Guanajuato and San Miguel!!!

¡Hola a todos! So the nun convent didn't really work out...They told me that I could teach an English class, but then for some reason never wanted to talk about it and what's worse is they kept trying to talk to me about God...which is definitely not one of my priorities.  Anyway, instead of volunteering at the convent I've been doing a bit of traveling.  These past 2 weeks I went to Guanajuato and then San Miguel de Allende.  I stayed in Guanajuato for about 6 days and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! It is a smaller city that is nestled into the mountains and is made up of many stairway streets....and when I say stairway streets I mean hundreds upon hundreds of stairs going up the side of a mountain.  The street my hostel was located on was one of these wonderful streets and it took me about 10 minutes and 2 breaks to get to my hostel door.  O well it was very good exercise and from the 3rd floor terrace you could see all around the city, which made the horrible trek up and down that staircase worth while.  I would have to say that out of all the cities in Mexico that I've visited, Guanajuato has been my favorite.  The landscape is breathtaking and the city has such a quaint homey feel to it.  Also it was much cooler there than it is Querétaro.  I'm not sure of the altitude difference, but I definitely didn't need a fan at all.
The first day that I got there I didn't really do much, because I arrived so late in the afternoon.  However, the second day I ventured out to explore and ended up meeting a girl my age from England.  We ended up bumming around together for the rest of my stay and had some pretty fun experiences!! The first place we went was the mummy museum.  I believe that I read somewhere that this museum houses the largest collection of mummys in the western hemisphere!  It was very interesting and relatively cheap to see.  There were hundreds of preserved mummys with weird facial expressions, wounds, and even (what I thought) were creepy baby mummys.  After that we went to many other smaller museums like the Don Quixote museum and the Diego Rivera museum.  These were not quite as interesting, but still fun to visit.  We also ended up going out in the mountains to visit the "Cristo Rey" which is a massive bronze statue of Jesus that sits on the top of a 3,000 foot mountain.  The getting there was kinda rough and took much longer than expected (about 1 and 1/2 hours each way) but the result was well worth it.  The view from the top of this mountain was awe-inspiring.  You could literally see for miles around you and we got to witness a rain storm off in the distance which was absolutely beautiful at that altitude.  The trip out to the Cristo Rey was wonderful, but seeing how we didn't realize it was that far of a trip, my friend accidentally missed her bus back to Toluca and had to reschedule it for the next day.  No real harm was done though and we ended up going out that night and had a lot of fun at a karaoke bar!
After returning here to Querétaro, she ended up sending me a message saying she was on her way here to visit me and see what Querétaro had to offer.  Here starts the beginning of another great adventure.  We ended up going out a few times, once to an Irish pool bar, and then to another karaoke club.  I tell you what that girl can belt it, and we had so much fun we ended up staying until the bar closed.  After a few days in Querétaro we decided to head out to San Miguel de Allende, which is one of the most popular and touristy places to visit in México.  It's only around a 50 minute bus ride from Querétaro, but the 2 places are worlds apart in difference.  San Miguel was CRAWLING with expats and retirees.  I felt like I was back in the U.S. again.  Everywhere I went people were trying to talk to us in English instead of Spanish, and pretty much everywhere you went you were bound to bump into some "gringos".  Don't get me wrong it's very nice to know that you're not so alone in México, and that you can find other Americans if need be, but it kinda takes the fun and the cultural experience out of it when everything is custom-fitted to foreigners.  So all in all we did the touristy things like normal, seeing all the landmarks, churches, museums, and eating at the tour-guide recommended restaurants.  It was a great time, but like I said I would much prefer Guanajuato to anywhere else I've visited.
As of right now I'm back in Querétaro once again.  I've been finishing up the plans for my dad and my's Oaxacan adventure when he comes to visit in about 2 weeks.  Planning is almost done and I'm now considering taking a few day trip to Morelia, another city here in México.  Who knows!  I'll try to write back soon and tell you all about any other adventures I've had! ¡Hasta luego!

D.F., Puerto Vallarta, and Nuns!

¡Hola a todos!!! It's been a little while since I've written an entry and I apologize but I have been very busy as of late! I am now done with my classes here and with having received all A's (do a happy dance for me!!!) I have begun my summer vacation!! Nick recently came down to visit and we had a good time traveling a bit throughout the country.  He arrived in Mexico City (D.F.) and we ended up staying there in a really cute and quaint hostel for about 3days.  We bummed around and visited all of the really touristy areas and we even went to the zoo, which believe it or not, was completely free! This was like any other zoo really but we got to see 2 animals that I had never seen before, a hippo and a PANDA!!! I was really excited about the panda because it was so cute and cuddly (at least it looks cuddly).  I also had my first experience riding the metro...which was ok as long as I was drugged up on my dramamine.  However I did learn my lesson very quickly about getting inside the doors when the buzzer sounds after the first time of having my head, knee, and somehow foot all clapped in it's deathly grasp all at the same time?  As I stood there squealing with my foot still somehow closed in the door, thoughts of being drug along the tracks to my imminent death raced through my head.  The people already inside the metro car just stared at me, but luckily Nick came to my rescue and pulled my foot out! After the fright wore off all I could think was of how embarrassing that had been and how the people in the car were probably just shaking their heads and thinking "stupid american"!! In spite of my traumatic incident with the Mexico City metro we ended up having a pretty enjoyable time all in all.  From D.F. we took the primera plus bus back to Querétaro and stayed here with my family for one night before taking off again to Puerto Vallarta.  I found a really nice (and CHEAP!!) hostel in Puerto Vallarta that was only about a 10 minute walk from the beach and we ended up staying there for a whole week.  Pretty much we did what most people do when they're at the beach, absolutely nothing.  However, one day we did take a day trip to another smaller bohemian surf beach called Sayulita about a 45 minute bus ride from Puerto Vallarta.  Sayulita was beautiful and surrounded by tropical forest covered mountains.  After soaking up some sun and playing in the ocean for a bit we walked back towards the bus area and ended up finding a small shrimp and fish taco stand.  SOOO DELICIOUS.  Probably the best tacos I've had while in México, and trust me I've eaten a lot of tacos here.  They were 15 pesos, the equivalent of about $1.00 for what was 2 huge tacos covered in lightly fried shrimp with a mountain of shredded cabbage, carrots, tomato, and special spicy tartar sauce!!! Nick liked them, but as he was not yet used to eating in such hot weather, he was (fortunately) unable to finish his tacos.  Don't worry they definitely didn't go to waste!! For the rest of our stay in Puerto Vallarta we relaxed and bummed around.  The beach there at Puerto Vallarta was very pretty, being completely surrounded by mountains, and the water reminded me of the North Carolina coast.  However, the only thing that I didn't really like so much was the constant pestering of the beach vendors who would go around on the beach and try to get you to buy whatever they were selling.  Usually they would go away if you said no thank you, but a few were very persistent and some even offered pot and cocaine after you turned down their handmade bracelets or necklaces.  Also at the end of the stay in Puerto Vallarta, on our last day, we found a little burger shack called Derby City Burgers, and after 5 months of not having a big juicy cheeseburger it was way overdue.  These cheeseburgers were amazing and I would even say they gave U.S. cheeseburgers a good run for their money!!! I ended up ordering a "house burger" which came with avocado, pepper jack cheese, grilled jalapenos, spicy mayo and the normal fixins.  Nick ordered a different burger, that I can't remember the name of, but came with the normal fixins like ketchup, mayo, mustard, cheese and such.  These burgers were huge and sooooo good.  Also we ordered fried pickle chips for our appetizer and they were by far the best pickle chips I've ever had.  The burgers, which came with your choice of regular or sweet potato fries (which may I add were absolutely wonderful) only cost around $6.00!!  So long story short, if you ever find yourself in Puerto Vallarta don't leave without trying this place, it was great!  So after filling our bellies with yummy american food we went back to the hostel to wait until our bus left that night.  We arrived back here in Querétaro early the next morning, after a long night of being sick in the 2X2 bus bathroom, and slept most of the day before going out on one last "date night" for crepes! Once again with our bellies full of white chocolate and strawberry and nutella and banana crepes we passed out for a long night's rest.  The next morning we took the bus to Mexico City, and sadly, Nick's stay was at an end.  I quickly realized that with nothing to do and no one to explore with that I desperately needed something to occupy my time.  My host mom helped me get in touch with an institute where nuns volunteer their time and support for adolescent girls from troubled family situations.  This institute provides free housing and education (cooking, sewing, and basic academics like mathematics, science, and reading) to these girls in need.  I went on Tuesday and spoke with hermana Marta about volunteering my time there during the week doing whatever I could to help them out.  On Wednesday I went and met all of the girls and the nuns and began my first class in sewing!! Sewing is hard enough for me in English, much less in Spanish, but I have persevered and am slowly but surely learning how to cross-stitch! Many of the girls are soooo nice and my "partner" in sewing class whose name is "Dulce" or Candy is very helpful and patient with me.  While sewing is interesting, it's fun just to sit in the class and listen to the girls talk about their boy problems or gossip about who did this or who said what. They all are very nice and some talk to me more than others, but so far I have really enjoyed my time there.  While as of right now they are teaching me things, like sewing, when the end of June arrives hermana Marta has asked if I will teach English to a few of them who are eager to learn!!! This will be very exciting and a good way to repay them for my lessons in sewing and for their grand hospitality.  Now that I have something useful to do with my spare time I don't have to sit and "twiddle my thumbs" until dad comes down in July!!! Love and miss you all! ¡Hasta luego!

04/25/2012

¡Hola a todos! It's been a long time since I posted a blog...I know I know, what happened to me posting almost daily?  O well things happen and I just forget to blog...that's life right?  Since last time though I've had a lot of fun.  Haven't done anything major, only been going out with friends a lot.  The semester is quickly coming to an end, and one week from tomorrow is my last day of class!!!! WOW, where has the time gone??? I'm glad that the semester will be over and there won't be any more school work to worry about, but I am SOOOOO incredibly sad that the great people I have become friends with will be returning to their countries and we will be separated by thousands of miles.  I have made some really great friends and I know I will cry when they leave, but I have faith that we will see each other again one day.  On the bright side, it is only about 24 days until Nick comes to see me!!!! So incredibly excited to share my little slice of Mexican heaven with someone.  I can tell a huge improvement in my Spanish skills since I first arrived, however I still need PLENTY of practice, so I have decided to take one on one Spanish conversation courses throughout the summer.  So technically I will still be in school, but this type of school, hopefully, will be easier but will improve my speaking ability greatly.  However, conversation classes are not the only "classes" I plan on taking this summer.  My family has also promised to teach me all of their wonderful recipes, so that hopefully when I return to the U.S. I will be able to cook some really great Mexican food.  The first thing I plan on doing when I get back is buying a tamale steamer and a tortilla press.  When I first arrived in January I didn't really like tortillas so much, especially not the ones made from corn, but now I am literally addicted to them.  Almost every day I eat around 4 or 5 tortillas and if I don't have them I crave them....I know this is sort of strange, but they're SOOO good.  Apart from my "classes", I also plan on doing A LOT of traveling this summer.  When Nick comes down we are planning on bumming around Mexico City for a few days and then coming back to Querétaro.  From Querétaro I want to go to San Luis Potosi, which has beautiful waterfalls and underwater caves.  Other than that I don't really have much planned for us, but there is so much to do here, I'm sure there won't be a dull moment.  Then just around 1 and a half months after Nick leaves dad is coming down for around a week and a half.  As of now we're planning on going to Oaxaca and Chiapas, which are 2 beautiful states in southern Mexico.  So much to do, so little time.

To everyone back home, I miss and love you all so much.  Having a great time in Mexico and loving and living life to the fullest!!!! Only 1 week between me and the freedom of summer!!! Will probably post after mine and Nick's adventures! Check back at the beginning of June! ¡Hasta luego!

Puebla adventure!!!

¡Hooollllaaa a todos! I realized that I haven't posted on here in a really long time....sorry! Since I posted last, I've had a lot of fun though. Let's see...this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I went with a group through the university to the state of Puebla. We left at around 1:30 on Friday morning and it was about a 7 hour bus ride, but well worth it. We first arrived in the mountains in Puebla in a little place called Cuetzalan. This was a tiny little country town...soooooo beautiful, words don't do it justice. We arrived around 9:30 that morning and went to the hotel to check in. After checking in we broke off into 2 groups. My group went hiking and swimming first....so much fun. We hiked in the mountains, literally on the cliff of the mountain with a straight shot down probably hundreds of feet. After hiking down the path we ended up at a waterfall. We got to swim in the waterfall and it was so pretty...but really cold. I found I had goose bumps in places I didn't know I had Goosebumps! After spending time in the waterfall we walked a little further through the jungle area and we had the option to rappel down the face of another waterfall...probably about a 100-150 foot drop if not more. I was a chicken so I didn't end up doing this activity. I just ended up hiking down to the bottom of this waterfall and waiting for the others to finish. After spending about an hour here we hiked back up the mountain and then went to the cave. I had never been in a cave before...but it was just what I had expected..dark...wet...and scary!!! We walked in the cave for about an hour and then returned to the hotel to eat supper....Supper was pasta, beef, mushroom salad, tortillas, rice and beans.

Saturday we got up early and ate breakfast and then went to the city of Puebla to visit the great pyramid of Cholula. This pyramid is known to have the biggest base of any pyramid in the world. We walked around it and then walked up to the very top where a church sits today. The church was absolutely beautiful, just like all the churches here are. After the pyramid adventure we went into the center of the city and ate at a restaurant...which again was absolutely delicious! It was buffet style like all of the meals we ate....just doesn't bother me one bit! It was wonderful and I ate salad, poblano dip, beef, tortillas, fruit, rice, and the famous puebla mole! It was really just dip made from black beans....but man sooooooo good! After stuffing myself a few of us went on a guided tour through the city to a few places...we saw the church of San Domingo which was amazing. Pretty much everything was plated in gold...real gold. I'll put a picture on here for everyone to see. After the tour it was time to leave. We got back on the bus and went about 3 hours to another little place that I can't remember the name of. Here we stayed in a farmhouse...in the middle of no where, which reminded me a lot of home. It was very quaint and cozy and so cute! The only downfall was that it was really cold and rainy that night and the next morning...thankfully I had brought a sweater and a pair of pants! So that night we arrived around 8:30 and then ate supper which was lasagna and salad (the lasagna was actually a lot better than most I've had at Italian restaurants in the U.S.). We also had coffee (which they make with cinnamon and sugar) and hot tea while we sat by the fireplace. This dining room reminded me a lot of a rustic cracker barrel. Later they had a "party" in the common room and we danced and played games to music which was really a lot of fun! At about 1:30 that night we took our showers and went to sleep.

The next morning (Sunday) we got up around 6:30 and went to eat breakfast. It was delicious of course! Black beans, chilaquiles (which is just a pile of tortillas chips with cheese and salsa), fresh banana and pineapple, scrambled eggs, and more delicious coffee of course! After eating breakfast we loaded ourselves onto the tour bus and took off from the farmhouse on a trip of about an hour to our next destination. We ended up arriving at Quetzalapan, which is the name of the main waterfall there. It was soooo beautiful and I will also post a couple photos of it. So we hiked down the mountain to the base of the waterfall and took photos, and then hiked back up the mountain. After climbing back up we broke up into 3 groups. My group did zip lining first. We each zip lined directly over top of the waterfall....which was probably 600-700 foot drop....really scary (but AWESOME!!!) After that we waited to walk on the hanging bridge. This was SOOOO fun... this bridge was made only of small pieces of steel rope. It took about 10-15 minutes to cross and we went 3 at a time. Once all three of us got on the bridge, since I was in front, I started shaking the bridge and bouncing up and down (which was completely safe to do), and the 2 guys behind me did the same. Like directly 700 feet hanging above these beautiful waterfalls bouncing up and down and swaying side to side on this little bitty bridge...such an adrenaline rush!!!! This day was probably my favorite!!! After this we all boarded back on the bus and went about 2 hours to a town called zacatlán. Here we walked around and took pictures and then ate at a buffet style restaurant again. It was mole chicken (this mole was made from 4 different kinds of chiles), rice, beans, tortillas, fruit, and salad. Everything was delicious, as always! After this we got back on the tour bus and rode back to Querétaro in about 3 more hours. I was soooooooooooooo tired after all of this...not getting much sleep on the bus or in the places we stayed...for lack of going to sleep early enough. Needless to say last night I slept VERY soundly. I told my host parents that I believe my leg muscles are about double in size since I left from all the hiking up and down the mountains and in the cave! GREAT EXERCISE!

So this week is a busy week again. I had my grammar presentation today in class and I think that went really well! Tomorrow is class, Wednesday is my culture exam, and Thursday is my grammar exam and my Literature exam! Then this weekend I can relax and catch up on some sleep that I missed this past weekend.

All in all the trip was WONDERFUL and I know I will never forget it. I saw some breath-taking places, ate some delicious food, and met some new and amazing friends!!! I can't wait until the next trip like this...definitely worth it. The best part...that is really hard to believe...is that all of this (the transportation in a huge tour bus, 3 delicious meals a day, all tours, and accommodations every day) was only $100. No it's not a typo...only ONE HUNDRED dollars!!!! AWESOME!!! Anyway now that all of you are really jealous I'm going to go study for my exams! LOVE AND MISS all of you and hope everything is well for all. ¡Hasta luego!

02/15/2012

hello!!!!!! So this week has been pretty nice so far.  I got my grades in 2 of my classes, 98 overall in my literature class and a 93 in my grammar class!!!!!!!! YAY! I just have to wait for my culture grade....which i really DON'T want back because I know it will be horrible! But anyway feeling kinda happy right now! Life is good right now...good grades...good people...and of course the most important...good FOOD! 

Haven't really done too much lately.  Last Friday night I went with a couple of friends to see Underworld 4 in spanish at the movie theatre...my first movie in the theatre in spanish.  It was an ok movie but it was really weird to watch a movie in which I know that the characters are supposed to speak in English...but they have someone speaking in spanish taped over their original voices.  All in all the movie was ok and one of the girls complained the whole time..."OMG this is soooo nasty...omg there's too much blood....omg his head just got chopped off!"  Ok I understand there are some things that people just can't tolerate...but it's FAKE.  Anyway, I ate Chinese at the "food court" in the "mall"...the food was also ok...rice was as good as in the U.S., but I guess it's pretty hard to mess up rice.  It was also weird to have to talk to a Chinese person in Spanish! This just blows my mind.  It's so weird for me...but o well.  After that I ate some ice cream...which let me say was delicious, but it's just not the same as American ice cream.  Here they usually make their ice cream with water versus milk, which definitely takes away from the flavor but I guess makes it much healthier for you.  So I tried half chocolate (of course) and the other half lemon pie (yes I know this is a weird combination....but o so tasty!) 

Last Saturday I went over to a friend's house to play video games and then we went to a local bar close to my house and that was about it...also weird to play a videogame that is narrated in Spanish.  Sunday I went to the market to get some flowers for my mommie for valentine's day, because she says her and her husband don't do anything for Valentine's day (I thought this was depressing and that she needed some flowers), she loved them of course.  I got 4 gerber daises, (red, white, yellow, and pink), and 3 orange lilies, and some small purple flowers.  So pretty and bright!  After going to the market I went with some friends to a street  food cart, you sit down and the woman grills and cooks everything right in front of you, kinda like hibachi style japanese food.  I got a gordita with cheese, and a tortilla with a chile relleno stuffed with cheese and covered with rice and refried beans all for like $2.00, ridiculously low price for how delicious, fresh, and big the food was.  I think I may stay in Mexico FOREVER...this food is unbelievably addicting.  After gorging myself, I returned home and that has pretty much been the only eventful thing I've done lately. 

I am bound and determined that I am going to learn how to cook like a Mexican before I return.  The mexican food in the U.S, well at least in North Carolina, is not nearly as delicious as this food here.  If I had to pick between eating american food or mexican food for the rest of my life, I would GLADLY choose mexican food.  Before I leave I WILL learn how to make: tamales, tortillas, gorditas, salsa verde, huevos cascabel, refried beans, molletes, huaraches, and much more.  I am literally addicted to this food.  I get SOOO excited when it's time to eat...which it is right now.  Gotta go grub! ¡Hasta luego! Love you all!

02/09/2012

¡Hola a todos y buenos días!  I´ve been really busy lately and haven´t had time really to post anything...sorry!  Anyway let´s see...this week has been really stressful so far.  I had my presentation on Tuesday, my culture test on Wednesday (which will be a miracle if I passed...no joke), and today I have to turn in my essay, take a test on my assigned book for literature and take a grammar test later this afternoon.  If I can make it past today...I´m home free for the weekend!!! 

So have I eaten anything really good lately....yes.  This morning I had my first Gordita.  Of course my papá made them.  One was filled with spicy cheese (a recipe from the Sierra Gorda...because my father is from the Sierra Gorda) and one was filled with some type of meat I had never heard of before and I can´t remember the name...o well I´ll find out later.  Anyway today is going to be very stressful and I´ve already had a GREAT start to the day...I pretty much almost stepped on a dead (run over) kitten in the street this morning on my walk to school....It was all I could do not to cry or throw up my delicious gorditas that I had just eaten.  I´m trying not to think about it, but I can´t get that horrible image out of my head....never seen roadkill up close like that...especially a little kitten.  I will probably cry later today when I get home...but not now at school. 

Anyway other than school work I haven´t really done anything lately.  I did go out with the girls last Saturday night (one girl from UNCG, one from Ohio, and one from England).  We just went out to eat and then went to a karoke bar in Centro.  I had a lot of fun watching them get drunk and sing while all the Mexican men were starring and making dirty gestures...oohhh México.  This weekend I don´t plan on doing a damn thing...just sitting around and relaxing and sleeping as late as I possibly can. 

Anyway I will talk to you guys later...love and miss all of you!!!!!!! ¡Hasta luego!

01/29/2012

¡Hola a todos y buenas tardes!  OMG! Today it rained....this is amazing to me since the weather has been absolutely perfect since I arrived.  Today it is actually COLD...to where I need a jacket and a scarf!  Oh well every good thing comes to an end now doesn't it?  My mom told me that for some reason February is usually colder than January???? She said they call it "febrero loco" because the weather is crazy during February for some reason with really strong wind and cold temperatures.  However I'm sure it won't last for long...hopefully it will be sunny and beautiful again tomorrow!

I haven't really done much lately just been concentrating on my homework and preparing for my first exams that are next week!  However my mom and I went to walmart yesterday and I bought some things to make a cheese pie like the cherry cheese pies that granny keck makes.  However I couldn't find canned cherries so I made a blueberry compote to put on top.  The pie is a disaster!  It tastes delicious of course, but for some reason it didn't set up like it normally does...its just kind of a runny goopy mess.  But as long as it tastes good...whatever we can eat it with spoons right!  Anyway yesterday my parents showed me the parrots that like to hang around outside the house across the street in the trees.  There were like 7 of them...bright green with red beaks and feet.  They just like to sit in the treet and eat the seeds.  It's kinda comical because people will be walking by on the sidewalk under the trees and the seeds will fall on them after the parrots eat part of them...the people just look up in amazement like "what was that?"  but they can't see them because the tree is the same color as the birds....hehehe...while we just stand on the balcony and chuckle at them.  Also my parents showed me a woman who walks by everyday to go back and forth to the market...she is going to be 102 years old this year and walks perfectly without a cane or a walker back and forth with her huge bags of fruits and veggies....wow I hope if I make it to 102 years old I'm still a young spry chick like she is. 

So to make up for the pie-mishap I went to this local bakery called "el globo", which to the people who live here is really expensive.  I bought a huge croisant, a chocolate eclair, a pastry that was baked in the shape of a horseshoe and is covered in caramel and chopped nuts, and a chocolate covered donut for their oldest grandson, Leonardo, for only 45 pesos which is like barely over $3.00 (not very expensive to us).  Needless to say he flipped over the donut...and held it and charished it like it was his baby.  Oh the simplicities of being 5 years old!  But that's ok because if someone gave me some good chocolate I would probably be just as excited!  Also yesterday my mom warmed up a drink called "atole"...it's just cooked fruit (in this case guava) and milk blended together and you can either drink it cold or hot...I drank it hot...it was good but I'm not a big fan of the really hard seeds that are in the guava.  Mom says I just need to drink them because the doctors recommend drinking them...something like it's good for your digestion?? I don't know...but the drink was ok. 

Anyway I just thought I would post that it IS rainy and cold outside today...just so that you all won't be quite as jealous of me for being in such a wonderful place that I am.  I will post again when something exciting happens! ¡Hasta luego!