When in Mexico

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The people here are something else....they are all so incredibly nice. A couple of days ago, my girlfriends and I signed up for a gym near my house and it required that you either bring your own towel or that you buy one in order to clean the equipment that you use. Of course, when we were signing up, they didn't have any. We went on a search to find a store, but the one that was recommended by my host mom was closed. So we did the most logical thing possible, we asked some strangers on the road. It turns out that one of them is also an exchange student here. They walked us all the way to the store, which was pretty far away, and then they walked us back to our gym. The other day while taking the public bus, I met a girl who turned out to be a teacher for the same school that I was attending. She helped me navigate which bus to take and which stop to get off. This complete immersion, although difficult, is exactly what I need. I can feel myself improving, slowly but surely, every day. Every encounter with a stranger, every class, and every place that we go out to, I'm surrounded by Spanish conversations. Just the other day, I got lost looking for the campus bus and so I asked someone where it was. He was an older man, going on a run, and he told me the directions. But then he just ended up going there with me, showing me exactly how to get there.

Being here has given me a much broader understanding of exchange students. I understand why a lot of international students cling to their friends, why many of them after meeting you for the first time, immediately ask for your number, but most importantly, why it's difficult and nerve wracking to speak out in a country that's not your own; speaking a language that you're not confident in with fear of looking or sounding out of place all the while knowing that you already do. I think that one of the most difficult thing to endure when you're abroad is getting sick. I came here fairly sick already (I'm better now), but I need to see a doctor soon because I have a huge and painful infection on my finger. I'm not really sure how it happened, but I went and saw the nurse at the University and she told me that I needed to go to a doctor (she wasn't too helpful). Nonetheless, it's something that I need to figure out...and soon.

Every day I have class at 10:30. Although the University is next to my house, we all attend the extended part of the school which is about a 30 minute bus ride from campus. I can either take the public transportation bus which is 8 pesos (50 cents) and leaves later or I can walk to the campus bus stop and take the (free) school bus which leaves at 8:30. Either way, I wake up around 7 every morning and my amazing host mom or dad is always up making me a delicious healthy breakfast. It has been so long since someone has made me breakfast every morning (the last was my dad). For over 2 years now I've been on my own; grocery shopping, cooking my own food, doing as I please, living and paying my own rent, but now everything has shifted. I forgot what it was like to have to tell someone where I was going to be and when I would return. My latest class ends at 1:30 and I always take the school bus back home with Keaton because we have a very similar schedule and he lives not that far away from me. The conversations that we have while walking back is sometimes my favorite part of the day. It's refreshing to converse with someone who thinks on a similar level as you.

Already I feel close to the people participating in this program. A diverse group of individuals with very different stories, we are all in this journey together. Last night, we attended our very first soccer game. As a fan myself, I was stoked for this. Keaton's host brother had given him 5 tickets and although we lost, (1-0), it was crazy to be a part of this experience. The crowd was insane. Querétaro is such a beautiful, rich and clean city. I know that this is not all of Mexico...but the stereotypical fear that people have of Mexico doesn't really apply to this place. Yes it's dangerous to walk home alone at night, yes there are crimes that happen here, but these things can be said about every place in the world. Querétaro is a hidden gem that hasn't yet been bombarded by tourists and I think that is what I love most about being here. The authenticity of the culture is so raw and genuine.

                           

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