Hey everyone, its been a slow couple days in Puebla after the weekend. I´ve been back to my normal routine of going to class and hanging around the city reading, window shopping, going to free museums on Tuesdays, eating, drinking lots of good coffee, and having a few cocktails. I haven´t bought anything in Mexico except my futbol jersey. I want to get a couple more before I come home too. I´ll have to pick up a few souveniers before I come home too. But, I think my pictures will be really nice. I´ve got some great ones.

This tomorrow we leave for Huatulco. Well, we go to Oaxaca tomorrow, then early Sat. morning we go the rest of the way to Huatulco. It is going to be a long, bumpy slow ride on narrow dirt roads through the mountains (thats why we flew in 2000). I can´t wait to be on the beach, go snorkelling, and hiking. We´re camping on the beach, it is going to be awesome. The kids don´t have school Monday.

When I get back from the beach, I´ll have about 2 weeks left in México, so it will be time to pack up and go see as much as I can before coming back to the snow! Annie says she´ll take me back up to El Paso de Cortez so I can climb a volcano. I´ll stick around Puebla and do everything I forgot about the past 3 weeks while I was in school. I think I want to go back to Oaxaca and hang out for a few days, with Areli and Rudy´s family, and I know that I want to go to Cancun/Playa del Carmen the weekend before I leave so I can spend the last few days seeing ruins, jungle, and laying on the beach doing nothing. There are a few days, like 5/6 days in between Oaxaca and the Yucatan though, so I´ll find somewhere exciting to go. I think the days are going to start flying by. I can´t believe I have been here for 3 weeks.

UPDATE DAMMIT

Well, I wrote that we would be going to Mexico City for the weekend, but that isn´t exactly what ended up happening.

Friday night we were waiting to see wheter Rudy might have to go into work or not. He didn´t, but Franki had a basketball game at 9am Saturday.

It would get over at 10ish and we could go to the bus station. But, things weren´t really planned out, and we didn´t have a hotel, or really any idea what we were going to go see (which wasn´t a big deal because Annie lived there for a while, she and Rudy could come up with things on the fly), and people needed to pack, and we needed to find a bus with 6 seats on it....

So Saturday morning we were still planning on going, the opposing team didn´t show up to the game, but Franki´s team had to wait around to get the forfeit. They got back and we ate tamales and drank orange juice, and it just didn´t look like Saturday was going to work out. So, I settled in with Harry Potter 5 in the sun and chilled out.

Then we got the idea to drive up to El Paso De Cortez! The pass between Popocatépetl e Iztaccíhuatl. So everyone geared up and off we drove. We drove like an hour up this winding mountain dirt road full of rocks and bumps. It was pretty cool. We were also very late in the day, so we were there for the sunset and it wasn´t crowded at all. We were getting out and taking pictures the whole way up. This was the closest Annie, Rudy & co. have been to the volcano after many failed attempts. When you get to the pass, there is a little tourist house, and trailheads. I want to get back up there sometime and climb Iztaccihuatl. It is the sleeping lady. I have a TON of pictures I can put up later. But, it was pretty awesome to get up there. Then we stopped at the bus station and got tickets for the first bus leaving Puebla for Mexico City. 6am!!

Izta

To tell you the truth I was much happier going to the volcano. It was nice to finally be out of a city for the first time. I don´t know how I would have coped with 2 days in Mexico City after seeing it Sunday. Plus, now I know there is hiking in the mountains around here and where to go. It was tricky finding the place, they don´t really advertise, you just have to know its there.

Popo

5:00am Sunday: we´re up. 5:30 we´re on our way to the bus station. 6am - 8am: on the bus. 8:15-9something: subways in Mexico City. 9:20ish we´re pilgramaging with thouands of people to La Basilica!!!

The road up to it was just FULL of people going to church. They have masses at every hour, and even then, people are crowding outside the doors to hear. We ended up missing the one we wanted to get to at 9. At the 9 oclock mass they have singing, for teh others they used recordings. The place is huge. It is a whole compound of gardens, churches, museums, cemetaries and a gigantic open square for whatever.

The Basilica is actually falling into the ground right now. I don´t know, it is kind of sad, they build Mexico City on a lake, just filled it in, and then from watching a video at the Basilica, Mexico City pretty much drained the water table underneath it, so the Basilica started sinking into the ground. One of the most famous things in one of the world´s biggest cities, you´d think maybe they´d discuss anything about water usage, but they just keep plowing along, or look at a better way of doing things than reactionary measures. They have pillars in the ground underneath the new one so it doesn´t sink into the ground with the rest of the place.

Another kind of depressing sight was the tackiness of so much of the place. Inside the capilla, the best looking thing in the place, they have made a gift shop selling trinkets in the ´lobby´. And the floor is covered in old tape where they were taping down cords and peeling it up, but not getting it all. I don´t know. I was hoping for more grandeur, not paper Santa Claus faces hanging from the rafters...

You can´t really even go inside the Basilica, because all of the arches are all being held up with gigantic scaffoldings.

The current Basilica is insanely huge and so 1970´s you cringe. But, you can´t deny the size of the place, and how many thousands go to church there every Sunday. On Wikipedia it says there is sitting space for 10,000, and when we were in there, we were standing room only in the back with crowds outside the doors. And it never eased up.

They really love John Paul II too. Statues of him EVERYWHERE. Big and small.

After this, we went to El Zocalo. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh. My. God. There was some kind of demonstration going on, I honestly don´t think I will ever see the numbers of people anywhere else as I did Sunday. That was the big impression of Mexico City: PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE.

We hung around looking at the cathedral at the zocalo, which is much cooler than the Basilica, but the story at the Basilica is cooler. This place had columns the size of Seqoias.

We ended up eating lunch at a restaurant in a nice hostel. We hadn´t planned on that, but we were sp hungry we went to the first place we saw. Then, back on the subway to go to the FUTBOL GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the one thing I knew wanted to do on this trip.

We went to Amèrica v. Toluca in a stadium seating 105,000. Estadio Azteca hosted the 1968 Olympics and two world cups.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estadio_Azteca

This place was amazing. I bought a jersey for #9 and he scored a goal. They didn´t turn on the scoreboard at the game. I don´t know if they just didn´t, or they didn´t so that the fans couldn´t see the score and have something to either celebrate or be angry about. I thought we were up 3-1 when we left, turns out the game ended in a tie 2-2. We had to leave early because of the kids. Our cab driver told us 2 or 3 times to leave early because things almost always get crazy after the game. All I know is that I want to see more futbol games. It was awesome seeing all the barded wire around the stadium to keep the sections of the stadium separated. There were riot police surrounding the really rowdy sections and the Toluca fans.

We got to the bus station, bought more movies and then came back to Puebla. Then everyone crashed into bed. 5:00am - 10:00pm.

weekend plans

We´re going to Mexico City tomorrow!!!

Basketball

Today I left downtown early to see the kids play in their basketball games. Max and Lex played at 4 at the American school and Franki played at 5 at IMEX, the school the kids attend. So I hung out with Franki while Annie took the boys to the other school and came back. IMEX won their game, 18-8, and Max scored 11 of the points!!!! So everyone was in good spirits. Lex is erally sick right now, so he didn't play much in this game.

Franki's team tied the game in the last second, which was exciting.

I have been keeping track of Spartan Basketball, and I see they lost tonight at home. Bad news.

2nd week in school

Well, it is now my 2nd week in school, and I've stopped getting picked up at 1:30 by Annie. Now I wander around until I feel like coming home, and I grab a taxi. Yesterday it was 70 pesos, today it was 50. I think the exchange rate is somewhere around 13 or 14 pesos to the dollar, so, it is really cheap.

This is nice now, because when I was getting picked up everyday, I didn't wander too far so that I could always be back to the school waiting. Plus, walking around the areas by my school always gave me a bad headache, I think from the exhaust from all the cars, so I never lasted long before I ducked into my favorite coffee shop across the street.

Yesterday I found the most amazing place to hang out though, so I've been there the last two days doing my homework and reading Harry Potter.

I just took these from my seat outside. I told myself I'd take more today, but I didn't.

This place is really nice, because the streets are blocked off, and even if they aren't, they are small one lane streets with little traffic. So, this place is nice and relaxing, music is playing, people are walking around, things like that. Super chill and exactly what I want. Today I kept finding other streets like this, with different shops. This particular one is called Barrio del Artistas.

My teacher also told me I could get into some museums for free today, but I didn't... There are so many here, and one of the best is on the next block over from my school. I couldn't find the door today when I went by it.

OH! haha, so today I told my teacher I wanted to have more conversations in class. So, she marched me down to the zocalo and made me ask people what their names were, where they were from, how old they were, and what they do for a living, and also ask people for directions to different places. Those were always the worst, when I asked for directions, and when they told me, I walked in a completely different direction to get back to Lola. It was even better asking directions to things that I didn't know, like when I went up and said what Lola told me, and turns out I was asking someone where the bar distric was, alone, at 11:30 in the morning. She kept assuring me that these were all famous places.

I guess I shouldn't make myself out to be so outgoing. I tried whining a bit to get out of it, then when we got to the zocalo, I found a reason why each person looked like they didn't want to be bothered. So it was lots of walking around, being embarassed, trying to avoid talking to anyone. In the end, I asked 2 people the questions about themselves, and 3 people directions. I only got shot down once for directions.

Anyone want to send me an e-mail about the Obama inauguration? I was in class until 1 Michigan time. I just read about it online, and saw the tail end on TV. Anything noteworthy?

molly.kathleen.murphy@gmail.com

http://gomexico.about.com/od/colonialcities/ss/puebla_walking.htm

Mom, you'll like this. I just found some really cool pictures from around Puebla, with some background info. It is set up as a walking tour around the city. Maybe I can try this sometime, I want to see that meringue house, the theatre, and the revolutionary museum. I saw a sign for that theatre today, I can't wait to check it out.

A weekend in Oaxaca

We arrived Friday night at about one in the morning, so we all just went straight to bed. I woke up Saturday morning at 8, while everyone else slept til around noon. It was so warma and sunny, I just sat outside on the patio waiting for everyone to get up. We had a huge breakfast, and Annie told me that we would get a cooking lesson!! Annie's favorite Mexican food is made in Oaxaca, and it is an artform. Chilies stuffed with all sorts of things, battered and fried. But, the cook likes to do everything, so we mainly watched and took pictures, trying to remember all the steps. Me, Franki, and the boys played tenis and badmitton all day in the tiny driveway.

We all sat down to dinner, and the food was SOOOOO GOOD!!!!!! Well, everything so far has been awsome, but this was especially good. The chilies weren't hot, but perfect.

After dinner, at 6, the boys, their grandpa, and me all went to a park so we could play our games and run around more. On our way there we saw a white tiger in a cage on the back of a truck. We played tenis and badmitton next to a fountain. Then we got ice cream bars, but they weren't really ice cream. It was more like a sherbert thing, but not even that really. I had lime crema. Then we piled back into the Volkswagon Bug and went home.

Later that night Annie, Rudy, kids, Areli and me all went to el zocalo. On our way there, the street was PACKED with stalls selling food, and clothes, toys, everything. People everywhere. We parked, and walked through a park, past big churches, some kind of a show, and just city nightlife, and got to a restaurant. We had sangria while the boys played tag the whole time.

Then everyone kept talking about this corn. So me, Areli, and the kids went on a mission for corn on the cob. We had to walk a couple blocks down some streets to find some cheap ones. They pound it onto a stick, rub a lime on it, spread on mayonaise, cover it in something like a mix of parmeasan and mozerella cheese, and then if you want some chili powder. I said I didn't want a whole one and asked someone to split one with me, and of course the next thing I know I get a whole corn from Areli.

Walking back, we see fireworks in the air and a monsterous spinning sparkler coming our way. there is some kind of traditional parade coming our way, complete with fireworks, gigantic spinning ball, a band, and two people on stilts. It makes it's way all the way to el zocalo, and goes right past our table!

There were even girls with huge dresses carrying things on their heads like fruit and flowers, they stopped right in front of us and did a dance!!

Sometime after that we went home.


Sunday: I again woke up around 8, while everyone else got up around 10:30ish. We were supposed to go out for breakfast at the zocalo, then go to church, but everyone was late, so we stayed at home. Another giant breakfast of dinner leftovers, tortillas, taquitos, salsas, guacamole, beans, cheese, watermelon, papaya, hot chocoalte, and.... BEER! I never thought a beer would be as hard to drink as that first beer at an MSU tailgate: 6am in the dark, but whew, I could barely get it down.

Mom: on a side note: we drink that kind of hot chocoalte you have every single day here. I thought you'd like that. What we do though, is break the bricks into small pieces, so you can throw in as much as you like, heat up the milk, then throw it all ni a blender. It is a lot faster.

After breakfast, we all pile into cars and go downtown, to Santo Domingo for church!! It was awesome and distracting.

After church, we made our way back to the zocalo for ice cream and frappucinos. Annie, Rudy and I went to the market after that, while everyone else did who knows what. They were doing their grocery shopping while I was on a mission for cute, cheap jewlery and purses. It was a lot of fun. I wanted to stay there longer, I wanted to buy a lot there. But, we'll be back. Rudy bought crickets. The boys love them, chapulinas. We stopped by to get some meat too, it was all in one section. They have the meat, you pick what you want, and they grill it right there for you, so there were about 10 grills going, with 2 people fanning each one, so the whole place smelled like a barbeque. It smelled amazing. We ate it all when we got home before we took off.

We also stopped by a stand of pirated movies!! That was exciting. We got like 15, including Benjamin Button, the new Will Smith movie, Bolt, a Britney Spears CD with 119 songs on it, Australia, Valkyrie, and more that I can't remember. Mom, I got you Mama Mia for $1.50 as a present.

On the ride home I played some monster octopus game with the kids in the car. It got pretty crazy in the backseat.

The teachers have taken to the streets!

On our way to school yesterday, I saw like 20 trucks full of SWAT Team or military or something driving around Puebla Centre, near my school. And all during class we kept hearing these loud booms. So after class, I was hoping to see what was going on. I went for my normal walk,a nd saw the SWAT teams just driving around. I wanted to take a picture but I didn´t want to get in trouble or anything. I end up at el zocalo, and there is something not normal about it. And I start just taking pictures of the place, because I don´t have any yet, when a crowd of people come marching down the streets chanting and cheering. So I sat on a bench to watch. I figure out it is the public school teachers plus supporters. And they all stop in the middle of the street and someone with a microphone and speakers starts talking, people cheering, chanting, everything. It was pretty cool.

So I stuck around for a while, taking pictures and looking around. It was cool, because of the demonstration, all the roads were closed. So I got a lot of cool pictures from places I wouldn´t normally be able to stand.

As I was about to leave, I hear another comotion coming our way, and it is a whole nother group! This one was led by a lady on a microphone, which was hooked up to a car, and using the car speakers. They were for the same cause, and when they met up with the first group there was lots of cheering and chanting.

I have some good pictures I will put up when I get a chance.

I never did find out what the loud booms were. They continued through the rally, but, I didn´t know how to find them.

My teacher said today that these protests happen all the time. I hope there are some exciting ones, everyone was just siting on benches and steps listening to the people on the microphones.

Last night it started raining, and rained all night long. Today, around 10 it started up again, and my school lost power. It looks like the sun is out now.

We´re going to Oaxaca tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Going out in Cholula

Well, last night I went out to a bar/club for the first time with Mariana and her friends. It was pretty wild. You just buy bottles of alcohol and have them on your table, and you make your drinks yourself. There were tons of people, and everyone just danced and sang along at the top of their lungs. I made some friends, at least for the night, so that was good. We got home at like 2:30 and now I´m at class. Just like the old days.

More later.

My first day of school!!!

Ok, I didn´t write this because I was busy studying and watching Harry Potter. Oh my god, I never thought it would happen to me. We have pirated movies 1-5. I don´t know if I mentioned this, but we buy pirated movies in Mexico for like $1 or $1.50, instead of the $20 you´d pay in a real store. The quality is usually just fine, sometimes it freezes up in a stop, but then starts again. We even have Twilight. You see all the movies in theatres for sale here already.

Ok, so school. I am the only student, since I signed up for the individual class because I didn´t want to commit to 6 hours a day, for 4 weeks. That was too much. So I come in 9-12 everyday.

So I get there a little before 8:30 because I have to take a placement test. Oh man, I end up getting 5 out of 20 right. And then, I have to write a paragraph. I have two choices of topic, I choose have you studies Spanish before, where, when, how long, why do you want to learn now. I write a whopping 3 sentences saying something like "I study in school for 2 years. I live with my family in Puebla. I study there. I have a friend from Argentina, we study little."

So, in class I learn how to say I am, so I ramble off things like "I am short, I have brown hair, I have brown eyes, I am an ecologist, I am American, etc." and then I talk about people I know and say the same things about them.

After class, I went over to the Zocalo and read Harry Potter in the sun and ate my sandwiches that Areli packed me for lunch.

Then, I walked back towards the school, because I had about 40 minutes before I got picked up, and I wanted to check out the coffee shop across the steet. I went in the little place, and it is really really nice. A nice old looking glass bar, little tables and chairs, its jst a pretty cool place. I got a menu and ordered a cappucuino frio con vanilla. (It didn´t come with vanilla, I asked it on my own, I felt like I really accomplished something). This drink she brought me was a pure masterpiece. Oh my god, I don´t think I will ever have anything as good as that. It was thick and frothy with whipped cream and cinnamon on top, I was trying to save it so long so that it wouldn´t end that after at least 20 minutes of sitting there I had to drink down a quarter of it because Areli was going to be there soon. It cost like $2.40. I´m going back everyday. I felt bad too, because I was the only person to come in the whole time I was there. But, I mean it must get business sometime, because it looks like it has been there a while.

After that awesome coffee, I went outside to stand on the street so Areli could see me. And some guy is like "Ella! Ella!" and I´m like, "oh, god, this guy wants to sell me something, and I can´t talk." But no, it was hilarious. This guy looked really rough, wearing a bandana, and just starts talking, and realizes I don´t understand and switches to English. And he is saying he spends a lot of time in America, and his English isn´t so good, so he talks in English, me in Spanish. He tried to teach me how to roll my rr´s, I try and help him with his "th" sounds. Thenhe teaches me some words, says goodbye, and wanders off down the street. It was pretty funny to talk to him. Areli showed up a few minutes later.

Areli and I went to get the boys from school. It is like super security lockdown there, wow. When we drop them off, someone comes up and opens the door, and they watch the kids go into the gates. Then, to pick them up, you have to go into the school and find them, and there are guards at all the exits so that no kids can leave without someone. Lex forgot his lunchbox, so we pulled up to the door and he ran in, and they wouldn´t let him out even though we were in the car right there, we had to go talk to the guard.

I got home and did all my homework for a few days, because it is all stuff I know. I hope I don´t get in trouble, but come on, if I know it already, lets get to the good stuff.

Tonight Areli, Mariana, and I are going out drinking.

Estan Aqui!

I can't figure out how to turn them the right way, so I'm sorry, but deal with it.

Lex:

Max playing air hockey with Marianna.

They boys are here, along with Areli and Mariana, who I think is 21 or something. Somewhere around there. I think last night I started to understand Spanish for the first time. I have the funniest pictures. The boys were obsessed with playing air hockey, and I beat both of them once, then lost to Max.

Mi familia: Areli was asking all about you guys, I showed her the pictures from Orlando. She can't believe how tall Alan is. Then we all talked about that trip.

Rudy and I took the water jugs with us yesterday because we missed the truck that drives around, but we forgot to fill them up. So last night, the only water we had was one pitcher, and we drank it all. So, we are out of water today, untill we get to a store. I actually think that is all we had to drink too, I don't think there is anything in the house. Haha

She brought cheese from Oaxaca. It is the best cheese I've ever had. I need to figure out how to get some home. I also ate a fruit Rudy calls boogers. I'm not sure what the real name is, but I think it is actually Spanish for boogers maybe. It is yellow on the ouside, like a pear, and you tear it open, and there are seeds inside. It is almost like a pomegranate, but, insteadof neatly packed, bright red seeds, it is like this mushy loose seed, and they are this absolutely nasty green color. But, you eat them, and they are amazing. I'm going to take pictures of this next time I eat one. You won't believe it, but they are really good.

Today we are going to the market to get groceries. And we'll see the smallest volcano in the world!!

Areli is staying at least until tomorrow, I know she is taking the kids to school and me to school. Maybe she is staying until Annie gets back? I don't know. Marianna goes to school in Puebla.

on a mission to find a machine to make bricks

Today Rudy and I went out on an adventure to Nealtican to find a quality, and inexpensive brick making machine. We could never find the place that we were originally looking for, and we ended up at 4 or 5 other brick making places, talking to them about how many bricks each machine can make at a time, how many people are needed to operate it, and how soon it can be ready. It was a good time.

Rudy wants to make his own bricks in Huatulco to build his house, and then continue making bricks and sell them so he can retire in 5 years.

We stopped at a roadside stand where a young guy was selling fresh-squeezed orange juice for 50 cents. It was the best stuff I've ever had. I'm already addicted.

We drove close to volcano, Popocatépetl, because Nealtican was closer to it than we are. So I took a lot more pictures. Nice and clear and smoke coming out the top.

After that, we drove to Cholula and ate a couple quesadillas for lunch and looked at an old pyramid. The quesadillas were made up right there. We had mushrooms on them. The base of this pyramid is larger than any in Egypt. It was conqured like 4 times, and each time covered over in dirt and made into whatever religious symbol the conquerers had. So, right now it is a huge Catholic church.

We went downtown after that and found my school. It is just a door with no sign. But, we looked at the website, and we were at the right place. There is a cute coffee shop across the street and I am about 4 blocks from the Zocalo.

Max and Lex will be here within the hour.

So, everytime I post these, it records the time as 2 hours earlier than it really is. it is 4:09.

My school

This is the Spanish school I am going to next week: http://www.sipuebla.com/index.htm

The best part is, look at this page: http://www.sipuebla.com/pictures1.htm

Those are the things that are within 12 blocks of the school. It is right downtown, in the area we were last night. So, I can go to school from 9-12, and spend the rest of the day walking around the churches, zocalo, restaurants, etc.

Mom: Yes, I packed ok. the only thing is that I don't think I brought enough warm things. It gets really cold at night. Right now I am in pants and a sweatshirt. Last night I was wearing a sweater, and it was still a little too chilly, but not unbearable. Especially when drinking sangria! But, this can be fixed. It is unbelieveably hot during the day. All day the weather says it is like 40-50, but I swear, I'm in my shorts and bathing suit top lying out and I am sweating. The sun is so hot, warmer than any day in Orlando last week.

I will track down your vanilla. I don't need anything. I do have a little tan after being outside all day yesterday and today, and no, I didn't get burned. I go outside for a while, then I come in for a while. I already finished my 2 books that I have. So, I think I might start reading kids books in Spanish.

Zocalo

Last night around 9 Rudy and I went downtown to dinner. We ate at a really nice pizza place on the Zocalo. Saw the HUGE churches and government buildings, etc, it is really really awesome down there. I didn't take any pictures last night, because I knew I'd be back.

From what I can remember, and looking at pictures, it is just like Oaxaca, restaruants opening out to the street, big trees, people all around, big churches all around. I think this one becomes a market on the weekends too.

We ate piza and drank a lot of sangria. It was fun. We paid some guy on the street a little bit to park right under the no parking signs across the street from the restaurant, and then as we were eating, they washed the whole car.

We got back at almost 1am. Good dinner.

I really hope my school is within walking distance from the downtown, so I can just hang out there all day. I can't wait to get pictures. Apparently, during the day, the streets are like a parking lot. No one moves because there are so many people.

There is a great view of the volcano off of our balcony in the back of the house, but I can't get the door open to get out there. You can't see it during the day, so I didn't even know it was there until last evening when I glanced out the window. But Rudy said it is great in the morning too, and sure enough, it is perfectly clear. I would look at the pictures on Flickr, rather than try and get most of tehm up here, because they have much better quality on that site.

Annie says I get one more day of English with Rudy. The boys might come today, or Saturday, or Sunday, we're not sure, but when they get here it is Spanish all the way. When they get a chance to speak in English, they just go crazy and don't stop talking, so I'll tough it out and stammer along.

First day not travelling

This goes out to all you Michigan readers. Today I got a tan and finished my book. It is blazing hot here when the sun is up.

The twins come home tomorrow. That should be wild. I won't be able to understand a word they say I'm sure.

Rudy should be home any minute now. Today is his 1 year anniversary in Mexico, so we are going out to dinner to celebrate.

We went grocery shopping and it was fun. I learned a lot of nouns. He said normally they go to the market for all fruits and vegetables. I am excited for that.

Rudy bought the Three Kings bread they eat for the holiday. There was a lot still in the store. I didn't get a chance to take a picture because we got home and ate it. It is a ring of bread/cake and it has candy and some kind of sugary-cookie on top. In it are two little figurines, and whoever gets the pieces with them in it has to buy everyone dinner sometime. Rudy found one in his piece.

Monday I start school, it is official.

I figured out how to get pictures on this thing.

The volcano. It is actually about 2 hours away. Can you see the smoke? I think it is smoke because there hasn't been a cloud in the sky all day.
Our street:

I've been listening to the radio all day. It is a cool station Rudy has. Shakira is MUCH better in Spanish.

Pictures up on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33208877@N04/

I'm trying to link to the pictures. See if this works. On Flickr, I am Sparty_on05

Arrival!!

I made it to Puebla with no major catastrophes!! Lots of nodding my head to things I didn't understand. But, so far it has always gotten me to where I am supposed to me.

Flying into Cancun: impressions: I have never seen such a large expanse of trees in my life. Already excited for the bus ride.

Shuttle to the bus station: $14. I pile in with 10 other people, all going to really nice hotels on the beach. I have also never seen water that color before. Excited again. I try and talk to the driver after it was just me and him. Total failure. We end up talking in English.

Bus station: my biggest adventure in Spanish. I walk in, and I see ADO GL, the line that I wanted tickets for. It says the price that I know is what I looked at online, but it says 10:00 and 1:00 everyday. Well.... It was 3:30 in the afternoon. Am I going to have to stay overnight?? Shit. I use my trusty "wander around just looking at everything" move at this point, and I see another ticket line, this one says Puebla too, at 5:00. But this isn't what I had looked at. I thought this is one of the not as nice busses. So I just march up to the ticket counter for ADO GL and Say my line "Yo necisito un boleta para Puebla." Crash and burn. This sets of a whole lot of things I don't understand. I repeat "Puebla." I'm feeling like an idiot. She shows me the screen, and sure enough, this is the right place, on the computer it is showing the 4:30 and 7:30 bus departures. Whew. I get a ticket. Not a window seat though. I try and ask where I take my bag to go under the bus. Keep in mind, I am now reduced to pointing and nodding. She points and says waiting room. OK. I take my little ticket, which I am not even sure is actually a ticket, it looks more like a reciept, and I start wandering. I see people sitting. I go there. I sit and get out my Spanish dictuonary and translate every sign I see. I see the luxury waiting area, I read the exit signs, but I can't figure out how to know which door to get to. I mean, it is like 3:55 at this point. So I wander back to the ticket area, and I see the luggage check. I walk up, and stand there for a while, and someone helps me. He looks at my ticket, and points back to the waiting area. I nod, and walk away. No idea what I'm doing. Then I look at my ticket, and I decide that "Executive" means luxury. I walk to the guard at the door, and sure enough, he lets me in, and there is my luggage check! Whew! Get that taken care of, and I sit.

So I'm sitting, and the luxury waiting room only has one door to the busses, which is the Meridia bus, so I figure the Puebla bus will pull up there. An attendant walks through announcing Meridia, so I figure the same will happen with Puelba. At about 4:20, I see the guard approach someone who I had seen walking around. She looked European, and she was alone. He pointed to the door, she thanked him and hurried out. This gets me nervous. So I start translating everything around me again. Then the guy next to me asks "Habla Espanol?" I shake my head no. He motions to the loud speakers, asking if I understand them. I say no. He looks at my ticket and points to the door. I yell thank you as I'm running away. Get on the bus for Mexico City and 5 minutes later, away we go. It was close. But, I made it.

I sit by the same guy (except for 10ish pm to 8amish, when the bus was almost empty), and we don't say a word to each other. Good times. I end up making friends with the European girl from earlier. She was from Denmark, and was going to Puebla too. Yay!! She translated things for me and we became a team whenever we had to get off the bus, so that we didn't miss it. It had already happened to her once.

Drove through jungle, farms, and mountains. It was pretty sweet. Lots of cows wandering around, sheep, goats, donkeys. The area near Cancun looked like a rainforest. The mountains were sweet, covered in trees. I have never in my life seen so many trees. Trees as far as the eye can see. No exits covered in fast food chains and bright lights every two miles. Just trees and small farms. It was a nice change of pace from I-75. OH!! And night time was actually dark!

So, I get to Puebla, but the cell phone isn't working to call Rudy, so Sasha and I get taxis, exchange information, and I'm off speeding towards what I hope is Annie and Rudy's house. I'm calling Annie, Mom, Dad, Alan, and Carlos trying to figure out what the Mexico Country Code is to call, because when I tried Rudy's phone from my Michigan phone, it doesn't work. On a whim, I try it again, and it goes through! So, now I know I have to deal with the panic I just caused in all of my family members. The cab drops me off at the right place, and about 20 minutes later Rudy shows up!

We just went out to a really nice dinner in a mall. I froze up again and was unable to speak, but we're working on that.

Rudy had to stop at work again for a little bit. Then we're going grocery shopping.

More tomorrow about this awesome little house!!! I need a shower. Bad.