You know you're in Mexico when...

After being here for almost 3 wks now, I have observed some interesting things, which bring me to the topic:

YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN MEXICO WHEN...
1. Tortillas and salsa are somehow included in EVERY meal (and should be...they are SO fresh and delicious here).

2. The restaurant near my host family's house had half a cow delivered via wheelbarrow the other day (needless to say I'm sure I've eaten far worse since I've been here, I just don't know it).

3. The spinning instructor at the gym I go to for spinning class brought her 3 month old Beagle puppy with to class...he slept in her sweats while we biked.

4. The sun intensely shines every day without a cloud in the sky.

5. I occassionally don't have hot water in my shower after a windy day...the pilot light on the hotwater heater to my room gets blown out as it is on the roof outside of my room.

6. It is possible to buy a "knock-off" of just about anything. Last wkend I bought a pair of "Lacoste" sunglasses for 50 pesos (about $4).

7. When I tell people I'm from MN or WI they have no idea where it is...but when I mention it's near Canada, they immediately know it must be VERY cold.

8. There are lots of stray dogs around and they are all SO cute. I wish I could bring a couple home with me!!!

9. American TV shows are on TV all the time, but with the most cheesey dubbed-over voices. Grey's Anatomy just isn't the same!!!

10. Recycling does not exist in ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. I cringe every time I have to throw away a bottle or can.

11. Car seats and seat belts are never used. I often see a family drive by with an infant on the mom's lap and kids standing on the seats in the back.

12. American influences are everywhere...iPods, Wii, Miley Cirus, "Abercrombie" and "Holister" clothing.

Becoming a local...

After two weeks here in Guanajuato, I have become fairly familiar with daily life here. It took me about this long to get my body acostomed to the daily schedule. My first week I would wake-up like I do at home....EARLY, and kill time until the rest of the world woke up here. In reality there is NO reason to be waking up early here, as there is NOTHING to do...so I have adopted the "local" schedule: wake-up at 8 AM, breakfast at 8:30, class 9-1, go for a run or head to the gym, lunch at 3, study/hangout, evening classes 7-8, dinner/snack, homework/study, go to bed 12-1 AM. Getting back on a "hospital" schedule is going to be a real reality shock!!!

This past wkend was uneventful, yet very busy. Friday I did my laundry. Like most things here, it was a production, and very different than at home. You have to take your laundry to the "lavanderia" or laundry mat. You are charged by the kg...which gets VERY expensive!!! Some of the other students in my school have had problems with their clothes being shrunk away to nothing (because the dryers are SO HOT), so I decided to ask for my clothes to be only washed. I then lugged them home and hung them up on the roof on the clothesline to dry. This actually worked pretty well!!!

On Saturday I went for an hour long run in the city and enjoyed the sunshine and warmer weather. It has been quite hot the last few days, and I've actually had to use some of the sunscreen I brought along...it's VERY easy to get burnt given the strength of the sun and the altitude here. I spent Saturday night with Carolina watching movies at our house...it was relaxing to have a lazy night and get some rest.

I spent most of the day Sunday exploring different parts of the city. I walked to the world-famous Mummy Museum (Museo de los Mumias). It was a very interesting and DIFFERENT museum. Below is a brief history:

"With almost 150 years of history, the Mummies of Guanajuato have become a part of our culture and traditions as a people settled on the slopes of a large ravine that has generously produced the riches of its innards since the age of Spanish viceroyalty.
In 1865 the first mummified body that lay in the Santa Paula Pantheon was extracted, and as the years go by, other bodies are discovered in the same condition due to the characteristics of the soil in which they rested. At present more than one hundred mummies make up the inventory of the museum created in their honor."

I also walked to most of the markets in town and bought fruit, candy (jelly beans of course), and some sunglasses. The markets are HUGE here and you can buy just about anything you could ever want for next to nothing. I also discovered this wkend that there are shoe stores EVERYWHERE, and shoes are less tha $8 USD. I am definately going to buy a few pairs before I leave!!!

Sunday evening I taught my host family how to make "American" cookies. Carolina and I took a long walk to one of only two supermarkets in town and actually found brown sugar and chocolate chips, the only ingredients the Alvarez's didn't already have at home. We made a double batch, which was probably more than 60 cookies. Everyone went NUTS for the cookies. Pepe, who is 14, ate at least a dozen when they were fresh and hot. When I woke up this morning, all but 4 cookies (that Gloria had hidden for Carolina and I) were GONE. The kids are already asking when I will make my next creation...maybe brownies next time:)

A baking lesson with my host family...they wanted to learn how to make "American cookies"...we went for nestle tollhouse chocolate chip...they were a BIG HIT!!!

One of the many markets in Guanajuato where you can buy fresh, locally grown produce...it is SO much better than in the supermarkets back home!!!

Mummies at Museo de Las Momias in Guanajuato.

School has gotten significantly more difficult, or moreso frusterating this wk. In Mexico, a common way of learning something new is repetition until something is perfect. All week we've had to practice writing and saying sentences we've created in the subjunctive form of conjugation until they are perfect....and we are not allowed to leave class until they all are. Yesterday I was after class 20 min and almost in tears with frusteration....and finally asked my teacher if I could please leave...it's tough love I guess, but a good way to effectively learn.

The weather is finally improving a bit here. My luck, it has been unseasonably cool, and I have WAY underpacked in the warm clothing department. Most days it is in the 60s during the day and low 40s at night. During the day it is quite nice, but at night, without heat, it cools down quickly. Good weather to sleep in, but definately cool getting up in the AM. I am glad I at least packed a fleece jacket last minute and might break down and buy a sweater...which would really make me a wimpy Minnesotan. It has also been very windy at night, which causes the pilot light on the hot water heater to my room to blow out. I was without hot water the other day and didn't realize the previous day's wind was the cause...thank god though, because BOY WAS THAT A MISERABLE SHOWER!!!

My host family asked me if I liked to bake, which I LOVE TO, and if so, if I would teach them how to make "American Chocolate Chip Cookies." Works out perfect, since cookies are my specialty, so this wkend I will be leading a "cookie making course" at the house which should be fun. Oddly enough, sweets here are VERY different, with much less sugar (which I actually prefer)...so my host family will be in for a big surprise!!!

Every Wednesday evening we have "Cafe Social," where all of the students and teachers from the school meet at a cafe to have a drink and practice our spanish speaking skills. It's a fun way to get to know some of the other students that are not in my class. This is my roommate Carolina, from Brazil.

Along with normal spanish classes every day from 0900-1300, we have culture classes 2-3 evenings during the wk. This week's topic is about common mistakes non-spanish speakers make when using common phrases in a BAD way. We are also learning about common idioms that are used in spanish ("I woke up on the wrong side of the bed")...I can't help but think of my sister saying they were teaching the same stuff to some of her non-english speaking students back in MN.

One of the phrases we learned was "ser fodonga" which is a slang term which means "to not care about one's appearance or what others might think about your appearance." Our teacher used the example he'd "heard" that college students in America often go to class in pajamas for morning classes....I agreed that this was often the practice...and the other students from around the world were absolutely shocked!!!! I also was telling this story to my "host-mom" and she was appauled too. In the Mexican culture, appearance is VERY important, and even people that have nothing here are dressed in perfectly bleached and ironed clothes, hair neatly combed, etc.

I also had the privilage of working with Yunko in class today, a girl about my age from Japan. I think I'm doing a pretty thorough job of taking notes and doing my homework...YOU SHOULD SEE HER NOTES...all color-coded, recopied, and neatly organized. The workethic of all Japanese students here at school is really something I could learn from!!!

just a side note...i consolidated my email addresses and will now use the following: hmstangl@gmail.com

please send any future emails to that address...thanks:)

Catching history while in Mexico...

Thanks to the wonders of technology, I have been able to catch the excitement of The Presidential Inauguration via CNN.com/live. I actually brought my new laptop to school and had live video streaming throughout class through the school's wireless connection (muted of course); I couldn't possibly miss out on such a historic day!!!! I was surprisingly overcome with emotion watching Obama be sworn in and truly feel excited and hopeful that our country has overcome yet another barrier!!! I am looking forward to watching the parade this afternoon!!! It is also very interesting to get a feel from the other students and even my host family about Obama coming into office, and past attitudes about President Bush. It's easy to forget that our country's polical actions are much more far-reaching than we probably will ever realize.

I have gotten lots of nice emails from friends and family saying they enjoy the blog which for me is VERY COOL. It has become kind of a fun project for me to keep up. I also have gotten a few questions about what my address is down here:

La Familia Alvarez (Heidi Stangl)
Mexiamora #12, Col. Centro
C.P. 36000, Guanajuato, Gto.
Mexico

Also, MANY THANKS to friends and family this wk for all the continued support and well-wishes. I've been a little homesick and have had quite a bit of stress in my personal life recently, and it's been wonderful to hear such kind words, so again THANK YOU:)

Our picnic lunch yesterday on the patio...this is my host family (count em all six kids) and my roommate Carolina (on the end in the white). Normally everyone is being silly and laughing...I guess a caught a serious shot:)

A good wkend...

My first full wkend in Guanajuato was fairly low-key, which I enjoyed. Friday evening, some of the other students and I went to a Salsa dance class. It lasted for about an 90 mins, and believe me, Saturday morning I was sore in places I didn’t even know I could be sore. All of the participants in the class were non-Hispanic…so you can imagine how goofy we all looked!!!

Saturday I enjoyed the beautiful weather (lots of sun and around 70 degrees) and went for an hour long run with another student from school and took in more of the scenery of the city while out on the run. Even during the weekend there doesn’t seem to be many tourists around which is nice. My host family was gone for the day on a trip to a nearby city, so the house was incredibly peaceful without six kids running around. I spent the evening at my new favorite hangout, Café Tal, studying for my nursing boards. Café Tal is a fun little café owned by a hippie-type guy from Washington DC. The coffee is awesome and super cheap and there is free wireless there too.

Sunday, I walked to a nearby “mall” with my Brazilian roommate Carolina and Fernanda (the family’s oldest daughter who is 16). The mall was a good 25 minute walk, which involved going through a long tunnel. Being that I am SUPER claustrophobic, I was scared!!! The mall had a big store called “Mega,” which is like Walmart, and about a dozen other random stores. There also is a food court with the city’s only McDonalds and Subway (I might just have to make a trip there someday for lunch). I bought some candy and diet coke, both necessities for meJ Luckily we ran into Fernanda’s aunt at the mall and she gave us a ride home so we didn’t have to go through that tunnel again!!!

In the afternoon, my host family, Carolina and I, and a few other random relatives had an outdoor picnic on the patio behind the family’s house. Pedro (the dad) grilled up the skirt steak with an awesome marinade on this pit/grill-type deal they have and sliced it up thinly. We used these big rolls (which we kind of hollowed out) and freshly toasted tortillas and filled them with the steak, fresh guacamole and salsa, and chili peppers (fresh off the grill too). The weather was perfect, and we all sat around and talked and ate for about 2 hours, while Egore, the family‘s dog tried to steal any leftovers he could find. My host family loves to ask me about what it’s like to live somewhere with such cold weather and snow (the kids have never seen snow)…and I couldn’t help but show them some pictures on my computer of the aftermath of the HUGE blizzard we had in Milwaukee last year….THEY COULDN’T BELIEVE IT!!! It really was a wonderful afternoon and ONE OF THE BEST MEALS I’VE EVER HAD!!!

Lessons and observations from my first wk...

After being here in Guanajauto for about a wk now, I have become pretty familiar with the city and day to day life here. The following are some of the more interesting moments I've had so far:

1. No matter how badly you need to use a restroom and desperate you may appear, you are unable to use the public toilets without paying 2-5 pesos.

2. Although most places have indoor plumbing, the low water pressure does not allow for flushing toilet paper and instead needs to go in the waste basket....you'd be surprised how difficult it is to change such a simple life-long habit!!!

3. Meal times are much different then in the US. Breakfast is around 8 AM, lunch 3 PM, and dinner anywhere from 8-10 PM, although lunch is usually the largest meal of the day. It's weird to eat so late at night!!!

4. The "danger zone" for food in no way exists. It drives me crazy walking by the butcher's shops and seeing chicken and pork just sitting on the counter. Luckily my host family has good refrigeration and and uses safe food prep techniques (at least by Mexican standards).

5. Fresh produce is SO much better than in the US. Most is grown locally and picked the morning of to be brought to the markets. The prices are ridiculously cheap too. Strawberries are about 50 cents a pound and bananas less than a nickel each. You can also buy big bags of oranges for next to nothing (similar to 40lb bags of potatoes you can buy in the US). My host family uses those oranges to squeeze fresh orange juice every morning...SO GOOD!!!

6. No matter how much I practice and more confidence I develop in my spanish speaking skills, I still make a ton of stupid and embarrassing mistakes. The other day at lunch I was telling my host family about how I went running by "El Pípila" (the big statue) and instead said "pepino" which means cucumber. The little kids were laughing at me so much...its rough having an audience of 9 during meals!!!

7. Lastly, working out at 6,500 ft is a killer!!! There is a small gym by the house that has group exercise classes. For 30 pesos (about $2.50) you can attend. I went to a spinning class after school yesterday and have never been SO out of breath while biking. No one else in class hardly even broke a sweat and I WAS DIEING!!!

These were my classmates for the wk. New students can come and go each Monday, so things are constantly changing.

In the picture is myself, Sara (a travel agent from France), Anna (a student from Russia), Erik (a co-worker of Sara's also from France), Alex (a student from California), Elaine (a student from Texas), Koichito (an employee of Toshiba from Japan...you should see some of the electronic gadgets he has!!!) and Yunko (a business professional from Japan).

This the upper floor of the school...bright, airy, and very clean.

My bedroom. It has two beds, lots of storage space, a desk, and my own bathroom with hot water...I am totally spoiled!!!

The family's dog, Egore, became my new best friend the first day I moved in. He likes to lay outside of my room.

This is the view from the top of the city near 'El Pípila,' a HUGE statue that overlooks Guanajuato. There is a long and very steep staircase that leads to it....quite a workout!!!

This is the view from my room. As you can see, all of the houses are built on the hillsides and are very colorful!!!

My first wk in Mexico

Saturday morning, my dad and I left my parents house in MN at the ungodly hour of 0300 for the airport. Somehow I managed to pack most of what I'd need for the next three months into just two suitcases and a backpack (and not forget anything). As the plane took off from Minneapolis, I really had to idea what the next few months, and even days would hold!!! My flight took me from Minneapolis to Detroit, and then a LONG flight from Detroit to Mexico City. I have never visited Mexico City, and was blown away by the city's size as we landed. I was amazed by the air pollution. I've been told that the pollution is the equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes per day....and I completely believe that now. The city was blanketed by a thick layer of smog that looked like fog...it was incredible.

The airport is one of the largest and busiest in the world and also one of the most dangerous from what I've read and heard....so rather than spend the night in the airport (after my flight was bumped to the next morning), I took a hotel shuttle to the nearby Fiesta Inn. After traveling for 14 hrs, it felt good to get a decent night's sleep, a hot shower, and a couple last hours of TV in English (MTV and CNN).

I was up again at 0400 Sunday morning to make my final flight to Leon. There were only 9 others on the flight other than myself...and I really wondered what I got myself into as the plane took off from Mexico City. The flight was only 40 min, and we flew pretty close to the ground...which gave a nice view. We landed at El Aeropuerto International de Leon and I had to laugh to myself that they'd consider an airport not much larger than a small strip mall in the US an "international airport." I grabbed my bags from the airport's ONLY baggage claim and went to wait for my ride to Guanajuato.

I WAITED AND WAITED AND WAITED...and was beginning to think maybe this whole trip and program was a total scam...when FINALLY a younger guy showed up to pick me up. We made the 40 minute drive from Leon to Guanajuato and finally arrived at my host family's house.

In the confirmation information I received from Amerispan, I was to live for one month with an older couple with two sons a little older than me while i attended classes at the language school and then the final two months in a dorm-type place. Instead my arrangements had changed...AND FOR THE BETTER. I am staying with a younger family, La Familia Alvarez. They have 6 children, ranging in age from 8-16, all of which live at home, a HUGE dog (who of course was instantly my best friend), and other student from the school (Carolina, a 19 year old girl from Brazil). Their house is HUGE and extremely modern by Mexican standards. It has 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, cable tv, wireless internet, and HOT WATER (one of my biggest concerns while I am away). I have my own little "apartment" which is up near the roof with two bedrooms and my own bathroom. There is TONS of space to unpack and a nice desk, and the BEST view of the city just a few steps from my bedroom door.

With 6 kids the house is ALWAYS full of activity. Just like in the US, the kids are OBSESSED with Wii and hate doing their homework. They have SO much energy and are so much more respectful and obedient than American kids...partly because the mom (Gloria) runs a pretty "tight ship." There is no whining, everyone helps out with different chores, and all the younger ones sit down around the dining room table and do homework together with mom's help. She and her husband work at the University of Guanajuato (Pedro is a doctor for the University's athletic teams). I eat two meals a day with the family (imagine how crazy it is with 10 people around a dinner table!!!!)...breakfast at 8 and lunch at 3. The food is amazing and Gloria is a great cook. I've been eating LOTS of fresh fruit, beans, rice, tortillas, and chicken. Yesterday we had this amazing "cream of cilantro" soup that i want to learn to make!!!

The city is absolutely beautiful and pretty small...about 70,000 people. It is located in a valley, and many of the houses are built up on the hillsides. My first day here, Sunday, my roommate Carolina so nicely showed me around the whole city and we must have spent 5 or 6 hours just walking around. Because everything is SO close, walking everywhere is no problem. The city is filled with markets, tiny shops, beautiful old buildings and architecture, tons of restaurants, and barely any tourists. Its located at around 6,500 ft and I can really start to feel the altitude. The weather is cooler than I expected (NOT THAT I AM COMPLAINING AS I KNOW HOW COLD IT HAS BEEN IN THE MIDWEST LATELY)...mostly mid-60s during the day and 40s at night and it is almost always sunny.

On Monday I started school. The school is small and very quaint. There are about 25 students at the school currently, and there are always more coming and going every Monday when a new session begins. The students are mostly between 18 and 30 years old but from ALL OVER THE WORLD (which really surprised me). There are only 8 students in my class...from Russia, two others from the US, Japan, and France. Other students in the school are from Norway, Netherlands, Brazil, etc. Classes go from 0900-1300 every morning with optional additional classes in the afternoon and evening (movies, culture classes, social outings, etc) and we also have homework every night. The teachers are tough, but very helpful and I AM LEARNING SO MUCH SPANISH. Its kind of cool being that all the students are from all over the world and have different primary languages but can all communicate in spanish!!!

Sorry this first post is SO long...and I will continue to update it every couple of days while I'm away and upload pictures when I have access to a faster connection. Adios for today:)