Wow, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Hope you all have had your fill of turkey and mashed potatoes and the like :) For me, it was an amazing day because we all had dinner at my teacher´s house and we ate normal food! It is kind of a bummer that we have school, but oh well. We´re actually really close to being done! I have an exam today (which should be really hard), and then one everyday next week: Monday linguísticas, Tuesday literatura, Wednesday historia. But then on Thursday we´re off for our trip around Mexico! We´re going to go all the way to the DF or Districto Federal, so it´s a loooong way in a bus, and no access to the internet, but I´m sure our group will sing and do fun stuff together the Whole way :)
This week has been really fun. Last Sunday I went to more ruins and even a cave that the Mayans used. It was really fun to explore. The ruins of Uxmal are huge and we had a tour that was really interesting. Also we went to Mayapan where we got to climb up all the buildings which was coooool (and probably a little dangerous because it´s really steep). But I loved it.
One thing that´s hard for me to imagine is that I have to leave my new family here in only a few short days. It makes me feel all torn up inside. I´m halfway happy and excited to be done and come home, but the other part wants to continue because it does not feel like the end of November!! Craziness :)
But after this exam, I´ll be done with one class and I´ll be soooooo happy I´ll probably jump for joy when I come out of the classroom :) Unfortunately a little nervous now, but we´ll see how it goes :)
And once again, Happy Thanksgiving, because there is sooooo much to be thankful for :) I love all my family and friends and yesterday was a wonderful day to remember how much God has given me. It makes me smile :)
Friday, November 27, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wow, only a couple weeks left!
So this week has been a breeze! It´s gone sooo fast! On Saturday, as a group, we went to some ruins called Ek´Balam. They were very cool because there was a portion that was still really intact, and we got to climb up the piramid to see it up close. It´s hard to imagine people lived there before! But it was a very cool experience. Afterward our group went to a cenote and we swam and jumped from high places which was a blast too.
During the week, I kept busy with my family and homework. We didn´t have school Monday because they celebrate the revolution of 1910, so that was great to have a break. It was especially nice, because for the first time in a long while, we didn´t go anywhere! So it was great to have a break! And Jabes is working on getting wireless in the house, and so we worked on that for a while, and occasionally it works :) It´s always an iffy thing, but eventually it´ll work :)
It´s crazy to think I only have one full week left of classes! Then exams the first couple days of December, and I´m taking off for a trip touring México December 3! It seems soo soon, and I´m not sure what to think about all I have to do, but I´m sure it will work out.
One concern from this week was that my dad had surgury, and that was something that was a little bit of a surprise and makes you think. Thankfully, I´ve really seen God work through that and when I told my family, they prayed with me right away, and it´s funny because whenever my cousin Rommel comes into the house, it´s always, how´s your dad? So I feel like I have real support, which is so cool to see. Also when I told my group, they prayed with me right away, and it made me feel really peacefull about the whole thing, and thankfully daddy´s doing much better now, and he´s even home recovering!
And happy early Thanksgiving to everyone! Have a fun break from work and school!
During the week, I kept busy with my family and homework. We didn´t have school Monday because they celebrate the revolution of 1910, so that was great to have a break. It was especially nice, because for the first time in a long while, we didn´t go anywhere! So it was great to have a break! And Jabes is working on getting wireless in the house, and so we worked on that for a while, and occasionally it works :) It´s always an iffy thing, but eventually it´ll work :)
It´s crazy to think I only have one full week left of classes! Then exams the first couple days of December, and I´m taking off for a trip touring México December 3! It seems soo soon, and I´m not sure what to think about all I have to do, but I´m sure it will work out.
One concern from this week was that my dad had surgury, and that was something that was a little bit of a surprise and makes you think. Thankfully, I´ve really seen God work through that and when I told my family, they prayed with me right away, and it´s funny because whenever my cousin Rommel comes into the house, it´s always, how´s your dad? So I feel like I have real support, which is so cool to see. Also when I told my group, they prayed with me right away, and it made me feel really peacefull about the whole thing, and thankfully daddy´s doing much better now, and he´s even home recovering!
And happy early Thanksgiving to everyone! Have a fun break from work and school!
Friday, November 13, 2009
La Regenta
La Regenta is the title of the book I've been reading nonstop all week! It is 1115 pages, and in Spanish!! It was probably one of the most difficult/time consuming things I've done here, and I'm pretty proud I finished :) But other than that, this week's been crazy.
I went to a beech called Celestun last Saturday, which is well know for the flamingos that go there to eat shrimp. There is also a petrified forest, something called an ojo de agua, or eye of water, which is where the water is fresh and not salty, but it's in the middle of salt water, like a little spring. The water was red which was interesting from the roots of the trees near the water, and really cold, but we swam anyway just to say we did :)
Then this week's been really fun because just about every night Rommel (my cousin) has come over to our house, and when he and Jabes are together, the laughter never stops :)
Also on Wednesday I finally went to where don Venus was born, a pueblo called Santa Elena, and I met his mom (she cooked for us- beans and eggs and handmade tortillas-mmmmm) and his siblings which was fun- 1 sister, 2 brothers. It took a long time, but it was a blast, and there is also a museum in the cathloic church in Santa Elena where mummies were discovered from the Mayas, which was interesante! Very cool, and on the way home, we were driving and Marbella said she thought she saw something cross the road and hit the truck going the opposite direction than us. So, we stopped to look at what the truck hit, and sure enough, it was a little jaguar! It was a little bigger than a cat, but with spots and very big feet. And very cute- it looked stunned from the collision, but it was still breathing, so I think it'll be ok. Don Venus wanted to bring it with us, but we didn't, thank goodness :) But it was very cute, and I can't believe they still exist here!!!
But I'm definitely ready for the weekend, and hopefully some sleep :)
I went to a beech called Celestun last Saturday, which is well know for the flamingos that go there to eat shrimp. There is also a petrified forest, something called an ojo de agua, or eye of water, which is where the water is fresh and not salty, but it's in the middle of salt water, like a little spring. The water was red which was interesting from the roots of the trees near the water, and really cold, but we swam anyway just to say we did :)
Then this week's been really fun because just about every night Rommel (my cousin) has come over to our house, and when he and Jabes are together, the laughter never stops :)
Also on Wednesday I finally went to where don Venus was born, a pueblo called Santa Elena, and I met his mom (she cooked for us- beans and eggs and handmade tortillas-mmmmm) and his siblings which was fun- 1 sister, 2 brothers. It took a long time, but it was a blast, and there is also a museum in the cathloic church in Santa Elena where mummies were discovered from the Mayas, which was interesante! Very cool, and on the way home, we were driving and Marbella said she thought she saw something cross the road and hit the truck going the opposite direction than us. So, we stopped to look at what the truck hit, and sure enough, it was a little jaguar! It was a little bigger than a cat, but with spots and very big feet. And very cute- it looked stunned from the collision, but it was still breathing, so I think it'll be ok. Don Venus wanted to bring it with us, but we didn't, thank goodness :) But it was very cute, and I can't believe they still exist here!!!
But I'm definitely ready for the weekend, and hopefully some sleep :)
Friday, November 6, 2009
Dia de los Muertos
On Saturday last week I went downtown with a couple other girls to see how they celebrate Hanal Pixan, which is the Mayan equivalant to Day of the Dead or Halloween. They make these houses out of sticks basically and make an altar to the deceased. In the centro, there are about 60 different little houses from different pueblos or little towns around Merida. It was really interesting to not only see how the people dress and act, but to see how they set up the alters with a picture of the person in the center of a table with a cross behind it, sometimes with a traditional dress (hipil) on it. There is also a lot of food on the table, and many of the families were still cooking when we got there because they hand out the food to the people later in the day on Saturday. But there were bonfires in the middle of the sidewalks and animals in pens made the night before. I saw turkey, pig, and chicken in the midst of all the people. Many families were making tortillas by hand and that was also interesting to see. And there was inscence galor! The smell was strong with all the candles and flowers and people! Definitely an experience :)
But my family, because we`re Christians is against celebrating anything. We went to church like normal, and on Sunday we went to a pueblo to play volleyball, which was a load of fun! We also ate Pibes, which is the traditional Mayan food for the time of year, and it`s only ok to eat if it hasn`t been on an altar (for my family at least). It´s mashed corn with turdey and stuff in between and it`s in the shape of a pizza, HUGE! And it was very yummy. Lots of people went to the cemetaries that day too and painted the gravesites and tombs. The cemetaries are really different here. There is a certain spot to be burried and the tombs are mostly above ground. It´s like walking through a little city. There are places to put candles and even cabnet like places. Very interesting also is that due to lack of space in the cemetaries, people can rent tombs! I thought that was quite strange, but you pay about 300 dollars for three years for your body to lay there, and then afterward, they remove your bones, burn them, and give them back to your family! What a different tradition!
Then, on the day off, on Moday, we went to a place called the tres cenotes, or three waterholes. They are caverns in the ground that have water in them. They are very fresh which is nice for the hot weather. They were georgeous! And to get from one to the other, imagine train tracks, but about an arms length wide with little carts that could be put on or taken off pulled by horses. Quite an adventure as well!
And then this week has been a breeze, it went really really fast! It´s hard for me to believe we have less than a month left of school (because we have a trip at the end). Right now it´s really rainy too because I think a small huricane is coming toward the peninsula. I´ve heard it should hit Sunday, but it´s not strong at all. So we shall see! Hope everyone has a fantastic fin de semana!!!
But my family, because we`re Christians is against celebrating anything. We went to church like normal, and on Sunday we went to a pueblo to play volleyball, which was a load of fun! We also ate Pibes, which is the traditional Mayan food for the time of year, and it`s only ok to eat if it hasn`t been on an altar (for my family at least). It´s mashed corn with turdey and stuff in between and it`s in the shape of a pizza, HUGE! And it was very yummy. Lots of people went to the cemetaries that day too and painted the gravesites and tombs. The cemetaries are really different here. There is a certain spot to be burried and the tombs are mostly above ground. It´s like walking through a little city. There are places to put candles and even cabnet like places. Very interesting also is that due to lack of space in the cemetaries, people can rent tombs! I thought that was quite strange, but you pay about 300 dollars for three years for your body to lay there, and then afterward, they remove your bones, burn them, and give them back to your family! What a different tradition!
Then, on the day off, on Moday, we went to a place called the tres cenotes, or three waterholes. They are caverns in the ground that have water in them. They are very fresh which is nice for the hot weather. They were georgeous! And to get from one to the other, imagine train tracks, but about an arms length wide with little carts that could be put on or taken off pulled by horses. Quite an adventure as well!
And then this week has been a breeze, it went really really fast! It´s hard for me to believe we have less than a month left of school (because we have a trip at the end). Right now it´s really rainy too because I think a small huricane is coming toward the peninsula. I´ve heard it should hit Sunday, but it´s not strong at all. So we shall see! Hope everyone has a fantastic fin de semana!!!
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