Sweet Sunday

Well, I sure didn't give a very good first impression today at church, because I was plain exhausted. I couldn't, for the life of me, keep my self awake. I was nodding off through all three hours, and the last hour I just gave up and stopped fighting the nod. I didn't really talk to many people either, but hopefully I will be able to make up for it in the coming weeks.

So yes, after morning church we just fell right asleep in our beds, waking up late for lunch. My mama's parents were visiting, so I got to meet them and talk for a while. Her mom was so fun, and just loved to talk about everything. I got to try a dish she made, called mole (I'm not sure if the actual dish is called mole, or if only the sauce is) which is meat with a sauce that has chocolate in it. It was really an interesting experience. I liked it, though I imagine it would have been better if I hadn't already been too full when I started eating it :P

We then headed al centro and checked out the things they have there every Sunday. It was similar to last night, with a bunch of vendors selling cool stuff, though there were a lot more places selling the traditional Yucatan clothing. And instead of performers, they had a band playing and an open dance on the street for anyone who wanted. There were a lot of people dancing by the end, including one little old guy who was the absolute cutest thing on the street. He just looked so HAPPY, like you imagine people looking when they dance, instead of the usual stone faces that we get now-a-days. I got a video of him so you could see what I mean.

We were able to check out the cathedral and go inside for a little bit. That was a very cool experience for me. I realized that while I appreciate the reason behind the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints not using the cross as a symbol, I also was able to see why the other Christian religions choose to. I know that Christ lives, and that His death was not the end and should not be the focus. But to look at him up on that cross, it made His sacrifice so much more real to me. It was easier to focus on what He did, and also WHY He did it. My experience in the cathedral was definitely surreal, and I was able to gain an appreciation for the feelings that other religious people claim to have. The Spirit can speak to you, no matter who you are.

To wind up the day, I'll just tell about these awesome stone chairs that face each other, which I love. Here's a picture of Rebecca, my roommate, and I enjoying our time in them :)

As for some interesting facts, I've got a few!

• At 6 o'clock (not sure if it's every day, but for sure Sundays!) they take the Mexican flag down, and while doing so, the police have a procession that plays the drums and marches in place--only lifting the left heel, keeping the right foot on the ground the whole time. They also have a bugle playing and Instead of folding the flag up right after taking it down, six soldiers hold it open in the air and march out of the square. Their marching is with straight legs.
• They have watermelon juice that tastes like it was literally just juiced out of a watermelon and put in a bottle. Drinks sold at vendors are sold in hand-filled bottles, instead of cups.
• When they dance, the women do not move their hips much at all. That must just be other Hispanic countries which are known for the Spanish hips; it doesn't seem to be a thing here.

Saturday, June 27

Weeeeee today was great! We explored a Mexican Walmart, which was very interesting to see what was the same and what was different. For one thing, there is loud music in the Mexican one. Also, movies are way cheaper, with $3 or $4 movies in the usually $5 section :)

On our way home we got lost on the bus system again, taking twice or three times as long to get home because we missed our stop. But every time something goes wrong, we learn something new and helpful for other future endeavors.

After eating a DELICIOUS meal with pork, soup, brown rice, avocado, and beans, we (Rebecca, my roommate, and I) met back up with Conner to do our homework together, then Scott and Brandon joined us at 8 and we went to the Mexican party they have every Saturday. It was finally the atmosphere that I had been looking for! I didn't want to go to any more big stores that are just like walking into the US, I wanted to have a small, Mexican feel! And this party was on the street, with vendors selling different things and performers dancing on a stage. I got a couple clips of them, though it's not the best quality:

We tried some tamales, and even though they didn't look very appetizing (they were green) they weren't bad at all. I also got a sort of cheescake with oreos. But it wasn't the cheescake that they have in the US, it's more thick and less sweet. So the oreos made it perfect.

I definitely learned some things about the culture, though I don't remember that much. Let's see what I can pull out.

• Waffle cones are a lot less sweet, but perfect for eating with sweet and fruity icecream .
• They have discounts for the bus to those who are poor, but not to any who can actually afford it. The bus is already so cheap--only 7 pesos--so if all students were to get a student discount the buses probably wouldn't be able to run.
• You can haggle prices with vendors on the streets, or anyone asking you to buy something.

Yeah, it's not much, but that's all I can get out of my tired little brain at the moment. Buenas dias!

Vamos a la Playa!

I tried to write my blog last night, but couldn't keep my eyes open, so I'm writing about it this morning. :)

 First thing we did after breakfast was get in a van and drive to the closest Mayan ruins. It was way cool to see the different kinds of structures and wonder what life would have been like back then. Luckily for us, the sun wasn't out while we wandered around, which meant it wasn't as hot as it could have been. But we were still dying of humidity by the end, drenched in our swimsuits even before we got in any water.

Which, getting into the water was what we were all excited for--to swim in our first cenote! A cenote is a hole in the ground where a section collapses, filling with water. The one we went to was nothing like the awe-inspiring pictures on wikipedia, but it was still fun! Like swimming in a pond, complete with personal fishies!


Here we are; we really did get in. :D And we had a free spa-like experience with the fish eating our feet. It was the weirdest feeling, extremely ticklish, but in the end we didn't want to leave.







After los cenotes, we went to the beach!! I've been to a beach before, but I had never actually been in the ocean, so this was my first time experiencing the big deep blue. Or more like light green, as it was shallow enough to touch for 200 feet out from shore. And man, the water was so SALTY. I swear every time I accidentely had my mouth open when a big wave crashed into me, I about had a seizure from the salt intake. And if it gets in your eyes or nose, they're burning for a while afterward. So the beach is fun, but you can't really do much except sit there and enjoy the lull of the waves. Oh and search for cool shells. That's what we spent hours doing. We did end up finding multiple starfish (live ones!), little baby shrimp, and a fossilized piece of rock. We were at a resort, and let me tell you, those pictures you see of the beautiful beaches, they aren't lieing! Here's one I took:

Awesome, right?!

Even when it started raining a little while after this, we still had a great time in the water because it was warm ocean water and warm heavenly rain. We ate great Mexican food, played volleyball, and genuinely enjoyed our time there.

After we got home and washed all the leaves, salt, and sand off of ourselves, we went and explored our neighborhood a little bit, then came home and ate dinner with the family :) Which, by the way, was scrambled eggs and toast. To conclude the day, we played a game of Clue with our 12-year-old hermana, only to find out in the end that we had been playing with two of each room card. hahahaha

Throughout the day, here are a few things I learned:

• Milk comes in small cartons, not plastic. And a lot of families don't refrigerate it. Also, other things come in different types of packaging, like ketchup which comes in a big packet, as well as the typical plastic version. 
• They also sometimes have garbage cans to put toilet paper in, so the toilets don't get clogged (though it's not as often or as strict as Korea about it, I don't think).
• There is free wifi in a lot of main locations, like el centro, the city center.

That's all until tonight folks :)

Day Two--Classes Begin!

Today was our first day at the university! We woke up bright and early (5am!) to get ready and go to our 7am class. Our classes are really small, which is wonderful! And though the campus is small, it's beautiful!

 So I'm going to keep this short, and just say that the rest of our day was spent with some great new friends. With whom which we went on our own to find the temple, and ended up getting drenched in the rain and wandering around for hours trying to find out where we were and how to get home. It was pretty splendid, aside from the fact that my shoes were not fit for the weather at all. For anyone who comes here, do NOT wear flip flops in the rain. The sidewalk is so slippery if you've got no grip.

Anyway, here are a couple things I found out about Merida!

• It is more common for universities in Mexico to be small, and specific to a certain major or career. 
• An update from something I said yesterday: there are actually crosswalks and lights, but they are more in the centro de la ciudad. But yes, they do exist but aren't nearly as commonly used
• And finally, if you lok at this picture, our university has this cool setup for recycling--each recycled waterbucket holds a different thing. Not sure if this is a Mexican thing or just an invention of our school, but I thought I would add it here just the same. :)

I've got to go to bed; I'm expecting a big day tomorrow! It's going to be a blast--the beach and las cenotes! This is the thing that I have been most excited for! I'm out, but hopefully tomorrow will have lots to tell. :D

I'm in Mexico. Wait, what?

I'm starting up this blog again, for the soul purpose of documenting my soon-to-be awesome study abroad in Merida, Mexico!

Today was the first day of the six-week ordeal, spent on a plane for a painful amount of time. No, there was nothing like the 9-hour straight flight to Korea (check out my adventures there @ Serving Souls in Korea) but with the early morning takeoff at 5:40am and the two transfers in Denver and Houston, it was almost as terrible. If I'm being honest, the fact that the long flights have free movies, music, and games--plus meals to keep your stomach full--make up for the nonstop sitting. There's none of that on the shorter trips. 

The greatest moment of the trip was when I looked up as I was about to get on my last flight and saw other people from my group. That meant I had friends to go through Mexican customs with! What a relief. :D And customs was not even a big deal.

Here's my first view of my temporary home:

Now, we get to Mexico! I'm actually here, laying in a Mexican home with the fan going and my feet hanging off the end of the bed. The family I'm with seems amazing; the mother is helping us figure things out. She's the sweetest person. :)

I definitely noticed a lot of things that stand out in the culture/surroundings of Merida, Mexico. The purpose of me writing (hopefully everyday) is to both keep a record of my adventures and also to jot down culture differences. Here's the list for today:

• There are venders in the street--guys who will just walk up to your window while you wait for the light and ask you to buy their fruit/flowers/etc.
• The avocados here are huge! The size of about three in the US. And the inside is yellow, like in this picture. The outside is just a soft dark skin, soft enough to bite through, though I don't think they eat it. 
• I haven't seen enough of the city to know if there are any, but so far I have seen little to no sign of actual crosswalks with the walking-man light. It seems to be expected that pedestrians just jaywalk and make sure they don't get hit.
• I don't think carpets are common. The home we are staying at has completely stone flooring, even in the bedrooms. I'm still a little unused to walking barefoot on stone rather than carpet or wood.
• They sleep in hammocks! And not just any hammocks. These are hand-made (I'll have to find out what material), huge, and built in a way that makes them super compfy. They stretch across the bedroom at night, and are taken down during the daytime. Perfect for hot nights when you want a breeze to lull you to sleep.
• Locks exist all over the place: for the closets, drawers, and of course the doors. Also, the windows are covered on the outside with bars, so no unfriendly guest can get in.

• I will add one final observation, but I still don't know if this is an actual culture thing, or if it's just the family we are staying with. Their home is very spacious inside, with lots of room and not a lot of furniture to fill it up. Compared with a typical American home, it seems they have slightly less furniture and slighty larger rooms. So it makes for a lot of space. I'll update further about this once I've visited other homes and seen how they look.

So yes, today was a full day with a lot of new things to see and hear. I am actually able to have conversations with our "mom" but still feel like a simpleton. However, I can tell that it will come quickly. :) Now that I am writing this, I feel excited for what is to come! Although, I'm pretty sure I had a little bit of homesickness/culture shock earlier today. Okay, maybe slightly more than a little bit.

I was exhausted, though I didn't realize it. So here I was going off of adrenaline, and then right about the time it wore off, I saw a friend's post on Facebook that made me go absolutely crazy with despair and a little (or a lot?) of jealousy.Which then started a downward emotional spiral 'till I got to the point that I just wanted to give up and not do anything at all, just lay there and feel sorry for myself until I went to sleep. Talking in Spanish suddenly became extremely hard to muster the will or strength for, and I almost started crying at the ATM when I couldn't remember my pin. This is so not like me that I can only pinpoint it down to one thing: I'm homesick.

But, I also attribute my homesickness to the fact that I haven't gotten any substantial sleep in the past week. Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow morning I will be ready to enjoy this ride like nothing else!

Sidenote:
We have a cat. Not only do we have a cat, but she just had three kittens YESTERDAY. !!! And they are the cutest little gatitos in the world! I was happy beyond belief to see them. Also, there are three dogs and a guinea pig. :)