I am currently experiencing deja vu, but 100 times better!
Since being back in Guanajuato, things have been pretty similar to how they were last semester at this time:
I have run from office to office trying to figure out how to register for classes
I have hiked to the Bufa
I have a roommate from Argentina
I eat meals with the family
I go to cafes, and plazas, and museums
What makes this semester even better, however, is that I actually understand what's going on! It's so interesting to experience the same process and do the same things, but with the understanding that whatever conversations I have or instructions I receive, I can handle it. It puts a whole new perspective on living in Guanajuato. I'm so proud of how far my language skills have come (although, don't worry, I still make an idiot out of myself quite frequently, I'm sure), and I know that I'll be able to enjoy myself even more this semester because I can be more outgoing instead of worried about myself all the time.
Classes start tomorrow...bring it on Spanish syntax!!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Coming Home
I am back in Guanajuato!
It's been very interesting for me to see how comfortable I've become in Mexico, and specifically Guanajuato; so much so that I now refer to it as "home" without even thinking.
When I was in Belize and Guatemala it was great to see different countries and experience new cultures. But, it was also somewhat exhausting because we had to adjust to everything and figure out what, for those that lived there, was normal and ordinary. It struck me how much work it really was when Shannon and I entered Mexico again in Chiapas. Road signs became familiar, brands and advertisements were things that I was more used to, and I began to hear "no manches" again!! There was definitely a feeling of being back in my comfort zone (who would have thought six months ago that Mexico and the Spanish language would be part of my comfort zone?)!
This morning, we got back to Guanajuato and there was an even stronger feeling of "home-ness." I was walking around downtown and ran into two people I knew who stopped to ask me about vacations, and then, when I was up at school looking at class schedules, I had lots of conversations with classmates and old professors. The feeling of being in a place where you belong and have a life and friends, and you're not merely a tourist, is one of the best in the world.
This does not signify, by any means, that I am done exploring the world. (I think my next two destinations are going to be Alaska and Argentina.) It is, however, nice to be settled back in Guanajuato for one more semester!
It's been very interesting for me to see how comfortable I've become in Mexico, and specifically Guanajuato; so much so that I now refer to it as "home" without even thinking.
When I was in Belize and Guatemala it was great to see different countries and experience new cultures. But, it was also somewhat exhausting because we had to adjust to everything and figure out what, for those that lived there, was normal and ordinary. It struck me how much work it really was when Shannon and I entered Mexico again in Chiapas. Road signs became familiar, brands and advertisements were things that I was more used to, and I began to hear "no manches" again!! There was definitely a feeling of being back in my comfort zone (who would have thought six months ago that Mexico and the Spanish language would be part of my comfort zone?)!
This morning, we got back to Guanajuato and there was an even stronger feeling of "home-ness." I was walking around downtown and ran into two people I knew who stopped to ask me about vacations, and then, when I was up at school looking at class schedules, I had lots of conversations with classmates and old professors. The feeling of being in a place where you belong and have a life and friends, and you're not merely a tourist, is one of the best in the world.
This does not signify, by any means, that I am done exploring the world. (I think my next two destinations are going to be Alaska and Argentina.) It is, however, nice to be settled back in Guanajuato for one more semester!
Friday, January 15, 2010
I can now add two more countries to the list of places I've been: Belize and Guatemala.
It's amazing how neighboring countries can be so entirely different (and sometimes so alike).
Traveling is NOT conducive to blogging, and there is just way too much that's happened...I wouldn't even know where to start.
Classes start relatively soon so I'll be back in Guanajuato in the next couple of days. I'm going to be kind of glad to be back in a place where I have all my stuff in my closet instead of my backpack, and I know for sure that I have a hot shower everyday. But, on the other hand, I'm going to miss traveling around, and seeing so many things, and meeting so many people.
(Evidently I still like lists as well...some things never change!! Hahaha.)
It's amazing how neighboring countries can be so entirely different (and sometimes so alike).
Traveling is NOT conducive to blogging, and there is just way too much that's happened...I wouldn't even know where to start.
Classes start relatively soon so I'll be back in Guanajuato in the next couple of days. I'm going to be kind of glad to be back in a place where I have all my stuff in my closet instead of my backpack, and I know for sure that I have a hot shower everyday. But, on the other hand, I'm going to miss traveling around, and seeing so many things, and meeting so many people.
(Evidently I still like lists as well...some things never change!! Hahaha.)
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!
It is January 1st and I have a tan lines from both my bikini and my Chacos. Awesome.
On another note, I'm really excited for 2010. I know that everybody is kind of obligated to say that every time we enter a new year, but for real I'm excited. Why? Because 2010 should have looked something like this: begin student teaching in the next couple of days, graduate college, find a job in North Carolina, and begin my ¨real life¨as a teacher. Instead, I will spend six and half more months in Mexico, a country and people and language that I have fallen in love with, I will go back to UNCG to be a student for another year, and I'm sure the year will be filled with laughing, teaching, and learning. It's nice how things don't always turn out as planned...life is more interesting that way.
On another note, I'm really excited for 2010. I know that everybody is kind of obligated to say that every time we enter a new year, but for real I'm excited. Why? Because 2010 should have looked something like this: begin student teaching in the next couple of days, graduate college, find a job in North Carolina, and begin my ¨real life¨as a teacher. Instead, I will spend six and half more months in Mexico, a country and people and language that I have fallen in love with, I will go back to UNCG to be a student for another year, and I'm sure the year will be filled with laughing, teaching, and learning. It's nice how things don't always turn out as planned...life is more interesting that way.
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