Yo estoy agradecida por mis amigos.

BEHOLD! Our Thanksgiving dinner.

Okay, just kidding. This was the first coarse, but it was absolutely hilarious. Let me explain. Our tickets said 7:00. We got there about 7:30 and were the second party to arrive. As time passed more people arrived. I finally broke out the camera and enjoyed the holiday. Others spent the time going from hungry to starving. I can't lie...I was getting rather hungry myself. The meal finally commenced at 9:00 to a round of applause. The servers burst from the kitchen doors with trays ladden with.......what in the world was it? The bowls were set in front of us and everyone just kind of stared at it, then stared at each other, then stared back at the bowl again. Were we supposed to eat it, put it on bread, continue staring at it???? In the end, tureens of soup were brought out and ladeled into the bowls on top of the dollop. Unfortunately, the tureens appeared a tad late for some of those more hungry individuals.

My table for Thanksgiving dinner

I sat with Triffinie and her five kids (L-R: Denise, Ranhae, Ronny, Jonny, Micheal) Anahi, and then Richard (who apparently didn't want to look at the camera).
The main course was in fact turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potates, the oddest mystery stuffing (at least that's what we decided it was supposed to be), and a fruit salad. DESSERT = PUMPKIN PIE!!!!! Nothing like home, but hey, it's Mexico, at least they tried.

Shhh, listen....buzz, bang, bang, buzz, buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, BANG. You hear that? Yeah I thought you would. That is the sound that has been coming from next door for the past 3 WEEKS!!!!. Now listen...... You hear that? That was the sound of steam starting to curl from ears. I am getting so stinky sick of studying to the sound of construction.

Thought I'd also share with you the product the man with the machete worked on the poor tree out front. It's flat!!! You can kind of make out the electrical wires that had previously been threaded through the center of the tree. I would have thought the man with the machete would have attempted to do some sort of shaping to the poor tree, but no, he just wacked the top off. pobrecito!


Side note about my certification last Wednesday! Woke up Wednesday morning to find my watch had died at 12:15am. Strike one! I arrived at my designated spot with two minutes to spare. Ball one! My order was all over the place. Strike two! I completely forgot a few steps. Strike three! Definitely OUT!
In other words, what was supposed to be the Moonlight Sonata came out sounding like chopsticks on a toy piano. Bummer! (Should have practiced conducting in front of someone instead of in my room!)

Happy Thanksgiving

This is the first Thanksgiving ever in my life that I have attended class/gone to school. First time for everything I guess.
No class was actually scheduled for today being as the majority of the program is from the United States. However a request was made to move tomorrow's classes to today. Students at UAG are really big on petitioning. It was easily granted, and thus I found myself in class this morning thinking to myself 'this is weird'.
There is a formal Thanksgiving banquet for us international students this evening. Trouble is I don't know whether to expect beans and flan or turkey and pumpkin pie.
As I sit here at my desk writing there is a man outside my window with a machete. He's taking a whack (literally) at trying to cut back the horribly overgrown branches of the tree out there.

MAY GOD'S BLESSINGS BE YOURS THIS MARVELOUS THANKSGIVING!!!!

Hasta!

Yo estoy practicando.

My certification is tomorrow, and for some reason I'm more nervous about it than I am about exams. I'm practicing in my room and feel rather ridiculous, because i feel like I'm trying to conduct an invisible orchestra, and the music is not turning out so great.

When I first moved simply walking up the hill that is my road would render me out of breath. Earlier this evening I took a jog up the hill without losing my breath. High altitudes does wonders for the body. Take me back down to flat Illinois and I could probably finish a marathon no problems.....NOT! One problem I've found attempting to run the streets in Gdl is that the sidewalks are for the most part in rather poor shape demanding constant attention to keep from tripping. However, my height was definitely not made for Mexico. If I'm not looking up my head gets whacked by a branch. In other words, I must look up and down at the same time. If someone figures out a way to do this please let me know.

The other day I got home and thinking no one else was home I went into the kitchen and started warming up some food. Having my mp3 player in my ears I happily sang along, stomped my feet, did a twirl here and there. On one of those twirls I saw Delta standing in the doorway. Man, that was embarrassing. But she assured me that she had just gotten home and hadn't been listening. Oh well, she already knew I was weird before; I just cemented the fact.

Yo estoy una vaso de leche.

On Sunday I was with some friends for a worship service. Afterwards conversation turned to having a car in Guadalajara. One of my friends (the type that doesn't say much but when he does it's funny) mentioned how he's gotten pulled over by the police a few times. Upon being asked what he had done he replied, "Oh I was driving like I do in the States....using my turn signal."

Last night I was with some classmates and the conversation turned to gossip/rumors (both of which thrive here on the ICB campus). I ended up being compared to milk.......boring. Ouch! One friend tried to make me feel better by saying I wasn't boring....just not gossip worthy. I guess that's a compliment.

Hasta!

Yo estoy...........me duele.

Went to my last clinical at the hospital last night. Was pretty laid back. For about the first hour I was running around doing stuff for the doctors, but after that not much happened. I enjoyed having clinical at the hospital this semester. I liked the doctors, nurses, and the other students that were there with me. I learned much about the Mexican health care system and what is going to be expected of me in the coming years. Let's pray I pass my certification next Wednesday now.

I played football again a few days ago, and now am feeling the scrapes and bruises that I received. It's supposed to be flag football, but once in awhile I guess that small tidbit is forgotten. Needless to say I was put on my back hard. I guess that's what happens when a big guy comes at you running full speed to "grab your flag."

The bugs are starting to poke their faces out here and there. I have a feeling that when I return next year it'll be prime bug season. A girl a few semesters ahead of me once told me that she walks in the road because during bug season the bugs populate the sidewalks. I haven't seen that yet, but I think I'm in for a treat come next year.

Yo estoy sin clases hoy.

I don't have classes today. Not exactly sure why. Heard once that there is some sort of independence type holiday on the 20th that Mexico is celebrating today. Either way I hope to be able to get stuff done with the extra time.

Went to Ixtlan yesterday. Left the city as the big orange sun was rising on the sleeping inhabitants and returned as the same orange sun was setting on the busy, now hectic city. The sunrise was so much better. I had hoped to stay an extra day in Ixtlan due to the cancellation of classes today, but communication was lacking and I wasn't able to. I was also excited about finally being able to go to Morelia for services, but alas the van was full. I'll have to wait until next time. Carissa was visiting from Magdalena was it was a blessing to be able to see and talk with her.

Micha has been spending a lot of time lately curled up on my bed. It's been getting down to lower 50s at night now so I started closing my window at night a few nights ago. I wonder if that makes my room a bit warmer than the rest of the house. Hence the attractiveness of my bed for the cat.

Yo estoy diciendo felicidades a mi hermana!

It's my big sister's birthday today! I wish her muchas felicidades y un feliz cumpleanos!!! I wish I could be with you in Chicago to celebrate with you!

I finally finished my research proposal!! I am so glad that is done. Now I can actually get back to studying. If I had my way there'd be no research project. I like reading the research, not particularly the completing of the research.

Genetics grades are posted.....but forgot to look. I guess they're not going to change between now and tomorrow.

Played football today and proved to my team that Yes! a girl can catch a football!! huh! (that was me flexing my nonexistant muscles right there.)

Hasta!

Yo estoy esperando.

Hello! I´ve been really lax about my blog lately. Could my life really have become this boring this quickly!!! I´ve gotten on to post before then left again deciding there was nothing worth writing about. I´ve got some time to spare right now though as I sit here in the library so I´ll post on all that boring stuff that I´ve been avoiding.
Took my Genetics final today! I am so glad that class is over! I like the subject and the teacher is a nice person but as I teacher I could barely stand her. It was so difficult sitting through the class, which was a complete waste of time. It would have been more efficient to actually just skip the class and study genetics on my own for two hours. When I get home ask me and I´ll do an impression...you may be able to better understand why then.
Then I went and looked at some apartments. I liked one of them, but the girl I´m planning on living with will probably not like it so we´ll see.
Now I´m back at campus waiting for the time to play soccer!!!!! Who knows maybe i´ll score a gol!! this time.
Delta´s dad sent a huge box of guayabas a bit ago (one of those Christmas boxes of fruit type things) so now instead of cheese we´ve got guayabas coming out of our ears. I like to think that at least it´s healthier, but if I´m realistic; Rosa likes to cook the fruit in this syrupy liquid probably chalk full of calories so not really all that better for me.
Days are still getting rather warm here. The constant temps make time seem like it hasn´t passed at all. A few days this week we had some light fog settled over city in the morning. Putting a bounce in the step doesn´t make it seem that bad. By the end of the first class the sun is out and all fog disappeared so no worries, or as in the words of a wise doctor at my clinic "Don´t happy, be worry."
ay, ay Mexico!

Hasta!

Yo estoy lista para regresar un rato.

I have been having trouble timing my trip home lately. Today looked better, but no such luck. A bus appeared after only 5 minutes sitting at the bus stop; only to have the bus driver stare at us as he drove on by. Why he didn't stop...we'll never know. So, we went back to waiting and 45 minutes later another bus came as we knew it eventually would. To my surprise the bus driver was the same guy that helped me out on my very first trip to Ixtlan back in July when I had no idea where I was going or what I doing. He obviously remembered me as he had a look of shock on his face that I was still alive and not dead on the road somewhere.

Saturday night after young group we had a bonfire. Yea! I was very pleased to experience a piece of autumnal festivities after all. I still ate my hot dog Mexican style though, complete with everything from mayonnaise to jalapenos. Yum!

There was a fiesta occurring on the road behind the church Saturday night. Loud music that I thought it would be hopeless to even try going to sleep. Put some different music in my ears (even though could still hear the other), and closed my eyes. I didn't even make it to the end of the first song; I was out. I woke up Sunday morning very, very disoriented. Not sure of the day, nor where I was. I even had to get up and look at the clock on the wall in the main room to assure myself of what time it was. I blame it on the smoke from the fire last night. That was a lot of smoke. Mexico grows some funky trees.

Hasta!