Blogs from Nuevo Leon, Mexico, North America - page 5

I held off on writing another blog for two reasons: a lot of things were still in process and subject to change so I wanted to wait until I had some solid material to write about before I excited anyone. Also, I haven't had access to my camera charger until this afternoon and I didn't want to leave you without photos! And don't worry, I have seen more than just the campus it was just easier to take these photos this afternoon. More city stuff later. My second week of Mexico was rough. My third, was consumed with recovering from the second, getting adjusted some more while overcoming some hurdles. I don't want to dwell on the bad things so I'll just say that I started off with "el gripe" (flu) but managed to figure out ... read more

Bueno todos! I´ve had a very busy first week. Right away I was swept off to and international students´dinner at a local delicious buffet. I had a confrontation with a bartender because after ordering a beer- I just walked away. I was later hunted down. Apparently, the buffet fee didn´t include liquids. Then I got lost at night on my way back because first I was trying to get back to Tec (the nickname for my school). I needed to pick up my bags and get cash from the ATM at the 711 by school. I left my bags at school just before all 600 of us international students went to dinner. It was probably my subconscious saving me, but I jumped into a taxi and risked being short on change. It was my first time ... read more

Things are going well so far. Once I got past sitting beside the 350 lb. man sitting beside/on me during the plane ride. We kept breathing together because his entire arm was on top of mine; I was pinned in and my neck hurt from the awkward angle in which I was sitting. The worst part was that it wasn't even my seat; someone had taken mine. I was so relieved to get a seat (the last one) with Big Guy that I didn't remember to become angry with the guy that switched around so as not to be stuck in my position. All the people here have been super warm and helpful so far. I don't have a host family because they had me signed up as coming next year... go figure. Anyway, I'm staying ... read more

Quick update, solamente to post some quick pics and jot down some thoughts. Arrived at the airport around 7am for a 9am flight which didn't leave until, oh, 1:45pm. Missed the second flight from Dallas to Monterrey but luckily got on a later flight. Arrived in Monterrey, Mexico around 8pm. Long, long day. The airport is about a half hour drive from the campus (and the hotel), and in order to get here you drive through some interesting parts of the outskirts of town. I would have taken pictures, but i didn't want to seem like the typical gringa pointing her camera all over the place the second she gets off the plane. Anyway, there were some very new subdivision-type parts of town, and shortly down the road tiny houses very very close together, broken windows, ... read more

The passengers were ushered through immigration in Cancun like VIP´s after we arrived back from Havana. The return flight was fun as I bumped into an Aussie guy from a hostel in Guatemala, and we had an animated debrief of our respective travel experiences in Cuba. From Cancun I organised a bus to the famous Mayan ruins of Palenque where I spent an engrossing morning exploring, taking photos and meditating at this wonderful sight in a peaceful setting. I then pushed on to the quality Backpackers hostel in the gorgeous colonial town of San Cristobal, where I effortlessly slotted back into the backpacker scene. The difference was striking as I had been spending all my time with Cubans of late, but meeting friendly and polite travellers is always one of the great joys of life on ... read more