Mi Llegada

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So I am here; I made it to Mexico and actually I am starting to get accustomed to this new world that I am in. By the way, it is freezing at night and in my house and I am not very well prepared for that. Luckily my host family gave me a small heater (which is keeping me warm right now) and three blankets and a comforter. Anyways, we got in late on the 8th of February and met our families at the school. That night I really could not see the school, because it was dark, but my host mother and sister said that it is very beautiful. I have since been to the campus in the daylight and it really is incredible. It is a real Mexican college campus (whereas in Spain we just had school in one building nowhere near the school with all American students). There are gardens, lakes, and fountains; the architecture is of Mexican style, but not crazy bright colors and overwhelming. There is a student center with a salon, cafeteria, a small movie theater, video-gaming room (Pope you could come here if it wasn't for the Spanish language), a couple of cafes, and markets. It really is picturesque with white wrought-iron benches around the lakes and patio tables with umbrellas as well as amazing landscaping and flowers. Oh, and there are crazy wild birds that just hang out on the campus with us. Probably the most surprising thing and the greatest part is that the classrooms are very modern, with smart boards and plenty of desk spaces for computers and notebooks; not at all what I was expecting. (Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures tomorrow or in the next few days).

Today was my first day of classes and I really enjoyed them. They are all taught in Spanish and although it is a little bit tough for me right now to understand everything the professor says (I actually get a lot of it, maybe not every word) I am sure that by the end of this trip I will certainly have absolutely not problem understanding Spanish. My next thing that I have to work on is my speaking ability. Luckily my family, friends, and professors are understanding and are trying to not make me feel bad, but sometimes it is just frustrating when you can't communicate a point. I think my weakest point is probably verb conjugations, so I will probably focus on that for the next could of weeks, while also learning new vocabulary. The class setup here is very interesting because we sign up for five classes before we come down here out of about eleven or twelve classes, but we actually go to/attend all 11. They put together some of the classes they either lead into the next level or those that are similar where look at a lot of the same topics. For example, both Spanish 306 (lower level) and Spanish 406 (higher level) are together. All of us Delaware students take this mixed class together. However, the students enrolled in Spanish 306 only take the exams and final for 306 and the same is true for those enrolled in 406. So I guess they just believe that the people in the 406 could probably use some brushing up with the 306 and the 306 people should continue their learning. If two classes are together that you are not enrolled in at all (like I am not in Geography or Anthropology, which are together) you still go and learn and interact and participate but you do not receive a grade. Now, while this may seem strange and a lot of students have been complaining, I think that it is really not that bad, mainly because I am here to learn Spanish and learn about Latin America and I have nothing more pressing that needs to be done right now other than those two things. So why not sit in and listen to some extra classes (no homework or exams involved) and learn about Latin America and the language all at once. I mean that is why I am here, right?!?

Ok, so now I will get to my family. As of right now I have only met my mother (for a short period of time), my sister Itzel, and my brother Paco, and some family friends and cousins. They are all extremely nice, very calm and understanding. The problem is I have only seen each one one at a time because sadly my father is in the hospital. A guess a few weeks ago he was trying to paint the house and he got electrocuted from is hand through his body. (Awful, I know). So I have not met him, but I hear he is looking forward to meeting me. The update today is that he is doing well, gracias a dios, and I think my mom said that he is getting some feeling back to his hands and can move them. So anyways I guess keep my father Francisco in your prayers and I will keep you updated on my family life. Last night Itzel stayed with me here and tonight my mom is staying with me. The brother and the sister are going to be at the hospital. I found this quite interesting because in the United States, it is not very customary to stay with people all day and night because there are visiting hours. Anyways, my family is good and my house is quaint and charming (I will post pictures soon too).

Yesterday we all had to go to the zocolo (city center) of Cholula, where we are all living, so we could get pictures for something that none of us know about. Now Puebla, I figured would be a decent size city, but Cholula is bigger than I thought Puebla would be, so Puebla must be huge. Cholula even has its own Starbucks, but it is actually kind of far I would have to take a bus or taxi. School is even a twenty minute walk for me and I am in the same district as the school. Tomorrow morning I will ride a bike because then it will not take me as long.

Last night after pictures, 8 of us girls on the trip went out for coffee in the zocolo. We found a cute place with sofas and internet and it was really nice to just get together, learn about each other (in much needed English), and hang out. All of the Spanish can be overwhelming and add intensely to the culture shock, so after that get together I felt much better about being here and I have lost the constant anxiety and can be my normal self (and eat!!). So that is the update; I am doing very well, I am accustomed to my small area here near school, and I am looking forward to many amazing times here in Mexico.

Any random questions, you can just message me or post and I will answer them in my next blog. P.S. Mi Llegada = My Arrival

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