"Step outside summertime's in bloom"

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!Hola from Mexico! And to forewarn you...the keyboards are different, so ignore any and all typos, please! €ñç¿?!¿¡ See how fun it is?!?!?! Haha...until you try to type at a rapid pace!

So my trip here was fantastic! The 6am flight out of Kansas...not so fun, but I got a little shut-eye on the first flight. I spent the second one watching a cheesey teeny bopper movie and chatting away with a Mexican niña and her mama. The view out the window was fantastic the closer we got to Mexico City. The clouds were big and fluffy and white (just how I like them!!) and when there was a break in them, I could see nothing but the sprawling metropolis below. Mexico City is huge!!! And, like I had been told, when we were landing, we abandoned the blue skies and fluffy clouds and entered into the somber smog that hovers over the city. It's such a problem there because the city sits in the Valley of México and the mountains surrounding the city trap the pollutants.

Once I survived immigration and customs, I was greeted with the driver from the school, Carlos, and his newphew, Oscar. They took my bags and away we headed. The driving in the city was ridiculous, but I wasn't surprised. Carlos really held his own, though, and provided me with many chuckles all the way to Cuernavaca. I was pleased at not only my Spanish skills at that particular moment, but also with my willingness to just use it and throw myself in there!

This part of Mexico is BEAUTIFUL!!! And so vastly different from the border...the trees, the flowers, the mountains...all green and lush. The drive was so wonderful and I look forward to all the sunrises, sunsets, and especially the lighting storms, which I hear are to die for!! Haha, okay, bad pun....

My home is wonderful...it's a nice large three level house with a gated yard. My host family is La familia Hernandez...Martín, Erica, Jessica, and *yikes* the other girl´s name (which is not as familiar to my ear) I have forgotten. Then there are two other gringas staying there. They´re both roughly my age and really friendly. They´re with their school from Colorado and turns out their group makes up a big chunk of the students here. They took me in, showed me around, and then took me out....We headed to the town plaza, the zocalo as it´s called, and we spent hours trying new foods, bargaining for jewelry, and just taking in the atmosphere. My type of thing exactly!!

This morning I had my placement exam....an oral exam with a woman. I was once again pleased with my comfort level in using it...but I was definitely reminded of some things that I need to work on. So Monday morning, 8am, I will begin classes. I'm not sure what level I'll start at, but I'm ready to dive in!

Another pleasant surprise this morning was meeting Anne, a girl from Virginia who just arrived yesterday and will be here five weeks, too. And, here's the kicker....she'll be volunteering in México (way south in Ometepec) for a year through the Presbyterian Church. She's working through the Medical Benevolence Foundation and will help open a clinic there. So obviously we have similar goals and ideas for our 5 weeks here! ¡Qué bueno!

This weekend I'll be going on two different excursions...one to Mexico City and the pyramids at Teotihuacán, and the other to another city, Tepoztlán. I'm excited to explore all these things and I plan on spending the rest of today exploring Cuernavaca more.

Welp, that's it for now! Mom, dad, toda mi familia...I'm alive and happy, so sleep better tonight!

Love,
Elizabeth

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Photos

¡Nubes!
These were the amazing clouds I could see out my window!

Comments

[Mom and Dad]

Hurray!
Hey Elizabeth! You 'sound' so excited. We are so happy for you. Thanks for writing so quickly! We are glad you have a good living situation with your family and other gringos. More later. Love, Mom and Dad