Taxco

The trip is half way over and that is very sad to me :(

Today we went to Taxco, a city known for its silver production, vast amounts of jewlery, and other silver items. The city is spread out in the mountains and all the buildings, walls, and taxis are white. It was really pretty. I spent 3 hours in at least 7 stores trying to find good gifts for my mama and sister. Good thing I'm not picky.

I'm doing pretty well on my goal list (which has expanded). This week I think we are going to go to a salsa class.. even though we've already gone dancing quite a few times I really want to learn how it's actually supposed to go! Also we're looking into taking a cooking class this week. Here is to week four :) Hasta luego.

Marquelia

We left at 2am on Friday to arrive by 10am in the tropical city of Marquelia at a beach called Las Peñitas. Basically you arrive and pick a family to stay with, and they allow you to stay in the hammocks in front of their small houses on the beach for free as long as you give them your service for food. Thus we ate and paid for their freshly made seafood (and handmade tortillas!) and in turn slept on their hammocks. Not a bad trade off :)

The water was warm but cool enough to be refreshing after spending time in the humid heat. We had drinks in freshly cut coconuts and played in the big waves. A couple of my friends and I used my drawing pencils to try to do some sketches. We also went to a mango grove and picked fresh mangos!! The families we stayed with all had young children who we grew close to, especially the 3 year old daughter, Prisa, of the mama we were staying with. Falling asleep and waking up to the sounds of the crashing waves and the cool mist of the ocean water are things I started missing the second we were making our way back to the bus. The sunsets were absolutely gorgeous along with the surrounding green scenary. It was also nice because we were the only ones on the entire beach. Despite the lack of showers and functioning toilets, the weekend was by far one of the most beautiful and peaceful ones I have had in a long time.

Did I mention I'm having a good time here?! So thankful to be on this trip!! But definitely starting to miss my friends and family back home. Not that I didn't miss them before, it's just starting to kick in more now. Need to spend less time on facebook and more time in my libro de texto!! However, the goal is to do a facebook update this week of my favorite photos so far. Ten cuidado mis queridos.

Las Sonrisas son el Mismo en Cada País

La Ciudad de México, D.F.

We went to Mexico City this last weekend.. I was totally expecting it to be crazy and dirty and all sorts of polluted because that's kind of what it looked like when we were flying in. However, it really wasn't that crazy and dirty. The city was very green and colorful, and not as crowded as I thought it would be.

We went to the Frida Kahlo Museo which is the house where Frida and Diego Rivera lived. We also went to the huge Catedral in the center of the city and el Museo de Bellas Artes. We saw lots of art and beautiful architecture (and I took a bazillion photos). In front of the Cathedral you can still see parts of the ruins that the Spanish had built the Cathedral over. There are pieces of glass that allow you to see under the ground. Behind the Cathedral there was a huge archeological site that was discovered in the 70s of even more acient Aztec ruins that had been built over, a whole temple with several visible structures and statues. It was really really cool. There was so much culture and history in the city, it was fascinating.

Today after school we are going to go to an orphanage to talk and play with the children there. Needless to say I am beyonnnnd excited!!! Unfortunately I have definitely been plagued with a stomach disease.. not surprising. I wish I could see a bacterial sample of my intestinal flora :) (PS did I mention that all of my friends here LOVE all my cool science facts?! I mean they think I'm a complete nerd but they're fascinated at the same time) Anywho I really really really really hope I am feeling well enough to go.

I'm late for school right now.. I stayed home because I wasn't feeling well.. I should probably go soon. Scratch that. I should probably do my homework and then go :) Nos vemos!

***POST UPDATE: forgot to mention we went on a colorful little boat ride around the waterways that have been in Mexico City since the time of the Aztecs. People still live on the man-made islands (that are in serious danger of sinking). It was fantastic though! Vendors come by on other little boats selling food and drinks and there was one boat with a Mariachi band on it.. so fun!!! Ok buh bye now

El Fin de la Primera Semana

It is very difficult to do homework in the evenings when you know how much fun the city has to offer with its bares and discotecas. Luckily we aren't assigned much but its enough to make that little voice in your head think twice about going out with your friends! I can't believe a week has already gone by. :(

On Wednesday we went to El Museo de Robert Brady.. it was the home turned into museum of a man whose family who had "financial flexibility" and he used those finances to travel the world and collect art and then throw extravagent parties in his beautiful house. In his home he kept over 1200 pieces of art from something like 100 countries and his oldest piece dated back to the 14th century. He died in the 1980s but left money and instructions for his house to be opened to the public. It was really, really interesting.

Wednesday night was also one of the girl's birthdays so naturally we had to go out :) It was a blast. This weekend we are heading to Mexico City to sight-see and what not in the city. I'm excited! Hasta luego chicos :)

Escuela

I love going to school. hahahh crazy right? I mean I love going to NAU and I've loved my classes there and definitely can't wait for nursing to start in the fall (!!!!) but I really like going to school here. There is only me and one other guy and the professors in both of my classes. School starts at 8 and ends at 2 and I go to two classes for three hours each with 10 minute breaks every 50 minutes. It goes by so fast! 4 hours of my day are devoted soley to conversation and I'm learning a lot very quickly!

We went to the city yesterday and bought cell phones with minutes for 240 pesos (about 24 dollars). We ate at a tiny whole in the wall restaurant I loved it. Mis amigas y yo went out last night to get a taste of the night life and we had a lot of fun :) Today all of the girls came over to Courtney and my host family's house to swim. Workin on our mexi tans ;) lol

Also, I just spent literally over an hour trying to get more photos on here but it was seriously one of the most difficult things I have ever done!!! I deleted everything I had uploaded because it just wasn't working and I will try again some other time. At least you all get to see where I study :) it's beautiful.

I have some tarea to do :( and cena to eat! Hasta luego!

Nuevos Lugares, Nuevas Caras

Hola from Cuernavaca :)
PRE-APOLOGY FOR THE LENGTH OF THIS BLOG
don't worry, soon I'll just be going to school (aka starting tomorrow at 8am) and won't have as much to say-- promise ;)

I am already in love with this city and the people here!! I want to write so much but I'll try to keep things concise! It's really weird to write in English when I've had to be in Spanish mode all day.

Well first off, my flight was great. It was only two and a half hours, and el aeropuerto in Mexico City was super easy to navigate through! The hard part was lugging around my 75+ lbs of luggage.. hahahah typical, Nicole. Flying into Mexico City was super gross though because of the pollution. Despite the nastiness in the air, I'm excited for the trip we are going to take there next weekend!

My host family is soooo nice! Mi mama Gina, who is super nice and funny and cooks good food :), stays at home with her daughter Gina who is 25 and has cerebral palsy.. at least I'm 90% sure that is what she said. Her daugther is in a wheel chair and is so sweet and is always smiling. Papa Guillermo works from 6am to 11pm each night or something crazy like that but I kind of forget what he told me tonight. He speaks very quickly and I don't always pick it up! They have one other son, Guillermo, who works in Mexico City during the week and comes home on the weekends. His girlfriend is always here too and they both are super nice and speak English! They have one other daughter, Diana, who is 16 and just got home from a trip today. She was the one with the internet password so my roommate, Courtney (who is also great!), and I were anxiously waiting her return! Gina's sister and her two sons were here for dinner tonight, too, and it was great food and a lot of fun!! Their whole family is huge, which is normal for Mexican families, and everyone is really close. I love it.

Today we went to the University where we will be studying and had an orientation, tour, and class placement. It's such a pretty campus!! After that we went to Tepotzlan. That article describes the mountain in the Northern part of the city to have a "sloping path." However, that is NOT the description I would use to describe the hour and a half, practically vertical sets of rocks and stairs we climbed up to get to the sacred pyramid of Tepoztecatl that one of the guys who had a handy-dandy altitude-finder in his pocket (forreals) and told us that we were at 6800 feet which I later found out meant that we climbed something like 2000ft. Hardest hike of my life so far but I'm glad I did it! We had fun and it was a great bonding experience for all of us. Seems like every time I travel I end up on some crazy upward slope at some point so at least I got it over with.I really like everyone on the trip so far.. haha. We have more coming tomorrow I think.

Also, like I said before, we start classes. Classes have no more than 5 students so we will each be getting a significant amount of attention! Besides the actual class part of the day we also have a chunk of day soley devoted to conversation. I'm actually pretty excited! The heat isn't so great but once the rains come it will cool down.. I'm just hoping they come before we leave! Also getting used to the meal times here are really difficult haha el desayuno is at 8am, la comida is between 2-4pm, and la cena is at 8 or 9pm.

Ok I was supposed to upload pictures but I am so exhausted and I think its like 12 in the morning here and I have to be up in six and a half hours. OHHH did I mention my host family has a pool!? Yupppp. Will be out there every day :)

Buenas noches mis amigos :) cuidado!

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go.." well, almost.

Hello world. :)

I was selected for a scholarship that requires me to keep a blog while I am away on my trip. I leave Saturday for 43 days to Cuernavaca, Mexico to study Spanish, sight-see around the surrounding cities, and absorb the culture like a little sponge. I will be attending an international university in the city and taking seven credits while abroad. I'll be living with a Mexican family of four (mama, papa, two daughters) and I'll have an American roommate from NAU.

Goals so far:
1) Become substantially better at speaking and understanding Spanish (sound like a Mexican)
2) Get a good tan (look like a Mexican) am I allowed to say that on here?
3) Receive good grades in my classes
4) Make some friends.. American and Mexican
5) Not gain 20lbs
6) Regularly update my blog, with photos!
7) Learn how to cook something Mexican
8) See as many places and things that my budget will allow me to do
-annnnnd most importantly-
9) Have fun in the process :)

I feel like I should have a 10th goal. Open to suggestions!

Stay tuned! 34 hours and counting 'til depature.