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Published: July 29th 2006
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Things are changing a lot this week at Cuauhnáhuac.... The Colorado group and Cal Poly group both leave for the airport at 5am tomorrow morning, so Anne and I are both losing our wonderful roomies. *tear* However, it's not completely the end of an era just yet....Anne and I will also be boarding a bus EARLY tomorrow morning to meet Ashley, Jordan, and Sandra (all from the Colorado group) for two days of fun in Mexico City. We've booked a hostel for the night and plan to see Xochimilco and the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo museums tomorrow and whatever else we want to see on Sunday. I'm super excited to be staying in a hostel again....brings back fond memories from last summer!! I just wish Steph and Jenny were here, too, so we could all wear our various blue jackets and sweatshirts!! :-)
In place of Ashley and Carlie, a family unit arrived yesterday from Milwaukee. My new compañeros de cuarto are a woman, Donna, her husband, Joseph, and their daughter, Elly. Elly's my actual roomie for two days until Ashley and Carlie leave and then she'll be taking over their old room. So this morning I was stared
¡Iguanas!
One of the many iguanas that hang out around the school...including on the roof during my classes! at by the adorable 6 year old the entire time I got ready for school!! The Milwaukee group is a big mix of people...about 30 in all, I think. They'll be here for 3 weeks, so the entire rest of my stay. I'm excited to get to know a new group.
In honor of the two groups departing and the one that just arrived, the school is throwing a fiesta tonight! It seems to be quite the event...something that only happens a few times a year. I've heard rumors of a mariachi band.... I'll be sure to give a full report of the madness next time I blog.
Can't believe I'm already through two weeks of classes!! I was in a class with one other girl on Monday, but by Tuesday, I was in my original class, with my original teacher, alone. And it's worked out really well again! I really enjoyed Alberto mucho. We actually spent most of our 3 hours of grammar class every morning just talking about various things. And that may sound like we were slacking off, but he told me on Tuesday that because I can almost fully comprehend everything he says, and since I'm flying through the grammar lessons, it's better to just practice talking more because my vocab and my pronunciation need the most work. And writing that makes me chuckle because when in my life, prior to this experience, has anyone EVER told me that I needed to talk MORE!?!! Hahaha, never!! ¡Nunca!
On Wednesday there was a big fútbol (soccer) game between the students and the teachers. Hmmm....who do you think won?! However, in defense of those that haven't grown up playing fútbol their entire lives, the Americans actually gave them some competition. Unfortunately, the game was interrupted when Ernesto, the guy who runs the computer lab, fell on his elbow and dislocated it. He fell right in front of all of us girls in the stands, so it was extra horrible watching him lie in pain, with an arm that was clearly not bending the right way. But Anne, the Physician Assistant, and Tiffany, a girl who works in a hospital, saved the day and were able to stabalize his arm and keep him calm until the ambulance showed up....about twenty minutes later!! And we all got a cultural lesson because we watched the paramedics reset the arm right there on the field while Ernesto just laid there with a sweatshirt in his mouth and the other guys holding his body still. Ugh! It pains me to think about it again. BUT then he hopped up and seemed to be just fine. The game continued (without Ernesto) and the teachers won! A celebration by all followed!
Last night after we finished classes and homework, we got all dressed up and went to Las Mañanitas for dinner to celebrate the two big school groups being finished. And according to a book I own, "1,000 Places To See Before You Die," I can now die happy because I went there! Las Mañanitas is a resort hotel that has around 40 guest suites, but people come internationally to simply dine there. They're known for the beautiful landscape full of cranes, flamingos, and macaws that roam and fly freely throughout the property. Dinner was amazing...and was pretty resonably priced, too, for being such a swanky place. I think Ashley had to roll me home because I was so full!
Finally.....Things I've Learned Thus Far in Cuernavaca:
1) The lizard that I hear outside...and sometimes inside...my room is a good thing. He eats the bugs.
2) When talking about a person one likes, unless you REALLY like them (romantically!), you do not say "Me gusta ______." I inadvertently told a woman that I was a lesbian because I told her that "Me gusta mi cuñada mucho" (I like my sister-in-law a lot). For the record, I like boys. Not girls.
3) Taxis are as cheap as water here.
4) When waiting in a "line" for the bus, pay close attention to whether or not the so-called line is actually a line....and actually moving. Because it's quite possible that one just might be waiting behind a couple making out in what should have been the bus line.....
5) People don't stand in lines. (see #4)
and this one I JUST learned while writing this entry....
***CHEAP INTERNET CAFES....NOT ALWAYS A BARGAIN***
(pictures will be added to this entry on Monday)
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Dave T.
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¡Flexibilidad por cierto!
Liz: Me impresiona que escribiste "flexibilidad" como el título de esta pagina...¿Dónde aprendiste esa palabra? En serio, estoy disfrutando tus articulos muchísimo. Cuando estuve en México en Diciembre, visité los museos (las casas) de Frida y de Diego. Pero nunca he estado en Xochimilco. Espero tu informe próximamente de como te fue. Me parece un lugar muy romántico. ¿Es verdad o no?