Lots of Info!

So I had to get this new blog because I set up a gmail account...oh well. And we didn't have any internet at school yesterday so that is why I didn't update. So today's update is going to be longer:

Thursday:After class, we got to go to La Alhóndiga. It is a museum that used to be a prison. They had different rooms for the various periods in Mexican history. They also had these amazing murals in the stairways...absolutely incredible. After that museum, we went to this cheesy little wax museum. The owner was really nice and these random Mexican men tried to talk to us. The museum was cute and worth it to see for $1. They had these likenesses of Tom Cruise and Sean Connery that definitely did not look like them but it was fun :) Then we just sat on these steps outside La Alhóndiga and did some people watching. Picture number 2 with random Mexicans happened. Then we just went home to chill for the rest of the night.

Friday: I climbed a mountain. We climbed to this peak called La Bufa. “Bufar” is a verb for the sound bulls make when they are angry. It is said that when the wind passes through the rocks of the mountain that it makes the sound of an angry bull. It was actual climbing and pretty intense but I made it to the top and it was absolutely breathtaking. I could see all of Guanajuato and breathe pure, clean air. I took some pretty cool pictures. I felt so accomplished afterwards! Rubèn told us that at the top, we were at 8000 feet. Guanajuato stands at 6500 feet elevation roughly but still...pretty freaking cool. After that I was pretty exhausted so I just stayed in and did laundry. Our Señora does have a really nice washing machine but no dryer so we have to hang dry our clothes. All in all, they didn't turn out too bad. The jeans were a little starchy but everything else was fine.

Saturday: Crystal and I decided to do some more museum visiting so we went to La Casa-Museo de Diego Rivera. Diego Rivera is a famous muralist from Guanajuato. The first floor had some of his personal things, furniture especially. The other 3 or 4 floors had his work and a few pieces from a couple other artists. I have been a fan of Diego Rivera but I had no idea that he had so many different styles and used numerous mediums for his pieces. Pretty sweet.
After that, we hiked up this giant hill to get to El Museo Momias-the Mummy Museum. It was pretty cool. Morbid and kinda sad but pretty cool. I don't know the whole story but if you Google “mummies” and “guanajuato” you should be able to find out more if you're interested. Then they had some little shops set up around it and we found some unique stuff.

Sunday:Crystal and I hung out in El Jardín de la Unión while Señora went to mass. I think I want to go with her once or twice but I wasn't prepared this weekend. There was a random bike race in the middle of town. Those people are nuts. The route was so hilly...ridiculous. There were tons of people out because this week is the festival for La Presa de la Olla. That is another cool story if you look it up. After some people watching and looking at some art, Crystal and I met up with Señora and Charro to eat at Truco 7. It is a pretty popular and well-known restaurant. They have daily specials and pretty decent food. I tried their flautas. I'm so sad that I can't eat tomatoes or lettuce for the rest of my time here! Bummer. Then we just went home after that.

Monday:I went to class and then Crystal and I ran some errands in town.

Tuesday: Classes then Crystal and I went to the post office and to this delicious pastry shop...mmm...nothing like freshly made Mexican pastries. Then we went to check out some of La Presa de la Olla festivities since that is when they started. It was kind of like a carnival. They had some little rides for children, food everywhere, little booths set up selling random stuff, a live band, and yes, a wrestling ring. I tried some frozen strawberries with fresh cream and they were delicious. We also had eventful taxi rides there and back. They are crazy drivers.

Today: We might go see a movie since they are half price on Mondays and Wednesdays. Tomorrow we might go try to see Cristo Rey. Friday early morning we are leaving for Mexico City! Friday we will be visiting some museums and checking in to our hotel. Saturday is the Frida Kahlo museum and exploring this huge bazaar they have in town then some walking and a free night. Sunday we get to go see the pyramids at Teotihuacàn!!! Then we'll return late Sunday night.

Other random points of interest: It turns out that Crystal has an uncle who lives in Guadalajara, which is about 3 hours away so we are going to go there instead of Puerta Vallarta next weekend. It will be cheaper and I think her uncle might show us around the city. It sounds like there is a lot to see there.

We were trying to plan out the rest of our stay here and it is crazy. The weekends are already pretty planned out. I still want to go to León, go to a university soccer game, and go hear the university symphony play at Teatro Juarez. I hear that León has this mall with 67 shoes stores! That for me = a little bit of heaven so I'm excited about that. I'm also taking 2 day trips with my History of Mexico class.

We have also explored some of the little shops around here. There is one place that makes ceramics by hand. Incredibly gorgeous things. It is interesting to see the things they sell here as far as food is concerned. They still packaged toast which I think is just funny. They also have different flavors of chips here, mainly a wider variety of spicy flavors. I have also found strawberry filled Oreos. I don't know if anyone else has ever seen them but I never have...they are delicious by the way :-P I have also seen some pretty cool jewelry here.

Everything here is small. The houses are smaller, the rooms, the trash cans...it is very strange. Electricity is very expensive. Things get unplugged if they are not in use-the microwave, radio, washing machine...

Drivers here are crazy. They pay no attention to stop signs and are very aggressive. I don't think I've seen one person who had an actual carseat-they just hold them on their laps. I have seen more old VW bugs here than anywhere else but they have all types of cars. A ton of people use the bus system because it is relatively cheap or they take a taxi which isn't extremely expensive either.

In clubs and in this place called Fusion, I have heard more American music. They play Journey, Huey Lewis, Rhianna, Michael Jackson...it is strange but kinda cool.

I did go see a movie in the movie theater last week. The theater is really pretty modern. It is located in the mall just down the hill from us. The mall has the usual food court including a McDonald's and Subway and there are clothing stores and shoe stores. With my student ID, the ticket only cost $3 so...I think I might go see a few more movies :)

My Señora: She is like a grandma. She is in her early 70's I believe. She is very adament about knowing certain things...well, most things and it is difficult to get a word in sometimes. She also believes in aliens. We have had that conversation more than once. She believes she saw some spirits in her house one time and in her yard on another occassion. She also believes there was an alien landing on La Bufa. -shrug- I am not sure but I listen to her stories regardless. She also repeats stories a lot. Rosario Parra is also a very religious woman. She goes to to the catholic church on Sundays and also on Mondays. I do want to go with her once to at least see what the service is like. She can be a little pushy and stubborn but it is okay. She has been occupied as of late and we are going to be gone all weekend and the other weekends look pretty busy as well. I only have 5.5 weeks left here!

La Catina: It is a sweet shop that we walk past on our way home from the downtown area. They always have samples and I think it is a local chain. They have a wide variety of sweets and they aren't too expensive.

I haven't heard any more about participating in the program with the children but I hope they are still planning on doing it. When we move to the downtown campus on July 7, it will be easier to go to the little stores and just go sit at a café for the afternoon and people watch and do homework. This campus in Valenciana is up a giant hill and if you don't take the bus, you're screwed.

So far I've taken almost 400 pictures so I'm trying to collect them so I can show you! I know I'm only going to be taking more. If I figure out how to post them on here or the fast upload on facebook, I will. That's about it for now!