Random Thoughts
There are now 2 girls from Norway that are living in my house. It is
kinda nice in a way. It got boring being the only student in the
house, but at the same time it was kinda nice to not have to share the
bathroom and stuff. I had the upstairs to myself and could dance
around and do whatever I wanted to before, but still, it will be nice
to have some company. They both seem really nice. Neither of them
speak Spanish very well though. They make me feel really smart. I
had to explain so much to them. There is still more to be explained.
Of course, they are from a different culture, so it might be a little
different at first. I went to their welcome lunch yesterday which is
where all the pictures are from. But my Senora said it was okay for
me to go, which is good because I mean I would have been left all on
my own for lunch and all afternoon if I hadn't gone. But none of the
students can really speak Spanish well. It was weird because they
were all speaking their language and then the Mexican host moms were
speaking Spanish. I was just kind of in the middle. It was weird a
little that I wasn't talking to any students, only to the Moms. I
guess it seemed a little weird. But it was okay for me. It is funny,
talking to them makes me happy. I was so happy yesterday. I guess
because it reassures me in my strengths, that I can actually
communicate. And even when the Senoras were just talking amoung
themselves, I was just sitting there and listening, I was able to
understand most of what was being said. This makes me feel so good.
I love it. Plus, I guess the fact that none of the other students
could speak Spanish and I was like, yeah I speak Spanish. It was a
good feeling. That's normal right, to feel pride that I could do more
then, in Spanish, than the Norweigans. Which of course, they all
speak, whatever langugae that they speak there, and then more or less
English, so we are about equal I guess, 2 languages. It is my goal to
learn as many languages as I can before I die. There is this one girl
in like all of my classes that speaks more or less 7 languages. I am
so jealous. But then she is from Belgium, and in Europe it is easier
to learn languages just because the countries are so small and close
together that it is easier for them to travel and it is more necessary
for them to learn more languages because being that close together
there is going to be interaction and communication.
Anyway, I took all these pictures with Mom and Grandma in mind. I
hope that these will inspire at least one beautiful picture. The
whole time I was there I was thinking about pictures that Grandma has
painted. All the sights reminded me of the pictures with the molding
paint or whatever it is called. So these pictures are especially for
them. But they are really pretty, in any sense, just to look at.
This little club, it is apparently really exclusive, was so cute. I
am not really sure what it was originally used for. All the signs on
the buildings for like the sports areas were old looking, but the
buildings look even older. And just looking at the pictures it
doesn't look like a place that was orginally built for sports, but
perhaps. Who knows. Anyway, enjoy the pictures. They are
beautiful. And hopefully there will be many ideas for artwork for Mom
and Grandma.
Grammar class has gotten a little harder. Stupid subjuntive. I am
pretty good with the subjunctive overall, but we have gotten in the
really nitpicky details of the grammar and stuff. A lot is
subjunctive, like depending on the meaning that you want to convey
whether you use that tense or the indicative. So it is hard to do
worksheets on it, because it is hard to know what exactly the meaning
is supposed to be on a worksheet. Most of this is stuff that I will
never use in my everyday conversation anyway. And even if I do, it
will still make sense no matter what mood I use. It is just
technically more grammatically correct. Or sometimes, both are
grammatically correct, one just sounds more suave, or whatever. The
test is going to be hard though. I studied last night for a little
while, along with doing my usual homework. But the test isn't until
the 21st so I still have a little bit of time.
This weekend, tomorrow we are going to San Miguel. There is this
little thermal spring or something that we are going to go swimming
in. Then after that we are going to have time for lunch in the town
or go to the marketplace, or just walk around the town. It should be
really fun. Then on Sunday we are going to Leon for a futbol (soccer)
game. Futbol here is like a life. Our director was like, Mexicans
are Catholic, but even more Mexicans are futbol fans. I am pretty
excited. I have watched futbol on t.v. with Carlos and his friends
when they were in the states, and they really get into it. It should
be a really fun experience. I love seeing people so entralled in
something. I guess it is like a lot of American football fans. But
still different in a way. I had to pay for the ticket and the bus
ride out of pocket. It is not included in our program price, which I
think is pretty crappy, but there is nothing that I can do about it.
I also want to buy a jersy to wear. To fit in you know. But I think
I am going to buy a generic Mexico one, before I go, because there is
this one that I really like. Then I can wear it to the game. I could
buy one of the Leon jersies at the game, but I don't know. I guess it
depends on what they look like when I get there.
I bought this really cute summer dress the other day. It was on sale
and I just really liked it. It was like $16, so not too cheap, not
too expensive, but it is really cute. And I was determined that I
would be buying something from the Yenny brand before I leave Mexico,
and it is a Yenny. I am sure that I will be buying more in the future
because my brand has just the cutuest clothes. I need a little white
sweater or something to wear over the dress. It is a halter top,
which is fine, but I need a little something if I am going to be
wearing it in the mornings or nights. The weather here is still
great. In the middle of the day it can be pretty hot. Yesterday it
was hot, but sometimes in the early mornings, and late at night it is
just slightly chilly. Just enough that I would want long sleeves. So
I am currently on the lookout for one of those. And also jeans. I
only brought a few pairs of jeans, because I didn't want to load down
my suitcases with clothes and stuff, and well lwts face it, I really
didn't have that many jeans in the first place. So I went to look for
jeans, and let me tell you, Mexicans do not believe in regular ole
jeans. They have to have their jeans decorated with lots of sparkles
or designs or something. It is crazy. Most of them are just way over
the top and I don't like them. I cannot find jeans here that I like.
The only pairs that I have found that I like are way expensive. Ok,
maybe not way expensive, but more than I spend on jeans in the US,
because I am a TJ Maxx or clearence kind of girl when it comes to
jeans. Jeans are jeans, or so I thought. So anyway, I really don't
want to spend more on jeans down here than I would spend in the US,
that just doesn't make sense. Things down here are supposed to be
cheaper darn it. Oh well, my search continues.
Other things to report....hmmm. I always think of them later. Still
learning, my Spanish has definitly improved since being down here, and
that makes me happy. I am still having a wonderful time despite the
fact that I havn't made all that many Mexican friends. Each day I vow
to myself that I will do something to make more friends. Ok, I really
mean it now. Working on a few plans to make more friends. Too bad I
am not rich I cannot just go out all the time. But my Senora told me
yesterday that if I wanted to buy any type of food she would give me
the money for it, so maybe that means I can go to cafes a little bit
more often. Hopefully, that is included. It would be nice. Someone
suggested to me that I start going to cafes and just chatting with the
waitors, which I think is a pretty good idea. I could take a book and
read and just kinda chat. Plus they have Mexican students at the
school who volunteer to speak Spanish with students learning, so I am
going to try to start going to some of these. The problem just seems
that they are always meeting sometime around lunch time and my lunch
time isn't exact so I feel like I need to be home, so that I am there
whenever it is ready. One of the problems. Not that my Senora
minds. We are free to come and go as we please, but I just don't want
her to be waiting on me, or worried about me or anything. I was going
to go to one of those meetings this week, but I had some allergy/sinus
thing going on and didn't feel too good. I am feeling better now
though. My nose is still running like crazy, but my head isn't
hurting nearly as much and my ears have stopped throbbing, so all good
signs. So hopefully next week. If the weather stops changing. There
has been a lot of rain here. It rains here a lot anyway, but with the
hurricanes, (no, I am not in any danger, I am really far from the
hurricane) there is even more rain. The only effects of the hurricane
we are getting here is just more rain than usual, which is a crazy
amount. But that is okay, just not good for the allergies.
Anyway, not too much more to report right now. This message is
already really long. So I hope to hear from you all soon. I send all
my love. God Bless!
Besos y Abrazos,
Jenni
kinda nice in a way. It got boring being the only student in the
house, but at the same time it was kinda nice to not have to share the
bathroom and stuff. I had the upstairs to myself and could dance
around and do whatever I wanted to before, but still, it will be nice
to have some company. They both seem really nice. Neither of them
speak Spanish very well though. They make me feel really smart. I
had to explain so much to them. There is still more to be explained.
Of course, they are from a different culture, so it might be a little
different at first. I went to their welcome lunch yesterday which is
where all the pictures are from. But my Senora said it was okay for
me to go, which is good because I mean I would have been left all on
my own for lunch and all afternoon if I hadn't gone. But none of the
students can really speak Spanish well. It was weird because they
were all speaking their language and then the Mexican host moms were
speaking Spanish. I was just kind of in the middle. It was weird a
little that I wasn't talking to any students, only to the Moms. I
guess it seemed a little weird. But it was okay for me. It is funny,
talking to them makes me happy. I was so happy yesterday. I guess
because it reassures me in my strengths, that I can actually
communicate. And even when the Senoras were just talking amoung
themselves, I was just sitting there and listening, I was able to
understand most of what was being said. This makes me feel so good.
I love it. Plus, I guess the fact that none of the other students
could speak Spanish and I was like, yeah I speak Spanish. It was a
good feeling. That's normal right, to feel pride that I could do more
then, in Spanish, than the Norweigans. Which of course, they all
speak, whatever langugae that they speak there, and then more or less
English, so we are about equal I guess, 2 languages. It is my goal to
learn as many languages as I can before I die. There is this one girl
in like all of my classes that speaks more or less 7 languages. I am
so jealous. But then she is from Belgium, and in Europe it is easier
to learn languages just because the countries are so small and close
together that it is easier for them to travel and it is more necessary
for them to learn more languages because being that close together
there is going to be interaction and communication.
Anyway, I took all these pictures with Mom and Grandma in mind. I
hope that these will inspire at least one beautiful picture. The
whole time I was there I was thinking about pictures that Grandma has
painted. All the sights reminded me of the pictures with the molding
paint or whatever it is called. So these pictures are especially for
them. But they are really pretty, in any sense, just to look at.
This little club, it is apparently really exclusive, was so cute. I
am not really sure what it was originally used for. All the signs on
the buildings for like the sports areas were old looking, but the
buildings look even older. And just looking at the pictures it
doesn't look like a place that was orginally built for sports, but
perhaps. Who knows. Anyway, enjoy the pictures. They are
beautiful. And hopefully there will be many ideas for artwork for Mom
and Grandma.
Grammar class has gotten a little harder. Stupid subjuntive. I am
pretty good with the subjunctive overall, but we have gotten in the
really nitpicky details of the grammar and stuff. A lot is
subjunctive, like depending on the meaning that you want to convey
whether you use that tense or the indicative. So it is hard to do
worksheets on it, because it is hard to know what exactly the meaning
is supposed to be on a worksheet. Most of this is stuff that I will
never use in my everyday conversation anyway. And even if I do, it
will still make sense no matter what mood I use. It is just
technically more grammatically correct. Or sometimes, both are
grammatically correct, one just sounds more suave, or whatever. The
test is going to be hard though. I studied last night for a little
while, along with doing my usual homework. But the test isn't until
the 21st so I still have a little bit of time.
This weekend, tomorrow we are going to San Miguel. There is this
little thermal spring or something that we are going to go swimming
in. Then after that we are going to have time for lunch in the town
or go to the marketplace, or just walk around the town. It should be
really fun. Then on Sunday we are going to Leon for a futbol (soccer)
game. Futbol here is like a life. Our director was like, Mexicans
are Catholic, but even more Mexicans are futbol fans. I am pretty
excited. I have watched futbol on t.v. with Carlos and his friends
when they were in the states, and they really get into it. It should
be a really fun experience. I love seeing people so entralled in
something. I guess it is like a lot of American football fans. But
still different in a way. I had to pay for the ticket and the bus
ride out of pocket. It is not included in our program price, which I
think is pretty crappy, but there is nothing that I can do about it.
I also want to buy a jersy to wear. To fit in you know. But I think
I am going to buy a generic Mexico one, before I go, because there is
this one that I really like. Then I can wear it to the game. I could
buy one of the Leon jersies at the game, but I don't know. I guess it
depends on what they look like when I get there.
I bought this really cute summer dress the other day. It was on sale
and I just really liked it. It was like $16, so not too cheap, not
too expensive, but it is really cute. And I was determined that I
would be buying something from the Yenny brand before I leave Mexico,
and it is a Yenny. I am sure that I will be buying more in the future
because my brand has just the cutuest clothes. I need a little white
sweater or something to wear over the dress. It is a halter top,
which is fine, but I need a little something if I am going to be
wearing it in the mornings or nights. The weather here is still
great. In the middle of the day it can be pretty hot. Yesterday it
was hot, but sometimes in the early mornings, and late at night it is
just slightly chilly. Just enough that I would want long sleeves. So
I am currently on the lookout for one of those. And also jeans. I
only brought a few pairs of jeans, because I didn't want to load down
my suitcases with clothes and stuff, and well lwts face it, I really
didn't have that many jeans in the first place. So I went to look for
jeans, and let me tell you, Mexicans do not believe in regular ole
jeans. They have to have their jeans decorated with lots of sparkles
or designs or something. It is crazy. Most of them are just way over
the top and I don't like them. I cannot find jeans here that I like.
The only pairs that I have found that I like are way expensive. Ok,
maybe not way expensive, but more than I spend on jeans in the US,
because I am a TJ Maxx or clearence kind of girl when it comes to
jeans. Jeans are jeans, or so I thought. So anyway, I really don't
want to spend more on jeans down here than I would spend in the US,
that just doesn't make sense. Things down here are supposed to be
cheaper darn it. Oh well, my search continues.
Other things to report....hmmm. I always think of them later. Still
learning, my Spanish has definitly improved since being down here, and
that makes me happy. I am still having a wonderful time despite the
fact that I havn't made all that many Mexican friends. Each day I vow
to myself that I will do something to make more friends. Ok, I really
mean it now. Working on a few plans to make more friends. Too bad I
am not rich I cannot just go out all the time. But my Senora told me
yesterday that if I wanted to buy any type of food she would give me
the money for it, so maybe that means I can go to cafes a little bit
more often. Hopefully, that is included. It would be nice. Someone
suggested to me that I start going to cafes and just chatting with the
waitors, which I think is a pretty good idea. I could take a book and
read and just kinda chat. Plus they have Mexican students at the
school who volunteer to speak Spanish with students learning, so I am
going to try to start going to some of these. The problem just seems
that they are always meeting sometime around lunch time and my lunch
time isn't exact so I feel like I need to be home, so that I am there
whenever it is ready. One of the problems. Not that my Senora
minds. We are free to come and go as we please, but I just don't want
her to be waiting on me, or worried about me or anything. I was going
to go to one of those meetings this week, but I had some allergy/sinus
thing going on and didn't feel too good. I am feeling better now
though. My nose is still running like crazy, but my head isn't
hurting nearly as much and my ears have stopped throbbing, so all good
signs. So hopefully next week. If the weather stops changing. There
has been a lot of rain here. It rains here a lot anyway, but with the
hurricanes, (no, I am not in any danger, I am really far from the
hurricane) there is even more rain. The only effects of the hurricane
we are getting here is just more rain than usual, which is a crazy
amount. But that is okay, just not good for the allergies.
Anyway, not too much more to report right now. This message is
already really long. So I hope to hear from you all soon. I send all
my love. God Bless!
Besos y Abrazos,
Jenni