I made it back to Oregon, finally! When my friends and I flew into the Texas airport, we missed our flight and had to wait for another flight. I was so frustrated and all I wanted was to go home. Soon we were on the flight home and I was met at the airport by my parents, little brother and boyfriend. It was really nice to finally be back with my family but I already missed Mexico. I didn’t have any culture shock while I was in Mexico and haven’t had any from coming back here yet either. All together, the trip was a success. The next time I go to Mexico, I want to bring my family, they would love it.

I realized that when I was in Mexico, I didn’t have culture shock because my family at home has very similar values to the family I stayed with. Also, the culture I grew up in was very similar to the Hispanic culture. The trip was great, but I won’t miss the rain!

Well, the end of my trip is here. I can’t believe 5 weeks is already over. However, I am really glad that school is over. I feel like classes at Western Oregon University will be much easier because they will all be in English for me.

Tomorrow morning we are heading to Mexico city to catch our flight to Texas. I am really sad to be saying goodbye. This week my friends and I went to the mall, we got our nails done, went our to dinner and picked up gifts for our families back home. I bought a bunch of candy for my family to try and different gifts for people from the different places I traveled to while I was here. I am excited to go back home but I am nervous for what it will be like. Mexico is so laid back and calm. Everyone goes at their own place. In the United States, everyone rushes around.

I had comida with my host mom and the other host moms yesterday to say goodbye. It was really fun and I got to practice my Spanish because the moms will always ask a lot of questions. We had potato tacos, rice and beans and then cake for dessert. It was delicious.

This is two days before I leave for Mexico. I have everything almost all packed and I think I am mentally ready to go on the trip. I am excited to get better at speaking Spanish. I wonder if my family there will be nice and if any of them speak any English. I have purposefully kept myself from making expectations for the trip because I don’t want to be disappointed or having bad culture shock because Mexico is different from what I thought it would be.

The sessions and meeting for this trip have made me pretty nervous for the trip and I hope it is not as scary at people say Mexico is. I guess we will find out! The next time I write to you guys, I’ll be in Mexico.

This is us waiting for our flight in Portland, Oregon.

I’ve only have one more week in Mexico, I can’t believe five weeks has flown by so fast. On Mondays been my ankle and ended up having to go to the doctor the University I attend because I needed it to be wrapped. The doctor I had was so nice and made sure to explain what he was doing and what happened to my foot. The whole doctor visit was 25 pesos which is really cheap! The doctor told me to try to not go downstairs as much as possible and since I live on the third floor of my house I couldn’t get down for food and water. My family was so nice and very hospitable to me. They brought my food up to me and they made sure I had everything and made sure I wasn’t walking too much at school. Girl who I live with would come and check on me every day and then report to her abuela what my condition was. My ankle thankful healed very fast and in three days I was able to walk around and go downstairs for food and everything. This week was dead week and I always get harder than finals week because you have all the projects looming over you and the stress is too much. I survived thankfully and spent a lot of time this weekend working on homework because I have three papers and a presentation all do before Wednesday. I almost hate that I’m going to school in Mexico because I’m excited for finals week to be over But then I realize that the day after school ends, I go back to Oregon. Because my trip is almost over I’ve been trying to see the city I am in as much as possible. This week we went to the Centro and we went down a part of the city that we had never been before. The street we explored know was where all the shops were and everything was really cheap. The most expensive thing I bought was 150 pesos and I got two shirts two pairs of shoes and tank tops.

Today we went to El Parque Bicentinario Which is an amusement park. The park is a few big right and then a waterpark attached, the waterpark had three big slides, a big pool and a lazy river you can float down. All of it is outdoors and it was gorgeous! I had a blast and it was fun to see the differences between amusement parks in the United States in an amusement park in Mexico. They have food everywhere and a big stage for a traditional dancers would perform all day. I had a blast and I’m sure this week will fly by.

Week three started to be a struggle for me because I realized how much work 12 credits was in 5 weeks. But I took some time to do homework and luckily I am back on top of the homework game. During the week we went out to a jazz festival in the Centro and did some shopping before ending up in the Fabrica de Chocolate. The restaurant has all sorts of chocolate and ever fondue. We then headed to College bar and saw the night life during a local soccer game. Soon it was time to head home and it was pouring down rain, the best way to explain the rain here is to compare it to Oregon by saying when it pours in Oregon, it is a sprinkle here. The streets started to flood and it was almost impossible to get a taxi. Thankfully everyone made it home safe and took hot showers. The last time it rained and no one showered right after, we all got really sick. We also went to the movies on Wednesday at the theater by my house. On Wednesdays they have discounts and the movies are around 31 pesos. They are so cheap! We saw “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Transformers” in Spanish.

That weekend, I decided to go on a weekend trip to San Miguel de Allende, which is a beautiful town. The morning the group left, I looked up places to go in San Miguel and saw there was a Hot Spring right outside the town and so I told people to bring swimsuits!

The first week has been great. I got to Querétaro, Mexico last Thursday morning and stayed in a hotel until Sunday. I got to my host family on Sunday and got all moved in. My host family has seven and almost eight people in it. There are the Grandparents, Isabel and Raúl, the two daughters Monique and Isabel. Monique is married to Martín and has two kids one is four and one is 10. Isabel has a boyfriend so maybe they will be getting married soon! My family has two dogs and a beautiful three story house.
I have already learned so much on my trip, my Spanish is improving quickly and starting Monday a couple girls and I are doing an all Spanish week. No speaking English allowed! This week was the first week of classes which have been hard because only one professor speaks English and the other two classes are a conversation class and composition class. The professors are more formal here and you have to treat them very respectfully, which is how it should be! I also learned you cannot eat or drink in class unless it is water.
One aspect of the Hispanic culture I have really had to get use to is the sense of time. Everyone here has their own schedule and their own time frame. A lot of times people just will not makes plans but then expect that you all are ready to do whatever. My friends and I always joke that speed limits and red lights are optional here because no one here really follows them. The traffic here is also insane. I have no clue how anyone drives in this place! I take the bus and taxi almost everywhere I go. It is very interesting because in the United States we have very strict schedules and rules and we follow them. Something I really love in the culture here is during the week the mom prepares meals when people are hungry and we usually eat La Comida together. However on Sundays everyone one eats La Comida together and this Sunday we had a BBQ outside with chorizo and carne asada.
I have seen a lot of the Centro area and Colonial areas of Querétaro and I am in love with every part of it! The streets are cobblestone and the buildings are older and colonial looking. After exploring the city we went on our first weekend trip and that was to Mt. Bernal. The elevation is 2510 m tall and I hiked all the way up with my group. The view from the top was breathtaking. Querétaro is so green and beautiful with rolling hills and small cities I could have stayed up there forever. After climbing the mountain we got to explore the city of Bernal and look in some local shops and get ice cream. Next weekend we are going to Mexico City and I am so excited!

Hasta Luego!

Week 2 flew by and it was a blast. During the week the study abroad group went to a restaurant to watch one of the fútbol games and see the culture when there is a game going on. The restaurant was pretty full but nothing compared to when México was playing in the world cup. When México played people would fill the restaurants and then there would be people overflowing into the streets just trying to watch the game in the restaurants. In one of the plazas there was a TV set up and people were watching the game, setting off fireworks, playing music and having a great time. The scene was definitely really cool to see.
During the week I would usually stay home and do homework and I watched Harry Potter with my family one night. The professors definitely keep you busy with homework. I usually do homework from after Comida to when I go to bed. It’s crazy! There are some very culturally different things in México, aside from paying to use a bathroom, which is usually 5 pesos, there are also almost never toilet seats on the toilets! It’s just the toilet bowl. Also the men here are very forward with how they feel and sometimes it feels like they think they have a right to tell you what they think and if they want to dance with you they usually don’t take no for an answer.
For the weekend, the study abroad group went to México City and went to various museums and the Aztec Pyramids. I climbed to the top of the a smaller temple and was able to see some of the inside. I also climbed to the top of the Sun Temple. The altitude was huge and it was actually really challenging to climb however, there were grandmothers climbing up there just like me and some passed me!! We went to the museum of art and saw a Pablo Picasso exhibit along with art that told the history of México. We went to the museum of anthropology which was huge, we saw how humans evolved into the people we are today, we saw archeological sites which included underneath the now México city, before it was Tenochtitlán which was an Aztec city. When Tenochtitlán was conquered by the Spañards they built their building right on top of the Aztec houses and temples. As archeologists are discovering more of the city the citizens get to see a big part of their culture. We saw some underground burial chambers and we also saw where temples were being dug up in the city, which is cool because we only saw the tops of them because they are so far down. We also had the opportunity to see the sacrificial stone that people were sacrificed on. Another place that showed the history of México was the Plaza of Three Cultures. This plaza is in the middle of three major landmarks that are from different cultures and they had a lot to do with the revolution that took place. We got to see Chapultepec Castle which was turned into a museum telling the story of the royal people who lived in the castle before the revolution.
We also visited Xochimilco which is referred to as the Mexican Venice. There are beautifully decorated boats that you get on with a guide who takes your boat down the canals. The boats at Xochimilco are big party places and there were lots of celebrations happening when we went. People will also hop from boat to boat if they want to or see a girl they want to talk to! The culture there was wonderful, it is definitely a place people should go if they want to see some of the culture. The last place we went to was Frida Kahlo’s house. This was also turned into a museum and there were many cultural clues in the house. The house was bright blue on the outside and so colorful on the inside.
My Spanish has improved so much and now I understand why people go on study abroad trips! Week 2 flew by and I know week 3 will as well.

The aquaducts in the city.