The year 2011 was a good one for Johanna Schmidt. She graduated High School, had a fullfilling summer, and is now in Mexico having a blast. I am proud of this year.
Christmas this year was very strange without snow, I must say. It didn't really feel like Christmas until the day of, and even then I couldn't get over the fact I was celebrating it in just a longsleeve and tights...so weird! But overall it was good, and I had a great time spending it with my first adopted family.
Now tonight is New Year's Eve, and I will spending it again with my family, eating hamburgers by a campfire. Maybe I even get to go out after the new year has begun.
My New Year's Resolution:
Never take anything for granted, and live life to the fullest. We never know when God will take us off this earth, and there is so much to experience and to learn that we need to be yes people. Take the opportunities that are given to you, and never regret anything. Everything happens for a reason, so just go with it cause that's how God planned it.
Now I mentioned in my earlier posts that I will be having three families during my exchange, and the time with my first family has come to an end with the new year. I will be changing in exactly a week, going to a family that lives about 10 min from my current one. This is a plus, as I will be visiting them regularily!
Now I only have three more things to share with everyone...
Feliz Año Nuevo!
Frohes Neues!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Tlaxcala y el Tercer Encuentro de Estudiantes de Intercambio Puebla
It's December and I still have no snow. This is going to be one of the hardest Christmas's of my life. On the bright side, a little bird told me it has snowed in Wisconsin, which makes me proud =].
Now 3 weeks ago I had the trip to El Rollo. I mentioned about going to see a friend the following weekend which I did end up doing. Friday I slept over at a friend's house (she's from Germany) and then the following night I made the 50min drive to Tlaxcala with my parents, aunt and cousin. Tlaxcala is a fairly small city although still larger than Plymouth. The house that my friend Nici lives in is probably one of the strangest I have seen. Her parents have a little store that you walk into, and then you go up three flights of stairs, down a long hallway with rows of showers that people can pay to use until you reach a little door. Once you jumped up the two foot stop you find yourself in their house. Turns out this was the back entrance, and there is another one as well, more formal. After we changed we went to the Feria, which is like the fair. It was cool to walk around and people watch. We passed through the street with all the bars and music and got caught of there, seeing a few other exchange students which is always nice. The night ended with us hanging out there, dancing and freezing due to the cold.
The following day they returned with me to Puebla, dropping me off for my Uncle's birthday party. The following school week didn't happen for me because I got very sick. I had a fever, soar throat, dizziness, low blood pressure and I wouldn't leave my bed. The good news was that I got better just in time for the Rotary trip.
The really good part was that it took me 15min with a taxi to get to the hotel we would be staying in. I was told we were staying in three different hotels, and when we finally saw and met everyone we left and went to a type of theater. It was really cool because I got to see Keaton, which is a boy from my district back home. I also saw Courtney, Sara, Paul and a few others who were at Grand Rapids, the first big gathering we had. Friday we went downtown to the Centro and were in a parade. There are a lot of exchange here in Mexico. All I could see after the parade were yellow tshirts and blue blazers overflowing with pins. We did a city tour on foot and then with open-topped buses for most of the day. It was fun, but a little lengthy. Then in the night the Rotarians rented out a club called 'Classico' for us, which ended up being pretty fun. Everyone danced and had a good time. The following day we went to Africam Safari. This kind of reminded me of Disney's african area, except a little smaller. We took a group picture (which you can see on the side) and had a sort of treasure hunt, free time and talent show of the districts. All in all it was a wonderful day. Sunday, unfortunately, it all had to end. We had breakfast in the hotel and then everyone made their way home. My dad came for and we went home. I had to accompany my sister for some of her homework and then finally I got to sleep at night. I was not looking forward to school, and I didn't end up going because guess who got sick again. I had the same sympotoms and went to the doctor on Tuesday who is a family friend and the Godfather of my brother in Thailand. I didn't go to school until Friday, Saturday I went to the University to shoot a school video and Sunday I went to a differnt school for a sort of carnival to raise money for the school. Today is Monday and laid back. I am sitting next to one of my better friends Roy, who is rapidly finishing his homework for the class we have in exactly three minutes. Yesterday we got our Christmas tree and today I am going to help my mom decorate it after I go get a mani and pedi with my older sister....should be fun! Until next time, when I have stories to tell about how going to a Mexican Six Flags was.
Now 3 weeks ago I had the trip to El Rollo. I mentioned about going to see a friend the following weekend which I did end up doing. Friday I slept over at a friend's house (she's from Germany) and then the following night I made the 50min drive to Tlaxcala with my parents, aunt and cousin. Tlaxcala is a fairly small city although still larger than Plymouth. The house that my friend Nici lives in is probably one of the strangest I have seen. Her parents have a little store that you walk into, and then you go up three flights of stairs, down a long hallway with rows of showers that people can pay to use until you reach a little door. Once you jumped up the two foot stop you find yourself in their house. Turns out this was the back entrance, and there is another one as well, more formal. After we changed we went to the Feria, which is like the fair. It was cool to walk around and people watch. We passed through the street with all the bars and music and got caught of there, seeing a few other exchange students which is always nice. The night ended with us hanging out there, dancing and freezing due to the cold.
The following day they returned with me to Puebla, dropping me off for my Uncle's birthday party. The following school week didn't happen for me because I got very sick. I had a fever, soar throat, dizziness, low blood pressure and I wouldn't leave my bed. The good news was that I got better just in time for the Rotary trip.
The really good part was that it took me 15min with a taxi to get to the hotel we would be staying in. I was told we were staying in three different hotels, and when we finally saw and met everyone we left and went to a type of theater. It was really cool because I got to see Keaton, which is a boy from my district back home. I also saw Courtney, Sara, Paul and a few others who were at Grand Rapids, the first big gathering we had. Friday we went downtown to the Centro and were in a parade. There are a lot of exchange here in Mexico. All I could see after the parade were yellow tshirts and blue blazers overflowing with pins. We did a city tour on foot and then with open-topped buses for most of the day. It was fun, but a little lengthy. Then in the night the Rotarians rented out a club called 'Classico' for us, which ended up being pretty fun. Everyone danced and had a good time. The following day we went to Africam Safari. This kind of reminded me of Disney's african area, except a little smaller. We took a group picture (which you can see on the side) and had a sort of treasure hunt, free time and talent show of the districts. All in all it was a wonderful day. Sunday, unfortunately, it all had to end. We had breakfast in the hotel and then everyone made their way home. My dad came for and we went home. I had to accompany my sister for some of her homework and then finally I got to sleep at night. I was not looking forward to school, and I didn't end up going because guess who got sick again. I had the same sympotoms and went to the doctor on Tuesday who is a family friend and the Godfather of my brother in Thailand. I didn't go to school until Friday, Saturday I went to the University to shoot a school video and Sunday I went to a differnt school for a sort of carnival to raise money for the school. Today is Monday and laid back. I am sitting next to one of my better friends Roy, who is rapidly finishing his homework for the class we have in exactly three minutes. Yesterday we got our Christmas tree and today I am going to help my mom decorate it after I go get a mani and pedi with my older sister....should be fun! Until next time, when I have stories to tell about how going to a Mexican Six Flags was.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Segundo Viaje de Rotex
Today is exactly 3 months and 2 days since my arrival, and I just got back from our second Rotex trip! We went to a water park called El Rollo, about 4 hours away from Puebla. Was it worth it? Yes. The water park reminded me of Wisconsin Dells and Noah's Ark except less full. I think we just got lucky because one of my friends said she went earlier this year when there were 2 hour waiting lines for some of the rides. They had lots of slides, some even had a straight drop or you needed to get locked into a tube and then the floor dropped from under you...it was crazy! There was this one ride that I really enjoyed. It wasn't really a ride though, it reminded me more of the tarp and water hose we used to amuse ourselves with when we were kids. You had to sit or stand in a decently wide area that turned into a lane. After the lifeguard thought you were ready he would whistle and you were greeted by a huge gush of water that would send you tumbling to the ground if you were standing or crashing into the sides if you were already sitting. You were then escorted by this gush of water down the lane only to be thrown into crashing waves, just like in the ocean. Once you finally popped the surface gasping for breath you would be floating along the lazy river, as if you did not just have a nearly death experience. =p
After the water park we went to a hotel about 40 min away, and slept in a large hotel that had simple dorm-like rooms. They also had 2 huge pools (one was a swimming pool and the other had diving boards up to 10m) that we used the following morning after we gotten back from an evening full of dancing. Around 1030 we made our way to Tepoztlan, a beautiful little puebla that I will be returning to hopefully. The centro was really cute and full of little tiendas crowding the streets. We ate in the market and afterwards got to roam the streets. I love just going around the little stands and seeing all of their goods they have to offer. After we had all eaten and gotten a little taste of the puebla, we returned to the bus and made the three and a half hour back drive, returning to Puebla around 440.
It was really good seeing everyone again, talking about how our schools and families are, what we have done and want to do, and of course make plans for the following weeks to hang out. I may be visiting a friend who lives in a different state this coming weekend, and am going to see Breaking Down with a friend from Canada and Germany tomorrow.
PS-I have a huge trip coming up the 24th of November where all the exchange students in Mexico will be attending. This is going to be a crazy time with many new connections and new and interesting people to meet. I can't wait!
After the water park we went to a hotel about 40 min away, and slept in a large hotel that had simple dorm-like rooms. They also had 2 huge pools (one was a swimming pool and the other had diving boards up to 10m) that we used the following morning after we gotten back from an evening full of dancing. Around 1030 we made our way to Tepoztlan, a beautiful little puebla that I will be returning to hopefully. The centro was really cute and full of little tiendas crowding the streets. We ate in the market and afterwards got to roam the streets. I love just going around the little stands and seeing all of their goods they have to offer. After we had all eaten and gotten a little taste of the puebla, we returned to the bus and made the three and a half hour back drive, returning to Puebla around 440.
It was really good seeing everyone again, talking about how our schools and families are, what we have done and want to do, and of course make plans for the following weeks to hang out. I may be visiting a friend who lives in a different state this coming weekend, and am going to see Breaking Down with a friend from Canada and Germany tomorrow.
PS-I have a huge trip coming up the 24th of November where all the exchange students in Mexico will be attending. This is going to be a crazy time with many new connections and new and interesting people to meet. I can't wait!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Dia de los Muertos
Today is Friday and right now I am sitting in the library, eating my peanut butter and nutella sandwhich, half listening to my ipod and half to the english classes going on in the computer room. I was in those English classes as well for the first few weeks but then I finally spoke up and now I just go to the library. I am supposed to study Spanish on my own, but for those of you who know me, I need the push only a teacher can give me. So for the past few days and 2 months I have really been working on my listening skills.
Now for the most part everything has stayed the same since October 17th: School is still school, with the one change that we had an expo for one of our classes, Estadistica, where we had to bake something we could sell in groups. Turns out I can not for the life of me make pancakes. Granted I made them at 6:30 am the day of, but still, I thought I could. The expo went well though; we sold 2 "hot cakes" with ice cream and chocolate syrup. We have another expo like this soon, and the money we make from these expos goes towards our graduation.
That`s all that has happened so far in school, really. The interesting thing came outside of school. For those of you who don't know, the Mexican culture celebrates their dead on November 2nd. The leading days are spent building an alter with things their dead liked. This usually includes a special bread that is only made during this time, juices, fruits, water, their favorite alcoholic drink, a meal of mole and chicken (mole is a type of sauce very popular here) and of course flowers. There are these flowers here, very beautiful, bushy orange ones that I could see everywhere in the days leading up. I went to a church on Wednesday and saw orange crosses with other decorations on the ground multiple times. The tradition goes that on the 1st you prepare a meal for your dead so that on the 2nd they can come, you eat with them and then they go again. This was a very strange tradition for me, but it was really cool to see how much they care about their dead. I also went to a cemetary with my sisters and their friends, and the cemetaries here are very different. In little Plymouth we just have a stone placed every few yards, and a few strangler flowers. Here, you can barely stay on the tiny path they have left for you, and even then I was shocked to see so many graves with beautiful designs of flower crosses and flower pieces and the family members squeezing around their loved ones' grave, having a little fire (I don't know where they had space to lite it) just having a good time.
The other thing that happened here recently as well in America was Halloween. At first, I thought they didn't even have Halloween here but they do. It was cool because I went to a Halloween party with my friends on Friday, and saw all these really cool costumes. I am really excited for Halloween next year, and have plenty of good ideas. Then on Tuesday I went the the 'centro' with my sisters and their friends. It was really fun because we just walked around and took pictures with all the creepy looking costumes. Their is this one costume very popular is 'La Novia' and from what I understand it is like 'The Dead Bride'. My sisters were really creeped out by it and it just made me laugh, although it was pretty creepy. I also didn't have school Monday-Wednesday, due to their holiday. I now have to go to my art class, and will be uploading more photos when I get home. Today is Friday, and I am excited for the weekend. =D
Now for the most part everything has stayed the same since October 17th: School is still school, with the one change that we had an expo for one of our classes, Estadistica, where we had to bake something we could sell in groups. Turns out I can not for the life of me make pancakes. Granted I made them at 6:30 am the day of, but still, I thought I could. The expo went well though; we sold 2 "hot cakes" with ice cream and chocolate syrup. We have another expo like this soon, and the money we make from these expos goes towards our graduation.
That`s all that has happened so far in school, really. The interesting thing came outside of school. For those of you who don't know, the Mexican culture celebrates their dead on November 2nd. The leading days are spent building an alter with things their dead liked. This usually includes a special bread that is only made during this time, juices, fruits, water, their favorite alcoholic drink, a meal of mole and chicken (mole is a type of sauce very popular here) and of course flowers. There are these flowers here, very beautiful, bushy orange ones that I could see everywhere in the days leading up. I went to a church on Wednesday and saw orange crosses with other decorations on the ground multiple times. The tradition goes that on the 1st you prepare a meal for your dead so that on the 2nd they can come, you eat with them and then they go again. This was a very strange tradition for me, but it was really cool to see how much they care about their dead. I also went to a cemetary with my sisters and their friends, and the cemetaries here are very different. In little Plymouth we just have a stone placed every few yards, and a few strangler flowers. Here, you can barely stay on the tiny path they have left for you, and even then I was shocked to see so many graves with beautiful designs of flower crosses and flower pieces and the family members squeezing around their loved ones' grave, having a little fire (I don't know where they had space to lite it) just having a good time.
The other thing that happened here recently as well in America was Halloween. At first, I thought they didn't even have Halloween here but they do. It was cool because I went to a Halloween party with my friends on Friday, and saw all these really cool costumes. I am really excited for Halloween next year, and have plenty of good ideas. Then on Tuesday I went the the 'centro' with my sisters and their friends. It was really fun because we just walked around and took pictures with all the creepy looking costumes. Their is this one costume very popular is 'La Novia' and from what I understand it is like 'The Dead Bride'. My sisters were really creeped out by it and it just made me laugh, although it was pretty creepy. I also didn't have school Monday-Wednesday, due to their holiday. I now have to go to my art class, and will be uploading more photos when I get home. Today is Friday, and I am excited for the weekend. =D
Monday, October 17, 2011
What to write...
Hello. Once again, I am sorry it has taken me a little longer to update. The thing is, my life here is actually fairly similar to the one at my house. During the week all I have is school, and then the few interesting bus rides home or to some Plazas (shopping centers).
This past week after school one day I took the bus and went to a plaza. I grazed through the 5 or so sports stores they had, and could feel my own eyes grow wide as I saw the doubled prices of adidas and nike products here. I also went to a sort of walmart, and you can only imagine my surprise when I saw Sargento cheese! I have a picture as proof that I will be adding soon =]. It definitaly made my day when I saw it. I also saw that they have my favorite Doritoes here, as well as pretzels! If my dad is reading this I am sure he is thinking that I need to try new snacks and cheese´s here, which not to worry papa, I have fallen in love with the jugos (juices) here, especially mango, as well as some delicious sugar/cinnamon cookies.
Then this past weekend I had not only my first Mexican wedding, but also my first Catholic wedding with over 1,000 people. It was crazy. One of the things I really did enjoy though was throwing rice at the newly weds after they left the church. I don´t know why they do it but for some odd reason it brought me great joy. Plus also now know that I am not inviting more than 200 people to my wedding someday as well as having only one band and one singer. They had one band with a girl who had 2 background dancers as well as a very strong voice. They also had a Banda band, that wore bright orange tux´s and played the majority of the night with their loud trumpets and trombones...wow ha not my kind of music. But overall I think it was a good experience.
Today I watched two movies with my sister, and then went running with my cousin in a park that is pretty far from my house with the bus but it was nice to see grass again and a few fallen leaves from the trees in the park. That´s one thing that I really miss is not seeing the trees changing colors.
That´s about it for now. Tomorrow I have school again, then soccer and then I think I am going shopping with one of my sisters. God bless!
PS. I´m just writing what I think is important to share but if you have anything else you would like my to write, just ask!
This past week after school one day I took the bus and went to a plaza. I grazed through the 5 or so sports stores they had, and could feel my own eyes grow wide as I saw the doubled prices of adidas and nike products here. I also went to a sort of walmart, and you can only imagine my surprise when I saw Sargento cheese! I have a picture as proof that I will be adding soon =]. It definitaly made my day when I saw it. I also saw that they have my favorite Doritoes here, as well as pretzels! If my dad is reading this I am sure he is thinking that I need to try new snacks and cheese´s here, which not to worry papa, I have fallen in love with the jugos (juices) here, especially mango, as well as some delicious sugar/cinnamon cookies.
Then this past weekend I had not only my first Mexican wedding, but also my first Catholic wedding with over 1,000 people. It was crazy. One of the things I really did enjoy though was throwing rice at the newly weds after they left the church. I don´t know why they do it but for some odd reason it brought me great joy. Plus also now know that I am not inviting more than 200 people to my wedding someday as well as having only one band and one singer. They had one band with a girl who had 2 background dancers as well as a very strong voice. They also had a Banda band, that wore bright orange tux´s and played the majority of the night with their loud trumpets and trombones...wow ha not my kind of music. But overall I think it was a good experience.
Today I watched two movies with my sister, and then went running with my cousin in a park that is pretty far from my house with the bus but it was nice to see grass again and a few fallen leaves from the trees in the park. That´s one thing that I really miss is not seeing the trees changing colors.
That´s about it for now. Tomorrow I have school again, then soccer and then I think I am going shopping with one of my sisters. God bless!
PS. I´m just writing what I think is important to share but if you have anything else you would like my to write, just ask!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Cuetzalan
The city we ended up going to is actually called Cuetzalan, not the other thing I wrote..oops! It is about 5 hours from Puebla, so for the other students not living in Puebla is was sort of a hassle for them to get here. The bus ride there was fun. It was really great seeing the other exchange students, which I really enjoyed! It`s nice talking to other kids who understand what it`s like missing snow, and wanting to run outside in the woods. It`s been hard on me because here I can`t just lay outside in the grass or go on a run in the woods becasue there is no grass or woods here.
Anyway the city was beautiful. It`s located very high so when you are walking down the streets you are actually running and when you are going up it feels like you are climbing a mountain. We went so see this waterfall that was pretty but I think I enjoyed the bus ride there more. We all crouded into the back of this truck and it was a bumpy and curvy road. We then had to hike up to the waterfalls which was an adventure that I was glad to participate in.
After the waterfalls we got so look around the city which was not very large but the market was pretty. The had many "tiendas" which means stores but are actually more like a little set up area where the people sell their makings. That was pretty much the jist of it; it was a fun first rotex trip and I can`t wait for the next one in November =D
Anyway the city was beautiful. It`s located very high so when you are walking down the streets you are actually running and when you are going up it feels like you are climbing a mountain. We went so see this waterfall that was pretty but I think I enjoyed the bus ride there more. We all crouded into the back of this truck and it was a bumpy and curvy road. We then had to hike up to the waterfalls which was an adventure that I was glad to participate in.
After the waterfalls we got so look around the city which was not very large but the market was pretty. The had many "tiendas" which means stores but are actually more like a little set up area where the people sell their makings. That was pretty much the jist of it; it was a fun first rotex trip and I can`t wait for the next one in November =D
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Turns out I did not have school Thursday or Friday, which was great. I don´t really like school. Well I mean I do, but only for the people and not for what I am learning because I don´t understand anything (although I`m sure it`ll come soon..)
Wednesday night I had a party at my school for September 15th, and they played music and had food. I had to leave early though for another party with my Rotary, at one of the Rotex members` home. It was pretty fun because I got to see some of the other exchange students I usually don´t get to see.
On Thursday I had a soccer game. We won, and it was one of the most boring games I have ever played. At night my family and I went to my Aunt´s house for a fiesta. We were supposed to dress up in traditional clothing, so I wore a blouse with beautiful stiches and my hair in braids with ribbon. My cousins were there, and their friends and I also brought another exchange student from Germany. It was really cool because they had a bull that sets off fireworks and you need to run away from (very traditional) and then I also danced salsa. It was fun to just hang out and experience the Mexican culture.
The rest of the weekend was mainly filled with staying at home and family time. On Sunday we went to a city where they have so many objects made of marble I was amazed. There are these stores, that just have shelves upon shelves of marble objects that are beautiful. Even the floors were made from marble tiles!
This week I still have school, and then this weekend I am going to Zacatlan. It´s supposed to be beautful, and I am excited. I will fill you in once I return.
God Bless,
Max
Wednesday night I had a party at my school for September 15th, and they played music and had food. I had to leave early though for another party with my Rotary, at one of the Rotex members` home. It was pretty fun because I got to see some of the other exchange students I usually don´t get to see.
On Thursday I had a soccer game. We won, and it was one of the most boring games I have ever played. At night my family and I went to my Aunt´s house for a fiesta. We were supposed to dress up in traditional clothing, so I wore a blouse with beautiful stiches and my hair in braids with ribbon. My cousins were there, and their friends and I also brought another exchange student from Germany. It was really cool because they had a bull that sets off fireworks and you need to run away from (very traditional) and then I also danced salsa. It was fun to just hang out and experience the Mexican culture.
The rest of the weekend was mainly filled with staying at home and family time. On Sunday we went to a city where they have so many objects made of marble I was amazed. There are these stores, that just have shelves upon shelves of marble objects that are beautiful. Even the floors were made from marble tiles!
This week I still have school, and then this weekend I am going to Zacatlan. It´s supposed to be beautful, and I am excited. I will fill you in once I return.
God Bless,
Max
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Everything New&Old
First of all, I would like to apologize for not writing anything since the 28 of August. I would blame it on the fact that I don`t always have access to a computer, but that would just be making an excuss to cover up the fact that I am lazy. =] It`s been two weeks and 2 days since I have last updated my blog. Now I know that you all want to hear about how my days are going, but they are all fairly similar. So to ease your curious minds, I have decided I will explain a typical day for me.
My school starts at 7 in the morning, which has been a difficult adjustment for me, seeing as I was always the one to arrive late school almost every day. On top of having to get up shortly after 6, I have to wait for my dad, mother and sometimes sister to shower before I am able to. Usually I wouldn`t really mind arriving late to school, but here if we arrive tardy they close the gate, and we need to wait for them to open it and then take the walk of shame to the library and write a lecture/essay in a magazine (usually National Geografic). This has happened to me three times already.
My school is, or so I think, rather small compared to my high school in Plymouth. Here they only have 3 years of HS instead of 4 like in the US, or even 5 like in Germany. It`s strange for me to say that I am in class 3ºB. In my class we have what I am going to call Profiles. There is Biology/Anatomy, Art, Math and another one that I do not know but would assume is History. We have these Profiles 3 times a week in a group of 3 classes, always in the morning hours. The other 2 days when we do not have our profile classes, we have 4 classes in the morning and then a lunch break at 10:20. You may be wondering what Profile I am in and if I were you I would guess Biology/Anatomy, seeing as I am looking into Physical Theoropy/Chiropractics, right? Wrong. I am in the Art Profil. I would have loved to challenge my brain and have stayed in the Biology/Anatomy class, but learning new material is difficult enough, let alone in a language I do not understand. So I changed to Art. I`ve always been a fan of drawing, and now I can get credit for it.=D
Our classes after lunch start at 11. Theses classes vary because unlike at Plymouth where we have the same classes every day, here (like in Germany) we have them spread out during the week. English we do have every day, and math almost every day except on Mondays. Then spread out through the week we have History, Biology, Estadistica, Farm. Emprendador (sorry, I don´t know what it is in English) Physical Education (which is kind of joke since half the classes skips it), and a class called Orientacion Profesional (which focuses on what is going to happen after this year). These classes end at 1:30, except for on Tuesdays when we get out one hour earlier.
After school gets out, I have soccer practice. How I got into this is actually a funny story. As you all know I arrived on August 13th (I`ve offically been here for a month a day now!) which was a Saturday. School started the following Monday, which I was really nervous about. During lunch we were sitting in the cafeteria (which is really just a little room with slidding doors on 2 sides) and I could see the boys playing soccer outside. Being myself, I asked if we could play with them. All the girls stared at me and were like you want to play soccer with the boys? And I just looked at them blankely and said yes, I love soccer! One girl in particular, who has become a close friend, Jocelyn, looked at me with a huge grin on her face and exlained to me how she loves soccer too, and plays at the University with the older girls. My heart skipped a beat as I asked her if I could go see and watch her. I played that first day in my converse and some lent clothes and from then on I now have practice every day from 1:30 to 3:30, and games on Saturdays. =D
After soccer I usually go home, shower and just chill. Both of my parents work till around 7ish, my older/younger sister works from 4:30 to 8:30 and my older sister is often gone in Mexico (here, when refering to Mexico City they just say Mexico) for her work. She is a massues, both of my parents are into business and sell things, and my older/younger sister is an assistant for a child doctor.
Sometimes, and now more than before, I go out with friends to the mall or to a friends house. Monday I even went for a 43 min run. There is a lagoon 10 min from my house, so I ran there, then around the lagoon twice and back. I was pretty proud.
Fridays and Saturdays I have dedicated to dancing. I love music and dancing, so with my friends we go to the clubs and dance. The music is great; a lot of house music, which if I could marry, I would. Saturdays I usally have a game, and then I either go out or take a nap if the Friday we went out. I also have a cousin here (he is 15 and reminds me of my brother...=]) with whom I regularily go the Market with. I will explain the Market in a bit. Sundays is family day. I have not been to church yet here, but I am working on that. Almost everyone here is Catholic, and since I am not I need to find a church that apeals to me. The day usually consists of either going around and seeing places or going to my Aunts house. 2 weekends ago we went to Cholula (also the place with the clubs) and saw two beautiful churches. Then this past week, we went to a different state, 3 hours from Puebla. I do not recall it`s name, but it is an old mining town with many cute littel Tiendas (tienda means store). It was a beautiful little city that reminded me a lot of Wuertzburg in Germany. I love old towns. The buildings and streets just fascinate me.
The Market. It is something that I am not used to at all, but is starting to grow on me. Almost anything you need, they have there. From foods such as fruits&veggies to candy, meat, nail polish, shoes, and CDs. It`s not far from my house, so I have been there a few times already.
Something else that I have noticed here are how terrible the streets are. There are so many holes that I feel like I am driving down a winding road when really it is as straight as can be. Also, there are so many wires attached to the houses that I feel like it can not be safe. Puebla is a big city, so there are not not many trees here let alone grass (I really miss grass). With the few trees that they do have here, I really enjoy how they cut them. Driving along I can usually see everything from a smiley face etched into a tree to a bird house or some other figure. It makes me giggle every time.
So that´s about it. I think I covered about everything I have been experiencing so far. I hope you can get a slight better idea of how I`ve been coming along here in Puebla. As for the spanish, my mom sent me a package that I got yesterday (as we all know now sending things works so feel free to send food ha just kidding! =p) which had my Spanish/English dictionary as well a conjugating verbs book. I plan to learn from that as soon as I can. Also, I have noticed that studyspanish.com is a very useful website..ha.
Until then,
Max (my friends enjoy calling me this, seeing as my middle name is Maxine..haha)
PS-Tomorrow is the 15th of September, which is their 4th of July. I have a party tonight with my Rotary Club, and I don`t think I have school tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes. I have a feeling it is going to be crazy, but an awesome experience for me. Take care!
My school starts at 7 in the morning, which has been a difficult adjustment for me, seeing as I was always the one to arrive late school almost every day. On top of having to get up shortly after 6, I have to wait for my dad, mother and sometimes sister to shower before I am able to. Usually I wouldn`t really mind arriving late to school, but here if we arrive tardy they close the gate, and we need to wait for them to open it and then take the walk of shame to the library and write a lecture/essay in a magazine (usually National Geografic). This has happened to me three times already.
My school is, or so I think, rather small compared to my high school in Plymouth. Here they only have 3 years of HS instead of 4 like in the US, or even 5 like in Germany. It`s strange for me to say that I am in class 3ºB. In my class we have what I am going to call Profiles. There is Biology/Anatomy, Art, Math and another one that I do not know but would assume is History. We have these Profiles 3 times a week in a group of 3 classes, always in the morning hours. The other 2 days when we do not have our profile classes, we have 4 classes in the morning and then a lunch break at 10:20. You may be wondering what Profile I am in and if I were you I would guess Biology/Anatomy, seeing as I am looking into Physical Theoropy/Chiropractics, right? Wrong. I am in the Art Profil. I would have loved to challenge my brain and have stayed in the Biology/Anatomy class, but learning new material is difficult enough, let alone in a language I do not understand. So I changed to Art. I`ve always been a fan of drawing, and now I can get credit for it.=D
Our classes after lunch start at 11. Theses classes vary because unlike at Plymouth where we have the same classes every day, here (like in Germany) we have them spread out during the week. English we do have every day, and math almost every day except on Mondays. Then spread out through the week we have History, Biology, Estadistica, Farm. Emprendador (sorry, I don´t know what it is in English) Physical Education (which is kind of joke since half the classes skips it), and a class called Orientacion Profesional (which focuses on what is going to happen after this year). These classes end at 1:30, except for on Tuesdays when we get out one hour earlier.
After school gets out, I have soccer practice. How I got into this is actually a funny story. As you all know I arrived on August 13th (I`ve offically been here for a month a day now!) which was a Saturday. School started the following Monday, which I was really nervous about. During lunch we were sitting in the cafeteria (which is really just a little room with slidding doors on 2 sides) and I could see the boys playing soccer outside. Being myself, I asked if we could play with them. All the girls stared at me and were like you want to play soccer with the boys? And I just looked at them blankely and said yes, I love soccer! One girl in particular, who has become a close friend, Jocelyn, looked at me with a huge grin on her face and exlained to me how she loves soccer too, and plays at the University with the older girls. My heart skipped a beat as I asked her if I could go see and watch her. I played that first day in my converse and some lent clothes and from then on I now have practice every day from 1:30 to 3:30, and games on Saturdays. =D
After soccer I usually go home, shower and just chill. Both of my parents work till around 7ish, my older/younger sister works from 4:30 to 8:30 and my older sister is often gone in Mexico (here, when refering to Mexico City they just say Mexico) for her work. She is a massues, both of my parents are into business and sell things, and my older/younger sister is an assistant for a child doctor.
Sometimes, and now more than before, I go out with friends to the mall or to a friends house. Monday I even went for a 43 min run. There is a lagoon 10 min from my house, so I ran there, then around the lagoon twice and back. I was pretty proud.
Fridays and Saturdays I have dedicated to dancing. I love music and dancing, so with my friends we go to the clubs and dance. The music is great; a lot of house music, which if I could marry, I would. Saturdays I usally have a game, and then I either go out or take a nap if the Friday we went out. I also have a cousin here (he is 15 and reminds me of my brother...=]) with whom I regularily go the Market with. I will explain the Market in a bit. Sundays is family day. I have not been to church yet here, but I am working on that. Almost everyone here is Catholic, and since I am not I need to find a church that apeals to me. The day usually consists of either going around and seeing places or going to my Aunts house. 2 weekends ago we went to Cholula (also the place with the clubs) and saw two beautiful churches. Then this past week, we went to a different state, 3 hours from Puebla. I do not recall it`s name, but it is an old mining town with many cute littel Tiendas (tienda means store). It was a beautiful little city that reminded me a lot of Wuertzburg in Germany. I love old towns. The buildings and streets just fascinate me.
The Market. It is something that I am not used to at all, but is starting to grow on me. Almost anything you need, they have there. From foods such as fruits&veggies to candy, meat, nail polish, shoes, and CDs. It`s not far from my house, so I have been there a few times already.
Something else that I have noticed here are how terrible the streets are. There are so many holes that I feel like I am driving down a winding road when really it is as straight as can be. Also, there are so many wires attached to the houses that I feel like it can not be safe. Puebla is a big city, so there are not not many trees here let alone grass (I really miss grass). With the few trees that they do have here, I really enjoy how they cut them. Driving along I can usually see everything from a smiley face etched into a tree to a bird house or some other figure. It makes me giggle every time.
So that´s about it. I think I covered about everything I have been experiencing so far. I hope you can get a slight better idea of how I`ve been coming along here in Puebla. As for the spanish, my mom sent me a package that I got yesterday (as we all know now sending things works so feel free to send food ha just kidding! =p) which had my Spanish/English dictionary as well a conjugating verbs book. I plan to learn from that as soon as I can. Also, I have noticed that studyspanish.com is a very useful website..ha.
Until then,
Max (my friends enjoy calling me this, seeing as my middle name is Maxine..haha)
PS-Tomorrow is the 15th of September, which is their 4th of July. I have a party tonight with my Rotary Club, and I don`t think I have school tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes. I have a feeling it is going to be crazy, but an awesome experience for me. Take care!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
School is the same and is still fairly boring. I personally can't tell if my Spanish is getting better but people have been telling me it has...ha so hopefully they are correct. My host club always have there meetings on wednesday evenings; 9-11. We met at a restaurant that was fancy yet cozy. My club has 6 inbounds, but only four were able to make it. There was also a 24 year old that was here six years ago and was visity for a few weeks. The meeting started with a delicious panini that I devoured, despite the fact that I wasn't really hungry. That's one thing I really miss; the food. It's not like I don't enjoy Mexican food (because I do) it's just a one of the more difficul changes for me. Anyway so we ate, then some lady talked hat wAsnt from the club. After the meeting was over I gave my visa to my coordinator and went home to bed because I had school in the morning. Then Thursday and Friday were pretty chill; I went to the movies with my cousin and a little bit of shopping. Turns out the movie was in English. =] Saturday I had a soccer game and we raped; 7-2 it was pretty fun. Then I ate some subway...=D and at night I went out with my friends which was very fun. Today I slept and bout my first clothing article here(a green puma sweatshirt) and then to my aunts for dinner and now I am on my way to bed because I have school in the morning. Goodnight!
Monday, August 22, 2011
First Orientation Survived...check!
This weekend I had my first orientation for District 4180. It took place in Las Estacas, Guarnavaca. It is very beautiful there, and we stayed in a little resort that was surrounded by mountains and has a gorgeous natural park. Most of the students met in he parking lot of Mega, which is I believe a supermarket. After boarding the bus it was a two hour drive till we arrived. On Friday and Saturday we had a bunch of meetings about the Rotex trips, the Mayan trip and what we can expect while here and what we need to do (such as sending a monthly report in order to receive our money, etc.) I was fairly psyched to meet so many people who spoke German! It made me feel at home, which was a nice twist from he norm. I also had five fellow Americans, two of which I was proud to say hey were the first I've met from Alaska and New York! I was pretty stoked...yes so Saturday night we gave presentations about our countries as a group and then Sunday we were allowed to go swimming in the pRk. It was really neat because everything was very natural, especially the chilling water in the clear river that circled the park. We all really enjoyed jumping off of these swings that swang over the rover, and I especially enjoyed the back flip I did off of it, even though the lifeguard whistled at me after I returned to the surface....ha oops. There was also a natural pool area where you could jump into next to a waterfall, which was also cool. That's basically how he weekend went, and I'm really looking forward to hanging out with Lea, a girl who lives about 10 min from my house. Until next time!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
School and Soccer and a Big City, Oh My!
My last update was a tad vage, and I apologize for that and promise that this one will be better. It's almost been a week since I arrived, and time does fly. It's been almost a week since I was laying in my bed, balling my eyes out because everything was new and I couldn't understand anything. I still don't understand much but my new friends have helped me get back on my feet.
My first day of school was Monday. The school that I am attending is about 7 min, by car, from my house. UPAEP is a chain of many schools. It has three levels, and is built sort of like a corridor in a hotel but one side is left open so the sun can shine in at 8 in the morning, after i've had my first class at 7. The classes are very different from the ones at Plymouth High. Here, they really focus on what you want to do after high school, so many classes are specified. Here, they only have 3 years of high school instead of 4. School usually ends around 1:30 and afterwards I go to one of the many Universities of UPAEP to play soccer with a new friend of mine, who loves soccer as much as I do. Practice is till 3:30, so we are always a little late but I love it none the less. Afterwards, my father picks me up and drops me off at home. Today I was informed thouh that I need to take the us from now on because he can't always leave work to come get me...this will be a whole new adventure.
Now about my family. I have 2 sisters; Citlali and Alejandra. Citlali is 25 and was there when I arrived but Alejandra was in Chiuaua visiting her grandparents and arrived yesterday. My parents, Raul and Elva don't know any English so it's been a wonderful game of sharrades since I have arrived. I also have a little dog named Chiste (which is also gum in Spanish) and she loves to run after her little pink balk after i've kicked it. I apsis have a maid/helper nd her name is Flora and she is a very sweet lady.
I believe that is about everything that has happened so far...Oh yes. Tomorrow I have my orientation with the other exchange students from this area. I have not met any, except for a girl who is in a grade below me in school and she is from...Japan? Ha I forgot...yes so tomorrow through Sunday is my orientation and we are going to a very beautiful ciy, or so I've been told. I think that's about all!
Hasta luego,
Johanna
My first day of school was Monday. The school that I am attending is about 7 min, by car, from my house. UPAEP is a chain of many schools. It has three levels, and is built sort of like a corridor in a hotel but one side is left open so the sun can shine in at 8 in the morning, after i've had my first class at 7. The classes are very different from the ones at Plymouth High. Here, they really focus on what you want to do after high school, so many classes are specified. Here, they only have 3 years of high school instead of 4. School usually ends around 1:30 and afterwards I go to one of the many Universities of UPAEP to play soccer with a new friend of mine, who loves soccer as much as I do. Practice is till 3:30, so we are always a little late but I love it none the less. Afterwards, my father picks me up and drops me off at home. Today I was informed thouh that I need to take the us from now on because he can't always leave work to come get me...this will be a whole new adventure.
Now about my family. I have 2 sisters; Citlali and Alejandra. Citlali is 25 and was there when I arrived but Alejandra was in Chiuaua visiting her grandparents and arrived yesterday. My parents, Raul and Elva don't know any English so it's been a wonderful game of sharrades since I have arrived. I also have a little dog named Chiste (which is also gum in Spanish) and she loves to run after her little pink balk after i've kicked it. I apsis have a maid/helper nd her name is Flora and she is a very sweet lady.
I believe that is about everything that has happened so far...Oh yes. Tomorrow I have my orientation with the other exchange students from this area. I have not met any, except for a girl who is in a grade below me in school and she is from...Japan? Ha I forgot...yes so tomorrow through Sunday is my orientation and we are going to a very beautiful ciy, or so I've been told. I think that's about all!
Hasta luego,
Johanna
Monday, August 15, 2011
Mi escuela
So today was my first day of school and all I can say is wow; my Spanish sucks even more than I thought it did! Awesome, right? I am fairly frustrated at the moment but I feel like it can only go up from here...so here's to a new day =D
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Estas jegare
All is well in Puebla, Mexico. My flight went well and my family is very nice. I have my own room and am very excited to get settled in! Oh, ps..turns out I don´t have a uniform..haha.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Home stretch..
Packed? Check! This was more stressful than when I took my act...not cool. I also got up early this morning so my host club could see me one more time and now al that's left is perfecting my presentation and putting more songs on my iPod. I need more time!! =O
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Time to get ready..
It's official. I leave for Mexico on the 13th! Have I had a going away party yet? No. Am I nervous yet? No. Do I have any idea WHAT or HOW to pack? Nope. I feel like the only thing I DO have is my visa..
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
what went down in grand rapids
So Grand Rapids turned out to be a little boring, but highly informative. We had sessions with inbound, outbound and rebound students; which turned out to be very helpful. I now know much of what I wanted to know and am pretty excited for my family in Mexico!
ps- tomorrow i am going to a rotary meeting with my new bedazzeled blazer...oh yea =]
ps- tomorrow i am going to a rotary meeting with my new bedazzeled blazer...oh yea =]
Monday, July 4, 2011
Grand Rapids Conference
So I have about 3 days left till the conference in Grand Rapids. I have no idea what to expect, and am honestly a little nervous. But I think it will be good to see and hear from those who have been here a full year and are about to leave! I am also looking forward to adding new pins to my blazer =]
Thursday, June 9, 2011
June 9-first blog
So today I gave my first presentation about my year abroad at the Sheboygan Early Birds Club meeting. I feel like it went pretty well, and I am so lucky to have this opportunity and be sponsored by such a great group of individuals. =]
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