My first entry

Hi everyone,

This is my first time blogging EVER, so this should be interesting. I hadn't planned on keeping a blog while in Mexico, but now that I am here, I realized that it is probably a good idea to write down my experiences because I have a terrible memory. I also want you guys to be updated, too. Here goes.

First I will tell you a bit about why I am here (in case you don't already know.) I am on a semester abroad program through George Fox University that runs from August 28 thru December 12. The study abroad program is available for Spanish minors and majors at Fox, and since I am a Spanish minor (Communication major) I decided that it would be an awesome opportunity to study in Mexico. The school that we attend is located in the city of Cuernavaca (1 hour south of Mexico City) and is called UNIVERSAL Center for Language and Social Communication. If you want to look at their site it is http://universal-spanish.com/.

I will say that I was very surprised at how easy it has been making the adjustment to Mexican life. I had been dreading the first week with my host family, because all I could imagine was awkwardly trying to talk to them in the little Spanish that I had remembered over the summer. So far it has been really good, though. I live with a woman named Carmen, and her two sons Alfredo, 30, and Erik, 25. My host mother is very nice and welcoming, and I can understand most of the things she says. :] Alfredo and Erik both speak English pretty well, so if I am really having a tough time they will help me out. They are really fun to be around, and they are really skinny like me so I fit right in!

One thing that is not so fun are the mosquitos here. They are everywhere, and for some reason they love my feet. Don't ask me why. After the second day, I had 18 mosquito bites just on my feet. Since then I have acquired more, no matter how much OFF! I put on myself. My feet look diseased.

Today was my third day of school, and I am really liking it. I can understand everything my professors say, and I am not too worried about the difficulty of the classes. In the morning we have Spanish from 9-10:50 with a 10 min break, then we have culture and civilization of Latin America from 11:20-1 with a 10 min break. AND, we don't have classes on Friday. You can't beat that.

The food has been really good, too. I have had enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, alphabet soup (I know right?), and a few other things. We have also been exploring the city, which has over 300,000 people in it I think. The taxi's here are really cheap and can take us all over the city. I'm excited to see what else the city has to offer.

Well I think that's all for now. It might be awhile before I get some pictures up because I forgot my camera cord. I will try to figure something out soon.

Tyler