Five days in

Everything is going so well. Each day we grow more accustomed to our routine and our surroundings. We know many new people by name and talk to them everyday. Hearing Spanish all the time seems more normal now. This is fun!

After class, we walked over to see the city's colonial-time theater, but unfortunately it was closed. So what do we do instead? Why, buy an ice cream of course! Feeling happy with our malts and shakes, we walked toward our next destination, the church of Santa Clara. One word: ornate! It's an incredible sight to see. On the way we stopped in to a former Mexican president's house, which is now open to the public and individual businesses. One can only imagine how beautiful of a home it was during its time of the president's residence.

Later in the afternoon the students came together for a lesson on papel picado (cut paper) and how it is used during Mexican celebrations. They made some typical party decorations using tissue paper. Lulu explained the process step by step and as always, in Spanish.

Another full day

Again, all students arrived on time for school. They tell me that they are sleeping well and getting plenty to eat. (I imagine they will be craving a hamburger pretty soon!)

After class we loaded up in a van and went to a beautiful park called el Cerro de las Campanas (the Hill of the Bells). Lulu explained the story and history behind everything. The Benito Juarez statue was HUGE and there were amazing flowering trees and cacti everywhere. Some students learned how very prickly cacti are, as well as tasty.

After lunch, everyone came back to the school for cumbia dance lessons. It started to rain, but that didn't stop them! A dance teacher came and taught them some basic moves. After only about 20 minutes they were really dancing la cumbia! They looked great! I'm hoping they will want to do it again.

Busy!

Everybody made it to school on time today, no problems. After an hour and a half of grammar review and conversation, the kids headed out to the Museo Regional de Queretaro for more culture and history lessons. After lunch, they were to go shopping.

All seven students in this little group are becoming friends very quickly. They like to stay in touch and plan activities together. They are totally immersed in the Spanish language and Mexican culture. Queretaro is such a beautiful place to learn!

First day of school

This morning we all met at a predetermined corner and walked to school together. Marta (one of the moms) led the way. It's about a 15 minute walk. The weather is beautiful in the morning, sunny and in the sixties.

The students stayed in class from 10:00 to 11:45. When they came out they were talkative and smiling. Class went well. Lulu then took us on another walking tour of the city. We first went to a nice lookout spot with a fabulous view of the old aqueduct. Lulu explained the "romantic" story of how it came to be and then told us what the "real" story was. I preferred the romantic story. After that we walked across the street to a small museum with statues and paintings of famous Queretanos and other influential Mexican men and women. (There is an interesting story behind why the women in the paintings have little mustaches.)

The afternoons are hot so we take comfort in the shade when others are still looking at something, taking pictures or asking questions. We visited another church, did a little more shopping, and then it was back home for lunch.

Another great day!

First 24 hours in Queretaro

Wow! It's been almost 24 hours since we arrived at our homes and we have done so much! The flights went well, no problems with baggage claim or customs, our driver was waiting for us, we all exchanged some money before leaving the airport and we were on our way. Jose, our driver, was very friendly and did a great job driving us the 1 1/2 hours to our final destination. We even stopped for strawberries and cream, a favorite local snack.

We were hot and tired by the time we arrived at the Centro Intercultural, but still excited because we were about to meet our "Senora" de la casa. They were all there waiting for us and we quickly loaded our things and went home. Plans varied last night. Rachel and Alex went to a birthday party while Lauren and I talked our host, Patricia, for the next 2 hours on her beautiful patio.

This morning we all met at one of the plazas and Lulu gave us a walking tour of this beautiful city. On a Sunday morning there is very little traffic and very few people out and about so we felt free to pose for pictures and walk around at a leisurely pace. After a couple of hours we ate breakfast at a beautiful restaurant called Las Monjas (The Nuns). The food was delicious and it was very relaxing.

From there we got on a bus and headed toward El Bernal, another town in the state of Queretaro. There is huge butte there called La Pena. You can hike up and get a great view of the town below. For those of us who wore flip flops and/or were not ready for a two-hour hike, there was plenty of shopping to keep us busy. This is a fun place where many families come to spend their Sundays walking around, eating ice cream and buying little gifts. We tried a local favorite called gorditas. Yum! We also explored a local cemetery, which is always interesting. The highlight of the afternoon was probably when the reptiles from the local circus showed up and you could play with a huge turtle, iguana or even put a snake around your neck! (I had to say no gracias to that one.)

The bus ride was an hour and a half so by the time we got back to Queretaro everybody was ready to go home and rest for awhile. All the moms were there waiting for us to pull up.

Tomorrow - first day of school!