Ohh, Merida...

So I am in Mexico!!!  It's crazy to think that I'll be here for the next few months, but I'm starting to see how this is going to be a great experience!

Yesterday, during our last night at the barn, where we studied taxonomies of a number of phyla and read multiple scientific papers on our research topics (I'm studying flamingos and hummingbirds, by the way), we woke up promptly at 2:30 and left at 3 AM for Ursinus!  My parents came to meet me at Ursinus for a last "goodbye" which definitely made me feel alot better about going on this trip.  I think I would have had a much harder time getting on the plane if I hadn't seen them yesterday morning for 10 minutes! :-D

When we got to the airport, we had 3 hours before we could board the plane, so I spent some time with Shoji, Aakash, and Caitlin in the airport looking at DVDs because Shoji insisted on buying one for the plane (WHICH he didn't even get one, by the way...urrghh Shojiiii haha).  Then, we found out that they have wireless in the food court of the cafeteria, but that was all the way at a different wing of the airport.  Distance didn't mean anything to a bunch of internet-loving teens, however, so we all walked for about 15 minutes to get internet!

On the airplane, I slept...alot.  I was placed next to some random guy on the plane, though, so I couldn't get too comfortable while I slept.  The plane ride went very smoothly and we arrived in Cancun where we waited through Customs and for our luggage for a while. 

After leaving the airport, we went to a restaurant in Cancun where they had the best soft serve vanilla ice cream I've ever tasted (my brother would have LOVED it!!).  It was really funny too because there was a pharmacy next door to the retaurant called "Farmacias Paris", so of course I had to take a picture!! :-D

Following this really good meal, we had to drive to Merida...for FOUR HOURS!  It was such a long drive, and I started getting so nervous on the bus that I thought I was going to be sick!  

I began feeling alot better though when we were entering Merida.  I kept seeing that families had fully decorated Christmas trees in their homes!!  It was even more exciting to see that the entire Plaza de Montejo decorated for Christmas!  There were huge lighted palm trees, a small gingerbread house that kids were playing on, Christmas lights galore, and a HUGE Christmas tree right in the middle of the plaza!!!!  It was beautiful. :-D

When we got to our homestay, Allison and I dropped our bags off and left with Maria, our host mother, to pick up her son, Gerardo, at her mothers house because they were celebrating Christmas yesterday!!  She explained to me that they celebrate Santa Claus on the 25th of December mainly due to U.S. influence, but they continue their Mexican Christmas traditions today by giving children toys from three saints.  She told me that they want to be sure to keep their Mexican traditions alive so, even though the children love the idea of Santa Claus, they still practice their Catholic-based traditions for Christmas!

Allison and I were then brought to our room, which is fabulous!  We have our own small house behind Maria's house that has our bedroom and full bathroom in it!  By being behind the house, we're further from the road, so its nice and quiet! 

This morning, we had to wake up at 6:50 and get ready for breakfast at 7:15.  Maria prepared a wonderful breakfast for us with some sort of soft shell taco that was cooked with ham and cheese inside, along with fresh bananas and fresh squeezed orange juice (it was so different walking into the kitchen and seeing Maria using an old fashioned orange juice maker this morning...but it was so good!).  We then used public transportation to get to CIS Centro, which is where I'm studying Spanish while I'm in Merida.  THAT was very interesting because the bus driver was driving and all of a sudden, he's resting his newspaper on the steering wheel and reading it!  It was a bit disturbing, but I guess that just made it more clear to me that I'm no longer in the United States!

During my first Spanish class, I was able to learn alot about beginner level Spanish, such as the pronunciation of numbers, the alphabet, and various vocabulary (i.e. family words).  It was very difficult for me to say things that I wasn't reading out of the book, however, because everytime Valentina (my teacher) would call on me, I was mixing my Spanish with French!!!!

We then had a small break at 12 until 12:30, which is when I was able to go to the bank and get some pesos!  On the way there and back, we were all whistled at by Mexican men on the street, which was disturbing but also only part of the different culture in Mexico. 

After this, we had culture class, in which Roger (pronounced Ro-hair, which I learned today in Spanish haha) showed us a map of Merida and told us the best places to eat and visit and where not to go in the city!  We also went on a small excursion so that he could show us how to use the bus system in Merida. 

When we returned to CIS, I was greeted by Martha and she went with Allison and I back to the house on the bus...I'm so glad that she's coming with us for the next few days to show us how to get back to her house! 

After we arrived at her home, Martha had lunch prepared for us, which is the largest meal of the day.  Because I'm not used to eating so much for lunch, it was very hard for me to have alot, so she kept it for me and I will probably eat the rest for dinner (they only have a small snack for dinner...it's so different from the U.S.!).  It was also difficult to eat alot because Mexican food is much more grease filled than I had expected, so it was hard to eat a mass amount of greasy food (it was very good though!). 

Tonight, Allison and I are going to go to the mall and Walmart, which is only about 5 minutes by bus from the house, so that we can buy cell phones that will work in Mexico!

I'll keep you all updated!  I miss and love you all!

-Ashley