 2 in the morning. This is even worse because these children should be in bed and should NOT be allowed to enter a place full of alcohol and cigarette smoke.

My instinct is to adopt all of these children and give them the opportunity to go to school. More and more I'm convinced that an education is especially vital for children who need to break free of the circle of poverty that they live in. These are the kind of students I want to teach.

I heard a song the other week that reminds me of these kids I see every day:
Esta es la historia de Juan, el nino que nadie amo
que por las calles crecio, buscando el amor bajo el sol
su madre lo abandono
su padre lo maltrato
su casa fue un callejon
su cama, un carton
su amigo, Dios

Juan pregunto por amor
y el mundo se lo nego
Juan pregunto por honor
y el mundo le dio deshonor
Juan pregunto por perdon
y el mundo lo lastimo
Juan pregunto y pregunto y el mundo jamas lo escucho

El solo quiso jugar, el solo quiso sonar, el solo quiso amar
pero el mundo lo olvido
el solo quiso volar, el solo quiso cantar, el solo quiso amar
pero el mundo lo olvido

This is not to say that there are only these type of children just in Mexico. There are so many in the United States, as well. It's easy to laugh at all the stereotypes in this song, but there's a lot of it that's also very true.

And all my people drug dealin jus to get by, stack ya money till it gets sky high
We wasn't supposed to make it past 25 but the joke's on you, we still alive
Throw your hands up in the sky and say we don't care what people say

If this is your first time hearing this you are about to experience something cold man
We never had nothing handed, took nothing for granted
Took nothing from no man, man I'm my own man
But as a shorty I looked up to the dopeman
Only adult man I knew that wasn't a broke man

You know the kids gonna act a fool when you stop the programs for after school
And they DCFS them some of them dyslexic, they favorite 50 Cent song's 12 Questions
We scream, rock, blows, weed park so now we smart
We aint retards the way teachers thought
Hold up hold fast we make mo'cash. Now tell my momma I belong in the slow class
It's bad enough we on welfare
You trying to put me on the school bus with the space for the wheel chair
I'm trying to get the car with the chromy wheels here
You tryin to cut our lights like we don't live here
Look at what's handed us, our father's abandoned us
When we get the hammers gone and call the ambulance
Sometimes I feel no one in this world understands us
But we dont care what people say

There are students like this in every country, that speak every language, and there is no reason why they should not have the same opportunities as everybody else. This is why I want to be a teacher.

I actually have to do work here?

Unfortunately, the academic side of study abroad has picked up a little (or it could be that I just procrastinated). The latter is more likely.

Anyway, I'm reading a novel (finally) for my literature class on Wednesday. I have to say that I'm so thankful that it's not poetry because I've about had it with poetry in any language. NOT my thing. This book, however, would not be my first choice to read. It's called "El luto humano" by Jose Revueltas (translated: The human suffering) and it's pretty depressing. So far, two people have died, and the rest are walking with the corpses in this crazy storm to some unknown destination. Ugh.

It's taking me forever to read it because the vocabulary is kind of abstract, and there's so much description and not very much action.

On the bright side: I'm becoming extremely adept at looking up words in the dictionary. My mastery of the alphabet is stellar.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

The past week or so

Comiendo tacos en la calle! Que rico!



Shannon y yo en el centro.



Celebrando dos meses en Mexico con postre y cafe.



Clara y yo en la playa!



Todo el grupo en el Oceano Pacifico en Ixtapa


Esnorkel en la Isla de Ixtapa

Y, por fin, tengo mi visa de estudiante! Nunca tengo que regresar a San Miguel de Allende, salvo por gusto :)

A Really Good Day

Today was a relatively normal day but there were just lots of little things that made it great! First, I got to sleep late because I didn't have class until 11. I went downtown before class to buy tickets to go to Ixtapa this weekend with Lisa and some other exchange students. Yay for the beach!! Then I had fonetica y fonologia which I have now decided is my favorite class that I'm taking (which is surprising because I didn't like it at first). Afterwards Clara and I went downtown for milkshakes and sat and talked, in Spanish, for over an hour. When I got back to the house I had a letter (thanks Mom) and a package (thanks Petey) waiting for me! I love snail mail :) I had a really good violin lesson this afternoon; I'm so glad that I have the chance to continue playing my violin here because, otherwise, I would miss music a lot (who would have ever thought I would say that?). Then I met up with the group going to Ixtapa to finish talking details for this weekend's trip. To end it all, I ate dinner with Eloisa and Octavio and we talked almost the whole time about bull fights. Haha.

Although this might seem rather boring (and it's really just a list of what I did today), all of the things combined to make an awesome day!

San Miguel...Fail

Well, today I went to San Miguel de Allende to try to pick up my student visa to no avail. They told me that it hadn't arrived yet and I should give it until Wednesday. FAIL. So, as of now, I am still visa-less which I find pretty ironic since I, as an American, don't have the proper documents to be in Mexico. Oh well.

Since I didn't want to completely waste the trip, I explored around downtown which mainly consisted of me going to the many Catholic churches that are on every corner. I knew, of course, that Mexico was extremely Catholic, but I didn't realize just how many churches there would be. The architecture is beautiful and there's lots of religious artwork everywhere. The one thing that I've noticed, however, is that in every church there are tons of depictions of the Crucifixion. This is all well and good because I realize that it's like the essential part of Christianity, but I can't help feeling really depressed every time I leave the churches. I think that it's because in every picture Jesus and/or the numerous saints look like every second of life is miserable. I prefer to think of Jesus laughing a lot because so much of life is so absurd/random/awkward. Who can't help but laugh at it?

In other news, as I was exploring the streets of San Miguel, I randomly saw a sign that read "Garrison and Garrison Books." Books? Well, of course I'm going in. It was a used book store run by an American lady originally from Seattle. Most of the books were in English (San Miguel de Allende has a huge percentage of Americans that live there), but there was one shelf of books in Spanish. I found a book (in Spanish) for 80 pesos and immediately bought it because that is SO CHEAP for Mexico. There were books of all sorts and I saw among them "Anne of Green Gables," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Kite Runner," and "Water for Elephants." (In case you don't know, this means major kudos to the quality of literature in this bookstore.) I really enjoyed spending time looking through all the books AND there was jazz music playing in the background AND an espresso machine in one corner. Perfect. Discovering this bookstore was worth the trip to San Miguel, if nothing else.

Study Abroad=Vacation!

Sometimes it's really hard for me to remember that I'm actually still a full-time student. Haha. "Study abroad" actually translates to mean that you can do pretty much anything you want to do (hang out with friends, travel, sleep late, etc.) and ocasionally you might read something academic.

For example, this week was pretty much a week of holiday. I had one hour of class on Monday and 3 hours today and that was all! The reason? Mexican Independence Day! Wednesday was a national holiday so classes were cancelled and many businesses were closed. Tuesday night was "El Dia del Grito" when the first call for independence happened (supposedly). There were Mexican flags everywhere and everyone was wearing red, white, and green. I went with a group of exchange students to a restaurant downtown and then to the Plaza de la Alhondiga for the official governement ceremony and fireworks! At 11:00 everyone began yelling "Viva Mexico" (el grito). Very cool.

So, because of all the festivities, I have done about nothing productive this week and it's been great. It's going to be a crazy-hard transition back to UNCG.

Sometimes I Don't Know What to Think

This past weekend I had the chance to talk to several people in the US (good) but, unfortunately, that meant quite a bit of speaking in English (bad). While it was good to talk to everybody, it triggered memories of the past three years. I love Mexico and I've gotten over being homesick but there are random moments when I remember specific things that I miss.

Here's a list (of course):

-NC fall. The leaves on the trees here don't change colors and I'm going to miss walking around campus looking at all of the beautiful trees.

-Glenwood Tutoring. Today's the first day of tutoring for the year and I can't believe that I'm going to miss out on picking up Jason and Jessica and playing knockout every single Tuesday.

-Wreaking Havoc. I was talking with Katie today about all of our past antics in the I House and public places throughout Greensboro (namely, Steak and Shake) and I miss being able to make a spectacle of myself.

-Barnes and Noble. There's not an equivalent in Guanajuato that compares with walking in an entire store devoted to books, music, and coffee. What a brilliant combination.

-UNCG. It's sometimes hard to know that life goes on in Greensboro, even when I'm not there. I miss the I House, Tate St. Coffee, and even the School of Music.

-My family. It seems kind of obvious, but I haven't experienced homesickness since I was probably 7 and so I've realized the past two months how much I appreciate them.

I realize that this post sounds like I'm miserable and want to go home right this second. That is not all the case, so, to balance the tone, I'm going to list some things I DON'T miss.

-My car. I can honestly say that I haven't missed driving once. (Just another sign that I'm meant to live in a city with lots of public transportation!)

-My schedule. It's amazing how I can sit here in a cafe for hours talking with a friend and not have to look at my watch and think about how I have to be somewhere else or do work or something. It's such a great way to live!

-American food. With the exception of all the white bread I eat, I love the food here. And since my host family is pretty health-conscious, I eat lots of Mexican fruits and vegetables which are great!

-English. This is somewhat surprising because when I first got here I would have given anything to speak in English. Now, however, I've really fallen in love with the Spanish language and it irritates me to speak in English with people in Mexico (whether they're Americans or not).

I'm realizing that I've adapted pretty well, I feel, to living in Mexico but, at the end of it all, I'm also American. I think that my life and heart is divided between the two countries.

Dear Mexico,

I realize that as a white female from the United States I should expect some questions/differences, but, since I've been here a month and a half, I think it's time to clear some things up.

First, it is absolutely not necessary for you to whistle/yell/comment from your car about me. I appreciate the compliment but I'd rather not feel everyone's eyes on me as I walk down the sidewalk or get on the bus. Along with that, I don't particularly want to talk to you if you're going to come up to me, ask my name, verify that I'm not from Mexico, and then ask me out for drinks. Thanks, but no thanks.

Second, I understand that it's sometimes frustrating to have to repeat yourself, but I promise you that I speak enough Spanish to get by. If I don't understand something the first time it is not necessary for you to try to say it in English (especially if your English is worse than my Spanish). I am in your country and want to speak Spanish; chances are I just need to hear the question a second time to process it.

Finally, yes, I am an American but that doesn't mean that I personally know President Obama nor am I an expert on the policies of the US government. I don't know much of anything about the immigration policy or what steps are necessary to get into the US. And, yes, I was around when Bush was President (but I couldn't even vote). I might be one of the least politically-inclined people I know so I'm definitely not the person to ask about these things.

Other than that, things are going fine and I'm having a great time.
Thanks,
Veronica

A Photo Update

Walking in a crater...que padre!


It rains here ALL the time.

An old mine (Mina de la Luz)


A compost pile in Mexico! Sweet!

A night view of the city.

Parade in Calle Juarez


Lisa with ? Hahahaha.

Queretaro with Eva and Diana

Visiting Angie!!!

Angie asking for her stomach to get better.

Mas Vacas???

Ok. So I think I'm going to have to re-format this blog to just talk about my encounters with Mexican cows.

Today was El Dia del Estudiante (an entire day to honor university students-pretty cool!) and so there were no classes and tons of free concerts and parties. I hung out in downtown for a while and then came back in the afternoon to do some homework (yuck). After working for a while I decided I needed a break so I took Manchas, the family dog, out for a walk on a trail a little higher up the mountain.

I'd like to pause here to say how much I enjoyed walking with a dog and I think that this is something to consider when I return to the US. Hint hint.

Anyway, Manchas and I were walking along, minding our own business, when we rounded the curve and saw like 7 cows grazing on the side of the trail. Once again, I started laughing (I'm not sure why I find cows so funny) and Manchas and I passed by. On our way back to the house we passed by them again except this time they were DIRECTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRAIL. One was making a lot of noise so I tried to give it as much distance as possible, and then I had to zigzag through three other cows (all with horns) and the whole time I had visions of my death in Mexico by being attacked by a cow. I can't even begin to do justice to the situation and how ridiculous I must have looked so I hope you have a good imagination.

At Least I'm Literate (Barely)

I just finished my first-ever novel in Spanish se llama "El niño con el pijama de rayas" (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas). It had a grand total of 217 pages but I literally spent a little over two weeks reading it. It was so different from reading in English where I could finish a book in a day if I didn't have anything else better to do. Here, however, it takes a lot of work for me to read. Maybe there's some merit, though, in taking time to read a book because I really enjoyed it and it was a completely different pace for me.

Speaking of the book, you should read it. It's about a friendship between two boys (one a German and the other a Polish Jew) in Germany during WWII. Definitely worth the two weeks.

P.S. In other news, I left the house this morning to walk to the bus stop, and when I turned the corner out of my street I almost ran straight into a bunch of cows standing at the side of the road!! I was so surprised that I stopped in my tracks and then, of course, burst out laughing. That might become one of my top memories EVER.

Laughter is good for the soul.

I spent all weekend laughing. I can't even begin to describe all the random/bizarre/surreal things that happened. I'm laughing now just playing them back in my mind. In some ways it was like I was back in Greensboro hanging out with everyone (because even in Mexico I still somehow manage to be a part of the most awkward situations possible). It felt great :)

Various Impressions

-There are no rules regarding driving. If you are physically capable of doing it, it's allowed.

-"Class starts at 11am." Translation: Class could potentially start anytime between 11 and 12 so you just kind of hang out until the teacher shows up.

-I eat white bread every single day. What I would give for a sandwich made with wheat bread...

-Speaking of sandwiches, they are a breakfast food. No lie; I ate one this morning.

-The lavanderia, where I take my clothes to be washed, pleats every single pair of pants, including my pajama pants. Strange.

-Don't flush toilet paper! That's what trash cans are for.

-In some stores, a Coke is cheaper than a bottle of water.

-If I'm tired, the buses make me motion sick. Ugh.

-Only Americans wear clothing with logos from schools, clubs, camps, etc. posted all over it. Other people just laugh at you.

-EVERYONE here smokes. I'm going to be lucky if I don't die from all the second-hand smoke. NASTY.

That's all for now :)

Sometimes I can be such a teacher...

Today I sat in Historia de Mexico (my least favorite class) and thought the whole time how terrible it was from a teacher's viewpoint.

First, the class is made up of mostly freshman who are all around the age of 18. I know that 3 years is not a huge amount of time, but the difference between an 18 year old and a 21 year old is enormous. Second, it makes me feel really strange to think that back in the United States I could be teaching students this age in my internship. Weird.

Today we started group presentations about the indigenous tribes in the various regions of Mexico (ugh). Today's presentation was about the tribes in the Gulf of Mexico, but I still don't know too much about them because the presentation was less than informative. They didn't go into any detail and couldn't answer intelligently any of the questions they were asked. I felt bad for them because it's embarassing to be put on the spot like that, but I would expect that kind of presentation from a high school freshman, not a university student.

Afterwards we had extra class time (because the presentation was so short) so the professor went to the library to get a movie about the Olmecas (an indigenous group) to show for the rest of class. It was terrible and the first five minutes (no lie) was footage of the moon with tribal music playing in the background.

There are so many things didactically wrong with this that I'm cringing just thinking about it. From a student's perspective there was nothing really wrong with the class because no participation (or thinking) was necessary. The teacher in me, however, shudders to witness such a terrible waste of educational time.

Being Green in Mexico

So if there were any doubts that I'm a nerd, this will put them all to rest (Joey).

Yesterday morning I dragged myself out of bed super early to go on a trip with some other internationals and the university to visit the first mine in Guanjuato. (Guanajuato was built because they found so much silver and other metals in the area.) Before we went there, however, we stopped at a completely organic farm to take a tour.

The tour guide was super nice (and I could understand almost everything he said!) and he took us all around the farm. We saw all these techniques that were used to encourage the growth of native plants and conserve the maximum amount possible of water. Everything was done organically without the help of pesticides and other chemicals. There were several beehives around the area and I got to taste fresh honeycomb! They also had a greenhouse, some solar panels, and a compost pile! The most surprising part was when our guide pulled a rattlesnake out of a barrel and started talking about all the snakes they found (and kept) in the area. I confess that I was a little freaked out by the snake so I wasn't listening all that closely.

At the end of the tour, our guide was talking about how encouraging it was that we (college students) were going to be making the decisions for the world in the next 20 years. He encouraged us to remember this tour and how important it is to make decisions that are sustainable because we need to make sure that there will be water and other resources for our children and grandchildren. He quoted someone who once said, "When we stop destroying the earth it will start healing itself." And then he asked, "When are we going to stop destroying the earth?" Good question...

Now the only thing that will make me even happier is if I can find one place to recycle in this city.

Swedish Food and Salsa Dancing

What a great weekend :)

On Saturday night two Swedish girls , Therese and Helena, invited a group of exchange students (and some Mexicans) over to their house for a traditional Swedish dinner. They did all the work preparing it and serving it and it was delicious! There were 10 of us all together and we spent hours sitting around the table talking and laughing. (All of the guys there are engineering majors so they were trying to explain to the girls all the jokes they were telling that involved Calculus.) It was so nice to just hang out and spend time with the people I know best in Mexico. The only thing that bothered me was that I still wasn't able to contribute very much to the conversation. People were asking me why I was so quiet and it's because I'm still self-conscious about my Spanish. It's so strange for me to be more reserved because I normally share my opinions and contribute to conversations...oh well, it will be a personal goal for me in the coming months.

Afterwards, we all went salsa dancing! It was so much fun and, of course, I had about 213049835 awkward things happen to me. First, I danced with one of the guys who ate dinner with us. It was really hard to follow him and there were plenty of times that we were not with the music. I'm also somewhat surprised that I still have all my fingers because there were times that I thought he would rip them off while turning me! (I confess that I laughed the whole time but I don't think he knew why.) Then someone else asked me to dance (I didn't know him) but it turns out he was crazy so I made up some excuse to leave after two songs. Finally, I danced with some other guy I didn't know who was actually really good. The only thing that bothered me was that when he found out I was from the United States he started trying to speak to me in English. But, he couldn't really speak English and he kept saying ridiculous things until I told him that I understood Spanish. It kind of bothered me that he would assume that I couldn't understand because, after all, I am in his country. We danced until almost 5am (I was exhausted by the end of it!) but I had such a good time.

Now, however, academics are taking over for the week because I have to give a presentation on Wednesday (not nearly as much fun).

"This Gives Me Jokes"

Disclaimer: This post is about nothing serious but is only for the entertainment of Katie Toms.

I've never considered myself to have a strong accent but, since being in Mexico, I've heard from lots of people that I speak Spanish with a very American accent. My roommate Laura from Argentina finds my accent especially funny and one day she was trying to copy it and she kept lengthening the vowels at the end of the words so they seemed to have more than one syllable. For example, "o-o-o-o" instead of "o." I've also met a couple of exchange students from the United States who are from places like Chicago and Wisconsin. They definitely speak differently than I do and our different accents are evident when speaking Spanish. All this to say, that it appears that I might have more of a Southern accent than I thought :(

In other news, today I went to a class called Cine y literatura and the professor talked about sequencing plot lines and how the way in which the story is told is one of the most important elements of capturing an audience's attention. He then said, "You know those people that have lots of interesting things happen to them but, since they can't tell a story properly, they seem to be the most boring people in the world?" He didn't go on to say how this problem could be fixed, however, so I guess I'm still stuck in that category.

Culture Clash

Because culture is something universal (but very unique at the same time) there are infinite possibilities for culture clash to occur. The obvious example of this is studying abroad in a different country, but I've realized that there are other examples as well.

Yesterday evening Laura, Lisa, and I went downtown to get something to eat. When we were walking back toward the house we passed the Plaza de la Paz which is where the Basilica (the largest Catholic church in the city) is located. In front of the church was a group of people, dressed in indigenous costumes, dancing in the street accompanied by lots of drums. There was a crowd surrounding them and so we stopped and watched for a while. Laura asked someone standing next to us what the occasion was and he told us that it was the day of the Virgin of the Basilica. (Don't ask me what virgin; I still can't keep any of the Catholic saints straight.) We watched for a while and, during a pause in between dances, I heard the Basilica bells ringing and someone singing Catholic liturgy in Latin. Laura, Lisa, and I walked up the steps of the Basilica and slipped in the back of the church. It was packed full of people and they were all focused on an altar with a statue of the Virgin. In the church I could hear the drums from the street in the background.

It was such a weird experience because these two groups were celebrating the same thing but in two completely different ways. And, since you could hear the other group from wherever you were standing, it was hard to get the full effect of either one. To me it seemed like a rivalry between the two traditions and I wonder what it would have been like there had been a combination of the two instead of a competition...

Algunas fotos

A visual tour of Guanajuato:








The house with my roommates Lisa and Laura

Living room/Dining room

Bedroom

















View of the city from the rooftop of the house










Division de Ciencas Sociales y Humanidades in Valenciana (where all my classes are).












On top of the Bufa (a mountain) overlooking the city of Guanajuato

School Starts Early in Mexico

Classes started at Universidad de Guanajuato yesterday which is kind of crazy because everyone else I know is still on summer vacation (I'm jealous). I was excited about starting, though, because it is going to be nice to have some sort of schedule to appease my Type A personality.

Yesterday I was supposed to go to Historia de Mexico at 9am. My roommate, Lisa, was going to the same class so we got up, ate breakfast, and got to the bus stop at around 8:25 thinking that we had left plenty of time to ride up to Valenciana where the school is. One bus for Valenciana passed by but it was JAM PACKED full of people and there was no possible way we were going to get on. We waited for another one until 8:55 when we decided to just take a taxi. We got to the school five minutes late and had to run around trying to find the classroom. Thankfully, by the time we got there the professor still hadn't arrived so we sat with some other exchange students to wait. We waited and waited and finally one of the Mexican students went to see what was going on; when he came back he said that the professor wasn't coming. So, needless to say, my first day of classes was not my first day after all. I saw the humor in it all and couldn't stop laughing to myself all morning!

Today I had a phonetics class at 12. All the students are Mexican except me and another exchange student (also from the US) but the professor seems to be very nice and I think I'm going to learn a lot...although it will be a lot of work. The class was two hours and it was hard for me to focus on someone speaking Spanish for so long because I have to work really hard to understand (and the professor spoke really quickly).

Right now I'm sitting in my room trying to pass the time. It's taken me coming to Mexico to realize how much of a people person I am. I HATE being by myself and not having anybody to talk to. We were definitely made for community and all this free time I spend by myself makes me realize how much I need to find community here in Mexico. I trust that I'll find it eventually but I'm hoping that it comes sooner rather than later.

Expanding My Comfort Circle

Although this is not a video blog (sorry Ashton), I'm going to try to be consistent about writing about this year in Mexico.

It's been a week and one day since I came to Guanajuato. It's been a long week but it's also flown by. Guanajuato is almost in the exact center of Mexico and is surrounded by mountains. The centro (downtown) is in the lowest part of the city and all the residential areas are built up the mountain. I'm living with a Mexican family and two other exchange students (Laura from Argentina and Lisa from Germany) and it is definitely a hike to get from the centro back up to the house. I'm going to be in great shape by the end of the year! Guanajuato is beautiful with lots of old architecture and it's a perfect mix of urban city and mountains (my two favorite types of places)!

This past week has been filled with days spent in the centro shopping, going to cafes, and trying to get together the endless amount of paperwork needed for registering for classes and applying for my student visa. There have also been two events hosted by the anfitriones (the equivalent of the I Fellows). Tuesday night after orientation we all went to a bar and then to a club. The bar had a terrace on the roof from which you could see Teatro Juarez and the mountains. The club was a techno club that was very similar to those in the United States (at least half of the songs were in English). Yesterday morning we climbed to the Bufa which is a nearby mountain from which you can see the entirety of the city of Guanajuato. It was a really nice hike although very different from those in North Carolina because there weren't any big trees or plants to cover the trail. Last night Lisa and I met some other exchange students at a bar and then we went salsa dancing!!! (It made me think of Greensboro and Artistika.)

A side note: The anfitriones really make me laugh because I compare them to what I did last year as an I Fellow. It's very different being on the other side of international orientation but I'm enjoying being an observer. For example, yesterday we were supposed to meet downtown at 8am to start hiking. I was on time (which most Mexicans are not) and eventually one of the anfitriones showed up. We waited for a while for other people to arrive and then walked to where we were going to take the bus to the beginning of the hike. Only two or three anfitriones were on time, some showed up late, and some didn't come at all. (I laughed to myself about it because it appeared to be like the I Fellow trip to the State Fair when Nicole and I had to drag people out of their beds early on a Saturday morning!!)

Overall I've really enjoyed being here so far but it's been so much harder than I ever dreamed it would be. In the United States I can navigate through what needs to get done, I can express myself more fluently, and I always have things to do or people I can hang out with. In Mexico I'm lucky if I understand everything the first time and there's been a lot of down time which makes me miss home and camp and Greensboro even more. I also haven't been talking as much because I'm still trying to speak some semblance of correct Spanish and, since I'm a people person, the disconnect between me and others has been really hard and lonely. Thank goodness for Laura and Lisa who are really patient with me as I try to contribute to our conversations. I HATE the feeling of not being in control and being able to be independent and do things by myself, but it's definitely expanding my comfort circle. I think that God's going to teach me a lot this year about reliance on Him and valuing relationships with my family and friends.

Classes start tomorrow so it's going to be a whole another adventure this next week!