Bienvenidos a Morelia!

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Whelp, I´m here in Mexico. I arrived in Guadalajara at 6:30 in the morning on Saturday and had about 12 hours to wait before my shuttle to Morelia arrived, so I took a taxi to the city where my driver took me to a hotel barato (cheap), so I could stash my stuff and sleep a little. I think that I ended up being ripped off because of my ignorance, but I´m sure I´ll learn the ways of the country soon. I walked around Guadalajara a bit, but it was a huge city, very dirty with lots of people, and I wasn´t too interested in much that it had to offer. So I went back to the hotel, slept, and then ate some food before returning to the airport. Three other girls and I flew into Guadalajara, and we took a small van to Morelia, about three hours away in another state, Michuocan. When I arrived at my homestay, my family was very welcoming, and showed me around the house, and explained everything very slowly. I´m pretty sure that all of the homestays are pretty well off. I have my own room that overlooks their small garden with a lemon, orange, and peach tree. It is a two story house shoved in between other houses. All the houses are surrounded with walls (paredes) so that you don´t feel like you have neighbors when you are inside.
My family consists of a mom, dad, and three kids, but the two older kids are older and have children of their own. I live with the 18-year-old daughter, Paulina, and it´s very interesting to see a little of the younger crowd social scene. She listens to a lot of music called romantico, usually dudes singing love songs. Super funny...I thought the music in the US was emo! There are TV´s in every room, and my sister was surprised when I told her that I don´t watch it too much. We even turn on the TV during breakfast.
My host mother left the morning after I arrived to go to Disney Land in California for her birthday, and she´s gone until this next Sunday. The dad is an agricultural engineer and he works long days during the week. The family takes care of me like they would a child. They make every meal, and clean up after me, and there´s even a woman who came and cleaned the house yesterday since the mom is away. I was very surprised when I walked into my room and things were all switched around. It´s kinda weird. I feel bad, I want to help, but I don´t think they want me to. They´re really good with communication and teaching me. They´ve had about 10 exchange students over the last 7 years, and they really have it down to an art. They help me get on the right bus (since the bus system is confusing and inconsistent), and they´ve been showing me around, explaining directions and the way things work here. They understand the confusion that students have when they come here. They´re also really accomodating with my diet. As soon as I arrived, they clarified what I eat, and they know I don´t eat dairy or red meat, and everything is OK. We eat tons of fruit, all the fruit from my childhood, like papaya and mango every day. This region is also very good for growing melons, and there´s watermelon, cantelope, and honeydew (gota de miel). The other night my host father made pescado con camirones (fish wrapped in aluminum foil, with shrimp baked on top), and last night the helper lady made me elote con verduras (which was just corn and vegetables, but was amazingly good). There´s tons of fresh juice, and "agua de frutas" which is not as strong as juice, is usually the fruit blended with water or boiled, and then with tons of sugar. My sister made me agua de fresa, strawberry water, and was totally blown away when I didn´t want to put Splenda in it.
This city is gorgeous, with tons of trees, and surrounded by mountains. There are definitely lots of people, but there are also places where I can get away. My campus is awesome, with tons of big trees and flowers and grass, and even a tiny stream. It´s pretty hot during the day, these are the hottest months, but not unbearable, and the nights get cool much later.
The driving here is one of the best parts. Riding around in taxis and buses is super fun. There are tons of buses (camiones), or privately owned VW buses (combis) which cost $4.5 pesos, about 45 cents per ride. The cars are all over the place, they weave in and out, with no blinkers, and sometimes pretty fast. But no one ever gets mad, and everyone is super relaxed, it´s like a dance. There are less accidents, because hardly anyone has insurance and they don´t want to wreck their cars, but sometimes it seems like we´ll lose a mirror to the car next to us, or ram the one in front, but all the drivers are in total control. I feel like they´re better drivers than in the US, and I´m never concerned for my safety. It´s pretty fun. The taxi drivers are also a good way to practice spanish, since they are usually pretty outgoing.
The spanish is coming along very well. At school, I feel like I speak too much english with the other students, but at home it is nothing but spanish, and I feel like I can get by well enough. Sometimes, though my brain overheats, and I have to get away by myself. My tendency to be alone, however, will not work as well here, since I need to learn the culture and avoid isolation. I think there will be much going out dancing to be had here, but we´ll see! Till next time, take care.

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Photos

Morelia
Morelia is surrounded by mountains, and situated at about 1,900 or more meter above sea level.

Mi casa
My house is located on the small lane two blocks to the right of the big street on the left hand side of the photo.

UNLA
Flowers growing at my school.

UNLA
The big tree surrounded by benches, a great place to relax in the shade.

Comments

[Ruth]

Wow! How exciting. It sounds like you were really lucky getting a great family! I can't wait to keep reading about your time there. Are you staying all term?