¡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!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
01/23/2012....ugh
¡Hola a todos! I'm finding it hard to try to write every single day...not only because I really don't have enough time, but also because my life is so monotonous and I don't want to bore all of you to death, if you’re not already. Yes, as you may be able to tell I’m not in the best of moods lately. School is legitimately crazy. As of right now there is absolutely no visible light at the end of the tunnel. For tonight alone I have to read like 6 poems and make a presentation on them for my literature class, I have to do a grammar worksheet for my grammar class (which by the way is the hardest class ever), I have to read 2 online lectures and write detailed summaries on them both, and I have to start studying for my communication quiz for Thursday. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And on top of all of that I need to start thinking about what I’m going to do for my first partial exam for my grammar class which includes a 30 minute powerpoint presentation, a 3-5 page essay, a class activity that I have to make up about a piece of grammar (yah this is starting to suck isn’t it?), and then study for my actual written exam that’s due the day after all this other mess. Sounds like a lot huh? And remember all of that is for only ONE partial exam, I still have 3 others to prepare for that are all in the same week. I’m so stressed right now and a little home sick (let’s get this straight though, I’m not missing my home town or house or anything like that, I’m just missing my culture, my language, and my loved ones, if I could bring all of that here to Mexico I would be perfectly fine, but then it wouldn’t be Mexico would it?).
It’s so hard to be happy right now with all of this crap that I have to do for school. It’s also hard to feel like such an outsider sometimes. You walk down the street and everyone stares at you…some people even give dirty looks for absolutely no reason (even after I smile at them…this is mostly the snobby women though). Not to mention the extreme language barrier. I personally think my Spanish skills are ok…I don’t have much trouble understanding my teachers or my family when they are talking to me. However when my family is at the dinner table with each other and with the other native Mexican students, you can bet that I almost have no earthly idea what the hell they are talking about, one because they talk so fast, and two because they speak differently to each other than they speak to me. Sometimes I just feel so left out, I mean don’t get me wrong, I adore my host family and they are more than I could’ve asked for, but sometimes it’s depressing when you feel absolutely so alone. I mean when I stop and think about it I don’t have ANYONE here to really depend on. I think the thing that upsets me most is that I can’t express myself the way I would like to. I’m obviously still very primitive in my Spanish skills so expressing myself in the same way that I can and I would in English is almost impossible. Also I think I get upset sometimes because I haven’t really met anyone that I could form a solid friendship with. All the kids my age (yes I just called them kids like I’m some type of old grandma….which at times I definitely am) only care about how, when, and where they can get drunk next, have random sex next, or most of the time both of these scenarios are combined. Where are all the people that just want to explore the city or go get a coffee or watch a movie or grab a bit to eat and talk about important meaningful things???????
Okay now that I’ve made all of you realize how whiny I am, I do have good news! I made a 90 on my “pop” Latin-American literature quiz…and I made a 95, yes a 95, on my really really really hard grammar quiz for my advanced Spanish class!!!! I’m very excited about this, considering I thought there was no way I could’ve made such a good grade on such a difficult quiz. I will persevere!!! I just have to keep reminding myself “all you have to do is make a 70 to pass!!”. This is just so hard to do considering I’m very used to being an “A” student. I don’t like feeling like a failure.
I know that time will heal all of these sad and ugly feelings, but as for now I would like to extend a sincere “I miss you” to all of my loved ones. I love you all and miss you all, and even though we get to talk via the internet almost daily, the 2000 mile physical separation is very depressing sometimes. Anyway I will post later when something exciting happens, or the next time I just need to rant about how stressful my life is at the moment. ¡Hasta luego!
It’s so hard to be happy right now with all of this crap that I have to do for school. It’s also hard to feel like such an outsider sometimes. You walk down the street and everyone stares at you…some people even give dirty looks for absolutely no reason (even after I smile at them…this is mostly the snobby women though). Not to mention the extreme language barrier. I personally think my Spanish skills are ok…I don’t have much trouble understanding my teachers or my family when they are talking to me. However when my family is at the dinner table with each other and with the other native Mexican students, you can bet that I almost have no earthly idea what the hell they are talking about, one because they talk so fast, and two because they speak differently to each other than they speak to me. Sometimes I just feel so left out, I mean don’t get me wrong, I adore my host family and they are more than I could’ve asked for, but sometimes it’s depressing when you feel absolutely so alone. I mean when I stop and think about it I don’t have ANYONE here to really depend on. I think the thing that upsets me most is that I can’t express myself the way I would like to. I’m obviously still very primitive in my Spanish skills so expressing myself in the same way that I can and I would in English is almost impossible. Also I think I get upset sometimes because I haven’t really met anyone that I could form a solid friendship with. All the kids my age (yes I just called them kids like I’m some type of old grandma….which at times I definitely am) only care about how, when, and where they can get drunk next, have random sex next, or most of the time both of these scenarios are combined. Where are all the people that just want to explore the city or go get a coffee or watch a movie or grab a bit to eat and talk about important meaningful things???????
Okay now that I’ve made all of you realize how whiny I am, I do have good news! I made a 90 on my “pop” Latin-American literature quiz…and I made a 95, yes a 95, on my really really really hard grammar quiz for my advanced Spanish class!!!! I’m very excited about this, considering I thought there was no way I could’ve made such a good grade on such a difficult quiz. I will persevere!!! I just have to keep reminding myself “all you have to do is make a 70 to pass!!”. This is just so hard to do considering I’m very used to being an “A” student. I don’t like feeling like a failure.
I know that time will heal all of these sad and ugly feelings, but as for now I would like to extend a sincere “I miss you” to all of my loved ones. I love you all and miss you all, and even though we get to talk via the internet almost daily, the 2000 mile physical separation is very depressing sometimes. Anyway I will post later when something exciting happens, or the next time I just need to rant about how stressful my life is at the moment. ¡Hasta luego!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
01/17/2012
Hello everyone! I'm sorry for not writing lately, I have been swamped with homework. Already I have to read a whole book (in Spanish of course), make a culture powerpoint presentation, write a paper on the differences between american t.v. and mexican t.v., on top of all the other normal homework, and then to top it all off I only have like 2 weeks to write and essay, make a 30 min. powerpoint presentation, and come up with an activity for our class to do for my first exam partial! AHHHH! I don't think I have ever had this much homework at once at UNC-G. It wouldn't be bad at all...if it was in ENGLISH! But I'm here to struggle and either sink or swim right....hopefully I will swim.
So let's see what have I done since I posted last. Well I went to a club last Thursday night...yes that's right, little ole granny heather went to a club! This was my first club experience EVER. Yes I am almost 22 years of age and I had never been to a club...and needless to say I HATED IT. It was worse than I imagined. There were far too many people there...so many you really couldn't walk without putting all of your "junk" on someone else just to squeeze through. The music really sucked...just terrible remixes to terrible songs. There was no fire code (I don't know if this is normal here inMexico
Anyway, I haven't really been able to have much fun lately for all the school work I've been having to do. But once I power through this semester I will have almost a whole three months to travel and explore and just sit on my butt and do absolutely nothing! Ah, I can't wait. The going is tough but I know that this experience will fly by and in December I'll be wondering, "Where did all my time go?". So I better stop belly aching and just go with it, right? Right.
I will try to update everyone as soon as anything exciting happens. Miss you all and love you all very much! Talk to you soon! ¡Hasta luego!
So let's see what have I done since I posted last. Well I went to a club last Thursday night...yes that's right, little ole granny heather went to a club! This was my first club experience EVER. Yes I am almost 22 years of age and I had never been to a club...and needless to say I HATED IT. It was worse than I imagined. There were far too many people there...so many you really couldn't walk without putting all of your "junk" on someone else just to squeeze through. The music really sucked...just terrible remixes to terrible songs. There was no fire code (I don't know if this is normal here in
Anyway, I haven't really been able to have much fun lately for all the school work I've been having to do. But once I power through this semester I will have almost a whole three months to travel and explore and just sit on my butt and do absolutely nothing! Ah, I can't wait. The going is tough but I know that this experience will fly by and in December I'll be wondering, "Where did all my time go?". So I better stop belly aching and just go with it, right? Right.
I will try to update everyone as soon as anything exciting happens. Miss you all and love you all very much! Talk to you soon! ¡Hasta luego!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
01/10/2012
So let’s see yesterday for breakfast my papá cooked a “stir-fry” of potatoes, cactus leaves, and tomatoes, with a chile sauce. We put it inside tortillas and boom…delicious! I have decided though as much as I am going to eat tortillas while here…I’m probably never going to want to see another tortilla when I return to the states for at least 6 months or more. I didn’t eat lunch here yesterday…for the first time may I say because I am a very frugal little old lady….so I don’t know what they ate…but I’m sure it was delicious as always.
Speaking of walking, I walk back and forth everyday from campus which is almost uphill both ways for about 25-30 minutes. Yesterday morning I woke up and my butt hurt soooo bad, and I thought “Why in the world so my butt hurt so bad?” The only thing I can figure is that since I have been walking extensively uphill that my ole gluteus maximus is getting a nice workout…for sure at the end of this year I will have some nice tight buns!
Well I am getting ready to take a shower and head to school. Classes today from 10-2:30. Talk to you after! ¡Hasta luego!
Monday, January 9, 2012
01/09/2012
Hello again! Today was my first day of classes at Tec! All I can say is that I think I am really gonna like my classes and my teachers. Let's see my first class was "literatura lationamericana" with profesora Imelda Vela Otríz. There are only about 10-12 of us in the class and all girls at that! We talked about "los mitos", or myths, today and of course did the normal boring routine where you go around the room and say your name, where you're from, and why you are in México in the first place. The profesora seems like she is going to be a very nice and lenient profesora…she is somewhat older and is very smiley…just like a little old grandma. My next class was “Destrezas comunicativas III”, or communication skills III. This class was with a profesora named “Lidia Jiménez. She is very young probably in her early 30’s and is very very very nice, but she speaks soooooooooo fast. There goes my time to day dream in class…it is obvious I’m not going to have anytime to think about anything else during that class…because if I miss one second she’s already said like 2 sentences…wow. This class isn’t very big either, with only about 15 people as well, and many from my first class…and I am sure I am going to like her because she gave all of us suckers and candy...she’s definitely scored some brownie points in my book so far. My next and last class of the day was “Español Avanzado II, or advanced spanish II. This class is with the same teacher as “Destrezas Comunicativas III, Lidia Jiménez. It also seems like it is going to be a very good class with only about 20 people…and she gave all of us candy again!
Tomorrow I only have one class, advanced spanish II. I was supposed to have a contemporary art class but I dropped it today because with it I would have had 18 credit hours and I don’t want that many…I actually want to be able to go out and do other things other than study. Since I dropped my art class I no longer have class on Friday. YAY!!!! The weekend will start early!
So let’s see…what about the food. This morning I ate bread (which was kinda like a hamburger bun only much better) with refried beans and small pieces of chorizo covered in melted cheese! YUM! I also took 2 fruit bars with me to campus in case I got hungry so that I wouldn’t have to buy anything on campus because everything is so expensive there. I walked both ways to school today…it’s only about 20-25 minutes one way…not bad. But the walk back from Tec is pretty much all uphill…and I don’t mean just a slight incline…I mean like Tred-Climber on steroids! But hey…it’s good exercise! I try to challenge myself and walk as fast as I can to get my heart rate going! When I got back here around 3:00 mi mamá had lunch prepared. It was salad, soup, bread, rice, and grilled chicken breast with roasted peppers and tomatoes! YUMMY as always! Now that I have my belly full I’m going to settle down and try to do a little homework! ¡Hasta luego!
Tomorrow I only have one class, advanced spanish II. I was supposed to have a contemporary art class but I dropped it today because with it I would have had 18 credit hours and I don’t want that many…I actually want to be able to go out and do other things other than study. Since I dropped my art class I no longer have class on Friday. YAY!!!! The weekend will start early!
So let’s see…what about the food. This morning I ate bread (which was kinda like a hamburger bun only much better) with refried beans and small pieces of chorizo covered in melted cheese! YUM! I also took 2 fruit bars with me to campus in case I got hungry so that I wouldn’t have to buy anything on campus because everything is so expensive there. I walked both ways to school today…it’s only about 20-25 minutes one way…not bad. But the walk back from Tec is pretty much all uphill…and I don’t mean just a slight incline…I mean like Tred-Climber on steroids! But hey…it’s good exercise! I try to challenge myself and walk as fast as I can to get my heart rate going! When I got back here around 3:00 mi mamá had lunch prepared. It was salad, soup, bread, rice, and grilled chicken breast with roasted peppers and tomatoes! YUMMY as always! Now that I have my belly full I’m going to settle down and try to do a little homework! ¡Hasta luego!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
One Week Today!
¡Hola a todos! Wow can you believe it's already been one whole week since I arrived!!! I can't! It already feels like I've been here forever! The time passes so slowly here..at least for now. Once I start school tomorrow...the weeks will probably fly by because I will be so busy with school and learning new things! I've only been here a week but I feel like I have already learned SO much. It is now very rare that I don't understand what my mamá and my papá are talking about. Sometimes a vocabulary word escapes me and I have to have them explain it to me, but the majority of the time now I can understand about 90% of what they are talking about...which is a drastic improvement already. I wonder what I'll be like at the end of this year...hopefully much much better than I am now. To everyone back in the states, I miss you all very much! But I have promised myself that I would not let these sad and nostalgic emotions get in my way of having the best time I possibly could while abroad. If I had been born in an early generation where there weren't the pleasantries of internet and skype...I know that my time away from you all would be much harder. However you all are only a click or a call away and I can see you all and talk to you all pretty much any time I would like to...which makes things much easier and more bearable.
My last day free of academic responsibilities has been very pretty so far! It is already very warm here...probably in the 80's and the sun is as beautiful as ever. I feel so alive here! Everyone I have met so far has been very helpful and pleasant and the city is as beautiful and as welcoming as I could have hoped for! I know that I have to return to the states in December to finish my degrees, but as of right now...I believe I could live here forever and be much happier than inchatham Siler City
This morning we ate tamales (ones with puerco, ones with guava, and ones with cheese inside), as well as papaya and cantaloupe and coffee. Everything was as delicious as always. After breakfast I went down the street to a little store called "Bodega Aurrera" to pick up some snacks and a few other things so that I wouldn't have to buy any lunch on campus because the cafeteria on campus is very expensive. Let's see...I bought 2 packs of fruit bars, Q-tips, a big bottle of water, and a huge bottle of apple flavored water for only $5. The fruit bars alone in the states would probably have cost about this much! In about an hour I am going with mi mamá to her church and then who knows what I'll do! The church is very close to the "centro" the most historic part of town...so while I'm there I may take some pictures to show you all! The centro is so beautiful...I can't wait for you all to see it! I will definitely post again later...but until then... ¡Adios!
My last day free of academic responsibilities has been very pretty so far! It is already very warm here...probably in the 80's and the sun is as beautiful as ever. I feel so alive here! Everyone I have met so far has been very helpful and pleasant and the city is as beautiful and as welcoming as I could have hoped for! I know that I have to return to the states in December to finish my degrees, but as of right now...I believe I could live here forever and be much happier than in
This morning we ate tamales (ones with puerco, ones with guava, and ones with cheese inside), as well as papaya and cantaloupe and coffee. Everything was as delicious as always. After breakfast I went down the street to a little store called "Bodega Aurrera" to pick up some snacks and a few other things so that I wouldn't have to buy any lunch on campus because the cafeteria on campus is very expensive. Let's see...I bought 2 packs of fruit bars, Q-tips, a big bottle of water, and a huge bottle of apple flavored water for only $5. The fruit bars alone in the states would probably have cost about this much! In about an hour I am going with mi mamá to her church and then who knows what I'll do! The church is very close to the "centro" the most historic part of town...so while I'm there I may take some pictures to show you all! The centro is so beautiful...I can't wait for you all to see it! I will definitely post again later...but until then... ¡Adios!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
01/07/2012...más!
Hello again! Just wanted to drop by to say don't forget to check out my other blog dedicated only to food at http://www.heatherkeckfood.blogspot.com/ . Everytime I learn a new recipe I will make sure to post it there so that you can learn to make it as well! Yesterday I posted a recipe for "chiles poblanos" and today I just posted a recipe for "enchiladas queretanas". So make sure to check it out! ¡Hasta luego!
01/07/2012
¡Hola a todos! Today has been another exciting and very HOT day here in Querétaro so far! However there is more heat to come in the next few months, because mi mamá told me that in march and april the heat is very strong, much stronger than now! WOW! I might be spending a lot of my time in the swimming pool!
So as of now I haven't gone to the Centro yet to take pictures like I wanted to. Instead I went down the street to pick up my photos that I need for my Visa and then I went to this really big market called "Mercado de la Cruz"...wow...it was like the size of walmart and was sooo crowded with venders of everything...venders selling cheese, venders selling meat, venders selling fruit, toys, clothes, and the list goes on and on and on. But the main reason I went was to find some flowers for mi mamá. She told me the other day while we were talking that her favorite flower was the "nardo", which I had never heard of before. So I went into this really crowded market in search of los nardos para mi mamá. It took me forever to find the flowers...lots of people were all in my face saying..."oh look at my avocados...buy some avocados...look at my jitomates....buy some of my jitomates...look at my potatos....buy some of my potatos"...and so on. Finally I found the flowers and I bought a bunch of them for only like $1.00...wow. They are so pretty and have a really great smell...and mi mamá loved them.
After my adventure to the market I returned home...and am probably going to eat lunch with my family in a few minutes and maybe go into the centro later to take some pictures. ¡Hasta luego!
So as of now I haven't gone to the Centro yet to take pictures like I wanted to. Instead I went down the street to pick up my photos that I need for my Visa and then I went to this really big market called "Mercado de la Cruz"...wow...it was like the size of walmart and was sooo crowded with venders of everything...venders selling cheese, venders selling meat, venders selling fruit, toys, clothes, and the list goes on and on and on. But the main reason I went was to find some flowers for mi mamá. She told me the other day while we were talking that her favorite flower was the "nardo", which I had never heard of before. So I went into this really crowded market in search of los nardos para mi mamá. It took me forever to find the flowers...lots of people were all in my face saying..."oh look at my avocados...buy some avocados...look at my jitomates....buy some of my jitomates...look at my potatos....buy some of my potatos"...and so on. Finally I found the flowers and I bought a bunch of them for only like $1.00...wow. They are so pretty and have a really great smell...and mi mamá loved them.
After my adventure to the market I returned home...and am probably going to eat lunch with my family in a few minutes and maybe go into the centro later to take some pictures. ¡Hasta luego!
Friday, January 6, 2012
01/06/2012...so far
¡Hola a todos y buenas tardes! So I've already failed in blogging every day like I hoped I could...oh well no one's perfect! So let's see...what all has happened since I posted last? Yesterday mi mamá and I went in the morning to the orientation for host families. That did not take long at all, and we signed our contract and left. After we went to the host family orientation we went to Walmart...yes there are walmarts here too...to buy a light coat for me, because for some reason I forgot to pack one. There walmart here is almost identical to the one we have in Siler City
Supper was veggie soup, always delicious, bread with salsa con crema, mixed veggies (cayote, broccoli, and carrots), rice with jitomate salsa, and roast beef with tomato sauce. Everything was as delicious as always!
So today is “el día de los reyes magos”, or the day of the wise men…the three wise men from the bible. This holiday is very important here in México, especially to the children. For the children this is kinda like Christmas day when they get to open their presents. I’m pretty sure there are supposed to be many festivals and parties tonight for the celebration, but as of right now I’m not sure. However last night there was a dance show here in front of the train station beside our house. They had a stage set up with lights and chairs….so many people came out to watch the children do their dance routines. They were so good too! Many of the children were only probably 3 years old….but they kept up pretty well…and were soo cute! At the end of the dancing the three wise men came out all dressed up in shiny outfits to talk to the children and wish them good luck in the new year. After that all the children were able to get a free balloon. As is tradition the children write a letter or draw a picture of something they might like to receive as a present and then they fold the paper up and tie it to the end of the balloon string. After the wise men counted down from 3, all the children let their balloons go into the air in hopes that they were receive everything they wanted…kinda like our children write letters to Santa Claus.
This was pretty fun to watch and all the children were so happy, including my parents’ grandchildren who are 6 and 1½ years of age. Once we walked back to the house mi mamá insisted that I eat a snack before I go to bed…which is always ok with me! So she fixed me a quesadilla with milk…and needless to say after a long day ending with a full belly and warm glass of milk I was out like a light in only minutes.
Today I didn’t really have much to do since there wasn’t anything going on at the university. Mi mamá and I went to the “papelería”, or the paper store, and I bought 4 notebooks, 3 pencils, and had 7 copies made of my important papers like my passport and my immigration form, for only $5!! Wow!!! Then we went to the bank to withdraw the money I needed to pay my host family rent, and from there we went to a foto studio and had my pictures made for my student Visa. These were also very cheap, only about $6 for all 8 pictures. After we had completed everything that I needed to do, I went with mi mamá to the market to buy milk, juice, bread, cheese, and fruit…all at separate places, because unlike in theU.S.
Let’s get back to the food though…the important stuff. Today mi papá cooked breakfast for us as usual. This morning it was fried strips of tortillas that were in some type of chile sauce…that the name seems to have escaped me at the moment, and with shredded cheese. Also we had fried plantains and coffee to drink as always! YUMMY! For lunch mi mamá showed me how to fix chiles poblanos. Mi favorita! We roasted the chiles in the oven and then peeled them and removed the seeds. Once we had this completed we filled them with shredded cheese and spread sour cream on top. We ate these with the mixed veggies as usual, bread with salsa con crema as usual, and veggie soup as usual. Also we had elbow macaroni with a light cream sauce. Everything was wonderful as it always is.
Today has been a beautiful Friday with the temperature in the 80’s, or at least it felt like it. It’s starting to get a little chilly now as it always does towards the end of the day, so I’m going to put on my coat and see what the family’s up to tonight for el día de los reyes magos! ¡Hasta luego!
Supper was veggie soup, always delicious, bread with salsa con crema, mixed veggies (cayote, broccoli, and carrots), rice with jitomate salsa, and roast beef with tomato sauce. Everything was as delicious as always!
So today is “el día de los reyes magos”, or the day of the wise men…the three wise men from the bible. This holiday is very important here in México, especially to the children. For the children this is kinda like Christmas day when they get to open their presents. I’m pretty sure there are supposed to be many festivals and parties tonight for the celebration, but as of right now I’m not sure. However last night there was a dance show here in front of the train station beside our house. They had a stage set up with lights and chairs….so many people came out to watch the children do their dance routines. They were so good too! Many of the children were only probably 3 years old….but they kept up pretty well…and were soo cute! At the end of the dancing the three wise men came out all dressed up in shiny outfits to talk to the children and wish them good luck in the new year. After that all the children were able to get a free balloon. As is tradition the children write a letter or draw a picture of something they might like to receive as a present and then they fold the paper up and tie it to the end of the balloon string. After the wise men counted down from 3, all the children let their balloons go into the air in hopes that they were receive everything they wanted…kinda like our children write letters to Santa Claus.
This was pretty fun to watch and all the children were so happy, including my parents’ grandchildren who are 6 and 1½ years of age. Once we walked back to the house mi mamá insisted that I eat a snack before I go to bed…which is always ok with me! So she fixed me a quesadilla with milk…and needless to say after a long day ending with a full belly and warm glass of milk I was out like a light in only minutes.
Today I didn’t really have much to do since there wasn’t anything going on at the university. Mi mamá and I went to the “papelería”, or the paper store, and I bought 4 notebooks, 3 pencils, and had 7 copies made of my important papers like my passport and my immigration form, for only $5!! Wow!!! Then we went to the bank to withdraw the money I needed to pay my host family rent, and from there we went to a foto studio and had my pictures made for my student Visa. These were also very cheap, only about $6 for all 8 pictures. After we had completed everything that I needed to do, I went with mi mamá to the market to buy milk, juice, bread, cheese, and fruit…all at separate places, because unlike in the
Let’s get back to the food though…the important stuff. Today mi papá cooked breakfast for us as usual. This morning it was fried strips of tortillas that were in some type of chile sauce…that the name seems to have escaped me at the moment, and with shredded cheese. Also we had fried plantains and coffee to drink as always! YUMMY! For lunch mi mamá showed me how to fix chiles poblanos. Mi favorita! We roasted the chiles in the oven and then peeled them and removed the seeds. Once we had this completed we filled them with shredded cheese and spread sour cream on top. We ate these with the mixed veggies as usual, bread with salsa con crema as usual, and veggie soup as usual. Also we had elbow macaroni with a light cream sauce. Everything was wonderful as it always is.
Today has been a beautiful Friday with the temperature in the 80’s, or at least it felt like it. It’s starting to get a little chilly now as it always does towards the end of the day, so I’m going to put on my coat and see what the family’s up to tonight for el día de los reyes magos! ¡Hasta luego!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
3rd day...orientation!
(This post was meant to have been posted yesterday 01/04/2012 instead of today…but there were problems with the internet last night and I didn’t get to post…so please read this as if it were 01/04/2012)
¡Hola a todos! Today was another wonderful day here in México…and also a very tiring one at that. My first day of orientation was today from 9-6..so needless to say I am very tired as of the moment…but I have vowed to write on my blog at least once a day if I can…so here I am.
Let’s start with the most important thing…FOOD! Mi papá cooked us breakfast again as always…and as always it was delicious! This morning it was fried tortillas with refried beans on the inside. I did not get to see how they were made, but I’m guessing that you make your refried beans and then you put them in the middle of a tortilla, then you fold the tortilla in half and fry it in oil until it is crispy like a tortilla chip. They also made a “salsa con crema”, which is just salsa with some type of cream, I compared it to mayonnaise. So you open the fried tortilla and you spread some “salsa con crema” on the inside on top of your refried beans and then you close it and eat it! SOOO good! We also had fresh papaya again and coffee. I will describe supper in a moment…now to tell you about my orientation.
My orientation started at 9 o’clock this morning, and as my mother promised she accompanied me on the bus…which took all of 10 minutes to get to campus. Once there I met with the other girls fromNorth Carolina Austrailia , Italy , Germany , France , Korea , Argentina U.S. U.S.
So other than signing up for classes, we also learned about the city and it’s history. We also broke off into groups and played some “games”. The first game we played we had to line up and put spoons in our mouths and pass a lime from person to person with only the spoon in our mouth…nada más! This was easier than it looked but still difficult! The next game we played we went outside and raced each other to get a flag in the middle of a field…not so fun. The next game we played we chose one person from our “teams” and they stood in the middle while the rest of the team had 1 minute to hang everything they could on that person…like clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, purses, everything! The goal was to have the most number of items on your chosen person than any other team did. I was chosen to be that person…not so fun again…but ok…kinda comical. The next game we played we had to bend down and spin around 10 times in a row and then try to stand up and jump over everyone elses’ legs that were sitting on the ground in a line. This turned out horrible because I get dizzy and motion sick very easily. So after spinning and standing up I fell backwards on the ground and had to lay there for a minute…how embarrasing…but I was not the only one so it was ok. After that we went to take pictures for our student IDs and had a break between information sessions. After signing up for classes, that was really about it and I waited for mi mamá to come back to the school and accompany me home.
We returned home around 6:00 and she warmed supper up for me. So let’s get back to the important stuff…the food! Supper, well late lunch, was carrot soup (SOO GOOD), fresh vegetables (cayote, broccoli, lettuce, and carrots), bread, spaghetti with a light cream sauce, and pan seared chicken breast!!! YUMMY! After supper mi mamá and I talked for a few minutes and I retired to my room. Tomorrow will be another tiring day, but not as long. I have to return to the university with mi mamá in order to sign our housing contract. Other than that I don’t think we really have to do anything. After the session I might try to go and buy some notebooks and paper and stuff for school, but no really big plans as of yet. Check back tomorrow for a new blog! ¡Hasta mañana!
Let’s start with the most important thing…FOOD! Mi papá cooked us breakfast again as always…and as always it was delicious! This morning it was fried tortillas with refried beans on the inside. I did not get to see how they were made, but I’m guessing that you make your refried beans and then you put them in the middle of a tortilla, then you fold the tortilla in half and fry it in oil until it is crispy like a tortilla chip. They also made a “salsa con crema”, which is just salsa with some type of cream, I compared it to mayonnaise. So you open the fried tortilla and you spread some “salsa con crema” on the inside on top of your refried beans and then you close it and eat it! SOOO good! We also had fresh papaya again and coffee. I will describe supper in a moment…now to tell you about my orientation.
My orientation started at 9 o’clock this morning, and as my mother promised she accompanied me on the bus…which took all of 10 minutes to get to campus. Once there I met with the other girls from
So other than signing up for classes, we also learned about the city and it’s history. We also broke off into groups and played some “games”. The first game we played we had to line up and put spoons in our mouths and pass a lime from person to person with only the spoon in our mouth…nada más! This was easier than it looked but still difficult! The next game we played we went outside and raced each other to get a flag in the middle of a field…not so fun. The next game we played we chose one person from our “teams” and they stood in the middle while the rest of the team had 1 minute to hang everything they could on that person…like clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, purses, everything! The goal was to have the most number of items on your chosen person than any other team did. I was chosen to be that person…not so fun again…but ok…kinda comical. The next game we played we had to bend down and spin around 10 times in a row and then try to stand up and jump over everyone elses’ legs that were sitting on the ground in a line. This turned out horrible because I get dizzy and motion sick very easily. So after spinning and standing up I fell backwards on the ground and had to lay there for a minute…how embarrasing…but I was not the only one so it was ok. After that we went to take pictures for our student IDs and had a break between information sessions. After signing up for classes, that was really about it and I waited for mi mamá to come back to the school and accompany me home.
We returned home around 6:00 and she warmed supper up for me. So let’s get back to the important stuff…the food! Supper, well late lunch, was carrot soup (SOO GOOD), fresh vegetables (cayote, broccoli, lettuce, and carrots), bread, spaghetti with a light cream sauce, and pan seared chicken breast!!! YUMMY! After supper mi mamá and I talked for a few minutes and I retired to my room. Tomorrow will be another tiring day, but not as long. I have to return to the university with mi mamá in order to sign our housing contract. Other than that I don’t think we really have to do anything. After the session I might try to go and buy some notebooks and paper and stuff for school, but no really big plans as of yet. Check back tomorrow for a new blog! ¡Hasta mañana!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
2nd day...more
So needless to say today has been another wonderful day aquí en México! I did not end up going to find my way to campus today, because mi mamá told me that since tomorrow was my first day of orientation she was going to go with me to make sure I got there okay and because they would not let me in the campus without her, since I am not a student there yet. Tomorrow will be an early morning for me, because we have to leave by 8:30 in order to catch the bus that goes to the campus. Mi mamá tells me that the campus is very close by and is only about 25 minutes walking distance and about 10 minutes on the bus. Orientation will be an all day thing both tomorrow and on Thursday so I’m sure I will be very ready to sleep tomorrow night.
So you may be wondering, if I didn’t go out today what did I do? Well I had my first lesson in cooking Mexican cuisine….and that was no small feat let me tell u! Cooking lunch with mi mamá took probably 3 hours! Whoa!! As good as this woman cooks and as much as she cooks everyday you would think that she would enjoy it…but no…she says she does NOT like to cook, she says it is her job! Come to find out my father and her have a lot in common…they both LIKE to clean! I asked her what her favorite things to do during the day were…and she said she actually likes to clean and that her other favorite thing to do is garden…which is quite obvious from the abundance of beautiful plants she has around here.
Since mi mamá is retired and stays at home most every day cooking and cleaning and since she does not mind helping me learn to cook Mexican food…dun dun dun! I have decided to start a blog solely devoted to recipes that I learn here from mi mamá. Hopefully if you are as interested in learning to cook other types of food as I am, you will find this other blog very useful! Today I learned how to cook many things. For lunch we had traditional Mexican rice, and “puerco”, otherwise known as “cerdo” or even sometimes as “marrano”, which for us in English designates part of the back of the pig. The “puerco” was cooked with a “jitomate salsa”, which is simply a tomato based sauce that I will also include the recipe of in my food blog. Also we had broccoli soup and fresh vegetables as always! The fresh vegetables today were broccoli, carrots, lettuce (that I thought was somewhat different because she soaked the lettuce in water with a tiny bit of clorox in order to kill any bacteria or parasites), and something I had never had before, cacto! The cacto, or cactus leaves, were very good and reminded me of green beans! If you are interested in any of the Mexican recipes I learn, including these that I had for lunch today, check out my food blog at http://heatherkeckfood.blogspot.com .
I also learned some more about our “huerto”, or in English “orchard”, as mi mamá calls it. If you go straight through the patio there is another door at the end that leads into our “huerto”. Mi mamá told me more about it today…turns out we have not only a mandarín tree, which is a fruit almost identical to an orange, but we also have a tree that produces “aguacate”, or avocado, a tree that produces “granadas”, or pomegranates, and a tree that produces a fruit I had never seen nor heard of in the U.S. called “zapote negro”. WOW! This fruit is awesome! I took a picture of one that she gave to me to eat before lunch that I will post on this blog. It is dark green on the outside and is round in shape. But on the inside…it is black, which is why it is called zapote negro. The inside looks just like chocolate and is very creamy in texture. It has three large seeds on the inside that you take out and then you can eat the rest of the flesh. It has a very subtle flavor…one that I can’t compare to any fruit that I’ve had in the U.S….the closest might be the large orange colored persimmons that my uncle Bobby grows. These zapotes are similar in both texture and in flavor to the persimmon…at least I think so, also they could be compared to a very thick yogurt in texture.
Today was another beautiful day here in Querétaro, but it was a little cooler than the past couple of days…but not too cool….just perfect. Well I am going to shower and go to bed, because tomorrow will be another eventful and tiring day I am sure! ¡Buenas noches y hasta mañana! And don’t forget to check out my food blog at http://heatherkeckfood.blogspot.com .
Since mi mamá is retired and stays at home most every day cooking and cleaning and since she does not mind helping me learn to cook Mexican food…dun dun dun! I have decided to start a blog solely devoted to recipes that I learn here from mi mamá. Hopefully if you are as interested in learning to cook other types of food as I am, you will find this other blog very useful! Today I learned how to cook many things. For lunch we had traditional Mexican rice, and “puerco”, otherwise known as “cerdo” or even sometimes as “marrano”, which for us in English designates part of the back of the pig. The “puerco” was cooked with a “jitomate salsa”, which is simply a tomato based sauce that I will also include the recipe of in my food blog. Also we had broccoli soup and fresh vegetables as always! The fresh vegetables today were broccoli, carrots, lettuce (that I thought was somewhat different because she soaked the lettuce in water with a tiny bit of clorox in order to kill any bacteria or parasites), and something I had never had before, cacto! The cacto, or cactus leaves, were very good and reminded me of green beans! If you are interested in any of the Mexican recipes I learn, including these that I had for lunch today, check out my food blog at http://heatherkeckfood.blogspot.com .
I also learned some more about our “huerto”, or in English “orchard”, as mi mamá calls it. If you go straight through the patio there is another door at the end that leads into our “huerto”. Mi mamá told me more about it today…turns out we have not only a mandarín tree, which is a fruit almost identical to an orange, but we also have a tree that produces “aguacate”, or avocado, a tree that produces “granadas”, or pomegranates, and a tree that produces a fruit I had never seen nor heard of in the U.S. called “zapote negro”. WOW! This fruit is awesome! I took a picture of one that she gave to me to eat before lunch that I will post on this blog. It is dark green on the outside and is round in shape. But on the inside…it is black, which is why it is called zapote negro. The inside looks just like chocolate and is very creamy in texture. It has three large seeds on the inside that you take out and then you can eat the rest of the flesh. It has a very subtle flavor…one that I can’t compare to any fruit that I’ve had in the U.S….the closest might be the large orange colored persimmons that my uncle Bobby grows. These zapotes are similar in both texture and in flavor to the persimmon…at least I think so, also they could be compared to a very thick yogurt in texture.
Today was another beautiful day here in Querétaro, but it was a little cooler than the past couple of days…but not too cool….just perfect. Well I am going to shower and go to bed, because tomorrow will be another eventful and tiring day I am sure! ¡Buenas noches y hasta mañana! And don’t forget to check out my food blog at http://heatherkeckfood.blogspot.com .
2nd day....so far
¡Hola a todos y buenos días!
I slept very well last night again...only woke up a couple of times but fell back asleep very quickly. This morning it is a little cool outside...enough to need a sweater, but it is also very sunny and will most likely warm up very quickly. I just ate breakfast with mi mamá y mi papá, once again mi papá cooked us a wonderful breakfast! Let's see breakfast was fresh papaya (which was delicious...every fruit I've had here was so much more sweet and delicious than anything I've had in theU.S. U.S.
Last night mi mamá was persistent that I eat a bed-time snack before I went to bed...so she fixed me a bowl of Special K with milk. The milk was unusual because it came in a cardboard box like the ones you might find chicken stock in. The carton said that you didn't have to refrigerate the milk until you opened it. I thought this was weird...so this morning I read the box again after using some in my coffee and it IS cow milk but it is ultra pasteurized so I suppose you don't need to refrigerate it until after you open it? Anyway the milk was very yummy and I don't mind my milk room temp anyway!
I talked to mi mamá this morning about the university and she said that it was a good university but I would see soon that there usually is not enough one-on-one conversation in the class room setting because there are so many students, and that many students in the past did not learn enough conversational skills in the classroom...but that it is a lot of writing and grammar....o well. She said not to worry I would get plenty of practice with her and her family because she is retired and is at home all the time and would love to help me learn!! ¡Qué bueno!
I also talked to mi papá this morning and he said that he used to work for a phone company here in Querétaro and that he is somewhat retired because he has problems with his heart...but that he is still very active...I can tell....mi mamá and mi papá still get around VERY well and climb up and down stairs everyday and chase their grandchildren around when they are over. I also found out that they have been married for almost 36 years...WOW! and that they have hosted students for almost 25 years from all over the world! I couldn't have been luckier with finding a host family, they are all I could've asked for and much more.
I am probably going to try to find my way to school today so that tomorrow I won't be lost going to orientation. I'm sure I will post a second time today...so check back soon! ¡Hasta luego!
I slept very well last night again...only woke up a couple of times but fell back asleep very quickly. This morning it is a little cool outside...enough to need a sweater, but it is also very sunny and will most likely warm up very quickly. I just ate breakfast with mi mamá y mi papá, once again mi papá cooked us a wonderful breakfast! Let's see breakfast was fresh papaya (which was delicious...every fruit I've had here was so much more sweet and delicious than anything I've had in the
Last night mi mamá was persistent that I eat a bed-time snack before I went to bed...so she fixed me a bowl of Special K with milk. The milk was unusual because it came in a cardboard box like the ones you might find chicken stock in. The carton said that you didn't have to refrigerate the milk until you opened it. I thought this was weird...so this morning I read the box again after using some in my coffee and it IS cow milk but it is ultra pasteurized so I suppose you don't need to refrigerate it until after you open it? Anyway the milk was very yummy and I don't mind my milk room temp anyway!
I talked to mi mamá this morning about the university and she said that it was a good university but I would see soon that there usually is not enough one-on-one conversation in the class room setting because there are so many students, and that many students in the past did not learn enough conversational skills in the classroom...but that it is a lot of writing and grammar....o well. She said not to worry I would get plenty of practice with her and her family because she is retired and is at home all the time and would love to help me learn!! ¡Qué bueno!
I also talked to mi papá this morning and he said that he used to work for a phone company here in Querétaro and that he is somewhat retired because he has problems with his heart...but that he is still very active...I can tell....mi mamá and mi papá still get around VERY well and climb up and down stairs everyday and chase their grandchildren around when they are over. I also found out that they have been married for almost 36 years...WOW! and that they have hosted students for almost 25 years from all over the world! I couldn't have been luckier with finding a host family, they are all I could've asked for and much more.
I am probably going to try to find my way to school today so that tomorrow I won't be lost going to orientation. I'm sure I will post a second time today...so check back soon! ¡Hasta luego!
Monday, January 2, 2012
1st day...more
hey again! Today was pretty eventful...my mom and I went into town and she showed me some of our neighborhood. It is just like you would imagine a neighborhood to look in a historic part of Spain
We went through our neighborhood and over the "rio de Querétaro", or "Querétaro River U.S.
My mother also took me to many churches, which are HUGE. Most of the population here is catholic, so all the churches are pretty much catholic churches, and of course are all open with door propped during the daytime. We went inside many of the churches (I had never been inside of a catholic church before so this amazed me). The inside is BEAUTIFUL with ceilings that are too tall to guess their height and are all decorated or painted in some way. They all had candles lit and many chandeliers hanging from the ceilings also. There were countless rows of pews all separated by padded wooden strips on the floor to knell on when praying.
We also went to one of the central plazas which was decorated for the holiday and for new years with scenes and reconstructions of hell, the birth of Jesus, the Garden of Eden, and much more. All the trees in the plaza and throughout the city are "painted" white around the bottom near the trunk and the roots in order to protect them from insects and such, or so my mother said, or so I think my mother said. And all the trees are well landscaped and trimmed in perfect cylinder or circle shapes.
Now let's get back to what's important: the food. After we returned from our tour through the city my mother cooked us lunch, which by the way is customary to be the biggest meal of the day around 2 or 3 in the afternoon (also something I'm going to have to get used to). She is a wonderful cook! We had spaghetti, which she fixed with only a light very thin cream sauce made with parsley, bread, tomato soup (which was AMAZING...I never thought I would love tomato soup as much as this), and as is customary steamed fresh vegetables (broccoli, carrots, and cayote, which is a green vegetable from the squash family that to me tasted just like broccoli), and pan seared pork chops. For dessert we had chocolates with nuts inside. EVERYTHING was soo good especially the tomato soup.
So far my day has been really good, with good food and good people! I am still a little tired from the exploring and yesterday's traveling so I can see that tonight will be another early night for me.
We went through our neighborhood and over the "rio de Querétaro", or "
My mother also took me to many churches, which are HUGE. Most of the population here is catholic, so all the churches are pretty much catholic churches, and of course are all open with door propped during the daytime. We went inside many of the churches (I had never been inside of a catholic church before so this amazed me). The inside is BEAUTIFUL with ceilings that are too tall to guess their height and are all decorated or painted in some way. They all had candles lit and many chandeliers hanging from the ceilings also. There were countless rows of pews all separated by padded wooden strips on the floor to knell on when praying.
We also went to one of the central plazas which was decorated for the holiday and for new years with scenes and reconstructions of hell, the birth of Jesus, the Garden of Eden, and much more. All the trees in the plaza and throughout the city are "painted" white around the bottom near the trunk and the roots in order to protect them from insects and such, or so my mother said, or so I think my mother said. And all the trees are well landscaped and trimmed in perfect cylinder or circle shapes.
Now let's get back to what's important: the food. After we returned from our tour through the city my mother cooked us lunch, which by the way is customary to be the biggest meal of the day around 2 or 3 in the afternoon (also something I'm going to have to get used to). She is a wonderful cook! We had spaghetti, which she fixed with only a light very thin cream sauce made with parsley, bread, tomato soup (which was AMAZING...I never thought I would love tomato soup as much as this), and as is customary steamed fresh vegetables (broccoli, carrots, and cayote, which is a green vegetable from the squash family that to me tasted just like broccoli), and pan seared pork chops. For dessert we had chocolates with nuts inside. EVERYTHING was soo good especially the tomato soup.
So far my day has been really good, with good food and good people! I am still a little tired from the exploring and yesterday's traveling so I can see that tonight will be another early night for me.
1st day..so far!
So I slept like a log last night...as figured...my bed and room proved themselves to be as comfy and homey as they looked. Slept all night long under 2 blankets and was neither hot nor cold (without heat or air)...perfect. I met my host father this morning, Adan, who is very nice cooked me and Concha, my host mother, breakfast.....omg amazing food so far. I think I could write a whole blog solely devoted to the food here...who knows I might.
Breakfast was tortillas with scrambled eggs, chorizo (which is kinda like sausage only SOOO much better), pineapple, and tea that makes me think I'll never miss the good southern sweet tea of North Carolina again. The torillas were somewhat blue and as of right now I cannot remember the name that Concha called them by. The eggs were delicious and the chorizo was spicy and had an unbelievable flavor. Breakfast seems to be a very important meal for them because as Concha says it gives the body the energy it needs for the day. But the best part by far was the tea. It was very light in color and translucent..but was flavored with cinnamon and sweetened with sugar. Known simply as "té", it reminds me much of warm apple cider.
On a good note my host father does know a little english, but not very much. The going has been a little rough trying to understand everything that they are saying but all in all I get the main points of the conversation and am able to keep up. And hey that's the reason I'm here right? To improve my Spanish skills and the only way I see fit is to throw myself into this foreign country and do my best to get by. The going is tough right now but I already have learned so much in only a few hours.
My host mother Concha showed me around the house....SO beautiful. To the right of the staircase leading up to my room I look down into a huge patio area. Concha, who is retired, does all of the beautiful gardening work. There are so many potted plants that litter the edges of the windows and tiled floor. There are several other rooms downstairs off of the patio that Concha says belong to the other students who live here during the school year. There is also a music room where my host father plays keyboard and guitar. Straight down through the patio you come to another door that leads into a garden...well somewhat of a garden. There is no grass like at home...but many many trees and plants. She showed me the orange tree and gave me an orange to eat....haven't tried it quite yet, still full from breakfast. There are also other fruit trees that I cannot remember the names of right now, but hopefully will bear fruit before I leave so that I can try them.
I had already met "Boss" the brown boxer but today I got to formally meet the two cats, "minina and minino" as Concha calls them. They are not technically "our" cats here at the house but were born here by their mother a few years ago and have just taken up around the house. It's amazing how well trained the animals are. Boss goes to the garden to do his business and the cats also I suppose. Most doors especially those to the kitchen and living rooms are usually left open and the animals come and go as they please....all very well house-trained.
Well I am getting ready to go out with Concha and she is going to show me around the neighborhood and around the city so that I won't be lost once school starts. As soon as I get back from our adventure I will be sure to share photos and information!
¡Hasta luego!
Breakfast was tortillas with scrambled eggs, chorizo (which is kinda like sausage only SOOO much better), pineapple, and tea that makes me think I'll never miss the good southern sweet tea of North Carolina again. The torillas were somewhat blue and as of right now I cannot remember the name that Concha called them by. The eggs were delicious and the chorizo was spicy and had an unbelievable flavor. Breakfast seems to be a very important meal for them because as Concha says it gives the body the energy it needs for the day. But the best part by far was the tea. It was very light in color and translucent..but was flavored with cinnamon and sweetened with sugar. Known simply as "té", it reminds me much of warm apple cider.
On a good note my host father does know a little english, but not very much. The going has been a little rough trying to understand everything that they are saying but all in all I get the main points of the conversation and am able to keep up. And hey that's the reason I'm here right? To improve my Spanish skills and the only way I see fit is to throw myself into this foreign country and do my best to get by. The going is tough right now but I already have learned so much in only a few hours.
My host mother Concha showed me around the house....SO beautiful. To the right of the staircase leading up to my room I look down into a huge patio area. Concha, who is retired, does all of the beautiful gardening work. There are so many potted plants that litter the edges of the windows and tiled floor. There are several other rooms downstairs off of the patio that Concha says belong to the other students who live here during the school year. There is also a music room where my host father plays keyboard and guitar. Straight down through the patio you come to another door that leads into a garden...well somewhat of a garden. There is no grass like at home...but many many trees and plants. She showed me the orange tree and gave me an orange to eat....haven't tried it quite yet, still full from breakfast. There are also other fruit trees that I cannot remember the names of right now, but hopefully will bear fruit before I leave so that I can try them.
I had already met "Boss" the brown boxer but today I got to formally meet the two cats, "minina and minino" as Concha calls them. They are not technically "our" cats here at the house but were born here by their mother a few years ago and have just taken up around the house. It's amazing how well trained the animals are. Boss goes to the garden to do his business and the cats also I suppose. Most doors especially those to the kitchen and living rooms are usually left open and the animals come and go as they please....all very well house-trained.
Well I am getting ready to go out with Concha and she is going to show me around the neighborhood and around the city so that I won't be lost once school starts. As soon as I get back from our adventure I will be sure to share photos and information!
¡Hasta luego!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Aquí!
After a very emotional and somewhat stressful day I am finally here in Querétaro! Both flights went very well...except for almost tossing my cookies on the last leg of the journey in that little plane from Houston to Querétaro!
I have just finished unpacking and decorating my room...starting to feel a little like home. The city is so beautiful and the terrain is littered with mountains and valleys dotted with small cities and towns. However Querétaro is much bigger than I imagined and my historic slice of a neighborhood is more amazing than I could have dreamed.
My host family is sooo sweet and caring! My host mother is all I could have hoped for and more! I truly feel welcome here as if this is my home away from home. My room even kinda reminds me of my grandmother keck's house with the red and white tile floor and the quaint wooden furniture.
As I sit here with my bedroom window open I can hear a distant clang of a railroad warning signal as well as the faint echos of someone speaking into a microphone as if at a small party or street festival while dogs bark in unison to the passing of police sirens. This may not sound like everyone's ideal living situation...but for me it feels just like my apartment inGreensboro
I hate to admit it but I already miss home...my boyfriend....my family...my bed...my language...my culture...but from here I can see only grand adventures and life changing experiences ahead of me. I vow to live it up here in Querétaro and make the most of my time. And tonight as the sun sets on the first day of my new and more open minded existence, I will sleep a deep and well deserved slumber under my first Mexican moon.
I have just finished unpacking and decorating my room...starting to feel a little like home. The city is so beautiful and the terrain is littered with mountains and valleys dotted with small cities and towns. However Querétaro is much bigger than I imagined and my historic slice of a neighborhood is more amazing than I could have dreamed.
My host family is sooo sweet and caring! My host mother is all I could have hoped for and more! I truly feel welcome here as if this is my home away from home. My room even kinda reminds me of my grandmother keck's house with the red and white tile floor and the quaint wooden furniture.
As I sit here with my bedroom window open I can hear a distant clang of a railroad warning signal as well as the faint echos of someone speaking into a microphone as if at a small party or street festival while dogs bark in unison to the passing of police sirens. This may not sound like everyone's ideal living situation...but for me it feels just like my apartment in
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