I just passed my exams for level 2 in Spanish at the Academia Hispano Americana here in San Miguel. We get a week off and then classes start up again and I will be in the next level (3 of 6). Erika left early this morning, now I can finally sleep. We were on the go the whole time. Lots of laughes and really good food. We ran out of time- I had so much fun with her. If anyone wants to come visit, please do, I have plenty of space and there is lots to do here. Yesterday I skipped classes and we headed to Guantajuato for the day. It´s about an hour away with 15,000 university students and the birth place of Diego Rivera. Benito, he´s my friend down here who drives a taxi and is really good at pool, was a great guide around SMA and we eneded up going out with him most evenings too. I had my third visit to La Gruta hot springs on Wednesday but I don´t think they cleaned it after the holiday weekend. The water was pretty gross. Gross and hot- great combo.
This coming vacation week I was supposed to go to Todos Santos in Baja because a classmate had offered up her house. Beach, waves, diving, guys.... yes!! Unfortunately the other two girls I was going with couldn´t get thier act together yesterday. I don´t think we´ll be going this week. Maybe I´ll take some art classes in town for the week. I´ve already circled about a dozen events in the local newspaper that can serve as my back up vacation.
Wow, its so wierd to type all this English, I even write my diary in Spanish now. It was great when Erika was here because she is pretty much fluent. I was the slow one at the table trying to grasp what everyone was saying and often turning to her for translation.
I really love this place and I can´t imagine leaving anytime soon. I just wish I had packed better clothes, any jewelry or some makeup. I didn´t know I´d be in such a town and want to look good. My mom sent down 4 skirts and some shirts with Erika. Continential lost her bag, but we got it the following night. Thank goodness; I feel like such a girl . I have never been so excited about new clothes in my life.
Ok, yeah I haven´t posted in a while. Semana Santa was a big deal down here. Hours and hours of processions and traditions. My favorite was the burning of Judas in the jardin. They hung about 15 paper mache figures, mostly men, but one witch too. One by one they were lit and they spun around shooting off sparks until they blew up into tiny peices and the crown cheered. Most of my pictures are on facebook, but I will try to figure some other way to make them accessible. It takes forever to load them onto the blog.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Smelly Apartment of my Own
Ah, so I have a new apartment. Although I miss having a roommate. Sean- you were so fun to live with this past year.
My new place is even closer to the main Jardin and my school. It was a good deal and its pretty big, seating for 10 people or so since it came furnished and utilities, linen and cleaning included. Downside, it doésn´t have as much light as I would like and it kinda smells like sewage and smoke . I had a cold when I rented it, so I am working through this issue.
When I told the family that I liked them and their food but I couldn´t live with that other student, the mother sat me down and said, YES! I know! Turns out the whole family and the three girls that work in the house avoid him like the plauge. That´s why they never ate with us. Shame. They don´t know what to do as he wants to stay for 5 more months.
And now I no longer live a half block from my mexican boyfriend. No more pebbles tossed at my window to get me to come down to the street. Back to basic text messaging. Thank goodness my cell corrects my spelling. I am getting much better at Spanish, even if I have been skipping some of the afternoon classes. This week I have to miss some of Wednesday because I am in a dramatic play reading. Yes, you read correctly. I have never thought of something like this, but they needed people as its Semana Santa and many people are gone. Its a holiday week, no school and everything is closed on Thursday and Friday. We´ll for me I just get Monday off for Benito Jaurez´s birthday- St. Patrick´s Day. And on Good Friday, people come here from as far as Mexico DF for the celebrations. I´ll be sure to pop my wallet in my front pocket and join the crowds.
Super good news, Erika from South Carolina is coming on Saturday to spend almost a week with me. I can´t wait to have a good friend to explore the area around here. Ok, off to go figure out to cook mexican food. If you have any simple recipes, please send them to me. I can get fruits and vegetables and grains pretty easily. And I bought a super sharp knife and a stone to keep it that way. Since Cutco, I am particular about my knives.
My new place is even closer to the main Jardin and my school. It was a good deal and its pretty big, seating for 10 people or so since it came furnished and utilities, linen and cleaning included. Downside, it doésn´t have as much light as I would like and it kinda smells like sewage and smoke . I had a cold when I rented it, so I am working through this issue.
When I told the family that I liked them and their food but I couldn´t live with that other student, the mother sat me down and said, YES! I know! Turns out the whole family and the three girls that work in the house avoid him like the plauge. That´s why they never ate with us. Shame. They don´t know what to do as he wants to stay for 5 more months.
And now I no longer live a half block from my mexican boyfriend. No more pebbles tossed at my window to get me to come down to the street. Back to basic text messaging. Thank goodness my cell corrects my spelling. I am getting much better at Spanish, even if I have been skipping some of the afternoon classes. This week I have to miss some of Wednesday because I am in a dramatic play reading. Yes, you read correctly. I have never thought of something like this, but they needed people as its Semana Santa and many people are gone. Its a holiday week, no school and everything is closed on Thursday and Friday. We´ll for me I just get Monday off for Benito Jaurez´s birthday- St. Patrick´s Day. And on Good Friday, people come here from as far as Mexico DF for the celebrations. I´ll be sure to pop my wallet in my front pocket and join the crowds.
Super good news, Erika from South Carolina is coming on Saturday to spend almost a week with me. I can´t wait to have a good friend to explore the area around here. Ok, off to go figure out to cook mexican food. If you have any simple recipes, please send them to me. I can get fruits and vegetables and grains pretty easily. And I bought a super sharp knife and a stone to keep it that way. Since Cutco, I am particular about my knives.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Week 1 San Miguel
Ok, so it's been a busy week. Sure I wanted to come to Mexico to relax and take a break from the rush and stress of my life in the States. However, I seem to have planned a full life down here. No extra time to sit and ponder my yoga sutras. Spanish classes run from 8:30 am until 6:30 pm with a 2 hour break to walk home for la comida in the middle of the day. My Spanish is improving, but I feel like I need to take another break. Now I know it is not my location, but my drive to learn and do as much as I can that pushes me towards crazy schedules. Yoga training, dive certification and now intensive Spanish. The school I am at is well respected. Academia Hispano Americana and my main teacher, Aide, is wonderful. She's only a year older than I am but she is very energetic and always prepared for class.
I live with a family about 15 minutes walk from the school. San Miguel is such a beautiful town. The family has 2 other students living there two. Both bald guys, one 41 and one 61. Having students is more like a business for them than a cultural experience as we don’t eat together or interact much. I have my own bathroom and a tiny room, just enough to lay down a yoga mat, but not enough to stretch beyond the limits of the mat. Many people live in the house, the 3 students, the parents, a renter on the 4th floor, the oldest daughter (18) and her husband and child, the son (16) and another daughter (15). The only people I have talked to are the mother and the son. One of the other students totally freak me out. Yikes, just as I wrote that he stepped up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder at the internet cafe. See what I mean? I think I will not be living with the family for much longer because he makes me so uncomfortable. It might be nice because the food is good, but I am eating more white flour and fewer vegetables than I´d like. I´ve also never seen a house with so many decorations. Every wall is covered, I´ll have to take some pictures.
I started this post last week so I will just pretend its still last week. I wish mom could have stayed with me down here; there is so much to do and its been sunny every day. We stayed at Casa Luna, a very romantic B&B. Staying there made me appreciate decorative details. Last Thursday and Friday they celebrated some conquistador with Aztec dancing. This week its a Cuban Festival with lots of music and dancing too.
The cobblestone streets of San Miguel are really nice, hard to run on, but beautiful. However, huge doors block off so many of the fantastic interiors. Its not like the US where the outside of the house is the showpieces. The beauty is for those inside the courtyards. There are so many things I want to do here, I think I may end up spending two months instead of one.
I live with a family about 15 minutes walk from the school. San Miguel is such a beautiful town. The family has 2 other students living there two. Both bald guys, one 41 and one 61. Having students is more like a business for them than a cultural experience as we don’t eat together or interact much. I have my own bathroom and a tiny room, just enough to lay down a yoga mat, but not enough to stretch beyond the limits of the mat. Many people live in the house, the 3 students, the parents, a renter on the 4th floor, the oldest daughter (18) and her husband and child, the son (16) and another daughter (15). The only people I have talked to are the mother and the son. One of the other students totally freak me out. Yikes, just as I wrote that he stepped up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder at the internet cafe. See what I mean? I think I will not be living with the family for much longer because he makes me so uncomfortable. It might be nice because the food is good, but I am eating more white flour and fewer vegetables than I´d like. I´ve also never seen a house with so many decorations. Every wall is covered, I´ll have to take some pictures.
I started this post last week so I will just pretend its still last week. I wish mom could have stayed with me down here; there is so much to do and its been sunny every day. We stayed at Casa Luna, a very romantic B&B. Staying there made me appreciate decorative details. Last Thursday and Friday they celebrated some conquistador with Aztec dancing. This week its a Cuban Festival with lots of music and dancing too.
The cobblestone streets of San Miguel are really nice, hard to run on, but beautiful. However, huge doors block off so many of the fantastic interiors. Its not like the US where the outside of the house is the showpieces. The beauty is for those inside the courtyards. There are so many things I want to do here, I think I may end up spending two months instead of one.
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