Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Hello everyone!August 31, 2008I am having a wonderful time in México!The city of Queretaro is very pretty and is full of historical buildings, old churches, fountains and plazas.I have posted some pictures on facebook but they hardly do the town justice.I have class in the morning on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and classes every day in the evening.I like all of my classes but I especially like Us-Mx relations because it is taught by a very smart guy.He is a congressman, an ambassador to the US and is best friends with the governor of Queretaro.He speaks/understands four different languages and has traveled all over the world.My classes are very small, usually only 4 or 5 people per class and I am learning a lot!Last Saturday I spent the day in the country with my Señora and her family and also visited the market in the small hick town of Amealda.Mexican countryside is beautiful.There are lots of trees and rugged landscapes as well as cactuses of all shapes sizes and colors. The farmers create barriers in their fields to trap rain water and since we are in the rainy season right now, all the fields have their own personal lakes.In the evening we had one of the loudest lightning and thunder storms I have ever experienced.It felt like it was right overhead and the boom would make everyone jump.That evening when we had returned home, I kept seeing lights flashing in the sky.I finally dragged my Señora outside and asked her what they were and she said that the lights were really strong lightning that was too far away for us to hear the thunder.The day after my country experience, last Sunday our group went to the town of Bernal.This town is located around a huge rock, and I mean rock, not mountain, not hill, simply a gigantic rock.We were told that there were steps leading up to the summit and I had pictured a nice paved path like the one at Multnomah Falls.Boy was I wrong, at times we were on hands and knees scaling what looked like a previous avalanche site.Okay, maybe this is an exaggeration, but it was STEEP!Chelsey and I turned around about halfway up because 1. It was getting way too steep and we didn't know how we were going to get back down, 2. We are both out of shape and 3. The air was so thin that none of us could breathe properly.We spent the remaining time exploring the town (which was 100 times funner than climbing a rock!)The town is very old and its income is based on the wool market and tourism.You would have loved it there mom!This sat (today) we are going to our first fútbol (soccer) game!Go Queretaro! And on Sunday we are traveling to the small artisan town of San Miguel.During the Mexican Independence weekend (13-16) we are going to the Sierra Gorda!!!I am so excited for this trip because the Sierra Gorda is a huge mountainous range full of rainforest and small authentic tribes.(I'm hoping to buy you your present there mom because they have really cool hand-made bags) There is also a crazy surrealist garden that all of us want to go see.It's supposed to be really trippy and I hope I will be allowed to take pictures.In October we will visit Mexico DF for four days and in November we shall go to Michoacán for four days as well.This coming up Wednesday I get to learn how to cook… or at least eat whatever our teacher cooks for us… and soon we shall all start dance classes.As you can see, between homework, classes, family, friends, and outings I have been kept very busy.I also do not have internet at my house and this makes it difficult for me to write often.I am adjusting well, but it becomes more obvious to me every day that this is a totally different culture.From the people to the food to the traffic, to the buildings themselves, everything is different in some way.I hope to write more about the city and its cultural differences, but for now, I have to go work on an oral report that is due on Tuesday.I love you all and hope you are all staying well!Sincerely, Laura Jordán
- comments