The Introduction

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Muchisimas gracias, Alejandro Maya y Antje Muntendam, para los recomendaciones! Por favor, dame tus numeros de correos porque quiero mandate tarjetas postales.
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Monterrey, Mexico. That is where I will be living for the semester starting monday. I'm excited that I get to study in Mexico, especially because my family has history there.

This first blog is mainly to introduce you to what I will be doing. The interesting thing is, I hardly know the answer to that myself! I have already had one study abroad experience (Fall '05 Granada, Spain) and because of this I am many times less anxious, nervous, etc. Meaning, I'm not very well prepared. For example: I haven't started packing yet. I leave in 3 days.

I got one thing done, though. I procured an internship in Mexico. I will be working at the American Consulate General of Monterrey, in the commerce sector. This is considered an internship because they can't pay me, but it will be great experience for one of the more practical things I want to do for a career. [That discussion is an 'over dinner' talk]

I do not have a place to live, yet. I opted out of living in a dorm where, on this particular campus of ITESM, women have to check-in before 11 PM every night. If a woman wasn't to check in, the school would send a letter to her guardian(s) stating the fact. Sure, you can say what you want about "safety" but men get harassed too. Also, I do not want to live with a host family again. I'm going to try my best to get a place with Mexican students. Rent there is about $600 (USD) a month for a 3 bedroom apartment two blocks from campus. As soon as I have an address there I will send it out. You should come visit!

"What about classes, Al?" you ask. Bridget [who managed to perfectly fit 3 majors in 4 years] made a lovely Excel spread sheet for me at the beginning of the summer about my classes and credits, past and future. She discovered that I am pretty much free to take any classes I want to take while in Mexico. Still, there's a little issue. See, my Spanish is *great* for the 5 years I have taken it. I tested at Intermediate 2, which means that I'm good enough to teach Spanish in America ... but not advanced enough (only 9 points out of 100 away!) to be allowed to take classes with Native Spanish speakers). Not enough to essentially be considered an advanced Spanish speaker, yet. Naturally, I went against the rules and picked the classes I wanted to take irregardless of the regulations. We'll see if they caught me when I get my schedule on Monday.

I plan on travelling. A few places I want to experience are Cuba (ohhh I will!), Caracas (hopefully I'll get to see Andrea!), and the Republica Dominicana. It all depends on the information I gather in Monterrey. Flight prices are reasonable from Monterrey to most of these places. However, first, I plan on travelling to a few Mexican cities. I'll be sure to post plenty of photos!

I hope that was an adequate enough introduction to answer all of your questions. In advance, thank you for your interest. I appreciate getting comments about posts, blogs, and I enjoy reading your messages of "just saying hi" so don't be shy to send me a few! If you are getting this email then you will continue to get emails when I make new entries.

If you want to sponsor me visiting a country, just let me know. I'm open to donations for travelling!
Besos!

Alex

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