Hello!
I had a fun weekend. On Friday, my friend Monika and I went downtown because she had to do some homework and find a few stores to write about. We had a blast! To get there we took a bus from school. The bus system here is actually really nice. At first I was afraid of it because I didn't understand how it worked. There isn't a timetable or anything, and I have yet to see a printed out bus route brochure or anything. But it is really easy! The busses just sort of come whenever. There are a few of the same route driving around, so they come often and you never have to wait for more than 10 minutes. It works for Mexican culture very well I think because time is not as linear as we see it. It is more of a "guideline". Which is why they have to be very strict with the University classes. If you are more than five minutes late, you get an absence and with 4 absences, you fail the class! This makes sure the students know to be there on time.
Anyways, the busses. The routes are labeled by a variety of letters, numbers, colors and symbols. For example, to get from my house to downtown, I can take bus 6, 47, 37, 5, F, or the cross. Each bus has its "label" prominently displayed in the front window. It also has all the neighborhoods/ important places displayed as well, so you don't really even have to know the routes. So bus number 6 (the most useful to me!) passes by the church two blocks from my houses. Then it passes through my neighborhood (hercules), then by the arcos, then by el tanque, then by santa cruz, then by the market and then through a few more neighborhoods to finally return to Hercules. It is really easy to take and the drivers are really nice. There aren't really bus stops, so you just flag it down from the sidewalk, and they always stop for you, and drop you off wherever you want too! and it is only 6.50 pesos, so like 50 cents.
On Saturday my friend Jenna and I met up at a starbucks halfway between our houses to do homework. We have our first partial exams coming up, which means more than a 1/4 done because there are three partial exams and one final at the end! It was really funny to be at starbucks in Mexico. The menu was the same, except the "tall" size was called alto, which means tall in Spanish. That night, I watched Despicable Me in Spanish with my host brothers. It was called Mi villano favorito, or my favorite villain, haha. I had bought it at the market without thinking about how it wasn't out of theaters yet... so it was illegal. Whoops!
Today I studied a lot for my exam. Then Jenna and I met up again downtown just to take a break and hang out. We came across this awesome market place selling handmade products for really cheap! It was so awesome. We had a blast.
So yeah, that was my weekend in a nutshell! I had a good time and got to explore downtown a little more : )
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Chepultepec, Teotihuacan and my birthday!
Hola!
This weekend, the International Programs office organized a trip to la Ciudad de Mexico, or Mexico City! We only went for one day, Saturday, and it took us 2.5 hours on a bus to get there. We didn't really go to see the city though, but the National Palace (chepultepec) and the pyramids (teotihuacan).
Chepultepec is the National Palace that was built by a Virreino or Viceroy of Mexico in 1785 as his Summer home. It was then used by Emperor Maximiliano and his wife, Carlota as their palace in the 1860's. They were foreigners who came in to rule Mexico, but were expelled eventually by the Mexican army. Cinco de Mayo celebrates one of their military defeats.
Another important story is that of Ninos heroes, or boy heroes. In a battle against the United States in 1847, these boys died guarding the palace and are revered as great heroes in Mexican History.
After the expulsion of the French, various Mexican presidents used it as their residence, the most well known being Porfirio Diaz. He added murals and much decoration to the palace. In 1939, it was converted into a museum, as it remains today.
Then, we went to the pyramids! Built by the Aztecs, they served religious purposes for a long time. The two main pyramids are the sun and moon pyramids. Each one aligns perfectly with the four points of the compass. It is really amazing to see how they built them so perfectly so long ago. They decorated them with elaborate carvings of their gods and other art as well. Their main purpose was to have a place for human sacrifices, so it was strange to think of that while being up there. We climbed three, the Moon pyramid and two smaller ones. They were so steep! It was hard work! But it was worth it to get to the top. As you probably know, Mexican pyramids are different than the Egyptian ones, and actually aren't technically pyramids because they are not triangular. They have steps, and have a large platform at the top instead of coming to a point. So instead of the sides looking like this / they look like stairs. I also have pictures: http://ginasadventuresinmexico.shutterfly.com/ and the same password: Mexico.
It was also my birthday on Sunday! It was a great day! In the morning, two friends and I went to a real Mexican market called Mercado de la Cruz. It was crazy! There were people everywhere and all sorts of things for sale from birds to soccer jerseys. We had a blast wandering around and haggling to buy inexpensive things at an even cheaper price. I think we still paid more because we were American, but we didn't overpay for anything. Then we went back to my house for lunch and had lasagna and flan! It was so yummy! My host family was awesome and sang me the Mexican happy birthday song, called Las Mananitas. After that, a group of about 20 of us went bowling, so that was a blast too! Then to top it off, we went to a Creperia (crepe store) and had "birthday crepes" instead of birthday cake : ) It was a full day, but very very fun! Everyone was so nice to me so I had a great birthday!
If anyone has any questions or is wondering about anything specific like food, school, whatever, just leave me a comment and I will post about that!
.
This weekend, the International Programs office organized a trip to la Ciudad de Mexico, or Mexico City! We only went for one day, Saturday, and it took us 2.5 hours on a bus to get there. We didn't really go to see the city though, but the National Palace (chepultepec) and the pyramids (teotihuacan).
Chepultepec is the National Palace that was built by a Virreino or Viceroy of Mexico in 1785 as his Summer home. It was then used by Emperor Maximiliano and his wife, Carlota as their palace in the 1860's. They were foreigners who came in to rule Mexico, but were expelled eventually by the Mexican army. Cinco de Mayo celebrates one of their military defeats.
Another important story is that of Ninos heroes, or boy heroes. In a battle against the United States in 1847, these boys died guarding the palace and are revered as great heroes in Mexican History.
After the expulsion of the French, various Mexican presidents used it as their residence, the most well known being Porfirio Diaz. He added murals and much decoration to the palace. In 1939, it was converted into a museum, as it remains today.
Then, we went to the pyramids! Built by the Aztecs, they served religious purposes for a long time. The two main pyramids are the sun and moon pyramids. Each one aligns perfectly with the four points of the compass. It is really amazing to see how they built them so perfectly so long ago. They decorated them with elaborate carvings of their gods and other art as well. Their main purpose was to have a place for human sacrifices, so it was strange to think of that while being up there. We climbed three, the Moon pyramid and two smaller ones. They were so steep! It was hard work! But it was worth it to get to the top. As you probably know, Mexican pyramids are different than the Egyptian ones, and actually aren't technically pyramids because they are not triangular. They have steps, and have a large platform at the top instead of coming to a point. So instead of the sides looking like this / they look like stairs. I also have pictures: http://ginasadventuresinmexico.shutterfly.com/ and the same password: Mexico.
It was also my birthday on Sunday! It was a great day! In the morning, two friends and I went to a real Mexican market called Mercado de la Cruz. It was crazy! There were people everywhere and all sorts of things for sale from birds to soccer jerseys. We had a blast wandering around and haggling to buy inexpensive things at an even cheaper price. I think we still paid more because we were American, but we didn't overpay for anything. Then we went back to my house for lunch and had lasagna and flan! It was so yummy! My host family was awesome and sang me the Mexican happy birthday song, called Las Mananitas. After that, a group of about 20 of us went bowling, so that was a blast too! Then to top it off, we went to a Creperia (crepe store) and had "birthday crepes" instead of birthday cake : ) It was a full day, but very very fun! Everyone was so nice to me so I had a great birthday!
If anyone has any questions or is wondering about anything specific like food, school, whatever, just leave me a comment and I will post about that!
.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Santa Rosa Viterbo
Hola!
For my Contemporary Art and Culture course (in which I am the only foreign student in 3 sections!) we went to what I thought was going to be an art museum. We all took the bus downtown and got off in front of this gorgeous old Catholic church! The name was Santa Rosa de Viterbo (St. Rose of Viterbo, anyone know who she is?) and it was built in 1752. It is built in the Baroque style and it is so gorgeous. Here is the link to all the pictures! Same password, Mexico. http://ginasadventuresinmexico.shutterfly.com/ After the museum, three friends and I walked around downtown again. We went to a Creperia, or a crepe shop! They were soooo good! We had a really good time!
So far everything else is going well. Classes are starting to accumulate work. With my two literature classes, I have a lot of reading. But it has been interesting to learn. We have a ton of group projects here, so I have been getting to meet a ton of new friends. I also signed up for an extra fitness class, rock climbing! There is an outside rock wall here at the school, so that has been fun to get to do that a few days each week! I will come home with a lot of arm strength haha! On Saturday, there was a lunch at my rock climbing instructors house for all the students. About 30 of us went. He barbaqued for us and it was really good! There were quesadillas, grilled beef, grilled onions that everyone just ate raw with lime juice, and yummy pico de gallo. They served everything on tortillas warmed on the grill. It was a blast! The only two other international students there were two girls from Germany. For a while, everyone thought I was from Germany too! The only thing about the party is that I didn't realize that when someone says "come over at 1:30", it actually means 3:00 or later : ) Mexican culture I guess! So the German girls and I hung out for a while until everyone came.
Hope you are all doing well!
Love,
Gina
*I'm not sure the photos worked the first time, so I put them up again!
For my Contemporary Art and Culture course (in which I am the only foreign student in 3 sections!) we went to what I thought was going to be an art museum. We all took the bus downtown and got off in front of this gorgeous old Catholic church! The name was Santa Rosa de Viterbo (St. Rose of Viterbo, anyone know who she is?) and it was built in 1752. It is built in the Baroque style and it is so gorgeous. Here is the link to all the pictures! Same password, Mexico. http://ginasadventuresinmexico.shutterfly.com/ After the museum, three friends and I walked around downtown again. We went to a Creperia, or a crepe shop! They were soooo good! We had a really good time!
So far everything else is going well. Classes are starting to accumulate work. With my two literature classes, I have a lot of reading. But it has been interesting to learn. We have a ton of group projects here, so I have been getting to meet a ton of new friends. I also signed up for an extra fitness class, rock climbing! There is an outside rock wall here at the school, so that has been fun to get to do that a few days each week! I will come home with a lot of arm strength haha! On Saturday, there was a lunch at my rock climbing instructors house for all the students. About 30 of us went. He barbaqued for us and it was really good! There were quesadillas, grilled beef, grilled onions that everyone just ate raw with lime juice, and yummy pico de gallo. They served everything on tortillas warmed on the grill. It was a blast! The only two other international students there were two girls from Germany. For a while, everyone thought I was from Germany too! The only thing about the party is that I didn't realize that when someone says "come over at 1:30", it actually means 3:00 or later : ) Mexican culture I guess! So the German girls and I hung out for a while until everyone came.
Hope you are all doing well!
Love,
Gina
*I'm not sure the photos worked the first time, so I put them up again!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Downtown
Hello!
On Saturday a friend and I went downtown for the day. We had a blast! We ate at two restaurants and did a ton of shopping. We also took a tour trolley around for two hours, so we really saw the city! It was very fun though, and I took a ton of pictures. Here is the link to the site: http://ginasadventuresinmexico.shutterfly.com/ and the password is "mexico".
Enjoy the pictures!
Love, Gina
On Saturday a friend and I went downtown for the day. We had a blast! We ate at two restaurants and did a ton of shopping. We also took a tour trolley around for two hours, so we really saw the city! It was very fun though, and I took a ton of pictures. Here is the link to the site: http://ginasadventuresinmexico.shutterfly.com/ and the password is "mexico".
Enjoy the pictures!
Love, Gina
Friday, August 13, 2010
School
I've finally finished my first week of classes at the University! It was a little overwhelming at first, but I am looking forward to the rest of the semester. I am taking 5 classes. Contemporary Mexico, Art and Culture, Mexican Literature, Latin American Literature, and Social History of Mexico. I like them all so far! The first three classes are with regular Mexican students, so that has been interesting for sure! We have a lot of group projects and we keep the same group all semester, so I am sure I will become good friends with the girls in my groups. The students are all really friendly and curious about me, so we have a lot to talk about. I am a novelty to them so we don't run out of subject matter.
The last two classes are with only international students, but they are all in Spanish so I don't mind. It has also helped me get to know more of the international students, so that is nice. And it is a refreshing break sometimes too : )
Along with those classes, I am taking Salsa and Rock Climbing. I know I will be busy, but that is alright! I begin those classes next week.
All my professors are really nice and helpful. They keep making sure I am keeping up, so I appreciate that. The subject matter interests me so I think I will be just fine keeping up with the regular students!
In between classes everyone hangs out in the many courtyards and quads that the University has. Because it is always nice weather out, there are no hallways and all the classrooms have doors directly to the outside. It is so beautiful and everyone is always outside! It is a very social environment and easy to meet people. I met one student, Omar in the library. He introduced me to all his friends and now I usually hang out with them in between my classes. Yay Mexican friends!
I miss you all!
Love,
Gina
The last two classes are with only international students, but they are all in Spanish so I don't mind. It has also helped me get to know more of the international students, so that is nice. And it is a refreshing break sometimes too : )
Along with those classes, I am taking Salsa and Rock Climbing. I know I will be busy, but that is alright! I begin those classes next week.
All my professors are really nice and helpful. They keep making sure I am keeping up, so I appreciate that. The subject matter interests me so I think I will be just fine keeping up with the regular students!
In between classes everyone hangs out in the many courtyards and quads that the University has. Because it is always nice weather out, there are no hallways and all the classrooms have doors directly to the outside. It is so beautiful and everyone is always outside! It is a very social environment and easy to meet people. I met one student, Omar in the library. He introduced me to all his friends and now I usually hang out with them in between my classes. Yay Mexican friends!
I miss you all!
Love,
Gina
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The past few days...
Hello everyone!
Wow, the past couple of days have been busy! This weekend I went to three parties with my family. The first one was a church ceremony. When Mexican children turn three, they have what is called a presentation at the temple, just like Jesus had in the Bible. They have a small ceremony with songs and prayers to present the child. We went to a beautiful chapel at a convent for the ceremony and a cute little nun presided over the ceremony.
After, we had a party for the little girl who was presented right outside in a garden. There was food, kareoke, and a clown. It was fun, but it lasted for literally 10 hours. I got to know some of the families church friends. The food was pretty good. They had some people come and they made the food right there. I had chicken, tortillas and some sort of bread and meat combination thing.
The next day, we went to Mass early in the morning. It was so full we had to stand up! It also lasted about 1.5 hours. After, we went to Mely's Mom's house for breakfast for a couple hours. I had sweet bread, orange juice and tacos which was kind of strange! It was nice to meet her family. She has 11 siblings so it was loud.
Later that day, we went out to the family's ranch house out in the country. It is in a really hilly part of Queretaro, so the scenery was pretty. We had a barbeque out there with the church friends again. I played with the little kids the whole time so I had a lot of fun.
More about the first days of classes later!!
Wow, the past couple of days have been busy! This weekend I went to three parties with my family. The first one was a church ceremony. When Mexican children turn three, they have what is called a presentation at the temple, just like Jesus had in the Bible. They have a small ceremony with songs and prayers to present the child. We went to a beautiful chapel at a convent for the ceremony and a cute little nun presided over the ceremony.
After, we had a party for the little girl who was presented right outside in a garden. There was food, kareoke, and a clown. It was fun, but it lasted for literally 10 hours. I got to know some of the families church friends. The food was pretty good. They had some people come and they made the food right there. I had chicken, tortillas and some sort of bread and meat combination thing.
The next day, we went to Mass early in the morning. It was so full we had to stand up! It also lasted about 1.5 hours. After, we went to Mely's Mom's house for breakfast for a couple hours. I had sweet bread, orange juice and tacos which was kind of strange! It was nice to meet her family. She has 11 siblings so it was loud.
Later that day, we went out to the family's ranch house out in the country. It is in a really hilly part of Queretaro, so the scenery was pretty. We had a barbeque out there with the church friends again. I played with the little kids the whole time so I had a lot of fun.
More about the first days of classes later!!
third day!
Hello everyone!
Today we went to daily Mass in Spanish. The church is goregous!!!! I will post pictures soon. It is old and very ornate and everything. Even though it was just daily Mass, the church was almost full and there was music and everything. Then at the end, there was a small Eucharistic procession around the church with incense. Everyone got up and walked in the procession. It was so awesome! Mexico is full of really faithfully Catholic people, so that is wonderful.
We had orientation with the regular Mexican students today. It was interesting. We sat in groups on the floor and talked, so we didnt really get any information. But I am already acclimated with the campus and everything, so I didnt need it. I met a couple students and talked with them, so that was nice. More to come about my first day of classes on Monday!!
Today we went to daily Mass in Spanish. The church is goregous!!!! I will post pictures soon. It is old and very ornate and everything. Even though it was just daily Mass, the church was almost full and there was music and everything. Then at the end, there was a small Eucharistic procession around the church with incense. Everyone got up and walked in the procession. It was so awesome! Mexico is full of really faithfully Catholic people, so that is wonderful.
We had orientation with the regular Mexican students today. It was interesting. We sat in groups on the floor and talked, so we didnt really get any information. But I am already acclimated with the campus and everything, so I didnt need it. I met a couple students and talked with them, so that was nice. More to come about my first day of classes on Monday!!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
second day!
Hola a todos!
Yesterday orientation went well. I met so many kids from all over the place! I met a girl from Holland, kids from Germany, Korea, Japan, France, Australia, Ireland and more. Not to mention everyone from the states! It is very different here, but it is good to experience it. We had a ton of information thrown at us yesterday, so it was a bit overwhelming, but I am sure I will get used to it soon.
I went for a walk yesterday with my host mom, Mely and her ten year old son Andres. It was very interesting to see the neighborhood. All the houses are bright colors and have flowers. It's really crowded though. The streets are narrow and the houses are right against the curb. To go out of the house, we have to walk through the garage every night. There is also no zoning, so there's restaurants and salons right in between houses. I enjoyed the walk a lot, even though we did see two stray dogs!
I'm really looking forward to classes starting on Monday! Until then we are continuing with orientation and just getting to know the campus, so nothing too exciting. Later today a group of Mexican students are taking us to a fancy Mexican restaurant, so more about that tomorrow!
Yesterday orientation went well. I met so many kids from all over the place! I met a girl from Holland, kids from Germany, Korea, Japan, France, Australia, Ireland and more. Not to mention everyone from the states! It is very different here, but it is good to experience it. We had a ton of information thrown at us yesterday, so it was a bit overwhelming, but I am sure I will get used to it soon.
I went for a walk yesterday with my host mom, Mely and her ten year old son Andres. It was very interesting to see the neighborhood. All the houses are bright colors and have flowers. It's really crowded though. The streets are narrow and the houses are right against the curb. To go out of the house, we have to walk through the garage every night. There is also no zoning, so there's restaurants and salons right in between houses. I enjoyed the walk a lot, even though we did see two stray dogs!
I'm really looking forward to classes starting on Monday! Until then we are continuing with orientation and just getting to know the campus, so nothing too exciting. Later today a group of Mexican students are taking us to a fancy Mexican restaurant, so more about that tomorrow!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
First Day!
Hello everyone o hola a todos!
Yesterday I arrived at Queretaro! I met two students on the plane, Matt and Jenna, so it was very nice to have them with me. We met up with a student from the University at the airport and she took us to the University so we could get picked up by our host families. The drive was so beautiful! Queretaro is reall hilly and there are big mountains in the distance. There are palm trees and flowers everywhere. The town is really interesting too. It all looks old and antique. It is funny to see houses right next door to restaurants and stores. It is also funny to see wal mart and costco in Mexico.
My family is really nice. The mom is Mely and she is a secretary at the University. The dad is Olaf and he works for the Mexican social security department. There are two boys, Olaf and Andres. I hung out with the boys last night and we watched iCarly in Spanish. Andres is extrememly talkative, so it was fun getting to know him better. Olaf jr. plays guitar very well and he played me a bunch of songs.
This morning we have orientation. Mely took me to the University early after dropping off Olaf sr. at his office. I liked the morning drive a lot. I will be sure to take pictures tomorrow. That is all for now, but there will be more later.
Miss you!
Gina
Yesterday I arrived at Queretaro! I met two students on the plane, Matt and Jenna, so it was very nice to have them with me. We met up with a student from the University at the airport and she took us to the University so we could get picked up by our host families. The drive was so beautiful! Queretaro is reall hilly and there are big mountains in the distance. There are palm trees and flowers everywhere. The town is really interesting too. It all looks old and antique. It is funny to see houses right next door to restaurants and stores. It is also funny to see wal mart and costco in Mexico.
My family is really nice. The mom is Mely and she is a secretary at the University. The dad is Olaf and he works for the Mexican social security department. There are two boys, Olaf and Andres. I hung out with the boys last night and we watched iCarly in Spanish. Andres is extrememly talkative, so it was fun getting to know him better. Olaf jr. plays guitar very well and he played me a bunch of songs.
This morning we have orientation. Mely took me to the University early after dropping off Olaf sr. at his office. I liked the morning drive a lot. I will be sure to take pictures tomorrow. That is all for now, but there will be more later.
Miss you!
Gina
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