Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is a day of celebration for many reasons:

Reason 1:
Happy Birthday Mom! I wish I could be with you today but lo, I am in Mexico. I hope today is wonderful and that you get a chance to celebrate. Here are some pictures of my mother and me... they were taken when I got my Aggie ring. Whoop!

Reason 2:
Today was my final exam in my Advanced Spanish grammar course here in Mexico. I am glad it is over. It is very interesting to be in classes that last for only 5 weeks. That means after tomorrow's presentation... classes are finished in Mexico. Crazy!

We begin classes in Peru on Monday afternoon. I am taking two courses: Art & Culture of Peru and Advanced Business Spanish (whatever that is).

I am very excited to move on... though even today as I was walking around the city of Guanajuato, I realized how much I have really enjoyed this city. It is weird that with every time I go in certain stores or cafes, it could be my final time for all of my life to enter that place. That is so weird.

Reason 3:
This isn't a reason to celebrate necessarily, but I got bangs yesterday... real bangs. There is a girl in our group who cuts hair back in the U.S. and I thought, why not cut my hair! I love change and I'm in Latin America... hey oh! So she cut my bangs yesterday in the ISA office over a trash can. So professional, but awesome. I like them a lot... very different for me, but different is good!

Reason 4:
Today I bought 9 DVDs for only $10. They are burned but that's how I can get a hold of movies for cheap here that are also compact for travel. I am currently going through them to make sure they are decent quality and in English. My copy of Tarzan is in Spanish and I don't think it can be changed... but that'll be good practice.

The movies I purchased are as follows:
The Dark Knight (filmed in a theater but still good quality), Ratatouille, Dan in Real Life, Toy Story, Tarzan, Independence Day, Phantom of the Opera, Saving Private Ryan, and a National Geographic documentary.

Reason 5:
So many reasons all the sudden... it's a great day! Today is 1/3 of the way through!! 1/3... that is so incredible... I mean, I can do this two more times, in two different countries!

Reason 6:
Yo compre la crema de cacahuate en el supermercado hoy. I bought some peanut butter in the supermarket today... We have heard you can't really find it in Peru, so I'm getting prepped and ready.

That's enough... though I can think a few more. :) Tune in for the highs and lows of Mexico later this week.

how ridiculous is my life.

So I decided to make a post that contains some of the ridiculous things that have happened to me here in Mexico.

1. The aforementioned slaughter of the tin man. This is his photo. Imagine the slight tippage of him followed by my roommate catching him and then setting him back up. Now imagine again, continuing to walk and turning around to watch his body slam against the concrete, causing his head to fall off. Goodness.

2. The first day at a cafe when I couldn't remember the word for "the bill". Using my handy dictionary I found two words listed next to bill in the dictionary: 1) el billete; 2) la cuenta. I decided to choose "el billete" and asked the man, "Puedo tener el billete?" Which translated means, "Am I able to have the bills?" The bills. The dollar bills. I asked the man to hand over the money... similar to a thief. He stared at me blankly as I pointed to a bill laying on the counter. He replied, "la cuenta?" .... I just nodded, embarrassed to open my mouth again.

3. The weekend I went to the Wal-Mart in Puerto Vallarta I was so excited to purchase toiletries that looked familiar. I knew I needed lotion, so I went to the lotion/soap aisle. I looked around and purchased a smaller bottle, considering I wouldn't need it for long. For a good week, I used this lotion. Though it was always really thick and hard to put on. I was talking to Kristen one night on Skype, telling her this... when it dawned on me, "is this lotion?" Of course all the writing is in Spanish and it mentioned "pies" (feet) and other things... I then showed it to my roommate Teryn who translated it fully. It is intense body cleanser. I had been lotioning my legs, feet and hands with cleanser. It was a very laughable moment.

4. Today on a hike, I saw 2 wild donkeys, a family of cows in a ditch, and other farm animals. Awesome... I didn't do anything to mess with them, but it is still ridiculous.

5. I think this is funny. On our last test, we had to write a few sentences in Spanish using the subjunctive tense, which is used to express doubt, wishful thinking... really anything uncertain. These were my sentences (I will post them in English): "I doubt that I will make a good grade on this test. I hope that my professor is nice. I am unsure if after this test I will be able to make a good grade." ... It worked I guess. She didn't count off anything for my sentence choices. :)

That's all I can think of for the moment.

mmm... is that cookies i smell?

So for the past 4 weeks there has been one of the packages for making chocolate chip cookies staring me in the face at every meal. This poor package has yet to be used, but it gave me a brilliant idea. I asked my Senora (house mom) on Sunday, "Puedo hacer galletas?" (Am I able to make cookies?)... she replied with a very excited "Si, Si" (yes, yes). She then bounced around the kitchen showing me all the ingredients she had that I could use to make cookies from scratch.

She pulled out butter, sugar, baking powder, oatmeal, flour, and salt. She asked if I would need anything else... the answer to that is a definite yes. Chocolate chips! She told me she didn't have any but explained where I could buy them.
So yesterday I found a recipe online for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I figured I would need to go buy brown sugar and chocolate chips. I then proceeded to the store where I could buy the necessary ingredients.

The store was basically a counter with glass jars of sprinkles, chocolate chips, and whatever else one would want to make any type of sweets. The chocolate chips looked a little old, but whatcha gonna do? He pulled it down and asked me how many grams I wanted? Grams? Like I know grams... I told him I would watch him put in on the scale and tell him then. I ended up getting 200 grams. We moved on to the brown sugar and I got 200 grams of brown sugar. I was basically eye-balling it. I put the newly filled plastic bag of brown sugar in my hand and thought, "sure, this is about a cup."
Home I went... baked the cookies like normal and then ate them. My Senora has yet to cease telling me how "rica" (good tasting) they are. She has also congratulated me more than once and this morning asked if I would be making more cookies.

My response to her: "Si"
My response in my head: "Are you kidding me!? Of course I'll make more cookies!"

Change of Subject:
From today we only have one more week of class left here in Mexico. Next Tuesday we have a grammar test and next Wednesday (last day of class) we have individual presentations.

Today's presentation was with partners. Teryn and I compared and contrasted our schools. She attends a small, private, liberal arts college in Iowa. And I attend Texas A&M...

Needless to say, it went well... and I ended my presentation with a big ole "WHOOP!" Everyone laughed and my professor looked at me wide-eyed... she didn't even see it coming. Hah.

Thank you USPS... you made my week.

I have known that I would hopefully receive a package within a span of 3-4 days... and TODAY was the day! Camp friends would understand the feeling of anticipating a package or any shred of the outside world everyday. Today far surpassed that feeling one gets when they look under the mail table at camp, scanning the pile of packages for one with the glorious name of, "Funky Chick'n."

Even seeing my parents hand-writing on the package made home feel so much closer. It contained a few articles of clothing that will take the place of some that I will very soon be throwing in the trash can. All of our clothes are washed in this basin thing and then hung dry. Favorite tees from Old Navy take a sick beating, to say the least. And after only 4 washes or so, are screaming for retirement. The package also contained my favorite pens (which for my elitism in writing utensils is almost a necessity). There were also some gifts for host parents in other countries as well as some books! Mom: I will definitely read The Alchemist. I am looking forward to it in fact.

Sunday...

We climbed a mountain. It was an early morning hike which culminated in sitting and seeing the view of the city of Guanajuato in the valley as well as the neighboring mountains. Yesterday I went for a run on the Panoramica... it is a road right by my house that looks over the city. This place is beautiful. Beautiful. I love when I am able to just clear my mind and remember the beauty of life around me. In people, in nature, in buildings, in art. It screams the existence of a personal, intimate Creator. Not just some happenstance of things or even a god who has removed himself from this world.

No. That is not who God is. I was telling my friend the other day about God's goodness. Goodness. It's hard to remember that sometimes when we are focused on what is right in front of us and our selfishness pleads for "justice" or "understanding." What if I am just supposed to believe and trust. God is real. The death of Jesus does offer forgiveness, it does offer freedom and grace.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Happy Birthday Vicki!! (on the 21st)

Happy Birthday Vicki! I want to start giving shout outs to people on their birthdays and the 21st is my grandmother Vicki's birthday... so Happy Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day today!

Today, Saturday, my roommate and I went to the Mega... which is the local mall that I talked about a few posts ago. Well, Mamma Mia came out here (yes, very late) and so we went to see it. I hadn't seen it and so it was really fun to watch in Spanish. All of the dialogue was in Spanish while the songs were in English. I was able to understand enough to follow along. Seeing it on Broadway 5 years ago did not help at all... somehow I don't remember the Broadway production at all.
The other extremely exciting thing that happened was my purchase today...
I have thought a lot about what to buy here in Mexico. I am not much for random trinkets or random "junk"... but I saw this pair of Converse a few weeks ago and really liked them.

First of all, for those who know me well, you know I love shoes and yet recently I have tried to be more particular with the shoes I buy.

Secondly, I love art... and well, these shoes are part of special collection dedicated to the Mexican painted Frida Kahlo. I have studied Frida in school and enjoy her artwork, though, for the avid blog readers, her husband, Diego Rivera, is one of my favorite Mexican painters of all time.
So here are the new pair of Converse I purchased today as my main purchase in Mexico. I absolutely love them. They have Spanish writing all over them... it says along the sole, "If I have wings to fly..."

Quite appropriate. I hope they are a big hit with the blog crowd.

Happy Birthday Vicki, once again! I miss you!

a simplicty post.

I decided to put on "paper" some things that recently have been things I love, both indicative of Mexico and just life in general... a reflection of things that make my smile:

• Cafe Cacamares: where I get Early Grey tea (my favorite) and a bagel every day. I use the internet and study... read... whatever. It's my Mexican Blue Baker
• That Friends comes on t.v. every night. I didn't watch Friends back in the day... but began watching it sophomore year in the Kappa house. It just has both humor and sentimentality to it (shout out to Paige and Noel).
  
• The street vendors. I've never bought anything from them, considering I don't cook and most of what they sell is for cooking. I just like them. They are everywhere... and to add to this bullet point: the smell of tortillas. Guanajuato smells like tortillas.
  
• "United Pursuit Band": they are a band out of Tennessee and they rock. Kristen got me hooked on them this week. But one of their songs, "Running in Circles", is one of the better songs I've heard in a while.
  
• Reading the Bible through in 90 days. It is truly fun. I look forward to it everyday (though it has only been 5 days). Yesterday when I was reading about the Israelites in Egypt, I wanted to strangle Pharaoh. God's faithfulness throughout Genesis and into Exodus is literally astounding. I can hardly comprehend it... but then again, how it comforts me.
  
• When friends message me on Facebook or write on my wall. It's the only form of communication I have with almost all of them... and it just makes my day!
• The view of the city when I walk out my front door every morning. It reminds me of Colorado, and I love Colorado. So it makes me happy.
  
• My host mom, Gloria. Though there are many times when I don't understand exactly what she wants from me... she is so observant and does a great job of making sure she knows what we like and don't like.
  
• Random shirts people wear that are in English. Teryn notices them more than me, but they are still really funny.
  
• Skype. Love it/I don't know what I would without it...
  

That's enough for now. Oh, and wikipedia and google maps. I use them literally every single day. I have a deep love for Google Earth as well, though I can't get it to download. Stink.

Puerto Vallarta Weekend...

We didn't have school on Tuesday due to Mexican Independence Day, thus 11 of us went to Puerto Vallarta to hang out on the beach. I personally enjoyed the extended weekend for my time to read and just watch the waves.

I have been reading a book by Dallas Willard called The Divine Conspiracy. It is incredible and I was unable to put it down basically the entire weekend. Perhaps I will have a post on the book alone as soon as I finish in the next week or so.

The resort was called Golden Crown Paradise and was all-inclusive and right on the beach.

One funny story: I went to a four-course meal on Sunday night... which I love by the way. Sometimes I just find it funny when people get dressed up for things they typically don't do. I mean I don't daily live "refined" so to say, but this night I was trying my best. The workers there are not actively involved in a refined lifestyle either... it just is kinda all showy. Needless to say the wonderful man with the bread basket came by and asked if I wanted bread. Of course I did, so he proceeded to place two fancy rolls on my plate. Then he went to grab the butter ball with his tongs and as he went to put it on the bread plate, it dropped right into my water glass. I looked at him and he at me, and we just died laughing. I loved it... butter in my water! hah.

Here are some photos...
This was from a show they did that was in honor of Disney. The costumes were quite elaborate and they basically just had the main song from many different Disney films put to choreographed dances. The neon lighted Little Mermaid was definitely the funniest.






This is the beach surrounded by mountains... beautiful.













This was one of the sunsets I caught while walking to dinner one night. So pretty!












Random things going on...

• tomorrow is my first grammar test covering primarily the subjunctive tense, both present and past... we shall see how that goes
• the weather this morning was quite chilly, perhaps because I was used to the sunny weather on the beach... I had to purchase hot chocolate. Reminded me of the upcoming colder weather that Peru will have.
• two weeks from Friday we leave here... weird. Especially since today feels like a Monday but is actually a Wednesday.

roomies and rooms...

Yesterday was my roommate Teryn's 22nd birthday. A lot of us went out to eat on Wednesday night to celebrate at an Italian restaurant called Frascatti. It was incredibly good food. 17 out of the 20 of us were there, which was really fun. Then yesterday the ISA (study abroad group) office had a cake for her and we sang a Mexican birthday song that I had never heard before. This photo to the right is from Wednesday night before dinner.

These others pictures are of my living spaces... I know some people have been asking. So here they are. More will come of the downstairs living room, which we never go into really, as well as the kitchen table where we eat all of our meals.
The first is of the bathroom we use right outside our door. It is all blue... wowzas. The other is the view of my "area" which consists of my bed and headboard full of my stuff. There are photos I printed before I left hanging over my bed. That is my monkey and my computer on my bed... as well as my backpack on the floor.

So those are some photos... as well as this one taken from the door to our room. You can see my bed on the left with the monkey. That is Teryn's bed next to mine, decorated with her birthday present from me on it.

So that is my room and some recent happenings. I have been so encouraged lately by being here. Granted we leave for Peru 3 weeks from today! So crazy... though I am getting excited about a new place. The time here is good to get a good idea of life and culture but not long enough to get roots, so I begin to want a new atmosphere at times. The people are great, and I am really enjoying getting to know them well.

Psalm 103 has been a passage that has really encouraged me over the past few weeks. I would like to end with this verse from Psalm 103:

"Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame, He is mindful that we are but dust." v. 13-14

Because setting goals for me is fun...

A few random things to spice up your life:

• Cousin Bethy mentioned listening to Brooke Fraser. I would like to say that Brooke has been a part of my itunes library for almost a year now. She quite possibly could change you life. Her live album is awesome, though the Albertine album is good as well. My favorites of her songs, which everyone should look in to, are: C.S. Lewis Song, Arithmetic, and Hymn.
  
• I have made a few goals for myself during this study abroad trip... I would like to put them into cyberspace for the purpose of accountability.
  
• 1: To read through the entire Bible. I bought one of those chronological Bibles before I left to read, and then my roommate invited me to read through the Bible in 90 days with her. If we begin on Sunday, we will finish the day before I return. Any takers out there? Here is the schedule...
• 2: To begin running in order to train for a half marathon in February with my best friend Kristen. So far, so good... though "official" training doesn't begin until early December.
  
• I love personality tests... love them. It may be indicative of my personality, go figure, but here is what mine says according to some application on Facebook. Reliable? Sure.
  

• ENTJ ( The Executive )
• Extroverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging

  Assertive and outspoken - they are driven to lead. Excellent ability to understand difficult organizational problems and create solid solutions. Intelligent and well-informed, they usually excel at public speaking. They value knowledge and competence, and usually have little patience with inefficiency or disorganization.

• ENTJ Strengths
• Genuinely interested in people's ideas and thoughts
• Enthusiastic and energetic
• Take their commitments very seriously
• Fair-minded and interested in doing the Right Thing
• Very good with money
• Extremely direct and straightforward
• Verbally fluent
• Enhance and encourage knowledge and self-growth in all aspects of life
• Able to leave relationships without looking back
• Able to turn conflict situations into positive lessons
• Able to take constructive criticism well
• Extremely high standards and expectations (both a strength and a weakness)
• Usually have strong affections and sentimental streaks
• Able to dole out discipline
• ENTJ Weaknesses
• Their enthusiasm for verbal debates can make them appear argumentative
• Tendency to be challenging and confrontational
• Tend to get involved in "win-lose" conversations
• Tendency to have difficulty listening to others
• Tendency to be critical of opinions and attitudes which don't match their own
• Extremely high standards and expectations (both a strength and a weakness)
• Not naturally in tune with people's feelings and reactions
• May have difficulty expressing love and affection, sometimes seeming awkward or inappropriate
• Can be overpowering and intimidating to others
• Tendency to want to always be in charge, rather than sharing responsibilities
• Can be very harsh and intolerant about messiness or inefficiency
• Tendency to be controlling
• May be slow to give praise or to realize another's need for praise
• If unhappy or underdeveloped, they may be very impersonal, dictatorial, or abrasive
• Tendency to make hasty decisions
• May explode with terrible tempers when under extreme stress

And... that's the way to end a post: "may explode with terrible tempers when under extreme stress".... I contemplated deleting that one, but then I thought that could be considered a "tendency to be controlling". You tell me. hah.

Dear Chai Latte, won't you be mine!?

So on Saturday I was given the opportunity to go to a Starbucks in San Miguel de Allende. We got to go swimming in some hot springs... small pools fed by hot spring water. It was nice and relaxing. We then spent Saturday afternoon walking around artisan shops and taking pictures. Also, as the title suggests, I was given the wonderful opportunity to go to Starbucks.

There are so many feelings that I have towards American multinational companies... we won't go there. We will go to the joy that can come from a sweet Chai Latte. Oh sweet goodness that it is.

To top off my American weekend... yesterday some of us went to the "mall" in town. It is equivalent to a Wal-Mart type store with a smaller version of a mall attached, with a cinema and a food court: including a McDonalds and a Subway. I went with Subway, for obvious reasons.

Turkey sandwich. Thank you.

The weather is chilly today and it was sprinkling on the 25 minute walk to school this morning. We figured that we walk for 2 hours everyday, going to and from home to the main parts of town.

Mexico... muy divertido. I will be heading to Puerto Vallarta this weekend for Mexican Independence Day (Sept. 16th). More to come on those adventures....

Weeks in Review

This is something I realized last night as I was going to sleep... I was thinking of where I currently am and where I was at that time the week prior. I found it quite interesting...

Today: Wed, Sept. 3rd
I am sitting in Guanjuato, Mexico working on advanced Spanish homework and writing my friends emails.

Last week: Wed, Aug. 27th
I was climbing Teotihuacan, outside of Mexico City. I was probably standing on the Pyramid of the Sun at this exact time.

Week Prior: Wed, Aug. 20th
I was in Wichita Falls, TX meeting two dear high school friends for lunch at Atlanta Bread Company

Week Prior: Wed, Aug. 13th
I was in Tyler, TX... finishing my final week at the Pine Cove Towers camp. Fun and awesomely crazy week!

Week Prior: Wed, Aug. 6th
I was in Panama... saying goodbye to all my good friends who have worked in Panama for the past three years. That was a tearful goodbye. So many memories.

And thus is the inconsistency of my life. bah.

a pigeon pooped on my arm

Yesterday was the first day of school. This is my annual "first day of school picture." I am sitting on my bed which is basically the extent of my "room" or half of the room which I share with Teryn. It's cozy and becoming home.

We have a television in our room with a few English channels that are subtitled. So last night we watched Seinfield before going to bed... just like America.

I have found this cafe that I really like. It is open air so it feels awesome and the drinks are superb. Though today, as the title expresses, I was sitting and working on my laptop when a pigeon pooped on my arm. That has never happened to me... I was disgusted, needless to say.

So... I am taking suggestions on music and books:

• I want to broaden my music... so if there is a band or solo artist out there you like send their name this way
• If there is a book you think I should download and try to read... let me know.
  

Perhaps I could do reviews on music and books yall like. That'd be fun. Peace.