So as my time in Mexico comes to a close, I realize how much of an adjustment going home is really going to be. I'm sure it'll be just as...if not more difficult than those I had to make when I first got down here. At some point, although its incredebly unclear exactly when, this city really did become like a second home to me. While the first few weeks were something of an adventure, exploring new streets, new foods, meeting new friends, I can honestly say (partly with pleasure and partly with sadness) that the everyday adventure of Cuernevaca has [View Full Entry]

---

---

I sincerely wish that I could sit here and write a glowing review of Taxco. The ancient silver mining city we visited this weekend is well known throughout the country for its bottom dollar price on high quality silver, glowing artisans markets, and beautiful mountain-city architecture. Unfortunatley I didn't really get much of an oppurtunity to enjoy this beautiful city, as I spent most of the day nursing a nasty stomach virus. It hit about 20 minutes before we were set to get off the bus, at that point I figured it was just motion sickness from spending too much time [View Full Entry]

---

---

I think some people in reading this blog forget that bulk of my time here isn't spent exploring luxiourious Mexican cities and climbing around ancient ruins, but in fact I spend quite a bit more time in the classroom. My normal daily routine rarely consists of anything quite as exciting as you would think pending the last few blogs I've written. In fact this past week has been one of the hardest ones school-wise that I can recall from recent memory. I have class for 4 hours straight everyday, from 9 until 1. It doesn't sound that bad, but after about [View Full Entry]

---

---

While this trip is exciting and fun and educational, there definetley are parts of it where I wish I wasn't traveling around in a group so large. Sure, the immense amount of Americans made the initial adjustment to the culture really easy and eliminated the first shock of being completley confused by a foreign language, they also tend to inhibit some of the travel experiences. The worst part of traveling around with a group this large is the tours. Although these tours are partly at fault of the university for assuming that we actually are so interested in culture and history [View Full Entry]

---

---

So its no surprise to anyone that I stand out here just a little bit. We all do actually, although some moreso than others (Me and my roommate with our blonde hair and blue eyes probably moreso than most however) But I've learned that while sometimes it pays to be obviously American, other times you pay...and you pay big. A really good example of this dichotomy that comes from being pasty white with a bad spanish accent is last Tuesday night. A few days ago my roommate and I decided to check out a special at a local bar that sounded [View Full Entry]

---

---

I think one of the most amazing things about driving through Mexico is realizing how little of the country you actually know. I've been here almost 6 weeks, completley immersed in Mexican culture, living it, breathing it, eating it (which as you've read has come with several of its own trials and tribulations), yet somehow, as I rode the bus from my little enclave of Cuernevaca, Mexico towards the capital of the country I've come to call my second home, I noticed how much more of this culture I've yet to experience...how much of it I never will. We left for [View Full Entry]

---

---

Continuing on my rant about food from yesterday, I thought I'd tell a little story about an "encounter" a few of us had with some Mexican sushi yesterday. No don't worry it's not stomach curdling, never look at sushi the same way, disgusting as you might think. The sushi itself was quite delicious, better quality than some I've even had in the states. Instead, it just helps to further illustrate the language barrier issues we encounter here, as well as describing how even Japanese delicacies can take on their own little Mexican flare. So last night a few of us decided [View Full Entry]

---

---

Now I'm sure when most people out there think of La Comida Mexicana (Mexican Food) the first thing that pops into their mind is tacos, enchiladas, rice and beans. I have to let you know though that since I've been living in Mexico (already 2 and half weeks) I've yet to put my mouth on a single taco, enchilada, or a plate of rice and beans (except the low quality, sticky yellow packaged rice I've had in the cafeteria at school). Instead, especially when eating with my house family, I've encountered my fair share of very interesting cuisine. The first thing [View Full Entry]

---

---

If Cuernevaca is the city of the Eternal Spring, and as many down here claim "the most beautiful and most forgotten city in all of Mexico", they must never have been to Acapulco. After a week of intense (and I say that with no exaggeration whatsoever) spanish classes, we all could use a break. Although the appeal of the sand and the sun would later turn out not as relaxing as expected, our itinerary had us headed to Acapulco, Mexico for the weekend. After a day of daunting and what seemed like never ending classes, we all got ready to get [View Full Entry]

---

---

Besides learning Spanish and getting credits for school, part of the reason I decided to partake in this study abroad oppurtunity was to experience the culture. One of the downsides to this particular program is that with so many other American students on the trip, it's really easy to just fade into the background, stick close with your english-speaking comrades and never really experience the culture at all. Since I've gotten here every excursion, orientation session, welcome party, bar, restaurant or club we've gone to have all been in the presence of at least 10, if not all 50+, other Amer [View Full Entry]

---

---