Le dije mi mama que voy a escribir este blog en espanol para que no puede leerlo, but I won't. :)
This is my fifth day in Cuernavaca, Morelos in Mexico and am still trying to digest everything I've experienced, as well as the tomales I had for dinner! The last few days have been jam-packed with crazy activities and trying to get ourselves acclimated to the culture, the lenguage, the heat, and the long days. It seems as though we've been in Cuernavaca for much, much longer!
We had a full morning of class Friday morning, which on our first day in the country was a little overwhelming at first with our native professors, but we gained confidence and the time flew by. After class we went on an excursion to the Cathedral of Cuenavaca and learned a little about the history of Cuernavaca and how the cathedral was built. The architectural details in the structure were amazing! After wandering around the cathedral, we walked to El Centro to see the Palace of Hernan Cortez. (El Centro is where the government buildings and other important offices, like Burger King :), are.)
Saturday, we went to an orphanage called Casa de nuestros pequenos hermanos, which translates to: House of our small brothers/sisters. It is on the land once owned by Hernan Cortez, on which the children farm sugar cane, corn, pigs, etc. We had the opportunity to play soccer with the older kids (mostly boys) and/or to play with the toddlers and young children. I played on the playground with the little kids and they were so much fun! I didn't want to leave! They were adorable! We called them monitos (little monkeys) because they climbed all over everything and bounced around the entire time we were there. This will certainly be one of my favorite experiences from this trip!
After playing games at the orphanage, we went to the Hacienda de Hernan Cortes, which is now a hotel. We explored the buildings, the horse stables, and the ring for the bull fights, then we ate a great meal in the huge dining hall next to a pool.
We got a chance to explore Cuernavaca on our own a little bit after we got back, and it was fun to just jump in and learn as went. The taxi drivers are a little crazy on the roads, being that there are barely any stop signs in Cuernavaca! I'm still trying to figure out how they don't get in accidents every ten seconds or so... I'm just glad I don't have to try and drive in the heavy traffic!
On Sunday, we went to el Ballet Folclorico (Folklore Ballet) in Mexico City. The ballet was incredible! They danced ten different traditional dances that were specific to different parts of the country. After the ballet, we walked around and looked at art by Diego Rivera and a couple other modern artists. Diego Rivera's murals were phenomenal!
We then made our way to the Museum of Anthropology where we learned about the history of each specific part of Mexico and the history of Mexico before and after the Mexican Revolution.
Monday, we had class and then a short cooking class. It's been really fun to get to know the teachers at the school here, as well as all my host family! There's a teacher at the school named Eloisa who is just a little ball of fire! Almost every time I see her she is dancing and singing and trying to get us to join in. She really knows how to liven things up!
My host parents' names are Enriqueta and Francisco and they are GREAT! Enriqueta taught at the school for a few years, so she knows the drill and they both do their best to make sure we're improving our speech! Enriqueta is an amazing cook and I've like all the food I've tried so far, however the beans and tortillas for breakfast is still going to have to grow on me... :)
Today was really nice and relaxed and I had a lot more time to talk to Enriqueta and Francisco and I think my speech is really starting to improve! Now that we're all a bit more acclimated I think we'll start to go out with our families and really experience their culture! I can't wait to see how the rest of the trip goes!
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