130 days here and gone

WOW! Time sure does fly, not only this week but this entire semester. Let me start with Tuesday. I had nothing to do all day, having finished my project and no final. Like I had planned I needed to see the Riverwalk. After lunch I got my camera and headed for the bus. I my host dad told me the two places to get off at. I missed the first, but then decided to get off a little before the second and walk through the bar neighborhood for one last time and get pictures of it. This neighborhood is next to the Macro Plaza. After exploring the plaza one last time I stopped in the Governor’s Palace to look through the free museum. Then it was on to the Riverwalk. It was pretty empty being a Tuesday, but was very pretty and relaxing. I walked all the way to the end where it emptied into Parque Fundidora. I walked around there a bit and then went to the old iron smelting oven to see the Steal Museum. After the museum I took the old coal elevator up to the observation deck. From there you got a great view of the city. I then descended and headed for the lakes. On the way there I ran into a group of 1o girls, the 4th one I had seen, and they were so excited to meet someone from the US. They were all wore yellow shirts, except for one had a green one. They said it was her Birthday and asked if I would wish her, “Happy Birthday!” then kiss her on the cheek for the camera. I did so and then asked how old she was. I soon found out it was her Quince (15th) and May is Quince season, with the new fad being videos of you at the party. We parted ways and I headed to the lakes. After a rest there I headed back down the Riverwalk to the midway point where you can easily catch busses home. I got home and decided to see how far I walked. I discovered first off it had been .3 miles to the bus stop every morning, then I found out I walked a total of 6.3 miles and keep in mind it was 41 C / 105 F. After that I ate dinner and started packing. My host dad helped me, after finding a cockroach hiding in the back of my closet, lots of folding, and insulating of souvenirs I was practically done.

Yesterday marked my last full day here. It was bittersweet. I had my presentation in the morning that went great. Then after lunch I met with the last of my friends here and said goodbye over smoothies. I headed home, but stopped at Soriana and the Mall to take some last pictures. My camera set off the alarm at Soriana, so I had to explain how it was my camera etc. One last trip in the mall, but I know nothing more would fit in my bags. I got home to watch my daily TV one last time, too bad I kept dosing off. It was then time for my “Last Supper” as my host dad put it. I was guilt fed twice what I should have eaten for the last time. The last plan of the day was to see Iron Man with my roommate Paul. It was a good movie.

I am now here after naturally getting up at 6:59 (my alarm was for 7), showering, and packing the last of it all I decided to blog one last time while in Monterrey. I am very glad I came here; I have met tons of great people, learned a lot, and saw a lot. I am sad to leave, but real excited to get home. I can’t believe it is day 130 here, and when I say that I remember like yesterday getting off the plane and thinking 130 days that is forever. My host parents keep telling me how sad they are I am leaving, how much they will miss me, and that I am always welcome. Well look for pictures of my last adventure and for one last entry about my trip home and reunion with my family. Thanks for reading all my adventures and until next time.

goodbyes are never easy

Let me pick up after my last blog. Friday night I went out for a friend’s birthday and a going away party. All of my major friends were there except for two who had already left. The party was at a house, but it was still extremely hot and without AC the party was on the patio. It wasn’t until 2AM that it finally got decent outside. The party was fun, and I planned some last minute get-togethers. I woke up surprisingly early on Saturday and didn’t much. I spent most of the day catching up on American TV. I then took a nap to escape the midday sun and 100 degree weather. I didn’t end up going out because my phone was not receiving messages. Side note Mexican Cell Phone companies nickel and dime you. You have to pay 40 cents a minute, 9 cents a text or to check your balance. If your balance is low you get texts hours late. The day before my birthday after having only used 300 pesos on my phone I put 30 more on to last the rest of the semester. I have now put 170 more since then.

Well sorry for the tangent but back to my story. Sunday I got up and two friends who left today asked to go out for lunch. Then after that I had plans to swim with my best friend while here before she leaves tomorrow morning. I decided that since the finally got nice, 80s, I would walk to the restaurant. The restaurant is about a mile away a little after leaving it started raining. When it rains here all the dust, soot, dirt, and gravel turns to mud. This coupled with the bad drainage makes for a wild time. I had flip-flops and a swimsuit on to go straight to the pool. My feet had turned black and I was sliding all over. I was close to the restaurant and saw a roof spout, here they are 8 feet in the air and shoot into the street, and cleaned my feet in it. My friends and I ate and enjoyed our last time together. By the time we were done the rain had ended and it had cleared up. I then said goodbye and we promised to visit in the future, and headed to the park. I got to the Wal-Mart by my friends house to wait for her. She arrived and we headed to the pool. After 2 hours at the pool we got out and walked around the park. Parks here are nice, but they are filled with litter and lack much grass. We also had plans to eat out for dinner, but to waste more time we walked to her house, she changed, then we walked to mine, I changed, and finally we went to eat. One of my roommates, Paul, joined at Chili’s and after dinner we said goodbye which again was hard. We headed home and I finished my take home test, while my roommate complained about the third one always using his computer and having no respect for it. Paul locked the computer then left. The other roommate, Mark, got home and was crabby he couldn’t get on MSN, to hit on more girl even though he is paying for his new girl friend to get a visa. This boiled over at 2:30 when Paul got home and Mark started yelling at him. This woke me up which wasn’t fun.

This morning I woke up and headed to school to turn in my test. I spent a whole 5 minutes there and then walked home for probably the last time. I got home and then at 1 it was time for lunch with my host parent at “El Rey del Cabrito” (the king of goat kid) the most famous restaurant here. The inside is cool and has animal trophies, and then there are the kids on spits. I was great food but it wasn’t the cheapest. I got goat kid shoulder, mmmm. We took pictures with our host family, and I bought the restaurants tequila in a fancy king shaped bottle. We then got home and took tequila shots with our host dad. I then took a nap after the heavy meal and 4 shots. I planned an hour, but 3 later I woke up. I now just finished eating dinner and plan to finish my part for the group presentation I have Wednesday. Tomorrow I plan to visit the Riverwalk and then Wednesday after my presentation I am having smoothies with the last remaining friends.



This weekend has been hard. I am very excited to leave and get home, but that means leaving all my new friends. I don’t know why I didn’t think it would be just as hard to leave here. I have met some great people can’t wait to see visit them. There are already 3 who had plans to visit KC this summer and are stopping by. Well until Thursday.

the home strech

Sorry for the slacking. I meant to write after the trip then again today, but with no internet for a few days at home and finals I didn’t have time. Well let me start with the trip. We left Wednesday night at 11:45. After a stop at the other bus station and a drug search we got on the road. Two and a half hours later we made it to the boarder. We got excited, but all fell asleep waiting for our turn. 5 hours later it was our turn. The border was uneventful and we continued on. About 45 minutes later was a checkpoint. Here the guard just saw we had US passports and moved on. Then at the end he called my friend and I off the bus to make sure our bags were on the bus and hadn’t been stolen. He then asked why we were in Monterrey, after answering school he said, “Oh, okay, because we all know Monterrey isn’t a tourist town.” We laughed and got back on the bus. Around 11:30 we made it to San Antonio. We were picked up by our friends that got in earlier, and got the rental van (a new Town and Country.) We then headed to Olive Garden to quell our insane appetites. After that it is on to the hotel about a block from the Riverwalk. Some people decided to take a nap the rest of us walked the river and went to the Alamo. It was then time to drop one of the girls off in Austin, so we decided to load all 10 of us in the van, instead of having 2 cars. It was pretty crazy we put the seats down and sat on the floor. We then ate dinner there and tried to go out, but with three of us being 20 it was hard to find one. The only one we found we abandoned after standing in there for 5 seconds and realizing that the whole club was carpeted and sour smelling. We got the car, and went to Wendy’s for Frostys. It was back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep. But before going to bed we decided to pick the last two travelers up at 11, since they were on the same bus we were just the next day.

The next day we got up at 10 so we could pick the two Germans up at the bus station. We got there and found out the bus made it in at 7:30. Neither of them had phones, but while at the bus station one of the girls with an iPhone got an e-mail from them and quickly replied with her number. After picking them up it was lunch at IHOP, followed by a trip to a mall near 6 flags. The Americans didn’t by much thinking we have everything at home, but the 4 from Europe went crazy. When we were finished each had bought an iPod and the Germans had 10 bags each. It was then a trip to Best Buy. I bought a cool tri-pod, a late addition to my camera, but a good one. Then we checked out Target next door. We then stopped by Krispy Kream and got some all American doughnuts. It was then time to get ready for dinner. Dinner was at Outback, which was another great American meal. That night we had plans to go out in San Antonio. Half decided to go and the other half and I stayed in. After they got home, and complained it wasn’t that great we headed for a night trip on the Riverwalk. After another good night’s sleep the next day started. We went to UPS so some people could send home stuff. It was then time to shop some more at the River Center Mall. We ate lunch there along with Cinnabuns. We walked around the river and headed toward the lookout tower, and went to the top. In the gift shop they had jelly beans, which I have really missed, so I bought half a pound. We headed back to the mall, relaxed and decided to see “Made of Honor.” It was a funny movie and we all enjoyed it. After the movie it was on to dinner at Fuddruckers. At this point the two French girls asked if they could just eat ice cream, and if we always plan our days around eating. We laughed and said yes to both. We left town at 11 and this time only waited at the boarder 2 hours. The guards were rude and yelled at us for not getting exit passes for our student visas. We were told we might get fines, and we all decided they just want more money from us. We got back on the bus and I got to my house at 7. We all decided we missed the states and were glad to do stupid ordinary things together, so we wouldn’t have to feel wired doing the same things with friends at home. Waking up at 2 Sunday was half over. My roommates were gone all day so it was relaxing and quiet at home.

Monday was pretty mundane, last day for my Monday classes. In my culture class we found out the activities for the last month and final were canceled! Just our final presentation, which my group also had our country changed due to lack of info on Guatemala. Tuesday I had a project due and it marked the last day of school. At 1 they unveiled the international student photo exhibit. I got all 3 of my submissions in the show, but none placed. Wednesday marked the heat up this week and my first final. That afternoon I found out one final was made take home and I went to get the test. That afternoon a friend and I went to the center to buy all the last minute souvenirs. Thursday I had my hardest final, and am not sure how it will turn out. I got home and started on a final paper and my take home test. We then planned a final lunch at the signature restaurant here for next Monday. I found out I got a 90 in my class with the final Wednesday. Today was my final in History and then hung out with my former roommate. He decided to swing by the house for lunch and say goodbye to our host parents, since he can’t make it to lunch Monday. It was good to hang out with him. I then walked around taking last minute pictures and bearing the 100 degree heat and solid sun. I took a nap and now the plan is to go out for my last Friday to a friend’s birthday, then maybe an international student party.

Look for all the pictures on San Antonio, the City Center, and my neighborhood. In less than 6 days I will be home. I am really excited to get home and see everyone, but at the same time sad I have to leave all my new friends from here. I am already thinking of where to visit next, and who to see. Well look for one last blog while here in Mexico and one last blog when I get home.

birthday madness

Well as the title says these past few days have been filled with birthday fun. Friday was a pretty bland day, and it started sprinkling. Then that night for my friend and my birthdays we went out. We decided on a club with open bar. It was a crazy night, but the 10 of us had tons of fun. Saturday came around and I got out of bed around 1:30 to study with an insistent classmate. It started raining on the walk to school and we studied for 3 hours. That night I had dinner plans to meet with the crew going to San Antonio. It was a fun dinner. Sunday the plan was to go to Plaza Sesamo. The forecast was rain, but with a sunny morning we went for it. We rode the few adult rides which included the SCARIEST ride ever (see: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mLyIjCz56Mk&feature=related) and a roller coaster. The SKP was amazingly fun, but so scary. As you can see they have two cars. We got the pleasure of waiting at the top while the other loaded. That was the scariest part. Any movement and we screamed, but we got a good view of the city. We then headed to the water area and the clouds showed up. It started raining while we were eating and we decided to head to the dance show at school. We got there and realized none of us had our free entrance cards and with the tickets costing more then a cab ride home we made the rounds. After getting back we found out they decided not to allow the free passes for the show. What a bummer. It was still a good show. Then it was dinner with my roommate, but before I decided to go to the store while waiting for him. While waiting to check-out I realized I had no cash or a wallet. My roommate had to bring me money, and I felt like a dork.

Monday was my birthday. The weather was raining in the morning, but the afternoon perked up. I didn't do much, but my host parents bought me a cake and one roommate got me presents. I talked with my mom until the phone died right as my dad was about to get on. Tuesday the sun came back for a full day and with it brought the warmth back. The day was boring I had a test and found out I got a 90 on another without the 15 point curve. That night two friends invited me to a baseball game. They got free tickets since their host dad is one of the coaches. The ball park was a little small, and the seats were old. The don't assign seats at all so we sat behind the dugout right behind the team's cheerleaders. All the vendors looked just like the ones on the street and acted more like waiters. The never had changes so you would just run up a tab. The prices were great. $1.80 for a hotdog and $2.50 for a beer. We were having so much fun we got on the Jumbotron 4 times. Monterrey won so we were excited. When I got home my host dad told me he kept seeing me on TV. Today ended the last day of real classes, just review day and finals. In one of my classes a Mexican friend and the teacher were telling me how they were watching the baseball game and kept seeing me on TV. I felt like a celebrity. This afternoon wasn't too exciting just getting ready for San Antonio. I figures I would blog before hand. Well hope everyone has a good rest of the week and weekend.

last round of partials

Well sorry I took so long to write, a week and a half now. Last week was pretty boring, just projects, homework, and a test. Tuesday it was off to Immigration. It took 2 hours of waiting, even though I had an appointment, but finally I got fingerprinted and signed some papers. Then was told it would be ready in 15 days. Thursday for a project my group spent 2 hours measuring a door, pretty boring. Friday started with class, and in my Culture class the teacher discovered we had Monday free. He proposed that the international students give talks on their homes, families, and schools. I meet with a friend to plan our joint birthday party that is tomorrow. I then went to get slushies with my old roommate. It was the first time we had hung out since he moved out. It was a nice outing. Then that night I stayed in to work on some projects. I had planned to go on a trip Saturday, but things didn’t work out. Instead I went to meet with my group at 1. Here that normally means they will show up at 1:10, but by two no one was there. I then thought crap I miss heard and they said Sunday. The same thing happened Sunday. It ended up working out. Sunday was more work on the projects, and my PowerPoint on Kansas. I had to ask a friend to go around K-State and take pictures since it was hard to find some online. Monday I had a test, and then made my presentation. When getting to class the teacher was surprised the four Americans had slideshows, and the Polish girl felt embarrassed she didn’t. Everyone loved the pictures and really liked my cats and Family pictures. In the afternoon went to a Kindergarten. I agreed to visit and talk about the US. The cab got lost, but I made it. Then my PowerPoint for them was too new of a format. I then had to just talk. It was real fun, but it tested my Spanish. 4 and 5 year olds’ Spanish is much harder and they don’t realize you can’t speak as well. We played Red Light, Green Light and I showed them US money. I had a $2 and even the teacher was amazed by that. They then gave me a bag of candy and a card before taking a picture with me. I was waiting to post until I got the picture, but I am still waiting. Look for it soon. Waiting for the parents and my cab I also taught them Duck, Duck, Goose. Tuesday was bland, except I went to a movie that night. I saw Casi Divas, Almost Divas, with friends. It’s a Mexican movie following four girls in an American Idol like contest to get a roll in a movie based off a Telanovela. It was a good one. Yesterday was the friend of mines birthday, so she invited me to Applebee’s for dinner. It ended up just being the two of us, but the food was great. Today I had another test, and then in my Dynamics class he had someone work the problem on the board, but said whoever can figure it out first gets 5 extra points. I figured it out, and surprised him because I figured out and easier and faster way to get the answer. He then had me show the class how I got the answer, which was pretty hard to do so in Spanish. One kid started laughing, and the teacher said he would get to explain the next question in English. After I finished the rest of the class clapped for me, I was so proud. Then it was on to the next problem. I again finished first, but helped my friend next to me figure it out so she could get the points. I then got home, and had an e-mail that my visa was finally ready!! It only took 109 days of being here, and 102 days of work/waiting. Now I figured I would blog before dinner. Tomorrow, is my birthday party at a bar/club, Sunday I am going to the theme park here, Plaza Sesamo (Sesame Street). I have two partials next week and next Thursday is Labor Day so no school followed by Friday off instead of Cinco de Mayo. I am going with friends to San Antonio. Half of whom have never been to the US. It will be fun. Well until next time.

Mexico City

I know you all have been waiting to hear all about my trip to Mexico City. Well here it goes:
The flight was supposed to leave Monterrey at 5:30 it was a little late. The plane was pretty empty and we got an exit row. We got to DF and it was nearly dark, so we found the official taxi stand in the airport and got a cab to the hostel. Our hostel was the YWCA just south of the Alameda, the city center’s park. It was cheap, and was similar to a dorm. There were 5 floors above the main one, but the elevator only went to the 4th. This worked out since I was on three and my friend Mary was on five. We got our keys and head up. I opened the room to find the luggage of someone else. I went back down and the room’s owner was looking for his “lost” key. We decided to unpack and walk around looking for a restaurant. We headed to the Alameda walked around, then walked from there to the Main Square, or Zocalo, half a mile away. We passed some cool buildings, but surprisingly the city center only had a few buildings over 6 stories. We got to the square walked around then headed to find dinner. We found a cake store walking, with 8 tier (10 ft) wedding cakes for about $100. We then found a restaurant, ate, and headed home. We got back and realized we were never told how to get in the front door. We were shaking the door and the worker heard us, letting us in, and pointing out the bell.

The next day we got a quick breakfast walked around our block and headed for the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe. We went to the subway and for some reason we didn’t have to pay. We got to the Basilica, explored the old one, bought souvenirs, walked the grounds, and went in the museum. In the museum there were guards everywhere directing traffic. I decided to take a picture not being told I couldn’t only to have my camera confiscated after being forced to delete my picture. The museum had tons of old religious items, an amazingly detailed interior and gigantic stained glass. We finished and headed toward the new Basilica where the mystic shroud is. We approached and saw an enormous crowd gathered around crowd control fences. The bells started to toll and slowly a hearse pulled up to the start of the crowd. We thought wow you must be rich to have a funeral here. We then found out that Mexico City’s Former Cardinal, Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada, died the day before and we were at his funeral. We quick looked in the Basilica, caught a glimpse of the shroud, decided to come back, and watched then stood and watched as the casket passed. After returning home I realized how important this cardinal was. Mexico, having the second biggest Catholic population, cut ties with the church when Benito Juarez was president, 1858 – 1872. In 1992 Corripio convinced the government to restore ties and recognize Vatican City as its own country. So he was well liked. Before leaving I bought a totem of a house and pinned it inside the Old Cathedral like the Mexicans, asking to pray for all my family. After this we headed to the Zocalo. We went in the Cathedral, saw the Aztec Templo Mayor (which the city is built on), tried to get in the palace, but lacked any ID. We then saw a terrace restaurant on one of the buildings. We found out it was the Holiday Inn and that is where we had lunch. It was a great view, with a nice breeze, and lots of sunshine. It was then time to walk around the center. This is when we noticed that even the crossing guards have guns. We found some cool buildings and saw a protest against the privatization of PEMEX, the Mexican Oil Company. They were outside the office of public works. Also inside the gate of the building were over 100 cops. We walked past the post office, the Fine Arts Palace, and decided to go to the top of one of the tallest building in Mexico, the Torre Latinoamericana. First we went in the wrong building, but we finally got there. We walked around the 37th floor, saw the museum, and were ready to go down, but accidentally went up the true observation decks on the 42nd and 43rd floors. We again felt stupid. It was then time to go in the Fine Arts Palace, but it had just closed. We walked back through the Alameda to find the Diego Rivera museum also just closed. We were a little frustrated seeing it was only 6 PM. We walked through the park and saw the Monument to Benito Juarez called the Hemiciclo de Juarez. We headed home napped, and went to one of the hip night life neighborhoods, Zona Rosa. Here we saw the most famous landmark in DF, El Ángel. The monument of Mexican Independence, made up of a base with symbolic statues, a large pillar, and a 7 ton gold plated angel. The angel was replaced in 1958 after it was completely shattered in an earthquake. The monument though was inside of an 8 lane round about, which meant risking death getting to it. It was surrounded by talk modern buildings. It was then to the fountain in the next roundabout. After that we explored the area, and found a good, and really cheap Italian restaurant. We were sitting enjoying dinner and chatting only to realize it was 11:30 we hadn’t gotten the bill, it was 5 minutes to the subway and it closed at midnight. We freaked out quick paid, ran to the subway and made it back home with 2 minutes to spare.

Saturday started with the trip to Xochimilco, one of the last remaining canal systems of Mexico City. For those that didn’t know before the Spanish came Mexico City, Tenochtitlan, was built on a lake and had canals instead of streets like in Venice. Only Tenochtitlan was reported to be more beautiful. The Spanish drained most of the lake and only a few canals are left. We had to take the Light Train to the last stop and get off. The light train was a two cared above ground Metro that went about 20 mph. We got to the second to last stop only to be kicked off and finding out the line was being renovated after that. We found a dock to rent a boat, but were told in an hour more people should be there so we could split a boat. After exploring this former suburb we went back to find no one else to split the cost with. We bargained and took an hour ride. The canals are filled with mariachi bands and marimba players on boats, along with food venders, and flower sellers. The sides are lined with small houses, greenhouses, and flower shops. We stopped at the most well know shop where they have seas of flowers of all types. It was then back to the shore. We got back and headed toward a former hacienda of friends of Frida and Diego which is now a museum. We took a mini bus there and got in free as students. The grounds were riddled with peacock, which I have now discovered are a status symbol in Mexico. The museum was short, but had some good pieces. It was then off to Leon Trotsky’s house. On the light train I looked at my watch and realized it was 3:50 and we had two things left to do before 6. We pretty much ran the mile to Trotsky’s house and I said we need to leave by 4:55 to make it Frida’s Blue House with time to see it. Upon saying this Mary looked at her watch and said, “Um, Matt my watch says it is only 3:05.” I realized I had forgotten how to read a watch. We walked through his house and I got to take unlimited pictures for $1. We walked through the photo gallery of his exiles, saw his grave, the bullet holes from the first murder attempt, and the room he was murdered in we swore we still saw blood on the wall. It was then time for Frida’s Blue House, just up the street. It started raining on us, but we made it and stayed pretty dry. We got to see some more of her art, and how parts of the house were set up when they lived there. We saw her bed and the mirror over it. After that we saw the average sized courtyard and headed to the Diego Museum in the Alameda. We got soaked and finally made it. The museum was free for students, except the 50 cents for my camera. Here all they housed is Diego Rivera’s masterpiece Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central, A Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central. It was then to the Basilica again to see the shroud. We got there during a Quinceañera. We sat and waiting thinking the moving sidewalk was on the altar. We started walking around and found the sidewalks were actually under the altar and you looked up through a hole in the floor. After that we decided to check out the other lively night areas south of Zona Rosa. On the way we stopped at the subway station where while building they found an Aztec Pyramid. We couldn’t find any hopping spots and decided to return to Zona Rosa. We found a Vip’s on the way there only for it to be closed. We then found another one in Zona Rosa. This night there we went to bed early planning to get up early.

Sunday started with a trip to the palace. It turned out that the protesters were back and due to them the palace was closed. We went to the post office to check out the museum, to find out it opened at 10, the same was true at the Fine Art’s Palace; so much for the early start. We looked through the gift shop and afterwards saw the museum. They had a large exhibit on Mexican Cinema, and then we saw the famous murals inside. It was then off to the giant park on one end of town. The park is named Bosque de Chapultapec, meaning the forest on grasshopper hill. We entered and walked past the Monumento a los Niños Heroes, where six teenage cadets are buried. The cadets who despite being told to retreat and let the US army take the castle held strong all dying until the last one took the Mexican flag, wrapped himself in it, and jumped from the Castle. This park has some museums, the former Presidential Castle, and the current Presidential house. We walked through the Castle, which now houses a history museum. From the Castle we got a great view of the city and the Financial District next to the park full of skyscrapers. We then stopped in another history museum which was made up of XXXXX. We walked to the Modern Art Museum to see Frida’s Masterpiece, Las Dos Fridas, but it was on lend. We left and headed toward the Anthropology Museum. We walked through every exhibit, and looked at everything. After a few exhibits, we stopped reading ever single sign and decided to just skim. We found beaded bowls like the ones we made in Real de Catorce. Three and a half hours later we finally made it to the finally of the Aztec Sun Stone. This is an Aztec Calendar, which was used as an altar. After that we tried to explore the zoo and park some more, but it had closed. We walked toward the metro, and not being able to find the Presidential House on maps decided to skip it. We headed home for a nap, and then back to the center for dinner. We planned to eat at the restaurant in the Torre Latinoamericana, but it closed at eight. We walked around the gift shop we thought was the top, but found out we needed the bands to stay up there. We headed down and walked past the Tile House again, and decided why not eat at the Sanbourns inside. It was very cool inside and we wondered why we hadn’t stopped there yet. It was then time to get one last look at the Zocalo. We then headed home, and on the way realized we meant to see the monument of the Revolution. We headed that way and looked around. This building is a giant dome that was going to be the Senate building but during the Revolution for some reason they stopped building and made a monument.

We woke up Monday, packed, and headed for the airport at 8:20. The hostel called us a cab, it got there and was just a car no markings. The hostel workers assured us it was okay. We got in and made it to the airport. We got breakfast, and noticed that the prices at 7-11 were way marked up. We got to the terminal and started summarizing our trip. It was time to board and we all got on a weird bus thing to take us to the plane. It was then time to head home. Again we got an exit row. Before we knew it we were home. It was such a great trip, we saw a lot and still didn’t get to do it all. Mexico City is a fun place, but one downfall was restaurants were hard to come by. Well be sure to check out the pictures. Sorry there are so many. Until next time.

ready to go

So like I promised I would blog before heading off for Mexico City. Nothing exciting really happened since Sunday. Just same old school. I did however enter three pictures into an International Student Photo Contest. We will see how that goes. Then there is the fact I am running for an office in my Fraternity from afar which elections are Sunday. Let's see what else I can write about. I signed up to talk to 3-5 year olds about the USA, and play games with them. That is going to be next Monday. Then there is also the bad habit I have now reverted to of not going to bed at midnight like I was since I got here, but instead opting to stay up until 2. I am not any more tired, but it can't be good. Well hope all is well with everyone, and I know I didn't say much, probobly a relief to you guys, but I want my next blog to just be my trip to DF. The flight leaves at 5:30 and I leave the house at 3. Until Monday.

there was "nun fun" to be had

Sorry for this being a long one, but I meant to write after going out Sunday, but decided to wait until mid week. I got busy and forgot to write until Friday when I forgot to post the blog I wrote, now after another weekend there is a lot to write about. (The posts title will make sense when you read about yesterday.)

First let me start with last Sunday. I went with 4 friends to the Planetarium. They have an IMAX and some other stuff. We took the bus to a park downtown which had a free shuttle to the Planetarium. We got there and started eating our Subway, a worker told us we couldn’t have outside food so we walked out the front gate and out our sandwiches on the sidewalk. We went back in and had a half hour until our show. We walked through the first level of the museum. It was a short little Children’s Science Museum. It was then on to the movie. We watched one on the Tour de France and the mind of a winner. It was a pretty interesting movie, and really cool videos. We then walked around the rest of the museum. All the floors had a different theme and were short. The second floor was on space, the third on the environment, the forth on the senses and brain, mainly optical illusions. There we were also greeted, by a girl who would tell you a story and shock you at the exciting/scary parts. The top floor was on Pre-Colombian Indians. Next we went outside and played in the outdoor science garden, walked through a botanical garden, and then watched a presentation on stars. Last we explored the bird sanctuary. They had lots of parrots in aviaries, ones you walked underneath. There were also a bunch of geese, swans, and peacocks running around. Unlike at school they had peahens. One was even an albino peahen. Too bad it wasn’t a male albino, they are really cool. There was also a black swan. It was then back home to eat with my roommates.

The school week went by fast, a little too fast I feel. Nothing exciting happened except I bought the tickets and hotel for Mexico City. It turns out just one other friend and I are going. The other two backed out. The flights were $130 round trip and we are staying at the YWCA ¾ mile from the central square for $9.30 a person a night each having a private room. So expect a really exciting blog on the 14th. Then Friday I went with a few friends to see a show called Raices, meaning roots (cultural) in Spanish. We got front and center seat since another friend was in the show. The first half was all Traditional dances from Arabian countries, this year’s theme. The other half was a Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. This part was much more exciting and had 3 dances each from 15 of the States. I really enjoyed it and always love the Ballet Folklorico.

Now for yesterday’s. I have wanted to go to this Safari Park/Zoo, Bioparque Estrella, an hour away for a while now, and finally picked a day to go. Three friends and I meet at school and headed to the same park as last weekend to board the bus. It was $150 pesos for the bus ride, park entrance, the safari, and lunch. We got there and arriving at the same time was a bus full of Nuns most in full habit. It made me laugh and I took some pictures for Suzanne. The four of us headed in and decided to do the Safari first. One friend and I bought food; yes you can feed the animals. We loaded the bus and it was the four of us and the Nuns. The bus started and we all got real excited. We headed toward the entrance. On the other side of the gate was a flock (this is the correct collective noun) of camels. There were both Dromedary and Bactrian too. I thought how nice we get see some stuff right away, but in the back of mind I thought they know we have food. We pulled in the gates and the carnage started. The camels being the perfect height to stick their heads in the bus and then some started looking for food at the front of the bus, and slowly worked their way toward us in the back corner. The flock of 15 had soon surrounded the stopped bus and were coming in the bus from every angle. With their dirty spilt dripping faces and smelly breath. My friend and I were in particular danger having food. All you could hear was screams and grunts from the camels. I watched as Nuns screamed, threw their cups of food at the camels and made the sign of the cross. I was trying to take pictures of the carnage and hide my food at the same time. Meanwhile my friend has a camel eating out of her cup. She lets go with one hand and while taking a picture the camel steals the cup, throws back his neck, drinks the food, and proceeds to eat the cup. The bus’ engine starts back up and we are all relieved to finally escape, but the camels chase the bus, until they hear the gate open for a new bus with new victims and fresh food. I then turn to my friends and say, “I don’t really like camels anymore.” After the attack the rest of the safari seemed tame, I having successfully guarded my food had some for all the rest of the animals. We saw zebras, giraffes, buffalo, bison, dear, gazelles, monkeys, hippos, ostriches, and other birds. The Giraffes unfortunately didn’t come near to eat and show off their blue tongues. The zebras came close and I got to touch and feed one, but they were short and hard to feed from the bus. The ostriches came close and didn’t attack but ate out of my cup. The monkeys were on islands so not to come on the bus, and the hippos were in the water. Then there were other birds all over. After the Safari we headed back to the gate, a few camels returned, but most were busy ransacking another bus. We got off and I found out the sisters were Augustinians, and the ones I talked to were all real nice. It was then time to explore. We walked passed a bunch of areas were you could take pictures with animals: snakes, monkeys, lions, goats, parrots, etc. We went to the bat exhibit, which was 5 pesos extra to help save bats in Mexico. It was then off to the free Paddle Boats. We paddled around saw koi and another black swan. We then decided to cross a lake on raised platforms, some rotating trying not to fall. I then crossed back using the two rope bridge, one for your hands, one for your feet. No falls for any of us. We then walked to the back of the park and saw a small pen with birds, turtles and prairie dogs. Next to that was a pen, we were expecting alligators, but it turned out to be raccoon. Who would have guessed a zoo would have raccoons? There was a bug exhibit, a medical garden and a desert plant garden. All really cool, we saw a hike to waterfalls and decided to save it for later if there was time. It was then off to the Zip Line. I was the only one to get to go down, since you needed shoes, and surprisingly I was the only one with shoes. So I then lent my shoes out to the three girls and we laughed and how big they were on everyone else. Next was a really late lunch. Our included lunch, that made the ticked 150 pesos instead of 130. Was a hot dog, chips, and a bottle of Pepsi. Two of us bought that and the other two decided to find something else and we soon found out that nothing could beat our lunch pricewise. Next stop was the grass slide. Here is where the Nun Fun really picked up. We were walking toward the grass slide and stopped in the play ground, while in there we watched Nuns cross the lake, go down the Zip Line, and play on the play ground with us, all in full habit. The play ground had a rolling log, which we joined two Nuns on. We finally made it to the slide and again the Nuns were there too. The grass slide was about 150 yards long and had sprinklers all down the sides. The nuns didn’t care and were just there to have fun. Two were racing and one was going so fast she lost her veil. After this I got a snow cone, I told them to give me the best flavor, which was Mango Loco: A combo of mango and chamoy juices, topped with a heaping spoonful of chili powder. I spooned out the chili, and none of us could remember what chamoy was. It was okay, but a really weird flavor. Once I got home I found out chamoy is plum and apricot pickled with chilies, salt and chili powder. This is a prime example of how much Mexicans love chili. So much it is in all their sweets. Back to the day’s events, we then went to the bird show, and finished the day looking at a gray whale skeleton, and mammoth tusks. We now had 20 minutes until the bus left not enough time to walk the 2 km path to the waterfalls and decided instead to check out the gift store. We all got glasses with a camel on the front to memorialize the cup lost in the mugging. It was then back home after a great day.

Again sorry for the length. Pictures will be up real soon from both weekends. I will try to post before I leave on Thursday, and will defiantly post after the trip. Hope all is going well with everyone at home. Today we had to spring forward and are now once again even with Kansas City. Until next time.

first week back

This week at times flew, and at others seemed to drag. Monday it was really hard to get up for school, but I did it. I had my Culture classes partial. Tuesday went quick and I found out I did better than average on all my partials from before break. Wednesday was another quick day; we got a Thermo project which will be interesting. Thursday went slow, but I made it through. Friday rolled around and it flew by. I had Thermo then my Culture class. In the Culture class we were supposed to watch a 30 minute video then talk about it. The teacher left to grade some papers and we were to get him after the movie. Instead we watched YouTube videos. Which was much more fun. For the afternoon I went to HEB because we are having an ant problem, and the Terro website said they had the traps. They didn’t. Otherwise the store was pretty cool. Just like Soriana they have people in every aisle to help you out, and give free samples. That night I stayed in a watched TV.

Saturday was a fun day. I went with friends to a different mall called San Augustine. It was a nice mall, not as nice as Valle Oriente, but much bigger and more stores. It had a weird shape, kind of like a figure 6, but it didn’t connect where it should. It had four stories; the middle two were solid stores. The top and bottom had stores interchanged with parking. Then there were two movie theaters, two food courts and a bingo hall/sports book. There were also two pet shops. One was mostly fish but they had mice, rabbits, hamsters, two schnauzers, and a huge Persian cat. They also sold coral and star fish. The other pet shop was much cooler. It had a chimp you could take pictures with or an albino python. There I saw a family with a little girl speaking English which was surprising. I was going to ask where they were from, but they left before I could. This pet store was much bigger it had tons of fish, parrots, budgies, canaries, cockatiels, snakes, scorpions, lizards, crocodiles, spiders, ducks, chicks, bunnies, guinea pigs, hamsters, chinchillas, hedgehogs, a cat, and tons of puppies. I was surprised when I saw that the long haired Chihuahuas and Pomeranians cost $10000 pesos; whereas the short haired Chihuahuas and the rest of the breeds (husky, dachshund, boxer, golden retreater, and cocker spaniel) cost $3000 - $4500. This pet store had an area called “The Farm were you could pay $20 pesos to play with the animals. Oh and I can’t forget about the Bush Baby for sale. It was such a crazy thing to see for sale. I saw one of the workers take it out and heard it scream. I thought it was a parrot, but soon found out it wasn’t. After this we went to the movie theater and saw Jumper. Which had great effects, but little plot. We then got a cab back, and I swear the driver had tourettes. We only heard him cuss and he honked and/or flipped off drivers who cut him off. It was interesting. I got home and ate dinner. During dinner I found the fourth season of lost on TV here which excited me even though I have seen all of season 4 to date. Oh well, it is always good to re-watch. Then it was off to a birthday party for the night. What a busy day. Today I plan to go downtown and we are probably going to the planetarium. It should be fun. Until next time…

Easter

First off sorry it took so long for the pictures, but they are now up. Now on to my Easter. I woke up to a rainy day, kind of a bummer. I ate breakfast and asked my host parents about church, and what their plans were. They said no one really goes to church or does anything here for Easter Sunday. So my roommates and I just hung out, then when we went to the grocery store, I decided I need to buy all the staples of Easter. I decided they were: ham, hard boiled eggs, Jell-O, and candy (chocolate, jellybeans, and marshmallows.) I had ham for lunch at the store and then bought all but the eggs since we had some at home. I got home a boiled some eggs, and set up my own little Easter feast. I cracked the eggs and all had double yolks, which I then found out all the eggs our host mom bought have double yolks. Weird huh? I decided to take a picture of the feast.



The jellybeans turned out to be kind of weird and not the best. Which I knew before time, but I forgot to have my parents bring me some to Cancun. The chocolate coins were delicious and the marshmallows and Jell-o were normal except for the pink marshmallows. It was a good Easter, but didn't really seem like Easter.

Today was very boring I had a partial, which I for some reason through was Wednesday. Oh well it wasn't too hard. Now I am relaxing and having to watch another grey day pass.

Cancun

Well first off sorry I didn’t get around to blogging in Cancun, it just got so busy and fun. Well first things first, Friday night all of my friends had already left for break so instead of sitting around doing nothing I went to a movie. I went and saw Horton y el Mundo de los Quién (Horton Hears a Who) which was great. It was dubbed, but being a kid’s movie wasn’t hard to follow, I was just mad I wouldn’t be able to hear Jim Carrey and Steve Carell. Also before going I figured I would be the only one in the 10:00 showing of the movie, but no there were at least 15 kids under 10 there and 20 more people. Then it was time for bed. I set my alarm for 7 so I could get ready and would be able to leave at 8:30 since the internet told me my flight was now at 11. I woke up at 6 and couldn’t sleep; I got in the cab at 8:40 and headed to the airport. It took 40 minutes to get there and another 40 to get checked in. I then found out the flight was still at 11:30 so I had an hour and a half to sit. Also a weird thing was they put a plastic one way locking tie on every zipper of my bag. I got on the plane and made friends with the girl next to me. She goes to my school and is from Cancun. The flight was going good, we got a full meal, and it was open bar. We then were told it was time to land. We started descending and before long could see the water. We then started landing, but I swore we were at the Cozumel Airport. I clearly remembered it from last year’s trip there. In my head I thought crap I got on the wrong plane, but no this girl next to me is going to Cancun too. I asked her and she said she had no idea where we were, but it wasn’t Cancun. After sitting on the runway 15 minutes they told us that Cancun’s Airport was way too busy, and we were low on gas so we made a pit stop to get gas and once we get the all clear to land there we would take off and land. After hanging out for an hour and a half, we headed for Cancun. When we landed it was 3:30 which I told my parents I would meet them in the lobby between 1:30 and 2, so I figured they would be worried. I got to the hotel at 4 checked in, went to the room and then found my parents at the pool. It was really good to see them.

The beginning of the week was fun, getting to catch up with everyone, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and getting lots of sun. It was also abnormally windy. I slept on the patio as normal, but my sheets kept blowing off. Monday night Adam had a party in the room till 2:30 and I couldn’t sleep so I walked around for 2 hours. I even explored the third section of the Moon Palace, the Gran Moon. Tuesday we my parents and I explored it during the day then went to the strip to see the newly renovated hotels. The beach was not as wide as it used to be and with the recent wind was pretty battered. Beach Palace though is by far the best of the three new ones with a pool on the 14th story. On top of the hotel we saw a rainbow, it kept moving toward us and finally it rained on us for 5 minutes then the cloud and rainbow moved on. It was really cool. Wednesday we were going to Scuba Dive, but the waves were too high and the water to churned up. Bummer, but I got to spend more time with the whole group. That day we sat by a man wearing a white thong swimsuit, it was a little scary. That night we checked out the Casino, my mom and I lost, but a friend won $45. Thursday it was off to Isla Mujeres, where there is a great new Palace, we also got to explore downtown a bit. I was planning on seeing friends from Tec, but it didn’t work out. That night we ate at the Caribbean restaurant in the new phase. Friday my mom and I got our manicures and pedicures and we spent the day at the pool, we moved seats after a girl next to us puked in the pool. Then we went to the golf course and got a guy to drive us around. We saw 5 alligators and a troop of about 50 Kotamundi, there were big older ones and little baby ones. That was on top of the dear, birds and Nutria we saw. Too bad I forgot to bring my camera. Today was the end of a great vacation. I was super glad to see my family and friends from home and now can’t wait until May. The flight home was perfect and I guess all is well that ends well.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and I will keep you all updated. A little more than Seven and a half weeks until I come home. Between then and now I have a weekend waterfall trip planned, a tentative trip to Mexico City (not alone of course and we are being VERY safe planning it), a safari park trip, another round of partials, two days off, and 5 final exams. I have a feeling May will creep up on me. Stay tuned for pictures. Until next time…

dog days of march?

So many crazy things happened today that I decided I had to blog one last time before leaving for Cancun. Thursday my first class was canceled. I then went and talked to the lawyers, too bad all but one of them were already on vacation. I had to yell at the one person and it should be taken care of soon. I also had two partials which I think I did pretty well on. Then it met a friend for a late lunch to talk about planning a trip in mid-April. After eating, catching up, and a little planning I headed home. While working on homework the power went out. Our host dad told me they were fixing our neighborhood’s transformer and that was the warning. Here they don’t tell you when the power will be out they just give you two warnings. First they guy the power for 15 seconds then 2 minutes later they cut it for 30 seconds and a minute later the power is gone till who knows when. The power came back and then 4 hours later during dinner another warning cut came; this meant I had to eat by candlelight. It was pretty funny, and then I played with my host dad and his 20 month old grandson. I then went to bed but left all my windows open to let the cool night air in. I was woken up at 4 am by someone calling my name and shaking my foot. I looked and one of my roommates got locked out and was on the roof next door asking if I would let him in. It was kind of creepy and I still am not sure if it was a dream or not, since my two roommates left for the airport at 6.

This morning was uneventful only one class and only 10 of us were there. Then my break started. I planned to get my hair cut, tan, and do last minute shopping. In the morning Miss Doubtfire was on so I put of the errands to the afternoon and watched it. This afternoon the temperature made it past 100, 102 to be exact. With little humidity and not a cloud to be had it feels like 110. This insanely hot weather was made even more exciting when the city started getting hit with rolling blackouts. When they first started I thought they were still fixing the transformer. The houses power went out and I sat in my room waiting for it to be 3 when the salon opened back up. On the way there I stopped at the convenience store for a drink. They didn’t have power and had to check me out with a notepad. I got to the salon at 3 and found out it didn’t open until 3:30. I thought, “Hey, I can tan,” but the power was out there two. I went across the street to get a few things at the store, but it was without power. The entire street for 4 miles was without power. I went back to the Salon at 3:30 and the power was still not on. I figured I wouldn’t need it. They said I would have to wait till the lights came back on since they would need to use the electric sheers. I sat there for an hour reading magazines about Mexican stars. It was better than sitting at home. I got my hair cut, tanned, and ran my errands and am now ready to leave. My flight leaves at 11, and my cab gets here at 9! I am so excited!

what a week, what a week

Here is my midweek update. After my last post I went took a pretty long nap. That night I didn’t do much. Sunday I woke up and was feeling a little sore from the climb, but went to the mall across the way for lunch, more break shopping, and to see 10,000 BC. It was a pretty good movie; I then bought a swim suit, and sunglasses. I then headed over to the department store. There I saw some cool looking shirts and they were cheap too. In the first design all I found were mediums and smalls, the same with the next few shirts. In the States I wear large, but mediums will fit. I decided I might as well try, so I grabbed a few and went to try them on. The first one I after getting it somewhat on I couldn’t move my shoulders. The second one made it all the way on, but didn’t cover my bellybutton, and it was hard to move my arms. The last one went to my waist, but again was really tight. I then decided to just look for a large shirt. They didn’t have any at all; what a shame. Sunday ended with eating out with the roommates.

Monday started the school week. I had a partial and was really afraid I got a 30 on it. He picked an insanely hard question. This bummed me out and I then went to my Culture class. In there our teacher told us the test was postponed till after break. That is good now I have more time to write up the second month’s worth of activities. On the topic of my Culture class, for last month I got a 95! I was so excited; I only got marked down for not finishing the test. Tuesday was pretty boring just went to my classes and reviewed for my two partials tomorrow. In my History class, the teacher finished the topic early, so he started on tomorrow’s topic. We now don’t have class tomorrow! Today was a little more eventful. I found out I got a 70 on my partial, and the average was below a 40, he wouldn’t say how far below. That was good news that for me. I then had to print a few things off in the computer lab and then went to go talk to the Visa lawyers. I needed to ask if I was ready to get fingerprinted. I went and found out I was denied my Visa because my bank statement said I didn’t have sufficient funds. The lawyer and I were very confused since my account said I have $5000. I now have to print another statement and go in person with the lawyers tomorrow, kind of stressful. It was then off to my Culture class, where we listened to music, watched music videos, and talked about them. He then said he had to go to Guadalajara for a meeting on Friday and we could either vote to have a sub or cancel class. You can guess what we voted, so another class canceled. Now my break starts 2 hours earlier. I am now studying for my partials tomorrow and thinking I need to pack for Cancun. I will probably pack tomorrow night, since I will be free from studying. Hope everyone is having a great week and has a great Holy Week. I will post once or twice in Cancun, and look for pictures from there.

the climb

Another week flies by. Monday and Tuesday were pretty uneventful, Tuesday I laid out in the sun on my raft. Wednesday followed suit, but in my Culture class we were talking about Refranos, a specialized proverb here, and we were supposed to write some down. I wrote a few and the teacher was going around all the Mexicans to give examples. My partner then decided to tell him I had a few, I read one and he responded, “Um not exactly, close let me explain it more,” except of course it was in Spanish. That night I waited for and edited my group members’ parts to the History paper due the next day before our partial. One girl still hadn’t sent it by the time I went to bed; I figured oh well I will get it tomorrow. The next day I got it at 8:27 when class started at 8:30. Too bad I had already printed it and took her name off the title page. The test went good, just test are always a drag. Then in my class with the crabby, rude and mean teacher, who has severely improved his mood, asked if we wanted the class before or after Spring Break. I was arguing for before, but we will see since the decided this afternoon at a study session. That afternoon I went to the mall again to look for Spring Break clothes and some other things. I also went to Costco; I decided to stop there first to avoid having to leave my bags at the front. This intern had me carrying a pack of 4 1L Gatorades around the mall, without a bag. Friday was LONG, after two nights of little sleep I needed a nap, but it never materialized. This was also the day one of my roommates moved out. The Australian roommate, after much complaining to me and totally ditching us for a little over a week decided to move out. He didn’t listen to me, after I first found out he wanted to move out, and talk to the school. This resulted in a having to pay for 7 days of the month, which is lucky considering the contract says payment is due the first in full and no refunds. He still might have to pay the whole month and maybe will return. Unfortunately this would suck, since he already burnt the bridges with the other two roommates. After all of this we learned that our host family is Tec’s favorite and he is the first of 10 years of 6 kids a semester to move out. They also said normally a friend of one of their kids moves here after not getting along with their host family. Tec even paid them to add an extra room to the house. Now it is just the three of us Americans here. That was my school week.

As for today I signed up to climb “El Cerro de la Silla” (Saddle Mountain), the icon of Monterrey. I thought it would be a nice 2 hour hike to the antenna part of the hill, which looks like the shortest peak from our house. It in fact is the tallest. We met at school and they had us sign waivers relieving them of responsibility for injury. I should have taken that as a hint. The bus dropped us off at 8 at the bottom of a hill before the path too, just more work. We got to the base and started climbing. It started out good like all climbs, but slowly got harder as I got tiered. The path would go from dust, to jagged rocks, to cement, to slick/smooth rocks. We got the platform at the half way laterally point. It was originally going to be a view point and restaurant with an aerial tramway from the ground. On the inauguration run, it collapsed and killed all five in it. Over the past 30 years they still have yet to rebuild it. After a 20 minute break and talk about all this we had the choice of continue up the steeper half. Most of us went for it. This half of the trek got pretty steep and was riddled with switch backs. My group kept stopping to catch our breath; we ended up meeting some Mexicans from Tec on the trip that joined our group. The schools representative kept telling us we needed to hurry and catch up, being the last group, or we wouldn’t be able to go all the way. We kept arguing with him saying the plan was to get there at 12:30 and we were ahead of schedule. We finally made it to the radio tower, it was 11:45 45 minutes ahead of schedule, at the top and looked around from there. The whole trail to the top was 5.6 km (3.48 miles) long with a 1.28 km (4230 ft) rise in elevation. I felt like I was going to die, but made it all the way and was so proud. It felt as if my heart stopped, because I went from feeling it a like 200 bpm, and then all of a sudden I couldn’t feel it beating, and couldn’t find my pulse. The funny thing though is the best view wasn’t from the top, but a little bit lower. The climb down took little energy good thing since most of us only brought a litter of water, not quite enough. The only problem was everyone’s legs, knees, and backs were shot and freaking out. Whenever I stopped my legs would start shaking, at least I wasn’t alone with this happening. We made it bad to the platform and took a 40 minute break. Then it was to the bottom. Almost at the end a man was selling water for 10 pesos, I gladly would have paid 30. I chugged all 500 ml. I then got to the base at 2, and greeted by clapping a great treat. We waited for the last of the group during which I ate and orange like a little kid just sucking out all the juice and throwing out the pulp. At 2:30 all were down head for the bus, which we had to send for early so it took a little while to get. I bought a 500 ml bottle of Gatorade and chugged it too. I got home drank 2 more litters of water and Gatorade, had lunch, took a shower, and a 3 hour nap. Now I feel better, but have a feeling tomorrow my muscles won’t be as forgiving. A great experience, but one you only ever do once. Pictures will be up soon. Here are my two favorite though; click on one to make it bigger.

The View from the Platform:


The View from the Top:


Sorry for the super long description of today. I also decided I need to write more often to cut down on the length of each posts. Cancun is one week away and I am extremely excited. I just have to make it through the 2-4 tests next week. Talk to all of you soon and have a great week.

keeping busy

This week started off pretty normal, Monday was here and gone. Tuesday was the same story, but that evening I went with a friend to the Botero Abu Ghraib art exhibit in the main park here. It has 90 works all about torture. It was insightful, but I wouldn’t want to go back. I got one picture of the entrance, and then was yelled at by security. I did take pictures of the park though. It used to be a steal foundry, until an accident bankrupt them and the city turn it into a park. There are still a fair amount of pieces left from the foundry so it is pretty cool. Wednesday and Thursday were here and gone. Friday school flew by then I relaxed in the sun on my mattress. That night I went with two friends to a interpretive dance and pantomime show. It was very interesting and entertaining. The weekend came and Saturday was the second museum trip for my culture class. This museum is at the former Bishopric Palace of Monterrey. It is on a huge hill in the middle of the city with a giant flag at the top. Saturday morning it was sprinkling and when we got there it was cloudy and the flag was down. The museum was short, but very informative about Monterrey and its part in building Mexico today. When we left the clouds had risen, but still no flag. We walked to the top of the hill to enjoy the view, which was dampened by the clouds. We finally got to find out how big the flag was though. It is 50m x 30m (165ft x 98ft) and weighs 250kg (550lbs) no wonder you can see it pretty much everywhere in the city. It is also the largest Mexican Flag. I will try to go back to the hill on a nice day. After that it was off to lunch at a great restaurant, where I got ½ kg of steak fajitas, a liter of bean soup, two grilled sausages, and a drink for 135 pesos. Today the plan is to go to the mall across the road and check it out. I am also quite jealous of you guys, because according to my computer it is a couple degrees warmer then here in KC and sunny, unlike here today. Next week is the second round of partial exams; I have one on Thursday, and 3 or 4 next week. Everyone have a good week and hope you enjoy the pictures that will be up by this evening.

weekend of sun and swimming

Another busy weekend but let me start after my last post. Wednesday the rain went away and back to sunshine. I had my Culture test which went okay, and then I wanted to try to find the 7th Harry Potter in Spanish which came out that day, but it was released at a weird time of day, and the bookstores I went to didn’t have it. I had a lab that evening, and then I got home and sat outside watching the eclipse. It was pretty cool. I meant to put pictures of it up along with a post on Friday, but ran out of time. Thursday was uneventful; I got home from a LONG day of classes and decided to lie in the sun and test out my new mattress, it worked great. Then I had to do homework. Friday went well I went to a Romantic Music of Mexico performance to get started on the second month of my culture class. The lady singing was very good and the show was entertaining. I came home and realized I forgot to turn in my lab, so it was back to school to do that. I got home watched LOST, packed, and then had dinner before heading to the movie theater to watch Vantage Point. The movie was really good and exciting.

Saturday started out at 6AM when I got up to get ready for the trip to Cuatro Cienegas, Four Marshes in English. We left school at 7:30; on the way there we had to go trough a drug checkpoint run by the Federales. After the 5 hour drive we made it to the hotel. The hotel was an old hacienda with two courtyards and a pool, it was great. We then changed and went to a small winery. We got to taste the four wines and 3 liqueurs they made: anis, grape, and normal. All but one of the wines and the regular liqueur was good. I bought a bottle of the anis flavored for 55 pesos. Then off to a really big pond and swam around and kayaked for 4 hours. It was sunny, but the pond was 75 and refreshing. We then went back and had a barbeque in one of the courtyards. We all sat outside and chatted for a few hours then at midnight we went to the church dance for a couple of hours. Sunday stared of with free time to walk around the tiny town, about 40 acres. It was then off to the famous pond there. It has a species of fish and snail only found in that pond, along with the only stromatolites found in acidic water. The pond is blue from all the oxygen the stomatolites produce. The pond also smelt like sulfer. The next stop was the plaster dunes, which looked like a desert, but it was white as snow, and there were a lot of outcroppings. The white plaster made it so bright, hot, and sunny. The last stop was another swimming pond; this one was much smaller and 87. The pond had a muddy bottom that smelt very sulfury. After that it was back on the bus for the drive home. Pictures will be up shortly if not already.

Today it was back to school, nothing much happened, the second round of partials starts next week I only have one, and Cancun keeps inching closer and closer. Hope everyone is doing great and until next time.

time just flies by

WOW it seems like time is just flying by. I just realized it has almost been a week since my last post. Well Thursday was Valentine’s Day. Here they call it Day of Friendship and Love. Different clubs were selling treats. The big thing was candied marshmallows on a stick I bought one and it was an interesting treat. There was a talk about international peace for the international students which one of my roommates got to give part of, along with a picture of the international students. About 400 of the 500 showed up. The roommates and I also decided to buy our host mom a cake. We bought a strawberry cheesecake, it was really good. Then that night I went to go out with some friends. I miss heard the directions to the house so I had the cab driving all around, but found the house. We then went out to the bar area of town. Not to late of a night out.

Friday I got up for school and couldn’t wake my roommates up, who stayed out much later. Nothing eventful happened after that. Saturday I went to one of the malls to buy a movie that I needed to watch for my Culture Class. It was the mall that I went to the second week here. I got some shirts, the movie, and found an Egyptian store. The mall turned out to be much better then I first thought. Lots of stores and a nice set up. I then stopped next door at Costco. It was set up just like the one in Lenexa, but some sections bigger and they had a chocolate aisle. It was then time to watch the movie with classmates. After that I finished the paper for it, and at that point I just needed to do the book questions, and was excited that I was almost done with the class from hell.

Sunday was a day of relaxing, and doing the Culture class’ book questions. It went well and I vowed to start the next months work early. Lunch that day one roommate and I went to a restaurant in the plaza by our house. It is called Super Salads and had really good sandwiches and salads. I then decided that I needed to by a cheap lounge chair for our patio, but the cheapest was 900 pesos, which is about $87. Instead I got a pool mattress for 17 pesos, but I still have to try it out. That is because Monday it decided to rain and today followed suit. The rain ruined the nice weather, because without the sun it has been in the low 50s. Back to Monday I was all ready for my Culture partial exam, but after waiting there for 15 minutes, another teacher told us our teacher got in a car accident, and couldn’t make it, so the test was Wednesday. I then decided to not start the reading just yet to prevent confusion. Today was pretty uneventful.

Well hope everything is going great and had a good weekend. I am getting more and more excited for Cancun, and am counting down the days. This weekend I am going to a town called Cuatro Cienegas, where there are bacterial water pools, so some colorful and exciting pictures. Keep the comments coming and until next time.

hair cut

Midway through another week down here and I decided to post while taking a break from memorizing formulas. This weekend went okay; it all started Friday, when my cough set in. After lunch I went to work on a group project for my Culture class. One of the other two people didn’t show up, so the other girl and I worked for 2 and a half hours and still had some more to do that we would just find on our own and e-mail each other. I was then supposed to go see a play to fulfill another assignment in that class. While walking home from the library I started stressing about all the stuff I now realized I had to do for that class. 6 assignments all with at least a 2 page paper and 4 involved watching a movie or going to a museum. I decided to postpone it until the Sunday showing and would work on the papers that didn’t involve a prior activity. The next day I went to the museum with two girls from my class, sorry no cameras inside. We then ate and walked around the city center, I have more pictures up of this though. It was 85 and no clouds, and I started feeling real hot. I blamed jeans and the sun. I got home and took a nap and woke up for dinner could barely eat anything and then feel back asleep. My roommate woke me up to tell me where he was going and make sure I was still going to a friend’s birthday. At that point I had no energy to do anything and was insanely hot, so I took my temp and it was 100.8! No good, I started taking care of myself and slept until noon Sunday. Sunday I went to start all the homework for my culture class and found out that I made it out to be much worse than it really was. I also found out that the art instillation I visited counted for the same assignment as the play would have so now I didn’t need to go. I ended up getting a good amount of the assignments done, and found out it was all due Friday instead of Wednesday.

Monday the fever was gone, but if only the cough and runny nose left too. I had my second partial, which I though went real well, but ended up only going okay. The class average was a 40, I did a good deal better, and we can redo it for more credit so that is always great. I had another partial yesterday in which all the kids complained it was too hard so he started all the problems for us and worked most of the way through two of them. Today I had no tests and my culture teacher decided to give us the weekend and moved the test and assignment due dates to Monday! I came home finished all but one of the assignments and then went with a roommate to get my hair cut. Check it out:



We then went and got a cake for our host mom for Valentine’s Day. I came home and watched LOST and got even more confused. I also realized 31 days until I leave for Cancun, and that the Writer’s Strike is over so now I can return to my shows soon. Hope everyone’s week is going great and they have a wonderful Valentine’s Day.

another week gone by

Another week here, this week marked the 5th week here along with being here a month. It was marked with great weather, including a day at 99, but now it is in the 70s. Monday there wasn’t school due to Día de la Constitución on Tuesday. Tuesday there were a few Carnival parties, nothing too big. Also on Tuesday I got in trouble in class because I was writing in my planner and not taking notes during class. Wednesday was Ash Wednesday so I decided to go to mass, with a friend. Here there Ash Wednesday service is real different along with their rules for Lent. I kept asking my host mom about mass times and she would say that you just show up and get the ashes. I called the church and they said, “Yea, just show up between 3 and 10.” We went and there was a line for ashes so we got in it and soon found out why we hadn’t seen anyone with ash on their foreheads, because they put it in your hair. We decided to sit and pray, and while doing so the priest came up, read the gospel, did a responsorial, and said we can now line up for ashes. It was then that we realized you were supposed to wait for the mini service they had every 20 minutes then get ashes, oops. Also here there is no rule on fasting, just no meat on Friday or Ash Wednesday, but chicken along with fish are okay meats. Also that day I went to the religious store and they had some pretty cool things, along with tons of saint medals and prayer cards. Thursday was my first partial test, pretty easy, and then I had some time to kill on my normally busy day. Later on that day in my last class we kept getting interrupted because the peacock was making tons of noise, it sounded like the zoo. Last night I bought my plane tickets home and will be back on May 15th in the afternoon. I went to pick seats hoping I could get a front on to make customs go faster, and maybe even have the same seat I did on both legs here. The second leg it worked out and I got the same seat. I then went to pick a seat on the leg from here the Dallas, and this is the picture that greeted me:



I cracked up, at first I thought it would be all handicap, but soon realized that just means it can be handicap seating. I then thought, WOW that is a tiny plane. My seat choices were 1A, 5A, or 4C. I figured 1A had no leg room and the other two were similar, I went with 5A so I could have a seat by itself. Today was another uneventful day, got the second book for Mexican History, am working on a group project this afternoon, and have to see a play tonight. Hope all is well with everyone.

weather

I have live weather on my desktop, and I was just looking at it thinking how glad I am being here enjoying such great weather. Right now the two say in Lenexa it is 33 feels like 23 is night and raining, as for here it says 99 feels like 94 with sun, sun, and more sun. I decided to check out Manhattan too and just had to be thankful I am not sitting there in 29 with a 16 wind-chill.

All last week my friends and I have just loved how we are wearing shorts, eating breakfast outside and it was January. The nights can still get cool, but last night it stayed above 80. My friend from Canada said she almost killed her host mom when she told her it was -30 C (-22 F), her host mom responded, "I didn't know it got that cold." Got to love Mexican weather.

I just thought I would rub it in.