september and sponsors

Alright well training is going well and school is actually fun for a change!!!  I like the stuff we are reading in my classes a lot and I'm having a good time studying.  Also, to top it off I'm actually hopeful that I will finish my thesis on time and have a good defense and then, amazingly, graduate!  crazy, i know =)  

So, I've also started rock climbing with Andy.  it is SO MUCH FUN!!!  We wend to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch down near Jasper over Labor Day weekend and i am absolutely hooked.  It is challenging and outdoors which is great for me!

One last thing for this short post, I don't know how many people read this but we are still in need of some sponsorship for my Adventure Race Team.  We have several sponsors already but we're still about $1000 short.  The perks are pretty good, you'll get put on this blog, our team blog (teamtorti.blogspot.com), our facebook page and my facebook profile, and recognition on our team jerseys.  So...if anyone would like to sponsor us or knows anyone who would like to sponsor us, that'd be great!!  Get in touch with me.  

I'm watching some football, so glad the Packers are doing well!!!  I got to watch the whole game last week but today they do the regional thing on FOX and they don't care much about us little old Packer fans down here in the South, so the game isn't on but i'm keeping track and they are up 21-0 already, yay!

9 hours can't be that bad right?

Ha! right, 9 hours wouldn't be that bad if that was all i was doing...but as usual, Megan's schedule has rapidly filled up. I'm also writing my thesis this semester, which would be 6 hours but i don't have to be enrolled in them. I'm studying for the Foreign Service Officer Test (what you take to try and get into the foreign service--working in embassies overseas) . I'm working at Logan's (come see me!) a few nights a week cause there's no scholarship stipend this semester...yea, it is a whole new ballgame for me now, i'm not used to this! good thing i have wonderful parents who are willing to support me even though i'd rather be able to do it myself, gotta suck up the pride sometime though ;)

And so all of that is good, and wouldn't be that hard but last week i got a message from a guy I had talked to a little bit last year about Adventure Racing. He asked me if I was interested in racing in the National Championship adventure race in Blue Ridge, Georgia in the beginning of November. Well, if you know me you know i can't pass up an opportunity like that...so i said yes, and now i'm in training for that, which takes at least an hour, up to 2 or more hours a day because it will involve about 60 miles of biking, 20 miles of running/trekking, and 20 miles of canoeing, all while trying to find points on a map with a compass (orienteering). it is supposed to last about 24 hrs, from 7 am on Nov 7th, til whenever you finish--which is great motivation for me to go fast!

to top it all off, I have started dating a really wonderful guy and i want to spend time with him, thank goodness he is cool and likes to go biking and running and rock climbing and all sorts of other fun stuff cause we can kind of combine training with spending time together. If you want to know more about him, get in touch with me =)

Life is good. God is still blessing me even though i don't deserve it and i'm extremely thankful for that. So, I hope you are seeing his blessings too!

happy birthday to me!

It is my birthday and so far it has been a good day! i am finished with all school work except emailing a paper to my profesora and i am happy to be done! this last week of school (even though i only went 3 days =) was kinda rough. my group did a presentation for one class and she failed 4 of the 5 groups! i know...silly, for me it doesn't matter much but for the people actually getting a grade it is no fun.
I can't wait for green valley! i am so excited to get home and go to camp. I love the people there and just everything about it really, even the heat because i like heat...haven't gotten much of that here actually but i'm sure i'll make up for it when i get home =) see you all soon!

valle de bravo!

Ok, so it has been over a week since i last posted and i'm sorry but i either haven't had much to say or had too much to say now =) but here goes...
so, last week not much to talk about, wrote a 5 page paper in spanish and no idea how i did that but sweet, its done. School School, blah blah, friday night we all went to eat again at marco polo's and that was yummy so that's pretty much all that happened last week.
This weekend, though, has been so wonderful. There's a guy here, Alessandro, that I met and he is great and his family lives in Valle de Bravo, about 4 hrs from Cuerna but it is on a lake. It is a BEAUTIFUL area, reminds me a lot of home with the pine trees and hills. He and I and Tayna, Memo, Carlo, and 2 of carlo's friends Grace and Vives came up Saturday. Getting here was nice just because we weren't in a bus and even though there were 5 of us squeezed into a fairly small car, i enjoyed it.
Valle is an old town and the streets are all cobbled, which means the traffic moves slow no matter what time it is and it has been just a really nice change from Cuerna. Alessandro's house is pretty much right on the lake...his mom designs, builds, rents and sells houses and she is good. The house is beautiful. So Saturday we just kind of took it easy, ate a delicious dinner that his mom fixed of pasta, soup and salad. and played cards all night and tried to walk to the lake in the dark which was hilarious because it is really muddy right now because they drained a lot of it in preparation for the rainy season (now).
Sunday...here's where the funny parts start...i got up and made pancakes for everyone and they were good, not to brag or anything =) and then we got around to going to rent a boat to ski and wakeboard with. Well...the boat was really small, i wish i had pictures of it. in total there were 8 people on it, which was probably 4 too many and so basically you couldn't really ski because the boat couldn't go fast enough. so we wakeboarded and i was the only one on the boat who had every done it before, which i thought was funny. Anyway, so we have this driver right, and he is, to tell the truth, HORRIBLE. he would shoot off way to fast sometimes, and sometimes drive too slow, and sometimes turn right when he would begin so you'd have to turn the board as you were getting up and then he wouldn't avoid wakes, and to his credit, the lake was really choppy so it wasn't all his fault. but, seriously, tayna and i were laughing SO much just because we knew that it could be so much easier. and, go figure, when we went down to the dock to get the boat it was bright and sunny but about 45 min into our outing it started raining...so yea, great boating experience in Mexico...Andy i'm ready for Beaver Lake!!! =)
Oh, and we got to ride in the back of their truck which brought memories of home, for sure...and after we 'skiied' we went to watch the finals of the Eurocup at this little place that had really good seafood. Tayna said that it was the best meal she's had here, and coming from her that's a big compliment =) then we came back and had a nap cause it was raining and in Mexico that is the best thing to do while it rains. The two girls had to go back to Mexico city so they left that evening. Yesterday Tayna and I breakfasted on Turkey and dressing that Alessandro's mom made and againd, delicious. Carlo forgot he had to do something for school and had to rush around and go catch a bus back to Cuernavaca. Alessandro and Memo had to hurry and run some errands but before they did they helped Tayna and I get their kayaks into the small river that runs into the lake. We had so much fun! we paddled down the river, which was a little rough in a couple places and Tayna hasn't done much kayaking so she did good getting it down there. and then we just piddled around the lack and watched the storm come in from over the mtns (yes, again, it was sunny and just as we get on the lake it clouds up) still, it was beautiful and we had a great time out in the lake exploring. Since we couldn't get the kayaks back up the river we decided to try going straight from the shore to the house...through the mud. lol oh, you have never seen two girls trying to drag kayaks through mud up to their knees have you? it was a blast. we looked so pitiful that they guys working on a little gazebo area before his house felt sorry and came and helped us carry them the rest of the way. then it started pouring and we went inside and took showers and then decided to play RISK...ha, as some of you may know, i love RISK, but it does get competitive and i have been guilty at times of letting it get too personal and that kind of happened, but nothing too dramatic. Alessandro and I had to go in the middle of the game to get his stuff and pick up some pizza cause they were starving boys (of course) and we got to walk around the zocalo while we waited for the pizza to be done. We were all tired and so we went to bed early last night. we are leaving today and its probably a good thing cause we are missing classes because of this, but i would much rather be doing this than be in class so i'm fine with it. So soon i'll be home and see y'all, i have many more stories to tell!

weekend fun

So the disco on the boat was a LOT of fun, mostly because i love being on the water and more than that, i love storms and there was one off in the distance but we could watch the lightening and so i got two great things and some fun music all in one night, what a deal! =) we didn't get home til really late but i didn't have anything to do the next day so it was good. i went over to some friends' house with one of the girls from the states. we got there and the guys (there were 3 of them) of course said they were starving...so i offered to fix dinner. i know, it was a bit scary cause everything was different but...i was successful! i fixed the simplest thing i could think of...poppyseed chicken, be proud mom! everyone said it was good. then we played Rockband all night which was hilarious and dominos for a bit.
Sunday I went to church and it was great to see everyone again. There are a lot of outgoing people there and it is fun. Sunday afternoon I just lazed around mostly and talked with my host family a lot which was fun. natalia, the 3 year old, is really hilarious. she likes princesses and dresses up like them a lot. every time i see here she asks me ¿eres Megan? (are you Megan?)and i mean EVERY time which is cute.
Today we of course went to school and have homework =( boo. but only 2 weeks left so i guess i can take it.

just another day

Well, so I haven't posted this week because nothing all that exciting or newsworthy has happened. I had class, had 2 tests yesterday that I think went pretty well. Monday night I went to eat sushi with the AIMers and Alinne, and that was, of course, very yummy! Wednesday night I went and watched a movie with them, and I went early to get Ben and Jerry's ice cream which is like manna from heaven, if you've ever had it you know what i mean =) and i saw some people from school there bowling and so i sat and chatted with them for a while, but then i was late for the movie so i had to go see a different one but that was ok, cause i didn't really want to go see hulk, but i watched M. Night Shymalan's The Happening and i enjoyed it a lot! I like all of his movies really. Last night was a lot of fun cause I went to small group at ben's and then we went to a house where a lot of people from the church were celebrating a little girl's birthday but also just getting together to talk and there were some people from tennessee there who were really nice and so we had a great time. my shoe broke but a very nice man managed to fix it for me enough so that i could get home. Today we didn't have school cause everyone else went to Puebla early this morning. i didn't feel like being part of a massive tour group anymore so i didn't go and neither did another 2 girls, Katey and Amber and we decided to go to the water park that is pretty close to here. it said it was open from 9am to 6pm so we thought we'd just go in and spend a few hours.. well...like everything here, its not exactly like that. the complex was open for that long but the slides and wave pool and the real attractions were only open for like an hour at a time! i know...but we enjoyed what we could and had a few turns down the slides which was a lot of fun. sometimes you just need to be a kid again, you know?! Actually, there are a few people who have birthdays on or right around mine on the 5th and i think we are going to go to a better water park that day to celebrate.
tonight we are going to a disco that is on a boat...yea, be jealous =) should be fun, if we can find it, but we have some mexican friends that are taking us. And tomorrow...who knows? some other adventure no doubt =)

d.f. y teotihuacan

So the weekend was fun! We left Cuerna early and got to the Zòcalo in Mexico city at about 10 or 1030. Funny thing, everyone in Mexico just calls mexico city 'Mexico' so if you are going to Mex City, you just say you are going to mexico...or if you lived there, same thing. even the road signs just say 'mexico' kinda funny no? you'd think that they would get confused but nope. So anyway, we got to the zocalo, which is the main plaza in every town, and mexico city's is really big. It was pretty cool to see the site of so many protests and the HUGE mexican flag flying above it. We split up into 3 groups and our group had a most excellent guide, Carlos. He wore a bandana half the time and was really informative and fun. He was with us the whole weekend. We saw the Diego Rivera murals in the national palace and took a short tour of it. It was really nice to have a guide for the murals because they have a lot of meaning put into a small place. I'm really starting to appreciate his work.
Then we went to an archaological site really near the palace and its kinda weird to see these ruins right in the middle of the city. The whole city is built on top of them though, and on top of a lake so its sinking as well...BUT that helps sometimes because they also are on top of a fault but the water absorbs a lot of the small quakes that they have so...yea, who knew?
We then had time to peruse the cathedral and have lunch. Me and Tayna, Katey and Amber got away from the rest of the group a bit to minimize the confusion and just not have to deal with so many people trying to eat and found a really nice little cantina. It had the old oval booths and looked a bit like an old bar in chicago or an irish pub. The lady there made us some good rice and pork and we were satisfied.
There were some people dressed up in indigenous clothing doing a big demonstration right in one of the streets leading up to the zocalo. It was amazing but blocked traffic so our bus was late but we got on and went to our hotel in the zona rosa. At 4 we went to the anthropological museum...which is incredible! it is huge, for one thing...we only saw like 3 rooms of it and we were there for 3 hours. I would love to go back someday and really peruse the whole thing. 90% of the artifacts in there are real and ALL of them are from mexico. Truly a rich place. Saturday night we ordered pizza and that was yummy.
Sunday we went to Teotihuacan. I really can't tell you how amazing the place is. The pyramids are just rock but you can feel that they were extremely important places for the people that lived there. I can just imagine what it would have felt like to discover something like that. We climbed both of them, and took pictures which will be put on facebook, no worries. =) The craziest thing about the pyramids is how much I felt like I was back in Angor Wat, in Cambodia. The steps are just as steep and the feel of the place is the same...just the importance and heaviness and ingeniousness of the design and construction. Who says we are the culmination of civilization? not i.
We had a really funny experience when we went to eat. our guide told us there were about 20 restaurants where we were going and we could choose. what he didn't tell us was that they were numbered...and that's all there were. There were people out with signs of their number restaurant trying to get us to eat there...it was surreal, none of them had names, just numbers. us girls ate in number 3 and our food was actually very delicious.
We then got on the bus and came home, altogether a great weekend. Today we had class and i played ball with the guys...come to think of it i don't think i've written about that. Sergio, Hernando, Hymei, and Joachim are guys that play basketball every day at Tec. I started playing with them and we have had fun. Tonight i'm going to eat sushi with the AIM guys and Ailinne and her friend. Yum!

rainy season

Ok, just a quick post to tell everyone that yes, i may be in mexico and it can be hot and sunny, but this morning there were torrential rains and floods! It was crazy...some of the professors and students couldn't get to class and it rained and rained...however, kind of like in arkansas sometimes, it is now nice and sunny and beautiful...gotta love it!
I went to small group study last night at Ben and Karen's house. It is good to spend time with carefree, simple christian people. we had a good time talking about the end of 1 John and arguing about spanish words and stuff =) We made plans to go eat sushi on Monday and then watch Shrek in spanish...can't wait!
Other than that, it is friday the 13 and classes are going well on the whole...i checked out my first book from the library today...surprise surprise i know. so, yea that's about it...we are going to Mexico city tomorrow and sunday teotihuacan, the pyramids. I don't especially enjoy being herded around like cattle but i guess it will be good to see that stuff and have my scholarship pay for it.
Ok, done for now, have a great weekend!

examenes

Well, today I had both of my first exams in my classes...and I am happy to say they were easy. Our classes here transfer back as pass/fail so i don't really have to worry about my grades but as many of you know, i kind of can't help it. I truly feel bad when i don't do my best on homework and stuff...i don't know what it is, but sometimes i wish i could just not care and just not do it or do it badly...ah well, i better quit talking about it or some of you who read this are just going to stop =)
I don't really have a whole lot to post tonight because it has just been school and hanging out here at home for the most part. I like talking to my host parents. They are really cool people--Javier who I think i already said is from Spain, was watching the football (soccer) game between spain and russia the other day--he was SO happy spain won! And Elda is always right here when we need something, there's never any awkwardness like there can be sometimes when you are in someone else's house and don't always understand everything they say. Though...i have to say I am proud of myself for holding conversations with them most every night. I feel like I can actually communicate, if not all that fluently or correctly sometimes =)
Ok, last thing that is kinda funny...so tonight me and 2 other girls wanted to go get sushi cause we heard there was a good place in the mall. So we went and we saw on the menu that mon, tues and wed nights there is a 2 for 1 special on certain sushi. so we thought why not? we should all get two and then eat a lot of sushi it'll be great right? so we each ordered 2 and the waiter told us that we were only paying for 3 and then he added that we can't take any of it to go...which should have tipped us off, but processing things in spanish still takes time. So whatever...it came and there was more sushi on our table than i have seen on one table in my life...seriously, it was a lot. haha...it makes me laugh just thinking about it! so...we made a valiant effort to eat it all, didn't quite, but it was delicious, and only $12 each for sushi, miso soup and bottled water...yum! So, this weekend we are going to Mexico City and Teotihuacan and i just can't wait to be herded around like a bunch of cows...such fun! ;) goodnight!

acapulco cada uno

So this weekend was fun, but also not fun in a lot of ways for people around me. I think if we took an inventory of losses of property in the group for the weekend we could probably send a kid to college...phones, cameras, Tayna, my roommate, got her whole purse stolen, while we were sitting right there at dinner! It was the first night we were there, bad deal. She now has an even greater aversion to most mexicans, which is sad, but i can't say that i blame her too much.
It is interesting, because we talk about stereotypes all the time and how we shouldn't pay attention to them....but we do, and a lot of times have to to be able to function. The problem arises when you let stereotypes affect your attitude as a whole. To be cautious is one thing, to be close-minded is another. The problem is that stereotypes come from somewhere. Why do people have the stereotype that people from arkansas are uneducated? because years ago, they were often the poorest people, and uneducated, and some still are, but they also might have been mistaken for that when they were really very intelligent, just about different things...who needs to know Plato when you can run a prosperous farm? Why do we think that people from up north are stuck up? because some are...but maybe too they just don't have that compulsion to form relationships with people like most people from the south, they'd be friendly if introduced properly perhaps. *sigh*
Anyway, we had a great time on the beach, though the ocean water was kinda nasty where we were. Our hotel was pretty plush, and i enjoyed the 4 pillows and one bed i had all to myself because i only have one pillow here, though it is a good one =)
I wish that people could figure out that they don't have to go out every night to have a good time, that sometimes the best times are had sitting around and chatting, relaxing, and getting to know each other. Anyway, they will learn.
On the way back yesterday it rained a LOT on us, the tvs were playing a movie on the bus and water started leaking in on the tv and it shorted out and caught on fire....yea, and i was sitting right under it. no worries, it was a small fire, the bus driver pulled over after repeated mass shouting of his passengers and turned them off and told us not to worry....it probably happens all the time. i had to change seats though, not because of that but because it then started to rain on me from somewhere in the roof.
To top it off, we saw 3 cars wrecked, don't know how, but it was single cars every time so it wasn't like a run-in, more of a lost control....3, in 4 hrs. yea.
So, that was the weekend, hopefully the week will be just as eventful =)

from nothing to everything

Do you know how much I love thunderstorms? A LOT!!! And we have had storms here the past two nights! Don't worry mom, I don't think they have tornadoes. but the thunder was really, really loud...and the girl that lives in the house next to us told me today that apparently we have the city's lightening rod just not too far away =) no wonder it was so bright! So I am really glad to have my thesis proposal done because for the past two days that has been my focus, but it has been really hard to pull it all together (and it is due today) but I finally got it done last night! Today is also Natalia's birthday--she is the granddaughter of mi mama mexicana. So besides school, on Wednesday it was Jennie's birthday, one of the AIM girls. They were having a party for her at Paul and Sharita's, two of the missionaries. So after I got out of class I went home, did some homework and headed over there. They had told me that the 6 goes there. What I didn't know was that there are two #6 buses...yea...I definitely took the wrong one and ended up way the heck out where I wasn't supposed to be. Good thing I speak spanish to ask what i was supposed to do cause i could have been lost forever =) No, but I found it and though I was late for dinner, Sharita is an amazing person and kept some for me....and it was good! then we had cake, and then they all hit at the piñata, then we had candy. Fun times, for sure. Then we went back to the girls house and watched Matchstick Men. Yesterday I went to the small group that the youth have at Ben and Karen's (two other missionaries here) Their daughter, Marai (pronounced like mara-ee) is so precious, 8 months old today.
So, we are leaving for Acapulco today and last night Elda told me that I shouldn't swim in the ocean water because it is polluted. great. i am going to need to go to a real beach here at some point cause i want to swim in the ocean! but whatever, it will still be fun to sit on the beach and wade, maybe play some beach volleyball.
I really like my professors and the classes so far. The homework hasn't been too demanding and we will see about the tests. =)

school...does it ever change?

Alright, so mexico is mexico and therefore our school is crazily unorganized...we all had new schedules this morning and i've fixed it now but i have to catch the bus to school at 6:20....and yes, that is a.m. So...looks like Megan will be used to getting up early every morning after going to bed late. sounds fun =)
So Friday and Saturday were basically all occupied by sitting by the pool and swimming in it and generally hanging out. We all went out both nights and had a good time and got to know each other well. Sunday I went to church and it was good to be around all of them again! We all went to eat lunch at a hamburger place and it is funny but i like the ketchup here better than in the states!! They were good hamburgers too. Then i went and hung out with the girls for a bit...we watched an episode of 'buffy the vampire slayer' and i have to say that i probably won't ever watch any other episodes but it was entertaining.
Sunday night we stayed out very late...places here don't close til way in the morning and it isn't uncommon to still be at a place at 330 or 4am. so monday we slept in and then i went and got a present for Jennie, one of the AIM girls cause its her birthday tomorrow.
House comes on every day here!!! House is this television show that i love and it comes on every night at 8, so KT, i hope you are reading this!
So we started classes today and like i said, it was hectic but i think i will enjoy it for the most part. there is something about taking classes in another language...it of course makes it harder, but i pay attention more too i think. i dunno. my first class will be fun cause the professor is a young guy that enjoys it and makes it fun....the other one i dunno, we'll see.
other than that, we are going to acapulco this weekend!
i know that there's more i want to write but i just can't think of it now...more about my family and natalia, the 3 year old who came down the stairs in a superman costume today, and her cousins carlos ariel and iliana who are staying with us right now while their mom is in aruba...but i just don't know how to write that on here anymore. i'm becoming a very boring blogger cause all i do is relate events, and not a whole lot of those =)
i'll try to get better! but for now if you want to know specifics, email me i guess...:P

paradigm shift

Wow what a difference it makes in my life from before school and now. I have a WONDERFUL host family that takes great care of me and Tayna, my roommate. There is Elda, mi madre mexicana and Javier her husband and their daughter Patricia and her daughter Natalia who is 3 and precious. They have a really nice place and a pool in the backyard...so basically i live in a resort =) School is annoying right now because we are doing a bunch of registration stuff and so basically we wait a LOT....but that is kind of mexico so i guess i shouldn't complain. Another thing that annoys me is going around in massive groups of americans...no bueno. but on the whole it has been great and it will be great as soon as classes start and we aren't forced to bunch together. So...on Monday night I stayed at the AIM girls house and hung with them a little...we watched a movie called 'the island' and i really enjoyed it. Tuesday I had to take a taxi to meet my host family because i wasn't coming in with all the rest of the group. I got there and they welcomed me and it was great. The campus is amazing, with basketball courts and a gym and all that--i think i may have put that in here before but yea, i'm still happy with it. and once we get our passwords i'll be able to use the computers there, which will be good. Last night we all went out like seems is mandatory for american students and inundated the places around the center. it was fun but i just feel like its too much american sometimes...still, we had a good time. today we were all supposed to go take a tour of downtown and learn how to ride the buses...but i already know that and know downtown so i just told them i wasn't going...and took some people with me. it has been so much more fun.
tomorrow and saturday are free days so i don't know what i'm going to do but classes don't start til tuesday. I'm in conversation and like a composition class.
alright, i'm tired of typing so that's it! =)

singing and singing

So Saturday I went to Isadora's parents place about a half hour from here. We took her moped and it was the craziest ride! All the cars were so close and there aren't really rules about lanes and passing and such, so people just go when they can...and we were right in the middle of it! it was fun and mom and dad, i promise i won't do it again =) We had a wonderful afternoon at her place. One thing I love about houses here, they are usually surrounded by a walled yard, so the gate is all locked up but the houses don't usually have any big locks on the doors or anything because they just lock the gate. We got the hammocks out and laid in them and swam a bit and Isa made some jewelry. She makes amazing stuff and she gave me a pair that are really beautiful. She and her ex-boyfriend made their way around Spain making and selling jewelry. Then her mom made tostadas...oh man. I was very bad at eating them and got messy, but they were delicious. and she made passion fruit ice thing...so yummy. they have a passion fruit plant there and it was loaded with fruits that are almost ripe. We left there and Isa dropped me off where I could catch the bus to Paul and Sharita's because they had a group come to sing at their place. I was supposed to take the #6 but i took a different one cause he said he was going to the same place--and then, long story short, i finally had to take a taxi, all of which cost me maybe $3 =) the singing was wonderful! we went up on the roof of their house (almost everyone has a place to sit on the roof) and sang for a long time and then ate tamales that Sergio made...So good! i talk about the food here way too much but i can't help it.
Yesterday I went to church. They have services at a hotel. It was nice to sing in yet another language...and it is funny what songs i associate with what languages too. After, we went and ate at a restaurant and laughed and talked a lot. It is different here than in Europe because in Europe when we had 10 people it was kind of a lot for most places and they thought we were a little odd for bringing so many. Here it is welcomed! They mash as many of us as possible in and you can sit there for hours and no one cares.
Last night me and the AIMers and Tyler, who is also an AIM guy but has been in Leon for a year already and is Rudy's cousin...well we all went to eat tacos and we had a lot of good laughs and those laughs continued when we went back to the girls' house...they are crazy, but so am I so it makes a good combination.
Alright, this is already too long probably but tomorrow I start my homestay with my family. I am excited to meet them!

tulse luper and AIMers

Wed night my friend Isadora was showing a movie and talking about it a little at her university cultural center. It was called 'Las Maletas de Tulse Luper'--Tulse Luper's Suitcases. It was the oddest movie I have ever seen. It might be interesting if I understood it all--cause they put it in Spanish--but i dunno. Anyway...
Yesterday I had a really good evening because I got to spend time with some members of the church here. They were having their youth small group last night at one of the missionaries houses (there are three couples here, who have been here various lengths) There is also, like i posted before, a group from AIM who just got here. They are cool people. We had a good study and then Paul and Charita (two of the missionaries) and I went to another small group because the lady there was helping them with renewing their visas. That group was really cool--they 'started' at 8 but we got there after nine and still people were arriving. I might attend there though it would be challenging because they would speak spanish. Then we went to the house where the girl AIMers will be living (their names are Jennie, Amanda, Sarah, Andrew and Rudy) The girls' house is really amazing! It is nice and big and located near the center and has a rooftop view of the volcano when its clear--pretty great. I hung out with them for a little while last night and they love to laugh and have a good time and we had a lot of fun. I know they are going to love it here and do well. They will be here for over a year most likely. I also met a girl named Aileen at the study. She is from here and really has a lot going for her. She studied in the US, and because she was with a Christian family, she was influenced to become a Christian. Only her older brother is also a Christian in her family and none of her friends so she is even more amazing to me. She is going to be an au pair in Dallas this summer with a Christian family and I hope that is a great experience for her.
Also, the other night i got to witness an authentic mexican gossip session. It was fascinating! Isadora had some friends over and they just went on and on in very rapid spanish about this person and that person and what they were doing. it was really fun.
There is also another girl coming to do study abroad that contacted the missionaries. It is kinda funny to me cause it seems there's just this overabundance of Christian influence here--when really there's not but in comparison to other places i've been, it's more.
Anyway, that's what i've got for now. Tomorrow me and Isadora are going to her parents house to swim and relax and have a good time so that should be fun and a challenge to my spanish abilities. wish me luck...=)

food!

Ok, so just a quick post to talk about how delicioso the food is here...and the answer to that is VERY!! I went with a friend last night to a little corner taqueria and had something like we would call fajitas...they give you the cooked meat and vegetables on your plate and tortillas and you make your own. They have 5 different little bowls on the table with limes (which are like .50 a kilo here) pico de gallo, and 3 different salsas...all nice and spicy. it was the most delicious mexican food i´ve ever had.
One other interesting thing...while i was waiting for this guy to pick me up in front of the cathedral, there were these guys standing there next to white cars, one suv and two cars. they started talking with me and we chatted away about what i like to do here and what music i listen to, etc...and then they started talking about what they do--which they said was like 'state security' so i didn´t really understand what they were doing (there are like 15 different types of police here i´ve figured) until a family came out of the cathedral and they were like, ok, gotta go...and they ushered the family into the cars and off they drove. so basically, private security for government officials that is provided by the government...i thought it was great.

speed bump(s)!

Alright, well so per the title of this blog i am going to talk ( and rant a bit ) about speed bumps. First--they are EVERYWHERE in Cuernavaca! and i don´t mean in residential areas or near schools...they are literaly on every street in the city. sometimes it seems like a smart idea...like before those intersections that have no signal nor stop sign nor mirror to see around the buildings on each corner (and these are not wide streets) so the speed bumps make people slow down so they don´t bash into each other...however, when you are in a bus to Tepotzlan (more on this later) going UP a hill and there are speed bumps, which the driver often ignores, and i can´t blame him cause they are annoying (hint: never sit in the back of a bus here, you´ll be bruised) these on the hill weren´t too large so it wasn´t earth-shaking to go over them. However, in the city there are some that are MOUNTAINOUS and furthermore, what it encourages is cars slamming on their brakes, going over the bump, and then accelerating pell-mell to the next one. And Mexican traffic is anything but orderly, but somehow things work alright. So...
Tepotzlan:
it is about 45 min from Cuernavaca by bus and is in the mountains. It is a great little town in a beautiful setting with the mtns all around it...awesome views. The thing I want to do most is climb up somewhere--there´s got to be trails, but i didn´t bring the right shoes so that will have to wait til later.
I also went to the massive market where the bus station for Tepotzlan is. The place is so big you could really get lost in it. For sale there is everything from fruit and vegetables to clothes to kitchen utensils to dvds and cds. it is fascinating.
The girl I´m staying with is great...her name is Isadora and she runs the university art galleries. She is so helpful and generous and she lives really close to the center but in a gated place that once you get in her apt you can´t hardly hear anything of the city noise...just the kids at the school nearby in the morning. it is a great place.
she has a cat too...and its loco. truly. it makes me laugh all the time
today i´m going to walk uptown and see some different parts of the city and then have dinner with another friend. pretty relaxed, which is great!

Fresas

So they guy I'm staying with is apparently a 'fresa' as they say here in mexico--i guess the equivalent phrase is 'privileged' or just kind of one of those rich kids. but this is different than what we might think...
Cuernavaca is a great city, but highly confusing--it's in the mtns and so all the roads are like this labyrinth that never ends. i'll probably get lost many times during my stay here...which i find fun usually. i went to el centro yesterday and there were lots of people. i went into the palacio de cortes where there's a mural by diego rivera--it was pretty sweet. I also went into several markets and you know, they are the same here as pretty much everywhere else i've been--just selling different stuff. While I was walking around two separate groups of students (high school age) came up to me and interviewed me on camera--they were so cute because they had to speak in english (it was for a class) and they didn't want to make mistakes and such. It was fun, and it confirmed that no matter how hard i try, there's no use, everyone knows i'm american, or foreign at least =)
And this last event is just for Stephen and Smeal, if they read this....last night i played Guitar Hero! yes, you thought i would be deprived of it, nope. it was fun!
So, life here in Mexico right now is pretty lazy and laid back, which is a great thing in my opinion. we'll see how that changes when classes start. The campus is freakin far away and so i don't know how much time that will take out of the day....anyway, hope it's not as hot wherever you are as it is here =)

Viva Mexico!

Well, I have had an amazing time here already and it's only been 1 day! I almost missed my plane because Continental is silly but the nice guy at the ticket counter called general manager and got me on the plane. From then on, everything went really smoothly. I had an uneventful flight to Houston and then a great flight to Mexico City because I was sitting in between two really cool people. Sara is from Denver, a member of the church of Scientology and a really nice person. Ivar was on my right, from Veracruz, returning from Minneapolis where he was studying architecture. He and I talked a lot about Mexico and things I should do (mostly food I should eat!) He was wonderful company and very encouraging about my trip. I got off the plane and waited about an hour through passport check listening to these poor people talk about how horrible their vacation had started off because of storms and complaining that they weren't going to have as many days in Cabo or wherever they were going, poor guys ;) They I caught a bus to Cuernavaca and the first hour was major traffic--Mexico City is pretty much the biggest mish mash of people I have ever seen. There was also a football (soccer) game going on so that made for interesting scenery--the guys in the backs of trucks with their mexican masks and flags trailing from cars and cars with pretty much as many people in them as possible. Then we got out of there and went through the mountains south. It was really gorgeous and green. I got here and Alessandro picked me up. He is an real gentleman and has been a wonderful host. We went shopping because he wanted to cook for me and while we were driving I found out he is a software engineer and he won a contest for a software application for blackberry--obviously very intelligent. He made me something like quesadillas last night except with two tortillas, cheese and ham, then we spread fresh avocado on top and some chipotle chilis---oh man, you don't know how good that was! Then we went and played poker and blackjack with some friends of his til after 1 am cause it was so fun. His friend had this massive Weimeraner dog that was really beautiful but a bit excitable. Ok, I think that's all for now and don't expect future blogs to be so detailed but since he has a laptop and his own computer I have good access to the internet now, but maybe not in the future (he's leaving for New York in 3 days)
Hasta luego,

to ski is to be.....sore?

Well, ski trip is over and so begins another countdown to the next. We had some AMAZING snow...it was powder all four days and just gorgeous. I have never had such good skiing, and to make it even better, I had great people to ski with as well!! It was fun having my whole family there too.
School starts in 2 days. I didn't get anything done over the break that I said i would, but i'm not worried about it. This semester is going to be better than last, i have decided and KT agrees, which just about settles it ;)
Matthew had this podcast on his iPod that was this guy talking about friendship from a philosopher's point of view...it made me think about my friendships and how they change, but how they don't change as well. I am really blessed to have the friends that I do, even if sometimes our friendship doesn't make sense, even to the philosophers.
I have an interview at the Hog Haus on monday, and it would be great to work there--close to campus and I think I could make some good money there. If i'm going to pay for next semester and travel this summer, i'm going to need it! Alright, the packers play in about an hour so i need to get to a TV =)