"Just living the dream in Mexico"

They say that living one DAY in México is equivalent to a MONTH of Spanish classes in the U.S... I definitely believe this is true....

My School
Universidad Internacional- The Center for Linguistic and Multicultural Studies
http://www.spanishschool.uninter.edu.mx/
This is a picture of the main courtyard in the middle of campus. The campus has 4 albercas (pools) and 12 edificios (buildings). I have classes Monday-Friday from 8am-2pm. My first week consisted of 3 classes everyday... all taught in Spanish. Gramática (grammer), Conferencia (conversation) and Español (Spanish). There are only 4 people in my classes... two of which are from NC State :) It's quite difficult to learn a language in that language. I pretty much have to pick out words I know, piece them together in my head, translate, and be able to figure out what they are saying... I can't wait to be able to think in Spanish without needing to translate the words to English in my head. Sometimes I just add an "o" to an English word and hope it translates right. Many times it does!

I also have 2 wonderful teachers- Gabriela and Jonathan- who spend individual time with us and challenge us with speaking only Spanish. Pictured below are my good friends- Sara and Marc- from NC State, my professor-Jonathan, and classmate- Diego- from Pennsylvania.
Here is the Facebook link for the photo album of my orientation at school last Saturday. In the photos you'll see my friends from NC State.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=21007&id=128106260534967&ref=mf

My Family- Papa José, Mama Elsa, Pamela and Daniela
My host father José is a retired banker. He takes me to school every morning at 7:30am and picks me up at 2pm, spends his days at home and some nights out with his friends. My host mother absolutely loves working as a secretary at the local orphanage. She prepares dinner after work at 4:30, and cleans the house every Saturday. This is a photo of my family opening their presents from United States that I brought with me. My mother and sisters now love Vera Bradley!
The hardest thing to get accustomed to is the eating schedule. I still can't figure it out. Most Mexican families eat their biggest meal at 2pm and a light dinner around 9pm. My family eats their big meal at 4:30 and they just don't eat again if they aren't hungry...of course I'm hungry again by 7! I don't think they know that I can eat more than what they feed me. I knew the Mexican food would be something to certainly get used to eating every day .. even as much as having quesadillas for breakfast!

I knew it was inevitable when I became sick this past Tuesday, had so much stomach pain I went to the infirmary on the second day of school! I was feeling much better in 24 hours. My goal is to build my immune system so much, I'll be able to drink the water in 7 weeks! (haha)

My house- Paseo de la Cañada #34
I live in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Cuernavaca. The house is 3 stories tall and has a back porch overlooking the gorgeous swimming pool and garden.

My bedroom used to be my 16 year old sister's room. It has 2 beds, a built-in armoire, and of course 2 posters of Zac Efron on the wall...haha. My private balcony has a beautiful view of the rest of the neighborhood and the new condominiums on the hill.

My University hosted a "summer party" at the local bar called "Alive" where all the proceeds went to an orphanage. We raised 10,000 pesos (~$830 USD) that night and had a wonderful time! "Alive" was very much an Americanized bar... playing all 80's and 90's music and lots of Gringos dancing.

Some days, I am invited to my friends host family's home for lunch. I enjoy meeting new people and practicing Spanish with their local families. A few nights out of the week, I head downtown (el Zocalo), enjoy the live music and dancing in the square and experience the local customs, and even going to see a movie in English at the theater with Spanish subtitles. Young children roam the sidewalks and come into a restaurant and walk up to the table selling handmade crafts. You get accustomed to saying "No, gracias" until you see a child so precious you just want to buy something from them. This is when I bought my first bracelet for 40 pesos!
The experience so far has been wonderful. All the people here make my experience what it is. After one week, I can say I wouldn't have wanted to do anything else!