Week Two: "Wait... there's a bathroom?"

Day 8: Monday August 16th, 2010
Today I woke up around 10 am. Which was really late. I got up very quickly becuase I had a rotary thing. That was all I knew. I asked my mom what I should wear after breakfast and she responded "normal clothes" also know as casual appearal. I was supposed or my host dad and I were supposed to be wherever we were going at 10:30, we ended up leaving the house at 10:20. In time I found out where we were going was very far, the man we were meeting was very punctional, I was slightly undressed. So that slightly heightened my fears. I picked up that I was going to meet with my rotary coordinator and deal with my forms. Such as insurance, emergency fund and passport and visa. On the way it was very breathtaking to see the entire volcanoe for the first time since I've been here. I whipped, yes whipped out my camera and took many a pictures. (Yes I realize what I type sometimes makes little sense or is horrible english however I refuse to change it when i notice it) My host dad even though we were late slowed down the car to makee taking pictures easier. As you know we were running short on time... well.... the thing that happened next was not helpful. Since the rotarian's house was so far away from Cholula (my area in Puebla) my host dad was unfamiliar with the area. We ended up not getting lost persay but missing the exit or entry or something of this sort three times! Yes I repeat three times. When we finally arrived at the rotarian's house who's name is Paco or Francisco we were a half an hour or more late. However he was very friendly and told us not to worry about it. In time I was given the rotary lecture in spanish very few of which i understood. It was about the greatness of rotary and so on and so forth and then so on again. After we left we just returned home. I just spent time with Beto and passed the time.

Day 9: Tuesday August 17th, 2010
I didn't sleep well last night... I had four dreams. Which might be a personal record. Well they were very troublesome and if you have ever heard one of my dreams very wierd. If you care to know it involved a hostage situation, strip dancing and the majority of my friends. You don't really need to know more. None the less i got out of bed and ate breakfast. Pretty normal right? Then I waited around for my host mom becuase today we were going to the immigrattion office. First we went to this mall, which apparently had a immigration office. It was also a little strange becuase it had a ice rink. Well we found the office and there was a abnormal amount of people. After my host mom talked to a security officer and a receponist we learned we had to go somewhere else. All in good time I found out we had to go to the centro or center of the city. It was sometime after 12 and after a series of phone calls we learned that the immigration office in the centro closed at 1pm. I liked this drive becuase it was just me and my host mom. When we arrived near the office there was no parking. We paid to park in this sketchy, overcrowded courtyard like area. The rest of the time we ran everywhere. We first entered the main part off the building and then found out we had to go around the corner. Finally we made it to the right place, took a number andat down. Soon enough a woman approached us and started talking to my host mom. She was a host mom herself there with her host daughter. Then that's when we had a problem. I needed small photos to get my immigration card. Ahhh... more photos? We ended up running around the corner to a photo stand. Yes I repeat photo stand. Breaking it down, it was just a woman with a copy machine and a camera. However she couldn't help us with the photos I needed. However she did point us in the direction of a copy shop. Which ended up being ridiculously far away. See in Mexico people of a certain class aren't used to walking. See I don't walk much here. Okay not at all. I miss walking. As strange as that sounds. Well when we arrived at the copy shop I got another photo taken and copies of my passport and visa. This took a very long time, especially when you have somewhere to be (which I first typed bed) Well it took maybe a half an hour and by the time we ran back to the immigration office it was closed. We had our number but the security officer wouldn't let us in. So I am still without a studdent visa... and I'm running out of time. We started walking "back to the car" and after a few seconds I had to break it to my host mom that she was leading us the wrong way. I was very proud... I like it when I know where I am in the city and the names of things... it makes it feel more like home and less like a big city... on the way into the center I mentioned to my host mom that in the U.S. KFC is my favorite fast food. I'm not saying it's great, I mean to say i like it. On the way home we stopped at a panderia and I got a concha which are my favorite! Then my host mom surprised me by stoppping at KFC for lunch. Even though it might of made me very sick later... it was good. After we ate at the house I just as the same with eery other day played futbol and spent time with Beto.

Day 10: Wednesday August 18th, 2010

This morning was my first day of school. I got to sleep in late for Mexico. Everyday I have to be at school at 7 am. Except my frist day i arrived at maybe 8:30 am becuase my host mom and I had to sort out paperwork. After we dropped my host sister off at the university and then drove to prepa or my highschool. I must say i was utterly terrified. After sorting things out with my host mom she had to go and I had to go at it alone. I then met the other exchange students. Cullen from NY or the U.S. Sara from Brasil, Yaung from Taiwan, and Tomas from Slovakia. At first I was still very nervous.... but it time it wears off. Before the tour we had to sidetrack to what we would call the nurse's office becuase Cullen wasn't feeling so well. Then we all took a tour of the university which is across the street from my school or prepa. It is a very beautiful campus and we all have access to it with out identification card. It has a coffee shop (The Italian Coffee Shop: which is similar to Starbucks but apparently cheaper), a copy shop, cafeteria as well as a lot of artifical lakes and it is really beautiful. After we returned to the nurse's office for Cullen becuase the first time the dotor wasn't there. The rest of the exchange students we went to the coffee shop. After the doctor still hadn't come but Cullen was feeling better. We then returned to the school we all got our schedules. It so happened that I wasn't in the humanities like I wanted. I was moved to a art orienntated class and architecture. I didn't reslly mind. I can study the humanities when I get home and go to college. Now I just need to learn spanish and make friends. I'm artsy so no problem. By that time we had spent the majority of the day together as exchange students. About this time which is uh... 10:30 everyday we have a 30 minute break. Well my first day us foreign kids stuck together, which is how it should be. We really didn't know what to do and I'm sure we were getting a lot of looks and even more when I started a game of hacky sack. After the receso or break we all went our seperate ways to our seperate rooms. My room for the year is 105 with the same group of 20 or so kids. It is much easier to remember names when you are with the same people everyday for all the classes. I was the last to be introduced to my class but it went a little something liek this... "This is Alison from the United States. You have to be nice to her and only speak in spanish. (They should add hey she has no friends and probably would rather be anywhere else right now :) but they always forget that) I just took a seat in the back of the room and planned of drawing. Until I was invited to sit with this group of girls. After my only class (History of Art) which ended at 1 pm which is the earliest day in Mexico I went to the office with the other exchange students. Throughout the first days you are introduced to everyone. The thing is you don't remember anyone's name unless it is very important. As in they are your family, rotary or potential friends. I was overjoyed when my host mom and Beto my host brother came into the office. After i jsut went home and passed the time.

Day 11: Thurday August 19th, 2010
Okay. Writing this blog is hard. It takes quite a lot time. Sorry I'm losing motivation. This was my second day of school. The downfall I had to get there by 7:30 am. That means my first alarm sounds at 5:31 am the next 5:41 am and after I ignore both of those 5:51 am. I then have to coerce myself out of bed and to get ready. Then since I am the only one awak I must go downstairs quietly and eat breakfast, then fall asleep on the kitchen table until one of my host parents is up to take me to school. Nothing very special happened this day at school. I had my first Italian class, History of Art, Sports or Gym, Informaticas or computer class and the calculus. After sports I was invited by a group of kids in my class to go out for coffee. But I had to say no being the wonderful exchange student I am because I didn't have permission and i had to meet a woman to make copies of this book I need for social sciences. So during my break today I went to the University with this woman who I know the name but am unable to spell. After that we walked back to the school and I didn't have much time. My next class informaticas or computer class was at the university. So I found some guys from my class and walked with them becuase I didn't know where the class was. I must say the three boys that I walked with personally to me are so chill. See the majority of the students at the school are very... well off. Clearly... and they act a certain way. Down to earth people sometimes are hard to come by... But these boys I want them to be rmy best friends... or maybe good friends. The rest of the day was slow. But got through it knowing I wouldn't have school Friday. By the by imagine taking Calculus and now imagine it in another language. (Although I must say I understand more in Calculus than my other classes) After school I returned home and packed for the rotary trip. See I have to wake up earlier than on a school day... however... rotary is significantly more fun than school.

Day 12: Friday August 20th, 2010
This morning i ahd to wake up earlier than if I had school. Don't ask how I did this. Here is Mexico I must mention I am usually tired. See not everyone is Mexico takes siestas either. I am allowed to sleep when I want... but see you don't want to. You want to be up doing things not sleeping. I just don't know how I get myself up most days. Well it helped that I was already packed and had layed out my clothes. Again and again I will say pack earlier. I was supposed to be at this grocercy store at 6:30 am for the bus. I think we left the house at 6:30 am. When we arrived it was still dark. It is dark even when I start school. Well so after my host mom left me I stood around. I am very personable however I find it hard to speak spanish very early in the morning and late at night... or anytime I'm tired. I didn't see anyone I knew so I just waited. It was clear there were a lot of exchange students and rotarians. Soon I met up with Tomas and Sara. On the bus to Alcapulco and if you don't know that is located on the Pacific coast of Mexico and is a tourist beach area. Well on the way to Alcapulco I sat with Tomas the boy from Slovakia who I go to school with. The ride there is maybe 7 hours long. The countryside of Mexico is very beautiful and green. Some observations as you leave the city conditions deteroriate. Poverty increases as you g further from the cities and you see less and less people. Just some observations... anyway 7 hours... hmmm what did I do? Talked, slept, played some bullshit with Tomas and Yaung, slept, ate and so on and forth and so on. When we arrived in Alcapulco it was breathtaking. When we arrived at the hotel we dropped our bags off in the lobby and then went to a conference room to hear spanish that the majority of us didn't understand. Then we had lunch and changed into our matching shirts. The rest of time that day we just had meetings and name games. I'm pretty sure I said "Hi my name is Alison, I'm from the United States, I'm 18 years old, and i like to play frisbee and hacky sack." Then at some point we had dinner I guess and then we had a hour or two free. I ended up in the pool and hot tub with the rowdiest exchange students. See in New York the Mexicans were the rowdiest and here in Mexico the Brazilans are the rowdiest or craziest. They sing they dance who knows.... well we all enjoyed there hip swinging loud singing portuese laughing good time. I am aware that made almost no sense. After all the fun we went to bed.

Day 13: Saturday August 21st, 2010
So I was in a room with a girl from Brazil and a girl from Germany who of course I don't remember the names. Here's the hitch in my district. There are 10 students from Brazil and 11 from Germany. All us other countries are outnumbered. Well we woke up most obviously and then ate breakfast. Which was very nice, well all the meals were. You can eat as much as you want and luckily I was at my prime and the dinning room is completely windows overlooking the ocean. The rest of the day we just went to meeting after meeting. Most of them regarding rotary rules and such. The Mexican D's. No Drinking (a lot), No Drugs, No Driving, No Disfigurment, No Dating, and No Downloading Porn. Then at some point we had lunch and the Americans got together to make our presentation of America, we all agree lacks some cool songs, dances, and traditions. After some more meetings we took a tour of Alcapulco and went to a show. I don't know exactly what to call this show. We went and saw these Mexican men drive into the rise and falling ocean of of a cliff. It was crazy. Later in the evening after we ate dinner all the students had to present their country. This last around 4 hours. Yes 4 hours. The United of States ended up presenting second to last. Past midnight. We ended up singing the star spangled banner and i kazooed, we made a short slide show, and then we sang part of Don't stop Believing. By that time I would of done anything to go to bed. See the "short presentations" of our countries turned into why are there so many countries?

Day 14: August 22nd, 2010
We woke up a little later today becuase we didn't have any meetings just free time. I ended up going down pretty late with my roomate from Brazil to eat breakfast. I met up with Kerrigan a girl also from the United States. I was supposed to meet her at some point. Well she had been up quite a while. So after breakfast we went to the beach and swam until we had to go. I had really wanted to buy a Mexican bracelet so I went upstairs and packed to leave and then snuck back down to the beach. Since I bought that bracelet I have gotten a lot of... laughs. I did overpay for it... however I loved it more than the money that was the trade off. See for people who have even seen me i usually have a lot of bracelets well I took them off. I'm starting over. I have 2 as of right now from my host mom, 2 from my friends from Brazil and the one I bought. Anyway not sidetracking because I'm exhausted. We then boarded the bus in time after meeting in the lobby. It was then another 7 hours back. Which was much slower this time than the first. After we arrived and I met up with my family and started unpacking. I realized I had forgotten my rotary jacket on the bus. It was horrible. I'm use to forgetting things however my host family isn't use to me doing that. So we re-drive back to the grocercy store and found out my cordinator had it, thankfully. After that I returned home to my own room. Yes I finally moved into my room which is newly painted. See where I am is sort of my own small house. i have a living room with a desk and TV, then my room and a bathroom. It is good for privacy. Then I went to bed becuase I was drained.

**Sidenote: I took 5 years of spanish before coming to Mexico. Yes it helped but 5 years of spanish in school is nothing here. I can pick out words and some phrases. I am happy to know that my spanish is more advanced than Tomas and Yaung two other exchange students at my school. However Cullen has better spanish than me as well as Sara who has been in Mexico since January.

The title. "Wait... there's a bathroom?" Okay on the bus to Alcapulco well it was a tour bus however not the same as in America becuase there was no bathroom but two set of stairs one in the front of the bus and the other in the middle. I found out in time that if you go down the extremely steep stairs in the middle of the bus there is this door. To the sketchiest bathroom I have ever been in. It has no light and it horrible becuase Mexicann driving is horrible. And there was just this sign that said "Please be brief"

There you go. That's Mexico. And my life.