Spring Break

So today Spring Break begins here in Mexico! Vacation is officially called Semana Santa (Holy Week) because it contains Good Friday and Easter. Unlike many Americans who head to the beaches of Mexico to relax, I will be doing the opposite! Early Sunday I will fly back to Ann Arbor for some homestyle rest and relaxation. It seems strange, but I'm looking forward to sleeping in, getting a pedicure, watching movies, doing my taxes and getting a dental check-up (yeah right), and eating whatever my mom cooks! Besides, I am planning on traveling around Mexico at the end of my trip.

Included in this blog are some pictures of my life here in Leon. You see the street stand where I buy the freshest fruit from two jolly old men. Also, two pictures of Boston Academy (where I work). There is one of the outside of the building and one of me inside in front of the school logo.

Who's that tiny and adorable puppy you see perched in the palm of my hand? Meet Kiki, a girl chihuahua, and newest addition to the house where I live. She was bought the same day (!) that Sparky died. Kiki is too cute, and the biggest problem is making sure you don't step on her. Right now she is in what I would call the "teething stage". In other words, she chews on everything within reach - including my toes! haha.

Alright - have a great Spring Break everyone! TTYL...

La Huasteca Potosina

This Monday there was no school in Mexico so my work decided to take advantage of the long weekend and travel to La Huasteca Potosina. It's an area known for its beautiful vegetation and the name refers to the indigenous people who use to inhabit the land. So, on Saturday at 12:30am, about 100 teachers and students loaded two buses and made the 7 hour journey.

Saturday we arrived very tired to El Castillo de Sir Edward James. It is a surrealist-designed castle built by a Brit in the middle of the jungle. Walking up, down, and around the strange castle was like walking in a maze. There are also little waterfalls and pools that you can hike down, which I did with some friends. I made it all the way to the last little waterfall until I slipped and landed hard on my butt. I have a gruesome bruise but am fine otherwise.

The next day we paddled in some boats to "El Tamul" - the waterfall you see to the left. It was quite a site. The best part was the cave nearby where you can go swimming.

Monday we went to "El Puente de Dios" - God's Bridge. It is an area with beautiful waterfalls and water that is the bluest you have ever seen (not a light turquoise but a dark, mysterious, and pure blue). You can jump off about a 20-meter high cliff, swim in the caves, or play at the tiny, rocky shoreline. The water was nice and warm, but there was a very strong current - I got caught up in it and crashed against some rocks - which added some more scratches to my body. Between the bruises and the bug bites, my body took some abuse this weekend!

Although the trip was very long and exhausting (my body was sore from all the hiking), it was worth the pain :) It was really nice to hang out with the students and staff outside of class. And I learned something about Mexicans this weekend: they have amazing patience. Whenever we had bus problems or something didn't go as expected, every single one of them took it in stride and didn't complain. Or for example when the busdriver stopped for 40 minutes to get gas just 20 minutes after we departed (why didn't he refill on his 3 hour break beforehand?), only my friend and I were grumbling to ourselves about how strategic thinking isn't a

personality trait most Mexicans seem to possess.

When I returned home late on Monday night, I received some bad news: Sparky the pet chihuahua died earlier that day! The owners don't know how it happened - they just found him dead. Too bad - he was only about a year old.

Mexico City Friends

It's been another busy week here in Leon. Today I began my third month of classes. Actually - I don't have any new students since I have taught all my "new" students in previous months. This is both good and bad - good because they are good students, bad because it's always nice to meet new students!

Last week, a friend and I met up with some acquaintances from the capital (Distrito Federal) who travel to Leon for work every month or so. We had dinner at a very nice Argentinian restaurant in town. They pull the chairs out for you and everything there! Since Argentina is all about meat, they also bring out a cart that has different beautiful cuts of meat on it (which you choose for your meal). And on your table, there are different sauces to accompany whatever meat you choose. They also had these delicious butter-filled rolls as appetizers. Yum! I would love to go back there.

I also tried some other new food this past week with the same friends: Mexican sushi! Well, it is pretty much the same kind of sushi we eat in America, except they go crazy over the cream cheese here. In the U.S. we only have cream cheese in the Philadelphia roll, but here they like to put it in everything and then top the roll with some more cream cheese just for good measure! And of course, instead of serving the sushi with wasabi and ginger, they serve it with jalapeno slices. haha. It is good but I can do without the extra cheese.

More typical Mexican food is the fresh fruit you can buy on the street. You pick whatever you want (papaya, mango, pineapple, melon, watermelon) and then a vendor prepares it plain or with whatever condiments you want (salt, lime, chile powder, and/or a little shredded cheese). It sounds strange but is so juicy and delicious (papaya with lime and chile is my favorite). By the way - I'm now 2 and a half months (halfway) into my trip and haven't gotten sick yet!

The Rally

It's been awhile since my last entry! That's because I've been working a lot since my second semester started (over 40 hrs/wk). This weekend, instead of catching up on sleep, I chose to attend a famous annual event in Leon: El Rally. It's a car race that runs throughout the city and into the nearby mountains. Thousands of people camp in the mountains to watch the cars go by and to party. I went with a student of mine and some of her friends. It was okay. The people in our group were really fun, but I'm not much of a camper and there was A LOT of waiting around the entire time (to enter, to park, to set-up, to watch, to exit). I missed out on some sleep, but it was a good time to practice my Spanish. In fact, I have a funny story regarding that. Some of the people in our group are from Mexico city, so I was asking them about their home city. One of the questions I asked was "Como es el calor?" (How hot it is there?) Except, the people I was talking to thought I said "Como es el color?" (How is the color there?) One guy looked at me strange and then said "Well, it's a little gray because of all the pollution..." Then we realized we misunderstood each other and burst out laughing. I'll never forget that!

Believe it or not, I don't think I've tried any new food since my last post. I've been trying to cook more in my apartment, but it can be tricky when you don't have an oven and struggle to find ingredients.

Today the temperature was the hottest it's been since I arrived: in the 80s! Now that's more like it!