¡Viva!

So, as I have spent the past week interning at a study abroad company, I’ve been nostalgically reliving my freaking awesome study abroad experience in Queretaro…already 2 years ago in a month of so. Crazy. 

I pulled out the 56 videos I took during my study abroad and watched a handful – this is one of my favorites – this is video of the famous Mexican Grito on el dia de independencia, right in the center of Queretaro.  I love the spirit and Mexican pride coming from the Queretanos. Love it love it love it. 

el mercado mexicano y mi familia mexico

Sept 5th

Well we’re ½ way through week two. I feel like I just arrived here to Querétaro, but I also feel like I’ve been here for so much longer than a mere 2 ½ weeks.

I am proud to say that yet another person (Sam) has created a blog! I am so proud! (=

First off, I have a massive mosquito bite and it itches like heck!

318 went fine today. We had to write poems in the style of ancient mayans. Boo.
In cross cultural seminar, we took a class trip to one of the local markets. It was an amazing experience. Obviously quite different than here in the states. There were carnerias, panderias…basically any and every type of –ia possible. We saw fruits, vegetables, piñatas, clothing, toys, shoes, and more. The craziest things we saw at the market were #1 a whole pigs head hanging form the ceiling…neck up. Also, we passed a strand with bottles of blood from various animals! ICK!

I got home right in time for comida with my host parents. We had salad, soup, chicken and rice. The most amazing part of the meal was the bread/biscuit type thing we had. It looked like an ordinary piece of bread, but it was stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, and a type of herb. SO GOOD.

After comida I talked with Nacho and Maruca for awhile. 1. Turns out there is a violin museum here which I saw in the centro the other day. My most parents said that here in Querétaro is a violin/viola/cello/ etc. making/repairing school…the only school of it’s kind in México. I am excited to check that out.

Also, they suggested two locations for us to visit on a day trip. #1 – San Miguel de Allende and #2 Guanajuato. Also, last night Jessica recommended we visit la playa de Carmen if we are ever nearby Cancun. So many places to go and see!

I went to Sam’s house to watch I Love New York (for you Tia) and we had cookies and cream ice cream. Yum. I also tried this amazing peach Sam’s mom had made. She had been soaking them in sugar for a few days, put then out in the sun for a few days, and soaked them in some sort of alcohol for a few days. Very tasty.

We walked to the centro after the show ended and hung out and did some work a the internet café with Elizabeth and Torin for a bit, until we left at about 10 to get crepes (my new favorite staple food). Time sure flys whe you’re having fun, because I didn’t get home until about midnight. Yikes.

Well, everything is well. Mom and Dad, I will try and call telcell tomorrow. I emailed you , so check that. We leave for D.F. bright and early on Friday! It should be an interesting trip.

I want to be Mexican.

Sept 4th, 2007

Have I mentioned how much I love it here? Well, if I haven’t, I LOVE IT! Of course there are things and people I will always miss back home in Oregon, but I can’t get enough of (almost) everything here!

I’m proud to say that I might have set the world record of how quickly I can get ready. I set my alarm for 5:45 am and apparently turned it off without realizing it until 7:04 am: 6 minutes before I was to meet Dan to walk to the bus stop. Luckily, I had showered the night before, so I quickly threw on clothes, threw my books in my backpack, brushed my teeth and ran out the door by 7:12 am. Not bad if you ask me. However, the moral of the story is: 1. Pack my backpack the night before. 2. Set two alarms. 3. Never hit the snooz button because snooz = bad news bears.

On the way to school, Dan and I nearly died. We were waiting to cross the street; there was one car in the farthest lane from me so I started walking across the street. Well, that van decided to switch lanes towards me…I didn’t realize it until after the fact, but Dan said the van was no more than four inches from taking my face off. Oh Mexican drivers.
Then, as we were walking across the gas station, this car comes tearing around the corner, splashing a giant puddle. Dan was closest to the puddle and jumped about 3 feet in the air, missing the splash…lucky for him or else he would have been muy mojado! (soaked!!!).

School was fine…I had 318 and composición. Sam and I took the bus home after class. I went to Sam’s house for a bit and watched tv and worked on some homework. Jacobina, her host mom, invited me to stay for comida so I stayed and ate with Jacobina, Pancho, and Sam. We had tortillas, rice, beans, and mole verde. It was good, but I am partial to my host mom’s cooking. Oh and side note…Tortillas here…well…I don’t like them. I do enjoy my flour tortillas, but I am not digging the corn tortillas here unless they are somewhat crispy. Oh well, I guess it’s a good thing my family doesn’t eat too many tortillas.

I went back home to work on some homework after comida at Sam’s and worked and cleaned up until it was time to leave at 3:15 for school. I felt bad because I had left my room in complete shambles when I rushed out the door this morning. I was hoping I would get home before Chave came into my room to clean, but she beat me to it, folding all the clothes I had torn out of my closet, stacking all my books, and making my bed. I felt so bad, so the first thing I did when I saw here was apologize and tell her I thought a storm had passed through my room. I swear that girl is always smiling! I don’t talk to her much, but she is so sweet! I was really sad because Maruca was fixing comida as I was running out the door to class. It smelled to freaking good too…something like sautéed garlic. YUM.

Anyway, art history went well…Sam and Elizabeth taught the class and we learned that class was canceled on Thursday. YES! I enjoy the class, but having a canceled class is always acceptable in my book. Next Tuesday I believe we’re doing a “hands on” project i.e. making things out of clay in order to incorporate what we’re been learning about pre-Hispanic art. And you wonder why I love it here. It’s almost like being back in 3rd grade…art projects, no job, minimal chores and responsibilities, no cooking for myself. Not too bad.

So after class was AMAZING. Alisyn met (and I briefly met) a friend named Daniela at the computer lab at school. Well, Alisyn and Daniela planned to meet tonight, so those two, Daniela’s friend Jessica, me, Sam, and Sheri all went out to my new favorite restaurant. This restaurant reminds me of Eugene / Dragonfly Café. It is eclectic, fair priced, and has a loft for people to sit in! I ordered an amazing sandwich and a piña colada (non-alcoholic and it was amazing!!!!) I am just in love with Daniela and Jessica right now! They are so much fun. Daniela actually studied in Eugene for awhile (the reason we began talking) and in Florida for awhile afterwards. Jessica studied in England for a year (which I absolutely LOVE hearing her talk because she has an English accent, as she learned to speak in England…so jealous!) Jessica is an Eng. Teacher at a bilingual school and is also a dancer and a singer. Daniela is currently at school, in the process of becoming an English teacher. After we hung out, the girls drove us home which was an adventure in itself…a fun adventure though to say the least.

I came home and talked with Maruca and Chave in the kitchen for awhile. Maruca was baking a prune bread (mom and dad, I think you would LOVE it!) because that’s what she is teaching her students to bake tomorrow in class. Maruca invited me to join her knitting and cooking classes when I have time which I am THRILLED for! I cannot wait!

Anyway, I came upstairs and showered, watched a little bit of the Frida Khalo movie with Maruca and now I’m sitting here, typing this up and watching the amazing lightening storm we’re having. Because Querétaro is located in central Mexico, we experience the repercussions of the hurricanes on both the east and west coast of Mexico. I sure hope those do pass soon…I know they are causing major problems in many parts of the region. Not good.

Anyway, for tomorrow…in my 318 class we’re going to a café and in my other class, cross culture, we’re taking a fieldtrip to a market!!! How am I going to come back to 2 hour lecture classes with 300+ people with hundreds of pages of reading each night?!?! I am dreadddding U of O….

Mom and Dad: again…you need to come visit me at the end of this trip. We need to go to Cancun, relax, and visit all the historical sights (ancient myan ruins, anyone?!) I am learning about right now in ALL of my classes. It would be a good education experience, you could meet my host family (they want to meet you!), an excellent time to practice my Spanish, a good bonding experience, and a well deserved vacation for you two. Think about it…think VERY HARD!!!

crazy Queretaro rain storms

Sept. 2nd 2007

Not much happened today. I had another delicious breakfast with Nacho and Maruca – fresh fruit, cereal, this egg mixture (kinda like a vegetarian omelet in scrambled egg form, black beans, bread, pork rinds (BLEH!) and pineapple upside-down cake!

At 10 Sam and I walked to the centro to meet others to do homework. Although I’m glad my house doesn’t have internet, it would be nice to have it at times like these when I need to get online to do my tarea. Oh well. We arrived at about 10:45 and stayed until about 6 pm. I think I am going to become best friends with the workers there. It seems like a lot of time, but since I am not on all too much during the week, everything I want to get finished (update my blog, respond to e-mails, read the news, and do homework) takes mucho tiempo. However, I did get quite a bit accomplished today which includes (but is not limited to) responding to everything needing a response, updating my blog, reading the news, and writing two papers!

There was a massive rain storm today. The streets again flooded and there was water EVERYWHERE. Also, I saw a rat and a bunch of cockroaches in the street today, courtesy of the rain.

I also had the best hot chocolate and sandwich of my life at the café. YUM.

Sam and I went back to her house and watched Walk the Line and now here I am, about to start week three tomorrow…13 weeks left! Time is flying ridiculously fast here. Our excursion to Mexico City is this upcoming weekend. Yay!!!

Mexican torrential rain storms. Oregon rain isn’t so bad.

Aug 31st, 2007

I had one class this morning from 9 – 10am…composition. blah. Right now we’re going over grammar…blah! I can’t seem to get away from it!

We have been planning an “excusion pequena” (small excursion) to Walmart for this entire week. We have been so excited for it and have been planning it for Friday! Well, today was the big day. Long story short – we did not get off the bus where we should have and ended up taking an hour long detour i.e. riding on a hot Mexican bus which I’m fairly confident has minimal if any shocks. We finally made it, but after getting off the bus, I though we would all get sick. Actually we never made it to walmart. We made it to a similar store, but never walmart. Oh well, it was an adventure for sure!

A rainstorm came while we were inside, so we took a cab home. Again, I must reiterate how ridiculous the rain is here because Querétaro lacks a decent drainage system. Because of this, on the way home while driving through the streets, the way the bus kicked up splashed up over the roof of the cab. It was inside – something you would only believe if you were here!

I bought my host mom a small rose, but by the time I arrived home, the actual rose had snapped off. )= I am going to try to nurse it back to health…hopefully a new bud will grow so I can still give it to her at some point.

Sam and I came back to my house and watched 28 days with Sandra Bullock – great movie! My host mom was watch Les Miserables when we got back! I am liking her more and more (= (don’t worry mom, you still come in #1 by a longshot!)

In other news, I finally found out today that the cleaning lady, Chave, lives here in a little room/building out in back Monday – Friday and returns home on the weekends. She is the sweetest girl ever! I feel weird having her clean my room. It’s also weird coming home and even though I made my bed, having someone remake my bed. Or, noticing that my shoes are organized differently. Something to get used to a suppose.

So a bunch of us went out tonight – fun as always. On the way to the centro, there was a guy in the street throwing fire and putting on a show! Crazy!!! It’s interesting how the US has such a massive influence on Mex. I swear every song is a 90’s American song! Oh and sidenote – Mexican pizza es muy picante!