As if speaking in spanish wasn't enough

Working here in Mexico has been an experience.  The office that I work in has two modes: empty and chaotic.  I'm not really complaining, though.  I really do like working in the office and its always an interesting experience.

Today, for example, we were talking about music and one of the guys I work with, Rafa, was telling me spanish songs to look up on YouTube.  This song search quickly escalated into me having to sing a song in spanish, because as they put it, "I said I wanted to practice my spanish."  So the deal was that if we sung a duet in spanish, I got to pick out a song for us to sing in english.

Now I love listening to them speak english with their very heavy spanish accents, so I agreed.  I wasn't exactly sure if this was a solid deal until he looked up the lyrics and printed them out for me to "practice."

So then he proceeded to tell me I had to practice and sing in front of the other 5 people in the office.  I have a theory that they have become less amused with just hearing my broken spanish so now they are going to make me sing it.

So we sang our duet, well we "practiced," and they actually said I was a good singer, even though I refuse to believe it.  But I learned a new word in spanish: tone deaf.  (tonifique sordo)

My Lesson of the Day: The key to learning a new language in another country is simple:  no shame.

P.S.  I'm off for another weekend adventure in the Yucatan.  Can't wait to write all about it on Monday!

Las Telenovelas

Every night my mama is glued to the T.V.  We watch it in the kitchen while we're eating dinner, we watch it in the T.V. room before bed, and I can even hear the T.V. going in her room after she retires for the night.  Why, you may ask, is she glued to a T.V. that only receives 6 channels?  (Yes, there are still people without cable in the world)

Well, Mama - along with just about every other woman here in Mexico - religiously follows the telenovelas.  You could try to compare the telenovelas to American soap-operas, but they differ in many ways.

First, the novelas are in the prime time T.V. spot.  They go from about 7pm until 11:30, and I believe they change every half an hour, but sometimes I can't tell where one novela ends and the next one starts.

Secondly, they are even more dramatic than soap-operas, if you can imagine.  I'm talking about girls with tumors, who don't know they have tumors but then find out and get married the next day but the wedding gets interrupted by a gunman who shoots the groom in the middle of the ceremony.  

Or the best friends who are completely in love with the same guy and can't seem to figure it out.

Or the man who falls in love with the daughter of his father's assassin but can't stop having flashbacks of his father talking to him.

Or period pieces set on an old hacienda with big, old-fashioned dresses, no running water and escalades to drive them places?

I can't even begin to tell you all of the ridiculous scenarios that the telenovelas have come up with, and I must admit that I'm kind of impressed with the amount of creativity that goes into each episode.  I have enjoyed watching them whenever I get the chance!

My Lesson of the Day: When comes to telenovelas, there is no such thing as over-the-top!

Toto, I don't think we're in Ohio anymore

I decided to walk home from work today because I figured a little exercise and some sun couldn't hurt.  On my walks to and from work, I often get lost in my own thoughts and forget that I'm walking down a street in Mexico.  I think its because my walk home is along a busy road with lots of cars and lots of activity going on - very normal beechmont avenue.

And then something comes along to remind me that I am not in Ohio anymore.  Today for example, that thing happened to be two horse drawn carts traveling down the road.  These carts were straight off the farm carts, hauling grains and traveling down the middle of the road in between all the cars.  If it isn't enough to have the pleasure of seeing these two horse drawn carts, the three teenage boys driving them decided to stop and ask if I wanted a ride.  Now as much as I wanted to say yes and arrive to the house amid a pile of grains, I had to decline and walk the rest of the way.

It kind of makes me wonder though, is it a bad sign when a horse drawn cart is a step up?

My Lesson of the Day: Just when I'm starting to forget, something always comes along to remind me that I'm not in Ohio anymore!

The Piñata - Much more than paper mache

Yesterday was my roommate's birthday.  And not just any birthday, but number 21.  This is a pretty big deal to us Americans and I was determined to celebrate it right, even if it wasn't as big of a deal to the Mexcians. (You are legal to drink at 18 here.)

So what did I do, you may be asking?  Is this a story about bar hoping, tequila and beer?  Not in the least bit.  It is a story about piñatas!  Because what better way to celebrate your birthday in Mexico, than with a piñata. 

So after work yesterday, one of my coworkers, Mike, was driving me home and I was telling him about how I wanted to get a piñata.  We decided to go looking for a piñata store, which are much easier to encounter here in Merida than in the U.S.  In fact, there is a whole block devoted to piñatas in the centro.

We encountered a piñata store quickly and I began searching for the right one.  There were some shaped like disney characters, balls, cars, etc.  And they ranged from palm-sized to bigger-than-my-body-sized.

Eventually I found the perfect one.  It was shaped like one of the traditional

 piñatas and very colorful.  It was exactly what I needed.  So I loaded up on candy and headed home to stuff it.  (For the record, I bought about 3 times the amount of candy than I actually needed.  I guess I need a little more practice in the piñata department!)

I gave the piñata to Carolyn when she got back from work and she loved it.  So much so that we decided it didn't deserve to be broken, and it is currently residing in our room.  We did need a little decoration, after all.

Between our hammocks, the piñata and the spanish cosmos, its easy to see from our room that we are living in Mexico.

My Lesson of the Day: Piñatas are so much more than paper mache and foil.

P.S.  For those of you who may be worried, we did go out for her birthday.  And yes, it involved tequila and margaritas.  And yes, we had a very good mexican time.

Despite the economy

I spent the better part of the weekend in a small beach town called Progresso.  Progresso is about 20 minutes north of Merida, so it is an easy bus ride to get to the beach.  The town of Progresso originally began because it was the closest port to Merida.  But over many years, the town has grown to become its own entity.

We spent a lot of time in Progresso last year because it is the closest beach to our home, but this weekend was the first time I've been this year.  It was amazing to see the differences that the town has made in even the past year.

Progresso has become a popular destination for cruise lines, providing a huge influx in the number of tourists and the amount of money that Progresso receives.  In the past year, they have added new buildings, finished paving streets and cleaned up the beach.  I was amazed at the changes.  Perhaps the most striking difference was that there were no longer stray dogs running the beach. 

We went to Progresso both Saturday and Sunday.  On Saturday, there was a cruise ship that brought not only a mountain of tourists, but a mountain of vendors as well.  There were so many vendors walking the beaches, yelling at you from the street, trying to get you to have a massage, etc.  It was a little frustrating for someone who is trying to learn spanish because they all assumed we were with the boat.

On Sunday, there wasn't a cruise ship and the vendors had nearly all disappeared so the beach was actually pretty relaxing.  Sunday brought a mountain of Mexicans to the beach, because they all knew the boat wouldn't be there.  I'll have to remember this tip the next time I travel to Progresso.

My Lesson of the Day: Despite a bad economy, many Americans are still finding a way to travel.

When you just don't feel good...

Some days I just don't don't feel good and today would be one of those days!  I think there has been a bit of a bug going around because of the cool weather at night.  And I think that bug got me about half way through the day today.  Now I don't usually mind being sick, because this type of sick isn't even that bad.  But the thing is, when I'm sick,  the last thing I want to do is try to speak spanish!  So I took an extended siesta today and I think I'm going to take it easy tonight.

Luckily, I think I've discovered a cure:  This is nothing that a long day at the beach tomorrow can't cure!

My Lesson of the Day: When you don't feel good, home feels even further away than it is!

This is why we don't know Spanish

Last night we ventured to the movie theater to see "The Curioso Caso de Benjamin Button" (you shouldn't need a translation on that one!).  

First, I should say that I love going to the movies in Mexico because I got a movie ticket, nachos and a drink for less than the price of a ticket in the U.S.  However, I feel like the movie ticket has an even greater value to the people here in Mexico.  A movie ticket is also a way of learning english.  While the title of the movie may be in spanish, the movie surely is not. 

In one way, this makes me a little mad.  I know there are plenty of movies made by spanish speaking people, in spanish.  But lets face it, Hollywood dominates the movie scene - and not just for those of us in the US.  All but one of the movies currently being shown here in Merida are American movies.  They are all in english with spanish subtitles.  Every once in a while you may come across one that has been dubbed over in spanish, but then it just looks ridiculous.  

So when my coworker asked me the other day why Americans don't speak more spanish, I told him it was because of the movies.  And not only the movies, but the signs, books, tv shows and everything else here thats based around english.  I tried to explain that in the US we don't do that.  We don't need to know spanish to go to a movie.  We don't need spanish to use our computers.  We don't need to know spanish to do much of anything in the U.S.

Here, however, its a different story.  And in some way I am jealous.  I wish that I got the opportunity to use my spanish as much as they get to use their english here.  But this also makes me realize just how important the US is to everyone, not just those of us who live there.  Its important not only because of its political power, but also because of the US culture that is spreading throughout the world.

My Lesson of the Day: Even with the title change, Benjamin Button is the same Benjamin Button I could have seen in Ohio.

My life eating beans

In the past three weeks, I have eaten more black beans than I ever thought possible.  I always knew that black beans and rice were the staples of Mexican food, but I guess I never realized how much so.  And in this household, beans far overpower the rice part.  We have beans with everything, and I mean everything. 

For example, today we had spaghetti and...drum roll...black beans.  Now how many of you can say you've eaten those together before?

The funny part about all of these black beans is that I absolutely love eating them!  I actually can't get enough, which is a good thing considering their frequent appearance on the dinner table.  I even come home from the bars and all I want to do is raid the fridge for more black beans!  I just hope I can keep black beans as a staple when I return to the U.S.

My Lesson of the Day: Black beans are the perfect side dish to any meal, and I mean ANY meal!

Domingo en las Ruinas (Sunday at the Ruins)

On Sunday Carolyn and I checked out of our jail cell and made our first destination Kabah, a Mayan ruins site.  It is located on the Ruta Puc along with several other sites like Uxmal, Sayil and Labna.  Last year we went to the other three sites, but for some reason skipped the fourth, so we were on a mission to complete the Ruta Puc.

We got to Kabah and I was impressed.  The site was a decent size and it was nice to be able to go along and explore at our own pace - no guide, no tour group.  The site is known

 for a big building, named Codz Poop, that is dedicated to Chac, the rain god.  The whole facade of the building is decorated with ornate carvings of the rain god's face.  Even though the carvings have existed for thousands of years, they were still pretty ornate and I was excited to see such ornate details. 

After Kabah we headed to a town called Muna and then home to Merida for a little time with the family.  My mama's whole family comes over every Sunday to spend time together.  It was nice to get to see all of them. 

Then we headed off to mass.  I walked into church and guess who I saw?  None other than my mama and papa from last year.  I don't think they recognized me at first, but I went over to say hello and they were just as shocked to see me as I was to see them.  It was really good to see them again and they send their hellos to all of my family.  They said that they think of my family's visit often and keep everyone in their prayers.  They were especially interested to hear more about how Anna, Will, Aunt Debbie, Uncle Ernie, Mom and Dad were doing. 

My Lesson of the Day: Sometimes people show up when your least expecting them.

Sabado en los pueblitos (Saturday in the little towns)

This weekend, my roommate Carolyn and I decided to do a little exploring throughout the state of the Yucatan.  Afterall, this is our new state of residence, so we should know  what it has to offer.  Our main goal this weekend was to get to Kabah, a mayan ruins site that we never got to see last year.  We thought that along the way we could hit up a few of the pueblos, because you never know what excitement could await you in a pueblo.

So Saturday morning we headed to the bus station and made our first destination Ticul.  Our bus fare cost about 43 pesos for the hour or so it took to get to Ticul.  When we arrived to Ticul, we had absolutely no idea where to go.

If you've never gotten to experience this kind of travel, I highly recommend that you do.  While it may seem a little stressful to some, I think the thrill of not knowing where you're going, how you're going to get there, or what you're going to do when you're there, makes taveling so much more exciting.  Throw a little spanish in there and I could not be happier.  Luckily in Mexico there is always some type of colectivo (van) that you can hop to go just about anywhere.

Ok, so back to Ticul.  Once there, we did some exploring, checked out the church, ate some guacamole and did some shopping.  We had heard that Ticul was known as a big shoe producing town, so there were many shoe shops that lined the little streets.  Of course, I bought a pair.  Then we rode via tricitaxi (a small seat that is attached to thr front of a bicycle, or in this case a motorcycle) to the colectivo and went to Santa Elena.

Santa Elena was even smaller than Ticul.  But we went there because we wanted to see an old church that sat high up on the hill.  It was supposed to have an amazing view.  In addition to this, they had found mummified bodies underneath the church's floor.  So we checked out the museum first and saw the momias.

(Just for the record, we were reading a pamphlet in english on the mummies.  It had clearly been translated into english by a spanish speaking person and the title read: "The mommies of Santa Elena."  I felt like I should tell them that there is a big difference between mummies and mommies, but I didn't have the heart.  However, I wonder how many people went to see mommies of Santa Elena and were seriously disappointed.)

After seeing the momias we waited around for a sister to come and open up the church.  The inside of the church w

as a little creepy, b

ut it was interesting to see.  We had read that if you asked the right person, they would let you climb up a spiral staircase that led to the upper level and to the roof.  We asked the sister about climbing and she proceeded to tell us that they were fixing the roof and that the stairs were really old and molding away.  She said it was very dangerous.  We were expecting her to tell us "I'm sorry, you can't go," but instead she said "so, go at your own risk."

I asked to see the staircase and slowly began to climb - emphasis on slowly.  The higher I climbed, the more I noticed pieces of the wooden steps missing.  My legs were shaking, and I even gave u

p for a second there.  My legs were tremblng and I was thinking that this was either one of the 

bravest or stupidest things I have ever done.  Then Carolyn assured me that we were close to the top, so I quickly climbed the next few steps.

There were still steps left but we stopped at the balcony of the church, which we later found out was about 115 feet high.  It opened up to these long creepy hallways that ran the length of the church and felt like a cave, the walls crumbling underneath our fingers.

We ran around up there for a little while and Carolyn decided that she wanted to go to the roof.  I, however, was just fine where I was and let her go first to check it out.  She went a little higher where she found the steps were either completely rotten or missing, making it impossible to make it to the top.

By this time, we had been up on the balcony for a while, especially when you take into account the slow pace with which we climbed the stairs.  The nun sent up a group of guys to make sure we were ok.  These boys bounded up the steps, two at a time, like it was nothing.  So we followed them down at a quicker pace.

When we reached the bottom, Carolyn assured the nun that we survived and we walked, still trembling, all the way to our hotel.  We spend the night in a bungalow, which we jokingly referred to as our prison cell, because it was a small room made out of cement blocks that was in the middle of nowhere.  And I mean nowhere.  But it was nice to have peaceful night of sleep after a long Saturday.

My Lesson of the Day: There is a very fine line between brave and stupid.

Just when I was getting comfortable

I thought I was finally getting comfortable at work until yesterday when my boss asked me to do something completely ridiculous: make a phone call.

Now speaking spanish isn't easy, but when you're doing it face to face, I can manage.  But talking on the phone in spanish is a whole different story.  So finally I gathered up my courage and decided to just go for it.  I mean all I had to say was, 

Hi this is emily, I'm working for gente bien and i'm calling because Roberto (my boss) wanted to talk to them.

Easy right?  Well I think I stressed out over that phone call for a good five minutes.  But it all went well, thank god.   I just hope they don't expect me to use a phone again any time soon.

My Lesson of the Day: Nothing makes me more uncomfortable than talking to a Mexican on the telephone.

Did I mention that I love my job?

I know I mentioned last week that I began working for gente bien, but I don't think I really talked too much about what I'm doing or really what the magazine is about.

The magazine is all about the social circles here in Mérida.  The classes here are not like those in the US, by any means.  In the US we clearly have disparities in wealth, but I feel like almost 80% of us fit into the category of "middle class."  Here, the disparities in wealth are very clear.  The higher classes live in the modern north side of the city, which is where my house is located.  Driving around this part of the city is much like driving down a road somewhere in America.  The north is covered with American fast food chains, shopping malls, car dealerships, clubs and restaurants.  While the north still isn't quite as modernized as many of our American cities, its pretty close. 

Then there is the south side of the city.  This is where many of the lower classes tend to live.  Traveling to the south side is like traveling to a whole different city.  The car dealerships, restaurants and clubs are replaced by smaller houses, more people and more poverty.

This disparity of wealth is clearly known to the different levels of society here.  As my boss described to me, the Gente Bien magazine covers classes A, B and C+.  And it only covers private parties and events.  I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about this when I first started.  I didn't want to be lumped in as a fresa (literally the word means strawberry, but its also how they describe rich people).  However, I have realized that there are some big perks to working for an upper-class magazine.  Take last night, for example.

Yesterday was the opening of a new, very posh restaurant called Buddha-Wok.  My boss brought it up yesterday and asked if I would like to join, because Gente Bien was shooting the event for our next issue.  I of course accepted because I wanted to see what working an event was like.  They told me to be bien vestido (well dressed).

So at 7, one of my coworkers Mike came by and picked me up.  We headed to the restaurant shortly after.  The restaurant was very padre (cool).  It was one of the nicest restaurants I've been to.  There were about 7 coworkers there at the time.  Two were taking photos and I hung out with the rest.  I tagged along with my boss as he introduced to many people, not one of whom I can remember their name.  Then he said, lets go to the bar.

Not being one to disobey orders, we all headed to the bar.  I watched the cutting of the ribbon, done by the governor of the Yucatan, and then we passed the rest of the night getting drinks and being fed amazing food.  If this is what its like to be a fresa, sign me up!  I don't think I'll mind being a fresa every now and then.

Needless to say, I had an amazing time.  While I can often get confused or bogged down at work, I must say that I do love my job. 

My Lesson of the Day: Your only as fresa as you want to be. 

It just doesn't get any better than this

There are many things that I love about Mexico.  The weather is perfect, the food is great, the people are nice, and so on and so fourth.  But one of my favorite parts of living here is getting my laundry done at the lavanderia.  There is really nothing like sending your clothes away and having them come back to you, clean and perfectly folded in a little bag.  (I included a picture, because I wanted you all to see how many clothes they fit into that little bag.)  And it only costs 10 pesos a kilo.  So I got all those clothes washed for less than 5 dollars.  

I really can't put into words how happy this makes me.  Washing and folding clothes is one of my least favorite things to do.  But the lavanderia makes it too easy.  Our lavanderia is just a small open shop with a washer and dryer in the back.  We dropped our clothes off on monday and today we picked them up from the same two middle-aged women.  I think next time, I'm going to have to give them an extra tip, because my clothes look amazing.

My Lesson of the Day: Nothing compares the smell of fresh clothes from the lavanderia.

My night in the hamaca

As if you needed further proof of my transformation into a Yucateco, last night I slept in a hammock.  It was something that I'd been wanting to do since last year, but I  never got the chance to.  And not only did I sleep in a hammock the whole night, but I also managed to do so without falling out.

The hammock is as much Yucatecan as rice and beans.  Just about everyone here has spent their fare share of nights in a hammock.  In fact, when I told one of my friends here that I was really excited to sleep in one, he looked at me like I was crazy.  It was as if I told him I had never learned to use a fork.  

My friend was not alone in that sense.  I have been hearing about how great hammocks are since last year.  And my papá slept in one every night.  So of course, I wanted to see for myself just how great it was.

I must say it was pretty comfortable and much cooler than sleeping in a bed.  I can see why they come in handy during hot nights here in Merida.  The only problem was that I felt a little weird bringing my pillow and my covers into a hammock with me.  I guess I'll have to ask around and make sure thats the way your supposed to do it.

But my night in the hammock went so well, that I think I'll do it again sometime - maybe even tonight.  And I'm starting to think about purchasing one so you can all see for yourselves just how comfortable they are.  By the way, if you are looking to buy a hammock, Merida is the place to come.  They are known here for their excellently woven, colorful hammocks.  I'm starting to think that I wouldn't be a true Yucateco if i didn't buy one for myself!

My lesson of the Day: Hammocks easily fit into suitcases and are perfect mementos from Merida. 

Mis compañeras de cuarto

Officially, I only have one compañera de cuarto (roommate). Her name is Carolyn.  But unofficially, there are many of us that are sharing this room.  In addition to each other, Carolyn and I have a lot of six-legged roommates.  I'm talking about hormigas (ants).  They are quite possibly everywhere!  

In the morning I pass about a good number on my way to the kitchen for breakfast.  They are so small that they practically go unnoticed.  That is, until you realize that those specs in the floor tiles are actually moving.  Or until you leave something sweet on the table and return to find it just crawling with black specs.

While we were staying in Playa del Carmen, we were fascinated when a dropped piece of food was quickly transported by a swarming team of at least a hundred ants.  They had a started a little colony by the light socket that was quickly growing from a tiny town to a thriving aunt metropolis.  

However, what amazed me more than their impressive colony, was the twang of sadness I felt when I heard Margarita get out the can of ant spray.  Now I'm not the kind of person who enjoys living around bugs.  In fact, I would prefer a world without them.  But there is something different about it here.   For some reason I have just adjusted to coexist with them.  I have realized that it is impossible to kill every one of those little devils.  As it is impossible to feel bad and try not to step on them.  (I've tested both approaches)  So for now, we will simply coexist - me, the hormigas, the geckos, the mosquitos, and any other creature I may come across in this house.

My lesson of the Day: There are two types of roommates:  The ones you choose and the ones who choose you.

I hope the brakes are working

For the most part, I´ve noticed that the mexian people are generally a relaxed and tranquilo people. Being on time is never really a major issue, in fact, arriving late is more fashionable. This transcends into many aspects of their lives, with one major exception: driving.

I have to admit I have said my fare share of prayers while riding in a car. And I have never, ever wanted to get behind the wheel of any car here. From what I have experienced, speed limits are pretty much useless. As are stop signs, turn signals, lanes, the shoulder of the highway and seatbelts. (Don´t worry mom, I always wear mine!)

With my new job, my coworkers have been nice enough to take me home everyday. And I really appreciate not having to walk 20 blocks home. But sometimes I think it would be better on my nerves if I did. It´s not because they are bad drivers, but its because everyone here just drives like a madman. And let me tell you, I have seen some serious road rage.

However, its not the rides with my coworkers that have brought me to talk about this topic today. Instead it was the 5 hour car ride I took yesterday.

We decided that we wanted to go to Playa del Carmen, a city located in the middle of the Costa Maya. Its a beautiful place, with a great beach. It also happens to be the home of Miguel, my Mama´s daughter´s husband. (Did I loose you on that one?)

Anyways, Miguel was in town for a visit and said that he could take us to Playa with him. So my roommate and I, the two girls next door, Margarita and Miguel all decided to leave yesterday around 4:30. If you happen to be keeping count, yes, there are 6 of us that are going to fit into his midsized honda for a 5 hour car ride. And that was just to start off the trip.

Once we all fit inside, we took off. And let me just tell you that 80 year old Miguel is one of your classic Mexican drivers. He drove down the middle of the road just about all of the way to Playa. That didn´t bother me too much until our two-lane highway turned into a one-lane highway. When your driving down the middle of the road - with your brights on - and there is oncoming traffic, it tends to scare me a little. However, my favorite part was when I looked up and realized that we were driving in the shoulder of the highway, just like it was another lane. I felt like I was trapped in the Mexican version of National Lampoon´s Vacation. Needless to say, I didn´t get any rest in the car.

I hope you don´t get the wrong impression of Miguel, however. He and Maragarita have been nothing but nice this weekend. We are staying in Miguels apartment, they have cooked us every meal and I´m even using his computer to type this right now. I´m very thankful for all of their help. It has been a great weekend so far. We spent all day on the beach today and the nightlife has been fun as well.

But when we return to Merida tomorrow, we will be doing so on a bus!

My Lesson of the Day: 6 people + 5 hours - 1 seat = one very long car ride.

Tiburone: a man, a mission, a landshark

Tiburone. In english it has just one meaning: shark.  But here in mexico, there are many tiburones that live out of the water.  A tiburone is what they call a man a who is after the ladies.  I remember last year when I was warned about them.  I thought - how bad could it be?  But its hard to describe in english just what a tiburone is.  

In mexico, he's the guy that you see at the club with his button down shirt undone, flaunting his chest hair as he dances on the nearest couch.  He's the guy that tells you your beautiful before ever asking your name.  He's the guy that wants to teach you how to dance salsa, even though you doubt that he knows how to.  He's the guy thats hitting on you and somehow is managing to hit on your friend at the same time.

I forgot just how funny these tiburones can be.  But it all came back to me quickly when we were at the club last night.  But I have to admit, the tiburone has become a person that I love to hate.  And life here just wouldn't be the same without them.  Nor the clubs as entertaining.

My lesson of the day: Whether in the sea or on the land, sharks can be dangerous.  But it just wouldn't be the same without them.

And then i saw the cockroach...

Day three of my mexican adventure is almost over and all is still going well.  I went to work again where I was a little lost...again...but I eventually found somethings to do.  I am in charge of creating two pages for our next edition, so that should keep me busy for awhile.  I'm also in charge of helping start a new project, but i'll tell you more about that when the time comes.

We finally had lunch together today, all six of us with the girls next door.  Then we rested and went to the Gran Plaza - a mall thats close to our house.  It was fun to shop there again and even more fun to spend in pesos now that the exchange rate is even better for us americans.

The day was pretty uneventful until I went for a shower before bed.  And thats when I saw it.  Hiding in the corner and creeping around the shower, with its six legs and slimy body.  La Cucaracha! I guess this trip is about more than just learning spanish.  I guess its also about conquering fears and thats just what I did.  And how was I rewarded for killing the cockroach?  A cold shower!  ugh

My Lesson of the Day: Never - ever - leave the shower drain uncovered long enough for a cockroach to come in!!

Sometimes time flies when your having fun...

And sometimes time just seems to stand still.  Like it did yesterday.  I went to my second day of work yesterday.  Because I didn't know how to get there, I ended up walking.  I enjoyed the walk and it only took me like 25 minutes.  When my mama found out, she thought I was crazy for walking! 

Anyways, my second day took me to hacienda Kuau, a very beautiful and relaxing old hacienda that has been renovated to accommodate parties.  We went there because the owner wanted to buy ad space in the magazine.  They told me that sales visits usually take about 10 to 30 minutes.  After touring the hacienda and waiting for about an hour, i was starting to  doubt that.  We finally left about 2 1/2 hours later.  My boss kept apologizing for how long it took, but i really didn't mind spending my whole day relaxing at a hacienda.

After returning an hour late for lunch, I hung around the house for about an hour and then went to the photoshoot for la portada (the cover) of the magazine.  I really enjoyed watching the whole process and helping out, but this project too took several hours!

Finally I returned home for a short dinner, ate some rosco (a type of cake) to celebrate the day of the three kings and we went out for the first time since arriving.

My Lesson of the Day: When your on Mexican time, some things just seem to take longer

I have arrived

I finally made it into Mérida last night around 9:30/10 here.  We were immediately hit with the hot weather upon landing.  The temperature has been in the high 90s during the day and a little cooler at night.  Its hot, but I'm not complaining.  It's a nice change from Ohio.

After arriving in Mérida, I met my new Mama - Doña Margarita - a nice señora of about 80 years. She lives alone is a middle class home that is right next door to her daughter's house.  Her daughter, also Margarita, is very nice a well and I can already tell that the two spend a lot of their time together.  I think I'm going to like living with them.  As for my house, it is much larger than the house I stayed in last year.  I feel weird not staying with the same family as last year but I hope that I see them soon! 

Today I had my cita (appt.) for my internship.  I will be working for a magazine called Gente Bien.  I was a little nervous, to say the least, but my boss seems like a really nice guy.  Today he told me a little more about the magazine, which is a free, socially-oriented magazine that they produce every other week.  The magazine reaches about 10,000 people each edition.  It is part of a larger network of Gente Bien magazines that are all throughout Mexico with a few branches in the U.S. and Costa Rica.  I found out that the Yucatan's branch is the smallest of the Gente Bien branches.  And I would be willing to bet that it's office is the smallest as well.  It is a quaint 14' x 14' office with several desks.  It wasn't anything like I expected, but I'm happy to be working there.  I'm excited to get to know more about the magazine and find out more about what I will be working on.  So far I have been assigned to do two pages, so I hope I can figure it out!  I guess there will be more on that subject later.

As for the other people at the magazine, they all seem nice.  I found out that most of the employees are students at local Universities who work for the magazine part time.  I think that I'll like working with them a lot.  However, I'm not so sure what they think of me!  I'm afraid that I was so nervous for my first day and overwhelmed by the whole trip that I forgot how to speak spanish!  And when it came time to leaving for lunch, they asked where I lived so they could help me find a way home.  And wouldn't you know it, I had no idea what my address was!  I'm sure that came off well!  But I sort of knew how to get there, so one of the guys drove me home and we eventually found it.  However, I still have no idea how I'm going to get there tomorrow.  I guess I will find a way there, - as they say in mexico - si dios quiere.

My Lesson of the Day:

Don't leave home if you don't know where home is!