It took us forever to get here. But it is so worth it. Everything about Queretaro is super beautiful. I’m so happy that I choose to go on this trip. The plane ride wasn’t too bad. When we got to Mexico we finally got onto our three hour bus that would take us to our finally destination. The bus we rode is one of the nicest buses I have ever been on. It had wifi so we were about to communicate with our families from back home and the seats were able to almost lay all the way back like a bed. I had a really good nap. I think everyone did. When we finally got to Queretaro It was nice to have Carmen around. Being one of the ones that spoke Spanish the best I would have to translate a lot. Carmen gave me the role right away. I didn’t want to step on any toes so I would let others take over when asking for directions but at the same time I need to work on my Spanish as well. I’m happy that Carmen decided to stay around for a couple of days. It made the transition stage a little easier. She also helped us get to know the centro in order for us to have a little bit of an idea where we could meet once we were reunited with our host families. Before meeting our host families we stayed in a hotel for three days. It was nice because the six girls and I were able to explore the city together and got to know each other before we had to begin school for the summer. We met locals who quickly became our friends and we had out favorite restaurants and night clubs. All seven of us plus Carmen had a blast. It was nice having Carmen around because I able able to get to know her as a person not just an adviser.

When it was time to meet my host family I was nervous once again. I wasn’t sure how I would greet them. Should I hug them or should I just give them a handshake. Once I did meet them I couldn’t believe why I was so nervous. My host mom lives alone. She has a daughter who is expecting and a niece that is three years old; Penny. Penny has days when she loves to play with me but also days where she doesn’t. Its a love hate relationship. So far I would say that this trip is going to be amazing.

Ps. I’ve never felt so bad about all of the plastic water bottles I haven’t recycled.

-Anahisse Gonzalez