First Experiences

The flights were ok, but a bit long.  I wasn't able to sleep.  Andrea (my friend, classmate, and traveling partner) and I landed in Mexico city at about 11:00 am on Sunday.  Our section of the airport was new and impressive.  First, we had to fill out "tourist cards" and go through customs.  The card part was a rude awakening for me, as I struggled through some sentences in Spanish.  My clerk was not sympathetic, although Andrea's was.  The rest of the trip was a blur.  The bus ride to Puebla took 2 hours, but the bus itself was very nice.  We purchased tickets for a taxi ride for about $5.00 each.  Our driver kept telling us to calm down (tranquilo), while eating sunflower seeds and driving stick.  We didn't have seatbelts.

My family consists of Patricia and Javier, both in their mid-fifties.  Their kids are either in or have graduated from college, so we're the only kids.  By "we're," I mean Dario and I.  He's from Seattle University as well, and I had a class with him and the other students on the trip last quarter.  He was born in California, but as both his parents were born in Columbia, he speaks Spanish fairly well.  I have to be assertive to prevent him from unintentionally dominating conversations.  I understand most everything my hosts say, but am slow to produce well constructed sentences of my own.

My room is somewhat separated from the house.  Dario and I have our own rooms, as well as a small sitting area with a TV.  I'm writing this blog from wireless internet, which I didn't expect to have!  Technologically, mi casa has far surpassed my low expectations.

Food has been delicious so far, but different.  My breakfast consisted of some meat scrambled in an egg, milk and "orange juice," which was more like tang than actual juice.  The milk is also interesting, as it comes out of a coffee creamer like container and tastes different.  Other notables: potato soup, a bean dish which apparently had some sardine in it, and a fish fillet (white meat, I don't know what it was).  It has been somewhat difficult to communicate the nature of "gluten-free" to my mamá, but we've made excellent progress.  They are very willing to accommodate my diet, which is comforting.

Tonight I took my first walk around the area surrounding my house with Patricia.  She took me to a grocery store which resembled a much downsized Wal-mart.  It had everything from clothes to fish.  Surprisingly, Umbrella (American hip-hop) played over the speakers, followed by an unsurprising Shakira song, and a song by Enrique Iglesias.  The last two songs just furthered the stereotype - apparently Mexican entertainment is heavily influenced by America.

Good first days - time to sleep.