Thank God for Starbuck's Internet

Hello!

As silly as it sounds I am eternally grateful for the Starbucks not too far from mi casa. Its quite a happening place but best of it has internet and chair tea, perfecto. Let's see what have I been up to. Two weekends ago I visited D.F. again I really love Mexico City. Its so massive I could never have imagined a place a) so full of people and b) so sprawling. The metro seems unending at it only connects a fraction of the city. This time around I was with a group of students in my program. Saturday we visited Teotihuacan a city of ruins found near Mexico City. It is perhaps best known for the Sun Temple and corresponding Moon Temple. However there are pyramids scattered everywhere that form a faint image of the city that once dominated the area. Not so long ago all the remains were buried under dirt and appeared to be only hills! 

After Teotihuacan we continued on to Mexico City and while the rest of the group checked out the very cool Museum of Anthropology which I visited the first time around myself and a couple others headed out to see more of the city. We made our way to Zona Rosa which is the liberal/gay district. It was a nice little area but annoyingly full of American chains I didn't even bother to take photos. Along one of the main streets we did discover a series of "artistic" benches which lead us to El Monumento de Independencia. We also visited Garibaldi Square home of the famous mariachis although it was too early in the evening for too many to be performing. 

Sunday was a hectic, jam packed day. First to El Templo Mayor, Aztec ruins right next to the heart of Mexico City, the Zocalo. The Spanish built right on top the most impressive and sacred part of Tenochtitlan (the Aztec City). Before checking out of our hostel we did get to watch a replay of Michael Phelps final olympic race. Most of the Olympic broadcasting down here covered sports like archery, taekwondo (Mexico won two golds), speed walking, weight lifting, wrestling, and occasionally swimming. Speed walking was pretty interesting to watch, who knew? Any how we also visited Los Bellas Artes, more murals, Frida Kahlo's house which is now a museum and awesome, and La Plaza de Tres Culturas site of a student massacre in 1968. Drove by the Olympic Stadium from that year too then headed back to Querétaro utterly exhausted.

Last weekend was another trip this time more laid back and without a guide. Saturday we headed to Guanajuato about two hours away. Its a gorgeous city nestled in an amazingly green valley with colorfully curving streets just like I expected to find in Mexico. The city also boast the childhood home of Diego Rivera which we visited so I have now been steeped in the fascinating  history of two of Mexico's most famous artists. That afternoon we journeyed to San Miguel De Allende a major ex-pat city and home to many skilled artisans. The best part was easily the hot springs just outside the city, the most relaxing sunday yet.

I only have about 10 more days here in Querétaro and I just can't seem to get enough of the city! Classes are getting busier as we near finals but my friends and I have also become more adventures in the evening finding new cafés to study, pastelerías, resturantes and places to find souvenirs. This weekend will be my first and last full weekend in Querétaro who knows maybe I'll even go with my family to church, maybe.

Besos,

Cara

BYOTP- Bring Your Own Toilet Paper

¡Hola! I have now mastered using accents, the upside down question marks, and exclamation points on my computer, very exciting. Today I turned in my first essay and had a pretty intense midterm. TGIF, I'm done with the terrifying stick shift autobuses, university bathrooms that lack toilet paper, and long-winded presentations! At least for this week. 

Ever since I returned from Arkansas things have been pretty hectic. I didn't seem to miss that much during my trip other than illness. In addition to a couple outbreaks of food posioning two students were really ill and ended up going to the hospital Monday. Both are doing fine now but one of them actually had typhoid and decided to go home so our merry bunch is short one :(which when you only have 9 in a class and 22 overall is quite a loss. Wednesday I had a presentation about Mexican weddings, my partner and I each had to talk for 8 minutes so if you have any questions on the topic, I probably have an answer. The weather has been milder, at least temperature wise, than when I first arrived with thunderstorms in the evenings after really nice, warm days. These thunderstorms are unlike anything I've ever experienced. Tuesday night I swear the thunder and lightening was right in my neighborhood. 

Tomorrow morning we leave for D.F. for the weekend and I will finally get to see the pyramids in Teotihuacan! Until I return to Querétaro.

Love,

Cara

Los Luchas Libres

Buenos dias!

I guess I'll begin with last Tuesday which turned out to be pretty hectic. After classes a group of us went to have a cooking lesson with one of the señoras, their family actually runs a bakery out of their home. We made fresh pineapple juice, bomb guacamole, and chalupas. My favorite part had to be the guacamole, the chalupas were pretty good, simple, but a little to fried in grease for my taste. That same evening our group had tickets to a lucha libre, Mexican wrestling match, headlined by the famous Dr. Wagner. We watched several fights before the main event. It was quite a production. Dr. Wagner and his partner entered in blue and white practically demanding the crowds' attention. Their two opponents were clothed in black and red spandex, which is always....attractive. They were clearly the villains of this match. It was pretty ridiculous to watch and the crowd got equally ridiculous. And just when you thought Dr. Wagner was getting his butt kicked he made a spectacular come back and claimed the last two rounds (they do actually have three rounds and a ref, all official like). It was a pretty fun evening and, its safe to say it was an important part of our, "cultural experience."

Tomorrow morning I have to get up super early to catch a bus to D.F. for an intermission in my Mexico experience. Next destination: Monticello, Arkansas.

Until I return,

Cara 

Mi primero fin de semana

I have officially been in Querétaro a week! After finishing classes friday I went home and collapsed, speaking Spanish so much is certainly tiring. It's a good thing I didn't go out friday night because on Saturday our group took a trip to Bernal about an hour away from Querétaro. Bernal is famous for its monolith, one huge piece of rock kinda like an iceberg with only a piece of the whole formation visible above ground. We hiked a good ways up the monolith and had an amazing view. The hike was more difficult than i thought it would be in part because of the increased elevation and the route we chose. It definitely seemed worth it though as we ate lunch up top with amazing views all around. After we descended we spent some time in the town of Bernal which is much more touristy than Querétaro. After we returned to Querétaro I was exhausted and took an extra long siesta. Somehow though around 9:30 I managed to find the energy to go out to a local bar called Barro KDA (like barracuda).

Sunday was a wonderful day of rest. I only left the house in the evening to go with my señora and señor to visit some family. My señora's brother did not approve of my American pronunciation. So for the next 45 minutes I was being drilled on how to say my "R's" roja, rey, carro, arroyo, etc. He even took a page out of My Fair Lady and had me reciting "the rain in spain falls mainly on the plans!" He was very nice but es muy insistente, or persistent.

Today it's back to classes including a field trip to the mercado to practice our food vocabulary.

Hasta luego.

besos,

Cara