En Mexico!!!

I have made it through my first week of classes, at least I can say that I am alive! My dad left on Saturday and I was sad to see him go but was excited to meet all the people in my group and to get to Cuernavaca! This place is beautiful. I really like it. It definitely is different but it is fun. On Sunday, my group from NAU went to this beautiful city named Tepotzlan. It is a really hippie place with lots of “energy”, at least that was how it was described. We went on a hike to the top of a mountain to a pyramid. It was absolutely beautiful but the hike was super hard. Basically it was like walking up stairs for over a mile. But thankfully I made it, Ran, Sarah and Krista you should be proud! One thing that I found to be very different was that many of the women hike in sandals, I suppose they don’t have a need for tennis shoes so they just hike in what they have. It was so weird.
Everyone in my group is so nice. I really like all of them a lot. We all are different, but that is what makes it a little fun. My roommate Claire is really great. I like her a lot. We get a long really well and have fun together.
My Mexican family is so sweet. There are two daughters. The younger daughter is so funny. She is super animated and loves to talk to us. She has so many stories to tell and we definitely can tell that she is a rebel. She is only 14 and she talks about all these crazy things that she has done. It is really funny cause she definitely uses a few English words every now and then. Por ejemplo (for example) she says, “ya I know”, “It’s crazy”, and “Jesus” but it sounds more like “She-sus”, it is so funny. They all are so great and make us feel right at home. Surprisingly I can understand more than I expected to, but I can’t really reproduce anything myself. I know that it will take a while for me to be able to speak and hold a conversation.
School is really good too. The campus is absolutely beautiful. The main campus use to be an apartment complex so there are lots of smaller buildings and lots of pools, but we can’t swim in them. A lot of it is outdoors, so that is great. Everyday I have Spanish 202 from 8-11 am, Monday through Friday, that is 15 hours a week. It is so intense. And get this it is just me and one other student. It is such an intense 3 hours and everyday after that class my head hurts a little from concentrating so much. And then I have 2 conversation classes which are fun cause basically all we do is talk to one another in Spanish. But the best part is that we are outside at little tables around one of the pools. I also have a class about Las películas en México (Mexican Movies). It is very interesting but is going to be a little hard.
So here are a few random things I have learned. In Mexico, right after a woman gives birth she is given chocolate, if it is a girl, or cigarettes, if it is a boy. And to say that you think someone is hot, you say "Esta como mango", like they are a mango! I love it!
Ok so the pictures are: 1. At the Zocalo in Mexico City, a beautiful building lit up at night; 2. My dad and I at the top of the pyramid of the Sun; 3. These are some of my new friends at Los Arcos, the hang out for Tuesday nights!

So everything is going pretty good. I am definitely enjoying myself. But of course it is a little difficult to be away in a country where I have no idea what people are saying sometimes. I miss all of you and hope you are having a great week!