Random updates.

Updating again!! The world must really be coming to an end, thanks to tropical storm Ida.

I figured I would fill y’all in on a few antedotes that everyone has missed.

With the most recent, tropical storm Ida is dwelling over the Carribean, the rain in Merida the past few days has been torrential. All in all, the sidewalks are slippery, the roads are mini rivers (creeks perhaps?), I need to buy an umbrella, and flip flops and sneakers are equally bad for the rain. I can’t leave my house without being soaking wet. Sometimes it lets up, it just hasn’t happened to coincide with the end times of classes. My aunt and her friend are arriving Tuesday (yay! super excited!), however I am a bit disappointed that I think the majority of their trip will be rainy and miserable. Pray for good weather! On the plus side, it is considerably cooler.

With my traveling, the high altitude of San Cristobal, the temperature changes, and the unbearable humidity I am sick!! Cough, fever, achey, the works. The pharmacies here give out really good drugs.

Test today, presentation tomorrow, two essays for next week, and a presentation next week. Hopefully I can get it all done this weekend.

Día de los Muertos was a really cool to witness. In Oaxaca, every night people were dressed up, many of the women as Catrina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Calavera_Catrina), people with masks would dance, bands played, alters were all over the place. We went to a suburb to go to a cemetery at night. The streets were crowded, there was a play about death and Día de los Muertos (it was creepy) in the plaza, ofrendas in the church, and a ton of street vendors and street food out and about. The cemetery itself was a bit awkward because people were trying to celebrate a solemn, religious holiday (solemn at least in the cemetery) and prepare the graves and there were a lot of tourists walking around, it felt like we were intruding and we decided not to go back to the cemetery the next day but to participate in other events. The cemetery was beautiful however, flowers, offerings, and standard “holy water in the Coca-Cola bottle”.

In terms of other news:

-A pigeon flew into my head and got stuck in my hair while walking through the main plaza one day. There were many old men and school aged children wandering around as I screamed, flapping my arms, trying to get it out. It eventually did, and I resumed walking while everyone else laughed at me.

-My host mom broke her arm, slipping in the bank. She has a women come help her get things done around the house, and still doesn’t let me do anything. She doesn’t like the women because she is very absent minded (yet she seems to like me??).

-I’ve been camping out in a café called “El Hoyo” every other night. Gives me a change of scenery.

-My Spanish is better, and I’ve started hanging out with other exchange students more, so that is a bit more Spanish interaction. It is getting better, just not as much as I would have wished, however, I am confident that after next semester, it’ll be pretty good. Still have a long ways to go.

-Bit homesick, being sick, the weather, pile of schoolwork, and fact that I have 99% of my Christmas shopping makes me want to be home for break!!

-I finally got to watch the world series, but only caught the bottom of the 8th inning, the last game. Not nearly as much fun that way.

Finally

Ok, so I´m sick in a hostal in Oaxaca and have finally decided to update my blog.

Life in Merida is fairly routine. Still upset with the lack of Spanish spoken, and still in love with my host mom. School is not all that challenging, students tend to present and the teachers don´t really teach that much. The educational system is definitely very different, and nothing runs on a schedule. For example, I was supposed to present for my Mesoamerican history class about 3 weeks ago, and have yet to do so. I tend to show up to class every day and find out I´m not presenting.

I love living in el centro, I can go out and find something to do whenever I want to- and tend to frequent a cafe, ´el hoyo´ a bit too much. The heat is no better, still soars up above 100 every day. The men are still annoying as possible.

This week we had a week off for ¨La Semana de Antropología¨ and traveling with two girls, Kristin and Shoshi.

We left late Saturday night, and arrived in Palenque at around 5AM on Sunday. We ended up booking a tour package in Palenque that took us to the ruins....quite extensive....different in style than the Yucatan, a beautiful waterfall, and then a series of waterfalls where I swim, because I wore my suit...but the water was freezing. Ate lunch there, ended up taking a bus to San Cristobal de las Casas. That bus ride, was one of the single most terrifying experiences I think I´ve ever had- luckily, I was too tired to care. You could look out the windshield, and only see grass, you looked to the left, and only saw a giant cliff, and looked to the right, and saw nothing. I´m going to guess we were only on the right side of the road about 50% of the time and everytime we had to pass anything, I was positive there was going to be a headon collision.

Arrived in San Cristobal, checked into the hostal, wandered around a bit.

The first day we were actually there, there were protests going on. Something about 4 men who killed women and children in a pueblito and them being freed from jail. Both sides of the argument were protesting, with people camped out infront of one of the cathedrals. Fun stuff. San Cristobal is known for it´s Zapatista leanings. Essentially, an armed revolutionarly group that has declared war on Mexico, supporting indigenous rights. San Cristobal was beautiful, colorful houses all sitting on hills, there are no hills in the Yucatan. The temperature is considerably cooler-- in was cold! In the 60´s!! I wore long sleeves, jackets, and scarves. When we were there, we did a lot of wandering around, and went to about 50 different churches. We did a fair amount of shopping, found two markets, and a dulceria market. Amazing. Cheap sweets will be the death of me. Started my Christmas shopping in the markets there. San Cristobal was pretty, but in reality, a bit toursity. Not many Americans, but a bit of a European- flower-child Disney Land. Did have some absolutely wonderful crema de calebacita soup while there, it was fabulous.

Left San Cristobal Wednesday night for Oaxaca. Arrived in Oaxaca at 11 am ish the next day, checked into the hostal and took a nap. Later Wednesday, wandered around Oaxaca, the zoocalo, listened to street musicians, found the market, and ate there. Some fried cheese concotion that had a whole jalapeno pepper in it, without knowing, i bit into it. Was left unable to talk or breathe for about 2 minutes, and then finally able to gasp for air, I said something to the affect of ¨pica!!¨ and proceeded to drink all of my soda and eat whatever remaining mole was left.

Oaxaca is famous for mole, chocolate, and cheese- what a terrific combintation!!

Thursday we did some more wandering around getting to know the town. Stopped in the museum in the former Palacio de Gobierno and killed some time there looking at altars, learning the history of the area, and then enjoying the fun interactive anthro museum--terrific!

We´ve been eating at least one meal a day at the market, no menus, tends to be about 30 pesos a meal.

Friday, we went to Tule, to see a very, very large tree. It was interesting, wrote postcards there for awhile, ate ate their market, for 12 pesos. Fabulous.

Saturday, we went to the Zapotec archaeological site of Monte Alban, nestled in the moutains about the city of Oaxaca. Beautiful view, the ruins, green grass in the foreground, beautiful blue mountains and fluffy white clouds in the background, with a view of the whole of Oaxaca. Interestingly enough, the poorer people tend to live higher up, and the city is located in a valley.

Beginning to feel sick, fun little cough thing going on, returtning to Merida tomorrow night via plane (the plane takes 3 hours, the bus about 22).

Hope you enjoy the long awaited blog update....

I need to update!!!

I will update by the end of the day today!!!!!!!!

(Maybe this will keep me accountable?)

Another update...

A few days worth of updates:

Wednesday: I only had class in the morning- Theory of Social Movements which I am most definitely dropping. The class is big- the reading is all theory- and the air conditioning combined with fans makes in nearly impossible to hear people- a few friends in the program are native speakers from Mexico or Cuba, wherever- and they have trouble understanding. Anyways, I ended up flagging down the professor of a Mesoamerican history course to see if I could join- so that’s the new plan. Not as much reading and it’s a freshman class- shot in the dark but I figure, can’t get much worse.

Three other girls and I went to the mall after classes- I’m talking, upscale American- styled mall. I ate 2 tortilla/quesadilla like things- one cheese and one bean for less than $1.50 USD and then we all ordered gelato- nutella flavored for me- for about $4 USD- a good investment. Also, as a side note, they sell individual serving sized packets of nutella next to the registers at all the gas stations- some kind of torture! Anyways, we took our sweet old time wandering around the mall- many of the stores had the same exact things- more so than in the US. I ended up finding a black dress that I can wear out to the discos- maybe I won’t look like quite such a tourist now? Doubtful! The mall was fun- at one point we realized that we didn’t feel at all out of place speaking English, and that we were in Sears- talk about globalization.

That night, after dinner- probably something with eggs and sour cream- we went out to watch the soccer game- Mexico vs. Honduras. Although not exactly a soccer fan, the games are a lot of fun to watch here because everyone goes so insane over them and you can’t help but get into it. After we went out to Mambo Café, a salsa club that had free admission. When we got there we were the only ones there but when the band started playing the place filled up more. The band was from Cuba- they were amazing. The band is huge and the horn section was tight- they dance while singing and rapping and they are pretty amazing. Ended up dancing with a very nice guy that was a good leader and taught me some salsa- it’s not too bad if you have a good leader that is patient! I’m now absolutely determined to actually learn how to dance so am going to take salsa lessons with a few other friends on Tuesday and Thursday nights- I’m really excited!!! Hopefully I won’t make too much of a fool out of myself since I don’t know ANYTHING! I swear to God, any given three year old here could salsa better than I can.

Thursday, my morning class was cancelled so I sat around and did homework all day and dropped off my laundry- it costs about $8 USD whenever I bring it- grr, expensive but there isn’t another alternative. Went to Spanish class and had a program meeting after- nothing too remarkable. On the way home I bought a cute dress from a street vendor for all of 40p (less than $4)- good for hot weather! Got home and Ligia had friends over to play cards so sat around and watched them for a bit before retreating back to my room.

Today only had one class so wandered around el centro for a bit after- found a few nice stores and located an air conditioned cafeteria that I will most definitely be stopping into soon. Sat in the park for awhile and did some reading- very, very slowly. Don’t know how I’m going to get through a few hundred pages this weekend with our excursion. This weekend we are going to several different sites, including Coba. I’m going to get to do a lot of open water scuba diving and am so excited!! We are staying on the beach in Tulum- in my book, the most beautiful place in the Yucatan (that I’ve seen yet).

Going out to another fiesta with other exchange students tonight- hopefully will get lots of Spanish practice in!!

Bailo con Viejos

So to recap: Uxmal, although interesting, was a tad painful given my lack of sleep and the intense heat and sun. Still glad I went to the party because I met a lot of people and needed some social interaction outside the program! Uxmal was beautiful- the ruins are very well preserved (despite the large amount of concrete used in the reconstruction). The view from the top of one of the pyramids was breathtaking- you could see the rest of the site as well as the surrounding town and lots of forest. The down side was that the site was all open without shade, and the guide was a professor from UADY and not too engaging.

After, we went to La Hacienda Yaxocopil- an old henequen plant. The hacienda was beautiful- had a lot of the original furniture from the house, machines, vegetation, it was beautiful. The man who was our guide was really interesting- he worked at the hacienda producing henequen until the plant shut down in the 1980’s. I would love to go back- without a group sometime. They have a room you can rent out for the night- it would be really nice to stay there if I had visitors (hint, hint).

So Monday, I had classes- Theory of Social Movements and sat in on Buseo Cientifico- scuba theory. Saw some people that I met on Saturday night at school- that was nice. Yesterday after I got home for classes- I took a nice long nap, ate, and finished my homework. All in all, not a very exciting day.

Today was interesting through and through. Woke up and was running late- so inhaled breakfast and sped-walked to the bus station. Got to the plaza and was stopped by some hippy-looking boy that struck up a conversation with me- ended up following me to the bus, getting on the bus an talking the whole time- definitely one of the weirder experiences I’ve had since I’ve been here- hmm.

Maya was my first class today- it’s taught in Spanish and English and pretty much made my brain cyclically implode and explode. There are times when my brain just shuts off, and that class was definitely one of them today- no clue what happened- couldn’t process anything in English or Spanish. Normally, I think I’m a decently intelligent human being- but here, I’ve never felt so incredibly stupid for so long!! I feel like I don’t know anything!!

After class, went to the program office, ate lunch, finished homework- took full advantage of the speedy internet and illegally downloaded music- and of course, fell asleep. We watched Payns Labyrinth in Spanish today- no problem understanding it- although, I did close my eyes through a good half of it- it’s scary!!

Came home on the bus- got out of my seat for some poor old woman who could barely walk to she could sit- everyone on the bus stared. Talk about an awkward bus ride- that was really, really weird. My host mom said that there wasn’t anything wrong with it, that it was just unusual and probably more surprising because it was me. Still, 20 people staring at you for the remainder of the bus ride is a bit uncomfortable. Got home- had dinner- relaxed a bit and called home.

Went out to the park in front of my house around 8:30 in search of Mr. Crepe man with his stand. Every Tuesday there is music and dancing in the park- definitely for the older crowd. To make a long story short- I couldn’t make my way through the crowd (all 60+++) to the crepes and stopped to talk to an older gentleman for awhile. Ended up dancing (or rather, he was dancing, I was looking like an idiot), while everyone stared. Not only was I the only person under 60 there, but as I’ve already said- I stick out. So to make a long story short, I ended up being passed around between what seemed like 20 different men and dancing with each of them- I stayed for a good two hours. I now know that I can’t dance to save my life, at least not salsas, rumbas, merengues, cumbias, etc, but wouldn’t mind learning. I also have a small bouquet of flowers that were given to me by the various old men I danced with. All in all, the experience was absolutely hysterical- probably more so for everyone that was watching me. Aside from a few men inviting me to go with them various places and a few creepers- it’s a fun story to tell. Got back to the house and my host mom said “Oh my God! What happened to you?” I proceeded to tell her what exactly did happen to me and she started hysterically laughing at me- apparently next Tuesday we are going with a camera so she can take pictures of my new novios.

Things seem to be coming together for me a bit- although painfully slowly. My biggest frustration now is the language- I’m not a patient person and I feel as though my Spanish isn’t improving at all!! My insecurity with Spanish tends to damper my social interactions and willingness to approach people- although usually if someone starts talking to me, I’m ok. Aside from that, I’m enjoying everything else here- big trip coming up this weekend and then it’ll be Independence Day here- some things to look forward to!! It will be nice when I have some more free time and can wander around the center more and also take advantage of all the museums and free entertainment for students. As long as I can get through next week I think my schedule will calm down considerably- in time for midterms! Oh well, probably be better to keep busy and out and about instead of sitting at home focusing on all the Spanish I don’t know! (Although, a little extra studying wouldn’t hurt).

The weekend...

Ok so phew, I suppose I havea few days worth of updates to catch up on! This weekend was busy- but good!

Friday morning, I only had one class- The History of Mexican American Relations- a lot of Americans in the class too, but also some local students. Our reading and homework depends on our nationality and it looks like there will be a lot of interaction. The professor seems very nice and get this- I could understand everything he said! It was a good hour into the class until I realized, oh hey, I wasn’t thinking “Oh God, he’s talking in Spanish”- I just understood it! The class started about 40 minutes late and our 15 minute break lasted a good half hour…you have to love it. I get somewhere late, thinking I will be “on time” and that’s never the case- I’m still way too early.

After class we all went to the library to try and make photo copies of our books. The students don’t really buy textbooks here- they just copy them and put them in a big book/folder thing. It makes so much more sense and is so much cheaper- if only it wasn’t illegal!!

Waited around for a few hours and left with the other students and our scuba instructor- in his old van- to a hacienda- about an hour from la Facultad. The hacienda is beautiful, several houses and the original machienery, now has a beautiful restaurant and ampitheater with a cenote? There were hammocks overlooking the ampitheater, which has a beautiful old tree in the center, and is set against a backdrop of a beautiful blue sky and old trees- the hammocks are quite comfortable, with the perfect view, and traditional music playing- life couldn’t have been more wonderful in that moment!

Fast forward a bit- scuba diving! The pool was small so we went in two groups of four students each. There is a lot of equipment- the valves (octopus), wet suits, tanks, weights, goggles, lots to keep track of. I didn’t realize how buoyant you are when you are wearing an air tank, wet suit, and the scuba vest- we have to use extra weights to keep us down, as well as working controlling breathing and inflating and deflating our vests in order to add or decrease weight.

The first time I actually submerged and breathed underwater was so strange! Your gut reaction is to hold your breath underwater, but you can’t! With the tank you can actually breathe pretty normally. We practiced clearing our masks of water, taking our respirators out of our mouths and using it again, using someone else’s “safe second”, and swimming around with our giant fins on. It was so exciting!

Wandered around the hacienda after- we ended up taking several hours there and by the time I got home, it was 8ish. Showered, ate, and left to go to a friend’s house. Got ready- flagged down a taxi (that’s one impressive feat) picked up a friend, and went out to a disco. We ended up staying for all of 10 minutes, it was very “fresa” or quite preppy- as it turns out, it is completely unacceptable to go anywhere in Mexico after 8pm wearing less than 4’’ heels. I am very unfortunately going to have to amend my shoe collection a little. As if I need to be any taller when I go out- I still can’t get away with wearing “normal” shoes. That’s a bit depressing. Anyways, we ended up leaving and going to a friend of a friend’s house nearby- another two American students and some local students as well- eventually went out again, to another disco and stayed until the music stopped, 3 am or so?

The next day, Saturday, we had more scuba- so met in the northern part of the city. Went to the hacienda again- this time we were the second group so I took a nap in the hammock- I’m getting very good at taking naps in interesting places. Our turn came around- we practiced taking on and off our masks- definitely weird, you can’t see anything without the mask on and a lot of water comes rushing up your nose, when you put it back on it is filled with water and you have to clear it- not my favorite sensation in the world. I at least don’t need contacts- that was difficult for some of the other people. Our instructor Memo (who is really, really cool- he’s an underwater archaeologist!) also shut off our air so we would know what it felt like when we ran out. It was really fun again- I can’t wait to get into a cenote or something aside from a pool- more to see! I can definitely see myself getting into underwater archaeology- it’s pretty much the coolest thing I’ve ever heard of.

Got back from scuba- showered, ate, relaxed a bit. Went out by 10 and caught the last bit of the Mexico- Costa Rica soccer game. I’m fairly positive that the only time Yucatecos actually consider themselves Mexican is when it comes to fútbol. The streets were dead! Mexico ended up winning 3-0.

After the game we went to another exchange student (from another part of Mexico) house. Lots of exchange students from all over Mexico and Spain- lots of practice for my Spanish. It was really great- l met a ton of people and spoke in Spanish all night- with minimal difficulty. Definitely some grammar issues, but no major communication snags. Ended up staying until 4 am or so- not the smartest move considering I had to get up this early. It was just so refreshing to be hanging out with Spanish-speaking students, in a setting outside of the program meetings. Not to mention my Spanish was working to some extent last night.

This morning was rough, needless to say, still glad I went out and met people though. The group met at 8:30 this morning for a trip to Uxmal and a Hacienda on the way. I’ll include more info about this in my next blog tomorrow, but I have to do reading before I fall asleep!!

Very jealous of everyone in the Adirondacks right now- what I wouldn’t give for that weather and a lake. I don’t think I have worn sleeves of any length since I’ve arrived!

So this weekend was better- still not easy, but definitely better, not to mention, I had a lot of fun. There are some times that I am just really frustrated that I can’t get the words out of my mouth the way I would like, and have to take a 10 minute detour to express what I want to. In terms of sticking out- I think people near my house and in the plaza in the morning and afternoon are starting to recognize me and I haven’t been approached as much. Not to mention, despite my SPF 50, I’m very, very tan- which helps make it look like I belong here a little bit more. Still get the honks and stares from men driving buy, but I don’t think I’m going to win with that situation any time soon. Definitely in a transitioning phase- sometimes the amount I don’t know and am clueless is just really funny, sometimes figuring out the slightest things make me incredibly happy, and sometimes, I feel like I’m three years old, lost in a huge city- without a clue what’s going on!

I’ll update tomorrow too….

More of the "hostility" stage.

Today started off horribly. The electricity went out in the night, so that meant no fans, no alarm clock, a ton of rain, and cats fighting right outside my window. Woke up disgustingly sweaty and late. Tried to take a shower- water was cold, dropped my shampoo, slipped and fell on the nice hard tile- damn it!

Got to the bus station sweaty and late, ended up getting on the wrong bus. I take “R- 2 Aleman” to school everyday but ended up getting on “R-1 Aleman”, a bus that was packed, with windows that wouldn’t open- imagine, if you will, 40 people crammed onto a bus without circulating air…gross. So 40 minutes into the bus ride I realized, hmm, I just passed Walmart- that’s funny- that shouldn’t happen. As it turns out, I got on the wrong bus- had to talk to the bus driver- wait another 20 minutes, get off the bus, ask where the stop was, and then wait for the correct bus. I made it to class about twenty minutes late- ugh. Maya was at least engaging today- we seemed to move really quickly- hopefully today was just to give us an idea of what the language sounded like and how it functioned. The pronunciation seems tricky!! Grammar doesn’t seem to hard though.

Had a super long break between classes- took the bus to the program office- ate lunch, did some Spanish homework, and then pulled the tables together and took a nap. Laura and Jen did too- at least I wasn’t alone!

Spanish is boring and cold. The grammar is easy- I just can’t retain it to use it in a conversation! I feel like I need a week to just study our grammar book obsessively and I’d be all set- that unfortunately, is not too realistic. We had a useless, waste of time program meeting after Spanish.

Some of my friends and I went to Walmart after- took way too much time. I bought a watch for scuba diving, folders, a backpack meant for a three year-old, and a CANDY BAR!!! I’ve been trying to find milk chocolate for the past few weeks- finally did!!!!

Taking the bus home was a trip- had to fight my way across a huge traffic circle, only to find out I had to do it once more because the bus wouldn’t stop there. Finally got on the bus home- stopped way short of where I am used to getting off and had to walk pretty far, with all my books, my computer, and groceries- wasn’t fun.

Got home, Ligia made dinner- tortilla, queso, salsa verde, crema, frijoles- I ate it sooo quickly- I was starving!!

All in all, a frustrating day. I know that there are a few other people feeling like this too- one of my friends started crying during the program meeting, felt badly for her, but she’s definitely not alone!! One of the guys also said that he feel s like he is understanding less than when he came- also definitely how I feel!!

I mean, there were positives for today- I got lost and got back home, I got homework done, although it was hard to understand, I found the things I needed, even though it took forever. I really feel isolated because I feel as though my Spanish isn’t improving at all and everyone understands what is going on more than I do. I also feel like I am never going to meet local people because they don’t want to have anything to do with the exchange students, and if they do, I wouldn’t be able to understand them.

The constant whistling and honking is old, and if i go out to eat with a guy and try to order, they always look to the guy to verify that I can have whatever I ordered. Does feminism exist here?

In terms of other akward situtations. If you are a foreigner in Mexico- joining in a protest, you can be deported. On my way to school today, I walked straight through a protest in the plaza, waited for the bus in the middle of it, and did not realize that it was indeed, a protest, until I got on the bus and realized people were holding signs regarding bus fees. Moral of the story, if large groups of people are gathered together with microphones- walk around them, as "hostile" as I am not, I don't really want to be deported!!

I have my first underwater part of the scuba diving class tomorrow, I’m really excited about that. Maybe some time in the water will actually permit my feet to be clean! They are always so dirty here! Ahh!

Thanks for the kind comments, they do help a lot!! Also, apparently an hour long massage is about $30 and there are gym memberships and yoga classes for 80p/day or 500/month. I'll think about it- I could use some stress relief!!

Estoy frustrada!

Yesterday was my first day of classes- had Maya in the morning, the class was filled with other exchange students, two of which aren´t from our program. The professor was very nice and I understood everything he said, although, our text book is going to be in English because it has less mistakes than the Spanish version and he is also going to teach some grammar in English. All in all, it seems like its going to be an easy class because there are no local students in it- a good and bad thing. The first day we basically just went over statistics about the populations that speak Maya and the different dialects.

After class, I caught the bus to the office- asked the Program Director about some classes and went out to lunch. A few blocks down from the office there is a vegetarian restaurant- I got a veggie burger- covered in all kinds of funny sauces and vegetables, as well as a ½ liter of jamaica. It was really good and cheap too, I probably have a new favorite place- and it seems like I will be one of their only customers too. After lunch, walked around trying to find a newspaper for my homework (unsuccessfully) and bought a drink at the Oxxo (gas station, convenience store). Walked back to the office and saw the largest lizard I have seen, outside a zoo, in my life. This thing looked like a misplaced croc!! I took pictures so when I feel like being really patient I´ll wait for them to upload onto flickr.

Spanish class was ok- they are a bit boring but now we have a lot of homework and a big grammar book that I need to study religiously. I don´t know anything.

After class I took the bus back home and ate dinner. Dinner was an interesting concotion of tortillas, cheese, onions, salsa verde, and sour cream. I swear to God I eat at least 4 tablespoons of sour cream or butter on everything here. My stomach was also a little upset last night, although that probably goes without saying.

After, I met friends in el centro- the walk there was interesting. I stopped to talk to a few guys on the street that I pass nearly every day. They seemed very nice but ended up being a bit crude- I´ll spare the details since my grandmother is reading this! To make a long story short, it wasn´t a good start to the night. Ended up meeting my friends, they were going to eat dinner but I figured I would get some chips and maybe a chelada (chela- beer- mixed with lemonade). Went to a restaurant that looked good- ended up being horrible. The guacalmole was old, or else made out of some horrible mix, and when we very, very politely said something to the waiter they got upset and the manager came over and told us (abbreviated) that all the ingredients were fresh and that we didn´t know what we were talking about. We waited nearly an hour for our food, and another half hour or 40 minutes for the check- in which they had overcharged us for a few things. We pointed this out- once again- very politely and they said they would go change it. Another twenty minutes went by in which the waiters just looked at us, and I finally got up and told them that we were very annoyed and would like the check now, otherwise we were going to leave. Got the bill and paid. While this had all been happening some creepy old man was staring at the table making gestures (once again, I´ll refrain from elaborating) and continued to stare, for a good half hour until we asked him what he was looking at. UGGHH! This was such a frustrating experience.

I´m so frustrated of sticking out so much, people coming up to me and patronizingly speaking to me in English, or men just being crude and disgusting. Ugh!

Today so far, I had one class- Theories of Social Movements. Really frustrated, it was hard to understand because the prof´s voice was scratchy, the room was loud, and all the other (local) students were laughing and making jokes that I definitely didn´t understand. It seems like all the local students avoid the foreign ones and visa versa. I also feel like I´m never going to learn Spanish and that I don´t have a clue what is going on. I really would like this phase to be over!!!

Not too much to say...

So today:

Slept in until 9ish- woke up, had breakfast- the typical plate of fruit covered in honey with cereal and orange juice. Went to the lavendaria and dropped off my clothes to be washing- it was a few dollars- maybe 5 or 6? I can pick them up tomorrow morning- hopefully before school starts- otherwise I won’t have anything to wear- didn’t think that one through so well!! After, I walked to the copy/paper store and bought some notebooks (all grid notebooks—hmm) and three folders (the filing kind- they didn’t have any others). Came back to the house- Doña Ligia spent half an hour telling me why I would make the perfect girlfriend for some Mexican boy- it was hysterical and a self esteem booster for sure- but I definitely don’t think that will be happening!! Called Ilion- the aunt and grandmother after- it was good to talk to them both and Skype sure does make it a lot easier and cheaper! It’s about .02 a call to phones- and obviously, free to computers.

Lunch was light- macaroni and cheese with mushrooms and salsa verde- a really, really weird, but bearable combination. Left to catch the bus- it was filled with kids getting out of school (first day here) and took forever!! I need to take this into account when taking the buses now too! They were all curious about the gringa on the bus- didn’t help that when I tried to get off I went to the front door which was broken and I didn’t realize. They laughed at me, so it goes.

Made it to the Facultad a bit late- but that’s ok- everything here starts late. Scuba diving is going to be so much fun. The teacher is awesome, I have him for one of my classes too. He seemed pretty happy that I was into Maya archaeology and anthropology- I’m very excited to be taking classes with him. We are going to be getting our basic certification “open water diver”- good for up to up to 70 feet or so, and after, we can get a more advanced certification if we want it. We went over all the basics in terms of equipment the physics and physiology of it- we are going to a pool Friday to start! I’m so excited about it- ahh! Should be a great time.

Came home after class- stopped for an “aqua fresca (they advertised with an a, not an o) de sandia”. I really should have brought my burks- my flip flops are really slippery on the dusty sidewalks and I keep having a few near wipe- outs. I’m not sure what type of shoes would be better- but I really need to find some!! I just don’t know if I will be able to here with my huge feet!!!

Didn’t really do anything tonight- hung out, watched a Doris Day film that Ligia had laying around. She loves movies- and gave me a whole stack of movies to watch- good practice for my Spanish!! She’s so cute, I’m really lucky!

All in all, not much to say about today except for my excitement over scuba diving. Classes start tomorrow- Maya and Spanish- I’m nervous but very excited!

At least everyone who reads this gets a break with a short entry for a change!! I’m trying to keep my entries pretty detailed so I can reference them later too, hopefully you all aren’t bored to death!!

Mi vida es bellisima

Ok- so yesterday was pretty terrific. Left in the morning and met the group at the cathedral. We all went to Los Dos cooking school- ahh! It is essentially in a gringo’s house- chef David Sterling- and it has been featured on Martha’s shows, Oprah’s, in the NY Times, etc. etc. The classes are actually in the chef’s house en el centro. He showed us the before pictures of what the house looked like when he bought it- trees growing inside, crumbling walls, etc…it’s beautiful now. The dining room has a mural that wraps all the way around it of el centro and essentially, “life in Merida”. It is beautiful. His kitchen is covered in tiles with cast iron pans hanging; the terrace has beautiful plants and a pool- look at the pictures!! (http://www.los-dos.com/galeria/index.php). To begin the class we tasted different spices and fruits. After, we went to the Market- it was terrific. There were a lot of indigenous people selling fruits, little “street vendors”- it was incredible. So hard to put into words and describe. It was a happening place- but oh so very local. After we went back and at different stations made the food. Tostadas, panuchos, and more- the chile habanero was the hottest thing I have ever tried in my life- it burned, my face burned, it was incredible. Definitely need to work on my “pica” tolerance. The food, all in all, was great- and I learned a lot about the spices and forms of cooking. The difference between “yucateco” and “Mexican” is huge here, there are definitely two distinct things- regarding culture, the people, the food, the music- it’s a huge difference. A lot of times yucatecos don’t want to be considered Mexican and it seems that there is a very strong current of underlying resentment between the peninsula and the rest of the country. Makes for an interesting history lesson!!

After the cooking lesson, the group went on a bus tour- in a bus from Puerto Rico- brightly painted and sticking out like a sore thumb. The bus tour, truth be told, wasn’t that great. The guide was hard to understand and it mostly went through el centro, which I walk through every day and have been asking many questions about as I go. I’m not sure if it was the heat, that I was tired, or just what- but I definitely think that the bus ride/tour could have been a lot better!

After the bus ride, a few of the other girls and I went to an air conditioned restaurant for bebidas- you need to hydrate and stay cook as much as you can during the middle of the day, you can’t function otherwise!! After, we went shopping- I bought an adorable dress for 70 pesos (less than $7). Shopping was a lot of fun, and also really funny- all the clothes are just a big too short!! Having tired of shopping, two of the other girls and I decided to attend the Catholic mass at the cathedral en el centro. It was really interesting to go- hear everything in Spanish (not understanding a lot due to the echo), and see the way people worship here. Mexico is so very Catholic, but the way it is practiced here is a lot different than the states. There are mixes of folk religion, there is a large GLBT community here but it isn’t openly practiced, very interesting how the social aspects of life mix with the religious ones. After the service- I left my bag with my dress in it under the pew, went back for it 10 minutes later and it was gone, damn it. Learned my lesson- and I at least make sure I have my purse close to me at all times, and haven’t been carrying around anything important.

Went home, and rested for awhile- massive thunderstorms and rain. Tried to call a taxi to go over to a friend’s house before going to the disco. My phone wouldn’t work, I couldn’t understand anything they were saying, it was raining outside- what a mess!! My host mom finally called for me from the house phone- and the taxi picked me up about half an hour later. I had planned to arrive at 9, but didn’t until well after 10- you gotta love Mexican time. The taxi driver was so incredibly nice- he wanted to tell me all about his family and asked me a lot of questions. I now have his cell phone number (which is what you do when you find a good driver) so I can call him when I need to- that way I won’t get ripped off by prices- there usually aren’t meters. Got to Jen’s house- met her sister and her sister’s boyfriend (from Oaxaca) who are backpacking around Mexico, and are in Merida now. They were supperrrr nice- and it was awesome to have a native speaker- not a gringo with us.

Got to the disco and met some friends there- $7USD cover charge- that includes an open bar. It was packed. Now, mind you, I was wearing heels- but regardless, was latter than ¾ of the people there- and two gringas walking around together attracts a lot of attention- something I guess I need to get used to. Wow, can the guys here dance. So much more fun than a club back home- everyone dances, and everyone dances well!! Some of the guys were a bit creepy- nothing serious or worrisome, but we eventually met a group of very nice guys and a girl. They started teaching me some salsa- hard, but fun!! We stayed, dancing until about 3 in the morning- left, took a taxi home. It was so much fun! AHH! I can’t quite get over how much I enjoyed myself- I really, really need to learn how to salsa now! The music is great, a mix of American and Hispanic dance music and rap with the occasional salsa song. Watching people dance to MC Hammer segueing into a salsa is the greatest thing ever, and they make the transition seamlessly. I’m in love with the discos (or at least, the one I have been to).

So Today:

Woke up (easier said than done) showered, ate, made it to the bus stop by 10:15 with some friends and bought round trip tickets to Progresso (the local beach, about 25 minutes away) for $25P- about $2USD- gotta love the price of transportation here. Got to Progresso- it was packed with locals- NO other gringos- not a one! Walked around trying to find a calm spot or a halapa to sit in that wasn’t too expensive. Eventually settled on a halapa we had to order food to stay at- ate pico de gallo and guacamole. The water was crystal clear, a beautiful blue. The water was also nice and refreshing- not too cold, not too warm. Interestingly enough, most of the people there swam in their clothes- different than any of the other beaches we had been to. There were a few other people in bathing suits. We basically sat at the beach all day- swimming, eating, and in my case, sleeping. There are now some lovely pictures of me, asleep on the beach with my mouth hanging open.

Truth be told, the beach was a bit frustrating- once again, we were a complete spectacle. People stared at us, someone took pictures, ugh. I know that I need to get used to this eventually, but this is also the first time in my life that I have been the clear minority. It doesn’t help that I happen to be American, white, and “tall”- definitely a lot of interesting looks, questions, and the men can be a bit annoying and objectifying. I know that this all comes with the territory, but this is just something I have to get used to. Yes, I did put on sunscreen- although, I don’t know that it helped. I am leathery, sore, and red. I suppose this had to happen sooner or later- and hopefully won’t be repeated too frequently. We went to a nice restaurant- local but not a whole in the wall- with music, a nice deck, and view of the Gulf. I ended up ordering a salad and French fries because nothing else was vegetarian- what are you going to do? I feel like I have less luck when I eat out because the menus don’t typically have anything vegetarian, at the same time, I feel like I am completely spoiled by my host mom and experiencing local food this way. Dinner was great and we lingered until around 8. Took the bus home- took a shower to clean off all the sand and am here. Nursing my sunburns and updating my blog.

Tomorrow is the first day of classes; I don’t have any “real” classes, only scuba diving. I am really nervous about meeting local people and classes- it’s like freshman year all over again, but worse. The communication issue, the fact that I stick out like a sore thumb, etc. etc.

I know that I am still in the “honeymoon” phase of study abroad, but this really may be the happiest I have ever been. I don’t want to leave- there is something about this place that just feels “right”. AHH! Still sad to see people back at Geneseo and sad to be missing out- but what an experience! I couldn’t ask for a better situation- I’m so lucky!

And to quote a friend’s tattoo (seems to be a recurring theme): “Este momento es el major en mi vida.”

My brain.

Didn’t write yesterday, I was only home for about an hour- here is the quick synopsis:

More orientation in the morning, including a review of the trips that we are going to take- the longer trip covers a few places I have already been (Tulum, Cobá!!!, Ek Balam, Muyil) and others that I haven’t. I am debating taking a scuba diving class that is expensive- but I would be internationally certified and could dive at all the sites- not sure what to do…input???

We had a 3 hour break or so- too long! This whole orientation process could have been a lot more condensed than it was. Having said that, the information is good, the people working for the program are great, and they are really well prepared- have their stuff together.

After the break, Spanish class and back home…

I LOVE the walk to and from the bus. I pass through streets that are blocked off from cars, plazas, in front of panederias (bread shops), people sell papers in the streets….it’s great. The shops have clothes, CD’s, everything imaginable for cheap, cheap, cheap. I feel like I’m really getting a glimpse into la vida normal en Merida. On the way back from the bus, I poked around some- stopped to talk to some of the boys at the CD shop- I will go back soon, the music is only 1 or 2 USD for a whole CD- I can improve my Spanish music collection!

At home I sat down with Ligia for awhile, had our evening chat- classes, politics, and art. We might paint together! She loves drawing and painting- how fun!

At night, I went out with one of the guys from the program- went to 3 different bars in el centro- they were too touristy- we couldn’t find any hole in the wall places, and decided we needed to ask the Program Director where to go. Anyways- the first place- there was a singer who we talked to for awhile, told him we were both from New York- and he ended up singing New York, New York to us, we were mortified! Admittedly, it was hysterical though. After, we left and went to another cantina that had karaoke- except we were the only ones there and the music that was being played didn’t match the music on the screen- awesome! The third was more of a restaurant and had more locals in it- we had a beer there and listened to the music- it was nice. Walked Ray back to his bus stop (I actually know my way around downtown some!) and was home by 11:30. El centro was fun but not as authentic as I would have liked- we’ll get there eventually though!

Moving on, today was great.

Orientation, orientation, orientation- it’s just getting old at this point. On the plus side, I’m really hitting it off with some of the girls on the trip- we have plans to travel to Oaxaca and Chiapas later in the semester- very excited! During lunch today I had a near meltdown. I had to ask Jen- one of las chicas- to repeat a sentence three times- and still couldn’t understand it. After making a fuss, “Wait, wait, hol;d on, give me a minute, I can get this”- I realized that she was talking in English, about her sandwich. Oh God- my brain is doing some funny things!!! Anyways, we are going to go out to a salsa club tomorrow night and to the beach on Sunday- I guess it’s what all the locals do so it should be fun! After orientation we had a big dinner with all the program people in the office- it was great and I ate a ton!! Guacamole, tostadas, different salsas, pasta, horchata, jicama, cantaloupe, watermelon, couldn’t have been better. Took the bus back with Ligia in the pouring rain! The streets were so slippery and everyone was trying to hide under tiendas, we got on a taxi/van too- small and packed in like sardines- omg, so very Mexican and so great!

Today, although nothing particularly exciting happened I was very content with everything. I love the city, love, love, love it. Every day is a mixture of ups and downs, and I feel like I am never going to learn Spanish!! Nevertheless, I really am happy and content traveling- I just feel at home when I know I’m not. I love the Maya area and the people- the balance between tradition, modern, yucatacan, and Mexican is just amazing. There is so much diversity and so many influences that blend together to create such a dynamic and stimulating environment- ahh!

I already know it is going to be so hard to leave, I really feel like I might need to take more time to travel and “explore”- it is what I feel content doing. There are definitely ways to travel and work, living on the cheap and immersing yourself in local culture- I’ll have to put a lot of thought into this. I know I will learn a ton about myself while learning about a different culture- not sure what any of it will amount to but hey, life is short. What’s wrong with doing what makes you feel happy and feel like a better person, more self sufficient, cultured, and generally more aware of what’s going on in the world around you- not just what is going on with yourself!

Que ondas?

Victories of the day: I took the bus an hour to and fro La Facultad de Antropología without problems- it was easy! The buses were on time; I got on the correct one, and wasn’t hassled by anyone! Also, I managed to walk back from the bus stop to my house and was only approached by one street vendor. The stares that I get walking around El Centro are actually pretty fun, I’m some grand spectacle and I kind of enjoy it. I am the only gringa that I have seen walking to and from the bus stop and my house- there are a ton of people too!

In the morning, I walk through 3 or 4 different plazas to get to the bus, and two pedestrian- only streets. It’s so much fun because in the morning all the stores are opening, everyone is going to work, people by breakfast on the street, and everyone is running into people they know- so great to watch! Coming back from classes is great because the plazas are packed and there is so much going on- unbelievable.

The park outside my house has traditional music every Tuesday from 8- 11, the Plaza de Santa Ana (4 blocks from my house) has dance and music on Thursdays, in the Plaza de Independencia (biggest plaza in el centro, where I catch the bus) there are dancing lessons on Wednesdays and big festivals on Sundays. The office building and library of UADY has free theatre for students on Fridays- also right by my house. With my student ID card, all the buses are ½ off (30 cents per ride), museums are free, and on Wednesdays, movies are half priced. There is so much to do, I feel like one year isn’t enough time to fit this all in! Despite my feelings of frustration and being overwhelmed, I’m so happy with my host mother, the area I live, the university, and the massive amount of things I can do in my free time.

The Anthropology department is AMAZING. There is a whole library devoted to anthropology and you can take out ethnographies and other resources in two places- the post 1900 section and the pre 1900 section. I can check out the first copies of the Catherwood diaries. (Major anthro- Maya geek out time- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Catherwood) The professors seem amazing and are essentially living in their field of study, with Maya influences everywhere. I am planning on taking a Yucatec Maya class (the language), History of the Yucatan, Underwater Archaeology, and Spanish- I can’t take photography this semester!!! Maybe I can take a dance class or something like that? Haha.

I’ll spare everyone the horribly boring details from orientation except one. I was placed in the first (lowest) Spanish class. Meh. That is definitely frustrating, but on the other hand, it will be much easier, a lot of review, and I will probably want a break from intense Spanish.

Walked to the supermercado alone today to buy toothpaste and snacks. That was a lot of fun, I love interacting with locals, especially when they clearly just don’t know what to think of the gringa waiting in line.

Talked with my host mom forever tonight- we are going to try and paint together! How fun! She is so cute!! We had a big long conversation about more politics- both sad about Ted Kennedy- and art and music. We’ve decided that we will try and start a painting, not really expecting either of us to finish it- that’s the best!

Used Skype to call home and Scott- How great!! It cost me a total of $2 for almost two hours of phone time. It was very nice to talk to people at home because studying abroad can be a bit frustrating and lonely at times. I am very happy with where I am right now, in terms of the program, but I seriously couldn’t be more ecstatic with the choice of programming.

And I’m out, falling asleep already! Goodnight all!

I'm having experiences?

Today…ugh! What a day. Many good things, many things were frustrating.

I had to wake up at 5:30 this morning to get ready for class and catch the bus. Waking up, ready to roll over and turn off an alarm clock is a lot harder in a hammock- I got stuck.

Left the house with Doña Ligia at 6:30 this morning and walked to La Plaza de Independencia (10 minutes from my house) to catch the bus. We ended up waiting for close to 45 minutes- maybe an hour- for the right bus. The area was unbearably crowded and confusing. There was a mass amount of people that resulted in a lot of chaos and confusion for me. It was very hard to figure out what bus was the right one- we had to ask a ton of people, and all the bus drivers. The area is nice but yikes, at 7 in the morning, that is just not for me. When we finally figured out what bus it was, it was crowded, sweaty, and hot! It’s like 90 degrees by 7 in the morning!! The whole experience was a little traumatic, Doña Ligia says that it is easier when there are less people later in the day- going to avoid taking 8 am classes if I can! Tomorrow…I have to take the bus all by myself, I’m absolutely terrified!!

Arrived at the Facultud de Antropología (social science building) late. The program hard already started- one of the other girls was late too. Program was long today, lots of information about living with host families, being American in Mexico, etc. etc. etc. (I’ll spare you the details). We had a two hour break for lunch and a group of us went exploring to the library. We were pointed and laughed at (the first of many I’m sure) and yelled at for being in the computer lab. Two freshman boys also stopped to talk to us- attention from men because I’m a gringa- a “tall” one with “rastas” (dreadlocks) is going to get old quickly.

After lunch we took a Spanish Placement exam that I absolutely bombed. I don’t know what happened- my brain couldn’t process any Spanish and the speaking component was a disaster. I guess this really isn’t that bad because I might welcome an easier Spanish class- but it does mean extra time in class though.

Entonces, we all finished the test and there was a lecture- the brief political and social history of México (particularly the Yucatan) that was a bit encouraging. I could follow pretty much everything and thought it was really interesting. I got to ask a few Maya questions and took notes because I’m nerdy like that.

I asked about taking classes in Maya and the program director, Diana said she would find some for me.

Doña Ligia and another friend picked me up in a car and we drove back home. I had plans to meet some other girls in the program at the main plaza, at 8. OMG, what a disaster! I left the house at 7:30 thinking I would take the two main roads over so I could see everything- uggghhh. I got so lost. I ended up in the sketchiest neighborhoods ever- I was one of the only people on the street- anyone who was on the street was a rather seedy looking man. It was terrifying. I walked around for an hour, stopping to ask directions a few times, before I finally found the place. Lots of shouting at me, name calling I didn’t understand (luckily, I’m sure) and the sheer terror of having no clue where the heck I was.

Finally found the largest plaza and cathedral in the city, that obviously only a gringa couldn’t find and met up with everyone. We ended up eating at a restaurant that was a little nicer but too American. I won’t tell you what I ate because it would just be embarrassingly American- I think I wanted comfort food after getting lost! I had a lot of fun with some of the girls but I hope that this isn’t the norm. I would much rather try and push myself out of my comfort zone a little more and eat at the little restaurants and avoid English. I’ve been speaking way too much English. I at least got to talk to the waiter for a bit in Spanish- another anthropology student at UADY. Although it’s great to have other Americans here to share experiences with and travel- I hope that I can make local friends. I really would like to integrate into the culture as much as possible but it is hard to do because there are clear “comfort zones” and it is hard to leave them all the time.

All in all, I survived today and not all of it was bad- just different and a little hard. I’m sure there will be many more days like this to come.

Also, I’m already sick of eating eggs.

Exhaustion

I’m exhausted.

Program stuff all day- started at 12 and lasted until 6 or so. The Facultud de Antropología and the program offices are really far from my house and from the other students, but I think it will work out ok- I really want to avoid as much English as possible and I’m definitely in a better location in terms of activities.

Took the bus to the program office and was crammed into a room with all the other program participants. Met all the IFSA Butler people and began some orientation stuff today. I think orientation will be the necessary evil of dispersing information to us (how much of it I will retain- no clue). We register for classes tomorrow which is super exciting.

Doña Ligia picked me up at 6 (like kindergarten!) and we went home – her friend Jose drove. Dinner was some quesadillas, and a lot of conversation.

I told her that I liked the Maya stories about Ishtabi, the Uay, etc. (folk tales) and she told me a bunch of stories about the Alux (pronounced : Aluush). They are essentially little gnomes that guard land and houses- people don’t own the land but need to ask permission of el dueño (landlord) to use the area. Also, as it turns out- she loves my hair (rastas en español) and thinks the tattoos are (artes bellisimas) and loves tattoos. I was really nervous about both of these things so that is a bit of a relief.

I haven’t wandered out alone much yet- I need to do this so I can explore a little bit. It’s been hard because the communication has been challenging and I have been very tired.

Speaking of which, I need to wake up between 5:30 and 6:00 tomorrow, so I’m going to cut this short… I love the comments and emails, they are cheering me up- it’s a bit overwhelming and lonely now- but also fun and things couldn’t be going more smoothly.

What I learned today:

There is “la semana de antropología”- basically, anthro week! It happens in the beginning of November and other classes are cancelled. Here are a lot of presentations and exhibits sponsored by students, professors, and visiting anthropologists.

Mérida is the safest city in México according to yesterday’s papers.

I can’t participate in or be anywhere near political protests…uh oh.

UADY costs about $200 a year for students, is very prestigious. Public universities are more prestigious than private ones, and also, cost less.

The healthcare in Merida is amazing and cheap.

Mexico is passing this new b.s. law defining a family as two people who have been married in the church and have at least one kid. You can’t adopt children if you don’t already have one and you can’t receive all the benefits of “una familia” if you don’t meet this description.

Blogs are very self- indulgent.

Blogs are also already labeled with the date.

Sunday, August 23- I <3 Merida!

It’s going to be a great year. My host mom couldn’t be nicer. I'm going to gain 20 lbs because i'm force- fed on the hour, and man can she cook. She has absolutely no problem cooking vegetarian for me- que suerte! I really don’t know what I’m eating most of the time, it’s all delicious and covered in these magical salsas that are either green or red. I also had some kind of fruit this morning, white with little black seeds that was terrific- I can’t remember the name, I will have to ask again tomorrow. Watching her cook is great, she swears every 5 minutes because she burns herself or spills something- it's cute.

Today she took me around the city, to a few different plazas and two malls. They were both very American in style and both were air conditioned!!! We ate lunch and had sorbet at the malls. Lunch was a crepe with cheese, eggplant?, sour cream, and salsa verde. Quite tasty but very heavy. Doña Ligia doesn’t drive but the bus system seems great- 60 pesos for a ride (60 cents more or less). Taking the bus was actually really great- I got to see a lot of the city this way. After the malls we went to “Merida en Domingo”- the Plaza Mayor that has a festival every Sunday, with many vendors, music, dances, food, etc. We watched a group dance in the Vera Cruz style and after, a mariachi band. In la parquet de Santa Ana (3 blocks from my house) her son is commentating for a band on Thursday. It seems as though every day of the week has a different festival or musical happening. Also, we passed at least 5 theatres which are apparently very cheap for students. The Boys of Vienna are singing here in September. I’m so happy with my choice of city, and especially, with the location of the house.

I guess all the other students live in el norte de la ciudad- it is farther from the center and there are more Americans and more money- I'm perfectly content here in the center, the location is PERFECT. I have only seen 2 gringos since I've been here, and I've been out and about a lot. I definitely get lots of weird looks, on the plus side, everyone loves my hair. (ha!) I must be quite the sight, “tall” gringa with funny hair and an adorable woman talking a mile a minute leading me around.

Although I don’t understand everything that Doña Ligia says, she claims to understand everything I say and that my grammar is good- that I have a few problems every now and them but she can understand everything. Every now and then I have to ask her to repeat something but she always says “Ohh, you speak well so I think you understand everything"- nice of her but I don’t think it is necessarily true.

After we got back from wandering around we moved the hammock to the back bedroom which has more windows and . . . AIRE ACONDICIONADO! I attempted to watch a movie on the Disney channel (all in Spanish) and generally, knew what was going on.

Fell asleep at some point and woke up around 8. Doña Ligia made dinner around 9 or so- bread with cheese and tomato sauce (cousin of a pizza!) and an icy chocolatey beverage. She loves chocolate.

After dinner we talked a bit about friends and classes and how I wanted to avoid spending all my time with Americans and take fun classes- she liked this a lot. She recommended a photography class- because the building is very close to our house (la facultud de antropologia is muy lejos)and I would have great pictures of the city this way. Apparently thereis also a snorkeling class (we are 15 minutes from the beach) and an underwater archaeology class. I hope that I can pick some fun things out! We shall see what fits into my schedule though.

Doña Ligia is divorced, has three kids- I think she had four but one died? Not sure... but she has many exchange students- probably a good source of income for her, company too. Her kids don’t live in the area from what I understand- one is an actress, the other I a director, and the youngest is off wandering about the states. She couldn't be nicer to me- loves to talk politics and religion and is very, very liberal (que suerte!).

I have photos on flickr now- only of my house and the park at the end of my block. Let me know if everyone can see them- my user name is bethanmaher (how original!)

Didn’t sweat quite as much today- there was some wind.

And phew, that was some entry! I’m sure that over time they will get shorter, but when I don’t have classes what else am I going to do at night?