(no subject)
Hey Everyone!
It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve sent a mass email update. So much has happened!
Some members of the group spent the first week of spring break showing their parents around Mexico, and then we all went to Ixtapa for the second week and enjoyed some gorgeous Mexican beaches. By the time break was over, it was the middle of April…and then we realized we had about two more months left here. Where did the time go?
Shana and I decided to take advantage of what was almost a long weekend and we went to Veracruz, famous for fishing and coffee. First we went to the port area, which reminded us of the Baltimore Inner Harbor area, with places to shop and eat along the port. We also went to the aquarium. Then we took a bus to Xalapa, which is the capital of Veracruz. It was such a pretty city, with taller buildings than here in Queretaro, but still a small-city feel. Lots of pics on Facebook! And we spent far too much money buying gifts for people…it was just so cheap, we couldn’t resist. The next day we took a bus to Xico and some other place that I can’t remember how to spell….??? where we shopped, took tons of pictures, and enjoyed the lovely weather.
Saturday night we went out to celebrate my 21st birthday…..it also happened to be 5 de Mayo! However, 5 de Mayo is apparently a bigger deal in Texas and the US in general than it is in Mexico. And since the legal drinking age here is 18, my 21st birthday here didn’t have the same connotation as it would have back home…but don’t worry, the gringos made sure I was taken care of as if I were in the states for my 21st. There will be pics on Facebook of this as well….to be honest, I don’t remember much of the night. Which is how it should be.
For my actual birthday, my host family, along with my host brothers and sisters-in-law and their kids, took me to a brunch buffet. It was at this gorgeous hotel that used to be a Hacienda in years past. More pics on Facebook! I had a great time with them….they have been so welcoming and accepting, and I just love my host brothers…they’re pretty hilarious. The waiters came out with a cake for me, and everyone made sure that I put my hands behind my back and bit into it, so then they could shove my face into it….seems like families are the same no matter where you go!
So it’s May, and I have about one month before I leave. Classes end on the 31st, and I just have a few papers, no finals, so we’re planning a trip to Oaxaca that first week in June before we all return to the states. And then I’ll have a week or two home before I move to Carlisle to work all summer…..let me know if you’re gonna be in that area this summer, because I’d love to catch up sometime!
I miss you all so much. It’s like I’m at that point where I don’t want to leave this incredible country, I’m finally comfortable with all aspects of life here and everything seems natural. But at the same time, I’m anxious to see everyone, I can’t wait to just be able to pick up my cell and call my friends without worrying about a calling card. Oh, and I wanna see if I remember how to drive. And also, I really wanna try out my new recipes on family and friends…I’ll have you all know that I now make a kick-tush guacamole.
I wish you all the best of luck on finals, on graduating (DON’T LEAVE!), and on finishing up the semester in general. How weird that time still goes by at Dickinson, even though I’m not there to participate. I guess we all expect to leave things one way, and to come back and have it all still be just as it was.
Love you all,
Er
It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve sent a mass email update. So much has happened!
Some members of the group spent the first week of spring break showing their parents around Mexico, and then we all went to Ixtapa for the second week and enjoyed some gorgeous Mexican beaches. By the time break was over, it was the middle of April…and then we realized we had about two more months left here. Where did the time go?
Shana and I decided to take advantage of what was almost a long weekend and we went to Veracruz, famous for fishing and coffee. First we went to the port area, which reminded us of the Baltimore Inner Harbor area, with places to shop and eat along the port. We also went to the aquarium. Then we took a bus to Xalapa, which is the capital of Veracruz. It was such a pretty city, with taller buildings than here in Queretaro, but still a small-city feel. Lots of pics on Facebook! And we spent far too much money buying gifts for people…it was just so cheap, we couldn’t resist. The next day we took a bus to Xico and some other place that I can’t remember how to spell….??? where we shopped, took tons of pictures, and enjoyed the lovely weather.
Saturday night we went out to celebrate my 21st birthday…..it also happened to be 5 de Mayo! However, 5 de Mayo is apparently a bigger deal in Texas and the US in general than it is in Mexico. And since the legal drinking age here is 18, my 21st birthday here didn’t have the same connotation as it would have back home…but don’t worry, the gringos made sure I was taken care of as if I were in the states for my 21st. There will be pics on Facebook of this as well….to be honest, I don’t remember much of the night. Which is how it should be.
For my actual birthday, my host family, along with my host brothers and sisters-in-law and their kids, took me to a brunch buffet. It was at this gorgeous hotel that used to be a Hacienda in years past. More pics on Facebook! I had a great time with them….they have been so welcoming and accepting, and I just love my host brothers…they’re pretty hilarious. The waiters came out with a cake for me, and everyone made sure that I put my hands behind my back and bit into it, so then they could shove my face into it….seems like families are the same no matter where you go!
So it’s May, and I have about one month before I leave. Classes end on the 31st, and I just have a few papers, no finals, so we’re planning a trip to Oaxaca that first week in June before we all return to the states. And then I’ll have a week or two home before I move to Carlisle to work all summer…..let me know if you’re gonna be in that area this summer, because I’d love to catch up sometime!
I miss you all so much. It’s like I’m at that point where I don’t want to leave this incredible country, I’m finally comfortable with all aspects of life here and everything seems natural. But at the same time, I’m anxious to see everyone, I can’t wait to just be able to pick up my cell and call my friends without worrying about a calling card. Oh, and I wanna see if I remember how to drive. And also, I really wanna try out my new recipes on family and friends…I’ll have you all know that I now make a kick-tush guacamole.
I wish you all the best of luck on finals, on graduating (DON’T LEAVE!), and on finishing up the semester in general. How weird that time still goes by at Dickinson, even though I’m not there to participate. I guess we all expect to leave things one way, and to come back and have it all still be just as it was.
Love you all,
Er