my bed is amazing

I'M HOME!!! I am soooo happy to be back in good ol' Modesto, California surrounded by my family and friends, especially as I sit here at nearly 2pm in my PJs on our nice, soft couch listening to my favorite Christmas album of all time.

THINGS I'VE DONE SINCE BEING HOME

• Hugged my mom.
• Hugged my dad.
• Hugged my sister.
• Hugged and held and kissed my little niece, Reagan...every day.
• Eaten at In-N-Out.
• Eaten at Taco Bell.
• Realized just how incredible my pillow-top mattress and down-comforter are.
• Fallen asleep on the couch in front of the TV, much to the annoyance of my mom, I am sure.
• DRIVEN MY CAR! I missed Boris mucho.
• Hung out with my high school girls from ACCESS.
• Gone to a wonderful Christmas production at church with one of my best friends.
• Eaten fabulous home-cooked food by my mom.
• Baked some pumpkin spice bread (not from scratch).
• Flushed toilet paper.
• Drunk water straight from the tap.
• Seen my breath outside.

A FEW MINOR REFLECTIONS ON COMING HOME

• While in Mexico I have realized just how American I am, and that it's OK. That doesn't make me some sort of hypocritical world-dominator, but simply someone who calls the US her home.
• I am not a wanderer. I have always known that I am a homebody, but thought that perhaps I could be the type to be a gypsy always finding new and incredible experiences where ever I might be. I am sure that I could do that, especially if God was calling me elsewhere, but my nature is that of someone who wants to settle down and always be nearby my family. And perhaps this sentiment is heightened by the fact that I have come home to Christmas after being away for more than 4 months...I guess we'll see again when I come back in May after my second semester.

Yeah...haven't come up with anything too profound in the almost week that I have been home...guess I've just been basking in being here and soaking up everything. Give me more time and maybe I will have more for ya'll. In the meantime, for those that I have seen, it is wonderful to see you again. For those I haven't, I hope to see you soon!!!

¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!

muchas cosas!

Yes, yes, it has been a while again. Sorry! But the good news is...I WILL BE HOME IN TWO WEEKS!!! I'm super stoked!

THE DAY OF THE DEAD
So the last time I posed anything it was just before el día de muertos. Many people traveled to Pátzcuaro in Michoacan. Apparently they have an island where for this holiday it is lit up only by candles and is very beautiful. Unfortunately, I think most of our students didn't plan very well for their trip and arrived in the town too late to get to the island.

The Day of the Dead is held on November 1 and 2; the first day to remember children that have died, and the second for everyone else. I've decided that I love this holiday. It was a bit difficult to participate in the holiday since I am not a part of a family here in Mexico (unless you count the two shots of tequila I had in May that made me Rebekah Turnbaugh-Rodriguez...jejeje), but just the idea behind it is beautiful. One could assume that with a name like "Day of the Dead" that it would be very mournful and dreary, but I did not observe that to be true. Rather it is a time to remember those that have passed and spend time as a family. According to the ancient religions, this was a day when the spirits of the dead returned to earth. And yet, you see images of the Virgin Mary during this time as well so it seems to be a mixture of both ancient religions and Catholicism...as I am learning have not been so very separate historically in Mexico.

This day also seems to acknowledge death as much as a part of life as the part when we are alive here on this earth. But there is also an element of fun in it too. For instance, my Spanish professor told us that people write letters or poems to their friends predicting how they will die as a joke and they are always funny. I had ambitions to do that for my Spanish class but they quickly went away. Additionally, there are these skeletal characters called calaveras that are all over the place. They were originally created by an artist named José Guadalupe Posada, his most famous being Catrina. His original intent was to show that the wealthy, in spite of all their pomp and circumstance, are just as vulnerable to death as the rest of us, but there is also an element of whimsy to them I think.

Anyhow, I decided to stay local for the celebrations. John and I headed to a cemetery in La Cañanda, a neighboring town. One of our professors grew up there and recommended that we visit. Families on this day go to the grave sites of their loved ones and decorate them and then spend the day talking about their family members and remembering them. I was told that some people will sleep there too. As John and I looked around (trying not to stand out too much as we took our photos, which I believe we probably failed at) we did not observe anyone that was sad or crying. Albeit, some people looked pretty bored since I imagine that they had been there all day, but other than that people we enjoying themselves.

After a few hours at the cemetery we headed to el centro to see the festivities there. We asked to be dropped at the plaza where the huge altar was...and goodness it was huge! It was made for two men, one of whom was Epigmenio Gonzalez (which is also the street that the Tec is on) but there were too many people around for me to be able to sit with my dictionary and read the sign about them.

Anyhow, families also make altars to their loved ones in their homes. I didn't see any until we went to a winery that Sunday (more on that later) and then later at a friend's host family's house, excepting the one in el centro. Bridgid and Eric joked about building one in front of Doozo Sushi, our favorite sushi place down the street from the Tec that was mysteriously closed for a long while (which I am happy to report will be re-opening in December).

El centro was very festive with street vendors galore! I had my first elote (finally!), well, actually it was elote in a cup which I can't ever remember the name for that. For those of you who don't know what this incredible food is, it is corn-on-the-cob smothered in mayo, cheese, chile powder, and lime. Mmmm! We spent the rest of the evening just wandering around and looking at everything, running into various clumps of internationals, and just enjoying ourselves.

I MISS WINE
One thing that I really miss here is wine, 1) because I can't have alcohol here in the Res; and, 2) wine is not as popular here as tequila and beer. But my Spanish professor, being the wonderfully-cultured man that he is, told us about a wine and music (jazz and blues) festival that was going on that weekend at a nearby winery. Yay! Therefore we headed out that Sunday to a place that we weren't quite sure where it was. But we (Bri, Bridgid, Lily, Eric, and I) made it to a little town called Ezequiel Montes after about a 40 minute bus ride.

The winery is called Freixinet and was so very fabulous. We paid a 50 peso entry fee (less than $5) and received a wine glass and ticket for a free glass of wine. Thus, armed with our wine we went in. There was music, an art gallery, and all kinds of yummies to buy. After browsing the art, which mostly consisted of copies of famous pieces, we scouted out a table (which ended up being quite a prime location for amusement, or at least interesting occurrences) and then two or three at a time we went to get food for the group. It was quite scrumptious and we enjoyed our afternoon of decadence very much.

At one point I noticed a woman precisely in my line of sight who had had quite a lot of wine I presume throwing up a bit, wrapped in the arms of her husband who was not taking her to the bathroom. Yuk. Lily, in an effort to not watch this, stood up and faced me. After only a few minutes the woman behind me, who wasn't quite as far gone as the woman in front of me, fell flat on her back in her chair. Lily made no effort to restrain her laughter and I turned around only to see her being helped up by her husband. Later that woman and her husband came over to talk to us and they were really cool. Here is a picture of our group with our new friends. :-)

We headed back that evening on a very hot and crowded bus. Here is one final picture of Eric trying to look scary. It's too cute not to share.

THE END IS NEAR
The end of the semester is coming quickly. We are taking finals now actually and I just have one more on Tuesday: Spanish grammar.

Last week we had a nice graduation ceremony for the international students where we received diplomas and such. I also received an award for the most improved in Spanish among the group (it helps if you start the bottom I think ;-). I was very surprised and my professor was very proud.

Last week was also the final week of classes. On our last day of Spanish we all went to Sushi Itto to "review." We did some of that, but mostly just hung out. It was a lot of fun. Here is a picture of our class, except Soheil, who wasn't able to come. Around the table, starting on the left, is Maude from Canada, Nivardo (our professor), Sarah from CA, Jamie from Australia, me, Bridgid from CA, Gabrielle from Washington, John from CA, and Angela from CA. I'm quite sad that class is over, but fortunately we will have Nivardo as our professor for at least one class next semester.

THANKSGIVING--INTERNATIONAL STYLE
Since there are so many Americans here who would be missing Thanksgiving at home, I decided to organize a Thanksgiving potluck here that we could share with out international friends too. It ended up stressing me out a lot, buuuuut was a great night! We probably had nearly 40 people there representing places all over the world. Let's see, we had people from the US, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Australia, France, England, Italy, and Ireland. The food was good and plentiful and the company superb.

We got a turkey cooked from Soriana since none of the students here either had access to an oven or experience doing such things. We also realized that no one knew how to carve a turkey either. Sarah, one of our vegetarians (who oddly enough eats chicken and turkey...don't ask me how that works), started out carving the turkey for us. Then Patrik from Germany took over and did a fine job and also stood there serving everyone. When I got there he asked me if I wanted something from "the foot or some of this white meat." jeje

It was so much fun explaining our traditions and food to everyone who had never had Thanksgiving before. And they were really excited to participate! I sat next to Pablo from Spain and told him that the cranberry sauce was for the turkey and that the whipped cream was for the pumpkin pie. Very cute.

The International Programs office was very nice in helping me set all this up and donated a bunch of water and soda for us. We held it on this terrace that is on the third floor of the library which ended up being a beautiful setting because the campus is decorated (and has been for a couple weeks) for Christmas.

Veronica Martinez, one of the program coordinators and a professor here, came for a bit and loved it! She was talking with Bri about how she would like to make it a campus-wide event next year and a time that the American students can share some of their culture with the rest of the students telling all about the food and such. She also said maybe it could be an all-English night to give the international students a break and give the Mexican students a chance to practice their English (because everyone here is learning it). That would be so cool if I was a catalyst for a new tradition here at the Tec! jaja!

More photos from Thanksgiving.

Well, that's about it from this part of the world. I shall be returning soon to your part and look forward to seeing everyone!!!

¡tope!

RANDOM
OK, first some random updates before I get to the really good stuff. Please also be advised that my writing ability seems to be greatly impaired this evening, so be prepared for some atrocious stuff. I hope to catch it all before publishing, but I make no promises. This is also not going to be in consecutive order but rather in the order of the randomness in my head. My apologies in advance.

RANDOM EVENT: Yesterday a few of the guys and I decided to go to Chili's at one of the malls here because it sounded good. I'm sorry...I know I am in Mexico and shouldn't be going to Chili's, but it's the best American food in town and they have good margaritas too. :-) Anyhow, we had to take the elevator to leave.

This is a crazy elevator. One time Bridgid and I were in it and we couldn't find our floor. The buttons include some with numbers and some with letters, like the confusing GVC elevator. A guy got in and asked us if we were taking a trip in the elevator and when we said yes he told us that there were better things to see outside. Smart alec.

So we notice that the elevator has stopped, but the doors were not opening so I pushed the button to open them. This is what we saw. Not exactly where we were hoping to stop. We looked around the elevator puzzled as to what to do since there was no emergency phone. After Eric, joyfully yet fruitlessly, laid on the alarm for a few minutes, Paco insisted that no one could hear us. I decided it was time to call one of our friends to see if they could figure something out. That's when one of them remembered that they had seen Lily just before we got in the elevator. I called her to see if she could find help and we were eventually lowered to the lower level of the parking garage below the mall. We weren't about to go back in the elevator or try to tackle several flight of stairs so we took the big ramps that the cars take. In Mexico, interacting with cars is always a risk, but we made it out safely. :-)

This occurrence did not produce the romantic rescue that I had always imagined, including firemen or Keanu Reeves dropping from the ceiling to pull me out. It was, however, quite an entertaining diversion.

LA NOCHE DE BAILE: There are many extracurricular activities here at the Tec, with dancing being quite popular among the international students. A few weeks back all of the dance classes had a performance at one of the clubs in town. It didn't start until 11pm (strange) however, so I had time to go see my friend Jorge perform folklorico dancing at another performance on campus. Sorry for the dark photo. Jorge is the guy on the left-hand side of the picture, though it's just his back anyhow. He is one of my only Mexican friends here and a complete doll.

Afterwards I got ready to head out to a club for the first time in my life. When we got there the place was packed to the max and I didn't think I was going to be able to see any of it, but my friend Fanny that lives here in the Res came and said she found a spot for me, found two guys to help me up some stairs, and then proceeds to lead me to the stage. Ack! It gave me a great view of the crowd and the dancers, but EVERYBODY could see me! The dancing was great and it was so much fun to see all of my friends dancing! Here is a photo of Susie (on the right) and Jaylene (on the left) dancing salsa. I also couldn't resist snapping a shot of Charles' roommate, Daniel (in the middle). hehe

OAXACA
Last weekend a few of us girls took a road trip to Oaxaca, which is in the south of Mexico. It was just the type of spontaneous trip that I imagined taking while studying abroad! Bridgid asked me Thursday if I wanted to go with them and we left Querétaro that night at about 10pm. We rented a car, but with four girls and our gear, it was quite packed. The group consisted of Marthese, Bridgid, Lily, and myself.

The title of this post comes from driving during this trip. Tope is what is on road signs warning of a coming speed bump. Unfortunately, we missed a couple of these signs when driving and our heads paid for it. haha

Goodness, I don't even know where to begin with this trip. We weren't sure if we were going to drive straight to Oaxaca (which is about a 12 hour drive) or stop in Puebla to sleep a bit. After getting rather misdirected in Mexico City because of construction and finally getting to Puebla at about 2am or so, we decided it was best to stop. Let me just say this, it was agreed upon (and reconfirmed by Jorge) that Puebla is a miserable little town as far as we were concerned. We drove around until nearly 3:30am trying to find one of a couple hostels to stay at and never could find them. The streets were impossible to find, with the numbers all out of order (for example Calle 3 was followed by Calle 8, which was followed by Calle 5 and so on). Eventually we came across a motel that looked inexpensive and that offered personal garages. We drove in and spoke to the attendant who informed us that they only rent out their rooms for 4 hours at a time (uh...yeah), but that he would let us stay until 10am. We decided to take him up on it and got 2 rooms. Let's just say that, while the rooms were very clean and nice, there were various details that confirmed the purpose of a room that is only rented in 4 hour increments.

We decided to try and leave by about 9am and ended up leaving around 9:30 (hey, we're in Mexico...that's close enough). We found a place to have breakfast and I discovered the best thing about Puebla, what I affectionately call "pot o' queso." Mmmm, it was delish! Puebla also had a pretty impressive volcano that we saw on our way out (which also took about an hour).

Once we navigated our way out of (I would really love to insert a Spanish swear word here because the alliteration is brilliant, but I shall refrain) Puebla we were enthusiastically on our way to Oaxaca. Mexico has an interesting highway system. You have your choice of either a longer, but free, highway or a more efficient highway with tolls. Our preference was the toll road so that we could take advantage of our time in Oaxaca, but somewhere along the way we must have taken the free one. It ended up being a beautiful drive (which I will only link to a photo or two here and you can look at others at your leisure).

We finally arrived in Oaxaca at around 4:30 or 5pm and went straight to a vegetarian restaurant that Marthese had in her guidebook. It was a great little place that had this posh spa attached to it where Lily got a massage. While there, Lily saw a poster for Lila Downs, who my Spanish professor had just introduced to us in class that week. She was in town that weekend doing concerts on Saturday and Sunday so we decided to go if we could manage it.

After our dinner we set out on another quest for yet more elusive hostels. Our problem this time was not finding the streets, but finding a place that offered parking or that still existed. We were hoping to find a place in el centro but gave up after about another hour and a half long hunt and turned into the driveway of a hotel we saw just to check it out. They offered us a deal that ended up working out to about $15/person per night which we couldn't pass up.

The next morning we got up in time to be ready for a tour bus that we had set up the night before that took us to some pyramid ruins, similar to Teotihuacan but smaller and more beautiful. We had an awesome guide, Raul, who made sure that I could see as much as possible. The site was up in the hills and provided some incredible views of Oaxaca. Here is a shot of our little group that Raul was nice enough to take (nice framing I might add).

After the ruins we made our way to el centro to see what we could find (which we hoped would include food and tickets to the concert that night). Oaxaca is a state that has a lot of political turmoil, which produces all kinds of fascinating tagging. Here are just a few of them: one calling for the assassination of the Governor one calling for justice for those that have died for the cause of an activist group called APPO one calling for liberty for political prisoners (and also including the symbol for anarchy).

We ended up finding a yummy restaurant to eat at, where I got mole, a specialty of Oaxaca. Afterward, we tried for the concert tickets again and Marthese and Lily ended up having to go get them while Bridgid and I got to explore el centro a bit. We saw preparations for el día de los muertos (Day of the Dead). I'm not sure what these sand creations are called, but they were pretty rockin'. Perhaps I will find out tomorrow (or I suppose later today considering the time).

Bridgid and I also found a cool little mezcal (like tequila but made from a different type of agave plant) shop where we sampled many different kinds of mezcal, roasted and salted grasshoppers, some sort of gusano (worm) and chile powder, and chocolate (for which Oaxaca is also famous). We actually had a lot of fun there talking with the shop keepers and trying new things.

Later that evening we were off to the Lila Downs concert!!! It was FANTASTIC! Lila Downs is an interesting person. I believe that one parent is Mexican and the other American. Her music is a nice combination of at times political and other times just for fun. Her performance was whimsical, with her dancing around the stage and playing with her long, thick braids adorned with yarn, passionate, and mournful. Her voice is amazing and she has an incredible range. The concert was a benefit for a local organization for indigenous women.

The next morning we got up early (a bit earlier than we had planned considering that we forgot to set our clocks back the night before) to go to a market for breakfast and have Marthese back to the hotel in time to meet her tour bus she was taking that day. Since we got up at about 5:30, thinking it was 6:30, we got to the market as people were still setting up. I think this is how we should all get to have breakfast everyday. The market had anything you could want: fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh breads and pastries, juice made right before your eyes, flowers, tamales, and tons of other non-food items. I settled on a tamale (why not?) and churros...Mmmmm! More great tagging at the market: Very rich the food of Oaxaca.

We got Marthese back to the hotel in plenty of time. She spent the day exploring Oaxaca more and has been traveling throughout the state of Chiapas all week by herself. Lily, Bridgid, and I headed on our way back. We arrived in Querétaro around 9am that night, after, of course, getting rather confused in Mexico City once again.

OK, whew, that's it for now but I am sure there will be more after this weekend since tomorrow is the big day for el día de los muertos. John and I are headed to a cemetery nearby and then probably to el centro for the evening. And only 2 more weeks of classes! Actually, I'm pretty sad about that, but the time is drawing near when I will be back in the States!

Love and miss you all!

it's been a while...

I know, I know...it's been a while. For some reason I just haven't been in the mood. I have two theories for why this may be the case. 1) I really haven't been doing anything incredibly remarkable of which to tell you. 2) The novelty of the smallest things is beginning to wear off and it is starting to feel like life as normal around here. As I drive around in taxis I no longer feel like I am in a foreign country (though the excitement and challenge of crossing the street still brings this feeling on), but rather a place that has become home. It makes me happy when coming back to the Tec I can tell where we are and which streets we need to turn on. Of course this is still a very minimally developed skill since I am, as I have always been, a rather oblivious passenger. Neither of these reasons is to say that I have become bored or complacent here, but that I am settling into life here in Mexico. In spite of all of this, I do have quite a few updates...so bear with me.


THE SIMPLE THINGS THAT STILL GET ME
Gringas

A few weeks back, Bridgid introduced Susie, Fani, and I to a place that sells killer gringas by her house. They also have amazing pineapple and jalepeño salsa. Mmmmm! I've been back several times since then.

A Fun Day
Just before el Día de la Independencia (I'll get to that soon), most of us went down to the immigration office to get fingerprinted for our student visas--which I just found out today that they lost my photos so I have to go get more tomorrow--and we took over the place, each leaving with purple thumbs. That certainly wasn't the highlight of the day (you try getting a bunch of international students to get to a government office before 9am on Friday :-). Afterward we walked toward el centro in search of a place to have breakfast. We came across this super hip place that Mel had been to before called Biznaga (I believe). They have this really great loft that was perfect for the eight of us (Mel and Eric tag-teamed getting me up there). As you can see from the photos, there is writing on pretty much ever inch of the walls, tables, and the floor we were sitting on. You could be entertained for house reading quotes from Shakespeare, who loved who, or other random thoughts from past patrons. They also had great original artwork on the walls in addition to a reggae feel throughout, with photos of Bob Marley and our waitor, Hector, with dreadlocks.

After omelettes at Biznaga (oh, I forgot to tell you about their coffee, which is the only coffee I will drink without a ton of sugar and chocolate because it has this amazing cinnamon flavor) we continued on our way to el centro where they were having a dance festival. It was to go on all weekend. Several streets were blocked off and filled with native dancers representing different tribes from the area and vendors. It was incredible to be there, feeling the pounding of the drums resonating in your chest and seeing people, young and old, dancing together.


¡VIVA MÉXICO!
My celebrations for el Día de la Independencia were pretty mild, but good. Rebekah and I went with Darcy and Chevo to a restaurant to celebrate on the night of the 15th. I was tempted to go to el centro as many of the other students did but knew that it would be absolutely insane and without my dancing bodyguards, I would have been trampled (if you don't know the story of the dancing bodyguards and want to know, ask me when I am home for the holidays). After seeing photos and hearing stories I has happy--and sad--that I hadn't gone.

The restaurant was nice and decorated with dozens of old-fashioned radios. There were live musical performances all night, and Rebekah and I made it glaringly clear that we didn't speak Spanish very well when we lit up for the first time and started singing along to "I Will Survive." :-) At 11pm they stopped the performances and turned up the volume on all of the TVs so we could watch the grito. By this time the restaurant had handed out horns to a couple people at each table so the room was full of noise and excitement. We watched the grito from Mexico City with President Calderón. When he yelled, "¡Viva México! ¡Viva Hidalgo! ..." the crowd echoed back with, "¡Viva!" Afterward everyone sang what I imagine was the national anthem and blew the horns. It was a lot of fun watching a yelling "¡Viva!" along with everyone. :-)

GUANAJUATO
OK, so Guanajuato is my new favorite city in Mexico. A group of us went on Saturday and it is an incredibly beautiful and interesting place! We left early in the morning and got there before noon (it is about a 3-hour bus trip). When we were trying to arrange ourselves after arriving a man started to pitch a tour of the city to us. At first we weren't very interested, but then realized that it was only 100 pesos for 4 hours and that we would probably each spend more than that on taxis if we tried it alone. He also took us to the hotel that some were staying at first so they could drop off their luggage.

Our 100 pesos each was well spent. Our guide was super friendly and loved telling us about the city. He is also familiar with the San Joaquin Valley as his daughter was born in Madera (imagine finding a tour guide who knows where Modesto is in the center of Mexico!). He first took us to an old mine and we went for a tour inside. I sat on a chair thing they had that went along the tracks and was pushed as we moved along. It was fairly interesting, but not the greatest part of the day. I did get the sport a very fashionable hard hat however.

After the mine we went to a couple of shops, one where we could buy all kinds of items made out of the quartz from the local mines and then to a candy shop that I could smell all the way in the first shop which was across the street. The candy shop was charming and had lovely candies from floor to ceiling, most of which you could sample. Here is a photo of the group that went along with our tour guide, Felipe Luna.

After our little shopping excursion we went to the first of a couple museums. I didn't tour through this one because it was not very accessible, but they had lovely patios and gardens that I could poke through. I'm not exactly sure what the museum was about but I don't think it as very cheery because it included underground torture chambers.

Next we went to another happy museum of mummies. This museum was actually really fascinating, but rather gross and creepy at the same time. I wasn't able to take any photos, but apparently someone has and posted them on Flickr, so check them out if you are strong of stomach: Museo de las Momias. The mummies of Guanajuato aren't really "mummies" like you would find in Egypt or elsewhere, but are rather conserved bodies as our guide was telling us. The bodies found here are a product of a natural phenomenon that seems to be specific to Guanajuato. They are not embalmed or wrapped, but naturally occur. There are two theories about why this happens. The first is that it is because the ground is rich in minerals that preserve bodies. However, you find similar areas in Mexico where this does not happen. Another theory is that it is the water that people drink there that almost starts to preserve their bodies while they are still alive.

However this happens, the mummies were incredible. Most of them still had hair on their heads (and, ahem, elsewhere) and their skin was in such a preserved state that you could still see the texture. There were several baby mummies there as well, some with their tiny hands folded together and such perfect little toes. One woman that was found was pregnant, and so they have the smallest mummy on earth there: her unborn child.

There was another "museum" attached to the Museo de las Momias that we did quickly afterward. I put museum in quotations because it was half museum and half haunted house, dark, dank, with melodramatic music playing as you walked through this narrow hallway littered with skeletons and mummies along the walls or moving figures about as high-tech as It's a Small World at Disneyland, but of figures like the grim reaper or a man whose head had just been chopped off by a guillotine. Unfortunately, it was too contrived to be taken seriously as a museum, but not creepy enough to be a haunted house.

After our dose of death our guide took us for a drive through the underground roads. There are 26 streets that are in tunnels underground with el centro above. It was incredible, and were I to drive in there I certainly would get lost for all eternity. I love tunnels, however, so it was just fun driving through them. I made several failed attempts at taking photos so I guess you will just have to come visit me to see them for yourselves.

Guanajuato is a very hilly city, much like San Francisco with beautiful and colorful houses built up along the hillsides, so before the end of our tour, Felipe took us up to take in the view. Photos can't really capture the beauty of this city, but nonetheless, I tried. I didn't want to stop taking photos it was all so incredible.


Felipe left us at this point and we soaked in the view before heading down to seek out food. There is a large festival going on during the whole month so el centro was bustling. Vendors and street entertainers were all over the place. It felt to me as I imagine (never having been there) Europe to be with beautiful, tall buildings on either side of narrow avenues. Everywhere you look is another thing to catch your eye. Here is one shot of the street we made it down.


Bri and I both had homework we had to take care of the next day, so we headed back that evening. It was a fantastic day though! For a few more pictures that I didn't post, check out my Facebook album.


IN OTHER NEWS

• We are going on a trip to the state of Michoacan this Saturday, so I am sure there will be more stories and photos to post.
• We had our second round of parcials last week. I got a 98% on my Spanish grammar exam!!! Huge improvement over my 80% last time.

Hope you are all having a great week!

introductions

After a fun day with the climbing team soaring through the air from the roof of the gym to a platform a distance off, I am in for a restful evening.

I've been, for some time now, wanting to give you all an introduction to the people I have been meeting here. Below are just a handful of the awesome people that I am getting to know!

JAMIE is the first person I met here in Querétaro while my parents were still here staying in Casa Cayala. He is from Australia and is in most of my classes. A fellow Sociology major (with an additional International Business major), he is quite an interesting guy. He has never taken a single Spanish course before and is doing very well--better than I am I would venture to say. Jamie is quite endearing to me and just goes out and does what he wants to, whether he succeeds or not, at least he has tried. He is everything honest and to the point, but very encouraging at the same time.

He lives in an apartment with Francois (from France) and Adrian (from Ireland). Oh, and Pedro, he may be your hero. I think he has washed his hair twice since being here. haha! He doesn't like how poofy it gets.



MARTHESE is the second person I met, also while my parents were still here. Also from Australia, Marthese used to live in the "Res" with me but didn't care for all the rules so she found a great house that I am hoping I might be able to move into next semester.



Marthese has become a confidant of sorts here. You ought to hear this girl talk about food, almost as if it were a piece of artwork. She is a very passionate person, specifically about women's rights and generally about everything. She has already connected with a human rights organization here to connect them with her human rights work back home. This girl is going to change the world, and if not the entire thing, at least a piece (though with her travel plans after the semester, the whole world may be possible).

Since I am on the Australians, this is CHARLES. Charles and Marthese go to the same university in Sydney, but hadn't met before coming here. Once finished with the semester here, Charles will have his degree in English Literature and will start med school when he returns to Australia.

Charles is a total hipster and a gentleman, with excellent taste in music and film (and when I say excellent I naturally mean similar to mine) so he has become my pop culture friend here.

He has also been an enabler and enricher of my experience here in a sense. Helping me up the pyramid in Teotihuacan and assisting me when we went to Mexico City for the Dolores O'Riordan concert, I am so thankful for his willingness to make sure I have the opportunity to participate in things here.

This is PABLO, my RA. I haven't seen him much recently, but got to spend a little bit of time with him today with the Climbing Team. Pablo is studying Agricultural Engineering, or something to that effect. His family has a ranch somewhere around Mexico City, I believe. Pablo is very smiley and sweet. And after watching him today, I thought to myself, "No wonder the kid broke his ankle!" I swear he was going to strangle himself on the cords over the pool during one of their activities.

This is LUIS, my Hermano Mayor (Big Brother) through the AMI program on campus. His girlfriend moved here from Germany about a week after I got here. I haven't seen much of Luis recently either. He seems like a cool guy though. He is sarcastic and makes fun of us students who are trying to learn Spanish, getting impatient when we try to construct sentences that take minutes to spit out. That's OK, he makes up funny words in English (like "moisty" instead of "humid") so we were poking fun at him for that.

SUSIE lives in the Res with me and is a complete doll. She is from Montreal, Canada. She is studying business, and since she is fluent in Spanish (her mother is Mexican and so she learned at a young age), is taking all of her courses here with the Mexican students. Susie is the perfect balance between sweetness, fun, and being down-to-earth and relatable. She has also been helping me a lot both with Spanish and with doing my laundry since I can't access the laundry room here. It's good to have a friend so close!

RACHEL is a surprise. She is from Missouri and wants to be a Spanish teacher. In the first week that we were here, she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to do it and I worked to convince her to stay and now she has completely embraced her time here, fearing that it is going too quickly. She is quirky and indecisive in a completely lovable way, very enthusiastic about hearing everyone's opinions and thoughts, and a good listener. I am also turning her into a Cranberries fan. :-)


This is REBEKAH (please note the spelling). She is from Southern California. Kim, this is your twin. She describes herself as an "alpha female" who at times clashes with her host mom over being able to toast her own bread. She and I get along well, both being a bit more reserved, especially when it comes to the party scene (though I call her a lush because she can really down the wimpy fruity wine...hehe).


She got engaged just before coming here so she is missing her fiance very much.





JOHN is also from Southern California and goes to CSU Channel Islands with Rebekah. He is 50 years old and a cool guy. He recently went back to school to become a teacher. He has a daughter in her mid-20s who is also a teacher. I love hearing him talk about his daughter, always with great affection and admiration.


When he first went back to school he lived in the dorms with all the young guys. The administrators asked him if he knew what he was getting into. He said "of course!" and was once selected as resident of the month (or something like that) by the guys in the dorms.


ELKE is from Germany. She is always up for going out and doing something fun, but me being the kill-joy that I am only take her up on it about half the time. She is at the same time spontaneous and a planner, ready to try something new if the opportunity presents itself, but still attentive to her studies. After the semester is over she will likely be doing an internship in France for school. Lucky Europeans, get to travel all over and generally know at least three languages (in Elke's case, four)!



BRIGID goes to CSU San Francisco and is from Berkeley (living the dream, eh, Desiree?). She and I have all of our classes together. I've found in her a bit of a kindred spirit, with a love of hanging out and having chill nights. Brigid is studying literature but has a dream of one day owning an international bakery.

She lives just down the street in a house she shares with Lily from CSU Monterey Bay. They always have a new drama to tell about their house from not being able to get their gas refilled, broken plumbing, or leaky roof. They also just got a little wiener dog puppy and named her Mija.





This is ADRIAN. He is from Ireland and is super friendly and a completely fun person to be around. He loves Dolores O'Riordan and the Cranberries, which naturally makes him awesome. He got to hear her sing his favorite Cranberries song (Ode to My Family) at the concert. Marthese made the observation on one of our first days of orientation that she wasn't sure if he was naturally funny or if she just found him to be funny because of the accent. I think it is both.


And finally, this is ANTHONY. Anthony is originally from Lodi but has lived in Indiana for so long that I think he identifies more with that area. He is interning for the semester for the Programas Internacionales and is studying journalism. He's spent two summers in Querétaro before this semester.

We had a discussion this week that he just might be the worst person in the world because he doesn't believe in global warming (or at least that we have had anything to do with it), is part of the media, and is a white male from the U.S. hehe

what's the craick?

No, I have not taken up drugs in Mexico. This is simply a phrase that Adrian said I should use if I got to meet Dolores O'Riordan. Sadly, I did not get to use it, but it may come in handy one day if I ever need to impress someone from Ireland.

So one of the greatest experiences I have had since being here in Mexico is distinctly non-Mexican but was pretty much a dream come true for me. Last Sunday Adrian, Charles, Tiffany and I went to Mexico City to see DOLORES O'RIORDAN!!! For those unfortunate readers who do not know who she is, she is the lead singer for The Cranberries and has now gone solo. And for those of you know know me well, you know that The Cranberries are my favorite band of all time!

Since it is parcials time (like midterms, except three times a semester) we didn't get to spend much time in Mexico City but got there enough in advance to find a cool little Cuban restaurant in a quiet part of the city and have a relaxing meal. Pictured from left to right are Tiffany, Charles, and Adrian.

The restaurant was pretty interesting, with writing from past-patrons scribbled on every inch of the walls, ceiling, and lampshades. They also had cute waitresses peddling t-shirts and trinkets of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and cigars. I wasn't terribly hungry so I just got platanos con crema...Mmmmm! After we were done eating a friend Charles has that lives in Mexico City met us at the restaurant and joined us for the concert since we had an extra ticket. Off to el concierto!

The concert was at Auditorio Nacional. Charles, Adrian and I had splurged on the expensive tickets but it was SOOOOO worth it! We were speculating beforehand whether she would perform any Cranberries songs. The concert started just as we got to our seats and the first song she did was Zombie!!! It was incredible! A majority of the songs she did were Cranberries songs, including Pretty, Linger, Salvation, Animal Instinct, Ode to My Family, Free to Decide, and others. Her solo songs were awesome too and I can't wait to get the album. I was beaming and singing as loud as I could the entire time. :-) Dolores finished up the concert with Dreams...perfect! Immediately following the last song, however, they turned on the lights in the auditorium and started playing a Glen Campbell song over the speakers. What the...?!?! Total mood-killer!!! We suspect it was an effort to get people to empty out quickly--and it certainly worked. For more tiny pictures of Dolores, visit my Facebook album.

The concert ended early enough that we were able to get back to Querétaro around 1am and be semi-rested students for our exams that morning. :-)

OTHER HAPPENINGS

Last week in my Introducción a la cultura mexicana class we took a field trip to el centro. Since this class is only once a week for three hours it is feasible to do such things. I really love this class. It is totally relaxed, but certainly not a waste of time. Most of the classes consist of getting into groups consisting of both international and Mexican students and learning from each other. The professor is one of the kindest and most genuine people I have come across here and creates an environment where both international and Mexican students can inquire and share openly without fear of judgement. The Mexican students in this course are great too and are so happy to share their culture with us.

I have been to el centro several times before, but am usually in search of a restaurant and have missed so much of what there is to know and see (aside from admiring the occasional building and snapping a photo). Our professor first took us to the government building and shared with us some of the history of Querétaro's role in the independence movement of Mexico. He shared with us the story of the corregidora (the wife of a ruler back at the beginning of the 19th century) who conspired against her husband and the Spaniards to organize the movement to liberate Mexico. I have heard a couple versions of this story from two of my professors, but it boils down to that she was discovered and locked away in the building that is now the office of the Governor yet somehow was able to get a message out that mobilized the people. I believe she was later imprisoned, but not executed. El Día de la Independencia is coming up next Saturday and I hear the celebrations are spectacular! The city has been decorated in preparation for a couple of weeks now.

A part of this government building used to be a prison and for prisoners that we to be punished in harsher ways than to be locked in a cell, they would place them in these little spaces (as Mel is demonstrating) for days at a time.

After seeing the government building we stopped to talk to some activists that I have seen several times before in one of the downtown plazas (my professor is on the right). The protesters are students who have been standing in that plaza for three years. They started out petitioning the government to provide a housing facility for poor students so that they could afford to go to college. If I recall correctly, I believe they were told that they would have been successful except that they are associated with a national organization that the government opposes. A teacher that is a leader in the organization has been imprisoned for years. They have gone to court to free her four times, and have won each time, yet she is still in prison because the government doesn't agree with her ideals. They are still working to free her.

The students have been protesting in the plaza every day for three years, prohibited from attaching their signs to any building so they take one-hour shifts holding their sign day and night. They are completely supported by donations from people on the street.

I have heard that the government in Mexico is corrupt, but after hearing from that student and then in our class yesterday hearing about the protection provided to elected officials which basically means they are untouchable while in office, I was shocked. I wasn't as much shocked about the degree of corruption, because there is corruption in every country, but I was mostly astounded by the blatancy of everything. In that U.S. the corruption is hidden much better. I don't know that one form is better than another, but the difference is interesting.

The tour ended with a fruitless hunt for churros and hot chocolate (they were closed) and then gorditas for all. You've got to love a class like that!

on learning Spanish

Learning Spanish is hard. I knew it would be and it isn't necessarily more difficult than I thought it would be (I was very frustrated in my last Spanish class), but good heavens it is a complex language! It is coming along however. I can conjugate verbs much more easily now, though it isn't an extremely fluid process yet.

Today I got a little bit of a Spanish-high because I got to use my Spanish a fair amount when talking with a taxi driver when Rachel, Andrea, and I were heading back to the Tec. I'm sure it wasn't anything very impressive, but I did get to respond to a statement that he made about Arnold Schwarzenegger and I believe that I was understood. This interaction was interesting because our driver was speaking in his best English and we in our best Spanish. This was beneficial for me in that it allowed me to be able to speak in Spanish because I knew what he was saying, but in a sense wasn't helpful because I didn't get to practice my comprehension skills which are also sorely lacking.

Additionally, I went to the pharmacy today and attempted to get some information but it wasn't that fruitful. We realized as we were leaving that it wasn't because I was asking the question wrong but because what I was asking (how many days before needing my medications should I order them) just didn't make sense to them. In Mexico I guess you just go in and pick up the medication on the same day...and hope they have it in stock.

Some frustrations:

• I know that the best way to learn the language is to be speaking it with Mexicans and not spend so much time with the international students. But my classes are primarily with the international students. And among the Mexican students that I do interact with, I either need to speak English with them (because we are working on a project for which the level of complexity far surpasses my language skills--this applies to anything more intellectual than Dr. Suess at this point) or they talk to me in English automatically. Plus, I really like the international students. :-)
  
• I would really like to meet some Mexicans outside of the bubble of the Tec that I live in, but the level of accessibilty of the city prohibits me from venturing far on my own. I don't know how to solve this problem yet.
  
• I like formulaic learning yet I know that just being exposed to Spanish, even though I don't understand it all, helps me to learn. This is a very mystical and magical osmosis process that I wish I could make sense of.
  
• I feel an enormous sense of guilt when I speak in English, listen to music in English, or read in English now. I don't want to waste a moment of this opportunity that seems to be passing me by, but sometimes I just want to have a real conversation without struggling. I allow myself Thursday nights after class ends at 7pm for guilt-free indulgence in all things in the English-language.

Some observations:

• Spanish is a very literal language that makes so much more sense logically when you think about it. For instance, in English we say, "I am hungry" but the very essence of the phrase "I am" implies something much more substantial than a passing sensation. In Spanish you say, "Tengo hambre" which literally translated means, "I have hunger" which is a much better representation of what is meant to be communicated.
  
• Spanish is also a rather efficient language as far as I can tell at this stage of my understanding. I know that often times we think Spanish is quite a verbose language, using more words than we do in English--and certainly at times this is true. But the verbs are quite amazing, encompassing not only an action but the person doing that action and the moment in time that action is, has, or will take place. For instance, "¿Qué haces?" means "What are you doing?". Additionally, the upside down question marks and exclamation marks are supremely helpful when reading. I don't know how many times reading aloud not realizing that the sentence was actually a question or meant to be read with more feeling that I have completely butchered the meaning.
  
• With this economy of words also comes the necessity for an incredibly large amount of words and complex sentence structures in order to express just what you want. I know that there is some rhyme or reason to this system (aside from those cursed irregular verbs), but this causes me much frustration and agony--and at times, embarrassment (one day in el centro when meaning to tell a woman holding out a cup asking for money on the street that I didn't have any change, I actually told her that she didn't have any change...how very rude of me).
  
• I find it rather amusing that I can say a word incorrectly, but it is still a real word and instead of getting a weird look communicating, "What are you saying?" it is more a look of "Are you sure you know what you are saying?".
  
• I also seem to be getting worse at English, not being able to recall words as quickly as I may normally be able to. I don't know if this is a good thing, indicating that my brain is deep in Spanish-mode, but given my current ability in Spanish I think it simply means that I now speak two languages poorly instead of one.

mas fiestas!

OK, so I don't mean to give the impression that all I do is go to parties in Mexico...but there are a lot of birthdays this month! We have figured out that it coincides quite well with 9 months before the holiday season. :-)

I had quite a busy, and in terms of homwork, a rather unproductive weekend. BUT it was a fantastic weekend and certainly not a waste.


MIS CUMPLEAÑOS
Friday was mis cumpleaños and the people here made it very special for me (I almost got to share a birthday with my sobrina, Reagan). Here at the residence hall I had this cheery sign and subsequently received many wishes of "Feliz cumpleaños!" throughout the day.


I was determined to make it to the pharmacy that day to ask some questions about getting prescriptions so I decided to try and be a little bit social and work on my translation in the common area in hopes that I might have the opportunity to have some small conversations. What awaited me at that little table was not quite what I was hoping for. While I was there I ended up helping one of the students, Lalo, with his English homework (which I didn't mind) and then just as he was leaving a woman came in asking if we wanted to participate in something. It looked like a survey to me, but I really had no clue. Lalo asked me if I had received a note about this and not to do it if I hadn't. I hadn't received anything to my knowledge but after Lalo left one of the staff came to wish me a happy birthday and then seemed to indicate that I should do this thing. Still clueless, I consented. It ended up being a drug test. Lots of fun. I made my way through the questionnaire (who is really going to be that honest about the last time they took cocaine?), making sure I understood it all before signing the bottom. I was then ushered into the bathroom where another woman awaited me holding a little cup. Ugh. She waited outside the stall until I finished. Two minutes later: Horray me - all negative! By the time all of that was done I had enough time to try and eat something before heading off to meet my team for one of my classes. Never made it to the pharmacy (don't worry Mom and Dad, I'll get there this week...Diego heped me with my translation).


Later that evening I had somewhat arranged for a group to go out to dinner for my birthday. We had to be ready to go to Teotihuacan by 6:45am the next morning so I was in the mood for something mild. After much confusion because of the lack of organization (I am learning, with much frustration, the difference between Mexican and American organizational ideas), we made it to a restaurant in el centro. We had a great evening and great food (new favorite: chorizo and queso with tortillas). There ended up being about 25 people there to celebrate with me!


After dinner we headed off to a party hosted by Jess, my "birthday twin", vowing to leave no later than midnight. The party had a theme of pirates and other magical creatures (I didn't want to go buy a costume so my excuse was that I am a magical creature and therefore did not need to dress up as one). It was fun to see everyone's costumes. Five of the guys got little boy Buzz Lightyear pijamas. Here is a picture with Thibault, Francois, and Jamie...and an Italian pirate (Buzz Lightyears not pictured: Adrian and Charles). True to our word, Marthese, Susie, and I made it home at about midnight at which time I made a makeshift vase out of a water bottle for all my lovely flowers given to me. For more photos from my birthday, try this link to my Facebook album.


TEOTIHUACAN
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we arrived at the designated meeting place on campus at 6:45am to leave for Teotihuacan. It is about a three hour bus trip from Querétaro and most of the bus zonked out after about 10 minutes.


When we arrived at the pyramid site Léon, my very aggressive tour guide, said that it would be best for me to stay on the bus and go to the second entrance, which was closer to the pyramids. I say aggressive because that man definitely took charge! After he figured out that I am a bit timid, especially in asking for help if I need it, he constantly told me to stop being shy. Then he kept trying to push me to get up in front of the crowds and practically rammed into people's heels all day. In spite of all that, we formed a bond and he gave me a big hug at the end of the day.


Anyhow, back to the pyramids. Anthony, who is an intern with las Programas Internacionales for the semester (and is from Lodi!), was somewhat assigned to me for the day to make sure I could get around and such. Before the trip he was determined to get me to the top of the pyramids but was told later that he wasn't allowed because it would be too unsafe. He, Léon, and I went to the second entrance after the rest of the students got off the bus. Charles also stayed with me instead of going with the others.


Once we arrived, we navigated our way down to the site. The pyramid site is enormous! It was constructed in the shape of a corn plant, with the roots and nuts on one end, the corn cob, and then the flower at the top. This site used to be a thriving city of 250,000 people until the people of Teotihuacan left, because their supply routes and water were being cut off (it is believed that the society was controlled by the priests back in the day), and then later the Aztecs moved in. This is what I gathered from the Spanish explanation at least. Most of what is at the site today is reconstructed, sadly, and the pyramids used to be covered with murals. There are two main pyramids: el Sol and la Luna. The names are misnomers and have nothing to do with the sun and the moon, but just kinda stuck.


Although Anthony had been told "no" on getting me up the pyramids, this didn't necessarily apply to Charles. ;-) As Anthony was receiving some instructions from Léon, we decided to try it (at least that's the story we were going to stick with if caught)...though with much hesitation on my end because while Charles might have liked the idea of the challenge, I don't think he realized just how tough it would be. We had about half an hour before the rest of the group was to arrive.


Thus we embarked up el Sol, the larger of the two pyramides. Here is a shot from the first level where we stopped to rest. You can see Anthony at the bottom guarding my wheelchair. On the way up, the thinness of the air became apparent and Charles decided that it might be time to stop smoking (unfortunately, that declaration was short-lived). After a few minutes, we started up to the second level with a much more spectacular view! I love this photo looking down from the second level (Mom, you may not want to look at this one), which is about halfway up; if you focus you can get a little disoriented. :-) At this point Anthony gave us the "Stop!" signal and shortly thereafter we saw our group coming. We hurried to start on our way down and made it to the bottom safely where Anthony met us with the wheelchair. Only one of my classmates later asked me about noticing an empty wheelchair when they got there.


The rest of the tour was good, but certainly el Sol was the best part! Here are a few more photos photo 1, photo 2, Brigid, Sarah, y Sarah. Oh yes, and Anthony posing as the obnoxious American tourist.


After Teotihuacan we had lunch at a nearby hotel/restaurant where we were entertained with live music and Native dancers. I always wonder everytime I see performances like this if something within them cringes at doing dances that are to them sacred as a spectacle for tourists as their cameras flash away. There was no explanation of the dances to know that they were sacred, but the woman seemed to be paying homage to the north, east, south, and west before starting. Does poverty drive them to do this? Or are they so far removed from the spiritual aspects of the dance that it is just a cultural ritual? Or could it simply be that they genuinely enjoy sharing that part of their heritage with outsiders? I have no idea, but I didn't take pictures either way.


After lunch we got back on the bus and drove about an hour to the Museo Nacional del Virreinato, which is a museum within an old monastery. Ornate is too bland a word for this place. I have never seen such excessive adornment concentrated in one area. To be honest I was too tired and lost in Spanish to get much out of this place or have much to report back. The museum was our last stop and so we got back onto the busses and headed home. We got back to the Tec a little after 8pm. For more pictures that I didn't post, go to my Facebook album.


Sunday was a fun, but tiring, day...but I am too tired to go into much detail now (plus the photos are still on my camera). Quick summation: church, lunch in el centro, mall with Susie (both of us exhausted), surprise birthday party for Tiffany who turned 19. There was a pink piñata. It was a fun party and Susie and I got back to the Res at about 10pm (muy temprano!).


Now I must be off to bed and try to sleep through this very loud techno music that one of the guys is playing very obnoxiously at 1:30am. Buenas noches! Besos!

Soy una tía!

I am an auntie!!! Reagan Susan Tavares came into this world early this morning at 4:46pm. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 oz. and 20.75 inches long. Both mama and baby are doing well. Pictures are below!