This past weekend, we went on two different excursions...Saturday to a city c. 45 min away from Guadalajara called Tlaquepaque. When we got there, I noticed that it looked exactly like the movie with Brad Pitt called "The Mexican"... in the middle of what I can only describe as a tropical desert. We took a tour of the city and visited a very modern art museum. Tlaquepaque is full of tourists, but people do live there. There were also a lot of people with indigenous roots selling things on the street, e.g., jewelry, string art, dolls, paper mache, etc. It [View Full Entry]

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So last night, I went with 9 other girls from GSU and CEPE to a club called CHESS. I am amazed with the strength of the American dollar here: including 2 cab fares and drinks, I spent a grand total of $6.15 (80 pesos). We heard that the club was rather chic, so we all dressed up in our little black dresses and skirts/heels. When we got there, there were about 100 people lined up to get in. But, since we were the only "gringos" there, we went around to a side door and were let right in. We were handed [View Full Entry]

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Our host mom led a group of us to a very swank internet cafe right down the street. We're all sitting around chatting, using the internet (it's free here as long as you purchase food or coffee)...It looks like we're the only tourists here, surprisingly. In fact, I haven't seen any other foreigners besides our group and the 80 or so others at CEPE. I'm glad we're getting the "real" Mexican experience. We had a rather interesting experience last night...Amber, Crystal, and I were about to leave our house in order to meet up with some people, and all of a [View Full Entry]

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Today was the first day of classes at CEPE. I have two grammar classes with two profesores quien son muy seriosos. Trying to speak and listen to Spanish all day long is exhausing. I'm sure it will get easier, but even this Mexican keyboard on the computer is confusing. Everything from purchasing a bottle of water to listening in class takes every ounce of energy in your body. Honestly, I feel like I´ve been here for a week or more... Amber and I stayed up last night talking about the effects of "culture shock". Neither of us expected to be having [View Full Entry]

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After a 13 hour journey to Guadalajara, we are finally here. Our plane yesterday was scheduled to leave from Atlanta at 6:40p, but did not leave until 8:00p.m. It was not a two and a half hour flight as I anticipated; it was a four hour flight. But it took us from 2:00 in the afternoon until almost 3:00a.m. Atlanta time to get to our host families' homes. While on the plane, Crystal (one of my roommates) and I talked to a girl from Guadalajara for the whole trip (in Spanish only!). She was very nice, and invited us to una [View Full Entry]

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The time is upon us: we will leave Atlanta tomorrow on an evening flight to Guadalajara, Mexico! The flight should only last around three hours. Guadalajara is two hours behind Atlanta time, so we should arrive in Mexico around 7:00p.m. I am supposed to take two language courses while in Guadalajara for five weeks, helping me complete a minor in Spanish. After Mexico, I should only have two more Spanish literature courses to take in order to do this. I need to pack my suitcase...I've been doing laundry and mentally packing outfits for the trip. I have heard from multiple people [View Full Entry]

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