After a very long day of travel, I arrived last night around 9pm (local time) at my host family's home. It's a lovely house, and I have my own room and bathroom on the top floor - with a stunning view of Xalapa and the mountains!
Despite being absolutely exhausted last night, I woke up early this morning. The sounds of the city -- the strange birds, passing cars, and barking dogs -- enveloped me, and I enjoyed listening for a few minutes from the comfort of my bed. After a delicious breakfast, Guille (my host) walked with me to the school. It took about five minutes, and I enjoyed seeing the city in daylight.
Today I had two classes: one this morning in gramática (grammar) and one this afternoon in literatura (literature). My first class has five other students, but so far it's just me and one other student in the literature class! I'm excited but a bit intimidated -- I haven't read much Spanish literature before, and now we're going to read a short novel or long essay each week!
Mexico is a different world. For starters, I can't use the water to brush my teeth or wash my hands, so I always have one or two water bottles hanging around. Fortunately, water is pretty cheap: 11 pesos (about $0.75) will get you 1.5L! Also, everyone here seems to think it is rather cold. I am enjoying the relative warmth -- it's much warmer here than at home! Everything is very relaxed here, which I enjoy. Technically, there's a schedule... But if you're late, it's no big deal. And since my first class isn't until 9, I can sleep in most mornings. Also, their mealtimes are different. Breakfast is still whenever you wake up, but lunch is served closer to 2:30. As I write, I can smell Guille's cooking and I can hardly wait to eat!
Do you have any questions for me? If so, feel free to leave a comment! I am going to explore Xalapa more this afternoon and tomorrow morning, and probably snag a siesta at some point.
¡Hasta luego!
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