During the next day in Guadalajara, we decided to take a tour of a city called Tequila about an hour outside of Guadalajara.  Guess what they make? ….You guessed it: Tequila! A huge group of people from different hotels met up and we all boarded two huge charter buses in the morning.  It only cost $25 for the whole day! Our first stop was a store in the middle of nowhere.  There, we got to taste 100% natural tequila, without preservatives or other artificial things.  I didn’t try any tequila because that stuff grosses me out.  In the little podunk store you could also buy bottles of tequila, shirts, and little snacks.  All I did there was take some pictures of the agave fields and get back on the bus.  Agave is the plant that tequila is made from.  It looks like a big desert cactus. 

            From there, we next went in the middle of an agave field where we were met by a man that worked in the agave fields.  He said that all of the plants are harvested by hand, using no advanced machinery.  He demonstrated how an agave plant is harvested.  After he talked to us about the plant, we got a chance to take pictures with him and with the plants.  It wasn’t the most exciting moment of my life but it wasn’t too bad.  The agave plant was surprisingly heavy.  I would not like to work in that field all day!

            From the field we drove into the actual town of Tequila to tour the Jose Cuervo distillery.  I found out that tequila can only be called tequila if it is made in this certain region of Mexico.  When we got to the distillery, it was fancier than I thought it would be.  I guess they give tours all day so there is a lot more than just the factory itself.  We watched a little introductory video before heading into the building where tequila is actually made.  Before we could go there, everyone had to put on little shower caps.  We first went to a series of ovens where the agave plants are heated for a while (I am not exactly sure how long).  From there, the plants turn very sweet.  We got to taste a piece of the agave plant after being in the oven and it truly was sweet.  Before being cooked it just tastes like a potato.  From the oven, the plants are crushed to get all of the juice out of them.  It is then distilled (I think) and fermented. Along the way, we got to taste the plant as it changed and finally turned into tequila.  There were a couple types of tequila that were kept in barrels for differing periods of time to get a little different taste.  After the tour, we went to the gift shop and I bought some cute posters.  We were given an hour or so after the tour to walk around the town and take pictures.  I bought a coke and ate my peanut butter sandwiches I had made for the day!  I’m so cheap!

            From the town, we stopped at a restaurant to eat a late lunch.  The restaurant had a very pretty view of hills in the distance and agave fields.  After about an hour at the restaurant, we made one final stop at another little store for about ten or fifteen minutes.  This time, my friends and I didn’t even get off the bus.  I know that the people in charge of the tour get a commission at the restaurants and stores they stop at and I don’t want to be any part of it.  I am just fine with my peanut butter sandwiches!  After our final stop at the random store, the bus proceeded to drop people off at their respective hotels.  It took almost another hour to get back to our hotel because we were one of the last groups of people to be let off. 

            That pretty much sums up our second full day in and around Guadalajara.  That evening we ate at McDonald’s and collapsed back at the hotel.  Maybe it’s because I don’t drink alcohol a lot that the tour didn’t interest me much.  It was nice to see somewhere new; it just wasn’t the most fun thing I have done while in Mexico.  The next day proved to my favorite day in Guadalajara… SHOPPING!

The agave and I hanging out. I look like midget!

Inside of the Jose Cuervo factory.

This past week we did not have school Thursday or Friday.  What does that mean? V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!  Since my return to the United States is getting closer and closer, I want to see as many places around Mexico as I can.  I hope to return in the future but nothing is set in stone.  Two girls, Whitney and Emily, decided to travel to Guadalajara for a couple days so I asked if I could join them.  It is the third largest city in Mexico and is located about four hours from Guanajuato.  We decided to leave this past Wednesday in the afternoon after school let out so we could spend more time in the city.  That day I packed up my stuff and went out to eat with my friend, Ashley, before my departure.  The bus was scheduled to leave at 4 pm so I started looking for a city bus to get me to the bus station at 3 pm.  I thought this would be plenty of time until no buses were coming.  It takes about fifteen minutes to get to the bus station normally but it seemed like every street in Guanajuato was in a traffic jam.  I decided to look for a taxi and still couldn’t find an open one.  It was about 3:25 and I was starting to get panicky because if there is one thing in Mexico that is on time, it is the buses (not counting city buses).  They leave precisely five minutes after the scheduled departure time.  I finally saw a taxi that had someone in it but the driver asked where I was going anyway.  The driver was on his way to the bus station so I hopped in and away I went.  It probably wasn’t my best decision getting in a cab with a strange man already in the backseat. And mom, don’t yell at me, I won’t do it again! On the way to the bus station he asked where I was going and we talked for maybe two minutes.  When I got to the bus station he helped me with my bags and then proceeded to ask me what I was doing when I got back to Guanajuato.  He wanted to hang out sometime at a bar and gave me his card to call or email him.  I never seize to be amazed by Mexican men here; they are soooo forward with girls.  As if you thought that was a little strange; as I was sitting with my friends waiting for the bus to come, he comes up to me again and gives me a “regalito”, or little gift, that he bought at the bus station.  It was a little angel candle.  It took all my strength not to break out laughing but somehow I managed to accept it with a smile and a polite “gracias”. 

            We all got on the bus just fine and made our way to Guadalajara.  From the bus station there, we took a taxi to our hotel.  The hotel was a little expensive for my taste but I didn’t say anything since I was the tagalong.  It had wireless internet, air conditioning, a beautiful lobby, and lots of little free trinkets for me to take home (shampoo, conditioner, shower cap, sewing kit, lotion, and shoe polisher).  Since we got there around 8 pm, we really only ate dinner and walked around a couple blocks that first night. 

            The next morning we got up and were ready around 10 am.  Whitney wanted to go see the Guadalajara Zoo.  I made myself two peanut butter sandwiches so I wouldn’t have to spend all my money on food.  We piled into another taxi and headed to the zoo.  It was pretty much what you would think a zoo would look like, although there were a couple interesting animals there.  There was a group of American bison in a little exhibit.  Also in the bird area, there were a couple crows in a cage.  I thought it was strange because in the United States, those animals are not normally in zoos.  The Zoo also had an absolutely gorgeous view of a huge ravine that went on for miles.  Right next to the Zoo, there was a little theme park.  None of us wanted to spend the money to go in so we decided to head back to the city and walk around in the afternoon.  We walked for probably a mile outside of the Zoo before we got into a taxi to return to the center of Guadalajara. 

            Everything was going fine in the taxi until a motorcycle cop pulled the taxi driver over.  We weren’t really scared but we were curious as to why he was pulled over.  The driver got out of the car and started talking to the cop.  When he came back to the car, the first thing he said out loud was “Mexican Corruption!”, obviously frustrated.  From what I could gather, I think that the taxi driver’s license plate had been expired eight days.  Because of that, he could get a fine from the police officer.  Well in place of getting the fine, the driver could just personally pay the cop a lesser amount.  I don’t think there really are such things as warnings by police officers in Mexico, only bribes.  After about five or ten minutes, we were on our way again and made it safely back to our hotel.    

            After resting up for a couple hours in our hotel, Emily and Whitney wanted to eat at the Hard Rock Café in Guadalajara.  It was located in a modern mall, called Centro Magno, that has a movie theater, a wannabe Victoria’s Secrets store (There were Victoria’s secret tags but it was obviously not one of their stores; they were trying to sell an actual Victoria’s Secret lotion for $70), other expensive clothing stores, and a Starbuck’s.  I held off eating dinner at Hard Rock because the food was outrageously expensive! I waited until they were done and then went to Subway to eat.  I probably saved myself $20! We went back to the hotel to watch some TV before we decided to go to bed.  We wanted to be all rested up for our second full day in Guadalajara!

Me in front of the huge ravine at the edge of the zoo.

The pretty lobby of our hotel.

The next morning in Mexico City, we all had to be at breakfast by 7:45 am so we could leave an hour later. Our waiter was not the nicest because Ashley and I wanted to switch something on our order, and he just stared at us for a minute. We knew he could understand us; he just wanted to be a tushy. Oh well, our order got changed so we were happy. Everyone headed on the bus and we were off to our first stop of the day, the Museum of Anthropology. It is located in Chapultepec Park. It reminded me of Central Park in New York (even though I have never actually been there). There must have been a marathon or little race in the park that day because there were hundreds of runners with numbers on them and little medals they received. I don’t know what it was for but there were lots of people. We entered the museum and were given two hours to walk around. That was totally not enough time because there were two floors and three huge buildings. There was also a temporary exhibit that we didn’t even have time to go into. Our little group of friends decided to look at the Maya, Aztec, and Teotihuacan exhibits.

We walked through the Maya exhibit pretty fast. I feel bad that I skip over these artifacts that I am sure are really important. I just don’t know their significance so the artifact doesn’t mean anything to me. They were really pretty though! Our next exhibit was about the Aztecs. The museum is known for a huge Aztec calendar made of rock and a feathered headdress of Montezuma. The headdress was really colorful, but when I went close I discovered…… it was a fake! Well ok, it was not actually a fake. It was only a huge photograph of the headdress, not the actual headdress itself. I’m sure they have it in their museum vault or something but I was really bummed not to see the real thing. From there, I went off on my own and eavesdropped on a tour group. The director was describing a huge stone goddess in English. Out of nowhere, I started hearing what sounded like drums beating and people shouting. I ditched the tour group and power walked outside to see what was going on. There was a parade of about a hundred people dressed up as Aztec Indians. Some were beating on drums, some were singing, and others were carrying incense. There is a huge open area in the middle of the buildings with a little pond. I thought they were going to stop there but they kept walking right into the Aztec part of the museum. A spotted Ashley and persuaded her to walk back into the exhibit with me so we could see what was going on and get in a good spot to take pictures. We dodged and weaved and ended right in the middle of the action. The leader of the parade led the people straight to the stone goddess. He started chanting something in Spanish and later on, people started dancing to drums and other instruments. The whole thing went on for about an hour. I am still not exactly sure why there was a parade or gathering at the exhibit. I don’t know if it was a weekly thing that those people do or if it was a rare sight. Either way, I thought it was nice that the museum allowed them to all enter the exhibit and pray to the figures. If I worked at the museum, I would think that that many people would be a nightmare. There were so many people so close to several statues and old artifacts, I would be afraid that something would get broken. I am so glad, though, that I was there at that specific time. Being there with all of the people in costumes and hearing their songs and prayers, it gave me a sense that I stepped back in time for a little bit. For about ten minutes, the people were chanting extremely loud. I was afraid that I was going to be sacrificed. It reminded me of the movie “Apocalypto” with all of the costumes and sounds.

After all of the dressed up people had left, we only had about twenty minutes to look at the rest of the museum. Ashley and I hustled to see as much as we could. There were lots of current Mexican Indian outfits on display along with typical houses and religious items they use. Soon after, the whole group made our way back to the bus and drove to our next stop, Teotihuacan.

The first thing I noticed getting off the bus was the heat. The whole time I was there, I was sweating! We were given three hours to walk around Teotihuacan. I thought that was going to be too much time but it turned out that we could have used a little more time. The pyramids are spread out over two kilometers. The big pyramids (pyramid of the sun and pyramid of the moon) along with the smaller ones are linked by a road called “Calle de los Muertos” or road of the dead. It is believed that old Aztec rulers were buried along the road hundreds of years ago. The little pyramid we came to had what looked like dull red paint on it. I read in my Mexican travel book that the red is original and it was made from squashing a certain kind of bug on the stone. From there, we all leisurely walked to the pyramid of the sun. The walk up the pyramid I could have done without. There were so many people all around that it kind of took away how pretty the pyramid actually was. We all finally made it to the top and spent the next twenty minutes snapping pictures and resting from the trip up. While up there, I realized I had to go to the bathroom. On the bus ride over from Mexico City, I drank a whole bottle of coke. I didn’t think it would be a problem. As we were walking through Teotihuacan, I found out that there are only bathrooms at certain parts of the park, at the beginning and end of the Calle de los Muertos. The pyramid of the sun was in the middle. I told my friends I would meet up with them at the pyramid of the moon because no one else needed to go to the bathroom. I made my way down one of the tallest pyramids in the Americas and started my trek to the bathroom at the end of the park. I asked the information booth where the bathrooms were and they told me it was past the parking lots. I finally got there and was glad to find that they were free to use ( a rare thing). I made my way back and met up with my friends about a half hour or 45 minutes after I originally left them. All of us took pictures at the pyramid of the moon. People are only allowed to walk up halfway up that pyramid, but I am not exactly sure why. Before we knew it, the time flew by and we were back on the bus for our ride home.

If anyone wants to travel to Teotihuacan, here are a few suggestions. Go to the bathroom before you start off going through the park because like I said before, they are not located all over. I would also suggest bringing a big bottle of water. Wear tennis shoes. There are lots of vendors at each entrance and also all over the park so bring money if you want to buy something. There were about 10-15 people selling things just at the bottom of the pyramid of the sun. Food is also sold at the end by the pyramid of the moon in case you want to eat there.

Me and a big, scary Indian man. Don’t sacrifice me!

Indians with the aztec canlendar in the background.

Me on top of pyramid of the moon, what a pretty day!

Our goal for the rest of the day was to visit the Virgin of Guadalupe.  This piece of Catholic art is visited by over eight million people each year.  The image of the Virgin is supposed to have miraculously appeared on the cloak of a man named Juan Diego hundreds of years ago.  The image is now displayed in a huge circular church open to visitors.  Ashley and I went to go meet up with some friends who were eating at a different place so we could all go together.  When we came, they had just gotten their food. Ashley and I decided to walk around for a half hour while they finished eating.  We had not had a chance to go into the cathedral off of the zocalo before, so we decided that it would be a perfect chance.  The cathedral was huge and intricately decorated.  Our director told us before that the back of the church is slowly sinking.  The entire city was built on a lake and therefore, many buildings have structural problems.  We couldn’t actually see the difference in the building because of its size, but we definitely saw other buildings with severe problems later in the day.   

            When the other girls were finished eating, we set off in search to find a hotel where we could call a taxi.  My host brother, the director, and my travel book warned tourists about hailing taxis from the street.  The US state department actually issued a warning about green VW bug taxis due to their association with kidnappings, robberies, and rapes.  We looked for a hotel for a little bit, but couldn’t find any.  We decided to take the chance and get a cab from the street.  My book told me that if you do decide get a street cab, to check the license of the taxi driver and make sure that they have a legitimate license.  I also felt extremely comforted when my travel book said that if worst comes to worst, pick a four-door taxi instead of a two-door taxi because they have more escape routes.  A taxi pulled over we determined a price.  I asked to see his taxi license.  I kind of felt like an idiot for doing it and the other girls laughed at me, but I don’t care, I’m never going to see that guy again in my life.  We were a little worried when we saw that there wasn’t even a license plate but we decided to take a chance.  There were seven girls in the taxi so we figured we would be fine. 

            We survived the taxi ride and made it to the Virgin of Guadalupe unharmed.  The building where the cloak is held is huge! We all walked in just as mass was about to end.  It ended shortly after so we all walked up to the front to take pictures.  In the process of taking pictures, a priest walked by me and sprinkled holy water on me.  I would actually say it was more than a sprinkle, though, because he took what looked like the mini-end of a mop, dipped it in a little bucket of water, and flung the water at people in the front.  I read that there was a moving sidewalk with a good view of the Virgin so was followed everyone else who looked like they knew what they were doing and we ended up in the right spot.  There were four moving sidewalks just below the cloak where people could take pictures or videos.  I went back and forth two times to get as many pictures as possible.  After exiting the building, we headed next door to the old basilica.  This basilica used to hold the Virgin until it began sinking.  You could clearly see that the top of the building was leaning much farther out than the base.  We walked into the church and discovered that almost the whole thing was covered in with intense scaffolding. It wasn’t the most secure feeling being in the basilica knowing that the scaffolding was what was holding it up.  I had to give a little chuckle when on the way out; there was a little basket with a sign that asked for donations to help restore the basilica.  I don’t think any amount of money could save that basilica from sinking or tumbling over. 

            Right behind the basilica was a beautiful garden, called Tepeyac Hill, where Juan Diego was supposed to have originally seen the Virgin.  In the garden there was a beautiful little pond with statues of the Virgin, Juan Diego, and other indigenous people that my host brother told me about.  I saw the statue of the Virgin from far away but that part of the garden was closed.  One of my friends tried to flirt with the guards so they could let us in.  That did not work but they did take our cameras and take pictures for us. 

            Our next stop was going to be the Plaza de Las Tres Culturas.  It is named that because there are Aztec ruins, a colonial Spanish Church, and modern buildings all in one central area.  To get there, we had to risk taking yet another taxi.  We asked a couple taxi drivers but none were too thrilled about having seven people in their car.  One of the girls flagged down another taxi and everyone got in, that is everyone but me.  I was getting a little mad at the taxi driver because he was trying to charge us about the same price as it cost us to go see the Virgin from the Zocalo but it was about half the distance.  He agreed to a lower price so then I had to find a place to sit in the taxi.  Being one of the smallest of the seven girls, I was supposed to cram in whatever space was left over in the taxi.  I tried to sit on this one girl’s lap in the front seat but my head was touching the windshield.  I didn’t think that that would be the safest decision, considering how taxi drivers drive, so I forced my way into the back seat.  We survived the taxi and were dropped off at the Plaza.  There was hardly anyone there, but I think it was still worth it.  I was glad that I visited the Plaza because I also found out that it was the location of the Tlatelolco Massacre in 1968.  There was a huge student protest against the Mexican government at the time.  All of the sudden, Mexican officials started shooting into the crowd.  The true number of people killed was never known due to the Mexican government attempting to cover it up.  A memorial in the Plaza said that the day after the massacre, the front page of the newspaper talked about the weather, nothing was mentioned on television, and there was never a moment of silence for anyone killed.  1968 was also the year that the Olympics were held in Mexico, so it is believed that they were trying to cover up political unrest by shooting the protesters and eliminating the problem.  It shocked me that after such a horrible massacre of innocent people, the news would not even acknowledge what had happened.  There is now a museum dedicated to the victims of the protest.

            After walking around the Plaza, we took another taxi back to our hotel. That taxi ride ended up being the most comfortable, even though it about the size of smart car.  After resting at the hotel, we remembered a McDonald’s a couple blocks away.  We savored our little piece of America.  I also topped my meal off with a Mocha Frappuccino from Starbuck’s.  It felt wonderful!  All of us girls settled in for the night to get a good rest before our second, and last, day exploring Mexico City!

Evil VW bug taxi!

Virgen de Guadalupe.

The old basilica (titling pretty badly).

Me in front of the Plaza de Tres Culturas.

This weekend has been extremely busy but very fun! Our study abroad group took a weekend trip to Mexico City. We only spent one night there but it was absolutely packed with stuff to do. We had to meet at 5:45 am to take a five hour bus ride to Mexico City. As I was waiting at Plaza de la Paz to walk with a couple girls, there was a truck about twenty feet away. It was reversing and as it did, I swear that it made a mooing noise. The guy must have installed something in his truck to do that. I found it hilarious and just wanted to share it with you. We left about 6:15 am and arrived about 12:30 pm to the city. I spent the time on the bus gazing out the window and listening to my iPod. I just love looking out the window on bus trips because everything looks so different from where I live in the United States. It looks more like a desert and every town that we pass through is different.

We first dropped off our bags at the hotel where we were going to spend the night. It was close to the famous Alameda Park and about a block away from a men’s entertainment club. I guess they wanted to save money on the rooms or something, but oh well. We walked along the edge of the Alameda Park to a monument of Benito Juarez. It was neat to see the park because it was the scene for one of Diego Rivera’s most famous murals on display at the Diego Rivera Museum in the city. After the monument, we made our way the Palacio de Bellas Artes. The building took almost thirty years to complete due to the Mexican Revolution. It is gorgeous on the inside and out. You could enter for free if you had your student ID. I have noticed that there are much more discounts for students here than there are in the United States. I get a discount on bus fares and entrances to museums. It is a nice little bonus. Anyway, I entered the museum and made my way up the three floors. All of the walls were covered with murals from famous muralists or painters. The most impressive in the museum was the mural by Diego Rivera that he was originally supposed to paint in Rockefeller Center in New York City. As he was painting it, people from the building noticed he had painted in the face of Lenin. They demanded he cover it, and when he didn’t, they destroyed the mural that he was painting. The Mexican government asked him to recreate the mural in the Palacio. He recreated it and added a picture of a syphilis-afflicted John Rockefeller to the mural. I personally couldn’t find Rockefeller because I didn’t know what he looked like but that is what my handy-dandy Mexican travel book told me. Diego Rivera must not have liked that man! After walking around to the other murals, I made my way down to the entrance so our group could move on to another museum.

On our way to the next museum, we walked by the Zocalo and the cathedral right in front of it. The zocalo is a huge plaza in the center of Mexico City where concerts are held, vendors sell their goods, and people walk around to admire the buildings surrounding it. As we walked by it, about half of the zocalo was covered by a huge temporary building where people were waiting in huge lines to enter. It was a temporary museum, titled “Ashes and Snow” to display the pictures of a photographer, Gregory Colbert. The museum had been there since the end of January and will close at the end of this week I believe. The next museum that we went to was called Museo del Templo Mayor. This museum was located right across the street from the cathedral and featured Aztec Ruins. The Museum also had many artifacts on display from different Mexican Indian cultures. It was not my favorite museum because I did not know what all of the artifacts were and what their significance was. It was still neat to see all of items that have been discovered by archaeologists.

We next entered the Palacio Nacional. This building that stretches the entire length of the zocalo is where several government agencies are housed along with the president’s headquarters. This building, like many others in Mexico City, had several murals by Diego Rivera illustrating the history of Mexico. We were only allowed to walk through half of the building to view the murals. The other half was blocked off by guards. I was a little surprised that my little backpack and I were allowed in the building because I had brought along a pretty decent-sized bottle of pepper spray. The Palacio Nacional and all other museums had x-ray machines but none of them said anything to me about it. It just surprised me a little, especially being in a very important government building. One museum did make me finish my water because that wasn’t allowed, but apparently pepper spray doesn’t matter.

After visiting the Palacio, everyone was allowed to go off on their own to explore different sites the rest of the day. My friend, Ashley, and I decided to hit up the closest decent looking restaurant or fast food place. That place turned out to be Burger King. We thought it would be something quick that we could eat so we could get to see more of the city. We were very wrong. The line took about twenty minutes to get through. Ashley waited in line and it was my job to find a place to sit down. Just was Ashley got the food, I pounced on a table that was free before other people could take it. Ashley gave me the food and said that she had to get in another line to get our drinks. It was ridiculous. We had to go up two more times to get change back because they did not have it when Ashley had ordered. Looking back, we should have gone somewhere else but we finally got our food so we were happy.

And then the real adventure began…

Me in front of the famous Diego Rivera mural.

A sinking building in front of the Templo Mayor ruins.

Inside of the Palacio Nacional.

I cannot believe that I am heading home in less than two months! The time is really flying by. This week I have just been trying to take it easy and enjoy Guanajuato. I have done a couple new things here this past week or so. Last Friday, Kittel (my host brother) took me to see his school. He goes to the University of Guanajuato and takes classes at the business school. I am not exactly sure of the name but it is just outside the city on top of a hill. I met Kittel after my classes last Friday at the Plaza de la Paz and we hopped on a University bus. They are actually more like big cargo vans. Kittel told me that everyone calls them “peseras” (peses- fish) because people are packed in like sardines. I totally agree! When we got on the “pesera”, Kittel and I sat down. My knees touched the seat in front of me and I am only five feet tall. I was glad when we reached the school because it was hot and cramped in there! I was really surprised when I got there because it was a very modern building. There were three or four floors in the main building and then two other smaller buildings close by. To get to the other two buildings, we walked outside and passed by a huge fountain and tables to sit at. Kittel showed me the cafeteria and a couple classrooms. The one classroom I went in had a panoramic view of the city. It was amazing! Kittel told me that he has gotten in trouble before for staring out the window and not paying attention. I can see why, it is gorgeous! I was pleasantly surprised when I went there. The only differences from an American school that I could tell was that there was no air-conditioning, most of the signs were in Spanish, and for a building that nice, the inside floors of the main building were a little more rustic than I expected. I am not sure how to exactly explain it but it just seemed like they skimped on finishing the inside to make it match the outside. Kittel said that many building aren’t extremely nice because the government takes a lot of the money in the form of fees and taxes.

This weekend was pretty relaxing. I slept in and did a little homework. I got a call from Pablo, one of the actors in the movie “El Estudiante” . He asked how I was doing and we talked for a little bit. He then told me about a mini-preview that had been made for the movie on Youtube. I watched it and it looked like a nicely-filmed movie. If you all want to see it, you can! Just type in “El Estudiante” and press search. It should be the fourth one down and have a picture of an old man. The first part of the description should read “ Esto es un pequeno Adelanto…”. It is really cool to see because it was all filmed in Guanajuato. It is also cool because you can see my house in the preview. Near the end of the preview, it shows the old man and other older people walking up stairs. If you look closely, there is a yellow blob in the background. That yellow blob is my house! The stairs they are climbing up are the famous stairs of the University of Guanajuato administration building. Also, Pablo is the guy wearing a red shirt in the classroom that invites the old man to his group. You will see what I’m talking about when you see the preview! Sadly my two seconds of fame were not in the preview… but hopefully they will be in the movie!

The only other really exciting thing that has happened, at least it is exciting to me, is that I got my hair cut. I have wanted to grow it out for a long time and had been succeeding. I straighten my hair most of the time which butchers it. Today after taking a shower, I blow-dried my hair so then I could straighten it. Well when I looked at my hair, it looked like a lot of the ends were burnt or something. I was really sad and knew that if I tried to straighten it, my hair would probably burn off. It has happened before and I was not a happy camper (to say the least)! I just put my hair up and met my friend, Suzanne, to go buy some movies. I bought “Once upon a Time in Mexico” because it was mostly filmed in Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende. I didn’t know what quality it would be since it was only $2 but it ended up working. Anyway, on our way back, we spotted a hair salon. I went in and asked how much a hair cut cost. She told me it was 60 pesos ($6). I thought for a couple minutes and decided to break down and have my hair cut. It was said but necessary! The hair that wasn’t burnt was about torn out by the lady cutting my hair! She dried my hair after she cut it and stuck the blow-dryer to the brush she was using. She was pushing my hair in between those things with all her might. Suzanne couldn’t stop laughing at me because of all the faces I was making. I would have laughed if I wasn’t in so much pain! Sorry most of that paragraph was about my hair but I just thought I would share it with you.

I have pretty much laid low the rest of the night contemplating my new hair cut. I am starting to get used to it but I am still a little sad! I have to get going because I have to go to bed. I need to wake up in four hours and head on a five-hour bus ride to Mexico City! It should be fun, I hope!

The back view of the school.

Kittel and I in the reflection.

“Hair cutting time! Can’t you tell how happy I am?

These past couple weeks have been pretty hectic here in Guanajuato.  Last week the second half of my family came to visit: my mom, dad, and older sister, Leslie.  My mom came before with my twin sister and friend but couldn’t resist taking another week off work to be with her favorite daughter! They actually arrived when I was still in Puerto Vallarta for spring break.  I felt bad that I wasn’t there to meet them, but not that bad.  Puerto Vallarta or family……………… definitely Puerto Vallarta!! I’m just kidding family, I love you guys! Anyway, they arrived on a Friday and I got back in Guanajuato at 10:30 pm Saturday night. I figured they were be okay on their own because my mom more or less knew her way around the city and my older sister is a Spanish teacher.  I would have been worried if Leslie was not with them because my parents can’t speak Spanish if their lives depended on it (although I was proud that by the end of the week my mom could order a te helado (iced tea) without any help).  In my absence, they walked around the city and visited various museums. 

On Saturday night I met them at their hotel room.  The inn that they are staying at is actually located on my callejon.  It is just a two minute walk to my house.  I only found out that it was an inn when PBS was filming their show on Mexican music.  A lady gave me a business card saying that it was an inn with four or five rooms.  I went to go investigate and I loved it.  The rooms were more like apartments and there were places in the inn to lounge around and enjoy the gorgeous view.  There is an adorable old American innkeeper named Carl with his little dog Milly.  His son in Texas bought the house for his retirement but while he is still working, he turned it into an inn with his father, Carl, as the innkeeper.  The rooms were only about $70 a night.  It was a great deal considering that nice hotels around here are about $125 a night and are much smaller than the rooms at the inn. 

I got lots of hugs and kisses from my family.  It was weird not seeing my family for over two months.  I talk to them a lot on the computer program Skype.  By the way, Skype is about the best program ever invented.  I bought a cheap webcam and I can talk to my family for free on the internet, and I can see them! Anyway, back to my story! I talked with my family for about a half hour and then my dad accompanied me to my house.  I tried to go to bed as early as I could because the next day my family and I were going to take a bus to San Miguel to go to the hot springs and walk around for the day.  I met them at 8:30 in the morning and didn’t get back to my house on Sunday until about 9 pm or so. 

The rest of the week was spent showing my family around town to different sights that my mom had been to but my dad and sister hadn’t.  Leslie also went to all my classes.  I told her she was on vacation, but she is a teacher through and through and wanted to attend all of my classes.  It was great having them here and I miss them.  They brought me pop tarts, fudge stripe cookies, chewy granola bars, and an electronic translator.  

The electronic translator brings me to my next point of discussion.  After about a month in Guanajuato, I decided to buy an electronic translator from a RadioShack here.  It is really useful and I would recommend bringing one if you study abroad.  I kept going back and forth on buying it because it cost 1000 pesos here (about $100) and $60 in the US.  I knew it was a rip off but I really wanted it and knew that I would use it.  I decided to buy it and was very happy with it for about a month and a half or so.  About a week before going to Puerto Vallarta, I went to a café in the evening.  On my way home from the café, I noticed that my water bottle was leaking through my purse.  I stopped by an unused BBQ grill in Plaza de la Paz to take out all the things in my purse.  I was worried that things would get ruined because I had my phone, camera, ipod, and translator in my purse.  I took them out to dry them off but I must have forgotten to put my translator back in my purse.  I didn’t realize it until the next day when I wanted to bring it to school.  I went back and asked a restaurant close to where I had stopped, on the off chance that they would have it.  They did not and kinda annoyed me.  I asked a guy there if he had seen a translator and he said that lots of people had come by there so he wouldn’t know where it was.  Well duh, lots of people walk by there! I guess I was just upset that $100 just went down the drain, or I guess I should say in some lucky Mexican’s hands.  This reminded me of high school when I managed to somehow lose TWO TI-83 calculators in the span of a two months! I know, I’m an idiot… you don’t have to tell me! I talked to my mom and she said that she would withdraw my money and go buy one before she left to come here. I now have my electronic translator sitting right next to me.  I am debating whether to attach a string to it so I can wear it around my neck and know where it is at all times.  A little extreme, but desperate times call for desperate measures!

With my translator problem solved and my family safe back home, I decided to spend a free night that I had to go to the symphony.  It was held at the Teatro Principal, an auditorium run by the University.  It cost about four dollars to go and my friends and I chose to sit up in the balcony.  It is a very small, but cute auditorium.  Most of the musicians were older, most likely professors or visiting musicians.  I definitely got my money’s worth.  The show lasted about two hours and had a short intermission.  I was falling asleep by the end of it.  It was lovely music though, Beethoven and something else.  Before I started falling asleep, I noticed that there were a lot of older American-looking people at the theatre.  Symphonies might be more of a tourist thing for the city, I don’t know.  I made my way home and went straight to bed. 

This week has been spent doing homework, homework, and more homework.  I really haven’t done anything exciting this week.  Tomorrow my fun activity is going to be sitting at the Pipila monument, sipping on a coke, and listening to my iPod.  For now, I have to get back to studying for a grammar test tomorrow.  I have put off studying long enough; I can’t avoid it any longer.  Wish me luck, I’ll need it!

P.S. I just killed my first scorpion!!!! I am so proud of myself. Now it is the smallest scorpion I have seen here but I still killed it! My host brother, Kittel, just left to go somewhere so I knew I couldn’t ask for his help.  Also, about a half hour ago there was a moth in my room and I asked Kittel to kill it.  My host mom also came into my room to see what it was.  I felt stupid asking her because it would only add to her belief am a baby when it comes to insects (which I am)! I took my shoe, closed my eyes, and smacked it! Just thought I would let you guys know!

This morning was very adventurous and full of exercise! My study abroad group and I met at 8 am (felt like 7 am because the clocks were moved ahead that morning). The plan for the day was to hike up a huge hill, called La Bufa, and rappel off one of sides of the hill. I was told that the hill was only about a twenty or thirty minute walk from my house. What they failed to tell me was that the base of the hill was that far away from my house, not counting the time it would take to reach the top. I was already huffing and puffing when we got to the base of the hill. Just like when I climbed the other hill in Guanajuato a couple weeks ago; no matter where I started, I always ended up last. I have to say, though, that this hill was easier to climb up. There was actually an established trail to go on. Cars could be driven pretty far up the hill, but we weren’t given that luxury.

Once we reached the top of the hill, I finally got time to rest and catch my breath. I took out my water bottle and pop tarts (American gift from my family) and devoured them. My host mom packed papaya for me so I also ate a little of that. She asked if I wanted to bring quesadillas with me, but I said no. They don’t taste as good when they are in a plastic bag for hours and are soggy. As we were sitting there, all of the sudden this man in a harness starts rappelling down the side of the cliff close to where we were sitting. I looked away for a second and when I turned back around, he was rappelling upside down! He thankfully stopped himself before he reached the ground. When he came over to give us some instructions, he said that if we wanted to go upside down, we could. I really wanted to be a daredevil but I didn’t feel like dying that day!

All of us made our way up to the top of the cliff we were going to rappel from. On the way up, we passed by a cross dedicated to a man that died, presumably on the hill. That didn’t calm my nerves any! I got to the spot where we rappelled from and I sat myself down as far away from the ledge as possible. I don’t like being high up without any railing or something to stop myself in case I trip, which I do very often. When my turn came, I said a little prayer and carefully stepped to the ledge. There were two ropes, so I went with my friend, Ashley.

I have to admit that I started to hyperventilate when I made my first few steps down the side of the cliff. Oh, who am I kidding, I was hyperventilating the whole way down. It was so scary when I ran out of rock to put my feet on. I tried to grip on to the rope as hard as I could but it was still slipping through my hand. I was so thankful when my feet touched the ground. It is so much scarier than climbing up or down the wall at Galyan’s (sporting goods store). I didn’t think that rappelling would be that bad, but it was much higher and terrifying that I thought it would be. I sat down and calmed myself down for the next twenty minutes or so. Everyone had the chance to rappel again if they wanted to. I went back and forth deciding whether I should defy death one more time. A couple of the other girls said they were going to try and rappel upside down. After much deliberation, I decided to go for it. I thought, “When am I going to get another chance to rappel, upside down, in Mexico?” I forced myself to gather up what courage I had and show myself that I could do it.

Before I knew it, it was my turn to go again. I got my harness on and Ashley and I started inching our way off of the cliff again. After I got past the rocks on the cliff, I knew it was my time to shine. The instructor had shown us the three steps to rappel upside down. When I heard that, the first thing I thought was, “Three steps… I am never going to remember that.” I somehow did and managed to hang upside down. I slowly pulled myself down a couple feet. I didn’t go any farther because I did not want to get rope burn on my legs. That would not be fun! Ashley was a little farther down than I was and was having trouble trying to hang upside down. I scooted myself down beside her and helped her go upside down. We then made our way down. I landed a little after her because I got myself caught up on some bushes growing out the side of the rock. I was once again thankful that my feet were on the ground. The second time was much easier than the first time. Although my fear of falling and dying never subsided, I was proud that the cliff did not get the best of me. The only real negative part of rappelling was that I got what appears to be black oil or something on my shirt and shorts from the rope. I hope it comes out.

Before too long, we all made our way down toward town. As we walked down the hill, two guys in dirt bikes came buzzing up the side of the hill straight toward us. They stopped when they reached us and two of the girls asked if they could take a quick ride on the dirt bike. The girls were whisked off around part of the trail we couldn’t see. While they were gone, the rest of us thought that it probably wasn’t the best decision to let them go off with complete strangers. It turned out fine and they were brought back unharmed. I got back to my house around 1:30 pm and took a good, long nap. Now that I’m awake, I have to work on homework due tomorrow. What a great way to spend a perfectly good Sunday afternoon… not!

Me trying to show Ashley how to go upside down.

View of rappel site (if you look closely you can see little people).

After the boat trip, I spent the rest of my days in Puerto Vallarta on the beach. At night, I would crack open the patio door of my hotel room so I could fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. After eating breakfast I would go down to the beach at 9 am and listen to my Ipod. Later on I would read a little of the book, “El Alquimista”, for my literature class. I wanted to finish the book in Puerto Vallarta but of course that did not happen. I did read over half of it so I was proud of myself. I loved sipping on my ice-cold cokes, listening to my Ipod, and not having an agenda for the day. On Thursday, four of us decided to ride the banana boat. The banana boat was a like an inner tube behind a speedboat but you would straddle the tube instead of laying on it. Everyday people would walk by asking if we wanted to ride the banana boat, rent jetskis, or go parasailing. We knew we did not want to go parasailing because it was about thirty dollars for 8-10 minutes. What a rip off! The banana boat only cost five dollars for about 10-15 minutes. The guy who we gave our money to said that this was a special price for us only available that day. Don’t ever believe that! Every day is the only day they have a special discount. Every person that sold things on the beach started at a much higher price than it should have been sold for. I saw many of the same items for cheaper in stores there. Even in stores, you can ask for a lower price. Anyway, we went on the banana boat and had oodles of fun. It took us along the coast of Puerto Vallarta and circled back around to return us to the same spot.

During the evenings, I would usually walk with some friends about twenty minutes to downtown Puerto Vallarta. One night, we decided to eat at Subway. It was one of the best food experiences I have had in a long time. I went in and ordered my food. I then ordered a can of coke I saw in the cooler. Right after, I noticed they had a soda machine. I asked if they were the same price and they were! I then asked if we could have free refills… and they said yes! I have been missing free refills so much! I did not think they existed in Mexico until I went to that Subway. It was one of the highlights of my week, seriously. It also had one of the best views of the ocean. Another night, we ate at this American style restaurant called “Paradise Burger”. The food was good but I could have done without the music. There was a Mexican group playing American music. I give them an “A” for effort but it hurt me to hear them. The music was way too loud. It took a while to find out what song they were singing because of their accents. Most of the restaurants in Puerto Vallarta are overpriced so we tried to conserve our money and only go out in the evenings. I lived off of cokes and peanut butter sandwiches during the day.

While on my spring break trip I noticed a couple new things about Mexico and tourist towns like Puerto Vallarta. When a group of us would walk downtown to go to dinner, often a guy or group of Mexican men would make a comment directed at us. It surprised me when I heard men calling us “Barbies” as we walked by. I heard this at least twice while I was there. Also, when I was walking by myself to an internet café, a guy started trying to talk to me and ask where I was from. I said hello but kept walking. He said, “Where are you from… Hollywood …California?” It made me chuckle a little to think that that is where some people think all Americans live. I know Americans stand out it Mexico but people do not say those types of things to me in Guanajuato. I suppose that American movies have impacted how many Mexicans view Americans, especially in tourist destinations.

During our orientation in Mexico, our director told us that many Mexicans view Americans as partiers who don’t take their relationships seriously. An example of this was during my first week in Mexico. I went to a dance club, Guanajuato Grill, with a friend. This guy started talking to me and asked if I had a boyfriend in America. I said I did and he then asked if I had a boyfriend in Mexico. I said no and he started talking to me again as if he was clear to proceed his wooing of me. After a little while, my friend and I decided to leave. Before I left, the guy kept asking to kiss me. I couldn’t believe that he didn’t care or respect the fact that I had a boyfriend. Another man asked my friend for a kiss even though less than ten minutes before, his girlfriend had been trying to call him. It shocked me! I am not trying to say that all Mexican men are players, but they are much more frequent than in the United States. I am going off on a tangent but I have a point. This mentality that all Americans in Mexico are partiers was brought to light one night while we were in Puerto Vallarta. As my friends and I were walking in Puerto Vallarta one night, we noticed a group of about six Americans that appeared very drunk walking down the street. A short while later, we started to head back to our hotel when we heard noises from across the street. We looked and found that same group of Americans near a glassed-in ATM machine. There were two guys and four girls. In the glassed-in area, one of the girls suddenly started dancing against the glass and lifting up her skirt. The other girls with her just laughed or joined in. Now I know some people might just think it was funny but I found it utterly disgusting. There were about ten or fifteen men across the street watching or taking pictures of what was happening. It made me very angry because that is exactly how Mexicans get this mentality about Americans. Not only was it immature and gross, they were not being safe. If one girl got separated from the group, who knows where she could end up; not to mention that the pictures the men took could be anywhere by now. I am all for having a good time, but I want people to be safe when they visit Mexico. For the most part, it is a very safe country, but you can’t treat it the same way as you treat the United States. You can’t trust everyone you meet and it is not safe to not be in control of your actions. I have been in Guanajuato for almost three months but I still carry pepper spray at night and try not to walk home by myself very late. There is my little lecture for you all. Don’t lose your common sense just because you are outside America!

All in all, I had a blast in Puerto Vallarta and I would highly recommend travelling there if you have the opportunity. You really don’t have to spend a lot of money if you eat cheaply (it can be done) and just enjoy the view. You can buy souvenirs for a decent price and don’t forget that prices are negotiable. Just be careful and use common sense!

Statue of dancers on the boardwalk.

The boardwalk and view of the beach.

The first full day in Puerto Vallarta was spent under a tiki hut. While on the beach, Mexicans would walk by selling everything from jewelry, clothing, and decorative plates to parasailing rides, banana boat rides, and all-day boat trips. The group of girls and I decided to go on an all-day boat trip. It was supposed to last about 8 hours and cost the equivalent of $30. It also included breakfast, lunch, and an open bar.

We showed up the next morning at a dock near the hotel. After waiting about a half hour, the boat showed up and we hopped on it. The breakfast was okay, although nothing to get excited about. It consisted of pineapple, watermelon, a sweet roll, and orange juice. The orange juice tasted downright gross but I finished it anyway. The five of us girls sat on the upper deck of the boat to get a better view. It was a better view but it was absolutely freezing with all of the wind. Despite the wind, on our way to go snorkeling we saw a momma whale and her baby. It was so awesome to see them up close. As the boat moved farther away, one of the whales started jumping! After sadly leaving the whales, we came to the spot where people could snorkel for a short while. I decided not to snorkel because the water was freezing and it didn’t seem like you could see anything in the water. I am glad I chose not to snorkel because the only thing that one of the only two girls from our group that decided to snorkel saw was an old bandaid.

Our next stop on the boat trip was a waterfall off a beach a short while away. When we were dropped off on the beach, we had to walk through a little village on the way to the waterfall. People had the option of taking a horse to the waterfall for $15 but none of us wanted to spend the money. It was only about a 20-25 minute hike to the waterfall but it was not fun at all. The horses used the same trail as the people that walked did. There were times when no one was moving because there were horses and people all mixed together. The trail was also probably the dustiest place I have ever been in my entire life. The ground was so dry because people and horses walk on that trail every day. All of the plants along the trail were a light shade of brown. I survived the trail and climbed some small rocks to where the waterfall was. There were two rustic cafes in front of the waterfall. To get to the second café with the better view, you had to walk across the scariest bridge I have ever seen in my life. There were two ropes on one side of the bridge but nothing on the other. Also, there were spaces in between the boards where you walked. I had my friend take a picture of me on it to show how rickety the bridge was and the picture does not do it justice! The waterfall was very pretty but not as big as I was expecting. I am glad I walked to it but it almost seemed that it was made into a tourist attraction just to get people to the village in hopes of buying something.

From the waterfall, the boat dropped us off at another beach that had a little restaurant on it. We had our choice of a cheeseburger, quesadillas, or chicken. I chose a cheeseburger. I took off the hamburger because I am not a big ground meat fan. I kept the cheese and bread to make my own version of a grilled cheese. From there, we were all hustled back to the boat to make our return to Puerto Vallarta. The trip back turned out to be very unique. The host of the boat said that the upper deck was going to be the party deck. There weren’t that many young people wanting to ‘party’ but he tried to make the best of it. He started taking people from the small crowd and bringing them to the middle to feed them shots of alcohol. This went on for a good while until he moved on to another game. He chose four couples to from the crowd to participate. The game consisted of one person trying to pop a balloon against the other person in a certain manner. I could have done without the balloon-popping contest and the drinking game on the boat trip. Afterwards, they did play the Macarena and a couple other cute dancing songs that some of us danced to. All in all, I do not think that that trip was really appropriate for families with children. People could have gone to the lower deck, though, if they did not want to participate. I am glad I went on the trip and it gave me something to do during the day. The trip ended up being nine hours so I think for the money we spent, it was worth it. I would not do it again but it gave me a chance to see more than just the same beach day after day.

Rock where people snorkeled by.

Waterfall we saw on boat trip.

Me on a bridge that was about ready to collapse.