Parting Ways

As our time here starts to come to an end our mental state changes. We reflect on the past, all that has changed what we learn and look forward to the future. I cannot help but to think of the faces of the people that have made my experience and forever be thankful. There is no doubt in my mind that each person I have encountered has impacted my time abroad with different perspectives, stories, experiences, lessons and personalities that are shared, each person has planted a little seed or an idea that may never be brought out of our memory for decades. But all the things that are there and have forever changed who we are and shaped how we experience the world that we live in. There people, who in some cases I barely even know and may never see again, are the people who I have grown to trust and love more than I could have ever hoped. These are the ones that will hold that special place in my heart called Mexico.

Scramble Scramble

It is so crazy how fast everything is going. Becca got her stitches out yesterday, Saturday, after her 65 dollar surgery and her last day of medicine is tomorrow. Monday I did not have my 4 hour class because of mothers day is monday and the campus was closed. No one knew-including the prof. I also found out that I had another presentation in my conversation class and it was teaching the class something. I ended up teaching how to give a baby pig an in muscle vaccination. It was interesting to see what the other people presented on. And definately entertaining. I have grown to appreciate the people in my classes very much. Tuesday I also had a presentation on the first emporer of Mexico and his whole one year reign. Thursday my art professor didnt show up so I left early. I actually have quite a bit of work to do in that class and only about two weeks. Friday was our seminar class again which we have a paper due Friday. Conversation is also done friday and tomorrow history is over. But enough of the school.

Tuesday I rode in the overpacked bus in the windsheild practically and again the same on the way back but backwards. It looks really fast when your backwards looking at the ground pass at 30 miles an hour. Thursday was the first official goodbye party for our friend Trevor. Goodbyes BLOW. Becca, Juan and Kelsey all leave in about 2 weeks. Junko made us sushi on Sat after a roof session with Casey and Saturday night was really relaxed. We watched tv, talked had pizza and one of our Korean friends came over to hang out. They tried to give me a mohawk but my hair was too long it didnt really work. Today I studied a little and then had Korean food made for us. It was amazing and really fun. We made a cheescake for them, but we all ate with chopsticks and everything on the roof. They even did most of the dishes and carried the trash out for us, showed us dances to Korean songs and were just plain precious. There's no other way to describe.

I have 2 weeks to write my long paper. I just finished writing the 3 page paper for seminar in english, and have to translate it tomorrow, and have 3 projects to finish in classes tomorrow and next week for my art class. Skit tomorrow in conversation. So much to do it seems, but still able to make time for friends as this is the last stretch for most people. Monday we had a formal ceremony where we 'graduated'. Ha pretty much got a certificate for being in the program but the president of the University came and everything, it was a big deal. It was also a reality check of how little time is left. Then later, after class, our asain friends came over and took me to ice cream and brought some back for Becca. One of them, Hee Won offered to make a video for me with all my pictures. So I am trying to go through the literally thousands of pictures that we have accumulated together. He's also making a video for our teacher with all of us saying "Gracias Veronica!" and came over to film me today because it was Dia de Estudiantes and I did not go to class. It was optional, and I probably should have gone, but took the opportunity to work on other homework and lay in the sun instead. It was definately worth it. There was a concert today also so lots of cowboys are in town, ha with hats, wranglers, boots and I even saw a lime green shirt. I like so much here. I like walking to dinner in 15 minutes notice. Seeing the jardin filled with people. Everything lit up at night, because all the buildings are different colors and levels, making everything look different but similar. Its beautiful.

Alex's family is here, and I have only met her younger sister so far, but she seems pretty cool. Alex's host family also has puppies and I keep forgetting to go up there, but I will soon. This ones written pretty badly and confusing since its two different times. I keep forgetting the things I want to write during the week and end up only writing about school, but a lot does happen. For example, my host mom talking about how fast its gone as all her students are moving out in a span of 4 days and remembering how little spanish I spoke when I got here. Remebering how I absolutely could not understand the asains speaking spanish, but now its mostly when they are trying to speak with random english words. I can recognize how much better I am at understanding people with any accent. How much faster I can reply sometimes when in a conversation and how even I will know how to ask for things, I still am timid not to. How many things I have learned from other countries, like in Korea people are a year older because they could the year that a person is in the mothers belly. The boys are also required to serve in the military and the people I have met are some of the happiest I have ever met in my life. I appreciate the fact that because it is not my first language the expectation of quality is much lower. While this sounds lazy, it is actually realistic. I dont know how to write well in Spanish and being from the states I already have the mentality to make a decent effort when I am doing something so I do try to present good work, however it is MUCH more difficult to do so when the expectations and topics for a paper are not given or very unclear. Obviously what is normal here is not the same as in the States, or other European countries. That difference is usually not clarified. For that, I am glad that the expectations are lower, definately helps with the stress. I appreciate that when native speakers learn you are trying to learn spanish they help you. And I enjoy teaching people english that want to learn, I also realized how hard things can be to explain when its somthing that we just know from growing up with it. I like juevos mexicanos, becuase it hides the taste of eggs, I could go without eating white rice for years and iceburg lettuce salads and I much rather prefer corn tortillas. I like oaxaca cheese better than cheddar and the saltines here are better. I do not like the coffee here much, and usually any kind that you order, including smoothies greatly vary depending on the restaurant. Rainy whether can be comforting after lots of heat, but I still like the sun over the clouds, and I will never get a small dog-they bark WAY too much. Children here are some of the cutest kids ever. The movie titles arent the same as as tranlsation and it bothers me a little bit. Lots of pizza here has cream cheese or hot dogs on it. Cake is soggy a lot of the time. Going to movies is cheaper. There's no recycling. Phones are a lot more expensive and a monopoly. Also, the richest person in the world is from Mexico and owns the cell phone companies. Drug cartel activity is UNHEARD of in our area/town. The area that I live in is in the center of the events of the Independence events of Mexico, for example Alhondiga, is in GTO.

Sleepless nights

It is currently HAILING. Huge, huge balls of hail and really hard. It had been not under 90 degrees the last few days and yesterday evening it was really windy. It just started to downpour, which is not as bad since it is not as cold anymore. The girls were playing in it like we used to play in snow back when we were kids. Even Mari Cruz and Angelica were excited about it. It is nice though from the swealtering heat we were having. This week was a doozer, and flew by. Last Saturday Casey and I went to Morelia for a couple days and then Guadalajara. In Morelia we went to an orchid museum and saw hundreds of different types and Guadalajara has 4 million people or more there. It was interesting to say the least. When we got back on Tuesday, I cleaned my room and when my roommate came home, her stomach hurt-a lot. After she talked to her family because she also found out her Grandma died, we went to the Hospital. First-it was the wrong hospital, the taxi driver was apparently retarded, and it was a public hospital. She had her appendix taken out late that night. Casey stayed with her to do the translating and only one person is allowed with her at a time. They also have few nursing staff, so when Becca needed to go to the bathroom, we carried her iv bag-or when she ate-we held her tray and helped her eat. She was a trooper. I stayed with her for a good portion of Wens and again all that night. I was completely sleep deprived. Friday was rough by the time I made it there. Today Alex, Coleman, Casey and I went to Embajadores. Its a market place, that is very hard to explain. The clothing section is like goodwill on steriods and theres food, veggies, movies, makeup-pretty much everything you can image. After that we made some guacamole and went home...and then the storm happened. Ps. Happy Mothers Day