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.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
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:)
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:)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
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!!!
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.
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