Thursday, January 15, 2009
My Mom's thoughts
WoW....what a wonderful two weeks I spent in Mazatlan, Mexico, in December visiting Erin, her host family and all the relatives. For those of you who don't know, Mazatlan is on the Pacific Ocean and about half way down the coast, directly across from the tip of the Baja peninsula.
Since I've returned to snow country (Michigan), I've had people ask me about visiting Mazatlan as a tourist; I can't really answer them, though, as I don't feel that I was there as a tourist. The beaches are beautiful, but I only spent about four hours in two weeks actually at the beach! I didn't bring home a tan although I enjoyed each warm, sunny, 80 degree day that I was there. (It's 6 degrees in Michigan today!)
I was fortunate enough to be invited to stay with Erin's host family in a completely residential neighborhood. The first week was a typical week for them with kids in school and at day care and Mom working. Then they went on a two-week Christmas vacation to visit grandparents on the other side of Mexico, leaving Erin and I with the house to ourselves (and the two dogs and three hamsters! There is a story here about one of the hamsters getting loose but that is for another time).
Erin continued to work each day of my visit from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. but then we would spend the afternoons exploring.
-Taking public transportation almost everywhere and being the only gringos on the bus.
-Walking 30 minutes to get to the base of the lighthouse, climbing stairs for another 30 minutes to get to the top...just in time for a gorgeous sunset (although sunsets over Lake Michigan could rival theirs!). The lighthouse is built on a natural hill and is listed as the highest natural lighthouse in the world--now that the other highest lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake.
-After six years, I got to watch Erin play soccer on the Universidad team and win the municipal tournament; she scored a penalty shot. Her team photo was in the local newspaper...I have a copy! And she will never ever again complain about field conditions in Michigan!
-Taking a City Tour by bus one morning while Erin worked and learning some of the history of the city and area.
-Learning that a settlement of Jewish immigrants donated the money to finish the cathedral in the city central.
-Hearing how important their music is to them. Not being a music person, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the music once the volume wasn't so loud!
-Attending the Christmas Party for the El Cid Hotel employees (where Erin works).
-Visiting the city market (Mercado) where you can purchase meat, fruits, vegetables, clothes, shoes, souvenirs...you name it, and you can probably find it there. Although Wal-Mart was an option, I liked the authenticity of the Mercado!
-Meeting some of the Universidad staff and instructors who helped arrange Erin's work internship...yeah, Adriana spoke English!
-Attending a street fiesta with one of the largest pinatas that I've ever seen.
-Having some free time to actually finish reading a book!
-A day trip into a mining town with Erin and a friend one Sunday.
-But best of all was getting to know the people.
Mimi, the 12-year old was in school every morning by 6:45 a.m. but finished by 12:30 p.m. Apparently they do school in two shifts...morning and afternoon.
Joselyn, the 2-year old was a cute little girl, but as Erin commented, terrible twos are apparently a world-wide phenomenon.
Martha, the single mom, was busy with all the transporting back and forth to school and day care and working at the Universidad from 2-7 p.m.
Families are a very important part of Mexican life and I met Martha's mother (Rosa), her aunts (Sofia & Dora) and uncles, her cousins, etc. We were invited to fiestas, Christmas Eve dinners, birthday parties, etc. and were made to feel at home. At one point both Aunt Sofia and I told Erin that we wished we could speak each other's language as we knew we had many questions to ask and information to share...and much in common.
I was glad that I had taken a few Spanish lessons in the fall but I certainly didn't feel competent trying to converse...insufficient vocabulary and verb conjugation was a nightmare as I had only learned present tense! I am continuing with the Spanish lessons so that when I return to visit all the wonderful people I met, I will hopefully be better able to communicate. Thank goodness for Erin-my interpreter.
Since I've returned to snow country (Michigan), I've had people ask me about visiting Mazatlan as a tourist; I can't really answer them, though, as I don't feel that I was there as a tourist. The beaches are beautiful, but I only spent about four hours in two weeks actually at the beach! I didn't bring home a tan although I enjoyed each warm, sunny, 80 degree day that I was there. (It's 6 degrees in Michigan today!)
I was fortunate enough to be invited to stay with Erin's host family in a completely residential neighborhood. The first week was a typical week for them with kids in school and at day care and Mom working. Then they went on a two-week Christmas vacation to visit grandparents on the other side of Mexico, leaving Erin and I with the house to ourselves (and the two dogs and three hamsters! There is a story here about one of the hamsters getting loose but that is for another time).
Erin continued to work each day of my visit from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. but then we would spend the afternoons exploring.
-Taking public transportation almost everywhere and being the only gringos on the bus.
-Walking 30 minutes to get to the base of the lighthouse, climbing stairs for another 30 minutes to get to the top...just in time for a gorgeous sunset (although sunsets over Lake Michigan could rival theirs!). The lighthouse is built on a natural hill and is listed as the highest natural lighthouse in the world--now that the other highest lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake.
-After six years, I got to watch Erin play soccer on the Universidad team and win the municipal tournament; she scored a penalty shot. Her team photo was in the local newspaper...I have a copy! And she will never ever again complain about field conditions in Michigan!
-Taking a City Tour by bus one morning while Erin worked and learning some of the history of the city and area.
-Learning that a settlement of Jewish immigrants donated the money to finish the cathedral in the city central.
-Hearing how important their music is to them. Not being a music person, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the music once the volume wasn't so loud!
-Attending the Christmas Party for the El Cid Hotel employees (where Erin works).
-Visiting the city market (Mercado) where you can purchase meat, fruits, vegetables, clothes, shoes, souvenirs...you name it, and you can probably find it there. Although Wal-Mart was an option, I liked the authenticity of the Mercado!
-Meeting some of the Universidad staff and instructors who helped arrange Erin's work internship...yeah, Adriana spoke English!
-Attending a street fiesta with one of the largest pinatas that I've ever seen.
-Having some free time to actually finish reading a book!
-A day trip into a mining town with Erin and a friend one Sunday.
-But best of all was getting to know the people.
Mimi, the 12-year old was in school every morning by 6:45 a.m. but finished by 12:30 p.m. Apparently they do school in two shifts...morning and afternoon.
Joselyn, the 2-year old was a cute little girl, but as Erin commented, terrible twos are apparently a world-wide phenomenon.
Martha, the single mom, was busy with all the transporting back and forth to school and day care and working at the Universidad from 2-7 p.m.
Families are a very important part of Mexican life and I met Martha's mother (Rosa), her aunts (Sofia & Dora) and uncles, her cousins, etc. We were invited to fiestas, Christmas Eve dinners, birthday parties, etc. and were made to feel at home. At one point both Aunt Sofia and I told Erin that we wished we could speak each other's language as we knew we had many questions to ask and information to share...and much in common.
I was glad that I had taken a few Spanish lessons in the fall but I certainly didn't feel competent trying to converse...insufficient vocabulary and verb conjugation was a nightmare as I had only learned present tense! I am continuing with the Spanish lessons so that when I return to visit all the wonderful people I met, I will hopefully be better able to communicate. Thank goodness for Erin-my interpreter.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Hello everyone. Sorry it`s taken so long to write again. My mom was here for about two weeks and I was able to take her around to a lot of the different sights. She also liked meeting all of the family members. That was probably her favorite part, but I`ll let her talk about her experiences, as she is supposed to be sending me something soon.
There have been a lot of parties to go to again for the holidays and birthdays. I was invited to a holiday party for the employees of El Cid and actually won a prize of 2 nights at one of the resorts here in Mazatlán. That was one of the better gifts, I think, too. I`ll be using that this coming weekend. The night before Christmas, we got together with some of Martha`s family and had a little get together. They got a karaoke machine again, so my mom was able to here some Mexican music. We took Christmas pretty easy, as I was sick with a cold, but it was nice to have my mom around (and to cook me food ;) ). I also went to a New Year`s Party and birthday party at my "aunt`s" after my mom had left. There seems to always be some sort of party to attend.
What else...the last week or so I`ve been playing a lot of cards with Jose. He taught me a new game that is like Gin. We also went out for my birthday dinner and had some really good food at a restaurant called Panama. Otherwise, I have just been working and hanging out with the family now that they are back from their vacation. Not sure what else to write at the moment...can`t believe I will be coming home soon.
There have been a lot of parties to go to again for the holidays and birthdays. I was invited to a holiday party for the employees of El Cid and actually won a prize of 2 nights at one of the resorts here in Mazatlán. That was one of the better gifts, I think, too. I`ll be using that this coming weekend. The night before Christmas, we got together with some of Martha`s family and had a little get together. They got a karaoke machine again, so my mom was able to here some Mexican music. We took Christmas pretty easy, as I was sick with a cold, but it was nice to have my mom around (and to cook me food ;) ). I also went to a New Year`s Party and birthday party at my "aunt`s" after my mom had left. There seems to always be some sort of party to attend.
What else...the last week or so I`ve been playing a lot of cards with Jose. He taught me a new game that is like Gin. We also went out for my birthday dinner and had some really good food at a restaurant called Panama. Otherwise, I have just been working and hanging out with the family now that they are back from their vacation. Not sure what else to write at the moment...can`t believe I will be coming home soon.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Wow, it`s been a while
Sorry for the delay...I haven`t been on the computer as much the last few weeks. I`m doing well. My mom came this last Thurday to visit for about two weeks. It is nice to see her. I tried to take it easier on her the first few days, but she did get to see me play soccer (we won a small tournament) and went to a party with my family here. Yesterday, we went to the beach and today I took her to the lighthouse and climbed up to the top. The market will be the next thing to do.
The weekend before she came, I went with my friend Jose to meet his mom and grandparents in a small town. We took two buses about 4 hours to get to the town. All of the roads except the one main road are dirt and it seemed to be a rather poor area. Most everyone had a piece of farmland and that`s how they made a living. The houses were modest but welcoming. Everyone was nice to me and it was nice to see a different part of Mexico. Jose`s grandpa has alzheimer`s, but he liked to talk to me about different things. He even offered to give me a piece of land so that my family could move out there. It was very relaxing for a weekend although I don`t know if I could live there - not a lot going on.
That`s all for now. Take care.
The weekend before she came, I went with my friend Jose to meet his mom and grandparents in a small town. We took two buses about 4 hours to get to the town. All of the roads except the one main road are dirt and it seemed to be a rather poor area. Most everyone had a piece of farmland and that`s how they made a living. The houses were modest but welcoming. Everyone was nice to me and it was nice to see a different part of Mexico. Jose`s grandpa has alzheimer`s, but he liked to talk to me about different things. He even offered to give me a piece of land so that my family could move out there. It was very relaxing for a weekend although I don`t know if I could live there - not a lot going on.
That`s all for now. Take care.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
busy, busy
Hello...long time no see...
I`ve been rather busy recently. This last Friday and Saturday I played three soccer games. Friday afternoon/evening we played a team from Culiacan with only 8 people and we still tied, 4-4. We actually should have won a game, but we had some miscommunication between defender and goalie. Both thought the other was going for the ball. Saturday morning we had 14 people show up...woohoo!! Probably the most we will ever have and beat the same team as the night before by 5 or something...I lost track of how many we scored. My ankles were starting to hurt that game, so I didn`t play very well. I thought that if everybody came in the evening that I would see if I coud rest a half for the afternoon game. Unfortunately, we only had 6.5 people show up...one person hurt her hip flexor so she wasn`t able to do much. That meant that I had to play the whole game, although by the end I had all but stopped because my ankles were hurting. That game we lost by who knows how many. Before my ankles quit on me, I was playing offense all by myself in the second half. Dribbling around like a mad woman and getting nowhere. It`s very hard to take on 6 people...I did manage to get a free kick, but failed to do anything with it as my plant (is that how you spell it?) foot gave way in the dirt. Anyway, this was what my ankle looked like the next day:
Not sure if you can tell, but it is pretty swollen. And still is right now. Trying to take ibuprofen and use this cream the sports` doctor prescribed for me. hopefully it will go down quickly. Luckily, although disappointingly, the team won`t be going to Culiacan this weekend. It`s rather strange to me; in order to be a part of the tournament, you need to roster at least 14 people. It seems to me, that if you wanted to play with fewer, you would only be hurting yourself. There was a problem with our paperwork, because we didn`t have a enough girls, or rather didn`t have everyone`s paperwork. Then there was something about not wanting me to play because being a Mexican citizen was part of the requirements; the people in Culiacan didn`t care that I was here on an exchange. My coach was also talking about it having some political motivation, but I didn`t really follow what that was about.
Now, to talk about something other than soccer....I went to two birthday parties this past week. Friday night was the party of someone from work. It was fun to hang out with everybody. There was a lot of joking around and drinking and eating. She lives in a really nice house. I was very envious of her kitchen. :)
The other party I went to was Martha`s cousin´s Marisol. I have gotten to know her because she looks after the kids when Martha`s at work. Her party started at 2pm and I left at 9:30pm and there were still people there. She rented a karaoke machine so after everyone had eaten there was a lot of singing...mostly la banda which is from Sinaloa (the state where Mazatlan is). I sang two songs..."Piano Man" and "Hotel California". They said I did a good job, but I don`t know. Here are a couple of photos I took:
Until next time....
I`ve been rather busy recently. This last Friday and Saturday I played three soccer games. Friday afternoon/evening we played a team from Culiacan with only 8 people and we still tied, 4-4. We actually should have won a game, but we had some miscommunication between defender and goalie. Both thought the other was going for the ball. Saturday morning we had 14 people show up...woohoo!! Probably the most we will ever have and beat the same team as the night before by 5 or something...I lost track of how many we scored. My ankles were starting to hurt that game, so I didn`t play very well. I thought that if everybody came in the evening that I would see if I coud rest a half for the afternoon game. Unfortunately, we only had 6.5 people show up...one person hurt her hip flexor so she wasn`t able to do much. That meant that I had to play the whole game, although by the end I had all but stopped because my ankles were hurting. That game we lost by who knows how many. Before my ankles quit on me, I was playing offense all by myself in the second half. Dribbling around like a mad woman and getting nowhere. It`s very hard to take on 6 people...I did manage to get a free kick, but failed to do anything with it as my plant (is that how you spell it?) foot gave way in the dirt. Anyway, this was what my ankle looked like the next day:
Not sure if you can tell, but it is pretty swollen. And still is right now. Trying to take ibuprofen and use this cream the sports` doctor prescribed for me. hopefully it will go down quickly. Luckily, although disappointingly, the team won`t be going to Culiacan this weekend. It`s rather strange to me; in order to be a part of the tournament, you need to roster at least 14 people. It seems to me, that if you wanted to play with fewer, you would only be hurting yourself. There was a problem with our paperwork, because we didn`t have a enough girls, or rather didn`t have everyone`s paperwork. Then there was something about not wanting me to play because being a Mexican citizen was part of the requirements; the people in Culiacan didn`t care that I was here on an exchange. My coach was also talking about it having some political motivation, but I didn`t really follow what that was about.
Now, to talk about something other than soccer....I went to two birthday parties this past week. Friday night was the party of someone from work. It was fun to hang out with everybody. There was a lot of joking around and drinking and eating. She lives in a really nice house. I was very envious of her kitchen. :)
The other party I went to was Martha`s cousin´s Marisol. I have gotten to know her because she looks after the kids when Martha`s at work. Her party started at 2pm and I left at 9:30pm and there were still people there. She rented a karaoke machine so after everyone had eaten there was a lot of singing...mostly la banda which is from Sinaloa (the state where Mazatlan is). I sang two songs..."Piano Man" and "Hotel California". They said I did a good job, but I don`t know. Here are a couple of photos I took:
Until next time....
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Soccer Game
Unfortunately, the trip to Culiacan was canceled. There were not enough girls that could or would go. There is not the same level of commitment that I was used to with my team. We did set up a game here in Mazatlan for Saturday morning though. The coach said he would pick me up at 9am, but as usual, didn`t arrive until 9:30ish. By the time we got to the field it was already pretty warm and field was hot because it was basically just dirt. Even though we were in town, we still didn`t have enough people show up...only 10. It was fun to play though, although somewhat confusing as I was never quite sure what my teammates were going to do. I also couldn`t seem to kick the ball over 15 yards...not sure what my problem was. I did manage to score a goal, though, and we ended in a 1-1 tie. We took PKs (penalty kicks) to decide the winner and we won 5-4. I was sore but happy after the game.
Today I am missing mi familia (my Mexican family) as they took a trip to Mexico City for the weekend and I am home alone. :(
Today I am missing mi familia (my Mexican family) as they took a trip to Mexico City for the weekend and I am home alone. :(
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Quick Update
Hi everyone!
Just wanted to let you all know that everything is going very well right now. I started playing soccer last week, finally, and it has been nice to play again. It isn´t extremely competive (some of the girls had never played before), but it`s better than nothing. It seems that girls playing soccer really is not as typical as guys playing soccer. There are a couple of girls that have played for a while and are pretty good. The team is a mixture of high school and university students. I will be going to Culiacan with them on Friday to play some games. That should be fun and I`ll be able to get to know them a little better.
Last night I went out dancing at a place called Mambo Café. I went with Miriam, someone from the university, and some of her friends. I danced quite a bit and they taught me a little bit of salsa. I might go to some of the classes that are at the Café to learn more formally. Two people even asked me to dance, so maybe I`m not as bad as I think. :P One of them even asked me if I was from Mazatlán...it must have been really dark.
Anyway, it is getting late, so that is all for now.
chow
Just wanted to let you all know that everything is going very well right now. I started playing soccer last week, finally, and it has been nice to play again. It isn´t extremely competive (some of the girls had never played before), but it`s better than nothing. It seems that girls playing soccer really is not as typical as guys playing soccer. There are a couple of girls that have played for a while and are pretty good. The team is a mixture of high school and university students. I will be going to Culiacan with them on Friday to play some games. That should be fun and I`ll be able to get to know them a little better.
Last night I went out dancing at a place called Mambo Café. I went with Miriam, someone from the university, and some of her friends. I danced quite a bit and they taught me a little bit of salsa. I might go to some of the classes that are at the Café to learn more formally. Two people even asked me to dance, so maybe I`m not as bad as I think. :P One of them even asked me if I was from Mazatlán...it must have been really dark.
Anyway, it is getting late, so that is all for now.
chow
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