breaking my $500 bill has proved difficult

So today was an early morning, but no biggie, story of my life.  I did not make a trip to the pharmacy today, and compared to yesterday, I feel better.  (allergies?  cold?  i don't know but it started the night before I left for Mexico) 

For breakfast Dona Lupita made us french toast and gave us lots and lots of fruit.  Fruit keeps you regular.  We need to keep regular according to Valerie.   And let her know if we're not.  All right.  : P

Then began orientation.  We took a quiz about Mexico.  I knew the president was Felipe Calderon because my dad told me over pizza the night before I left.  That's about it.  : )

We talked about tipping waiters.  You DO NOT tip waiters the same in Mexico as you do in the States.  The place we went for lunch yesterday and the place we had a beer last night must love us!  We tipped 20% when most just tip 5%-10% here.  oops.

We talked about getting smaller bills since the ATMs give $500 and $200 bills which most stores don't accept.  (Later we visited the oxxo store to buy snacks and get smaller bills.  epic fail, they wouldn't accept anything higher than $100 and i received close to $30 in coins back.)

Then we went for a tour of our neighborhood.  There is a Franciscan church nearby that I hope to attend mass at.  And there is a Catholic school across the street.  If I stay in Mexico, I will for sure teach there. : )

When we arrived back from the tour, Valerie told us to draw a map of where we just walked.  Well, anybody who knows me, knows that I have no sense of direction.  Well, Valerie liked my map and told me to draw the map on the board.  Confidence boost, I guess.  : )

I also walked to the MEGA mercado (mega market) twice (they gave me smaller bills--thank goodness), Chapur the department store, and BBT for a strawberry margarita before bed.

I learned you have to tip the people who put your items in a plastic bag at the store.  After the fact.  whoops.  Sorry person who put my breakfast bars in a plastic bag.

Placement test tomorrow!  (to see which "advanced" class I will be placed into)  Wish me luck!  Valerie says she is going to "pimp us out" to tutors.  bhahahahahahaha.  whatever that means. 

i'm a regular at the farmacia. two trips in one day. : )

well today was a mini-adventure i suppose.  woke up.  ate breakfast.  walked for about an hour.  got really sweaty.  enjoyed the hotel's air conditioning for an hour more.  then took a taxi to the central college house.  christy, donny, and i arrived, met pancho and lupita.  went walking again to find food.  valerie (the director) happened to drive by, picked us up, we met two new students, another valerie and alex.  and we ate food.  : )  went to the farmacia, bought antibacterial gel.  walked back to the house, then walked to the wanna-be walmart.  admired the liquor selection, bought a cosmo in spanish, and we all pitched in enough pesos for manzanas con manzanas for the central college house.  o yeah.  on the walk home the sky opened up and we were literally drenched.  wonderful.  we had a siesta.  we had dinner.  we went out for a beer.  went back to the farmacia and bought a box of tissues.  and now we're all anxiously awaiting the 8 am breakfast call before orientation.  oh mexico.

arrival : )

So last night was a late night.  Mérida is one hour behind Raleigh, so when we arrived back at the hotel around 12:00am Central Time, I was used to the 1:00am Eastern time.  My flight was supposed to land at 9:08, but it landed at 9:35ish.  Then we had to wait an hour and a day for the millions of people in front of us on the jumbo jet to exit the premises.  Meanwhile some guy from England (i think?) coughed and coughed and coughed.  Then we had to wait an hour and day in the line for extranjeros (foreigners) at customs while the mejicanos moved through their line ever so quickly.  When I finally got through the line, I got cheated out of my nice first stamp in my passport because the guy was running out of ink.  I thought i was done after this.  SIIIIIIIIKE.  There was another line.  I put my bags through yet another x-ray machine, gave the guard my declaration paperwork, and then was asked to push the button.  THE button.  I don't know how the button knows whether or not we are safe enough to go through, but it gave me the green light so I scampered along and got the hell outta there.  Through the doors, Christy and I met up with Valerie (the program director) who was also picking up another guy Donny from Indiana.  She took us to a 7-11 so we could buy BOTTLED WATER, and boy did we buy a lot of it.  I've heard some diarrhea stories, and I am NOT messing with this agua Mejicana (Mexican water).  I even brushed my teeth last night with the bottled water.  We watched the Mexican music channel, posted pictures, and made fun of the two different flushers on the wall (one for pee and one for poop).  Took some airborne (which the x-ray monitors thought was pepper spray at the RDU airport), chatted with FEEFS! on skype, and now i'm going downstairs for breakfast.  Here start my Mexican adventures!

estamos bebiendo agua que no causa diarrea

Arrived safely.  Made our first purchase.  Thank goodness too.  Brushing my teeth & going to sleeeeeeep.

pre-departure preparation

It is Monday. I leave on Saturday. Between now and then, I have four days at TFS, a going away party, packing (ahhhhhhh! only one suitcase and one carry-on), and making sure everything is taken care of while I'm gone (someone needs to water my daisies). While abroad, I'll be fulfilling the requirements for CORE 200 (a required class unique to Meredith College that teaches culture...I'll have no further comment on this class), and in doing so I'll be reading Maximizing Study Abroad: A Students’ Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use. This book provides activities and readings for reflection during the study abroad experience. In my pre-departure preparation, I have chosen words that describe a significant part of who I am and how I choose to identify myself with others. I chose woman, Meredith College student, Spanish major, pre-service teacher, Catholic, friend, sister, and daughter.

If I had to pick just one identity, I would pick daughter. Friends always come and go, but my mom and dad will always be my mom and dad. Through my 21 years, they have provided stability and meaning to my life. If I had to pick just two identities, I would pick daughter and friend. Though friends come and go and often disrupt the rhythms of life, I have learned a lot from their company. Being a daughter and being a friend are the most important to my cultural identity because both my parents and my friends have played a significant role in making me who I am today.

I think it was difficult to identify myself with only eight characteristics. I could have gone on including identities such as after school care counselor, middle-class, white, American, English speaker—first language, Spanish speaker—second language, ice skater, golfer, retired softball player, etc. The list of defining characteristics can go on. From this exercise, I have gained insights about myself such as what is important to my character and what simply adds to my flair.

I don’t think people readily recognize my Catholic identity, as I try to practice the words of St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” This kind of behavior doesn’t stand out here in the south, where I find a lot of Bible thumpers and condescending religious folk. It is frustrating, but I can only stay true to myself and my beliefs.

Do I think I’ll add new identities while I’m abroad? Yes. I hope to add cosmopolitan world traveler, and maybe even Mexican-Wannabe. While I am in Mexico, I think I will be judged at first by the stereotypical American. While I fit some of the stereotypes (fast-paced and time is of the essence) I do not fit some of the others (lazy and overweight). It will be difficult, but my goal is to keep an open mind and hope that those I encounter will do so as well.

I think the biggest piece of cultural “baggage” I will be taking abroad with me, is my view of monochromic time—the idea that every second counts and something important must be done with it. Word on the street is that most countries don’t share this American punctuality. It is going to make my experience abroad frustrating, but I can only worry about things I can control. I can’t control everyone else; I’ll just be able to control my reactions to them. I just hope I don’t lose my sense of punctuality when I return home!

In a completely non-reflective tone, I've wondered many things about Mexico. Do they have True Blood? Can I watch Asiz Ansari host the MTV movie awards? Will I walk or take the bus to school? Will I have enough time to Skype back home? Will I even want to Skype back home? Have I sufficiently base-tanned, or will I burn to a crisp once I get there? Who is my host mom? Is she married? Was she married? Does she have children? Is she old? Young? Will I be able to understand her accent, or will we stare at each other awkwardly not understanding a word the other is saying? Will she let me freeze bottled water in ice cube trays, or will I be forced to drink all beverages warm? How often, if at all, will I be sick with the runs? Do Mexicans like Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias as much as I do? Will I want to come back home right away, or will I want to stay forever?

Paige, R. M., Andrew D. Cohen, Barbara Kappler, Julie C. Chi, and James P. Lassegard. Maximizing Study Abroad: an Instructional Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use. Minneapolis, MN: Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota, 2009. Print.

flamingos spend half their time eating and filter 2,000 liters of water each day while doing so

Today I received the itinerary for my month stay in Mérida.  26 days until I'm on a plane.  Reality is sinking in as I finish up my last exams for the spring semester. 

Classes will be from 8:30am-1:30pm Monday through Thursday and will start on June 1, my 4th day in Mérida.

It appears that we will be taking 3 different field trips as a group starting Friday mornings and sometimes lasting the entire weekend.  So after my first week of classes, aka 3 days, I'll be visiting Celestún.  I've taken the liberty to wikipedia (don't hate me, wikipedia haters) said location, and I like what I see.  In Celestún is the Celestún Wildlife Refuge, home to thousands of flamingos and other bird species.  The population is small, but numbers rise during octopus hunting season.  Interesting, no?

The following weekend I'll be visiting the Loltun Cave and archaeological sites at Labna and Uxmal.  My third weekend, we'll be visiting archaeological sites at Chichen Itza and Tulum.

It appears as if I'll have lots of adventures outside of class.  Not to mention, the 3 free days for individual exploration and the time after school each day. I think this is the part where I read travel books.  and THAT can wait until Friday morning when my last exam is over and done with.