Week Five: "THAT´S WHAT SHE SAID!"

I have ofifically given up on writing in my journal. Hopefully (Ive tried a few times to word this right) my memory will hold up for all of your sakes.
This week has been the polar opposite of the majority of my time here in Mexico. It was a ideal week. I had school every day which I enjoy a lot. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday I had futbol practice after school which I love. I chose it as my sport because it a huge part of the culture in Mexico. I huge plus is that I have no friends on the team. See that sounds bad but it isn´t. None of my close friends are on the team I should say so I had to meet and survive a entirely new group of people. Also the team ranges from ages 15 I think to 18. No one cares that I am horrible at soccer. I enjoy all the running and drills and sit ups and push ups. Even working with a soccer ball I have a good time. Slowly ever so slwoly I am improving.
Okay so this is somewhat how school works for me. On Monday, Tuesday and Friday I get out of class a 2pm. On Wednesdays at 1pm and Thurdays at 3 pm.
This Wednesday I was invited by my friend Sarah from Brazil to go out for sushi. It turned out being a huge group of people. Around... 20 kids more or less. There were foregin exchange students from Brasil, Turkey and the U.S. Then rotex or people who previously went on rotary. Then just random students from my school. This was a very good time. I enjoyed both the company as well as the sushi. I had california rolls and then tried hot california rolls and then tried california rolls but with mago. After a few hours at the sushi restraunt many people went their seperate ways however I stayed out. We went various other places and in time in turned out it was only the Brazilian exchange students and me. This event occurs very often at rotary meetings and such. I don´t know how... so everything was in portugese and of course I didn´t understand. Eventually I made my way home...
Friday I was invited to go out by friends but I don´t want to overwhelm my host parents by going out too much. So I went out with my sister. We saw band play which was very enjoyable. They played both english and spanish songs. Including break your heart by Ludacris. (I thought of you Courtney)
Alll my tales are a little bit happier now that I have made friends. Which as you know from my last post having friends was still up in the air. I had half friends. I must say I have friends who are very nice and nothing like me. They aren´t the typical person you would see me with. I have never been one to exclude anyone from the general area around me however I usually tend to hang out with really relaxed and easy going people. My group of friends is a huge group of girls, yes girls, not guys but girls. They are very.... different from me. They do their hair and makeup and are girly. But I am happy... and I am friends with everyone here. This group is just my closer friends.
As a sidenote my friend Mariana made it possible one day this week at school during our break for me to go to walmart. I had told her I really wanted to buy peanut butter and netualla. The most popular sandwich here is ham. I destest ham. So I bought peanut butter and nutella to make sandwiches for lunch. Thank you Mariana! Also I eat the nutella when I´m hungry or bored. This may be why I gain weight here.
Saturday I was invited to the birthday party of one my friends. Her name is Brenda. (I thought I´d add that) The party was called why not. Why not go or dress up like a little kid. So he had to dress up like a kid or something a kid would dress up as. Such as superhero, princess, prince, and so on. Please don´t ask why becuase I haven´t figured out why but I brought one of my capes to Mexico. So I decided to dress as superhero. Before the party I went to my friend Mariana´s house to get ready with her and Ozge the girl from Turkey. In time my cape and tights went to a dress, flip flops, a cape, a bow a paper S on my chest. The party was a very good time. We ate, took lots of pictures, danced in the rain danced in the sunshine and then... as many of you don´t know it always rains here. This is a fact especialyl becuase I think it´s the rainy season. Well there was the slow aproaching rain cloud that of course no one worried about. Until about 25 people were taking cover in a very small party tent. Then when the wind blew the rain would fly in and get everyone wet. Whatever company made that party tent should know it doesn´t function in extreme rain and wind. As the rain increased and the wind the tent started to lift off the ground and proceed to break. The girls were the first to run. Everyone should know.... hmmm how to phrase this I don´t do everything girls do. I´m not afrain of the rain, or butterflies or things of these nature. However I did run soon after without screaming. Well we all ran to the cars. I was jammed into a car with 6 other people needless to say the car I got into was one of the smallest. So 7 girls soaking wet in a tiny car in the pouring ran. Then we went back to Brenda´s house. The windows were so foggy and it was still pouring. It was quite a adventure. I was so happy I so happened to have extra clothes with me. They weren´t the best but I was dry. I must of looked a little silly in running spandex and my borther´s shirt that reads "Be Cool". The night was so enjoyable. We had watery cake, sang happy birthday in 5 languages, did the traditional pinata breaking and ran for candy and soon I had to go home...
Today is Sunday. I am doing laundry well I was.... since almost all my clothes are dirty and going another week would be very hard and require much skill. Later in the day my sister asked me if I wanted to join her in selling tickets at the University. I must say that whole rotary thing where you have to say "yes" to everything is both a curse and a blessing (I forgot this saying and had to google it) I always say "yes" or "why not" which has led me to some good times and some not so good times. Such as today not selling tickets but sitting on a computer at UDLA the university that my sister studies at writing this blog. I should be at home finishing my laundry which I had only begun and taking a shower and doing my homework. But since I am a rotary student I say "yes" and every time I end up in the strangest and most comical situations.
Now that I´m heading into week six you should know I´ver had a lot of time to notice differences inbetween Mexico and the U.S. The U.S. has better roads, Mexican roads are to say in the least a little out of shape. There are many pot holes. Also since Mexican driving is so crazy there are topes or speed bumps every where to slow down traffic. Milk does not usually come in a plastic gallon jug. It comes in 1 liter cardboard cartons. Also milk is usualy not consumed cold it is kept in the pantry before opening so it is usually room temperature. Also most people buy milk in bulk and store it in the pantry. You should already know you can´t drink the water in Mexcio. Everyone must buy huge 5 gallon jugs of water for cooking and drinking. Eating is very different... meal times are this. Well in the week when I have school I wake up at 5:30am and then around 6:30am I am ready. I then eat breakfast then at school we have a break at 10:30am to 11:15sm where you can eat food or buy food to eat. Then after school lunch is usually aorund 3pm unless something interfers such as futbol practice. Dinner is usually around 9pm or 10 pm. On the weekend breakfast is around 9am or 10am. For breakfast in the school week I enjoy cereal, recently I have been eating corn flakes with banana however I also enjoy Zucaritas or frosted flakes. One the weekend we sometimes have eggs or eggs with ham or eggs with tomatos. At school I sometimes buy cantalope, chips, soda, graham crackers almsot anything. If I go out of the school for lunch the possibilities are endless. I´ve had tortilla with chicken and cheese or pork and cheese. For lunch we have soup (many different kinds), meat, vegetables it differs. And usually for dinner we have left overs or more cereal or sometimes sweets. (conchas are my favorite) The weather is also very different here. It can change from sunny to pouring rain very quickly. It is usually just never is a sunny day or rainy day. The clouds sometimes are very low. ´There are of course more but these are the ones I am choosing to share this week.
You should know things are becoming much easier. However I wouldn´t say everything from here on out is going to be the best. But it is going to be easier. Especially since I have begun to form a support system.
You stay classy Cooperstown (where the majority of my readers live)

And the title is from all my friends here. They all speak english fluently. So they enjoy pulling the joke "That´s what she said!" It is very American.

Week Three, and Four: (I have no words)

This post maybe all over the place for the last week or two ... and a little up and down. So this is your warning that this post on this blog is not for the faint of heart.

I think I last left off reurning to Puebla and to my house after a long weekend in Acapulco....

The following week after arrivve back from Acapulco I went to school. Every single day... school is school. However let me paint you a picture... Prepa or prepatory iberoamericana is a middle sized private school is Puebla, Puebla Mexico. The school colors are red and black. I must say the majority of week three and four I didn't like my school too much. I find that many people in Mexico would rather stare at me and talk about me rather than talk to me. However the slightest possibility that they read this post and understand it. i would much rather people come up to me, introduce themselves and want to be my friend. I'll tell you this is not the case. However over these weeks I have become very close with my class. See the differences between Mexican and American school are this. Well in Mexico you have one class and you are sorted by area of interest. You have the majority of your classes with same 20 or 25 people. Which is very nice for rotary exchange students becuase it is easier to remember names and form friendships.

As hard as it may be to believe I am having a hard time making friends or close friends. See making friends is not the same in english as it is in spanish. I'm not funny or sarcastic. All I can do is use my poor spanish and smile a lot and then say "I don't understand." See you may think this is funny you may have even smiled however it is confusing and annoying. So you are confused becuase people are talking to you and all you can do is smile. Then people can try and repeat themselves believing that if they speak slow enough and if you hear it one more time you may understand. This usually never happens.

However things have started imrpoving slowly and slowly. You start understanding what the teacher is saying and asking you to do. Then when people talk to you, you are able to respond (sometimes) and things get easier. By week four which may be this week I was very comfortable. I had formed a few close friends.

The weekend after Acapulco I did.... nothing. I desperately tried to pass the time the majority of the time alone. It was horrible. I felt homesick and had no distractions. It was only me, myself and I. Which let me tell to you... rotary advises that you preoccupy yourself with as many distractions as possible blah blah blah so that you have no time to miss home, realize how much of the language you don't speak and blah blah blah.

This week, week four has been pretty up and down as is everything with rotary. I did draw a really good shoe in my drawing class, I was asked to help with a schooll art project for school elections, i had my first day of futbol, I got my student visa, made plans to go to the movies this weekend with a friend.... see everything is goind so well.

I also went to my first rotary meeting. Which was to be blunt very dull. I had to grab my neck every so often not to fall asleep. Rotary is very different here. There are rotary men and then there wives. Except the room is seperated by gender. Also the rotarians here aren't exactly the fun loving upbeat rotarians i recall from Cooperstown. It is for the most part all business. I asked my host mom before if I would have to talk infront of the rotary club which I'm pretty sure she told me no. This was no the case as i found myself frantically rambling spanish infront my rotary club here. It is a cofort to know I can still ramble.

The rest of the week went by pretty fast. There were a few problems along the way I must say. I have many problems here which I find do not fit under the culture shock or adjusting to a new culture area. I sometimes think I'm having a harder time under many circumstances. So don't think this is all easy going and fun. If you did you are mistaken. I still very homesick especially on the weekends and in my room here. Usually I enjoy my time most at school and when I'm out of the house. i have faith that things will get easier as people say they will but sometimes it is hard to see this getting easier. I spend a lot of time alone here, that is a very hard for me.

However i did have the pleasure of going to the movies with a friend from school. This was my first outing without anyone from my host family. Much like my family in New York it is liberating to go out on your own. Well I went to my friend Sayuri's house for lunch. Which we had with her mom and grandma. Then we took a taxi to the movie theater. Where we say the last airbender or avatar in spanish. Since like many movies I have watched here I had already seen it. So it was for the most part easy to understand. After we walked around the mall and then returned to Sayuri's house. Where I must say I learned to play spanish cards. Which is not the same as cards in America. There are four suits but they are gold, copper, swords and "bastas" which looks like a pepper. The number one card is called the ass. Oh and there is no card 8 and card 9. We played this game similar to gin and they were very nice to explain it you slowly and make sure I understand. I must brag that I even won once. That was the highlight of the weekend.

You should jsust know as good as things are some days you have really hard days as well. This isn't the easy thing to do. But you do it in hope of a better outcome. You go through this hard time in hopes of a better pay off or better time later. I can't lie and say this is all rainbows and smiles if you will. This life is no easier than your life back home.

Well: wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa waaaaaa.