hola amigos,
so much has happened, i don´t know where to begin! i should probably clarify the situation with mexicali. firstly, we did experience a small quake in the middle of the night last tuesday (i think). joe and i didn´t feel it, but others in our group did. we left on friday and the major quake hit on sunday. as of yet, we have no information regarding our friends in mexicali. i am curious if the high-rise hotel we were staying in is still standing?
we spent a relaxing day in santa monica before we flew to leon, mexico on saturday night. i slept about 1-2 hours that night and therefore arrived exhausted. we found our home and had to wait for an hour to have access to our room. i promtply fell asleep on the couch for several hours. that night we overslept and almost missed school. we arrived on time and out of breath. after our test we were placed in the same class . . . thanks be to God.
we have already hit all of our favorite cafes and bars, and discovered a few new ones to add to our list :) the roads are even steeper than i remember them. i´m positive it´s uphill both directions!
the few roads that permit cars are so congested with autos and buses it should be dangerous, but somehow it isn´t. everyone walks in the streets and on the 2 foot wide sidewalk, and listens for motors. motorcycles weave through the crowd, volkswagons squeeze throught the narrow path given them, trucks get people up on the sidewalk (if possible),while buses rule the road. when one hears a bus motor, it is understood that you must make room for everyone to get up onto the sidewalk with you (recall 2 foot wide sidewalks) which can be done if everyone stops for a moment. the problem occurs at the corners where the sidewalk narrows to one foot wide with the middle of the bus taking several inches of that space for the turn. needless to say, you don´t want to be on a corner when it´s crowded and a bus is coming!
sunday night we sat at an outdoor restaurant typical for this spanish town.
i had a nice glass of merlot from chili and joe had a negra modelo (or two). the town square comes alive at dusk with young people, either couples or working on it. crowds of young ladies stroll by holding eachothers hands. equally large numbers of young men lounge against the wrought iron rails and ogle the girls. the couples take over the numerous benchs (two to a bench) and wrap themselves around eachother like pretzels. since most families live together until they marry, privacy is almost impossible. privacy while dating is also forbidden amongst christian families. there are always watchful eyes.
our classes are hard, but i´ve already learned a lot. ramon is funny and he speaks extremely clear. rebecca is more serious and has a softer voice. she also talks with her back to me when she´s writing on the board. that simply doesn´t work for me. i need to see the person´s face to truly understand what they are saying.
well that´s it for now. we need to get back to our house because hermelinda is preparing a large lunch for us. she makes very healthy food. i had mango, bananas, avacado, yogurt,and muesli for breakfast. yummy!
we love you all, dios le bendiga,
heidi and pepe
so much has happened, i don´t know where to begin! i should probably clarify the situation with mexicali. firstly, we did experience a small quake in the middle of the night last tuesday (i think). joe and i didn´t feel it, but others in our group did. we left on friday and the major quake hit on sunday. as of yet, we have no information regarding our friends in mexicali. i am curious if the high-rise hotel we were staying in is still standing?
we spent a relaxing day in santa monica before we flew to leon, mexico on saturday night. i slept about 1-2 hours that night and therefore arrived exhausted. we found our home and had to wait for an hour to have access to our room. i promtply fell asleep on the couch for several hours. that night we overslept and almost missed school. we arrived on time and out of breath. after our test we were placed in the same class . . . thanks be to God.
we have already hit all of our favorite cafes and bars, and discovered a few new ones to add to our list :) the roads are even steeper than i remember them. i´m positive it´s uphill both directions!
the few roads that permit cars are so congested with autos and buses it should be dangerous, but somehow it isn´t. everyone walks in the streets and on the 2 foot wide sidewalk, and listens for motors. motorcycles weave through the crowd, volkswagons squeeze throught the narrow path given them, trucks get people up on the sidewalk (if possible),while buses rule the road. when one hears a bus motor, it is understood that you must make room for everyone to get up onto the sidewalk with you (recall 2 foot wide sidewalks) which can be done if everyone stops for a moment. the problem occurs at the corners where the sidewalk narrows to one foot wide with the middle of the bus taking several inches of that space for the turn. needless to say, you don´t want to be on a corner when it´s crowded and a bus is coming!
sunday night we sat at an outdoor restaurant typical for this spanish town.
i had a nice glass of merlot from chili and joe had a negra modelo (or two). the town square comes alive at dusk with young people, either couples or working on it. crowds of young ladies stroll by holding eachothers hands. equally large numbers of young men lounge against the wrought iron rails and ogle the girls. the couples take over the numerous benchs (two to a bench) and wrap themselves around eachother like pretzels. since most families live together until they marry, privacy is almost impossible. privacy while dating is also forbidden amongst christian families. there are always watchful eyes.our classes are hard, but i´ve already learned a lot. ramon is funny and he speaks extremely clear. rebecca is more serious and has a softer voice. she also talks with her back to me when she´s writing on the board. that simply doesn´t work for me. i need to see the person´s face to truly understand what they are saying.
well that´s it for now. we need to get back to our house because hermelinda is preparing a large lunch for us. she makes very healthy food. i had mango, bananas, avacado, yogurt,and muesli for breakfast. yummy!
we love you all, dios le bendiga,
heidi and pepe
Sounds like fun!!! Love and hugs!!! Kathy-Mom
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