Let the fun begin!

Hola chicos. This starts my blog posts that will be about what I am doing and as I promised Sam cultural stuff. I am also taking on a project this semester. There is a local bakery down the block from me. They sell cookies, donuts, bread, and everything in between. I have decided that I am going to try everything that they sell besides the donuts (because I do not like donuts) and then rate each thing. It is a very small bakery but it is going to take all semester because they bring new things out all the time and at different parts of the day they have different stuff. I am also not trying to eat something everyday. This project isn’t going to cost much as I got 2 pastries today for less then 70 cents. But it might turn me into a bowling ball, which I am willing to risk for FANTASTIC tasting baked goods. I will also include a picture with my rating so that everyone knows what I tried. I am naming this endeavor “project deliousioso”. (Project Delicious).

Project delicious:
Tuesday 26- Today was the first day of my project, and I started with a cookie with coconut on top. I believe it was a vanilla cookie with shredded coconut. It was fantastic. The cookie tasted very coconutty. I really enjoyed the flavor combinations that were in this cookie. I give this cookie 5 chef hats out of 5.

Wednesday 27- For today’s baked good, I tried my favorite cookie, that I love in Mexico. Even though I have had this cookie many times, I still wanted to try it as part of my project. It has a vinilla taste and is quite good. I really liked the flavor . I give this 5 chef hats out of 5.

Saturday 30- My third day of the project was a pastry with goo inside. It was very soft and fluffy. The goo seemed to be apple flavored. The pastry was a little too sweet. Paired with the apple-flavored goo, it was too sweet. I give this pastry 4 chef hats out of 5.

Sunday 31- Today I tried the muffin, which I thought was a nut muffin but it was a pumpkin muffin with nuts on top. It was very rich and moist. The muffin also had a great taste and great combination of pumpkin and nuts. I give this muffin 5 chef hats out of 5.

Classes: I had my first History class. Classes are taught much different here then at Drake. We aren’t getting a syllabus until next week and they still do not know assignment deadlines. Both the social work students and the Migration and Globalization students are in the class together. I am in the Migration and Globalization program. There is a social work program going on at the same time as mine. We are going to have some papers, discussion groups , and then we will have to sign up to write an entry in a blog about our experiences and connect it to the reading we are doing . We will also be writing on a blog for students that are studying abroad in Thailand. I personally believe that is it super cool that we get all these opportunities. Next week I start my Spanish courses along with my History class that has already started. I will also be sitting in on the internship classes because I dropped that class even though I will be volunteering at the Middle School teaching kids English, and then working in the Elementary school in a classroom. I am super excited for all the things coming up.


Field Trips: On Thursday morning, we left to see the nearby Pyramids that are close to Cuernavaca and then go on a mini retreat to the Ex- Hacienda Santa Cruz for a short one night get away. The pyramids were amazing and it was SUPER hot up on top of them. They are not as large as some of the others in Mexico that I have visited but they are still super neat. The pyramids were spread out and it was a large compound. After we finished at the pyramids we left for the Hacienda, which was more then 100 years ago a sugar and rice plantation. We stayed at the bed and breakfast part of the complex. We were able to hang out by the pool, or in the hammocks or walk around the complex. I mostly walked around the complex and then sat by the pool and talked to the other people in my program. It was very weird to me to be at “school” but be at a retreat type thing where we were swimming and then every now and then discussing articles that we had to read. We even had a bonfire where we roasted marshmallows. It was a lot of fun. I got totally eaten alive by a trillion nats/ tiny bugs I learned a lot more about the people I am going to be spending the next 4 months.


Cultural: Why are Mexican graves above ground instead of below ground? This question came up today, when a couple girls and I were walking around where we live looking for the local soccer field that people go to run. We were told it was past the graveyard. Now this graveyard is not the average graveyard. It is filled from the moment you walk into it with graves. I do not think there are any plots left. Just like in Mexican culture. They fit a coffin wherever it will fit. I found it very interesting that the graves are above ground. Some of them were really elaborate, while others were very plain. I have only been in a graveyard a handful of times, but this one was interesting, and I really enjoyed walking around. Most graveyards in the states are very plain and grassy. That is not the case with this gigantic graveyard. There was no grass and the graves were really pretty. This graveyard probably glows and has even more life during Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in October.

Weather: I have now been in Mexico for 11 days (at the time of this writing) and the weather has been amazing. The first week it was warm, but the last couple of days , it has been really hot here. The forecast is that in less then a month it will be in the upper 80’s everyday. Luckily the houses retain coolness to help during the day. So the weather will stay hot here, and will stay cold up north.

The other week I came up with an analogy of sorts. When asked about Mexico and the United States I decided that I am living in a different reality. Home and Des Moines are in a whole different world then Mexico. It amazes me that two totally different places can be located within the same continental land that makes up North America but be total opposites. Time seems to go much faster here. It is really strange. I am in a totally different universe, and even though my house, family and Roger are still at home, and my friends are still at school, I am living a different reality this semester then everyone else . It is one that you can not fully understand without being here and feeling and knowing the differences between the two realities. So to end this post today, I hope everyone is having a great day in their reality and their universe, because it certainly is great down here in my Universe.

I will post pictures from this weekend and the bakery pictures tomorrow!
Meira

The pictures so far .

Hey . So as everyone up north is freezing their booties off , I am frying here in Mexico. I am going swimming outside tomorrow, in JANUARY!!! Today I was sweating as I was walking because the sun is so hot . And to think it is January. I am sorry you all are cold. Just think you only have 4-5 more months before it gets to a point where you can wear a t-shirt and shorts.Looking at the weather , I am excited to know that I am skipping the yucky winter and get to skip right to summer time weather.I am even happier that I chose to come on this program during the Winter semester instead of the fall semester . So anyhoo , besides the weather, I have some news!!!!
I have uploaded the pictures that I have taken so far . I picked the best pictures because I do not think you want to look at the same picture from a different angle over and over again. If you want to see the pictures larger the link to the web album is

Meira in Mexico 1

Just click on the words above , and then it should take you to the website . I am also posting them on the side of the blog in a slideshow.There will be a picture of a sign in Spanish , basically it says that there was a outdoor iceskating rink in the middle of the town square . They had to bring in major ice machines and cooler trucks to make it work. OTher then that some of the pictures are from Taxco , and others are from the hotel. I will write more later today maybe if I have time , if not I will write again on Saturday when I get back from my overnight trip to the ruins and the ex-hacienda Santa Cruz. I will let you know how it goes . I am excited but a little bit scared.

Sending some rays of sunshine northbound.

Meira

My Week With la gringa roja (The red american)

My week with my mom started out shaky . We learned after the fact , but you should never eat shrimp in Mexico. The ocean is contaminated and so that shrimp can have a bacteria in them that can make a person really sick and have to go on medicine. Luckily I did not need to be put on medicine but I did get a really bad case of food poisoning . On Sunday, Mom and I went to Sandborns which is a really nice restaurant inside a department store. I ate my shrimp and them later that night I started feeling really sick. My stomach was really hurting and I could not barely move because I was in so much pain. I couldn’t lay on my side or anything . No type of medicine would work , and so I was up most of the night . In the middle of the night I started shaking uncontrollably but that went away after awhile. By mid day on Monday I was feeling SO much better , but was unable to go to Spanish school because I was so sick earlier in the day . Luckily my food poisoning only lasted 24 hours and I was able to go out and do stuff later in the afternoon on Monday.

The rest of the week was filled with Spanish classes, and exploring Cuernavaca again. I was able to get a one-on-one Spanish class because I started on Tuesday instead of Monday. I really liked my teacher , and I think my brain started transferring over to Spanish . I can speak a lot better and understand a lot more. It is also helping that I am remembering my tenses and how to say stuff too.

On Thursday on our way back to out hotel , there was a knitting store , so we went in to get some knitting needles and some yarn. Mom said that it reminded her of Grandma Minn’s ( sorry grandma, I cant spell) knitting store. The ladies were really nice and I even got to have a lesson on how to knit from one of the ladies . It was really cool to have a lesson in Spanish. They told me to come back anytime and get more help if I needed it . Hopefully, I will be able to get to the end of the scarf by the end of the semester , so that they can teach me how to take off the scarf from the needles because I have never learned. That is one of my many goals this semester!

To end our week together , Mom and I had another adventure by taking the bus to Taxco for a short overnight trip. We went on one of those charter buses , and it was a very interesting trip. I got car sick but luckily did not have a repercussions from feeling quizzy on the bus. We walked all over Taxco on Friday afternoon, and looked at all the silver . We decided that the cost of silver went way up because everything was MUY CARO , very expensive. It was fun walking around and looking at all the shops. We had a really good time spending our time looking with out having our boys around to tell us that they were bored. Then on Saturday morning , we got up early to go down to the bus station where there is a huge silver market each Saturday. We walked around and got some really good deals . It was very interesting to see the different designs that everyone had , and all the pieces . I found it very interesting to see all the silver buyers that buy the jewelry to bring back to Cuernavaca to sell in the shops or to the United States to mark up and sell there . We then took the bus back to Cuernavaca and spent the night packing everything up into either my suitcases or mom’s suitcase.

The next morning, we ate breakfast and then Bill( the guy who owns the inn that we stayed at ) drove me to my program house , and then mom to the airport.

So now here I am “alone” in Cuernavaca. I have been in the program house for about 48 hours, and so far I am really enjoying it . I think I am really going to enjoy the semester. We are going on a short overnight trip on Thursday, which I am excited about . I guess I will write more about that after I get back from my trip. I believe we are going to see some ruins and then go to a ranch for the night. I could be wrong but that is what I believe and remember.

Buenos Tardes

Hola. My computer somewhat works now. I can use the Ethernet to get on the computer . Hopefully soon  I will be able to get wireless in the house. Today I took my spanish placement test , and the lady at the school said I did much better then last week. I start Spanish classes next Monday . Yesterday , we broke up into groups and then did a scavenger hunt around Cuernavaca. We had to ask people for directions and the point was to help people get more use to the city and how to get around . It was alot of fun, and I even found places that I did not know existed before yesterday.
Later today , I am going with 2 of my roommates and then a girl that lives across the hall to the bank, paper store , and then a store that is like a small Wallmart. Even though I do not believe in Wallmart because of how they treat others and their paying people very low wages , they have basically taken over Cuernavaca. They own many of the supermarkets here. Apparently , Wallmart has a hiarchy of stores of different levels depending on where the store is located. I believe the stores here in Cuernavaca are some of the lower level stores because they are cheaper. The supermarket that I always went to with my family here , is owned by Wallmart. 
I will attempt over the next 2 days to write a post about living in the program house(like the dry toilet) and then another post about my week with Mom last week. I will also be updating my photos and posting them here on my blog along with a link to make the photos larger.

I am now off to organize my suitcases and find my bag of socks , which have gone missing. I will write soon and post pictures in the next 12-24 hours.

Hasta lluego,
Meira

The start of a new adventure

Good afternoon from Mexico. I am really sorry I have not writen lately. Mom and I were really busy.She left this morning , so now I am all alone in Mexico. This is going to be a short post until I get my computer to start working .The wireless is not working on my computer , so i am going to have to wait until someone is able to look at my computer and figure out why my computer wont connect to the wireless here at the program house. I promise that I will write again really soon. I have writen out a post I want to write here , but really do not want to do that right now . Once I get my computer working , I will post pictures from the past week and a blog post to go along with it . I promise to start writing more often. I think I switched the setting so that people can comment on my posts . Let me know if you want me to include anything in my blogs or if your are wondering anything about my time here so far in Mexico. Miss you all mucho!

<3 Meira

Hola from Mexico

Buenos noches (good evening) from Cuernavaca. I finally arrived at the hotel that I am staying at with my mom for the first week at about 6:30 tonight. It is not a trip to Mexico without a little adventure and my mom and I defiantly went through one today . It was a lesson in two different cultures and what is acceptable in one might not be seen the same way in the other. Normally , when we come to Mexico , we arrange to have a driver pick us up at the airport and drive us to where we are going . Usually the airports are not in the exact location or city of where we will be attending Spanish school. For my study abroad expereince , I am in Cuernavaca , which is about 1.5 hours south of Mexico City. To get to Cuernavaca you always fly into Mexico City.
So , my mom arranged through school that someone would pick us up..Well, we go through customs, get out bags(which all arrived!!!!), and then pressed the button which tells customs if they have to look in our bags. Green means go, Red means STOP and they have to take apart everything in our luggage. We got the green luckily because my 2 suitcase are crazy and i dont want to have to repack them at the airport. So we walked through the glass doors to where our driver was suppose to meet us , but he was nowhere to be seen. We ended up waiting for an hour to see if he would show up , but he didnt so , we got a porter to help us with out bags and show us where the bus terminal is to take the bus to Cuernavaca. The bus only leaves every 40 minutes from the airport. We got to the bus terminal and lucky for us the bus was leaving 15 miutes after we got there . We bought out tickets , and got on the bus for the most interesting ride I have taken on an international bus. There is actually a bus hostess , who rides along with the driver and is basically like a flight attendent. It was so cute.She does her speech about safety and then announces that she will be serving cafeteria style. Mom and I had no idea what that meant. But a little while after we started out our journey for Cuernavaca , the lady in her spiked heals and red jacket and mini skirt  started walking up and down the aisle and handing out drinks and packaged cookies. And it was all part of our bus fair fee that was about 15 dollars! We arrived at the bus terminal safely and then got in a taxi that took us to our hotel.

So instead of going our normal way , Mom and I took a chance and tried something new , and I got to have my first cultural experience of my study abroad semester.

Tomorrow is adventure day in the city. We are going to walk around, find the spanish school and my program house  and hopefully get use to Cuernavaca.

Hasta Luego (Until Next Time)
Meira

My last post from the USA

Well, in less then 12 hours , I will be on a plane heading towards Dallas, TX and finally Mexico City. Then a 1.5  hour drive to Cuernavaca. My emotions have been going wacky all day long . By the end of tomorrow , I will have no tears left. I cried over saying goodbye to a friend today, over the fact I am leaving tomorrow, that I got makeup on my glasses, and finally because I was going to miss home. I am just one huge emotional mess and it will just get worse before it gets better. I am excited  for the experience I am about the have , but the scared feeling and the nervousness is way bigger at the moment then the excitement.Today I am including lyrics from the song Leaving on a Jet Plane. It best sums up my feelings.

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go..... Already I'm so lonesome I could die

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time let me kiss you
Close your eyes I'll be on my way
Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave alone
About the times, I won't have to say

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh baby, I hate to go

Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

I will write again from across the border.

Love,
Meira

My theme song

Well I am down to 1 day left in the USA. I am finishing up the last parts of my paper which somehow  I actually I got a ton done on today! I am posting the Kris Allen song , Live Like We're Dying. This is my new theme song of the semester. Here is the music video if you want to hear the song( just click on the words to hear the song) here------>: Kris Allen- Live Like We are Dying .

Kris Allen - Live Like We’re Dying
Sometimes we fall down and can’t get back up
We’re hiding behind skin that’s too tough
How come we don’t say I love you enough
Till it’s to late, it’s not too late

Our hearts are hungry for a food that won’t come
We could make a feast from these crumbs
And we’re all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you
What would you wish you would’ve done

Yeah… gotta start lookin at the hand of the time we’ve been given
This is all we got and we gotta start pickin it
Every second counts on a clock that’s tickin’
Gotta live like we’re dying

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we’re dying

And if your plane fell out of the skies
Who would you call with your last goodbyes
Should be so careful who we live out our lives
So when we long for absolution
There’ll no one on the line

Yeah… gotta start
Lookin at the hand of the time we’ve been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start pickin it
Every second counts on a clock that’s tickin’
Gotta live like we’re dying

We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we’re dying

Like we’re dying oh - like we’re dying [x2]

We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live - like we’re dying

We never know a good thing till it’s gone
You never see a crash until it’s head on
All those people right when we’re dead wrong
You never know a good thing till it’s gone

Yeah… gotta start
Lookin at the hand of the time we’ve been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start livin it
Every second counts on a clock that’s tickin’
Gotta live like we’re dying

We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we’re dying

Like we’re dying oh - like we’re dying [x2]

We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we’re dying
Live like we’re dying

2 days and counting

I am down to only 2 days left in the United States. This is mind blowing to me . When I first left Drake in mid December  , I felt like I had forever until I left for Mexico and I had so much time to get everything done. Well.... as time always does , it flew by and somehow I found myself last week with a long packing list , a paper to write , and people to tell goodbye. My days have been filled the past week with doctors, seeing people , attempting to write this kind of annoying paper , and of course packing 2 HUGE wheeling duffel bags. My to do list only has a couple things left on it , and I only have 3 easy goodbyes and 1 major goodbye left before I get on a plane with my mom on Saturday morning . My mom is coming down with me to get my settled and hang out for the week before classes start. I am told alot to always live each day and moment to the fullest  because you are not ever going to get it back , and until I leave for Mexico on Satuday I plan to do just that.

Toddles,
Meira

Contacting Meira

During my time in Mexico, I can be contacted two different ways ( see below).  I will  not have cell phone service while in Mexico so please do not try to call or text.

e-mail: truebluesfan88@gmail.com
skype: sogofamily

Welcome

Hi, I have created this blog to keep in touch with family and friends while I am abroad in Mexico during the Spring 2010 semester. I will try to update as often as a possibly can. Hopefully I will post an update once a week. I will also post my contact information in another post.

Happy Reading,

Meira