First 5 days

Walmart, Sam's Club, Sears, McDonalds, Starbucks, Burger King, Subway...Where's Anna? You couldn't guess that I'm here in Leon, Mexico? Didn't the American franchises give it away? Well, to be fair, those places are only on the outskirts of the city, and thankfully I will be living in the central zone of the fifth most populous city in Mexico for the next 5 months.

Since arriving 5 days ago, my temporary placement has been everything I hoped for: friendly people (maybe that's just because I'm the whitest person they've ever seen?), a vibrant city, and a wonderful staff at the school where I will be teaching English. This week, myself and another girl have been training for our first lesson tomorrow. The vibe at the school is casual, yet professional, and teachers have great relations with each other and the students.

My current living arrangements are at a hostel very close to the school. It might seem strange to live where I am, but it is very convenient, clean, has hot water, and is owned by a young couple who sacrificed an entire evening to figure out how to get the wireless internet on my laptop to work. I'll be staying here a little while longer, until I find a more permanent apartment. This I have no problem doing, especially since it seems the only way to find an available apartment in this city is to know someone who knows someone, if you know what I mean. I feel like I'm being pampered here in my hostel, though. Many places do not have hot water or wireless internet, and are very dirty by American standards.

Did I mention the food here? Yes, this is the part of my blog where my some of my followers pay more attention ;-) I won't let you down. Everything I've eaten has been delicious:

• chile and cheese soup
• chicken quesadillas
• mexican hot chocolate (has lots of cinnamon)
• Rosca de Reyes (a bread eaten on 3 Kings Day - if you find a little plastic figurine baked inside your piece, you have to throw a party for the people around you!)
• sopes (small, thick tortillas topped with chorizo, queso, cilantro, and salsa)
• chilaquiles verdes: tortilla chips fried and covered in green salsa and topped with cheese and sour cream (Mexico's version of vegetarian nachos?)
  
• Chicken Milanese: breaded chicken stuffed with ham and cheese (a cordon bleu influence?)

I can't wait to experience more of what Mexico has to offer!