Adjustments

The first thing I wanted to do when I got back home was have a burger (sooo American, I know)! I had held off eating American fast food when I was in Guanajuato, and was ready to have a burger and fries. Luckily, Spencer has never met a burger he didn't like, and was more than happy to accompany me on my burger mission last Wednesday.

My friends and I also went out for frozen yogurt (which cannot compete with paletas) and bowling last week. This weekend, I went hiking with two friends and came back home to a not-so-surprise birthday party. I had a great time, and I thought it was really sweet that people wanted to celebrate my birthday before we all left for our senior year of college (one of the downsides to having a birthday in October- lots of candy, but few opportunities to celebrate one's birthday)

Here are some things I had to adjust to last week:

• Time Zones- I was two hours ahead of Pacific Time, so I didn't really sleep in the first couple of days I was back in California.
• Plumbing- Bathroom plumbing is a lot better in the States. No joke.
• Water- I could drink out of the tap if I want to, here in California.
• Seat belts- California's motto "Click it or ticket" explains it all.
• Meals- Americans tend to have big dinners and even skip breakfast on occassion. In Mexico, lunch is the biggest meal, and dinner can be served anytime after 8pm...even at midnight.
• Mayonnaise- Mayo is well loved in Mexico...and not my favorite condiment here in the States. Bring on the Mustard!
• Bedtime- Americans go to bed a lot earlier than people in Mexico.

I start school next Tuesday, but I am still talking about Mexico and the wonderful people I met there. I know that I have been so fortunate to take multiple trips to Guanajuato- I can only hope that this was not my last trip, and that I can bring other people with me in the future! :)

The Flight Home

Tuesday: Fall classes at the University of Guanajuato started yesterday, so I was really thankful that Tio Jesus was able to reschedule his class and take me to the airport today. We went to Leon in the morning so he could drop off some documents at the state office for human rights. On our way there, I was looking outside the car window and I saw a picture of a California friend I know. The picture is pretty well-known, for anyone who swam on the Laguna Creek Gators. It's a picture of Jason VanHuuksloot swimming butterfly. Oh, if only I had time to stop...I could have taken a picture!! Jason's picture was blown up as an advertisement outside of a swimming complex, and it was a pleasant surprise to see him there! haha! I always wondered who the people in the advertisements were- I can only assume that a large portion of the pictures are taken from the internet...



After Tio Jesus took care of business, we stopped by a hospital to say hello to one of his old friends who is terminally ill and left for the airport shortly after.



I was ready to go home at this point. I had been with the other Americans, talking about what we wanted to do back in the States. The majority of my classmates had left on Saturday, so I kind of felt alone without them...and very eager to return to California. I went to the airport a little early because of this, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to try and get on an earlier flight. Luckily, I was on standby for a flight 2 hours before mine! One of the stragglers (a classmate) was on the flight, so we talked a little bit before boarding.



I went from Leon to Dallas, where I breezed through Customs. My phone battery was dead (*ahem* Mom. Dad.) so I sat by an electrical outlet for an hour or two, calling people and texting. I was so happy to be back on American soil- and all of the Texans I talked to were friendly (some of them had lovely accents too). I had a 4 hour layover, which gave me enough time to reflect on my trip- I will admit, I felt like I was ready to go back to Mexico again!

I boarded my Sacramento-bound plane, and before I knew it, my trip was over. I cannot believe I was in Mexico for 40 days, nor that I was taking classes there! I was really excited to see my family- they were all so happy to see me too (and Spencer has grown so much)!

Homeward Bound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Juwq2unVHQA
^^Here's another song that reflects my mood right now^^

Saturday: I woke up and had breakfast at a restauraunt with Rose (chilaquiles, for those of you that are curious!) We walked downtown for a little bit, went back to the house and got our things ready to leave. We met everyone at Jardin Cantador, where Rose left on a shuttle with some classmates... and my uncle and aunt picked me up to take me to Moroleon.

I went to Moroleon, saw my grandparents' crypts and went to see my [great-]Aunt Beatriz and [great-]Tio Emilio. So, I sat in my Aunt Beatriz's house with her husband, my [great-]Aunt Teresa and [great-]Tio Jesus for 4 hours talking...and all of a sudden, my Aunt Beatriz decides to take us out for enchiladas in Yurriria (by far my favorite place to have enchiladas!) After dinner Tio Jesus, Aunt Teresa and I went back to their house in Moroleon for the night.

Sunday: I woke up in my Tio Jesus' house in Moroleon, and the first thing I did was look at the other twin bed in my room. It was empty. For some reason I thought I was still at my host family's house, and that Rose had rudely left the room without me. When I was fully awake a minute later, I sadly remembered that Rose was already gone. :(

I got out of bed, showered, packed, and hopped in Tio Jesus' car to go to Leon. While in Leon, we met up with Tio Jesus' kids and grandkids to go to the Leon Zoo. I had a lot of fun walking around with my cousins (Tio Jesus' grandkids- but for simplicity's sake, they are my cousins). We were able to feed the zebras and giraffes as well as see some unique animals. The zoo is enormous! There is a huuuuuge picnic area with charocal barbecue pits, playapas, and playgrounds for kids. After walking around so much and all the excitement from the week and weekend, I ended up taking two naps *gasp!* (A true sign that Ashley is exhausted or very ill!)

My Tio Jesus and Aunt Teresa took me to Guanajuato after the trip to the zoo, and we ate pozole for dinner! We returned to their Guanajuato house for the night, ready to start the week.

Monday: Today I packed and spent time with my Aunt Teresa and Tristan. Tristan is my mom's cousin, Gisela's, kid and one of the brightest five year olds I have ever met. I think he is very observant, and well, I could gush all day about my little cousin and his comments!!

After my Tio Jesus and prima Gisela returned home from work in Guanajuato, we went to el Centro one final time. My Aunt Teresa wanted to get me a piece of jewelry from downtown, and because I couldn't persuade her to not buy me anything, I found a very simple rosary bracelet (a cross and ten beads) which I thought was perfect!

My Aunt Teresa and I went up to El Pipila and walked over to the pool where Tristan takes swim lessons. While we were waiting for Tristan to finish his lesson, I admired the panoramic view and ran into Ramon, a friend of my host family! Aunt Teresa and I returned to the house, met up with my Tio Jesus, Skyped my family, and had dinner with Gisela. :)

Almost done...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAhlPDgZ7TM&feature=player_embedded

^^^^^This is how I feel about life in Mexico^^^^^^

Well, I feel like I have had a splendid run here in Mexico. Today, I went to Rosita's house. Rosita is our host moms' sister-in-law. She has a massive house...kind of a Spanish rustic feel. Needless to say, Rose and I took multiple pictures of the house.

After our visit at Rosita's, Rose and I walked to Alhondiga de Granaditas. Unfortunately, the historical salas of the Alhondiga were closed for restoration (everything's closed for restoration since it's the Bicentenario). Luckily, we got 2 tickets for the price of 1 and we didn't even have to pay for the camera fee!!! We saw some lovely exhibits- some of the famous craftwork of the state, and another with photos of Old Guanajuato.

Rose and I at the Alhondiga

Rose and I finished our last-minute shopping today, and we met up with some of the gang for ice cream. Unfortunately, there was a lovely downpour, so we walked through some of the famous Guanajuato tunnels to a friend's house, where we watched Iron Man. Rose and I returned home so we could finish packing- tomorrow we are meeting up with some students to leave the city at 1pm. I will miss all of my classmates dearly!

Finals

I have finals in both of my classes (History and Literature of Mexico and Contemporary Music in Latin America). I have a presentation and my music final tomorrow. (My history final was today- I feel pretty good about it!)

Today, I had a fantabulous surprise!!! My mom has been in Mexico since Saturday, but because of one thing or another, I haven't been able to see her/get a hold of her. After spending way too much time on the phone and on Skype, I was able to talk to her yesterday- and I saw her TWICE today!!!! :) :)

The first mom sighting was today during my break: I was walking with Kelly and Paula, talking about my mom. I was telling them that, since my mom is in Mexico and I can't get a hold of her, it's her turn to get a hold of me. All of a sudden, I heard my aunt's voice call, "Ashley!!" I was sooooo happy that I saw my Aunt Teresa, Cousin Rodrigo, Tristan and my mom! I couldn't stop talking about seeing my mom in my music class!!!

The second mom sighting was planned: I met my mom, Tio Jesus, Aunt Teresa, Cousin Rodrigo, Cousin Gisela and Tristan at....Truco 7 (surprise, surprise!). Rose was supposed to come with us, but she was feeling pretty badly- she got strep throat and a cold over the weekend, which was terrible timing since we have finals this week. Nevertheless, I ate lunch with my family, walked with my mom and my Aunt Teresa to ISA (where they met Kyle and Cara), finished my final project for history and returned back to my host family's house for the night.

What a day! I saw my mom twice!!! (And Kyle had to tell my mom that I couldn't stop talking about her the whole week.)

Oh, and I apologize for my stream of consciousness writing!!!

Last Weekend

Friday: I went to Cristo Rey, which is the geographical center of Mexico (and conveniently located just outside of Guanajuato). I also went to the Bicentennial Park, which is a huge expo with tons of food stands, exhibits, etc for the Bicentenario. Actually, it reminded me a lot of a state fair. Unfortunately, it was very crowded, and while I only had a few hours in the park...I got a bit annoyed when people, particularly older women cut me in line!! So, I only went into an exhibit on the military history of Mexico (surprise, surprise, I know!). The other unfortunate part of the Expo was the fact that the exhibits had little to no descriptions or dates for the artifacts (some were replicas). While the exhibit wasn't what I was expecting, I had a lovely elote flavored ice cream (again!). Scarlette and Daniel had a pineapple flavored ice cream- both flavors were crazy delicious.

At Cristo Rey with Cara, Paula, Kyle, Jessica, Josh and Holly

Scarlette, Daniel and I eating our ice cream!

I had no idea what to do with myself, since Rose was off visiting family. So, I hung out with Kyle, Jessica, Josh, Kelly and Paula. Almost everyone liked something I had already bought, so I just showed them the stores I purchased things from- it was a pretty calm evening. I had a cappuchino at a cafe (but I am almost positive we would consider it a frappuchino back in the states).



Saturday: I got up super early to go to El Penon. I had no idea where El Penon was, but after a 2 hour bus ride, I figured out it was near San Felipe, Guanajuato. We got off of the bus...moved our stuff to a truck...and hopped in the back of another truck, which took us to a very green pasture (about 15 minutes away...after going approximately 70 mph). We got off of the truck and were told we would be taking a 2 hour hike, and that our bags might get wet. After everyone put on the required life jacket, we began the hike...

I'm not going to lie, the hike was 5 and a half hours long. I have no idea why the guides did not tell us, but I think people would have been okay with a long hike, had they been more aware. I'm alright with hiking and getting dirty, but I was not mentally prepared with going down waterfalls, scaling boulders, jumping into deep parts of rivers, etc. for 5 1/2 hours straight. All in all, it was an interesting experience- I didn't take that many pictures with my camera because we kept on jumping in and out of the river. (However, I am surprised no one in the group got sick) The area we hiked really reminded me of Jurassic Park.

After the hike, I showered and got ready to go on the ropes course and zip-lines. I had a blast zip-lining, and I even went upside down on the first half of the last zip-line...it was dark when I finished the zip-line, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

On the ropes course

We also had an animal show- I got to hold a python- and a bonfire. I thoroughly enjoyed the bonfire, the heat was greatly appreciated after the long walk and cold shower. :)

Sunday: I woke up around 9, after joining three beds and sharing heat with Cara, Scarlette and Holly 2 (it was really cold, and everyone was shivering- even though we had layers on). We had breakfast, left El Penon, and got back to Guanajuato. After Skyping my dad for three hours (I was trying to talk to my mom...but it is sooo hard getting a hold of her) I went out with Kyle, Kelly, Paula, Josh, Jessica, and a few other people to a cafe.

One more week left...

Today is day 29 in Mexico, and I am still loving every minute of it!

It's been really rainy lately...aside from my 30 minute walk to school, I haven't been affected too much by the weather. Why? Because I had a music project and an essay in history due this week!

To celebrate the end of our 4th week, Rose, Holly 1, Holly 2, Paula, Kelly and I went to Santo Cafe for lunch. The cafe is located above a famous bridge, one of the original bridges that horses and buggies used to use. See here for yourself: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/3247190. Rose and I walk under this cafe everyday to go downtown or to school. The picture in the link is the view going back to our house. I had bistek al pimiento (I believe that's what it was called). It was strips of steak in a rich gravy with rice and a small baked potato on the side. The dish was crazy delicious, and the potato did not come with butter- it came with mozzarella cheese!

Afterwards, Rose and I walked back to our house to drop off our school books. We left the house, got a lot of shopping done, grabbed some elote for dinner and went back to the house.

I will try to put up some pictures of elote and my gordita from earlier this week. Tomorrow Rose and I are going to part our separate ways for a while- she is going to meet up with her family and goof around...probably in Salamanca, Celaya or Uriangato until Monday. I on the other hand, will be going to Cristo Rey and the Bicentennial Expo tomorrow with some other students. This weekend, I should be going to El Penon- not really sure where it is, but if the weather cheers up I should be able to go zip lining! I'll keep you posted!!