Under the weather

I think my body has finally started to adjust to living in Mexico. Why do I say this, you may ask? Because I've gotten sick! Yes, folks. I've gotten my first Mexican cold, and it's exactly the same as an American one - i.e. its awful. I was just talking to my mom last night and she asked if I was feeling sick. I blissfully laughed and said "No! Not at all!" Fast forward two hours to me lying in bed coughing up a storm. Overnight I developed a weird cough/scratchy throat, which ultimately makes for me sounding like a man when I talk. The weather here has been really erratic - cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon, cold at night. So I think my body is not quite sure what to do. A lot of people have been getting sick lately, some more severely than others. One of my friends was in the hospital for three days because of something he ate! (Don't worry, Mom, I'm nowhere close to needing hospitalization). Despite my obsessive handwashing regimen, I've somehow managed to contract a virus. Blah.
The other two American girls are sick as well. Our bodies must be breaking down at the same rate. That's comforting, right?

On a lighter note (pun intended), I start my first piano lesson tomorrow. There are activities you can sign up for called talleres (which means workshops); they range from exercise to photography to music. I signed up for Jazzercise (fingers are crossed that I can march in the Blue Tip Parade next year) and Piano. I was thinking about learning the violin, because I thought it would be cool to learn a new instrument in a different language. I almost thought it would be easier than taking piano because I don't know any of the English violin terminology. But, I love playing the piano and miss playing, and as my former piano teacher would say "Music is the universal language." I'm excited!

a small update

I made it through week two of classes, and things are looking up. I got called on randomly twice in classes, so I had to speak. I completely froze and mumbled a few unintelligible senteces out, but I think it needed to happen. Now I feel like I can speak more in class. I think getting over that initial barrier will make it easier to participate. So things are on the upswing.



I thought I'd post a few pictures random pictures for your viewing pleasure:




From L to R: me, Danielle, Alyssa, Carolina
Every year UDLA throws a big welcome party to kick off the fall semester (pretty sure NEU would never do that). This year it was a 'blue party' hence why we're all dressed in blue. We got flowers at the door for wearing blue.


This is actually a photo from the pyramid trip last week, but I thought I'd put it up so my family could see me :)


L to R: Erika, Danielle, me, Carolina, Alyssa

The nightlife is big here - mainly because of all the college students. There's a street called Camino Real that runs along one side of campus that has a bunch of bars, restaurants and clubs (called 'antros' en espanol). This is one of favorite clubs, called La Roka. Notice how smoky it is - so many people smoke here. I have to wash my clothes constantly!

So yeah....next weekend I (and the 4 other girls picture above) and maybe some German students are going to go to Veracruz for a beach weekend.

More to come...

First week of classes...Done!

I've successfully made it through my first week of classes, meaning I went to all of my classes, understood mostly what was being said, and didn't cry. Hopefully I can keep that up!

Classes here are going to be really interesting but very, very challenging. Not only are they in Spanish, but they're going to require a lot of work. I'm taking six: Ethics and Transparency, International Marketing, Macroeconomics, Corporate Strategy, Intercultural Administration, and Organizational Behavior. I like them all so far, and I'm attempting to make some Mexican friends, which is easier said than done. Most students in my classes are second and third year students, so they have their own set group of friends. It's kind of hard to break into someone's group of friends, especially when I require a lot of things being said over and over so I understand what's happening. Hopefully some kind soul who loves to talk will befriend me. And soon.





This Saturday we went to Cacaxtla and Xochitecatl, some ancient pyramids in a neighboring state. Here are some pictures:























After the pyramids we went to Tlaxcala for lunch. We ate at this amazing little restaurant called Lotus, and afterwards sat in the center of the city while this band played. These boys had to be maybe 15 or 16, but they loved us. I'm pretty sure we were there three biggest (and maybe only) fans.

More to come soon!

Pictures from Mexico

Today I went on a walking tour of Cholula, the little town that UDLA is in. Here are some pictures (you can see more photos on my facebook profile):

The streets of Cholula

Un centro

El volcano Popocatepetl

A view of Cholula from the top of the pyramids

I'm here!

I made it! Yesterday was a crazy day of travel. I flew from Cleveland to Houston, Houston to Mexico City, then took a bus from Mexico City to Puebla, then a taxi from Puebla to Cholula. Whew! I met a few students at the airport and we took the bus together. One of the girls is in the same dorm as myself, so once we got here and put our stuff down, we ventured around campus together. Campus is gorgeous. They're doing a lot of landscaping right now, but even with the mess it looks beautiful. There's peacocks just roaming around like its no big deal. I'll try to take some pictures and post them soon.

Laurie (the girl I met), Alyssa (one of the other Americans) and myself went to Walmart last night and bought stuff for our rooms. Here are some pictures of the beginnings of my dorm room:

this is my half of the bedroom

this is the common area.

more to come soon! I'm off to orientation!

Adios!

I'm heading off to Mexico tomorrow morning at 8:40 AM!!

If you want to contact me while I'm in Mexico here's all my information:

Address:
Universidad de las Américas, Puebla
Lindsay Massau
Dirección de Asuntos Internacionales
Santa Catarina, Mártir s/n
Cholula, Puebla
72820 México

email: lindsaymassau@gmail.com
skype name: lindsaymassau