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:)