Tercera y ultima Familia

As I had mentioned in my latest post, I had just started my Semana Santa. It was really relaxing as I didn't go anywhere due to the family changes that were supposed to be done in the beginning of Semana Santa. Turns out I didn't switch families until the last weekend, so I unfortunately spent my Semana Santa lounging around my house and Puebla, unlike in Taxco or D.F. like many of the other exchange students. It wasn't all too bad, just extremely chill and relaxing but also frustrating.


I changed families the Friday before we were to go back to school, which was good because that gave me the weekend to get adjusted to everything. I am very, very content with my new family. My new dad, Pepe, runs a cardboard factory close to home. My new mom, Martha, is his assistant (it's a little ironic because it's the exact same situation my real parents are in). I have one brother, Jose Pablo, but he goes to a university in México City so I only get to see him on the weekends. They have two helpers in the house, Don Quete and her daughter Monica, and I get along with them very well. They are so sweet, and with Don Quete I even learned how to make salsa verde y salsa roja. There is another helper, Pablito, but he works for the neighborhood and then lives with us though. I also have a dog, named Dashka, and she is a boarder collie. It has been a huge upgrade from the poodle mixes in my first two families, but I have never been a huge fan of boarder collies but she has a sweet character so we get along well.


On Monday I had to go back to school, and I must say it was very difficult getting up at 6 after staying up late and sleeping in during break. I have art on Mondays and I really enjoy it. We are currently painting our canvases, and I am really enjoying it. I am painting a vintage circus poster with an elephant on it, and a giraffe in neon colors; both should turn out pretty cool. The rest of the day was pretty boring. Then after school I had to go the San Diego School along with all of the other girl exchange students here in Puebla to try on shoes for our dances. I have the Ruta Maya trip coming up in less than a month, and we have to learn dances for the Conference which will be held in Cancun(I will explain more on that in the following blog.), hence the shoes.


On Tuesday school was pretty chill and then afterwards I had to go dancing again, this time with all the exchange students in Puebla, boys included. I ended up dancing with Marco, the Alaskan, and I would say we came in second to the other pure Canadian and Brazilian partners. The Brazilians, Tiago and Ana Paula beat us which doesn't surprise me one bit because Brazilians can dance. After dance I went to a bar for drinks with a friend from Germany which was really good because we barely get to see each other because we go to different schools.


Wednesday was also very chill (I get out early both Tuesday and Wednesday so these two days are always pretty lame). I went home and worked on my canvas, took a nap and then had plans to go see a movie with a friend. We went to his house to drop something off, and I got to see his mom's Boston Terriers seven little babies. They were so adorable and just starting to run so we lost track of time and instead of going to the movies ended up buying art supplies for me and going to Pearl Tea for a drink. This was the first time I had ever eaten Tapioca, which is a very strange element related to the potato with a very slimy texture and interesting taste.


Thursday I had school and my dance classes again and invited a friend to sleepover. It was really fun, but not so much fun getting up on Friday to go to school but we survived. Then Friday afternoon I was supposed to have a soccer game, but due to the currently active Popocatepetl and all the ceniza(ash) traveling many miles to Puebla, it got canceled. I was already at my friends house though, so we took a nap and then dropped me off to where the bus passes to go to my house. I'm not sure if anyone remembers, but George, a friend of a friend of my parents in Chicago, has his store on a street where my bus passes. I saw him standing outside of his store and ran off the bus to go say hi. Turns out carrying four canvases, a backpack and a sports bag is harder then it looks. Anywho I caught up with him, saw his daughter who was home for the weekend from Mexico City, saw the puppies again, got invited to a dinner on Saturday, and then got dropped off. I wanted to do something during the night because it was Friday, and thank goodness two friends invited me. We went to another friends' bar, and then to Suhko, which is a fairly new club that is really cool. Then on Saturday I went to the market with Monica y Don Quete. I love the markets here in México. Then at 6 I had the dinner that George invited me to and it was fabulous. There were some volunteers from Minnesota there who are here on a missions trip. I also got to see Ceci his wife, Gabe, his stepson(he was the one I hung out with on Wednesday) and Jenna, his daughter. The food was all delicious, and I enjoyed everything up until the last bite of Cosco apple pie. Then after the dinner my friend Anna(from the different school) invited me to sleep at her house. We went to Sukho again, but it was really lame consisting of about 20 people, so we went to Cholula to a new club named Glamm, and it was a lot better. I saw a lot of other exchange students, and even some that don't live here but are currently on their Ruta Maya and I guess theirs consists of passing through Puebla. Sunday was really relaxing. I went to mesa, and even though I am not Catholic it was a good mesa because the pope had humor. We then made pizza, which was delicious, and just chilled at her house until the evening.


Today is Wednesday. The past two days were very relaxing, yesterday consisting of dancing and today I have soccer. The rest of the week will be pretty chill, and Saturday we have a lunch with all the exchange students. It's a lunch where all us exchange students have to make something from our country for about 20 people, and then the general crowd has to pay 200 pesos to enter and they are then allowed to eat the food we all made.


 I hope all is well in the States, and I would just like to make a quick shout out to my Rotary Club Sheboygan Early Birds for allowing me to have this great experience and that they will see me again soon, as I am due to leave wonderful México in about two months. Thanks!

Ixtapa

Hello Hello!


I have been sun kissed and thoroughly washed by the ocean for about two weeks now and it feels amazing. The US has had their Spring Break a few weeks ago, and lucky me I just started my two weeks this past Monday. I was lucky enough to start it even a week earlier, due to my trip to the beach with Rotex and other exchange students. Friday we spent the majority of the day on the bus. It was a very, very long car ride but we made it to Ixtapa just in time for a delicious late lunch. The rest of the day and following days was spent playing vollyball on the beach, splashing around the pool and drowning in the ocean. It was a nice break from a large city such as Puebla. We went to a Señor Frogs the first night, and some club where only the exchange students were allowed in the following night. We danced the night away, many of the students complaining about their sun burn. Lucky for me, my parents taught me well and I applied enough sun screen to not leave Ixtapa like a lobster. Sunday we only had a little bit of time for the beach and ocean and before we knew it we were all squished on the bus awaiting the dreaded drive back home. We all survived though; arriving late and exhausted at 1 in the morning. The following Monday I didn't go to school for obvious reasons. Tuesday and Wednesday my grade was taking an exam for college so I only stopped by to check in with a teacher and lucky us they canceled Thursday and Friday so we all got an early start to our Semana Santa vacation which I am currently enjoying. The other day I made Tirimisu for my family, as I am getting ready to change into my third and final family any day now. I am both excited and nervous, but as I am learning change is good, so I am looking forward to adapt once again. I hope everyone had a great Spring Break, and I wish you all a Happy Easter!