the past two weeks

If I don´t write today, my dad will most positively kill me. He is convinced that because I have not updated about my parents´ visit, I am ashamed of them. The only reason I have not been writing is because I have been super busy and having a great time, which I think always goes before blog writing. But for a quick update:

I had a fabulous time with my parents. It was so exciting and relieving to see them, especially at a moment when I felt that I was in somewhat of a slump here in Mexico. We spent several days in Guanajuato, hanging out and walking around. They loved Guanajuato and I enjoyed seeing this city through new eyes. It made me really proud and happy that I am living somewhere that they liked so immensely. I was also proud to show off my growing Spanish skills, which definitely improved in the short time they were here, since I had to translate everything, and we all know how many questions my parents ask.

I had made reservations at a very nice hotel for them and it turned out to be a perfect fit. I was nervous about the noise levels, since everything is so loud here, but I got them a room in the back of the hotel, and they were protected from the street rumblings. They hotel has a great breakfast which I met them for everyday before we started off on our expeditions.

On Saturday we went to Michoacan, another Mexican state. Michoacan has a strong indigenous culture, much more so than in Guanajuato, which I was thrilled to see. It reminded me much more of Oaxaca… We traveled through several different cities and towns, all of which were quite different from each other but of course carried lots of similar characteristics of the region. Our final destination was Pátzcuaro, which borders a lake that is slowly disappearing. We stayed at a really beautiful eco hotel perched high up on a mountain/hill that had a marvelous view. We also stayed in one room together, with two big beds and a nice little kitchen area. It was like a big slumber party, with mom editing some work of mine for an essay contest while dad sat in bed yelling out possible title names, all ridiculous, of course.

We ate on the street a lot, which was fun because I don´t do it much in Guanajuato. Everyone in GTO is emphatic about not eating off the street because of the water quality, and although I usually ignore these warnings, most of the students in the program don´t, which means I never have a companion to eat with, which is the majority of the fun. While traveling from stand to stand, we met a wonderful couple that joined us the next night for dinner. They were energetic and hilarious and reminded me of the highlights of traveling, in that you meet so many new people, not just from the country you are in but also fellow travelers.

I was pretty upset to see my parents go, because I felt that I had a long stretch in front of me with no real relief. But as it turns out, immediately after they left things got better. I went one night to this fantastic wine bar (the only one in GTO) and ended up staying until four a.m. As 12 pm rolled around, I was still sitting at the table with two friends with no intention of leaving. Our waiter, who turned out to be the owner, invited us inside and so we sat for the next four hours, inside the closed restaurant, hanging out with him and another waiter. We drank and ate crackers and olives and just talked and talked and talked. It was so enjoyable and I was intensely happy, fully aware of what a unique moment I was experiencing.

Later that week, I started hanging out with a friend I had made a few months ago but who had left to go to Cancun with his family. He was supposed to be gone for two months, but as it turns out he never left, although I had been waiting these last months for him to return. So we´ve been hanging out a lot and I´ve introduced him to my friends (and he has has introduced me to his friends), and it has just been a fun time. I am so glad to be speaking more Spanish. Although I am tired a lot, I try to go out as much as possible at night because I know it is good for me on many levels.

This past weekend, I went to Zacatecas, another Mexican state, with my program. The city looks a lot like Guanajuato and the trip was much less overwhelming than our trip to Mexico City, for which I was very thankful. One of the best things we did was go to the Modelo Group factory, which produces thirteen different types of beers, including Corona and Pacifico. The company only has factories in Mexico, and the one we went to is their biggest one, and the second biggest beer factory in the world. It was enormous! We were in a big group of people touring, including other students from Guanajuato. At the end of the tour, we went out to this park next to a lake where they served us endless beer and tons of food, with waiters dressed in tuxes. Apparently, the tour doesn´t cost anything, which is shocking. To put it straight, this company is the most fascinating thing I have ever heard of or seen. Their land consists of a factory, a park, a lake, a full soccer field, a volleyball court, a zoo, and a plant nursery. It was insane! It seems that they have great working policies and actually try to take care of the land they are on instead of destroying it. Our tour guide was fantastic and told me that regular workers there, with no college degree who just operate machines, make about 1,200 dollars a month, which is a good salary in Mexico.

We also went to Mina Eden, a mine much different than the one I visited in Guanajuato… First, we took a train inside the mine, which was very cool. Inside, we walked around a lot and it was absolutely beautiful. And the next day, I went to a club inside that very mine! I have to tell the story because it´s hilarious:

After we went to the Corona Factory, we went to a bunch of other places. When we returned to our hostal that night, the tour guide was there with some friends with a huge cooler of beers. So we sat with them and about every other random person in the hostal drinking and hanging out. We eventually moved to a bar where we realized there were people from six different countries and probably about ten different languages spoken. It was hilarious and so fun. Later, some of us went to the club inside the mine. It´s the only club inside a mine in the world, so I felt like I needed to see it, even though clubs are not my thing at all. It ended up being pretty fun, though the next day I was incredibly tired and not up for any activity except the one that consists of me lying in bed. We also went to La Quemada, a site of ruins from Mesoamerican times. They were stunning and completely different than the ruins we visited in Mexico City.

I´m about to try and post as many pictures as possible on my photo page, but it´s never clear how long the internet will take to upload things. I may have to upload in segments over a few days. I am getting to the end of my program, which is over in a little more than four weeks. I have mixed emotions about leaving because, of course, things are finally picking up once it is time to go. But I miss my family, my friends, and my home, and know that will all be great to return to. Hope everyone is well – if you have interest in seeing more pictures, write a comment and let me know and I can send you a link to a bunch more.